Digital Commons Network^™

Relationship Between High School Science Olympiad Participation And Declaration Of A College Stem Major, Gregory Lee Spiegel

Student Theses and Dissertations

Science Olympiad is a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) competition open to middle school and high school students across the United States. Students that participate in Science Olympiad have the opportunity to explore and learn about cutting edge STEM topics in an atmosphere that promotes teamwork and opportunities to challenge themselves as they compete against other schools. This quantitative correlational study examined the relationship between participation in the Science Olympiad program and the decision to pursue a STEM-related major in college. Prior Science Olympiad participants were asked about their participation in Science Olympiad in secondary school and their current …

College Preparedness: Exploring Faculty Perceptions Of First-Year Students’ Literacy Skills Transitioning From High School, Shanell Glass Bailey

Student Theses and Dissertations

This study explores faculty perspectives on the literacy skills of incoming freshmen at small community colleges in southern Mississippi, where literacy challenges affect student success. The problem addressed is the preparedness of freshmen in reading and writing, which impacts their academic performance and development through college. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences of faculty who teach entry-level English courses and to identify the support students need to succeed in literacy. Constructivist learning theory served as the guiding framework, emphasizing the ways prior knowledge, active engagement, and social interaction influence how students construct meaning …

Psychological Impacts Of Caring For Individuals With Fluent Versus Nonfluent Aphasia, Allisyn Rae Converse

Student Theses and Dissertations

This investigation sought to explore the mental health differences between caregivers of individuals with fluent aphasia versus caregivers of individuals with nonfluent aphasia with a focus on their levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. This study had a quantitative, non-experimental between group research design, utilizing a Qualtrics survey including the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Perceived Stress scale to collect all data. Both caregivers of individuals with nonfluent and fluent aphasia can experience psychological impacts of serving as a caregiver such as elevated stress, anxiety, and depression. However, this study reveals that caregivers of individuals with nonfluent aphasia …

Why Black Teachers Decide To Stay: A Phenomenological Study To Understand Retention Of Black Teachers In The Suburban School Setting, Chere Swearingen

Student Theses and Dissertations

Retention rates of Black teachers in suburban schools are significantly lower than their White teacher counterparts. For Black teachers the assumption has always been that Black teachers wanted to teach in Urban schools who have a majority Black student makeup. This phenomenological study offers a counter-story to the commonly told narrative of Black teachers. Black teacher retention in the suburban locale was addressed with the intent to support a school system that is more reflective of student demographics. Utilizing aspects from both Job Embeddedness and Critical Race Theory, this study examined the lived experience of 8 Black teachers working in …

K-3 Southern, Rural, Public-School Teachers’ Perspectives On Literacy Post Covid, Venesia Dreon Griffin Brown

Student Theses and Dissertations

Over the years, research has been undertaken to find what works to improve proficiency in literacy skills. However, most of the research has been done in urban areas. Therefore, the problem addressed in this study is K-3 literacy in southern, rural areas where students are below grade level and falling further behind, increasing the risk of student-drop out in their later years. The research is rooted in the interviews of 11 teachers in four states, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisianna, and Mississippi. They gave their perspectives and experiences on literacy education post Covid. Consequently, the purpose of the qualitative phenomenology study was …

Examining The Influence Of Cultural Sameness Or Difference Of Principals And Teachers On Students Perceived Connectedness, Asmaa Fahmy Kabel

Student Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative, phenomenological study explores how cultural sameness or difference between students and their teachers and principals influences students’ perceived sense of belonging and connectedness to their school community. Drawing on Cultural Intelligence Theory (Earley & Ang, 2003) and Social Learning Theory (Bandura, 1977), this study investigates the nuanced ways in which students internalize and interpret their relationships with school personnel, with attention to shared and differing cultural attributes beyond race alone. Twelve participants, all one to five years post–high school graduation from traditional public schools, were selected through purposive and snowball sampling. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire followed by …

Stories From Former Foster Youth College Graduates: The Positive Impact Of K-12 Schooling And Related Educational Policy, Amanda Moon, Kristen D. Seay

Faculty and Staff Publications

Youth in foster care face disproportionate challenges when it comes to education and personal well-being. Many studies use a deficit lens when evaluating these challenges. In contrast, this study is asset-based, centering first-person accounts from five former foster youth college graduates. Using a counter-narrative framework, we conducted semi-structured interviews with participants to reveal key supports in K-12 schooling participants believed helped them achieve academic and life milestones. These were relationships with teachers and coaches, access to extracurricular activities, and literacy-rich environments. We also reviewed 11 relevant federal educational policies to identify provisions and implementation needs that aligned with participant experiences. …

Where Do Latinos Live In The New York City Metropolitan Area? Changing Settlement Patterns, 2000 - 2024, Laird W. Bergad

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

This report shows that between 2000 and 2024, the Latino population of the New York metropolitan area increased by 48% from 3,592,542 to 5,316,472 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Along with population expansion, there was a decisive change in settlement patterns among all Latinos, which, in fact, began before 2000. This was the decline of New York City as the major area of the Latino population concentration, although there were differentiations by nationality.

In 2000, 60% of all Latinos in the region lived in the City. By 2024, this had declined to 46%. And while the City’s Latino population …

Relating To Ai, Nick Breems

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"As users of technology, we do have a choice."

Posting about ­­­­­­­­exercising discernment in using technological tools from In All Things, an online hub that offers insight into maintaining and faithful and orthodox Reformed Christian worldview while fearlessly engaging in every aspect of contemporary life – until all is made new.

Relating to AI

Online Student Perspectives Of Impactful Feedback, Kathleen Mcnichols Irvin

Student Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined how online graduate students perceived and experienced instructor feedback, focusing on its role in learning, the challenges of applying it, and preferences for formative, summative, or blended approaches. Fifteen students participated in semi-structured interviews, and four joined a follow-up focus group. Findings revealed that students viewed feedback as fundamental to understanding course expectations, improving academic work, and fostering motivation. However, vague or delayed feedback was seen as unhelpful and discouraging, often limiting opportunities for improvement. Three central themes emerged: the value of feedback as a learning tool, barriers to engaging with feedback effectively, and preferences for …

High-Throughput Screens Identify Genotype-Specific Therapeutics For Channelopathies, Christian L. Egly, Alex Shen, Tri Q. Do, Carlos Tellet Cabiya, Paxton A. Ritschel, Suah Woo, Matthew Ku, Brian P. Delisle, Brett M. Kroncke, Björn C. Knollmann

Physiology Faculty Publications

Genetic diseases such as ion channelopathies substantially burden human health. Existing treatments are limited and not genotype specific. Here, we report a 2-step high-throughput approach to rapidly identify drug candidates for repurposing as genotype-specific therapy. We first screened 1,680 medicines using a thallium-flux trafficking assay against Kv11.1 gene variants causing long QT syndrome (LQTS), an ion channelopathy associated with fatal cardiac arrhythmia. We identified evacetrapib as a suitable drug candidate that improves membrane trafficking and activates channels. We then used deep mutational scanning to prospectively identify all Kv11.1 missense variants in an LQTS hotspot region responsive to treatment with evacetrapib. …

Black Swans And Safety Nets: Food Aid, Dispersal, And Eugenics In Corbin Hollow, Glenn Davis Stone, Richard K. Robinson

Southern Anthropologist

No abstract provided.

2026, Aca Camp Research Forum Book Of Abstracts, American Camp Association

ACA National Camp Research Forum Abstracts

This book includes 20 abstracts that will be presented at the 2026 American Camp Association (ACA) Research Forum to be held during the ACA annual conference from February 17-20, 2026, in San Diego, California. Abstracts have been grouped into similar areas and will be presented across five verbal sessions (i.e., camper outcomes, specialty programming, camp staffing, camp administration, and medical/health for youth and families) and one poster session.

Beyond Borders: An Exploration Of Cultural Perceptions And Crossovers In Pediatric Therapeutic Recreation Camps In Japan And Vietnam, Isabel Nicole Bellon, Frank H. Netter, Ann Gillard

ACA National Camp Research Forum Abstracts

No abstract provided.

Half Of Granite Staters Oppose Removal Of Maduro, Trump Foreign Policy Approval Unchanged 1/23/2026, Unh Survey Center

All UNH Survey Center Polls

Approval of President Trump’s handling of foreign policy in New Hampshire remained largely unchanged in the wake of the capture of Venezuela’s President Maduro and pressure to acquire Greenland from Denmark, but is sharply divided by partisanship. Half of New Hampshire residents oppose the capture of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro and few support sending ground troops to occupy the country. Very few support launching a military attack on Mexico or Colombia. Four in five Granite Staters believe the United States should play a leading or major role in world affairs and should protect citizens of foreign countries facing violence but …

Vermonters Disapprove Of Trump's Foreign Policy, Believe World Views U.S. Poorly 1/23/2026, Unh Survey Center

All UNH Survey Center Polls

Vermont residents strongly oppose the decision to capture Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro and less than one-tenth support sending ground troops to occupy the country. Vermonters also oppose occupying Greenland or launching military attacks in Mexico or Colombia. Overall, three-quarters of Vermonters oppose President Trump's handling of foreign policy and rate the reputation of the U.S. among the rest of the world as poor or very poor.

The George-Anne Inkwell Edition, Georgia Southern University

The Inkwell

No abstract provided.

Clinical Workflow Of Spine Stereotactic Radiotherapy And Radiosurgery: Insights From A Single-Institution Physics Perspective, Dennis Mackin, Gizem Cifter, Yana Zlateva, Jihong Wang, Yao Ding, Muhammad Shafiq Ul Hassan, Zhiheng Wang, Parmeswaran Diagaradjane, Fada Guan, Travis C Salzillo, Shane Krafft, Jing Li, Martin C Tom, Amol J Ghia, Tina Marie Briere

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Spine stereotactic radiotherapy and radiosurgery (SSRS) techniques, encompassing both fractionated stereotactic treatments and single-fraction radiosurgery, are widely used for the management of spinal metastases due to their ability to deliver highly conformal radiation while limiting dose to adjacent critical structures. Clinical outcomes following SSRS, including durable local control and acceptable toxicity, have been reported previously in multiple institutional series. In this manuscript, we describe the clinical workflow used to deliver SSRS at a high-volume academic center, with emphasis on the medical physics processes that support routine clinical practice. Key elements of the workflow include patient selection, treatment region-specific immobilization, CT …

From Detection To Protection: Online Risks, Privacy And Security In The Lives Of Disabilities, Cansu Bolat Dinc, Elizabeth J. Done

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

This paper emphasises the need to address onlinerisks, privacy and security in the everyday digital livesof individuals with intellectual disabilities. It proposesa study that will explore their online experiencesalongside parental concerns, expectations andpractices, as well as the forms of support teachersprovide to both parents and students. The project willadopt a mixed-methods design, bringing togetherfocus groups with young people with intellectualdisabilities, online surveys with parents and semistructured interviews with teachers. By integratingthese perspectives, the paper aims to build an evidencebase that can inform future research and guide thedevelopment of more context-sensitive policies,educational practices and curricula. Ultimately, thestudy seeks to contribute to …

Saga/Atac Complexes Sustain Aberrant Chromatin Regulation And Promote Tumorigenesis In Diffuse Midline Glioma, Rosemary U Richard, Caitlin Bagnetto, Rebecca L Murdaugh, Brittany R Eberl, Alan L Jiao, Adam F Kebede, Barry M Zee, Margaret M Harrington, Mariella G Filbin, Akdes Serin-Harmanci, Yang Shi, Jamie N Anastas

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Diffuse midline gliomas (DMG) are aggressive pediatric brain tumors characterized by chromatin and transcriptional dysregulation induced by H3K27M mutations. Strategies for overcoming epigenetic dysfunction to reduce DMG tumorigenesis remain limited. We identified multiple components of the SAGA and ATAC chromatin regulatory complexes as DMG genetic dependencies and found that genetic or pharmacological inhibition of the SAGA/ATAC-associated chromatin reader SGF29 reduces DMG proliferation. Small molecules targeting SAGA/ATAC-associated histone acetylation, ubiquitination, and methylation similarly suppressed DMG growth. Further chromatin profiling and RNAseq analyses reveal that SGF29 controls H3K9ac and H3K4me3 dynamics at both H3K27M-bound and H3K27M-independent target genes linked to proliferation, differentiation, …

Intestinal Epithelial Tlr5 Signaling Promotes Barrier-Supportive Macrophages, Ming-Ting Tsai, Ryann Callaghan, Charles Ng, Lisette Peres-Tintin, Dean B Matthews, Nikketa Stanford, Karuna Ganesh, Mary K Estes, Gretchen E Diehl

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Intestinal macrophages are essential for epithelial barrier repair. In homeostasis, macrophages are continuously replenished by recruitment of circulating CCR2+ monocytes into the intestinal lamina propria. This requires the commensal microbiota, however, the specific microbial factors and downstream host pathways that coordinate macrophage replenishment are inadequately understood. Here, we show that colonization with an E. coli isolate increased CCR2+ macrophages in the intestine and ameliorated pathology in a colitis model. Using human colonic organoids, we showed E. coli colonization induced CCL2 secretion by intestinal epithelial stem cells which promoted monocyte migration. In vivo, protection was abolished in the absence of epithelial …

Distal Tip Pressures & Acoustic Streaming In Vibrating Guidewires, Graham Gavin

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

INTRODUCTIONHigh frequency mechanical vibrations (20-50 kHz) applied to slender wires have been shown to disrupt thrombus and fibrous and calcified plaques. Advanced manufacturing techniques can achieve complex geometric features, such as tapering and distal tip geometries on wires, while still facilitating the transmission of vibrational energy (Anamagh et al.). These vibrating guidewires disrupt plaque tissue through direct contact ablation and acoustic effects such as pressure wave components, acoustic streaming and potentially, cavitation (Yao et al.).Acoustic pressure amplitudes near the tip are directly related to the onset of cavitation and also contribute to secondary effects like streaming. Morse proposed a solution …

Creative Arts To Enhance Cervical Cancer Awareness Using Art-Based Messages From A Nigerian Crowdsourcing Open Call: Qualitative Thematic Analysis, Abdulhammed O Babatunde, Olufunto A Olusanya, Peter Kalulu, Temitope Ojo, Onyekachukwu Anikamadu, Juliet Iwelunmor, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths among women in Nigeria, yet awareness is low. Historically, art has served as a medium for processing emotions and sharing experiences, which can be effective in promoting health and behavior change.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine art submissions and social media engagement from a Nigerian crowdsourcing open call to inform co-designed strategies for cervical cancer prevention among women.

METHODS: This study reported following the SRQR (Standard Reporting for Qualitative Research) guideline. From October to November 2023, we launched an open call for art on social media, inviting adult women …

Better Safe Than Sorry: Preventing Systemic Risks From Fintech Firm Insolvency In India, Manas Rohilla, Vaibhav Nishad

Indian Journal of Law and Technology

The Financial Technology (“FinTech”) sector in India has stood at the forefront of global financial innovation. However, this rapid expansion has also exposed systemic vulnerabilities that threaten the stability of the financial ecosystem. The Synapse bankruptcy in the United States serves as a cautionary tale, revealing the cascading risks posed by FinTech failures, including concentration risks, spillovers, and cyber vulnerabilities. India’s regulatory framework remains ill-equipped to address these challenges, leaving critical gaps in insolvency management for FinTech entities. This article undertakes a comprehensive analysis of systemic risks arising due to financial distress and insolvency situations in FinTech and proposes a …

2020u_Nhp37_Approved_Nc_Nrs-4022-Essentials-Of-Pediatric-Nursing-Revision1, Undergraduate Curriculum Council

All Approved Curriculum

No abstract provided.

2020u_Nhp19_Approved_Nc_Ns-3163-Nutrition-Education-Revision1, Undergraduate Curriculum Council

All Approved Curriculum

No abstract provided.

2019u_Nhp19_Approved_Nc_Rad-4141-Radiographic-Procedures-Iv-Laboratory-Revision3, Undergraduate Curriculum Council

All Approved Curriculum

No abstract provided.

2019u_Nhp20_Approved_Nc_Rad-4142-Radiographic-Procedures-Iv, Undergraduate Curriculum Council

All Approved Curriculum

No abstract provided.

2019u_Nhp18_Approved_Cr_Rad-3123-Radiation-Physics, Undergraduate Curriculum Council

All Approved Curriculum

No abstract provided.

2019u_Nhp16_Approved_Bc_Remove-Rad-3211-From-Med-Image-And-Rad-Sci-Revision1, Undergraduate Curriculum Council

All Approved Curriculum

No abstract provided.