Digital Commons Network^™

Is There Really A Difference? A Comparison Of In-Person And Online Qualitative Interviews, Kelly Anthony, Michelle Miller-Day, Monica Dupuy, Jarrod Ventura, Arielle Hodges, Denise Alonso-Pecora, Hannatu Dimas

Faculty Publications - Department of Communication and Cinematic Arts

During the 2020 worldwide lockdowns due to COVID-19, qualitative researchers were restricted to online communication (e.g., Zoom) to gather qualitative interview data. Since that time, qualitative researchers have increasingly transitioned from conducting interviews primarily in person to conducting interviews using online communication technologies such as Zoom, but little is known about how interview approaches may impact the interview experience or data quality. This study explores differences between face-to-face (FTF) and online (Zoom) interviewing approaches, data quality, and interviewee perceptions of rapport, empathy, and conversational involvement. Participants were assigned to an interview condition (FTF or Zoom) and randomly assigned to one …

A Call For Trained, Trauma-Informed Attorneys To Represent And Support Unaccompanied Children In Removal Proceedings By Petitioning For Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, Will Sheehan

Roger Williams University Law Review

No abstract provided.

United States Senior District Judge William E. Smith – A Judge For All Seasons, Patricia A. Sullivan

Roger Williams University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Understanding African American Male Adolescents' Exposure To The Career Development Process Utilizing A Transcendental Phenomenological Approach, Kyle Ritten

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of eight African American male adolescent students' exposure to the career development process using transcendental and Afrocentric frameworks (Asante, 1980; 1998, 2003, 2007, 2020a; Cheatham, 1990; Moustakas, 1994). The findings revealed four themes: (a) students recall their first career aspirations from an early age, (b) the impact of family, community, and social media on students' career decisions, (c) students are concerned with the lack of career development in school and the impact on their academic and career development, and (d) the value of giving back to the community motivated students' career decisions. Implications …

Equity And Representation In Video Games: An Analysis Of Attitudes Toward Queer In-Game Romance And Sexuality Across Diverse Populations, Jai Yerbich

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Despite studies showing that women play video games at close to, if not the same rates as men, there still lies a sexist belief that games are only for men, and no one else. In 2004, the Developers Software Association reported that games catered primarily to men’s sexuality, using advertising attempts to lure in players by catering to that sexuality and portraying women in their games to appeal to them. In recent years, with the release of massively popular role-playing games (RPGs) such as Baldur’s Gate 3 and Dragon Age: The Veilguard, gamers have complained that games are now “too …

The Triangle Of Social Media, Mental Health, And Activism: Lessons From July 2024 Anti-Discrimination Students Movement In Bangladesh, Md Belal Hossain

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This project explores social media, mental health, and activism as three interconnected avenues of academic inquiry in the context of a student movement called the Anti-Discriminatory Students Movement (ADSM), that took place in July-August 2024 in Bangladesh. The movement, also called July Revolution (Bangladesh), overthrew a 16-year-ruling autocratic government and propelled the nation towards significant structural and political reform efforts. Utilizing a mixed method approach, including key informant interviews (N=6) and an online survey (N=396), it investigates how the triangle of social media, mental health, and activism evolved during this movement. Interview analysis reveals five major themes: 1) Ambiguity in …

A Vision Transformer Based Assistive System For Dermatological Diagnosis In Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Syeda Lamima Farhat

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a complex and often underdiagnosed autoimmune disease that affects multiple organs and presents with a wide range of symptoms-ranging from fatigue and joint pain to life-threatening organ damage. One of its most visible and diagnostically significant indicators is the Butterfly Malar Rash (BMR), a distinctive facial rash that often resembles other common dermatological conditions like rosacea, acne, eczema, and fifth disease. This overlap can lead to misdiagnosis or delayed detection, especially in busy clinical environments. To assist dermatologists in distinguishing BMR from similar facial rashes, this study explores the development of an AI-powered image classification …

Evaluating Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis In Healthcare Drug Reviews Across Machine Learning, Deep Neural Networks, And Transformer Models, Eun Soo Park

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Sentiment analysis has become a critical area of research in Natural Language Processing (NLP), enabling insights from unstructured text. Within this field, Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis (ABSA) plays a practical role in domains such as healthcare, where patients drug reviews often contain diverse opinions across multiple aspects, including overall comments, perceived benefits, and side effects. However, aspect-level classification remains challenging due to class imbalance, subtle sentiment expression, and the limitations of traditional models. This research investigates the performance of three modeling paradigms: traditional machine learning (SVM, SVC, and XGBoost), deep learning (CNN-BiLSTM), and transformer-based approaches (DistilBERT sentence-pair classification). Using the UCI …

Myod Is Required For The Differentiation Of Myo/Nog Cell Progenitors Of Myofibroblasts In Explants Of Human Lens Tissue., Jacquelyn Gerhart, Mara Crispin, Brian Heist, Keith Mathers, Joseph Infanti, David Venuti, Joseph F Richards, Steven Morency, Cathy J. Hatcher, Mindy George-Weinstein

PCOM Scholarly Works

INTRODUCTION: Posterior capsule opacification (PCO) is a complication of cataract surgery that impairs vision. Clouding and distortion of the posterior capsule occur as a result of cell migration, deposition of extracellular matrix proteins and contractions of myofibroblasts. The focus of this study is a subpopulation of cells within the lens, called Myo/Nog cells, that differentiate into myofibroblasts in response to wounding. Myo/Nog cells express the skeletal muscle specific transcription factor MyoD, bone morphogenetic protein inhibitor Noggin and brain-specific angiogenesis inhibitor (BAI1). Depletion of Myo/Nog cells in explants of human anterior lens tissue and the rabbit lens during cataract surgery prevented …

The Gallup Organization, Katherine Miller

Audience Research Firm Presentations

No abstract provided.

Environmental Monitoring Plan: For Work To Be Performed: July 1, 2024, Through June 30, 2025, Tennessee. Department Of Environment And Conservation.

Environmental Monitoring Plans

The Tennessee Department of Enviornment and Conservation, Division of Remediation, Oak Ridge (TDEC DoR-OR), provides the annual Fiscal Year 2025 EMP for the period of July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. This report is submitted as a comprehensive plan for TDEC DoR-OR monitoring and assessment activities across the Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, (ORR) in accordance with terms of both the Environmental Surveillance and Oversight Agreement (ESOA), as well as in support of activities being conducted under the Federal Facilities Agreement (FFA).

Insights Into Female Urinary Microbiota Through Long-Read 16s Rrna Sequencing, Jerrin John

Dissertations

The human urinary microbiome—once thought to be sterile—is now recognized as a dynamic, low-biomass microbial community with potential implications for urinary tract health. Conventional short-read 16S rRNA gene sequencing targeting individual variable regions often lacks the taxonomic resolution needed to distinguish closely related species, while culture-based methods may miss fastidious or low-abundance taxa. We applied full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing across all nine variable regions to daily urine samples collected from asymptomatic premenopausal female participants. Sequence data were processed with a modified DADA2 pipeline optimized for long reads to generate exact sequence variants. We compared species-level community profiles against both …

Pr Activities Of Muslim Organizations In Slovakia: Political And Communication Analysis, Vadym Sluysar, Oleh Sokolovskyi, Serhii Kostiuchkov, Mykola Slyusar

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article is dedicated to analyzing the PR activities of Muslim organizations in Slovakia, taking into account the political, social, and communicative context. The authors explore the impact of digital technologies on religious communication, examining the use of social media and traditional media to shape the public image of Islamic organizations. Significant attention is given to the issue of islamophobia and the informational strategies aimed at overcoming negative stereotypes about Muslims. The PR campaigns of the "Islamic Foundation in Slovakia" are analyzed, including their role in interfaith dialogue and combating hate speech. The study addresses political challenges, particularly the populist …

A Step Forward Or A Step Backwards: An Analysis Of Assembly Bill 333 And Gang Enhancement Sentencing In California, Chang, Hannah

Santa Clara Law Review

The prosecution of gang crimes and gang enhancements have historically been a source of racial inequity and disparity within the criminal justice system. In California, this is undoubtedly so, as Hispanic and Black men make up the vast majority of individuals on the CalGang gang database and in California prisons. The state Legislature attempted to address this disparity in gang sentencing by enacting Assembly Bill 333 (AB 333) which redefines what a criminal street gang is under the law. Despite this change, the current language of the bill still falls short of its stated intent and racial disparities continue to …

Looking At The Cracks And Fragments: Ressentiment In The Narrative Of Resilience, Jasmin B. Advincula

Philosophy Department Faculty Publications

Resilience is a fundamental element in post-disaster recovery and development of states. However, beyond its prominence in state policies, resilience has increasingly been used as a part of a rhetorical ploy to conceal the lack or absence of political action. This narrative involving resilience has problematic implications on collective memory and recognition of the seriousness and extent of the tragic experience. To vividly illustrate true resilience and contrast it with its current depiction, this paper draws on the Japanese art of Kintsukuroi. In Kintsukuroi, the brokenness is not concealed but celebrated and garnished with gold. As embodied in this art, …

Introduction To The Kritike Special Issue On Philosophy Of The City, Remmon E. Barbaza

Philosophy Department Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Religious ‘Mature Care’ As An Ethical Framework For Pastoral Caregiving: Justification, Adaptation, And Mental Health Benefits, Carl Jayson D. Hernandez

Philosophy Department Faculty Publications

Pastoral caregivers often carry the task of caring for their community’s holistic wellbeing, especially the spiritual dimension. However, religious doctrines and practices often highlight the altruistic understanding of care. An overemphasis on this perspective can lead to a form of solaltrism—the opposite of solipsism. Given this risk, this paper explores and proposes the paradigmatic shift toward mature care as a viable ethical framework for pastoral caregiving. Mature care is an ethical framework that considers the interests of all involved and affected parties in the decisionmaking process. When applying such an ethical framework, I postulate possible consequent mental health benefits, especially …

Between Artistic License And Art Censorship: A Levinasian Account Of How The I Should Respond To The Alterity Of Art, Carl Jayson D. Hernandez

Philosophy Department Faculty Publications

The creative industry frequently confronts the need to reflect on artworks' moral and political implications. Controversial films, interpretations of classic novels, and other artworks beg the question: "Where does true artistic freedom lie?" Two extremes are often encountered concerning artistic freedom: artistic license and art censorship. On the one hand, artistic license is often invoked when artists intentionally or unintentionally create an artwork that contradicts a faithful representation of reality. On the other hand, art censorship restricts creative freedom and freedom of expression in the name of political expediency. Such restrictions led to banning books and labeling topics as taboo. …

Re-Claiming Innovation: Advancing Critical Perspectives In Educational Research, Seán H., Rowena Anthea A. Azada-Palacios, A. Bryan

Philosophy Department Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Context Matters: Practices And Experiences Of Instructional Leaders In Non-Academic Settings, M. A. Aribon, Lianne Grace O. Gomez, Roy Allan B. Tolentino

Philosophy Department Faculty Publications

Leadership skills can be refined and cultured through various experiences. However, it is further required that good mindset, right attitude, and openness to new learnings are factors to a successful leadership development. The purpose of this study is to determine contrasting and similar practices and experiences between the two teaching and learning contexts in non-academic settings. In this study, two (2) instructional leaders were interviewed using convenience-purposive sampling. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Findings revealed that contexts determine the functions of leadership, clients determine the approaches to be implemented, mentorship is valuable during the leadership formation process, …

Attendance Of College Recreation Centers: An Analysis Of College Recreation Centers Attendance Benefit To College Age Students, Evan Strahan

Master of Education in Applied Human Development Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study is to examine the numerous factors and barriers that would cause an individual to use or not to use their campus recreation center. The results will provide management plans for the service provider based on the secondary data analysis. College recreation facilities are at the center of universities. They are a place where all students are welcome and can use during their free time. There are several reasons a person would go to a recreation center. There is something that everyone can do, which is why it is so important that recreation centers are used …

"You Can't Buck Against The Railroad" And The Anarchist Radicals Who Ceased To Be: The Honest, Bleak Portrayal Of Social Darwinism In Frank Norris's The Octopus, Michelle Nicole Miani

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

During the latter half of the nineteenth century, when railroads were consolidating their control, their executives soon learned their power of controlling rates, and by extension, the entire economy. Dissecting the capitalist machine of the railroad corporations in California, Frank Norris’s 1901 novel The Octopus presents a fictionalized account of the very real circumstances of one fight against the monopoly, the Mussel Slough Tragedy of 1880 in the San Joaquin Valley. This thesis explores Norris’s presentation of the forces that drive humans to lack empathy for those around them as well as the forces that drive others to fight back …

Reciprocal Learning In The Mentor-Novice Teacher Relationship In Middle School, Catherine R. Gaynor

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This dissertation examined the mentor-novice teacher relationship in the post-2020 middle school setting in New Jersey to better understand the reciprocal learning that occurs between the mentor and novice teacher. The study addressed the relationship with a focus on learning for both the mentor and the novice teacher through the lens of mentoring. This study employed a qualitative research methodology of intrinsic single-case study and narrative inquiry. The data sources included individual and pair interviews and recorded conversations between the pair as well as instructional and curricular resources as artifacts generated by the pair. To answer the research questions, the …

Teacher Integrators: Exploring How And Why K-12 Teachers Integrate Boundaries And The Effects Of Boundary Integration On Feelings Of Self-Determination, Stephen Tarsitano

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Using portraiture, I explored how and why four K-12 public school teachers integrated boundaries between home and work and how this integration supported and was supported by self-determination. After recruiting four teachers who engaged in high levels of integration, I created portraits of each participant. Next, I analyzed across portraits using SDT as a lens to understand the commonalities of teacher boundary integration and identified five cross-portrait themes: Doing What Works for You: Autonomy and Integration; Connection is Everything; Boundary-less Vision: Seeing in a Different Way; Teaching as Therapy and Service: Role Identity Salience with a Twist; and A Balancing …

Brain Tumor Classification Using Deep Learning: Custom Cnn Vs. Resnet50, Rayen Bentemessek

ICT

The project presents a deep learning solution to classify brain tumors through MRI images. Following the CRISP-DM framework, two Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) models were developed and evaluated, a custom CNN designed from scratch and a pretrained ResNet50 that was transfer learned and fine-tuned. Both models were assessed using standard performance metrics such as accuracy, precision, recall and F1-score. Despite the higher test accuracy achieved by the custom CNN, further interpretability indicated inconsistent attention to the actual tumor regions also known as shortcut learning. On the other hand, ResNet50 showed more reliable and clinically relevant focus which supported its selection …

Predicting Early Customer Inactivity In The Banking Sector Using Machine Learning: A Churn Prevention, Ivana Mc Fadden

ICT

Customer churn, when customers stop using a company’s services, is a challenge for the banking sector (Singh et al., 2023). High churn rates often signal poor customer experiences, resulting in revenue losses and increased costs to obtain new clients. Goyal and Srivastava (2015) stress that fostering loyalty through exceptional service and understanding customer needs is important for long-term retention.

This project aims to predict early customer inactivity, an indicator of churn, by using machine learning. Early identification of at-risk customers will allow banks to apply targeted interventions, reduce acquisition costs, and improve customer satisfaction (Singh et al., 2023). By analysing …

Using Machine Learning To Predict Credit Card Fraud, Pedro Henrique Das Chagas Morais

ICT

Credit card fraud poses a significant challenge to financial institutions, leading to substantial financial losses and declining customer trust. This project develops and evaluates machine learning models to detect fraudulent credit card transactions using a large, realistic synthetic dataset. Following data preprocessing, exploratory analysis, and class-balancing using SMOTE, four supervised models—Logistic Regression, Decision Tree, Random Forest, and XGBoost—were trained and compared. Performance was assessed using metrics suited to imbalanced classification, including AUC, Recall, Precision, F1-score, and Average Precision. Results show that XGBoost, particularly after hyperparameter optimisation, delivered the strongest performance (AUC 0.99, Recall 0.83, AP 0.70), outperforming other models and …

Fake News Detection Using Machine Learning Models., Anne Higgins

ICT

This project investigates the use of machine learning to detect fake news, addressing the societal and political challenges posed by the widespread dissemination of false and misleading information. Using automated classification techniques, the project analyses news content to predict the likelihood of intentional deception. The methodology follows the CRISP-DM framework, encompassing data preparation, model development, and evaluation. By leveraging machine learning, the study aims to support organisations, governments, and digital platforms in mitigating misinformation, while also considering ethical, interpretability, and strategic implications. The findings provide actionable insights for enhancing content moderation and reducing the influence of disinformation in digital media …

Comparative Evaluation Of Ai-Generated Synthetic Data And Real-World Data Performance In Predictive Analytics., Corey Louise Hughes

ICT

There are growing restraints when it comes to Real World Data (RWD), these include topics such as privacy regulations, ethical concerns, and the cost of collecting the data, and they have drove an interest in AI-generated synthetic data as a potential alternative in predictive analytics. This project examines the possibilities of synthetic data and if it can act as a reliable substitute for RWD in predictive modelling. This project uses Wasserstein Generative Adversarial Networks with Gradient Penalty (WGAN-GP) to generate synthetic reproductive health data and evaluates its predictive performance against RWD using linear regression and key metrics, including Mean Absolute …

Identifying Skills Gaps And Labour Market Trends Using Machine Learning: A Data Analysis Of Tendencies Within The Irish Online Job Market., Stephen Ray

ICT

The Irish labour market is a dynamic system characterised by overlapping and distinct demands. The skills required to maintain competitiveness within today's labour market are constantly evolving in response to the needs of corporations, non-governmental organisations, and capital. Labour market participants, fulfilling specific roles, contribute to a skill-based relationship where supply and demand operates in new and innovative ways. With the advent of the internet, the labour market has shifted towards a digital environment, leading to the rise of online job advertisement platforms that cater to geographically defined regions. These platforms attract vast numbers of users and prospective employees daily …