Digital Commons Network^™

Building Technology Breaks Into Classroom Instruction To Reduce Media Multitasking And Increase Learning, Lisa Decicco

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The current study was designed to investigate the impact of media multitasking on learning outcomes in the classroom. The goal was to develop an instructional intervention that reduces the negative effects of media multitasking on learning outcomes by incorporating technology breaks into the instructional design. High school students in an all-girls school took part in three learning sessions, each with a different instructional strategy related to media multitasking in the classroom: Condition 1: Instruction as Usual; Condition 2: No access to technology; Condition 3: Technology Breaks. Students completed a pre and post-test knowledge-based assessment to measure their retention of the …

Foreward: Judges In The 21st Century: Confidence Lost?, Leslie C. Levin, Bruce A. Green

Faculty Articles and Papers

No abstract provided.

The Braidwood Exploit: On The Rfra Declaratory-Judgment Class-Action And Title Vii Employer Liability, Sachin Pandya, Marcia L. Mccormick

Faculty Articles and Papers

This Article identifies a distinctive legal strategy for using the Religious Freedom Restoration Act ("RFRA') to obtain an exemption for for-profit businesses to Title VII liability for their religiously motivated discrimination against gay and transgender employees and job applicants. The litigation strategy involves a declaratory judgment class action against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under RFRA. We primarily show how this strategy tries to exploit a key ambiguity in the compelling interest inquiry in RFRA and pre-1990 Free Exercise Clause doctrine, i.e., how to specify the size of the set of persons other than the RFRA claimant who would likely …

Spacs And The Corporate Foundations Of Capital Market Innovation, Minor Myers

Faculty Articles and Papers

Many innovations in U.S. capital markets are not mere contractual novelties but instead rest on inescapably corporate foundations. The special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, is perhaps the most sensational illustration of this neglected insight. Despite all their novelty and complexity, SPACs are nearly always organized as standard Delaware corporations. This Article demonstrates that SPACs have nevertheless exhibited a striking disregard of corporate law. The standard SPAC adopts a governance structure that, for a public corporation, is highly unusual: All corporate control is vested in the hands of a single shareholder (known as the sponsor), who suffers from a deep …

Feeling Of Being Together In The Metaverse: Positive Influence Of Copresence On Subjective Well-Being, Do Yuon Kim, Dooyoung Choi, Namhee Yoon, Ha Kyung Lee

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Applying the flow theory, this study examined how copresence improved the subjective well-being of users through flow and escapism. An online self-administered survey of 249 US adults who are currently using metaverse platforms is conducted. The collected data are analyzed by SPSS, AMOS and PROCESS. Findings suggest that the feeling of being together with other users in a metaverse can influence consumers’ satisfaction with their lives. Copresence in the metaverse specifically enhanced flow, which is being immersed in the experience; and escapism, which is avoiding unpleasant realities. Copresence and flow were found to improve the subjective well-being of metaverse users. …

Book Challenges Popping Up All Over: What Do School Principals Need To Know?, Samantha Laine Hull, Sue Kimmel

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This chapter provides practical advice and reasons for school leaders to support students' intellectual freedom through their support of school libraries and school librarians. The chapter begins with a short but critical literature review that includes case law on the topic of censorship in schools. The concerns of teachers and librarians from a recent study are summarized and help build the foundation for practical and ready to use advice for any school leaders to uphold the intellectual freedom of all students.

Breastfeeding Perceptions And Decisions Among Hispanic Participants In The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program For Women, Infants, And Children: A Qualitative Study, Emily Fisher, Priyanka Patel, Kathryn G. Wouk, Bidusha Neupane, Futun Alkhalifah, Marilyn M. Bartholmae, Chuanyi Tang, Qi Zhang

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a nutrition assistance program in the U.S. WIC served 2.5 million eligible Hispanic women, infants, and children under the age of five in 2021, which is WIC's largest racial/ethnic group. However, limited research has been conducted to understand Hispanic WIC participants' perceptions of WIC breastfeeding recommendations and their breastfeeding decisions. For this qualitative study, we interviewed 18 of these pregnant and postpartum WIC participants on their experiences and decision-making processes related to breastfeeding. Hispanic cultures and home country norms were identified as prominent influences on breastfeeding decisions, along …

The Association Of Skin Cancer Prevention Knowledge, Sun-Protective Attitudes, And Sun-Protective Behaviors In A Navy Population, Rachel Newnam, Uyen Le-Jenkins, Carolyn Rutledge, Craig Cunningham

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Introduction: U.S. Navy service members are primarily between the ages of 18 and 30 years and often required to be outside for extended periods of time in geographical locations with increased and often unfamiliar ultraviolet indexes that collectively increase their risk for skin cancer. Skin cancer is the country's most common form of cancer, yet there is a paucity of skin cancer prevention literature, especially within the U.S. Navy. The purpose of this study was to describe skin cancer risk and skin cancer prevention "cues-to-action" and to determine if skin cancer prevention knowledge was associated with sun-protective attitudes (e.g., prevention …

Green Oxidation Of Aromatic Hydrazide Derivatives Using An Oxoammonium Salt, Nidheesh Phadnis, Jessica A. Molen, Shannon M. Stephens, Shayne M. Weierbach, Kyle M. Lambert, John A. Milligan

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Aromatic diazenes are often prepared by oxidation of the corresponding hydrazides using stoichiometric quantities of nonrecyclable oxidants. We developed a convenient alternative protocol for the oxidation of aromatic hydrazides using Bobbitt's salt (1), a metal-free, recyclable, and commercially available oxoammonium reagent. A variety of aryl hydrazides were oxidized within 75 min at room temperature using the developed protocol. Computational insight suggests that this oxidation occurs by a polar hydride transfer mechanism.

Polarizable Amoeba Force Field Predicts Thin And Dense Hydration Layer Around Monosaccharides, Luke A. Newman, Mackenzie G. Patton, Breyanna A. Rodriguez, Ethan W. Summer, Valerie Vaissier Welbourn

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Polarizable force fields crucially enhance the modeling of macromolecules in polar media. Here, we present new parameters to model six common monosaccharides with the polarizable AMOEBA force field. These parameters yield a thinner, but denser, hydration layer than that previously reported. This denser hydration layer results in eliminating non-physical aggregation of glucose in water-an issue that has plagued molecular dynamics simulations of carbohydrates for decades.

Identifying Support Structures Associated With Informal Formative Evaluation In Instructional Design, Suzanne Smith, Tian Luo

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Instructional designers perform informal formative evaluation in design practice. An evaluation may be used to locate errors in alignment of instructional objectives or to increase the quality or effectiveness of a design. An instructional design review is similar to peer reviews in higher education which are often structured, and tools are provided to contribute to the review. A study was performed to identify the support structures and tools that contribute to building a community of feedback within the practice of instructional design reviews. Six instructional designers and design managers were interviewed to gather the processes they use in design reviews …

Implementing A Holistic Review Toolkit For Faculty Recruitment And Retention, Toi Blakley Harris, Michelle Shader, Patrick O. Smith, Amelia Challender, Cleveland Piggott, Norma I. Poll, Ryan Henyard, Jeffrey M. Lyness, Erika D. Malmberg, Eva K. Pressman, Alicia D. Monroe, Negar N. Jacobs

University Administration Publications

Introduction: A diverse workforce improves health care, educational outcomes, and research agendas. Currently, faculty from historically excluded groups remain underrepresented in academic medicine. Resources are needed in academic medical centers for those charged with recruiting and retaining a diverse and talented workforce. Methods: Informed by the successful use of holistic review in medical student admissions, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) developed and piloted a toolkit for use in faculty recruitment and retention at five academic medical centers. Institutions led toolkit-guided holistic review workshops ranging from 2.5 to 3 hours in duration for leaders and faculty to identify and …

University Libraries Annual Report Fy 2023-2024, Jennifer Hoyt, Alisa Faumore, Alex Aycock

Libraries Reports and Documents

Annual Report of the Old Dominion University Libraries for FY 2023-2024. Contents include: Integration & Investment, A Stand for Scholarly Research & Resources, Launching the Naro Collection & New Spaces, Campus Connections, New Faces, Recognition, & Retirement, Committees, and Teams, & Projects Snapshot.

The report was written by the Libraries' Department of Engagement:

• Jennifer Hoyt, head of Libraries’ Engagement
• Alisa Faumore, Communications Coordinator
• Alex Aycock, Assistant Communications Coordinator

Delivering The Right Message For Maximum Impact In The Student Enrollment Journey, Ashley Miller

University Administration Publications

Meeting today's prospective college students where they are is key to staying ahead of current enrollment challenges. Understanding which messages resonate with which students and at certain parts of the enrollment funnel helps to ensure institutions are getting the right message, to the right student, at the right time in their journey. By utilizing a MaxDiff approach, one can better understand the impact a particular message has compared to others and which combination of messages will ultimately drive action. The maximum difference scaling (MaxDiff) method provides useful guidance on how enrollment professionals can better segment their communication strategies to their …

Caregivers' Perceptions Of Covid-19 Educational Disruptions On Children With Developmental Language Disorder And Typically Developing Peers, Katherine Radville, Danika Pfeiffer, Karynn Sheranian, Julie Wolter, Jessie Ricketts, Tiffany L. Hogan

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

Purpose: Understanding the experiences of families of children with developmental language disorder (DLD) during COVID-19 educational disruptions is essential for designing responsive supports during pandemic recovery efforts and beyond. This qualitative study describes the experiences of families of first-and second-grade children with DLD during the pandemic as compared to the experiences of families of typically developing (TD) peers.

Method: A conventional content analysis approach was used to analyze caregivers’ written responses to open-ended questions regarding their perceptions of COVID-19 educational disruptions. Responses were analyzed separately by group: caregivers of children with DLD (n= 23) and caregivers of TD children (n= …

Film Adaptation Of Novels Through Genai, Joshua M. Head

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

When a production company commits to creating a film based on a novel, it is essential that their team is equipped to manage the extensive responsibilities required to authentically translate the book to the big screen. This study aims to explore and address these challenges by utilizing contemporary Generative Artificial Intelligence technologies, including Large Language Models, Text-To-Speech, and Text-To-Image models. While recent advancements have focused on enhancing these models, there is a gap in research on their practical application and effectiveness in real-world scenarios. This research will detail the steps necessary to deconstruct a novel’s narrative and produce the final …

A Case Study Of Russian Cyber-Attacks On The Ukrainian Power Grid: Implications And Best Practices For The United States, Miles Pollard

Pepperdine Policy Review

This paper examines the rise of cyber warfare affecting power grid security, focusing on the vulnerabilities exploited in the Ukrainian power grid infrastructure by programs like BlackEnergy and CRASHOVERRIDE. It extends this analysis to similar vulnerabilities that may be in critical command and control systems of the United States' power grids. The Sandworm and Electrum cyber-attacks on Ukraine's grid are dissected, revealing the escalating threat to industrial control systems. Detailed exploits of the Radmin command-and-control software such using the plugin tool Mimikatz with NTLM and Kerberos for static and dynamic analysis, the CVE-2008-3431 DSEFix exploit, and the Win32/SSHBearDoor trojan are …

The Impact Of The Syrian Civil War On Its Education Sector, Talar Haidostian

Pepperdine Policy Review

The Syrian Civil War that started in the year 2011 has left many negative implications on the country, its civilians, and the region as a whole. This paper delves into the current status of the education sector in Syria and proposes potential policy recommendations to prevent the sector from a complete collapse. Through examining the current economic status in Syria, alongside the main negative impacts of the Syrian Civil war on the education sector, this paper argues for the necessity of collaboration between the Syrian government and international organizations by increasing funding, providing more resources, and increasing online learning modalities …

China-Venezuela Relations In The 21st Century And A Proposed U.S. Policy Response, Noah Jackson

Pepperdine Policy Review

In light of the Biden Administration’s 2023 decision to lift sanctions on Venezuela, and Venezuela’s failure to comply with the US conditions for relief, this paper analyzes China-Venezuela relations and how US policy toward Venezuela affects both Venezuela and China. Venezuela has been China’s strongest ally in the Americas since 2000. This alliance led to Chinese loans of over $40 billion, a majority of China’s investment in the continent. When Venezuela’s economy collapsed, China was left with the decision to cut ties, but chose to defend its Latin partner as the west criticized the Maduro regime. Recently, Venezuela has failed …

The Rise Of Isis: A Growing Threat To The World, Grace Ralstin

Pepperdine Policy Review

ISIS has inflicted terror onto civilians in several ways, through ransoms, kidnapping, beheadings, mass shootings, and bombings. These acts of terror are funded through the internet. They use this tool as a mechanism to spread online propaganda and radicalize people, in addition to terrorizing civilians with cyberterrorism to collect money. This analysis also compares ISIS to other terrorist organizations, specifically in their online propaganda tactics and funding. Further, it will posit policy recommendations that are aimed at helping policymakers combat online terrorist activity. The goal should be making cyberspace safer for the public and increasing challenges for terrorists to conduct …

Cartographies Of Black Diaspora And Foster Care Diaspora: Arguments Toward Abolition In The Aftermath Of Partus Sequitur Ventrem, Alicia Boyce

CGU Theses & Dissertations

In this dissertation I argue that global foster care and adoption systems should be abolished because they are trauma inducing and grief producing state apparatuses that cyclically act to destabilize Black and “Other” subaltern populations from one generation to the next. Global foster care and adoption systems have become as common sensical as enslavement and chattel slavery all were as these systems are considered widely socially acceptable, common modes of domination and methods for controlling Black and “Other” populations. I coin a diaspora of community and cultural destabilization called the foster care diaspora (FCD), a theory and framing device that …

Mentoring Latinas On Doctoral Journeys: Testimonios Of Cultural And Gender Identity, Jacqueline Rangel

CGU Theses & Dissertations

In the United States, Latinas are underrepresented in obtaining PhDs that lead to high level professional careers and academia. This may be due, in part, to patriarchal academic institutions and approaches that have historically devalued the cultural experiences and identities of marginalized populations, including Latinas in higher education. However, research suggests that mentorship can support Latinas in successfully obtaining PhDs and disrupt institutional norms and practices. Framed by LatCrit, Mestiza Consciousness, and Mujerista Mentoring, this study sheds light on the experiences of twenty-four Latinas who earned PhDs-with or without mentors during their doctoral journeys. As such, the purpose of this …

The Whispered Crimes Of Sexual Violence In The European And Pacific Theater Of World War Ii, Channing N. Morrison

History Theses

This thesis addresses sexual violence in World War II in both the European and Pacific Theater. Often, the violence of these War Crimes tends to be overshadowed and not talked about. This thesis examines the stories of women, children, and men who suffered from sexual brutality in World War II and how nations try to hide or justify acts of rape and violence. By using as case studies the nations of Japan, Germany, the United States of America, and the Soviet Union, and how they either committed sexual acts of violence or handled rape cases when it came to the …

Wait, Who Did You Say We Are? The Effects Of Self-Uncertainty And Leadership Rhetoric On Group Identification, Samantha Gardner

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Uncertainty identity theory (e.g., Hogg, 2021a) posits that when feelings of self-uncertainty arise, we are motivated to reduce those feelings, and one way we can do this is to identify with a distinctive group that has a clearly defined identity. In these circumstances, we look to the group’s leaders to provide an identity message, and to do so in an unambiguous and affirmational manner. This analysis generates a hypothesis that has attracted partial support (Gaffney et al., 2019), but requires more rigorous testingin conditions of high self-uncertainty, identity-affirming rhetoric used by leaders increases (a) group identification, (b) perceived group entitativity, …

Effects Of Identity, Uncertainty, And Language Contact On Intergroup Relations, Heather Tamzyn Stopp

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Despite sixty years of research examining both direct (Allport 1954; Pettigrew & Tropp, 2006) and indirect forms of contact (Wright et al., 1997), less is known about the power of contact with an outgroup language to shape intergroup relations. To address this lacuna in the research, the two current studies examined two potential contextual factors that may impact whether outgroup language contact worsens or improves attitudes and action tendencies toward Latinos in the United States. Specifically, whether or not an outgroup is viewed as having status and power as a distinct group and whether this perception as a distinctive group …

Mobile Food Displacement And Formalization: A Case Study Of Portland’S Block 216, Marcello Ursic

Pomona Senior Theses

Portland has been on the cutting edge of American mobile food for over fifteen years, becoming a critical darling in the popular and academic press for its role in trailblazing progressive mobile food policy buttressed by broad-based civic engagement. In recent years, Portland’s mobile food landscape has begun shifting as downtown development has picked up post-recession, displacing some of the oldest and most prominent city center food cart pods with others likely to follow. Meanwhile, a new breed of formalized, purpose-built food cart pods has gained ascendancy. Called “food courtyards,” their armored, insulated, and bourgeois character is distinct from traditional …

Reducing Short-Chain Pfas Levels In California Water Supplies, Manu Prabandham

Pomona Senior Theses

This thesis proposes twelve specific policies based on precedents set by prior regulation of persistent organic pollutants (such as PCBs), the costs and benefits of short-chain PFAS, technologies available to remove and destroy short-chain PFAS, and the roles and limitations of California’s regulatory institutions. The twelve policies are chosen to be politically and financially feasible, effective at removing short-chain PFAS from water supplies, and equitable towards lower-income and minority Californians, who suffer the most from the consequences of PFAS and other environmental pollutants. The new definitions, education campaigns, studies, taxes, bans, standards, testing, and filtration systems proposed are intended to …

"God Has Given Women All Kinds Of Opportunities To Serve": How Media Discourse On The Ordination Of Women Constructs Understanding Of The Role Of Women In Church And Society, Ilva Skulte, Kristīne Briede

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The representation of a particular topic in the mass media not only forms the understanding of this topic at a particular moment of time, but also contributes to the cultivation of values and norms in a particular culture that go far beyond this topic. The discourse in media establishes relations of power between particular social groups and (re)structures the way people see the roles of those groups. This is why discussion of a particular case of denying ordination to women in the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCL), the biggest church in Latvia, is determined by and has an impact on …

The Impact Of Climate Change On Montanans’ Mental Health, Phoebe Bean

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Climate change poses many threats to human health, from vector-borne illnesses and food shortages to injuries and premature deaths related to extreme weather events. Less understood outcomes include the consequences of climate change for mental wellbeing; although the field of psychology examining these effects is growing, gaps in the literature regarding climate-related distress persist, particularly regarding the diverse ways in which people experience climate change-related psychosocial impacts and how they cope with distress. Thus, this study examined the impact of climate change on mental wellbeing through a comprehensive survey that sampled Montana residents across the state (n = 247). Results …

Developing A Model To Predict Bleeding Areas In Asphalt Pavements Using Artificial Neural Network, Rami Khalifah, Mena I. Souliman, Pratik Lama, Omar Elbagalati

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Bleeding can have a negative effect on the performance of a pavement, as the layer of asphalt on the surface can become slippery, reduce skid resistance, and lead to premature wear and tear. Therefore, predicting the bleeding area in asphalt pavements will help in maintaining better pavements, increasing the safety of the drivers, and delivering timely maintenance. The aim of the study is to develop a model using a highly sophisticated analysis tool called an artificial neural network (ANN) to predict the bleeding areas in asphalt pavements as output, with one hidden layer and several neurons and using several independent …