Digital Commons Network^™

2025 Nursing Annual Report, Children's Health System Of Texas

2025

No abstract provided.

Ticking Time Bomb: The Economic Ramifications Of Mlb's Pitch Clock, Katie Ciuffreda

Business and Economics Honors Papers

In recent years, Major League Baseball has been challenged with declining engagement and attendance, particularly with younger audiences, with the long duration of games most commonly cited as the reason for disinterest. In response to this, MLB implemented a pitch clock that worked its way through the minor league system until it was introduced to the majors for the 2023 season. The goal for the clock was to reduce game times by increasing pace of play. While early evidence shows that the clock has been successful in that regard, its impact on player performance remains to be explored. This study …

When Wedding Bells Stop Ringing: An Economic Analysis Of The U.S. Fertility Crisis, Mia Sideris

Business and Economics Honors Papers

Fertility in the U.S. has been in steady decline since the Great Recession. Surveyed opinions suggest this trend stems less from changing attitudes in ideal family size, and more from tangible barriers preventing people from having as many children as they desire. This paper explores several economic and social pressures that may have contributed to this discrepancy, with an emphasis on marriage. Marriage is considered to be the infrastructure that enables childbearing by minimizing both monetary and time costs. Using fixed effects and random forest regression, we estimate the impact of these measures and their relative importance on fertility decisions. …

The Impatience Of Winning: An Analysis Of Time Discounting, Predictive Modeling, And The Nba Draft, Alec R. Plante

Business and Economics Honors Papers

This paper examines whether NBA draft decisions can be better explained by incorporating non-geometric time discounting into a model of general manager decision making. Using a dataset of 285 NBA draft prospects over a 12-year period, the impact of college statistics on Value Over Replacement Player (VORP) is determined, and these impact values are then used to create a “predicted” VORP for the first 4 seasons of each player’s career: a projection of what a general manager might think of a prospect’s future value given their college statistics. Following this, geometric and hyperbolic time discounting models are applied to estimate …

Leveraging Information Theory And Ecological Network Analysis To Monitor Communication Networks In A Student Aerospace Team, Christine Sessions

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Effective communication is a critical component of successful collaboration in group projects and team settings. However, systematically tracking and analyzing team communications can be challenging, especially in complex, multi-member teams such as those found in the aerospace industry. This paper explores an information-theoretic approach that leverages encoding techniques and graph theory to analyze communication networks within a university’s multi-year, student-led cubesat design project (Project COMET). By utilizing Shannon Entropy as a measure of information flow, encoding communication patterns, and analyzing Ecological Network Analysis parameters, this research aims to understand how an Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University student project team evolves over the …

Do National Parks Significantly Improve Air Quality?, Xinyi Liu

Honors Capstones

Healthy living has long been a goal pursued by individuals. In an era where PM2.5 concentrations and greenhouse gas levels are steadily increasing, many people prefer to live in areas with relatively lower levels of air pollution. National parks, as well-known protected areas, typically contain more vegetation and water resources, along with lower levels of human activity. This suggests two potential mechanisms: first, pollutant emissions are expected to be lower; second, vegetation, water bodies, and non-urban land may contribute to the removal or deposition of airborne pollutants, including particulate matter. In everyday experience, people often perceive the air to be …

Should I Stay Or Should I Go?: Evaluating The Role Of Climate And Weather Stressors On Moving Decisions In Southeast Florida, Arielle Perry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As climate and weather hazards intensify, Southeast Florida communities face mounting pressures that increasingly influence patterns of migration and immobility. This research examines evidence of climate migration in high flood-risk neighborhoods in Fort Lauderdale by exploring why some populations choose to stay, while others leave, in the context of a changing climate. Using focus group discussions, I investigate how climate and non-climate related factors shape mobility outcomes among residents in the city. Migration outcomes were primarily influenced by negative climate and weather hazard experiences, discontent with existing public in-situ adaptations, and non-climate disamenities, which eroded participants’ sense of place. Voluntary …

Illinois Wesleyan Announces Candidates For Graduation 2026, Ryan Gibson

Press Releases 2020-2029

No abstract provided.

Florence Normal College Quarterly, Faculty Of Florence Normal College

Documents

Faculty Quarterly Journal for Florence Normal College, October 1909.

*Press of The Florence Times*

Recommendations Made And Accepted By A Telehealth-Enabled Antimicrobial Stewardship Program Implemented At Rural Veterans Affairs Medical Centers, Taissa A Bej, Jason P Burnham, Joshua D. Nordman, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: To support Antimicrobial Stewardship programs (ASPs) as well as the clinical care of patients with infections, we disseminated and implemented a Videoconference Antimicrobial Stewardship Team (VAST) to connect multidisciplinary teams from rural Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers with geographically distant ID experts. Here, we describe the clinical syndromes discussed and the response to recommendations made during VAST sessions.

METHODS: Between September 2021 to February 2024, eight ID consultants established VASTs with ten rural VAMCs, holding regularly scheduled videoconference sessions to discuss clinical cases and provide recommendations. Data were collected on patient demographics, clinical syndromes, and recommendations. Acceptance of recommendations …

Knowledge Of Advance Care Planning And Advance Directives Among Us Adults: Implications For Health Policy And Practice, Anisah Bagasra, Gretchen Agans

Faculty Articles

Background:

Objectives:

The Weaponization Of Transnational Crime: A Triangular Analytical Model For Hybrid Threat Development In U.S.–China–Russia Relations, 2000–2025, Michael J. Haak

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis examines the evolving strategic relationship between the United States, China, and Russia from 2000 to 2025 through a triangular model based on reactions to systemic pressures to core strategic interests. The study employs a thematic qualitative data analysis on U.S., Chinese, and Russian national security strategies to analyze strategic posturing between poles over time. This new model serves as the study’s basis for contextualizing hybrid threat development, specifically transnational crime as a proxy force of asymmetric power projection. The study found that the evolution of state-supported transnational crime serves as a by-product of reactions to systemic pressure. State …

Feeding The Future: Prenatal Dietary Effects On Offspring Neurodevelopment, Emma Whatley

Senior Honors Theses

This study examined the effects of prenatal Western (WD) and Mediterranean (MD) diets on offspring metabolic, cognitive, and neurobiological outcomes in a preclinical mouse model. Working and long-term memory performance, dendritic morphology, and gene expression were assessed using behavioural tests (CAL, YMRM, WM) and Golgi-Cox analyses. Behavioural effects were minimal, with female MD offspring showing improved memory performance under standard conditions. Metabolic findings showed effects on body weight and blood glucose. Dendritic morphology was largely unchanged; however, subtle, sex-specific differences were observed. Differential gene expression between MD and WD suggests a role for future environmental stressors. Prenatal diet affects molecular …

The Echo: May 4, 2026, Taylor University

2025-2026 (Volume 113)

No abstract provided.

Florence Normal College Quarterly, Faculty Of Florence Normal College

Documents

Faculty Quarterly Journal of Florence Normal College, January 1911.

Florence Normal College Quarterly, Faculty Of Florence Normal College

Documents

Faculty Quarterly Journal of Florence Normal College, October 1910.

Florence Normal College Quarterly, Faculty Of Florence Normal College

Documents

Faculty Quarterly Journal of Florence Normal College, May 1910.

Florence Normal College Quarterly, Faculty Of Florence Normal College

Documents

Faculty Quarterly Journal of Florence Normal College, March 1910.

*Press of The Florence Times*

Empowering Novice Nurses Through Teamstepps: Cultivating A Culture Of Safety And Communication, Daphne Thomas, Marie M. Prothero, Kambrie Rankin, Amber Lawrence

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Novice nurses are particularly vulnerable to medical errors, often hesitant to speak up for fear of appearing incompetent. Additionally, many healthcare professionals lack the communication skills necessary for promoting patient safety. To address this, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and The Joint Commission advocate for standardized communication tools such as TeamSTEPPS—an evidence-based framework designed to enhance team structure, leadership, situation monitoring, mutual support, and communication.

Recognizing the importance of these competencies, nurse educators in a College of Nursing integrated TeamSTEPPS across their undergraduate curriculum's didactic, clinical, and simulation settings. This initiative aligns with the American Association of …

Jtc 26: Shift Of Perspective Leads To Career Path, Kylie Eggert

University of Mississippi News

This story is part of the 2026 Journey to Commencement series, which celebrates the pinnacle of the academic year by highlighting University of Mississippi students and their outstanding academic and personal journeys from college student to college graduate.

Miracles Or Mirages? Miracle Language In Medical Communication, Thomas Yu

Senior Honors Theses

The current study seeks to understand how miracle language exists as a persuasive tool by examining the usage of miracle language in the discourse surrounding the release of Xolair for individuals with food allergies. This was accomplished by conducting a qualitative analysis of the miracle language employed by those engaged in the Xolair discourse. An extensive literature review was conducted to gain a foundational understanding of medical persuasion and miracle language, as well as an understanding of the theoretical foundations of this study. Twenty-four pieces of literature from pharmaceutical companies, and food allergy community members were chronicled and studied utilizing …

Decision-Making Of Adult Children Not Using Schedule I Substances Like Their Parents, Deanna Alberta Mccloe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Structured Communication Education Program To Improve Interprofessional Communication In An Outpatient Mental Health Organization, Doris Ofodile

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

A Pedagogy Of Connection: Potentials And Practices For The English Classroom, Alexandra Bissell

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

In a moment characterized by rapid technological advancement and sociopolitical volatility, the academy currently faces the need to redefine what a college education can offer students and reimagine how it delivers on that promise. This dissertation proposes a pedagogy centered on the process of connection as one way that English educators at the collegiate level might approach our teaching and respond to this call. Connection is relational, but also textual and conceptual, and I contend that establishing connection as the catalyst for our pedagogical practices is a powerful way to move forward and support our students’ intellectual growth as well …

Hormesis In Plants: Implications For Weed Management And Crop Production, Luka Milosevic

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Hormesis is a biphasic toxicological phenomenon in which low doses of a stressor stimulate biological performance of an organism, while higher doses inhibit it. In plants, hormesis has been documented following exposure to various environmental stressors, including herbicides, pollutants, and thermal stress. However, the physiological basis of hormesis and its implications for crop production and weed management remain poorly understood. Thus, the objective of this dissertation was to investigate hormetic responses in plants and evaluate their agronomic significance for crops and weeds using representative model species. A combination of field and controlled-environment experiments was conducted to quantify plant responses to …

Starbucks Strategic Audit, Jayla Terlson

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Starbucks is one of the most influential firms in the global food and beverage industry, recognized for its premium coffee offerings and differentiated, experience-driven retail model. Since its founding in 1971, the company has expanded into the world’s largest coffeehouse chain, supported by strong brand equity, global market penetration, and continuous innovation in both product development and customer engagement.

This strategic audit evaluates Starbucks’ current competitive position through an analysis of its historical performance, governance structure, mission, objectives, and strategic direction. A comprehensive assessment of the firm’s external and internal environments identifies the key opportunities, threats, strengths, and weaknesses shaping …

Burnout Among Radiation Therapists Before And After The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Meta-Analysis, Julisa B. Borge, Annette E. Flores, Jaci Jo C. Jensen-Jones, Shaun T. Caldwell

Research Methods Poster Session 2026

No abstract provided.

Advocating For Healthy Work Environments: Addressing Workplace Violence Against Nurses With Research, Kendrea Lea Todt, Kathleen Kinser, Hannah Grace Shipp, Florence Weierbach, Kimberly Ferguson, Teresa Carnevale

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Introduction: Nurses globally experience workplace violence (WPV) daily (Kafle, 2022), significantly increasing since the COVID-19 pandemic (National Nurses United, 2024). Nursing is the most trusted profession in the United States of America (USA) (American Nurses Association, 2025) and yet nurses are five times more likely to be assaulted at work than other occupations (Occupational Safety Health Administration, n.d.). WPV creates an unpleasant environment that negatively impacts nurses’ well-being (Kolutek et al., 2024) and perceptions of patient care quality (Shafan Tivka et al., 2024). This highlights the importance of addressing WPV as a workforce and patient care issue.

Background: In Tennessee, …

The Age-Dependent Resident Myonuclear Multi-Omic Response To An Acute Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophic Stimulus In Mice, Pieter J. Koopmans, Ronald G. Jones, Ana Regina Cabrera, Francielly Morena, Nicholas P. Greene, John J. Mccarthy, Ahmed Ismaeel, Yuan Wen, Kevin A. Murach

Physiology Faculty Publications

A detailed analysis of how muscle fiber nuclei (myonuclei) respond to a hypertrophic stimulus could provide a critical step toward understanding compromised skeletal muscle plasticity with age. We used recombination-independent doxycycline-inducible myonucleus-specific fluorescent labelling, tissue RNA-sequencing, myonuclear DNA methylation analysis, multi-omic integration, and single myonucleus RNA-sequencing (smnRNA-seq) to define the molecular characteristics of adult (6–8 month) and aged (24 month) murine skeletal muscle after acute mechanical overload (MOV). In adult and aged MOV muscles, we found that: 1) similarities in the transcriptional response to loading—specifically in metabolism genes – were partly explained by a post-transcriptional microRNA-mediated mechanism that we corroborated …

The Queer Family Farm: Exploring Agrifood Justice And Management Philosophies Among Lgbtq+ And Family Farmers In Minnesota And Wisconsin, Julia I. Castellano

Geography Honors Projects

Agriculture in the US countryside has long been idolized as a symbol of traditional American values via the “family farm” while queerness has become associated with avant-gardism and urbanity. This study contributes to the nascent but growing scholarship at the convergence of these seemingly opposing propositions: queer farming. Specifically, I contextualize LGBTQ+ farmers in Minnesota and Wisconsin through historical and modern perspectives on the dominant heteronuclear family farm and industrial agricultural landscape to understand how they approach farming in the absence of traditional gender roles and as predominantly small, alternative farmers. The family farm as we imagine it today is …