Digital Commons Network^™

Developing Staff Training Modules To Enhance Neurodiversity-Affirming Care In An Inpatient Psychiatric Setting, Haley Morris

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

Introduction: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are admitted to psychiatric hospitals at higher rates and for longer durations compared to neurotypical individuals (Kuriakose et al., 2018). Externalizing behaviors, such as aggression and self-injury, significantly increase hospitalization risk, yet standard psychiatric interventions (e.g., traditional process groups) are often ineffective for this population. A key barrier is the lack of ASD-specific training among hospital staff (Siegel & Gabriels, 2012). This capstone project aimed to address this gap by developing and implementing an educational training program to improve patient-centered, neurodiversity-affirming care across all inpatient psychiatric units. The primary aims were to: …

Empowering Families In A Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Grace A. Avin

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

In the U.S., it is estimated that at least 239,000 children were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) in the year 2019 (Killeen et al., 2023). Post Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS) describes the adverse impacts that patients suffer from after the ICU, and children are especially vulnerable in the critical period of growing and developing (Smith & Rahman, 2023). The Sleep, Play, Heal (SPH) program is a pediatric ICU liberation movement at a local children’s hospital aimed to decrease PICS and improve outcomes for children and families. Through team interviews, the need for educational resources to maintain a continuum …

"Discovering The Mysterious Ocean: A New Approach To Igniting Children’S Interest In Marine Sciences", Laura Goretti

Theses & ETDs

This thesis presents the development of a series of interactive musical books designed to ignite children's interest in marine sciences. The project addresses the lack of ocean literacy and school curricula in children’s books by integrating ocean principles and the New College of Florida Marine Biology curriculum with art and hands-on activities. The books target kindergarten and early elementary-aged children as the importance of early exposure to scientific concepts and children's innate scientific inquiry are discussed. Current challenges in science education are examined, highlighting the possible tools that should be utilized to enhance students’ engagement, interest, and excitement towards marine …

I’M All The Fishes In The Sea: Creating An Animal Care Ethic From Spinoza’S Ethics, Denicia Finney

Theses & ETDs

Although Spinoza encourages us to understand Nature, and our place as parts in it, he felt inclined to say that the lower animals have nothing in common with our nature, and so ‘we have every right against them that they have against us’. Is he ultimately justified in making this claim? I believe that Spinoza's ethic, and the end that ensues from it would actually warrant fair consideration of the lower animals. I demonstrate this through the separation of the eternal essence and the particular essence which each individual is composed of. Insofar as humankind acts according to the universal …

Evaluating The Effects Of Coastal Development On Sea Turtle Nesting Success Rates In Southwest Florida, Lydia Ubry

Theses & ETDs

The barrier islands of Sarasota County are one of the highest-density nesting areas for Caretta caretta (loggerhead sea turtle) and Chelonia mydas (green sea turtle) in Florida and the greater Gulf of Mexico region. Additionally, these islands (Lido Key, Siesta Key, Casey Key, and Manasota Key) are all highly developed with varying types of dominant structures on each key. This study aims to examine the different types of development on these islands over time (1974-2023) in conjunction with marine turtle nesting success rates. Findings include a higher number of nesting turtles overall, despite a great increase in development since the …

Automated Regulatory Classification Of Mobile Medical Apps, Ernest C. Chianumba, Franklyn Kogolo, Raina Samuel

School of Computing Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Mobile medical applications provide a variety of functionalities for users, from managing critical personal data to providing basic medical information. However, due to the variety of functionalities and lack of consistent and concrete regulatory oversight across app marketplaces, medical apps potentially pose a threat to users who are generally unaware of app capabilities. Therefore, in order to help legal experts quickly identify which regulatory body applies to medical apps used by consumers, we present a method to convert and plot the prose of both app descriptions and regulatory legalese into a vector space to facilitate rapid cosine similarity scoring. Our …

Keynote Address For The 2025 University Of The Pacific Law Review Symposium: The Crime Victims' Rights Movement: Historical Foundations, Modern Ascendancy, And Future Aspirations, Paul Cassell

Utah Law Faculty Scholarship

This article, which serves as the keynote address for the 2025 University of Pacific Law Review Symposium, explores the past, present, and future of America's crime victims' rights movement-one of the most successful social movements in modern history.

Historically, crime victims played a central role in criminal justice processes through private prosecutions-i.e., the ability of victims to initiate or participate in criminal prosecutions. Today, while private prosecutions have been largely supplanted by public prosecutions, the victims' rights movement has successfully restored the victims' voice in criminal processes. The movement has reformed contemporary American criminal justice so that criminal processes now …

Donor Standing To Enforce Charitable Gifts In The 21st Century, Nancy Mclaughlin

Utah Law Faculty Scholarship

This Article outlines the current state of the law regarding donor standing, which illustrates two realities. First, there is an increasing lack of coherence in the law, which has negative consequences, including that the same charitable gift may now be subject to different donor-standing rules depending on completely arbitrary factors. Second, the trend is in favor of granting donors and certain others standing, although this trend is occurring in a haphazard way. This Article also discusses the various factors that led the law of donor standing down this path. Among other things, there has been a gradual normalization of the …

Loper Bright’S Deregulatory Synergies, Renee Farmer, Daniel G. Aaron

Utah Law Faculty Scholarship

For over 40 years, Chevron U.S.A. v. National Resources Defense Council stood as a keystone of administrative law. It infused agencies with the discretion to leverage the edges of statutory language and granted them the security that day-to-day agency actions would survive judicial review. Although Chevron’s demise in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo elicited rebuke from many legal scholars, it struck some as unsurprising, unimportant, or unconcerning, whether due to the narrowing of Chevron over time, the Supreme Court’s disuse of it in recent years, or the belief that its holding flew in the face of the Administrative Procedure Act. …

The Supreme Court’S 2024–2025 Term: Eroding Public Health, Health Equity, And Access To Justice, Daniel G. Aaron, Wendy E. Parmet

Utah Law Faculty Scholarship

In this moment, the public health community can no longer afford the luxury of staying outside the arenas of politics and law. They must research empirically the impact of judicial decisions on health, treating the court’s decrees as a social determinant of health. They must also educate lawmakers on the impact of court decisions on people and patients, partner with policy and legal experts to inform the public about the important role that courts play in determining the health of individuals and communities, and attempt to combat the misinformation that muddles popular understandings of public health. Should we remain silent, …

No Remedy For Colonization, Sigrid Vendrell-Polanco

Faculty Articles

The United States purports to maintain a democratic relationship with its inhabited territories, yet the Supreme Court continues to uphold twentieth century laws that affirm rather than abrogate colonial policies. The gap between how the United States idealizes democracy and its real world application, especially in its five colonized territories (Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the United States Virgin Islands, and American Samoa), is not just growing—it is becoming a chasm. These colonies are currently referred to as United States territories. In 2023, the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico experienced a controversial sovereignty challenge surrounding the …

A Seventh Amendment Remedy For Housing Instability, Gregory Zlotnick

Faculty Articles

After the 2023-2024 Supreme Court term, housing advocates despaired over the expected, yet still unwelcome, decision in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson. While focusing on this case is understandable, this Article suggests that scholars, policymakers, and advocates should train their focus on another, perhaps less expected case from the previous Supreme Court term: SEC v. Jarkesy.

In Jarkesy, the Court affirmed a defendant's constitutional right to a jury trial in an administrative proceeding that sought to enforce a right similar to one found at common law. The Court's capacious interpretation of the Seventh Amendment in Jarkesy has implications for …

Misaligned: An Update On Trends In Data Privacy Laws And Their Effect On Individuals, Jena Martin, Erin Kelley

Faculty Articles

In 2021, a data privacy white paper was published with the support of the Center of Consumer Law and Education-a joint initiative with West Virginia University and Marshall University. That paper provided a comprehensive overview of data privacy around the country (and indeed, a look around the world) and discussed various ways that consumers engage with data and data privacy issues-while focusing on West Virginia and the issues that the state's residents face. Specifically, the paper provided the results of a survey of West Virginians and a set of focus groups held to discern what consumers in the state consider …

Profiteers Of Death, Match Dawson

Faculty Articles

Brazenly operating within the illicit world of stranger-owned life insurance (“STOLI”), unscrupulous investors and colluding life insurance agents unapologetically engage in a calculated dance of fraud and deceit. With the skill of seasoned con artists, these “Profiteers of Death” prey upon the unsuspecting elderly community, strategically targeting senior assisted living facilities by dangling the golden carrot of easy money in exchange for unwittingly selling away their insurability for little more than copper pennies. Standing idle like salivating vultures, the Profiteers of Death make a mockery of legislative attempts to curb the illegitimate secondary market, perfectly exploiting regulatory deficiencies as they …

Navigating Barriers: Challenges And Strategies For Adopting Artificial Intelligence In Qualitative Research In Low-Income African Contexts, Kahabi Isangula

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Introduction:

 AI is transforming qualitative research. It enhances efficiency, accuracy, and depth in studies. Technologies like machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP), and large language models (LLMs) simplify tasks like transcription, coding, and thematic analysis. However, in low-income African settings, there are barriers to AI adoption. These include ethical concerns, infrastructure limitations, financial constraints, and technical skill gaps. Issues around data privacy and the dehumanization of research also add challenges.

Methods: 

This paper explores the challenges and opportunities of AI in qualitative research in low-income African contexts. It uses a descriptive approach, reviewing literature and personal experiences from rural …

Artificial Intelligence In Radiology, Olivia Sweeney

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Introduction: Artificial intelligence (AI) has increasingly transformed radiologic practice by improving diagnostic accuracy, streamlining workflows, and reducing interpretation errors. As AI integration has expanded across imaging modalities, questions have emerged regarding its effectiveness compared to traditional radiologist-only interpretation.

Purpose of Study: The purpose of this study has been to evaluate the impact of AI-assisted radiology on diagnostic accuracy, efficiency, and error reduction, while also assessing clinician perceptions of AI as a collaborative tool in imaging analysis.

Methodology: This qualitative study has used a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature published between 2015 and 2025, following PRISMA guidelines, combined with an interview …

Implementation Of A Post-Procedure Standardized Order Set, Dylan Waldner

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Practice Innovation Projects

No abstract provided.

Teaching On The Edge Of The Snap: Exploring The Constraints And Capacities Of Emotion Regulation, Kate Atwood Heyboer

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

This Improvement Science Dissertation in Practice (ISDiP) explored the barriers and supports for teacher emotion regulation at a small, suburban K-8 school district in the Northeast United States. The author utilized a mixed-methods convergent research design to evaluate the impact of an 8-week mindful awareness and educational neuroscience-based PD intervention on teachers’ emotion regulation abilities (ERAs). Teacher participants from grades K-5 attended five PD sessions utilizing curricular content from the MindUP “The Science and Practice of Well-being and Mindful Teaching” online program (The Hawn Foundation, 2025). The researcher merged qualitative data from participant interviews and narrative writing samples with quantitative …

Foreword, Patricia B. Barnett

Journal of Race, Gender, and Ethnicity

No abstract provided.

How Climate Change And Environmental Policies Affect Impoverished Communities, Nicole Skala

Journal of Race, Gender, and Ethnicity

Climate change is a global problem that affects everyone, but not proportionately. Lower income communities face greater physical and economic impacts, and policies often fail to consider their needs. These communities struggle to adapt and recover from disasters due to limited resources, and they lack access to resilient housing. Major corporations like Exxon and Shell profit while their workers are underpaid for dangerous labor. Historically, regions like rural Appalachia have seen exploitation through industries like coal. People of Color (POC) communities experience environmental racism, suffering greater environmental harm due to systemic neglect. Increasing commodity costs can hurt lower income individuals, …

Artificial Intelligence And Illicit Drugs: A World Of Possibilities, Ralph A. Weisheit

Faculty Publications - Criminal Justice Sciences

Large scale drug production and distribution organizations (DTOs) are businesses. As such they face many of the same challenges faced by legal businesses, such as the creation of new drugs, supply chain issues, and identifying new markets. The legal business world is finding creative ways to meet those challenges utilizing artificial intelligence (AI). This discussion uses a horizon scan methodology to suggest how current and anticipated applications of AI in the legal business world might be adapted by large-scale illicit drug trafficking organizations. The focus in this discussion is on its potential application for the largest organizations that control the …

Your Attention Is For Sale, Sam Nova

Emerging Writers

There has been an undeniable trend of shortening attention span length within the last decade. The shift has made many people anxious to point fingers at potential factors which may be partial causes. Despite the common claims that the change is inadvertently caused by technology, shorter content online, or any other unintentional factor; the change is engineered and intentional. There is profit to be made for big social media companies from the purposeful shortening of attention spans amongst the public. Through harmful design philosophy which puts profit over public health, social media companies have designed their platforms to be addictive …

The Cost Of A Playing Surface: Artificial Turf Versus Natural Grass, Tyler Whitaker

Emerging Writers

The debate between whether artificial grass or natural grass is better has recently gained popularity among sports advocates and athletes. The immediate explanation for this surge of popularity can be indicated by the increased concerns regarding environmental conservation, health concerns, and growing costs. Previous research has shown that the choice between the two surfaces often depends on specific needs and preferences, each having their own unique advantages and disadvantages. Natural grass is often portrayed as being the safest option when it comes to playing because of its longevity in use and other factors. This has contributed to the overall discussion …

Pedestrian Safety South Of Brigham Young University Campus, Emma Mayo, Alisha H. Redelfs

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

8,500 crossings happen on 800 North every day. In Provo last year, 57 car crashes involved pedestrians. A pedestrian’s view of the road is obstructed by cars parked on the right hand side of the road causing them to walk in the crosswalk to see if there is a car coming. Sidewalks on connecting streets are uneven and cracked. Multiple blocks on 800 North without a stop sign to slow drivers down. Currently no posted speed limit signs on 800 North. Drivers can’t see pedestrians crossing on 200, 300, 400, or 500 East because of inadequate lighting. Cars obstruct areas …

Socioeconomic Advantage Effects On Family Health Across Three Generations, Brooklyn Richins, Gladys Lopez Mph, Kato Haupeakui Mph, Ali Crandall Ph.D.

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

Family health is a resource at the level of the family unit that influences each family member’s health (Weiss-Laxer et al., 2020).

Socioeconomic status (SES) is measured by education, employment, and income; prior research suggests that SES influences quality of life (Baker, 2014).

We examined how parent and grandparent SES affects young adult report of family health.

Maternal Health Predictors In Ohio, Sritha Donepudi, Humza Khan

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Background: Ohio has continued to have a maternal mortality rate higher than the average which has posed the question of how geographic location, socioeconomic status, and demographics affect these rates.
Objective: This paper aims to investigate the relationship between variables affecting maternal mortality rates in Ohio such as teen birth rates and primary care physician access with where one lives between Rural and Urban areas and their household income in order to provide more information for future research.
Methods: This paper utilized County Health Rankings and statistical and correlation analysis with SPSS to analyze rates across counties in Ohio.
Results: …

The Impact Of Family Variables On The Mental Health Of Gender Expansive Transitional Age Youth And Adults, Courtney Erdly

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Gender expansive individuals are at an elevated risk for stress and poor psychological outcomes such as depression, substance abuse, and death by suicide due to minority stress. Family variables can either protect against or perpetuate poor psychological outcomes. There is need to examine specific protective and risk factors in families with gender expansive children. The present study explores the relationship between family and caregiver relationship variables and well-being in a sample of 39 gender expansive individuals. Participants completed an online survey consisting of questionnaires measuring current internalizing and externalizing symptoms and their perception of their family structure, functioning, and parental …

Looking Beyond The Blue: Exploring The Experiences Of Black Female Police Officers During Training, Stephanie M. Almodovar

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This study employed a basic qualitative approach to explore the experiences of Black cisgender female police officers during the field-training segment of their police academy experience. Individual interviews were conducted using semi-structured questions to gain insight into how these officers interpreted and made sense of their experiences. The sample consisted of five Black female officers employed at accredited law enforcement agencies in the United States who had completed field training within the past decade. Data was collected through interviews and a demographic questionnaire. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using both inductive and deductive coding. Four key themes emerged from …

The Impact Of Leadership Curriculum On High School Students’ Self-Efficacy, Shannon R. Brown

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This explanatory sequential mixed methods-case study design grounded in Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory, examines the impact of leadership development curriculum on high school students’ perceived levels of self-efficacy as well as researching characteristics students report are most important for strengthening their self-efficacy. Quantitatively, via convenience non-probabilistic sampling, an online Qualtrics questionnaire was used to collect data from 17 students currently in high school who were enrolled in a one-semester leadership development course in their junior or senior year. Qualitatively, six students who completed the questionnaire participated in semi-structured interviews. Additionally, nine students who completed the questionnaire provided three different reflective artifacts …

"It's A Different Kind Of Grit": The Lived Experiences Of Identity And Sense Of Belonging For Rural College-Going Students, Kim D. Jackson

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This qualitative study examines the relationship between identity and sense of belonging in college for students from rural parts of Pennsylvania. Rural students can struggle with identity and belonging in college and need support from student services. I used the theories of belonging and intersectionality as the theoretical frameworks for the study. Participants are from four high schools in rural Pennsylvania and are participants in a community-based organization and scholarship program. Nine participants were used for the study. Participants completed a brief questionnaire and a 1-2 hour in depth individual interview. The questionnaire items collected demographic information on participants to …