Digital Commons Network^™

Bridging The Gap: Empowering First-Generation Nursing Students To Transform Workforce Diversity, Kimberly L. Walsh

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Background/Significance: The U.S. nursing workforce remains insufficiently diverse, limiting culturally responsive care for minority and underserved communities. Nursing education is pivotal to diversifying the pipeline. First-generation nursing students (FGNS)—often from underrepresented backgrounds—can help close this gap, yet they face barriers such as financial strain, limited support networks, and unfamiliarity with academic expectations. Evidence is limited regarding which demographic and academic factors most strongly differentiate FGNS success from that of non-first-generation nursing students (NFGNS) in pre-licensure programs.

Purpose: To examine and compare demographic and academic success factors for FGNS and NFGNS in U.S. pre-licensure RN programs to inform targeted retention and …

Improving Undergraduate Nursing Student Self-Care Agency With The Moodfit App, Sarah C. Young, Susan Patton

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

The prevalence of nursing burnout syndrome is estimated to range from 14 to 38% (Ge et al., 2023); North America has the highest rate at 38%. Two systematic reviews and meta-analyses found the global prevalence of burnout syndrome in nursing students ranging from 23 to 35% (Kong et al., 2023, Hernandez-Mariano et al., 2024). Arian and colleagues (2023) found student nurse burnout positively correlates with academic semester. As students progress through each term, burnout risk increases.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2021) includes the demonstration of “…healthy, self-care behaviors that promote wellness and resiliency” (p.53) as an essential …

Exploring The Perspectives Of Nurse Leaders On Motivational Interviewing For Workplace Well-Being, Quinais S. Yu

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Background: Nurse leaders face challenges in supporting staff well-being while managing their own, and effective communication is crucial.

Aim: This study explored nurse leaders' perceptions of factors influencing well-being, challenges they face, the impact of Motivational Interviewing skills, and their training needs in MI.

Methodology: Employing a qualitative, exploratory design, the study gathered insights from nurse leaders in Hong Kong clinical settings through individual semi-structured interviews, analyzed using thematic analysis.

Key Findings: Nurse leaders perceive MI as a valuable tool for effective communication and addressing staff ambivalence towards self-care. They emphasized the need for improved work environments, work-life balance, career …

Factors Influencing Healthy Work Environments For Hospital-Based Nurse Practitioners In The U.S., Hyunmin Yu, Kathryn A. Connell, Sarah Delgado, Heather Brom, J. Margo Brooks Carthon, Amanda Bettencourt, Corinna Sicoutris, Deena Kelly Costa, Vicki Good, Matthew D. Mchugh

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Background: Nurse practitioners (NPs) are a rapidly growing segment of the U.S. healthcare workforce^1,2 and are increasingly integral to patient care in hospital settings.^3,4 Despite their expanding roles,⁵ little is known about the work environment factors that affect their well-being in hospital settings.⁶ This study aims to explore the factors that influence hospital-based NPs’ healthy work environments (HWEs) and identify strategies to enhance their well-being and support retention.

Methods: This qualitative descriptive study used directed content analysis⁷ to examine responses from 493 NPs across 264 hospitals in 10 U.S. states with varying scope-of-practice laws. …

Creating A Safe And Welcoming Environment For New Nurses Through Effective Preceptor Training, Heidi Keeler, Jodie Boswell

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

The purpose of this presentation is to emphasize the critical role of nurse preceptors in supporting new nurses as they transition into clinical practice. It aims to highlight the importance of structured preceptor training to foster a safe, welcoming, and inclusive work environment. This presentation explores the essential role of preceptors in facilitating that transition with the use of the Ulrich Precepting Model. By focusing on the roles of Facilitator, Protector, and Socialization Agent, the presentation seeks to equip preceptors, educators and leadership with the tools and strategies necessary to promote psychological and physical safety, cultural assimilation, and professional growth …

The Use Of Cognitive Biases In Russian Cyber Operations, Emma Manning

Honors Theses

This thesis examines how Russia has employed reflexive control through cyber operations to influence decision-making in foreign states, focusing on disinformation campaigns during the 2014 annexation of Crimea and the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Reflexive control, a concept rooted in Russian military doctrine, seeks to shape an adversary's perceptions and decision-making by providing carefully crafted information that leads targets to make choices favorable to the initiator. This research argues that while the fundamental objectives of reflexive control have remained consistent, technological advances have significantly expanded Russia's ability to conduct operations in developing cyber domains.

Using qualitative analysis of open-source intelligence, …

How Does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Cbt) And Antipsychotics Compare To Antipsychotics Alone Impact Inpatient Length Of Stay: A Scoping Review, Morgan E. Johnson, Hailey M. Wade, Y'Esha V. Williams-Click, Rocquell Duncan, Laura Reed Dnp, Aprn, Fnp-Bc, Cne, Fnap

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background

Psychosis in adults is a serious psychiatric condition that often necessitates inpatient hospitalization for stabilization and the initiation of medication. Untreated psychosis can lead to poor outcomes, including longer hospital stays, loss of occupational functioning, and a decreased quality of life. While antipsychotic medications are typically the first line of treatment, they can have severe side effects, which may lead to patients discontinuing their use. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for psychosis is an evidence-based intervention that targets maladaptive behaviors associated with the condition. CBT may improve treatment responses when used alongside antipsychotic medication. However, there is limited research on …

Executive Summary: Executive Leadership System Improvement Improving Depression Screening And Follow Up Processes, Rebecca Geneiveve Hidalgo Salomon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Depression remains a significant public health burden in the United States, contributing to disability, healthcare utilization, and economic cost. Internal 2024 audits at the project site identified variability in Patient Health Questionnaire 9 PHQ 9 screening and follow up processes, with 68% of screenings completed, 55% of follow ups timely, and disparities among patients with limited English proficiency. These findings indicate a systems level reliability and equity gap. This executive leadership system improvement project focused on developing a standardized, nurse led, electronic health record supported workflow to improve PHQ 9 completion and timely follow up. The practice focused question asked …

Quantifying Evapotranspiration From The Wetlands In The Peripheral Area Between The Most Downstream Stream Gages And The Open Water Body Of The Great Salt Lake, Motasem S. Abualqumboz, David G. Tarboton

Publications

Study region: The eastern peripheral area between the most downstream stream gages and the open water body of the Great Salt Lake (GSL), located in northern Utah within the semiarid western United States (US). 

Study focus: As GSL levels decline, the eastern peripheral area is expanding, exposing former lakebed, much of which has transitioned into natural and managed wetlands. Evapotranspiration (ET) from these wetlands consumes water that would otherwise reach the open-water lake body, yet these losses remain poorly quantified and directly affect the GSL water balance. This study compares a water-balance-based ET estimate for the wetlands in the peripheral …

The Importance Of Play-Based Learning, Nina Cavanaugh

Masters Projects

Play-based learning is a beneficial tool that can help support development of not only young children but students of all ages and abilities. While research may show that play-based learning has benefits for students’ development, many schools in the United States, including public schools in Macomb County do not have professional development opportunities to educate teachers on play-based learning. This project covers the benefits, theories, and implementation strategies of play-based learning. It explains how play-based learning can be beneficial for students cognitive and academic skills.  It also supports social emotional development, physical development, and language development. Not only does play-based …

Providing Individualized Support For Students With Adhd, Jeremy Scott Clymer

Masters Projects

Many general education teachers lack sufficient skills to successfully serve students with special needs. This project aims to provide professional development materials for pre-service and in-service educators which will provide them with information to help them achieve better outcomes for students with ADHD. Based on existing research about how ADHD can affect students differently and how to best account for those learning differences, the project provides background information about the different subtypes of ADHD, best practices for curriculum design, common accommodations for students with ADHD, and types of interventions that can help students with ADHD succeed. It includes a slide …

Synthesis And Characterization Of 1,3-Thiazolidin-4-Ones Using Recyclable, Magnetically Nanocatalyst In The Solvent-Free Microwave Medium, Jawad K. Abaies, Athra G. Sager, Zeena R. Katoof

Baghdad Science Journal

In the present work, an environmentally friendly nano-catalyst (γ Fe₂O₃RHA@SO₃H) was used for the preparation of 1,3-thiazolidin-4-ones analogs (T₁-T₉) from Schiff bases (S1-S9) by microwave irradiation. The recycled catalyst (γ Fe₂O₃RHA@SO₃H) was produced from silica derived from rice husk, which was first modified with ferrite nanoparticles (Fe₂O₃), then with sulfuric acid. The characterization of the (γ Fe₂O₃RHA@SO₃H)) nanocomposite and its characteristics were achieved using various techniques including, XRD, total acidity and basicity utilizing CO …

Theoretical Study Of Electronic Properties Of Functionalized Monolayers: Cu, Ag, Au, And Pt Atomic Wires On Graphene, H-Bn Monolayer, Silicene, And Phosphorene, Mythreyee T. Aasuri, Mukesh K. Choudhary, Narender Kumar, Ravindra Pandey

Michigan Tech Publications

The structural and electronic properties of graphene, h-BN monolayer, silicene, and phosphorene monolayers functionalized with Cu, Ag, Au, and Pt atomic wires were investigated using van der Waals─corrected density functional theory. These atomic wires form stable, functionalized monolayers that exhibit physisorption on planar monolayers and chemisorption on nonplanar ones. This results in either linear or bent configurations of the atomic wires, depending on the interface strength, leading to distinct electronic states. A weaker interface induces metal-induced gap states near the Fermi level, whereas a stronger interface results in covalently hybridized states farther from the Fermi level. Analysis of the electron …

Studying Supreme Court Advocacy: A Response To The Scotus Tournament, Margaret H. Lemos

Duke Law Journal Online

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Web Thickness And Concrete Cover On The Fire Resistance Of Aashto Type Iv Prestressed Concrete Bridge Girders, Fnu Nidhi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Bridge fires caused by vehicle accidents, fuel tanker explosions and storage of combustible material beneath highway structures have led to severe structural damage and catastrophic collapse of prestressed concrete bridges. Critical structural collapse due to fire incidents such as I-85 prestressed concrete bridge girder collapse in Atlanta, 2017 and I-95 steel plate girder bridge partial collapse in Philadelphia, 2023 demonstrated the vulnerability of girders when exposed to extreme hydrocarbon fire temperatures exceeding 1000°C within few minutes. These events highlight the urgent need to better understand the thermal and structural behavior of bridge girders and explore design modifications that can enhance …

Vestibular Schwannoma Microsurgery In The Era Of Multimodal Treatment: Advances In Technique And Patient Selection, Ibrahem Albalkhi, Basel Musmar, Nimer Adeeb, Hussam Abou-Al-Shaar, Jacques J Morcos

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The management of vestibular schwannoma (VS) has traditionally prioritized gross total resection to achieve high tumor control, often at the cost of cranial nerve injuries and quality of life impairment. However, advances in surgical approaches and intraoperative technologies, coupled with active surveillance and/or adjuvant treatment, have shifted the management paradigm towards prioritizing patient-centered outcomes, which are as critical as oncological control.

Content: The authors reviewed the technical advances driving this paradigm shift, including endoscopic assistance in the different microsurgical approaches (retrosigmoid, translabyrinthine, and middle cranial fossa approaches) of VS resection and advanced neuromonitoring (facial nerve electromyography and cochlear/auditory evoked …

When Tremor Tells The Story: Life-Threatening Lithium Toxicity, Jessica Krouse, Ryan Tabor, Travis Hase

Advocate GME

No abstract provided.

Who's Got The Floor? Successful Interruptions In Dyadic Conversation In The Candor Corpus, Josie Steen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Conversational exchanges are frequently marked by overlap. Some forms include backchanneling and both unsuccessful and successful attempts to take the floor. To further understand their role in discourse, 81 half-hour virtual conversations between strangers from the CANDOR corpus (Reece et al., 2023) were analyzed for instances of successful interruptions, whereby one member of a dyad takes the floor away from the other. Nearly six hundred such episodes were identified and analyzed for underlying systematicity. Regarding demographic characteristics of the speakers, gender was not related to successful interruptions. However, older speakers were more likely to successfully interrupt, suggesting that a speaker’s …

Five Students Named Summer 2026 Eckley Scholars, Chris Francis

Press Releases 2020-2029

No abstract provided.

Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Inclusion In The Uae: A Systematic Review Of Evolution And Influencing Factors, Muna Mohamed Alhammadi, Reem Aldhaheri, Adam Jeffers

All Works

This study presents a systematic review of literature on in-service teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 2006 to 2025. It investigates two main aspects: the evolution of teachers’ attitudes towards teaching students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in the UAE over the selected period and the factors influencing these attitudes. A total of 25 studies were deemed eligible for inclusion. The results indicate that teachers generally maintain positive attitudes towards inclusion as a policy; however, different concerns about implementing the inclusion policy emerged from the literature. Several factors significantly influenced teachers’ attitudes …

Introduction, Lindsay Diehl

WLU Press Books

This is the introductory chapter of Reading With My Grandmother: Chinese Canadian Literature, History, and Family by Lindsay Diehl.

Reading With My Grandmother is an analysis of a range of Chinese Canadian literature that deepens the scholarly engagement by using elements of the author’s family’s story—her grandmother’s letters and photographs.

This engagement allows the author to simultaneously illustrate and participate in the varied ways Chinese Canadian literature has been imagined and produced in Canada in the last thirty-five years, examining texts such as Fred Wah’s biotext Diamond Grill (1996), Judy Fong Bates’ memoir The Year of Finding Memory (2010), and …

Addressing The Hidden Curriculum Through Trauma-Informed And Culturally Responsive Teaching For Multilingual Learners, Gabrielle Moeggenborg

Masters Projects

Multilingual learners (MLLs), including refugee, transient, and culturally and linguistically diverse students, often enter schools with experiences of trauma that impact academic performance, behavior, and sense of belonging. Additionally, the hidden curriculum in U.S. schools reinforces inequities for these students. The purpose of this project was to develop a high-quality, research-based educational handbook integrating trauma-informed practices with culturally responsive teaching to better support MLLs and mitigate the effects of the hidden curriculum. This project involved an extensive review of peer-reviewed and interdisciplinary research on learning theories, trauma, culturally responsive teaching, and multilingual education. Historical and contemporary literature was synthesized to …

Improving Reading Motivation For Upper High School Students: Thematic Book Clubs For The Ela Classroom, Isabella Haskin

Masters Projects

Though strong literacy skills are commonly understood to be essential for a successful life, reading comprehension rates continue to fall in the United States. A major factor in this literacy trend is a disinterest and lack of motivation to read among high school students. Research shows that students lose interest in reading as they progress through school, often due to a lack of choice and relevancy of school assigned texts. To address this issue, this project aims to provide educators with a replicable unit plan that will motivate students to read, and subsequently strengthen their literacy skills. It pairs a …

Exercise Behavior Determinants Of The United States Military And Veterans, Ira Seth

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite organizational policy and access to physical activity facilities, the U.S. Department of Defense has observed an increase in the prevalence of service members classified as overweight or obese. Guided by the social-ecological model, this quantitative study investigated the work-related exercise determinants within the U.S. military community. Voluntarily recruited current and former service members from Stars and Stripes completed the Office Exercise Behavior Determinant Scale and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, along with demographic and biometric questions, to identify physical activity behavior and potential barriers. Findings revealed statistical significance related to exercise duration and military variables (e.g., occupation, race/ethnicity), as …

Information Security Strategies To Thwart Cybersecurity Attacks In The Financial Services Industry, Donovan Anthony Miles

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Financial markets and industries are vulnerable to ransomware attacks. Information technology (IT) security subject matter experts (SMEs) are concerned about ransomware cyberattacks on critical infrastructure that threaten their customers’ financial privacy and the institution’s reputation, causing severe financial losses and diminishing productivity. Grounded in the diffusion of innovation theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore strategies IT security SMEs use to increase the implementation of existing solutions to thwart cybersecurity attacks in the financial services sector. The participants were six IT security SMEs in the financial industry in the Northeast United States who were responsible for …

Utilization Of Natural Pumice Stone As A Low-Cost Ion Exchanger For Lead (Pb(Ii)) Removal: A Kinetics, Isotherms And Mechanisms Studies, Ahmad Sulaiman

Baghdad Science Journal

Pumice is one of the raw materials that is widely available, especially in the ``Middle East region and Turkey''. In this research, an ion exchanger was prepared from Syrian pumice by converting it into a low-silica ion exchanger (P_Na) for the removal of Pb²__MATH₀__⁺ uptake was 4.3 mmol/g (308.15 K). Removal efficiency was 100% at low concentrations and >80% at medium/high concentrations. The adsorption kinetics followed a pseudo-first-order model, and the equilibrium data fit well to Langmuir, Freundlich, and Redlich-Peterson isotherms (R² > 0.99).

Analysis Of Phytochemical Compounds From The Leaves Of Kitaibelia Balansae Plant And Their Biological Activity On Some Fungi, Ayten Ozturk, Zerrin Zerenler Caliskan, Fadime Yildirim Dimen, Meysun Ibrahim Abdullah

Baghdad Science Journal

In this work, the preliminary phytochemical screening of the compounds found in the leaf extracts of Kitaibelia balansae Boiss. plant, obtained from solvents of different polarities, was investigated by LC/ESI/QTOF in the negative ion mode, and their biological activity on fungal species was studied. More than sixty compounds were observed, most of which were recognized and identified as flavonoids of all classes. Acids such as shikimic, chlorogenic, jasmonic, and its ester, methyl jasmonate, were also detected. The activity of these extracts on fungi was investigated and the results showed a dual biological effect on fungi Fusarium solani and F. equiseti, …

Evaluation Of Enolase1 And Il-9 As Biomarkers To Determine Stratifying Severity Of Vaginal Candidiasis In Iraqi Women, Shams I. Ali, Teeba H. Mohammad

Baghdad Science Journal

Vaginal candidiasis is an opportunistic fungal infection of the lower female reproductive tract caused by Candida species. This study aimed to investigate the roles of Enolase 1 and Interleukin-9 in the pathophysiology of vaginal candidiasis and examine their correlations with anthropometric and lipid profile parameters. A total of 120 participants were enrolled, including 80 patients with VC and 40 healthy controls. Patients were classified into Candida albicans and non-Candida albicans groups based on clinical and microbiological criteria. Serum and vaginal secretions levels of ENO-1 and IL-9 were measured using ELISA, while lipid profiles were assessed spectrophotometrically. Both ENO-1 and IL-9 …

Water-Driven Solid Electrolyte Interphase Governs Continuous-Flow Ammonia Electrosynthesis, Peng-Bo Liu, Sheng-Liang Zhai, Ji Huang, Zhong-Shuo Zhang, Jie Zeng, Shao-Feng Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

Flow-cell architectures have emerged as a powerful platform for continuous and stable lithium-mediated nitrogen reduction (Li-NRR), enabling ambient-condition electrochemical ammonia synthesis and offering a promising alternative to Haber-Bosch processes. However, Li-NRR is exceptionally sensitive to trace water, and even minor variations in water content can profoundly alter interfacial chemistry. Here, we systematically investigate how initial water concentration affects Li-NRR performance in a continuous-flow cell. Excess water drives the formation of a thick solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer, which may impede nitrogen access to metallic lithium and hinder lithium-ion transport. As a result, the ammonia Faradaic efficiency collapses from ~61% to …

Insertion Of Noble Metal Free Cathodic Catalyst Layer With Fe-N-C Catalyst For Boosted Performance Of Pemfc, Shi Zhou, Muhammad Tariq, Asif Nadeem Tabish, Muhammad Salman, Fan-Di Ning, Muhammad Rayyan Tayyab, Ran-Ran Peng, Meng-Geng Hao, Wen-Mu Li, Xiao-Chun Zhou

Journal of Electrochemistry

Economical Fe-N-C catalysts are considered as promising alternatives to platinum group metal catalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Despite exhibiting robust activity on rotating disk electrodes, their performance within membrane electrode assemblies often experiences limitations, such as decreased O₂ diffusion, high H₂O₂ formation, low proton conduction, and a lower electron transfer number. In this study, key factors, including proton transport, electron conduction, and gas diffusion within air-breathing PEMFCs, have been investigated by adjusting cathode catalyst layer (CCL) compositions. From the experimental results, the optimal peak power density was obtained when the loading of Fe-N-C …