Digital Commons Network^™

Role Of Quartz Grain Size And Saturation On Fault Strength And Frictional Healing, Sapana Regmi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Rocks near the Earth's surface (less than 5 kilometers deep) often break and grind against one another to create crushed rock materials known as fault gouge. These fault gouges are filled with fragmented particles and broken rocks, which vary in grain size over time and space due to repeated earthquakes. This variation in grain size distribution along fault gouge can affect the strength of the fault, how it slips during an earthquake and how it 'heals' or recovers strength between earthquakes. Further, fault gouges often contain water from underground sources, which can influence how they slip. Previous studies have examined …

Breaking Up In The Digital Age: Examining The Relational Dissolution Model On Instagram, Alana Haupert

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Breakups can be an emotional time as individuals experience breakup distress and begin to explore the options and potential actions that are associated with relational dissolution on social media. This study seeks to explore how certain online behaviors, as they relate to stages of relational dissolution, affect breakup distress, relational uncertainty, social media engagement, and overall attitudes towards singlehood. Findings suggest that social media engagement plays a key role in exploring the phases of relational dissolution. Higher social media intensity linked breakup distress and behaviors of the social phase, or when individuals share information about a potential breakup. Grave-dressing behaviors …

A Value Sensitive Design Approach To Reimagining Parental Control Apps, Prakriti Dumaru

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Parental control apps are often used by families to regulate children's device usage and keep them safe online. However, existing tools focus on monitoring and restricting children, which can lead to tension and mistrust within families. This research takes a new approach by exploring how parental control apps can be redesigned to support positive family values, like encouraging open communication between parents and children and helping children self-regulate their behaviors. Through four in-depth studies, this dissertation looks at how these values play out in different real-life situations. It includes families with children on the autism spectrum, divorced households where parents …

Beyond The Click: Investigating Mental Models, Targeted Attacks, And Behavioral Interventions Against Clickbait, Ankit Shrestha

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Clickbait is misleading or exaggerated content on social media that tricks people into clicking on links by making them curious. For instance, posts that use headlines such as “This is the worst day to visit a restaurant”. These clickbait posts can lead to fake news, wrong information, and even harmful websites. Even though many people know clickbait can be risky, they often still fall for it. Existing tools to stop clickbait don’t always consider how people think, the situations they are in, or their different needs. This research looks at how people understand and react to clickbait, and develops different …

Decoding Anisotropic Porous Medium: A Synergy Of Lattice Boltzmann Modelling And Operator Learning To Predict Permeability As A Function Of Orientation, Soumya Shouvik Bhattacharjee

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Understanding the directional properties of porous media is essential for accurately predicting flow behavior, reactive transport, and fluid-solid interactions in systems ranging from geothermal reservoirs to energy storage devices and biological tissues. Directional variations in permeability - reflecting a medium's response to flow at different angular orientations - are particularly important for complex, inherently anisotropic geometries. In this study, we employ a Lattice Boltzmann (LBM) model to calculate directional permeabilities from porous media images subjected to varying flow inlet angles. Three classes of porous media were investigated: (1) synthetic media with circular grains, serving as isotropic baselines; (2) synthetic media …

Thermal Inkjet Bioprinting Of Human Fibroblasts Into Stem Cell Environment Leads To Stem-Like Gene And Protein Expression And Changes In Hippo Pathway Effectors Yap/Taz, Patricia Ablanedo Morales

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Thermal inkjet bioprinting (TIB) has emerged as a powerful tool with many potential applications, such as organ regeneration, drug testing, and cell differentiation, among others. Despite the forces and stress that cells are subjected to during the printing process, there is little research that investigates in detail the combined effects of the TIB process and the surrounding environment on cells. Furthermore, a cell's biological environment greatly influences its behavior. Therefore, understanding the effects of bioprinting on cells in a particular environment at a genetic level can provide clues regarding changes in cell characteristics. Bioprinting could potentially be used as a …

Effects Of Environmental Stressors On Human Tissue-On-A-Chip Platforms, Andie Padilla

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

As space exploration begins to extend beyond low earth orbit, it has become increasingly critical to understand the interaction of the extreme environment of space flight with human systems. While it is known that space-travel induces a vast array of complications to cardiac, neural, musculoskeletal, and immune systems, the mechanisms by which these complications occur are poorly understood. Current research to study the effects of microgravity and radiation are limited to ground simulations, which rarely account for the multifactorial stressors experienced during spaceflight, or long duration studies aboard the International Space Station. Similarly, traditional two-dimensional (2D) models lack the ability …

So Much Cooler Online: Social Media Usage By Agricultural Educators In Secondary Sbae Classrooms, Saydee C. Longhurst

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Social media has become a powerful tool in education, helping teachers connect with students and share information in new ways. Agricultural educators are using platforms like Facebook and Instagram to promote agricultural literacy and engage students in an online format. This study explores how high school agriculture teachers use social media, what challenges they face, and how comfortable they are using it. Through an online survey and analysis of social media engagement data, this research highlights the benefits and personal evaluation educators have when using these platforms. The results show that while social media helps teachers share resources and connect …

Associations Between Mental Health Outcomes And Discrimination And Victimization Among Adult Lgbtq+ Community Members Or Guardians Of Lgbtq+ Children, 2023-2024, Perla Gisel Mercado

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

BACKGROUND: LGBTQ youth face unique challenges and experiences that can significantly impact their mental well-being. Discrimination, stigma, prejudice, and struggle for self-acceptance contribute to increased rates of mental health issues within this population. Almost one in 8 people, or 970 million individuals worldwide, were living with a mental disorder. PURPOSE: Assess the relationship between discrimination and victimization and mental health outcomes among sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) in the Paso del Norte Region. METHODS: Data was collected through a cross-sectional needs assessment survey among adult LGBTQ+ community members or parents/guardians of LGBTQ+ children/youth living in New Mexico or Texas in …

Judicial And Techno-Securitization Of Immigration: Narratives De Filosofia De Inmigracion Y Justicia, Mohammad Rubaiyat Rahman

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the thesis, I develop a philosophical account which is centered on immigration enforcement discrimination, surveillance and procedural justice. The thesis propounds two arguments. The first argument contends that the immigration enforcement of the United States (U.S.), including the use of surveillance technology, contributes to the structural injustice. The second argument is that the U.S. immigration surveillance and immigration enforcement should be qualified by procedural justice and constitutional democracy.

The thesis prioritizes the practice of the U.S. immigration policy, enforcement and how these promote structural injustice against non-citizens and citizens, specifically those who are Latinos living in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. …

Aluminum Doped Tin Sulfide Thin Films For Solar Cell Applications, Gabriel Rodriguez Guijarro

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Tin sulfide (SnS) is theorized to be a suitable material for solar cells, but there are some difficulties that have not been overcome when making thin films that have the properties needed to compete with other materials. This work investigates the structural and optoelectronic properties of aluminum-doped SnS thin films, deposited via magnetron cosputtering physical vapor deposition at different temperatures. To characterize the films a variety of techniques were used: Raman spectroscopy, SEM, TEM, X-Ray Reflectivity, and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The results show that the target stoichiometry is a relevant parameter to take into account when growing SnS thin films, the …

Academic Experiences Of Historically Underrepresented Stem Students In Nontraditional Pathways, Karime H. Smith

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The college student population continues to diversify, with an increase in enrollment of women, minorities, and nontraditional students. Women account for 51% of all first-time students, while the Hispanic population will contribute 78% of the new labor force between 2020-2030. Efforts in diversifying STEM pathways for nontraditional students is a low-cost option that will keep the US economically competitive worldwide. Yet the 48% of STEM enrolled students tend to leave the degree within 6 years makes it difficult to replenish the workforce. The research on STEM and degree attainment focuses on high impact practices to engage students and early exposure …

Perceptions Of Healthcare Students And Educators On Ai And Ar In Immersive Learning: A Phenomenological Study Of Empathy And Self-Efficacy Development In Palliative And End Of Life Care, Thomas Joseph Soto

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

As healthcare education evolves to address emotionally complex scenarios such as palliative and end-of-life care, there is an increasing need to integrate both technical and emotional competencies into training. This interpretive phenomenological study explored how artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR)-enhanced immersive simulations shape healthcare students' empathy and self-efficacy. Grounded in Rogers' Client-Centered Theory and Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, the research investigated the lived experiences of healthcare students and educators who participated in emotionally realistic simulations using AI-driven manikins and auditory AR features. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using a hybrid inductive-deductive coding framework, incorporating in-vivo …

Predicting Case Clearance For Victims Of Anti-Transgender Homicide In The United States, Brittaney Alyssa Mann

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is a shortage of research exploring case clearance of anti-transgender bias homicides. This study will comparatively examine the similarities and differences in anti-transgender bias homicide cases with and without arrests at the victim, situational and incident levels occurring in the United States between 2013 and 2023. Data are extracted from the Bias Homicide Database (BHDB), the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP), and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). This project will address the gap in understanding case clearance of anti-transgender bias homicides, provide policy implications, and ideas to further the discipline’s understanding of the topic. Keywords: LGBTQIA+ victims, bias …

The Relationship Between Inclusive Classroom Practices, Stem Identity And Stem Interest In Latinx Secondary Students, Laura Corral Carrillo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Latinx students remain underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields despite representing a growing portion of the U.S. school population. Research suggests that inclusive classroom practices (ICPs) that affirm students' cultural and linguistic identities can play a critical role in shaping STEM identity and fostering interest in STEM pathways. This mixed-methods study investigated the relationship between ICPs, Latinx high school students' STEM identity development, and their interest in pursuing STEM careers in the Texas borderlands. The study employed a convergent design, integrating quantitative survey data from 52 students and qualitative interview data from four secondary science teachers. Quantitative …

Technology-Enabled Foreign Object (Fo) Prevention, Christopher Lee Colaw

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The aviation industry incurs $14 billion per year in cost due to Foreign Object (FO) damage and the prevention and resolution techniques associated with foreign object debris. While aircraft loss, material scrap and rework contribute to that cost impact, a traditional approach to aircraft design and manufacturing which is based on human performance is also a significant driver. Failure modes and effects analysis of human based aircraft manufacturing reveals that two of the largest risks are associated with unknown potential for FO creation and the inability to recall or objectively provide evidence of FO conformity for cases of inquiry, learning, …

Crossing Borders: Analyzing The Factors Contributing To Healthcare And Reproductive Preferences Among Residents Of The Texas-Mexico Border, Yamaris Michelle Cordero

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Crossing Borders: Analyzing the Factors Contributing to Healthcare and Reproductive Preferences Among Residents of the Texas-Mexico Border explores the complexities of healthcare access and utilization among border residents, particularly in the context of reproductive health. Through qualitative analysis of focus group discussions with promotoras - community health workers - this study identifies key factors influencing cross-border healthcare decisions, including economic barriers, cultural influences, and perceptions of quality. The findings reveal that high costs and limited insurance coverage in the U.S. drive many individuals to seek affordable healthcare and medications in Mexico, where pharmacies provide immediate, low-cost services without the need …

J Mich Dent Assoc August 2025

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Each month, The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association provides news, information, and features about Michigan dentistry to our state's oral health community and the MDA's 6,200+ members. It stands as the primary publication reaching Michigan dentists. The August issue marks the end of digital only publishing, as the MDA announced it will provide members a bimonthly print issue along with monthly digital distribution. This issue includes:

• A cover feature on the impact on the dental community of the recently adopted Big Beautiful Bill federal budget
• Mandibular Lingual Concavity Evaluation Using CBCT
• A reprinted clinical feature from New York on …

Axicons For Improved Resolution And Depth Of Focus In Adaptive Optics Scanning Light Ophthalmoscopy, Ruth E. Woehlke, Robert F. Cooper

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscopes are instrumental for studying the eye, yet they use truncated Gaussian illumination and are limited by diffraction, restricting resolution and depth of focus (DOF). Non-diffractive Bessel beams have emerged as an alternative. Here, we use two axicons configured as: (1) an extended DOF beam for resolving multiple retinal layers; and (2) an annular beam for increasing lateral resolution. We compare both approaches to truncated Gaussian illumination using a variety of metrics. Using Configuration 1, we successfully observed multiple retinal layers simultaneously. Using Configuration 2, we observed enhanced lateral resolution but decreased signal-to-noise ratio.

An Evaluation Of Key Components Of Natural Resource Camps, Undergraduate Persistence And Success In Natural Resources, Brandy Bishop

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the key components that connect natural resource camps, undergraduate persistence, and overall success through gainful employment within the natural resource industry. The aim of this study was to assess early interest and attitudes towards natural resource career pathways and how education interventions shape students’ career outcomes thus leading to overall success. A longitudinal mixed method design was used combining Conservation Careers Camp survey data (n = 39) with institutional records for Forestry majors (n =655) in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus. Quantitative data was analyzed through …

Effects Of Multi-Sensory Training In Physical Activity On Reaction Time And Fitness In Elementary Students., Sarah Anne Trout

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract This study examined the effects of multi-sensory Neuroplasticity training (MSNP™) using the ROXPro system on the psychomotor abilities of third-grade students in a Midwestern elementary school. The research aimed to determine whether the integration of interactive sensory-reactive technology in physical education could improve reaction time, agility, and explosive power compared to standard PE instruction. A total of 49 participants were assigned to either a control group or an intervention group, with the latter engaging in six weeks of ROX-based drills. A pretest-posttest design was employed, and data were analyzed using ANCOVA, repeated measures ANOVA, and independent t-tests to assess …

Effects Of Flavonoids On Reducing Colon Cancer Risk Via Macrophage Polarization, Gracien Jules

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Colorectal cancer is one of the most fatal diseases in the United States. Chronic tissue inflammation can cause cell proliferation, which leads to tumor formation and cancer development. Macrophages are responsible for maintaining tissue homeostasis and for inflammatory responses. M1 macrophages exhibit proinflammatory responses while M2 macrophages exhibit anti-inflammatory responses. Imbalance between M1 and M2 macrophages is closely related to inflammation-associated disease development. The anti-inflammatory effects of apiaceous vegetable constituents, specifically flavonoids, have been studied for their preventative effects towards reducing disease risk. However, sufficient evidence is lacking on the mechanisms by which flavonoids impact M1/M2 macrophage polarization. RAW 264.7 …

Exercising Sovereignty In The Theater Of Court: How Performative Punishments Has Substitute Law Implementation In The Islamic Republic Of Iran, Nina Maziar

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Legality is a modern infrastructure, but when it is combined with the jurisprudence, which is very interpretive and subjective, an amorphous content is merged, which can be shaped for utilitarian purposes; and this is how the arbitrary legal system of Islamic Republic is staged. This unshaped legal system, courts/trials and penal codes, especially political charges are ambiguous contents, baffling the mindsets. This unclear setting is deterministically vague to scare the victim, and the audience with the stagecraft of the court. Sovereignty is defined both in the international affairs regarding the capability of one state ruling a country, but it …

How To Do Things With Little Talking Tubes: Nonideal Speech Acts In The Digital Age, Anthony Holdier

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this work, I develop a view about what it means to share a social or conversational context with others, as well as what is normatively entailed by doing so. Working from a broadly Austinian perspective about the moral foundations of language use and how we use words to position ourselves within social space, as well as from a generally Stalnakerian social ontology (demarcating groups by dint of aligned or overlapping sets of commitments), I present three papers demonstrating how nonidealized, ordinary language philosophy can make sense of complex, real-world phenomena. Through analyses of heretical utterances, context collapse, and chatbot …

Controlling Electroless Deposition On Polymer Interfaces Towards Discrete Functional Particle Synthesis, Grecia Pierina Alvarado Munoz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Electroless deposition is a process that facilitates the formation of metal layers on surfaces through the reduction of metal ions onto a surface in the presence of a sacrificial reducing agent. This process can be applied to synthesize conductive metal layers on insulators such as glass or polymers. The kinetics of heterogeneous deposition depend on the interfacial surface chemistry, including the presence of added catalyst materials, as well as the bulk chemical environment, such as the concentration of metal ions and sacrificial reductants. Furthermore, the homogeneous formation of metal nanoparticles may compete with the deposition reaction, adversely affecting the control …

Contrastive Loss In Recommendation Systems, Maryam Aghamohammadghasem

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A recommendation system is a bridge between users and products, which is widely used in e-commerce such as Amazon and Netflix. This study investigates the use of Graph Neural Networks (GNNs), Light Graph Convolution Network(LightGCN) and Graph Sample and Aggregate (GraphSAGE), in the recommendation system on two categories of Amazon review datasets ( "All Beauty" and "Tools and Home Improvement"). The novelty of this work includes combining supervised and self-supervised learning through Weighted Approximate Rank Pairwise (WARP) and Information Noise-Contrastive Estimation (InfoNCE) losses, to optimize the embeddings of users and recommended items in the shape of a ranking list. The …

From Stem Cells To Smooth Muscle Cells: Characterizing Secretome Profiles And Evaluating Regenerative Potentials, Christofer Baldwin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the role of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in vascular disease and the potential of stem cell-derived VSMCs (SC-SMCs) for regenerative medicine. VSMCs are crucial for maintaining function; however, their dysregulation contributes to the progression of diseases like atherosclerosis, vascular calcification, and aneurysms. Disease progression is influenced by various environmental factors, prompting VSMCs to switch phenotypes, leading to adverse vascular remodeling. This research focuses on adult bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) and adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) as sources for generating reparative VSMCs. Through comparative analysis, it investigates the effects of SC-SMCs on VSMC biomarker expression and …

The Influence Of Retail Display Conditions On Ground Beef Quality And Palatability, Sarah Lynn Shoup

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objectives of these studies were to evaluate the impact of retail display case type and muscle type on meat quality attributes, including color, lipid oxidation, texture, and volatile compound profiles, as well as to assess economic implications based on retail color degradation. Case type effects were further evaluated by considering environmental factors such as temperature, air velocity, and relative humidity and their influence on the shelf life of beef patties. An economic analysis was also conducted to estimate the value of patties based on a* (redness) scores at different points during retail display. In Study 1, differences in L* …

End Times: American Mortality, Death Materiality, And Social Death In The 1990s, Jordan A. Savage

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The United States in the 1990s was marked by pervasive representations of death in popular culture. As death imagery became increasingly visible in entertainment, there was a growing detachment from the embodied, biological realities of death, a tension intensified by the ongoing AIDS crisis. This project explores how death is politicized and how decisions about who lives and dies are shaped by power. I draw on a constellation of theoretical frameworks that collectively illuminate the operations of state-sanctioned death and social abandonment. These include Michel Foucault’s concept of biopolitics, which examines the management of life by state power; Giorgio Agamben’s …

Firm Disclosures And Retail Investor Behavior: The Role Of Information Type, Disagreement, And Social Networks, Hansol Yoon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines whether disclosure characteristics–specifically hard versus soft information–influence disagreement among retail investors, whether due to differences in information sets or interpretation, and how such disagreement subsequently affects trading volume. Using a sample of 85,050 earnings conference calls and StockTwits disagreement data from 2010 to 2021, I find that hard information (i.e., earnings figures) is negatively associated with investor disagreement, while soft information (i.e., forward-looking statements) is positively associated with it. Further analysis reveals that the disclosure characteristics impact trading activity only indirectly, through their influence on investor disagreement. Additionally, I examine the moderating role of social network centrality, …