Digital Commons Network^™

The Smallholder’S Dilemma In Agroecological Transitions: The Diseconomy Of Agroecology For Small Farmers In Industrial Agriculture, Qian Forrest Zhang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

A scalar contradiction exists between agroecology's three goals: while ecological sustainability is best pursued at the landscape scale, social equity and livelihood goals often require organizing production at the small scale of family farms. In China's ‘industrial agriculture of small farmers’, ecological farming practices became economically unviable at small farmers' minuscule scales. Agroecological transitions almost always first go through a scale expansion, a process fraught with tension. The empirical analysis focuses on three ‘ecological farms’ that enjoyed favorable conditions unattainable to smallholders. Yet, lock-ins across five dimensions have either made their operations economically unsustainable or forced compromises in agroecological principles.

Log Off To Level Up: The Effect Of Social Media Hiatus On Goal Pursuit, Nekysha L. Y. Jalil, Yong Han Tan, Andree Hartanto, Eddie M. W. Tong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Concerns are growing that social media, with its constant notifications and attention-grabbing content, may distract individuals and hinder progress toward important goals. Despite its pervasive presence in our lives, the impact of social media on goal achievement has not been thoroughly studied. This within-subject experimental study aims to investigate the effects of social media hiatus (SMH), a short abstinence from social media usage, on goal pursuit processes. Participants (N= 107) completed daily diaries over three consecutive days of SMH and three days of regular social media use. SMH was manipulated by blocking participants’ access to multiple social media platforms. The …

Generation Of Elaborated, Targeted And Effective Feedback For Novice Programmers Using Llm, Hua Leong Fwa

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Programming errors and misconceptions are pervasive in novice programmers which causes difficulty in the learning of computer programming. Large Language Models (LLMs), with their ability to comprehend and generate programming codes have shown promising results in the automatic identification of errors. This can potentially benefit student programmers by providing them with timely formative feedback at efficiencies and scale that were not attainable previously. In this study, we leveraged an LLM - OpenAI o4-mini for the generation of elaborated, targeted feedback for novice programmers across PHP and JavaScript exercises. We contend that the feedback needs to be effective and targeted other …

Rebundling Repair: How Ownership Fragmentation Leads To Wasted Consumer Electronics, Laura Collins

Vanderbilt Law Review

The “Right to Repair” has captured the hearts of an interesting conglomeration of stakeholders, ranging everywhere from consumer protection advocates to automotive owners’ and farmers’ lobbies to environmental protection groups. The movement responds to an increasing level of manufacturer control over products post-sale in the “software era” virtually unheard of prior to the “digitalization” of products. With so many devices now containing proprietary software, manufacturers are able to dictate how a consumer engages with the underlying software, which is often directly implicated for product repair. Accordingly, manufacturers are able to limit how and by whom a product’s repair occurs. This …

May 2026 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Low-Vision Students’ Experiences With And Suggestions To Improve Desktop Virtual Reality: A Qualitative Study, Tanveer Mansur Syed

Theses and Dissertations

Visually impaired students have faced challenges in the field of education, particularly in science education. Not surprisingly, the unemployment rate for working-age visually impaired people has been above 70%. This persists despite federal laws to support the education and employment of visually impaired people,

Virtual Reality (VR) technology has evolved for several decades. Its use has proliferated in areas that include education. Today, VR science lab simulations are presented as a cost-effective alternative to traditional science labs. Research shows these to be viable substitutes to traditional science labs without a significant drop in learning outcomes. However, this researcher was unable …

Degradation And Metabolic Analysis Of Synthesized Quorum-Sensing Signals By The Model Eukaryote Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii, Adam Josef Bach

Theses and Dissertations

Bacterial organisms can “talk” with one another on a colony-wide scale using a communication system known as quorum-sensing (QS) via chemical signals. These signals are produced at a basal rate throughout the life of the bacteria and are classified as autoinducers, which diffuse across the cell membrane. Once the critical concentration is reached, they begin to diffuse back into the cell and initiate a phenotypic change. As these signals exist outside the membrane of their producer, they are also accessible to other organisms. It has already been noted that some plant species uptake these compounds through their roots and break …

Employee Perspectives Of Addiction: Effects On Workplace Dynamics, Alex Silverman

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how employees perceive and respond to coworkers experiencing substance use disorders (SUDs) and behavioral addictions in workplace settings. Integrating attribution theory, stigma frameworks, and Quality of Work Life (QWL) perspectives, a controlled vignette-based design was administered to 130 employed adults who evaluated hypothetical coworkers across addiction conditions. Multilevel modeling revealed that SUDs were perceived as more severe than behavioral addictions, and higher perceived addiction severity was associated with greater stigmatizing attitudes. Stigmatizing attitudes, in turn, were differentially associated with workplace behavioral responses: stigma was strongly associated with increased distancing and reporting behaviors but was not significantly associated …

Moodify: A Mood-Based Music Recommendation System, Meghana Kagitha

Theses and Dissertations

Music has long been recognised as a powerful tool for emotional regulation, yet existing music streaming platforms often fail to align song recommendations with a user's current emotional state. Moodify is a mood-based music recommendation system designed to bridge this gap by delivering personalised playlists that reflect how a user feels in real time.

This project presents the design, development, and evaluation of Moodify, a mobile application that leverages the Circumplex Model of Emotion to capture user mood through an intuitive two-dimensional valence-arousal interface. Rather than relying on text input or manual search, users plot their emotional state directly onto …

Avoiding Rough Waters Of Uncertain Liability: A Call To Anchor Section 12 Solicitation Liability Under A Clarified Direct And Active Standard, Hunter Thomas

Seton Hall Journal of Legislation and Public Policy

No abstract provided.

Alternative, Ashlynn M. Stroud

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

A series of illustrations, sculptures and comic book issues designed to introduce a series of stories and characters that represent the history and members of a fictional mythology depicting the cultural social group often referred to as the “alternative” community. Alternative takes place in a world that combines high fantasy and science fiction with elements of pop culture and music. This world uses iconography of the various genres of the alternative subculture and music, metal, post-punk, and the evolving scene of the underground with varying visuals from both gothic and industrial time periods. Viewers are encouraged to read and follow …

The Southwest Black Artists Collective: Afro-Modern Ecology, Kinship, And Collectivity In The Desert Southwest, Bradley L. Petty

Art History Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the Southwest Black Artists Collective (SBAC) as a site of

Afro-diasporic kinship, artistic production, and spatial intervention within the Desert

Southwest. Operating within a region where Black populations are comparatively small

and institutional support is diffuse, SBAC emerges as both a response to and a

reconfiguration of the regional artistic landscape. The Collective constructs an affirming

community through shared artistic practice, exhibitions, and the maintenance of The

Projects/Space in Tucson, Arizona, where public engagement and private creative

exchange coexist.

Drawing on theories of human ecology, this study expands existing frameworks

by introducing the concept of Afro-modern ecology, …

Policy Analysis Of Utah's Family Vlogging Bill: Examining The Influence Of The Mormon Church On Utah State Legislation And Its Effects On Child Performer Protections, Jayna J. Moskovitz

Honors College Theses

Following the criminal sentencing of Mormon family vlogger, Ruby Franke, of the 8Passengers YouTube channel, the state of Utah passed House Bill (H.B.) 322 in 2025 with the aim of protecting minors involved in social media content. This thesis investigates the connection between Mormonism and family vlogging to determine whether the Mormon influence in Utah’s state government impacted the effectiveness of H.B. 322’s provisions. My research asked: How does H.B. 322 protect children featured in social media content? (How) did the involvement of the Mormon Church in Utah politics and/or the high profile of the Ruby Franke case lead to …

2nd Place Research Paper: Shaping The Ape: Storytelling, Cultural Reflection, And Boundary Negotiation In Human-Ape Zoo Encounters, Abigail Bond Halling

Kevin and Tam Ross Undergraduate Research Prize

The typical Western zoo functions as a unique environment in which animals are frequently positioned as subjects of education and entertainment through the medium of storytelling. In this sense, the zoological institution can also be read as an extension of popular Western constructions surrounding nonhuman animals, particularly those who are symbolically charged characters in our collective imaginary– the great apes. Given the morphological, behavioral, and psychological similarities between humans and other great apes (chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans), nonhuman great ape enclosures at the Western zoo become spaces where humans are most radically confronted with navigating the boundaries of the “human-animal …

Service-Informed Pathways Proposal, Joshua Works

UNLV Transfer Student Seminar Poster (COE 303)

This project explores how food insecurity affects UNLV students’ nutrition and proposes practical ways to strengthen the UNLV Food Pantry. Through six hours of volunteer service and a review of research, I identified key barriers, including stigma, limited access to fresh food, and low awareness. The proposal recommends three actionable improvements: simple nutrition handouts, peer-led outreach to reduce stigma, and stronger partnerships to ensure consistent access to fresh produce. These steps aim to improve daily nutrition, increase pantry usage, and support better academic outcomes. This work combines hands-on service experience with research to offer realistic, low-cost solutions that can help …

Addressing The Problem Of Erotica In Fiction From A Christian Standpoint, Elizabeth Burgess

Senior Honors Theses

The body of erotic content embedded in mainstream literature grows by the day, and based on an investigation of its similarities to pornography—which has many documented negative effects—this content warrants caution before interaction. Christian writers and editors are faced with a multifaceted problem when it comes to erotica: they must weigh the risk of harming consumers by participating in its production, and they must discern whether it aligns with the moral demands of the Christian faith when it comes to sexuality. The analysis of biblical frameworks for sexuality, the present literature documenting the negative effects of pornography, and the purpose …

Re-Formation: Countering Moralistic Therapeutic Deism Among Churched American Youth With Habitual Dependence, Eden J. Wood

Senior Honors Theses

This paper engages with the culture of American youth to discover how American churches can intentionally form teenagers toward love of God rather than self. The diagnostic research for this paper is primarily founded on the National Study of Youth and Religion conducted by a team of sociologists led by Christian Smith. The strategy for interactions with teenagers themselves is taken from Joshua Chatraw and Mark Allen’s Inside Out method of apologetics. The premise of habit formation stems from the works of Charles Duhigg, James K.A. Smith, and Saint Augustine. It is the contention of this paper that liturgical confessional …

Aughrim, Out Of Reach: Literacy, Modernity, And The Irish Fate In “The Dead”, Julia Lehman

Senior Honors Theses

In the early twentieth century, Irish cultural identity faced a crisis. After hundreds of years of oppression under English colonization and the devastating famine of the previous century, Irish cultural identity had been diminished. However, there was a political push to reclaim this identity. James Joyce, famed Irish author, lived through this era and personally struggled with his Irish identity. His short story “The Dead” explores the conflict existing in Irish cultural expression during this era. In this thesis, I address the contrast between literacy and orality which produces themes of cultural alienation and disillusionment in “The Dead.” Gabriel Conroy …

Analyzing The Writing Style Of Generative Ai When Prompted With Writing Samples, Samuel Mcdowell

Senior Honors Theses

Authorship attribution is an important topic in today’s world of Large Language Models (LLMs). It is the technology that helps to verify the author of a written work. This study explores whether LLMs can successfully mimic an individual’s writing style if they are given a text sample. A dataset of human-written texts was collected and used to prompt several LLMs to generate new texts that attempt to replicate the original author’s stylistic characteristics. The generated texts were then tested with modern authorship attribution models to determine whether they would be identified as being written by the original author. The results …

Volume 17, Christian O’Neill, Kyara Greene, Savva Sidorov, Laura Bisaillon, Luke Clemmer, Hannah Gordon, Kitt Benson, Taylor Blount, Rachel Danzitz, Nicholas Duellman, Chase Gionis, Hima Fernando, Seth Franzyshen, Onyx Gonzalez, Bryan Lin, Samantha Start, Ysabel Wells, Maggie Duncan

Incite: The Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Introduction Dr. Amorette Barber, Director, Office of Student Research

From the Editor Dr. Hannah Dudley-Shotwell

Cover Artist’s Statement Maggie Duncan

On Mentoring Dr. Yulia Uryadova

Ukrainian Resistance in the Face of Russification: Nestor Makhno and Anarchism

by Christian O’Neill

Life Vest by Kyara Greene

Isolation and 16S rRNA Identification of Bacteria from Fire Department Connection Pipe by Savva Sidorov

The Effectiveness of Planned Exercise in Reducing ADHD Symptoms in Children by Laura Bisaillon & Luke Clemmer

Linguistic Analysis on Confidence and Communication Strategies with Disparities Between Sign Fluency and Hearing Impairment by Hannah Gordon

Freedmen in Indian Territory by Kitt …

The Guardian The Month Of May 2026, Wright State Student Body

The Guardian Student Newspaper

News articles from The Guardian for the Month of February 2026. The Guardian is the official student-run newspaper for Wright State University. It has been published regularly since May of 1965.

Effects Of M6a Dna Methylation By Bacterial Methyltransferase In Colorectal Cancer, Fabian Alejandro Mendoza Galvan

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Effects of m6A DNA methylation by bacterial methyltransferase in colorectal cancer Fabian Alejandro Mendoza Galvan Advisory Professor: Angela H. Ting, Ph.D. Fusobacterium nucleatum animalis (Fna) is found in the human oral cavity and gut. A distinct clade of Fna is primarily enriched in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and within colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. This clade DNA methylation pattern is primarily catalyzed by a cell-cycle regulated methyltransferase (CcrM) ortholog, M.FnI, that targets the GANTC sequence motif through methyl-6-Adenine (m6A) DNA methylation. We hypothesized that M.FnI enzyme can induce m6A methylation abnormalities in CRC cells to promote cancer progression. Evidence for endogenous …

A Tractable Nematode Model For The Emerging Fungal Pathogen, Candida Auris, Melissa Martinez

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Candida auris is an emerging multidrug-resistant opportunistic fungal pathogen. It

poses a significant threat to immunocompromised patients and those with prolonged stays in

healthcare facilities. C. auris spreads rapidly in health care facilities through enhanced

colonization of skin and abiotic surfaces. The genetic factors contributing to this ability and to

the virulence, drug resistance, and stress-tolerant nature of C. auris are largely unknown.

Current animal models of C. auris infections are not well standardized and report conflicting

results. Additional animal models of virulence are needed, especially those amenable to high-

throughput analysis. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been validated as …

Characterization Of Staphylococcus Aureus Clinical Isolates From Deep Musculoskeletal Infections For An In Vitro Biofilm Model For Phage Therapy, Raquel C. Luna

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The rise of multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections is a growing concern in the treatment of deep musculoskeletal infections (MSKIs) and orthopaedic device-related infections (ODRIs). Staphylococcus aureus is responsible for about one third of these infections due to its strong biofilm forming capacity, presence on human skin, and the large number of antibiotic-resistant variants. Bacteriophage (phage) therapy is now being considered as a treatment for MDR MSKIs/ODRIs. We are investigating the use of phage encapsulated into or adsorbed onto biodegradable microspheres for local delivery to the site of these MDR infections. We determined that the anti-staphylococcal phage K effectively lyses the S. …

Membrane Organization Of Rheb And Rhoa: Roles In Function And Allosteric Druggability, Chase M. Hutchins

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Small GTPases of the Ras superfamily are membrane-bound molecular switches that regulate nearly all major cellular processes, and their dysregulation drives cancers, neurological disorders, and metabolic diseases. While anchored to cellular membranes, the catalytic domains of small GTPases undergo orientation dynamics, adopting distinct configurations that can occlude or expose effector-binding surfaces and modulate signaling output. These dynamics have been characterized in the Ras oncoproteins, but whether they extend across the superfamily and influence allosteric druggability has remained unknown.

In this dissertation, I address these questions through Rheb and RhoA, two small GTPases with complementary differences in subfamily lineage, membrane localization, …

An Integrated Framework For Early Detection And Transmissibility Assessment Of Emerging Variants In Wastewater, Xingwen Chen, Tin Phan, Wei Lin Lee, Katie Clark, Steven F Rhode, Samantha Brozak, Bruce Pell, Tsultrim Palden, Mats Leifels, Anna Gitter, Yang Kuang, Stefan Wuertz, Janelle Thompson, Kristina D Mena, Eric J Alm, Fuqing Wu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Tracking the emergence of new viral variants is critical for epidemic preparedness, but remains challenging because variants typically circulate at low prevalence during the early phase of outbreaks. Here, we present an integrated framework that combines sensitive variant detection in wastewater with quantitative assessment of transmissibility through dynamic epidemic modeling. Using the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant as a proof of concept, we developed a novel nested allele-specific RT-qPCR assay (NAS-PCR) that achieved a thousand-fold increase in sensitivity compared with allele-specific RT-qPCR (limit of detection: 0.5 copies/μl). NAS-PCR detected Omicron in wastewater samples from the Greater Boston area starting in September 2021, …

Financial Technology And Household Wealth, Rongbo Zhou

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

With the spread of mobile payment platforms in China, the micro-foundations of household financial behaviour have been reshaped, and this change is increasingly reflected in household property income. Based on microdata from the China Household Finance Survey (CHFS) for 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2021, this dissertation examines how mobile payment use affects household property income, through which channels this effect is transmitted, and how its impact differs across household groups, regional conditions, and macro-financial environments.

The empirical results show a positive association between the use of mobile payment platforms and household property income. This conclusion remains robust after controlling for …

An Empirical Study On The Impact Of Eco-Friendly Selling Points On The Purchase Intention Of Young Chinese Consumers, Yang Liu

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Industry consumer research widely portrays Generation Z as an identity-driven cohort that enacts sustainability values through consumption. This narrative is often generalized across cultural contexts, assuming that Western-developed green consumption frameworks can be directly transferred without structural modification. Yet Chinese Gen Z’s e-commerce purchase patterns depart notably from this depiction, raising core questions: Can Western green consumption frameworks be applied to Chinese Gen Z? If so, what theoretical and structural adaptations are necessary?

This dissertation develops and tests an integrated three-pathway model to explain green purchase intention among Chinese Gen Z consumers. The model places utilitarian benefits, self-expression benefits, and …

A Multiple Case Study Of Place-Based Promise Programs, Chad Edward Inabinet

Dissertations

This qualitative multiple case study examines three place-based Promise Programs situated in Midwestern community colleges to understand how they are designed, implemented, and experienced by staff and students. Guided by General Systems Theory, data are collected from program documents, archival sources, and 13 interviews with staff and students across three sites. Within- and cross-case analyses explore program origins, design features, partnerships, student supports, financial sustainability efforts, and outcome tracking. Findings show that: funding models shape eligibility and long-term stability; partnerships with K–12 districts, colleges, funders, and community organizations are essential for implementation; proactive supports, such as advising and mentoring, improve …

Using Large Language Models To Assess Entrepreneurial Personality In Generation Z College Students, Xianyong Wang

All Dissertations

As entrepreneurial personality (EP) plays a critical role in Generation Z’s (Gen Z) long-term success, it is crucial to understand the EP of Gen Z college students. To date, little is known about what EP is and how it can be assessed in Gen Z. Therefore, this dissertation presented two sequential studies to address two closely related research foci. The first study examined the scope and dimensionality of EP in Gen Z college students using topic modeling. In the second study, pre-trained LLMs were fine-tuned to predict self-reported EP levels from personal narrative responses. To collect data, college students (N …