Digital Commons Network^™

Interference Under Pressure: Task-Switching And Cognitive Control In Adhd, Rocio Belen Varela

Theses and Dissertations

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a widespread neurodevelopmental condition associated with significant academic difficulties, often resulting in students scoring a year below average on standardized examinations (Lawrence et al., 2020; Mohammadi et al., 2019). A proposed core feature of the disorder involves impairments in working memory (WM), specifically the Central Executive component responsible for attentional control (Alderson et al., 2013; Kofler et al., 2008). These WM operations are governed by two cognitive control modalities: proactive control (sustained, anticipatory maintenance) and reactive control (cue-driven, on-demand processing) (Braver et al., 2007). This quasi-experimental study investigated whether a natural tendency toward reactive control grants …

Public Image Vs. Patient Experience: A Comparative Study Of Children's Hospitals, Abigail M. Giles

Program in Community Action (PICA)

This study examines the divergence between the curated digital brand identities of children’s hospitals and the lived experiences of their patients. Focusing on how institutions carry out their marketing objectives whilst navigating a “manipulated public sphere” on social media to maintain institutional viability and gain philanthropic support, a qualitative content analysis of 1,618 social media posts from Instagram and Facebook and 239 Google Reviews from 2023-2025 was performed. The analysis compares the difference in content curation of urban children’s hospitals and rural children’s hospitals, collecting posts from Boston Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth. Key findings include the use …

Effectiveness Of Walleye Stocking In Winter Kill Lakes, Tyler Haus

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Winter kill events, marked by extensive fish mortality due to hypoxic conditions under the ice, are a common phenomenon in shallow eutrophic lakes, especially in the northern lakes in the northern United States. These events can drastically alter fish communities and often result in the elimination of top predators. Though these lakes will typically slowly bounce back to what they were in a couple of years. This study evaluates the effectiveness of walleye, Sander vitreus, stocking in lakes after a winter kill. For this study, four known winter kill lakes that are consistently stocked with walleye were studied. Pre- …

Assessing Urban–Rural Differences In Largemouth Bass Abundance In Minnesota, Jonathan Gates

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Urbanization can significantly alter freshwater ecosystems and influence sport fish populations. This study examined differences in largemouth bass Micropterus nigricans catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) between urban and rural lakes in Minnesota and evaluated temporal changes between 2000–2010 and 2011–2021. Forty lakes (20 urban, 20 rural) were selected using Minnesota Department of Natural Resources fisheries survey data. Lakes were classified using NLCD 2019 land cover data, with ≥10% developed land designated as urban. Nonparametric analyses (Wilcoxon rank-sum and signed-rank tests) were used to assess spatial and temporal differences in CPUE. Results showed that rural lakes had consistently higher median CPUE than urban lakes …

Educational Inequality In Health Insurance Coverage Before And After The Affordable Care Act, Madelaine R. Adamich

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Health insurance and health care accessibility have historically been ongoing issues within the United States. Two key factors associated with the likelihood of an individual being insured are educational attainment and income. The 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA), which has been the largest overhaul of health care in the US to date, aimed to reduce disparities in health insurance coverage and health care accessibility. My research analyzes the extent to which the ACA succeeded in reducing disparities related to educational attainment. To examine the ACA’s effects, I utilize the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey data from 2008 and 2015 …

Statewide Northern Pike Response To Minnesota’S 2018 Regulation Change, Elijah Wozniak

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Management of northern pike (Esox lucius) is challenging because it attempts to balance ecological sustainability with angler interests. Northern pike often stunt their own growth by diminishing the size and abundance of prey fish, their food source. Anglers are often displeased when small pike occur in high population densities. In response to populations of small northern pike, the DNR implemented a new, statewide northern pike regulation in 2018. The objective of this study was to determine whether the regulation successfully changed the mean weight, length, and CPUE of northern pike in Minnesota. The secondary objective was to test …

Neonicotinoid Bioaccumulation In Bluegill And Bullhead Within Lake Julia And Lake Zumwalde, Jake Stuber

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Brown Bullhead Ameiurus nebulosus, Yellow Bullhead Ameiurus natalis, and Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus are unique in their stark differences. Bullhead are scaleless bottom feeders that can tolerate high pollution and low O₂ conditions. In contrast, Bluegill are scaled, aggressive nesters and are less tolerant of high pollutants or low-oxygen conditions. Among these pollutants include a class of chemicals called neonicotinoids (hereafter referred to as neonics). Neonics are a class of insecticides primarily used within agriculture and pest management. Due to the effectiveness, application has escalated on a global scale. They have been well documented by many toxicology assessments. …

Comparison Of Calcified Structures To Estimate Ages Of Northern Pike Esox Lucius In Various Lakes, Kaed Rauk

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Northern pike Esox lucius are a dominant predatory fish in many aquatic systems. They can have significant impacts on the ecosystems they inhabit and are also a popular game fish among anglers. However, northern pike are a difficult species to age accurately. This study aimed to compare calcified aging structures to identify trends and determine which structure provides the most accurate age estimates. A total of 119 northern pike were sampled, and multiple structures from each fish were independently aged by two readers. The coefficient of variation (CV) was calculated for each structure to assess precision. Sectioned sagittal otoliths exhibited …

Indigenous Land Seizure & Environmental Injustice: Impacts Of Settler Colonialism, Lydia Moorman

Journal of Earth and Life Science

The fields of conservation and environmentalism prioritize ecosystem health, yet both emerged from western frameworks that displaced and criminalized Indigenous land stewardship. The idealization of “pristine wilderness” narratives served to justify the removal of Indigenous peoples from their homelands and erased millennia of sustainable land stewardship that had maintained ecological balance long before western conservation existed. These narratives not only misrepresented Indigenous relationship with land but also constructed a false dichotomy between humans and nature that positioned Indigenous presence as a threat rather than a source of ecological knowledge. Simultaneously, anthropogenic expansion; such as pipelines, mining, railroads, and other extractive …

Size Structure Comparison Of Bluegill In Lakes With And Without Special Regulations, Jenna Lawin

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Lots of individuals have mixed feelings about special regulations for all sorts of game fish species such as northern pike Esox lucius, crappie Pomoxis spp., sunfish Lepomis spp., and so on. One species commonly sought after by many is bluegill Lepomis macrochirus. Bluegill are often deemed easy to find, catch, and clean. This study looks at three different categories of lakes (all lakes contain bluegill populations). The three categories are lakes with a five sunfish limit, lakes with a ten sunfish limit, and lakes without any special regulations. This study provides valuable insight into the size …

Bureaucratic Responsiveness In Times Of Crisis, Anna Gunderson, Maggie Macdonald

Political Science Faculty Publications

In 2020, American cities experienced mass protest after fatal police violence against Black Americans. Did police address these protests differently after the murder of George Floyd or the protests in their communities? Did that response vary depending on the racial or ideological makeup of their constituents? We link policing protests and Facebook posts from about 4,000 American police departments to investigate differences in agency responses to protest. Departments posted more about protest after Floyd's death, especially in those communities that also had a policing protest. Republican cities were less likely to post about protests, but racial demographics are not associated …

Sharp Dual-Regime Thermal Transition Driven By Bead Morphology In Metal Fused Filament Fabrication, Martin Gamesu, Nelson K. Akafuah

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

This work develops a GPU-accelerated, bead-resolved digital twin for FFF that reconstructs super-elliptic filament geometries from G-code and simulates transient heat transfer via voxel-level activation synchronised to deposition order. Applied to a parametric study of two metal–polymer composites (Cu–PLA and IN718–PLA) across five super-ellipse exponents (n = 2.0, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 3.0), the framework reveals a sharp thermal regime transition: a 43% increase in interlayer contact width (n = 2.0 → 2.7) and 53% (n = 2.0 → 2.9) produce negligible thermal change (|Cohen’s d| < 0.02 for IN718-PLA and < 0.2 for Cu-PLA), while n = 3.0 triggers +150–178% increases in bonding windows, −55 to −60% reductions in cooling rate, and a 27–45-fold increase in thermal reactivation. The transition amplifies across temperature thresholds (2× at 170 °C, 15.8× at the glass transition), reverses the deposition-order thermal gradient (r = −0.83 to +0.64 for IN718-PLA and −0.55 to +0.81 for Cu-PLA), and causes surrogate model failure (cross-regime R² = −4.6). These findings establish bead morphology as a sharp morphology-driven threshold requiring regime-aware, material-specific digital twin. At the transition, weld-strength increases while cooling-rate decreases, indicating improved bonding uniformity and reduced residual-stress heterogeneity.

Stochastic Mechanical Mesoscale Modeling Of Cylindrical Cavities In Metallic Foams, Mujan N. Seif, Alexandre Martin, Matthew J. Beck

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Aluminum foam is a critical component of state-of-the-art micrometeoroid and orbital debris shielding. However, its randomly oriented constituent ligaments create significant variability in properties at different length scales. Previous efforts have thoroughly characterized the statistical implications of micro- to macro-scale-length transitions on the homogenized elastic behavior of damage-free, pre–micrometeroid and orbital debris (MMOD) strike structures. In this work, the properties of the residual material post MMOD impact are assessed by introducing cylindrical cavities representing the damage track. It was observed that configuring the cavity parallel to the through-the-thickness direction transformed a nominally isotropic foam into an anisotropic (transverse isotropic) material, …

Insights From And Future Directions For A Nationwide Science And Engineering Education Collaboration In Stratospheric Ballooning, Beth A. Covitt, Angela C. Des Jardins, Erick P. Agrimson, Jason T. Ash, Sean C.C. Bailey, Katelyn A. Barber, Mike J. Bastidas, Edgar A. Bering, Matthew T. Bernards, Anthony Choi, Nicholas B. Conklin, Jacqueline K.Q. Do, Montana Etten-Bohm, William F. Finney, James A. Flaten, Jeffrey M. Freedman, Rachel H. Humphrey, Eric P. Kelsey, Hunmin Kim, Christopher L. Lee, Wookwon Lee, Jared W. Marquis, Justin R. Minder, Jani M. Pallis, David J. Pawlowski, Chong Qiu, Joanna H. Rivers, Jason A. Ruszkowski, Jillian B. Schmidt, Thomas G. Sharp, Paul E. Slaboch, Suzanne W. Smith

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

The Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project (NEBP) engaged 53 teams of students from across the United States to fly experiments on high-altitude balloons for the 2023 annular and 2024 total solar eclipses. By many measures, NEBP was a successful project. However, the teams did encounter challenges. To better understand what could be improved for similar future projects, this study engaged project partners in examining strengths, challenges, and recommendations across four topics: project structure, education and research approach, broadening participation, and funding. Analysis of the topics was completed through written comments followed by remote focus group discussions. The project director and evaluator …

Lights And Shadows - 2026, University Of North Alabama

Lights and Shadows

Art and Literature Magazine

How Does Residing In A Battleground State Explain Republican Elites Election-Denial Rhetoric On Social Media?, Caedmon P. Brewer

Theses and Dissertations--Political Science

After the 2020 election the U.S. democratic process was challenged by Republican challengers many of which were office holders including the president. Many of these criticisms were shared and perpetuated in online spaces What encourages elites to post on social media about election denialism? This paper attempts to partially answer the question by performing an analysis on Facebook posts made by 1,154 congressional candidates between 2023 and 2024 using a dictionary search method to flag posts for election denialism. I propose a theory that suggests the combination of political, financial, and media attention given to battleground states encourages candidates in …

Understanding Motor Competence In Autism And Developmental Coordination Disorder: From Everyday Performance To Underlying Postural Control Mechanisms, Crystal E. Alvarez

Kinesiology Dissertations

Motor competence plays a foundational role in children’s participation, physical activity, adaptive behavior, and overall quality of life. Although motor difficulties are highly prevalent in autism spectrum disorder (autism) and developmental coordination disorder (DCD), these challenges are frequently under-identified and insufficiently characterized, particularly in autistic populations. Existing research demonstrates substantial overlap in motor challenges across autism and DCD; however, relatively little work has integrated caregiver perceptions, standardized motor assessment, and mechanistic postural control measures within the same investigation. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was to examine motor competence and postural control in autistic children, children with DCD, and neurotypical …

Extending The Fruiting Season With Container Grown Primocane-Fruiting Blackberries Grown In A High-Tunnel, Edwin James Tucker Iii

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Blackberry production has become an important part of many small fruit orchard operations because they’re easy to grow, produce a large crop, and sell well at market. The current blackberry season in Missouri extends from mid-June to mid-August, depending on the cultivar chosen. This fruiting season is common for floricane-fruiting blackberry cultivars (cultivars that fruit on one-year old canes). Primocane-fruiting blackberry, or blackberries that fruit on current season growth, have the potential to further extend the harvest season of blackberry into September and October especially if grown in a high-tunnel. This study had two objectives. The first objective was to …

The Use Of Performance Feedback To Decrease Latency Of Clinical Documentation, Taylor Reynolds

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Organizational behavior management (OBM) applies behavior-analytic principles to workplace settings. This study evaluated the effects of performance feedback on documentation latency among full-time staff in an ABA clinic. Reducing documentation latency is intended to improve the timeliness and accuracy of clinical documentation and to reduce risk related to non-reimbursement and liability. An ABABC design was used to evaluate the effects of performance feedback and the addition of a lottery reinforcement system on documentation latency. For each participant, the sequence consisted of a standard feedback phase (A), an enhanced feedback phase (B), a return to standard feedback phase (A), a reintroduction …

Turning ‘Meh’ Into ‘Yeah!’: Modifying Motivational Interviewing For The Collegiate Experience, Mahala M. Saylor

Psychology Doctoral Specialization Projects

This doctoral specialty project titled Turning 'Meh' into 'Yeah!': Modifying Motivational Interviewing for the Collegiate Experience explores the adaptation of Motivational Interviewing (MI) to better engage college students in mental health services. Traditional MI is highly effective in resolving ambivalence and fostering behavior change, yet its structure does not always align with the brief, solution-focused counseling models used in university settings. This project examines how MI can be tailored for time-limited interventions while enhancing student autonomy, self-efficacy, and retention in care. It integrates core MI principles—including empathy, ambivalence resolution, and self-efficacy—with developmental psychology and neurobiological research. The final product is …

The Underdiagnosis Of Neurodevelopmental Disorders In Women: Recognizing A Spectrum Of Symptoms, Taylor D. Bloomhuff

Psychology Doctoral Specialization Projects

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have long been viewed as predominantly male diagnoses. Based on foundational studies for these disorders, not only are they more prevalent in male children, but symptom severity is also higher in male children. In attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in particular, it has become a common assumption that hyperactive/impulsive and combined types are ‘male’ ADHD presentations, while the inattentive type corresponds to the few female children who meet diagnostic criteria. However, emerging research looking at the decrease in autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder prevalence rates between gender in adulthood suggests that these neurodevelopmental disorders …

Resilient Voices: A Proposed Support Group For Latina Middle Schoolers, Vanessa G. Leon

Psychology Doctoral Specialization Projects

The transition to middle school represents a critical developmental period characterized by significant social, emotional, physical, and cognitive changes. For Latina adolescents, this transition may be further complicated by cultural, environmental, and systemic stressors that increase vulnerability to mental health concerns. This doctoral specialization project addresses the need for culturally responsive mental health interventions designed to support the well-being of Latina middle school students during this developmental stage. The project presents Juntas Podemos, a school-based support group intervention that integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills within a culturally responsive framework to promote emotional well-being, …

Dwight King Service Award, Black Law Students Association, Ndls

Student, Faculty, and Staff Awards

Presented by Notre Dame Black Law Students Association to a BLSA member who has devoted considerable time, energy, and attention to both BLSA and the Notre Dame Law School community.

Colonel William J. Hoynes Award, Notre Dame Law School

Student, Faculty, and Staff Awards

The Hoynes Prize, is a gift of Dean William James Hoynes, 1878, LL.D. 1888, first dean of the Notre Dame Law School.

To the graduating law class member who has the best record in scholarship, application, deportment, and achievement.

Graciela Olivarez Award, Hispanic Law Students Association, Ndls

Student, Faculty, and Staff Awards

The Notre Dame Hispanic Law Student Association, HLSA, annually recognizes The Outstanding Hispanic Lawyer or Judge that best exemplifies the principles and ideals of the pioneer for whom this award is named, including commitment to community service, demonstration of the highest ethical and moral standards, and dedication to justice.

Arthur Abel Memorial Competition Writing Award, Notre Dame Law Review

Student, Faculty, and Staff Awards

Each spring, the Notre Dame Law Review accepts entries for the annual Arthur Abel Memorial Writing Competition. Arthur Abel was a 1985 graduate (see page 26) of the Law School, serving on both the Notre Dame Law Review (Note, 60 Notre Dame L. Rev. 1187 (1985)) and the Journal of Legislation (Note, 11 J. Legis. 317 (1984)). After several years in private practice, Arthur served as Assistant General Counsel at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. A tireless attorney possessed of a keen intellect and a wonderful sense of humor, Arthur achieved much success in a short period of time. …

National Association Of Women Lawyers Award, Notre Dame Law School

Student, Faculty, and Staff Awards

For scholarship, motivation, and contribution to the advancement of women in society.

Allison T. Dang Award Of Service, Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, Notre Dame Law School

Student, Faculty, and Staff Awards

Presented to a student who has demonstrated exceptional dedication, service, and support to the APALSA community and fellow AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) students. This award recognizes an individual who has selflessly worked to support the needs of others and embody a spirit of care and service.

Exploring Phosphoregulation Of Myo3a Using Quantitative Fluorescence Image Analysis In Cos7 Cells, Vu Hao Minh Nguyen Phan

Honors Theses

Myosin 3A (MYO3A) is an unconventional myosin involved in the formation and maintenance of hair-cell stereocilia of the sensory epithelia in the inner ear. The kinase domain has been implicated in phosphoregulation of MYO3A activity through intermolecular autophosphorylation. Previous studies using mass spectrometry identified two potential phosphorylation sites in the motor domain. To investigate the regulatory roles of these sites, we generated glutamic acid point mutations in our mchr-MYO3AΔK construct to mimic phosphorylation and assayed the constructs for their ability to tip-localize and influence filopodial density via transfection into COS7 cells. The phosphomimic constructs were less able to generate filopodia …

The Great Divide: The Relationship Between Perceived Immorality And The Work Of Artists, Caelyn R. Anderson

Psychology | Senior Theses

The psychological response one has when viewing art depends heavily on contextual understanding. More specifically, when a viewer learns negative biographical information about perceived immorality of an artist, it can negatively affect their relationship with that artist's work (Kaube et al., 2023). The sample was made up of 134 participants randomly assigned to one of two groups exposed to either positive or negative information about the artist Paul Gauguin. After viewing information, participants were shown three different paintings, before being asked to respond to an intentionality scale, and two art reception scales. An independent samples t-test showed that there is …