Digital Commons Network^™

Data Privacy In The Time Of Plague, Cason Schmit, Brian N. Larson, Hye-Chung Kum

Faculty Scholarship

Data privacy is a life-or-death matter for public health. Beginning in late fall 2019, two series of events unfolded, one everyone talked about and one hardly anyone noticed: The greatest world-health crisis in at least 100 years, the COVID-19 pandemic; and the development of the Personal Data Protection Act Committee by the Uniform Law Commissioners (ULC) in the United States. By July 2021, each of these stories had reached a turning point. In the developed, Western world, most people who wanted to receive the vaccine against COVID- 19 could do so. Meanwhile, the ULC adopted the Uniform Personal Data Protection …

Genetic Dissection Of Nitrogen Induced Changes In The Shoot And Root Biomass Of Spinach, Vijay Joshi, Ainong Shi, Amit Kumar Mishra, Haramrit Gill, James Dipiazza

Horticulture Faculty Publications and Presentations

Efficient partitioning of above and below-ground biomass in response to nitrogen (N) is critical to the productivity of plants under sub-optimal conditions. It is particularly essential in vegetable crops like spinach with shallow root systems, a short growth cycle, and poor nitrogen use efficiency. In this study, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to explore N-induced changes using spinach accessions with diverse genetic backgrounds. We evaluated phenotypic variations as percent changes in the shoot and root biomass in response to N using 201 spinach accessions grown in randomized complete blocks design in a soilless media under a controlled environment. …

Ownership Concentration: Lessons From Natural Resources, Vanessa Casado-Pérez

Faculty Scholarship

Concentration of ownership over land or other resources is both a sign and a cause of inequality. Concentration of ownership makes access to such resources difficult for those less powerful, and it can have negative effects on local communities that benefit from a more distributed ownership pattern. Such concentration goes against the antimonopoly principles behind the homesteading land policies and the legal regimes that regulate many natural resources. This Essay suggests that where concentration is a concern, one might draw lessons for reform by looking to the field of natural resources law, which employs a range of deconcentration mechanisms affecting …

Leading Through Music: A Comparative Case Study On The Effects Of Military Band Performance, Jessica A. Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the emotional impacts of military band performance, as well as the result of military band support loss on individuals in surrounding communities. The primary objectives of this qualitative comparative case study were to discover the value of military bands perceived by audiences and musicians. A critical, qualitative examination was implemented to assess how the atmospheres created by military bands influence their audiences and how communities react to reduced opportunities to interact with military band members. Community members of the 329D and TRADOC Army Bands were surveyed and interviewed in this study to compare the morale and sense …

Your Health; Your Responsibility, Angel Sanders

Research Papers

Many believe racism doesn’t exist anymore. In fact, racism is still present, it’s evident in the black community when looking at health. Statistics show that black women specifically encounter more health issues than other races. This thesis touches on generational trauma, feminism, and health collectives. This is a tool for a person looking to heal themselves and start a new health journey. This research assures you don’t have to do this alone and is a step toward mitigation in the black community.

Wcax July 2022 Election Survey Results, Unh Survey Center

All UNH Survey Center Polls

No abstract provided.

Fabrication Of Lab-Scale Polymeric And Silicon Dioxide Nanoparticle-Enabled Thin Film Composite Reverse Osmosis Membranes For Potable Reuse Applications, Timothy J. Dinh

Master's Theses

Reverse osmosis (RO) is widely used for water reclamation and is one of the most feasible technologies for addressing water scarcity around the world. RO membrane fabrication procedures are continually being optimized and modified to enhance the treatment performance and efficacy of the RO process. A review of the existing literature published on membrane fabrication revealed that a detailed and reproducible methodology consistent among prior studies was not available. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to utilize techniques from prior research to develop a reliable lab-scale membrane fabrication process for studying the potable reuse applications of TFC RO …

Conceptions Of Space, Gender, And Movement Within Literature And Film: An Analysis Of "The Whimper Of Whipped Dogs" & Westward The Women, Stephanie Fishleigh

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Often portrayed as static, and neutral, “space,” as it is used in this paper, refers to a literary conception, one which encompasses a sphere of locations as well as settings of events, characters, and objects within a literary narrative. Much to our detriment, humans are often compelled to codify and compartmentalize the world around us, using perceived differences as our epistemological touchstone. This phenomenon extends even to our relationship to space. In examining the interplay between space, geographies, genre, and gender, using two objects of analysis, this paper seeks to further the current scholarship on how gender ideology informs our …

Social Mobile Application: Udrop, Mahmoud Oraiqat

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Udrop is meant to be a global platform to seamlessly deliver content by simply “dropping” content at designated locations for select users. Users can drop content in the form of texts, short videos, and pictures, which users will then be able to share with their friends. Udrop features will provide an interactive user

experience for users to socialize and expand their social circles. Udrop ensures scalability, reliability, and a manageable innovative social application by using cloud services. Currently Udrop is in a beta-trial with 10 to 20 users generating anywhere from 5 to 15 records, drops, per user. Udrop’s end-user …

Chronic Poetics: A Waiting Room Of One's Own, Madeleine Simmons

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This article explores chronic poetics, through my personal lens I take readers on a walk- through of poetry and the discussions surrounding chronic illnesses. I examine the current state of chronic illness and the nuances to its discussion. I analyze chronic illness in the context of disability studies, and touch on the tensions of categorizing chronic illness as a disability. As well as how to best navigate reading chronic poetics, as poets engage in new territories as they form a new language to describe their circumstances. While analyzing multiple poems from different authors, I explore why specifically the vessel of …

Exploring The Effects Of Substance Use Disorder Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment Service Barriers, Erica Vanderhyde

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This project will focus on Substance Use Disorder/Alcohol Use Disorder (SUD/AUD) treatment service barriers in the rural desert communities of Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree, and Twentynine Palms, CA.

This project follows the concepts of the positivist paradigm. Because of this, the author primarily collected quantitative information. The author gathered data through snowball and convenience sampling utilizing local personal social connections and posting her questionnaire on Facebook. Study participants entered their answers into a self-administered questionnaire on Qualtrics. After completing data collection utilizing Qualtrics, the author examined the frequency analysis of the demographic statistics and key variables by exporting the data …

"Advancing Pride": How New Turkish Historical Dramas Challenged Western Media's Stereotypical Images Of Muslims, Naim Aburaddi

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

After the phenomenal success of Resurrection: Ertugrul that started airing on the governmental Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) in 2014, a new wave of Turkish historical dramas started getting global popularity. These shows captivated Arabs’ and Muslims’ attention around the world and exceeded viewers’ expectations. Therefore, I examined in my study why Arab viewers watch those dramas, how they perceive and react to historical facts presented in those dramas, and whether and how those dramas confront the misrepresentations of Muslims by Western media and cinema. Utilizing Said’s conceptual framework of Orientalism and other research studies that focused on the …

Visual Rhetoric And The English Careers Website, Ifeoma C. Oforah

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

We live in a fast-paced, visually-saturated 21st-century world where people want to access the latest information as quickly and conveniently as possible. Images play a role in efficient communication because they can convey concepts that words alone cannot. The pairing of visual content with written text is ubiquitous in everyday communication. Visual content functions to supplement and complement the written word, further engaging the audience and creating a thorough understanding. The persuasiveness of visual content cannot be ignored. This thesis analyzes the pictorial elections I made as an intern for the English Department using the concepts I gleaned from researching …

When Books Sing: The Musicalization Of Fiction And Intermediality In Craig Russell’S Fragment, Kathleen Collins

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Craig Russell’s novel Fragment merges a science fiction story of first contact between humans and whales and a chilling ecological disaster warning into one high action-adventure novel of the sea. Undergirding the novel and its many musical references is a rondo musical structure, manifested in the use of several geographical locations and a diverse group of character singers, both human and other. To uncover this, I will define and apply the contemporary theory of intermediality to the novel, and, along the way, expand the definition and consequences of the theory of intermediality. The result will be an ever-increasing interconnectedness to …

Improving India’S Traffic Management Using Intelligent Transportation Systems, Umesh Makhloga

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

India is one of the largest developing countries in the whole world. There is an increasing trend in the number of vehicles on the roads of India. The increasing number of vehicles leads to rising congestion in large cities. The primary purpose of this project is to determine a proper strategy to solve some of the traffic problems in India like inadequate mass transit, time delays, and blockage on road causing mergers resulting in fatal injuries. The development of effective strategic terms for operating the traffic system of India will need the incorporation of Intelligent Transportation Systems. In this study, …

Neonatal Islet-1+ Cardiovascular Progenitor Cell-Derived Exosomes And Their Functional Ability To Regulate Proliferation, Lourdes Ceja

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Heart failure affects many people around the world and can lead to disease progression and death. Consequently, new stem and exosome-based therapies are needed to address this major health issue and to provide therapeutic options that will improve outcomes for the increasing number of patients with heart disease. Stem cell-derived exosomes have captivated researchers’ attention over the past couple of years based on their functional role in cellular signaling which highlights the vital component of the secretome of stem and progenitor cells. Since neonates have significantly enhanced regenerative ability, we hypothesized that exosomes isolated from Islet-1+ expressing neonatal human cardiovascular …

Tolaram Contributes $600,000 To Support Innovation And Entrepreneurship At Smu, Singapore Management University

SMU Press Releases and News

Tolaram, a Singapore conglomerate with businesses in consumer goods, fintech, infrastructure and industrials, has established the Tolaram Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fund at the Singapore Management University (SMU) with a term contribution of S$600,000.

Vertical Integration And Competitive Balance In Professional Sports: Evidence From Minor League Baseball, Qi Ge, Brad R. Humphreys, Alexander Eisert

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

Major League Baseball (MLB) teams regularly call up players from their Minor League Baseball (MiLB) affliates to fulfill roster needs. This paper utilizes a manually collected panel of player call-ups between 1946 and 2019 and studies their impact on competitive balance in the minor leagues. Our results indicate an overall positive relationship between call-ups and competitive balance in the MiLB, with the pro-competitive effect primarily driven by the AA leagues and not AAA leagues. We also  find suggestive evidence of the effect being likely explained by the promotion of MiLB players to MLB, rather than the demotion of MLB players …

Smu Advances Interdisciplinary Education With New College Of Graduate Research Studies, Singapore Management University

SMU Press Releases and News

The Singapore Management University (SMU) has today announced the establishment of its eighth school – the College of Graduate Research Studies (CGRS). The new College aims to develop world-class thought leaders who are trained to undertake cutting-edge research across disciplines, bringing about significant impact to businesses, societies and public institutions worldwide.

To this end, the College will equip SMU postgraduate research students with knowledge and competencies to develop novel solutions that are relevant to some of today’s most challenging issues through the integration of disciplines, culture and industry. It will enhance integration and interdisciplinarity across the various SMU postgraduate research …

Rumination, Mindfulness, And Posttraumatic Growth During The Coronavirus Disease-19 Pandemic: A Moderated Mediation Model, Mackenzie Brianna May

Dissertations

Early research examining the impact of the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic on the health and well-being of U.S. adult residents suggested the majority were experiencing an increase in anxiety, depression, and trauma-related symptoms. The current study responded to calls for mental health professionals to view the COVID-19 pandemic as a form of mass trauma and sought to understand whether U.S. adult residents reported experiencing posttraumatic growth (PTG) in response to this mass trauma. Consistent with Tedeschi and Calhoun’s (2004) theoretical framework of PTG, the current study attempted to replicate a mediational model that had been used to explain the process …

Getting Them To The Chopper: An Empirical Study Of Man Therapy, A Public Health Campaign Designed To Encourage Men To Utilize Psychological Services, David Gretz

Dissertations

This study examined the effects that the Man Therapy website may have on men’s attitudes and intentions toward seeking professional psychological services, factors that play a role in deciding if they will eventually engage in the behavior of seeking of professional psychological services according to the theory of planned behavior. A large number of men die by suicide every year, and many men struggle with mental health concerns. Various components of masculinities can serve as barriers that dissuade men from seeking treatment for these concerns. Man Therapy is a novel approach that attempts to better engage men with professional psychological …

“Beginning, Again And Again”: The Experiences Of Excellent White Educators In Diverse Urban Schools, Christopher Deremer

Dissertations

This narrative inquiry study focused on the experiences of reputationally excellent White educators working in diverse urban high schools. Using methods from participatory narrative inquiry (Kurtz, 2014), this study asked three participants to explore their respective journeys as educators in diverse urban settings and to use story and reflection as well as more traditional narrative inquiry methods of observation, interviews, and artifact analysis to identify emergent themes about what made these White educators successful and how their definition of success changed throughout their career. The focus on White educators was important because of the demographic divide between students in urban …

Expanding The Conceptualization And Applied Role Of Shame, Nathaniel Michael Burrow

Dissertations

Prior research has shown shame to be a key component of a variety of mental health issues, symptoms, and disorders; however, a growing body of research also found it to be integral in the process of seeking to atone, ameliorate, or repair a prior transgression. This study sought to further explore what factors influenced this process. By utilizing a posttest-only control group experimental design and the Gausel and Leach (2011) model as a framework, this study was able to operationalize and investigate the role shame had in motivating a prosocial versus self-defensive response. Additionally, this study advanced this model by …

Comparing Collegiate Coaches’ And Players’ Perceptions Of The Coaches’ Multicultural Competence, Lee Arakawa

Dissertations

The coaching effectiveness model developed by Horn (2008) describes cultural context as a backdrop that forms beliefs, perceptions, and behaviors displayed by sport coaches. Sue et al.’s (1992) multicultural competencies model stresses the value of awareness, knowledge, and skills used in all service fields to strengthen cross-cultural relationships. Therefore, multicultural competence has been identified from these models as a critical component of effective sport coaching. Despite the growing importance of multicultural competencies expressed by, and for, sport coaches (Mesquita et al., 2011; Santos et al., 2010), there remains limited understanding of how coaches obtain and apply multiculturally competent behaviors and …

Lgbtq+ And Dental Education: Analyzing The Present And Recommendations For The Future, Diana V. Macri, Colin Haley Dds, Herminio Perez Dmd, Scott Schwartz Dds

Publications and Research

LGBTQ+ populations constitute increasing proportions of children, adolescents, and adults in the United States. Compared to their heterosexual counterparts, this group suffers from health inequities, including oral health. The report “Oral Health: Advances and Challenges” identified the LGBTQ+ community as an underserved population which faces significant barriers in accessing oral health care. Coverage of LGBTQ+ topics in formal education settings in both dental schools and dental hygiene programs is scarce, which contributes to inequities within this group. Increasing curriculum content related to LGBTQ+ populations is of utmost importance to promote optimal patient-provider interactions while improving oral health outcomes. Ensuring equity …

Assessment Of Ems Response And Hospital Arrival Times In Nebraska, Tina Vu

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Timely EMS response and ground transport to the appropriate hospital are essential to patients’ survival and health outcomes during emergencies. This study utilizes interactive Geospatial Information System (GIS) mapping to assess emergency medical service (EMS) response and hospital arrival times in rural and urban Nebraska counties. The goal is to determine if there are underserved areas in the State and to propose potential interventions if identified. 2018 Social Vulnerability Index Scores (SVI) collected from Census Data were also reviewed for these areas to see possible correlations. The interactive GIS map revealed the Western and Central regions of Nebraska to be …

Overlaps And Gaps Of Preterm Birth Programs In The Triangle Area Of North Carolina, Amber Bobbitt

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Background: Preterm birth rates are a long-standing issue that has yet to be adequately addressed and prioritized. Nationally about 1 in every 10 infants are born prematurely in the United States. In the state of North Carolina, 1 in every 9 live births was preterm in the year 2020. The aim of the study was to determine the strategies organizations use in North Carolina to reduce preterm births in comparison to the CDC’s Five Strategy framework and to understand how the organizations address health equity and measure/evaluate the success of their initiatives.

Methods: Semi-structured one-on-one interviews were conducted with four …

Analysis Of The Utilization Of Nebraska Medicine's Price Transparency Tool, Ingrid A. Olson

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Healthcare costs have become a significant concern for patients, healthcare facilities, economists, and politicians within the United States. In an effort to understand and reduce health-related costs, price transparency laws were enacted at the beginning of 2021. Because of these new laws, hospitals must provide a price transparency tool for their patients. “Price transparency in healthcare makes pricing information more readily available, defines the value of services, and enables patients and other care purchasers to identify, compare, and choose providers that offer the desired level of value” (AAMC, 2022). However, research results on price transparency tools use and efficacy is …

Exploring Stakeholder Attitudes Towards Tobacco 21 Implementation, Enforcement, And Outcomes, Summer L. Woolsey

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Objectives: This qualitative study seeks to assess the impact of the federal Tobacco 21 (T21) law by analyzing data collected from a nationwide sample of key tobacco control stakeholders towards the implementation, enforcement, and outcomes of the T21 law. Methods: A series of five focus groups were conducted in December 2021 with stakeholders (n=31) who were asked about T21 implementation and enforcement measures used in their own communities. Participating stakeholders included tobacco policy experts, tobacco evaluation experts, subject matter experts, and implementation personnel. Results: We conducted a thematic analysis of the data resulting in eight themes found under four broad …

Beyond The Plant: Facing Systemic Barriers As A Meatpacking Community During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Shannon Barrientos

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed and magnified health disparities and social inequities that disproportionately burden racial and ethnic minorities. These disparities are readily seen within meatpacking communities, considering a lack of protections offered by the meatpacking industry have heightened COVID-19 susceptibility. These conditions have aggravated health inequities within rural communities throughout the span of the pandemic. Despite significant advances in research investigating the effect of COVID-19 on essential workers within the meatpacking plants, this research remains isolated within the meat processing industry. Moreover, research has focused predominantly on the pandemic’s impact on rural communities and the institutional barriers that hinder …