Digital Commons Network^™

Let's Talk About Sex, Baby! Gender Roles In Parent-Child Sexual Communication, Alexandra Henrici

Dissertations and Theses

Parent-child sexual communication remains a fruitful avenue to increase safe sex behaviors, which are currently in decline by today's adolescents. Historically, mothers have reported engaging in parent-child sexual communication more than fathers do. Previous scholarship suggests this difference could be due to traditional gender role beliefs or conflicts with traditionally masculine attributes. Using social cognitive theory and social role theory, this study conducted a cross-sectional survey on parents of children aged 9 through 16. Positive relationships existed between outcome expectations, self-efficacy, and level of detail in sexual and reproductive health conversations between parents and children. Though no statistical difference was …

Exploring Responsible Use Of Generative Ai In Disaster Resilience For Indigenous Communities, Taranum Bano, Chun-Hua Tsai, Srishti Gupta, Yu-Che Chen, Edouardo Zendejas, Sarah Krafka

Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis Faculty Publications

Tribal communities face unique challenges in disaster response, often lacking resources and infrastructure to effectively respond to emergencies. This study explores the potential of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance disaster response within these communities. We designed a multi-modality generative AI system for disaster assessment from user-generated photos and organized reports with community in-kind cost sharing. We introduced the system prototype at the 2024 National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) conference with emergency department professionals from diverse tribal nations and other stakeholders. Through a workshop-focused group discussion, we discussed the perception, ideas, and concerns for introducing generative AI technology to …

Exploring K-12 Educators Remaining In The Profession In Louisiana Public Schools: A Phenomenological Inquiry, Brittany Benoit

Student Theses and Dissertations

School systems across the United States and worldwide face significant challenges due to a shortage of qualified teachers. These conditions negatively affect student outcomes and place additional financial burdens on school systems. Teacher shortages often lead to larger class sizes and increased workloads for existing educators, further exacerbating the issue. Addressing teacher retention is crucial to improving educational quality and stability within school systems. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the experiences and perceptions of relationships that influenced K-12 Louisiana Public School educators to remain in the profession. Guided by Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory, the research emphasized intrinsic factors that contributed to …

Apotheosis, Cameron Eric Simmermon

Student Theses and Dissertations

Occult Detective Fiction (ODF) follows the standard procedures and practices of Detective fiction but throws in the supernatural elements: monsters, aliens, ghosts, and so forth. I dive into the history that led to the development of ODF, along with all the great authors who contributed to it. These greats were the likes of H. P. Lovecraft, Blackwood, Hodgson, and Quinn. Discussing these authors and their participation in ODF gives context to the novella and the choices that led to its development. From Voltaire’s impact on occultism to Poe’s invention of the detective novel, Apotheosis is heavily influenced by the greats …

Functional Characterization Of Uncharacterized Essential Genes In The Oral Pathogen Streptococcus Mutans, Courtney Dover

Student Theses and Dissertations

Streptococcus mutans is a pathogen associated with the formation of dental caries, and its genome contains many uncharacterized genes, including some which are classified as essential genes. These genes are required for the growth of the organism. Characterizing the function of these genes is important for understanding the organism, as well as identifying potential antimicrobial targets. This project used a CRISPRi (CRISPR interference) system to repress seven experimentally uncharacterized genes within the S. mutans genome and investigated the effects of their repression via RNA-seq transcriptomics, phylogenetic analysis, and TEM. The gene annotated as SMU_393 was then prioritized for further analysis …

News Portrayals Of Women In The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Zinnia Sheikh

Student Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how The New York Times visually framed women in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A quantitative content analysis of 592 news images of gender (male, female) and objects was conducted through the lenses of framing theory and visual framing theory to understand gender representation in conflict reporting. The photo sample analyzed a period of two years, starting from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2024. The findings indicate that The New York Times portrays women as victims more often than men, which supports the previous traditional gender portrayals of women showing them as victims. However, the findings challenge the …

Nurses’ Role In Reducing Mental Health Stigma In Healthcare, Olufunmilayo Elizabeth Adeloye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project implemented a targeted educational intervention to reduce mental health stigma among healthcare providers. Mental health stigma, often resulting in misdiagnosis, delayed treatment, and decreased patient engagement, represents a significant barrier to effective nursing practice. The project’s practice-focused question examined whether an educational program could improve provider knowledge and attitudes toward mental illness. Using the ADDIE model (analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation), a needs assessment at a family practice and behavioral healthcare clinic identified gaps such as judgmental perceptions, avoidance behaviors, and lack of empathy among providers. An extensive literature review supported the …

The Promotion Of Physical Activity For Use In Alzheimer's Disease Prevention Trials In Adults With Down Syndrome: Results From A 12-Month Randomized Trial., Lauren T. Ptomey, Brian C. Helsel, Richard A. Washburn, Robert N. Montgomery, Ron Krebill, Jessica C. Danon, Joseph R. Sherman, Daniel Forsha, Amy Bodde, Amanda N. Szabo-Reed, Anna M. Gorczyca, Joseph E. Donnelly

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

INTRODUCTION: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of death in individuals with Down syndrome (DS). Participation in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) may prevent or delay the onset of AD. Therefore, we evaluated the potential effectiveness of a remotely delivered home-based group exercise (≈8/group) to increase daily MVPA and cardiorespiratory fitness in adults with DS to a level that may be associated with delaying AD in adults with DS.

METHODS: Adults with DS ((n = 81, age ≈27 years 55% female) without dementia were randomized (2:2:1) to a 12-month intervention, which included 40-min exercise sessions scheduled once (remote low …

Re: Comment Letter For The Final Butte Reduction Works (Brw) Smelter Area Waste Remediation And Contaminated Groundwater Hydraulic Control Site Air Monitoring Quality Assurance Project Plan (Qapp) For Interim Demolition Activities (Dated May 19, 2025), Emma Rott

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Beyond Criminalization: A Call For Educational Restorative Justice In Response To Maryland’S 2024 Juvenile Crime Bill, Melissa B. Spirn

Maryland Law Review Online

No abstract provided.

Multimodal Person Evaluation: First Impressions From Faces, Voices, And Names, Mila Mileva

School of Psychology

We form a first impression every time we meet someone unfamiliar to us. When this happens, we often have access to information about this person’s appearance, voice and the first thing we learn about them is usually their name. Despite this, much of what we know about social evaluation processes has been almost exclusively based on facial information. Here, approximately 45,000 spontaneous first impression descriptors were sampled to identify the most common judgements we make when presented with information about someone’s face, voice, and name at the same time as well as when presented with information about their voice or …

Self-Efficacy Of Kindergarten, First, And Second Grade Educators Teaching Students With Behavioral Issues In South Carolina Public Schools, Kathryn Sommer-Gough

Student Theses and Dissertations

Teaching students with behavioral challenges can impact elementary school teachers’ self-efficacy. This study examined the perceived lack of preparation among educators in managing such students. Guided by Bandura’s self-efficacy theory, this qualitative phenomenological study explored the experiences of kindergarten through second-grade general education teachers. Ten South Carolina teachers participated in three Zoom interviews each, discussing their self-efficacy and administrative support. Analysis revealed five key themes: self-efficacy, training, effects of students with behavioral issues, support, and frustrations. Teachers reported increased confidence after developing classroom management strategies, though these techniques were largely self-taught rather than formally provided. Future research should examine the …

The War On Tourer: An Analysis In Terrorism’S Effect On Tourism, Jacob M. Strawn

Student Theses and Dissertations

Tourism is the third largest global export, representing seven percent of all global trade(UNWTO 2021). Many developing countries now depend on tourism to achieve sustainableeconomic growth, a core component of the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Priorstudies of this phenomenon focus on isolated case-studies, mostly based on limited data. Inthis thesis I examine how terrorist incidents and fatalities affect international tourist arrivalsin 93 developing countries from 1995 to 2020. Special focus is placed on potential variablesthat may effect some countries more than others like Post-9/11 Anxiety. An increase in terrorattacks is associated with a decrease in tourism. A separate analysis …

Examining Black Teachers’ Experiences And Perspectives Of Community Cultural Wealth Within Their Hbcu Teacher Preparation Programs, Deajanae K. Mclain

Student Theses and Dissertations

The success of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the state of Mississippi in preparing Black educators is a topic that needed more up-to-date research. With media and research often highlighting institutional challenges at HBCUs rather than achievements, this study takes a different turn and highlights how HBCUs in the state of Mississippi successfully prepare Black teachers for the profession. This phenomenological study investigated how novice, Black teachers experienced Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) during their teacher preparation programs (TPPs) at public HBCUs in Mississippi. While HBCUs produce half of all Black teachers nationally, limited research examines how cultural assets …

Stepping Into Motherhood: Pregnancy-Induced Changes To Foot Structure And Biomechanics, Lauren R. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: Pregnant women have an elevated risk of developing lower limb musculoskeletal disorders, likely due to the rapid increase in body mass and joint laxity. While a few studies have evaluated changes in static foot posture due to pregnancy, it is unclear if body mass or joint laxity is the primary driver. Additionally, how pregnancy affects the mechanics of the foot during dynamic movements is still not understood. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to investigate the foot's response to pregnancy. First, we examined foot tissue characteristics across pregnancy, specifically plantar fascia (PF) stiffness, length, and thickness. Additionally, we …

Strengthening Global Health Education In The Uae: Assessing The Current Landscape And Future Directions, Ali Artaman, Hillani T. Bekele, Ross Millar

All Works

Global health is a growing area of interest for the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Given its location in the Middle East and its geographical proximity to developing sub-Saharan countries, the country is in a strategic position to contribute to global health agendas. Yet despite an increasing emphasis on global health policy, the availability of global health education programs at UAE universities remains limited. The aim of this Perspective is to raise awareness and understanding about the importance of the issue. Reflecting on the current landscape, it argues that it is crucial for higher education institutions in the UAE to better …

The Dpe Shortage And How To Fix It, Paul Dye

Honors Theses

The following content delves into the current issues surrounding the FAA’s designated pilot examiner (DPE) system, which, while functional, is increasingly strained by growing demand and outdated policies. Through firsthand experience, survey data, and analysis of current practices, the paper emphasizes some of the most pressing problems, including scheduling inefficiencies, inconsistent examiner expectations, manual eligibility checks despite the widespread use of digital logbooks, and a lack of meaningful oversight or feedback mechanisms for both DPEs and CFIs.

A major focus is the outdated scheduling process, which remains largely decentralized and prone to double-booking, cancellations, and long wait times, especially for …

As Good As It Gets? Comparing Clients’ And Treatment Providers’ Perceptions Of Engagement Barriers And Facilitators For Exposure And Response Prevention Ocd Treatment, Samuel Mutschler-Aldine

University Honors Theses

This mixed-methods study compared clients' and providers' sentiments toward research-based themes on barriers and facilitators of client engagement in treatment. For individuals with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), engagement in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy is a crucial ingredient of successful treatment and symptom remission. Therefore, it is imperative to thoroughly understand the perspectives on engagement barriers and facilitators of people with field experience: ERP patients and therapists.

The researcher administered two Qualtrics surveys to thirty current providers and six current or former clients of ERP for OCD. Each survey contained five-point, Likert-style scales to measure the level each participant agreed …

Bias In Media Portrayals Of Filicide Cases Involving African American Women, Channing Lelar Collins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study was conducted to examine racial disparities in media portrayals of filicide cases involving African American and Caucasian women, exploring how systemic biases and societal narratives influenced public perception, policy, and the child welfare and legal systems. Using a qualitative content analysis of 42 cases involving African American women and 20 involving Caucasian women, framing techniques, language, and imagery were analyzed. The research addressed three questions were (a) What narratives and framing were used?, (b) How did these differ across racial lines?, and (c) What are the broader societal and systemic implications? Results showed that media coverage of African …

The De Mau Mau Conspiracy: The Specter Of Black Vietnam Veterans In The Exercise Of Police Power, 1968-1976, Ina Cox

Dissertations

A forgotten and bizarre event encapsulates the violent decay that characterized the pivotal years the United States endured in the wake of the Vietnam War. Black veterans—guerrilla combat-trained, politically awakened by war, and disillusioned with the entrenched racial order at home—emerged as totems in a fearful, cynical political culture wracked by violence. Men overrepresented in the projection of American power abroad now stood as symbols of its fragility within, potential vessels of retribution for centuries of domestic and global oppression. This anxiety, merging with widespread protests and political upheaval, intensified the belief that American cities stood on the brink of …

Contributions Of California Teacher Librarians To Student Achievement, Keith Curry Lance, Caitlin Gerrity

Learning Hub

This article assesses the contributions of California Teacher Librarians (TLs) to student achievement, specifically in the area of English Language Arts and Literacy. This comparison-of-means analysis employed two major datasets: the California Department of Education (CDE) school library evaluation survey and California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) data, both for the 2022-23 school year. This study found that students who met or exceeded ELA standards were more likely to be in schools with: a full-time, certified TL rather than a part-time TL or no TL; a TL–full- or part-time–rather than no TL; a TL staffing a single library …

Two Leading Female Figures Of The Anti-Colonial Struggle In Africa, Marie-Ange Anezi Djie

Master's Theses

The Eurocentric and male narrative of the anti-colonial struggle in Africa during the twentieth century marginalized women’s contributions and presented them as passive victims of colonialism. Therefore, this study offers a more comprehensive historical account of women's leadership in Africa and a more inclusive and liberated narrative of the anti-colonial movement. Achieving this goal involves delving into the roles and contributions of two prominent female figures in the anti-colonial resistance in Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa during the twentieth century: Huda Shaarawi from Egypt and Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti from Nigeria. Furthermore, this study aims to demonstrate that the actions and strategies of …

Who Seeks Help? A Sociodemographic Analysis Of Cannabis Use Disorder Treatment In New York, Ayodele Atolagbe, Ekenedilichukwu Theresa Emembolu, Stanley Nkemjika

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Faculty Papers

Introduction: Cannabis use disorder (CUD) is being increasingly diagnosed in the United States, but access to treatment remains unequal, particularly in New York. Identifying the factors that contribute to disparities in receiving treatment for CUD among different population groups is essential for ensuring effective and targeted interventions. This study explores the sociodemographic factors influencing treatment utilization for CUD in New York.

Methods: Data for this study were retrieved from the 2018 Treatment Episode Data Set—Discharges (TEDS-D) of the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Sample size for the study is 422,319 people with CUD. Logistic regression analysis …

Merrimack County Advisory Council 2024-2025 Meeting Minutes, Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Amplifying Extremism: Small Town Politicians, Media Storms, And American Journalism, Nik Usher, Jessica C. Hagman

Communication: Faculty Scholarship

Within a week, a no-name Republican state representative from a town of 384 people in Illinois catapulted from obscurity to a prime-time appearance on Fox News' Ingraham Angle. This newly empowered politician, Darren Bailey, would go on to steer the pro-business Republican party in Illinois toward extremism. Democratic backsliding emerges across all levels of politics, but the threats posed by small-town politicians have been overshadowed by national-level politicians. This microstudy of a single politician's debut in the public eye showcases a novel approach to media corpus construction that combines proprietary and open databases, aggregated search tools, and targeted searching, and …

Common Aav Gene Therapy Vectors Show Nonselective Transduction Of Ex Vivo Human Brain Tissue, J P Mcginnis, Joshua Ortiz-Guzman, Maria Camila Guevara, Sai Mallannagari, Benjamin D W Belfort, Suyang Bao, Snigdha Srivastava, Maria Morkas, Emily Ji, Angela Addison, Evelyne K Tantry, Sarah Chen, Ying Wang, Zihong Chen, Kalman A Katlowitz, Jeffrey J Lange, Melissa M Blessing, Carrie A Mohila, M Cecilia Ljungberg, Guillermo Aldave, Ali Jalali, Akash Patel, Sameer A Sheth, Howard L Weiner, Shankar Gopinath, Ganesh Rao, Akdes Serin Harmanci, Daniel J Curry, Benjamin R Arenkiel

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

The ability to deliver a therapeutic sequence to a specific cell type in the human brain would make possible innumerable therapeutic options for some of our most challenging diseases; however, studies on adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector tropism have generally relied on animal models with limited translational utility. For this reason, establishing the tropism of common adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors in living human brain tissue serves as an important baseline for further optimization, as well as a determination of human brain cell types transduced by clinically approved gene therapy vectors AAV2 and AAV9. We have adapted an

Formulation And Assessment Of Indomethacin Nanoparticles For Dissolution Improvement, Malath Hatif Oudah, Fatima Mohamed Hussian Wais

Maaen Journal for Medical Sciences

Indomethacin is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug useful to reduce pain, rheumatoid arthritis and fever. Indomethacin, a Class II drug characterized by high permeability and low solubility. The goal of study was to develop Indomethacin nanoparticles by nanoprecipitation method and subsequently investigate if this nanoparticle formulation leads to enhanced solubility and a faster dissolution rate. Nine different formulas were prepared by using three different polymers (HPMC E50, PVP- K30, and poloxamer -188) in three different drug: polymer ratio 1:1, 1:2 and 1:3. Different types and concentrations of polymer used in this study, and the results reveal and found to have a …

Sounding Resistance: The Young Stunners And The Rise Of Urdu Rap In Pakistan, Shanzay Salman

CLAMANTIS: The MALS Journal

No abstract provided.

Beyond The Priesthood: Patriarchy, Faith, And The Feminist Movement With The Lds Church, Chelsee M. Niebergall

CLAMANTIS: The MALS Journal

No abstract provided.

The Pillar, Jacob Campbell

CLAMANTIS: The MALS Journal

No abstract provided.