Digital Commons Network^™

Values And The Black-White Mental Health Paradox, Tiffany Soignoli

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative cross-sectional study explored the Black-White mental health paradox (BWMHP), which proposes that Black individuals have better or similar mental health than White individuals despite additional stressors, but the etiology of these differences has not been found. While self-esteem has been consistently found to differentiate Black and White adults in relation to the BWMHP, values have not been investigated. Therefore, using a total sample of 191 Black and 191 White American adults (N = 382), values were examined to determine whether they contribute to the differences in depression, stress, and anxiety, leading to better mental health. Chi-square tests of …

Technology Acceptance And Chatgpt Use In The Workplace, Niya Lewis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Artificial intelligence is increasingly being integrated into organizations and workplaces increasing the need to better understand the influence this technology has on employees. Research investing psychological factors that influence employees' intended use and benefits of these technology tools will help to better understand strategies to support adaptation and effective use of these tools for employees. This quantitative correlational study examined the relationships among technology self-efficacy (TSE), perceived usefulness (PU), decision-making confidence (DMC), occupational self-efficacy (OSE), and technology acceptance (TA) of ChatGPT among working adults across various occupational sectors. Mediating and predictive mechanisms that influence workers objectives to engage with ChatGPT …

Exploring The Relationship Between Body Composition, Bmi, And Sleep Outcomes Among Nepalese Brick Workers, Zoe C. Peterson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Sleep is a critical determinant of metabolic health, with extensive evidence linking insufficient and fragmented sleep to increased adiposity and obesity risk in high-income populations. However, these relationships remain poorly understood in labor-intensive, low-income occupational settings. This study examined associations between objectively measured sleep characteristics using accelerometry and body composition among a population of Nepalese brick workers, a group of people exposed to substantial environmental and occupational stressors.

A secondary cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from 233 adult brick workers in the Nepal Kathmandu valley. Sleep metrics – including total sleep, wake after sleep onset (WASO), and number of …

You Mean What? Commognitive Conflict In Resolving Contextual Logarithm Problems, Endrayana Putut Laksminto Emanuel, Fatkul Anam, Radhitya Duta Pradana, Anik Kirana, Sikky El Walida

Jurnal Pendidikan Sains

Students’ approaches to solving contextual mathematics problems involving logarithms vary significantly due to differences in their prior mathematical understanding. These differences may trigger commognitive conflict during the interpretation and reasoning processes when students attempt to construct mathematical meaning from contextual situations. This qualitative study aimed to explore how commognitive conflict emerges as a mechanism of mathematical interpretation in students’ discourse while solving logarithmic contextual problems. Twenty students participated in the study and were grouped based on their performance. One student was selected as the main research subject for an in-depth analysis. The findings reveal that commognitive conflict appeared in two …

Student Worksheets Based On The Local Wisdom Of Besilek Serawai For Sixth-Grade Elementary Science Learning, Mice Agustin, Tomi Hidayat, Irwandi Irwandi

Jurnal Pendidikan Sains

This study aims to develop a Student Worksheet (Lembar Kerja Peserta Didik [LKPD]) based on the local wisdom of Besilek Serawai for sixth-grade elementary science education and to evaluate its validity. The study employed the ADDIE development model, consisting of five stages: Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate. The developed LKPD integrates Besilek Serawai, a traditional martial art of the Seluma community, with the concept of the human locomotor system in science instruction. The worksheet was validated by two subject-matter experts and two media experts. Material validation yielded an average score of 4.26, equivalent to a validity percentage of 85.2%, …

Indirect Spectrophotometric Determination Of Methyldopa Using Aunps-Cr(Vi), Anfal A. Mohammed, Zeena Z. Al Abdali

Baghdad Science Journal

A simple, sensitive, and rapid spectrophotometric method was suggested for the indirect determination of methyldopa. The method depends on the chemical reaction between citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles and chromium (III) ions, which form during methyldopa oxidation through potassium dichromate. The process results in nanoparticle aggregation, while the solution transitions from red to blue-grey, and the plasmon band moves from 528 nm to 640 nm. The absorption rate increased linearly within the concentration range of 60-140 ng/ml, while the detection limit reached 27 ng/mL. The proposed method showed excellent accuracy and precision because the mean recovery value reached 100.16%, and the relative …

Antibacterial And Structural Properties Of Chitosan-Gelatin Edible Films Enhanced With Liquid Smoke From Rice Husks And Cajuput Twigs, Muhammad Faisal, Dieni Mansur, Hera Desvita

Baghdad Science Journal

This study developed edible films incorporating liquid smoke derived from rice husks and cajuput twigs as both a chitosan solvent and an active antimicrobial–antioxidant agent. The fabricated films exhibited excellent mechanical integrity in accordance with Japanese Industrial Standards and possessed homogeneous microstructures, as evidenced by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analyses. Antibacterial tests demonstrated that higher concentrations of chitosan and liquid smoke enhanced inhibition against Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, with inhibition zone diameters ranging from 6.08 mm to 11.68 mm for E.coli and 6.05 mm to 9.18 mm for B.subtilis. Antibacterial activity against Bacillus …

Investigation Of The Combined Effects Of Temperature And Nutrients On Chlorophyll-A Concentration In The Tigris River, Baghdad, Yaqeen Ameen, Jinan S. Al-Hassany

Baghdad Science Journal

Rivers are exposed to global warming and eutrophication, which in turn affect phytoplankton biomass in rivers. This study investigates the changes in Chl-a concentration, an indicator of phytoplankton biomass. A microcosm experiment was conducted, with water sampling from the Tigris River in Baghdad during the wet season. Temperature increase was based on raising the temperature by 3 °C higher than the ambient temperature, while nutrient enrichment was based on the mean values of soluble reactive NO_3^-1 and PO_4^-3 verified in the Tigris River. Variations in Chl-a concentration are associated with changes in WT and nutrient enrichment; …

High-Throughput Optical Analysis To Inform Design Of Electrochemical Biosensors, Nathan J. Ricks, Michael A. Pence, Monica Brachi, Shelley D. Minteer

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Electrochemical biosensors are central to wearable diagnostics, point-of-care testing, and continuous health monitoring due to their low power requirements, compatibility with miniaturized electronics, and proven clinical impact. Despite these advantages, the development of new electrochemical biosensors remains slow, constrained by limited throughput, complex electrode–biomolecule interfaces, and challenges associated with selectivity and performance in chemically complex environments. This perspective outlines how the next generation of electrochemical biosensors can be enabled by decoupling high-throughput front-end discovery and optimization from electrochemical readouts using nonelectrochemical surrogate assays. Optical, affinity, and cell-sorting platforms, including SELEX, fluorescence-activated cell sorting, and chemically coupled fluorescence assays, allow orders-of-magnitude …

Design And Development Of Foot Arch Diagnosis Application, Arif Wicaksono, Arta Farmawati, Neni Trilusiana Rahmawati, Herianto Herianto

Folia Medica Indonesiana

The foot is a part of the lower extremity that has several characteristics, namely foot length, width, height, and arch. Foot arch is a characteristic that has not been widely researched in Indonesia, but it plays a crucial role in movement and daily life. A normal foot arch facilitates physical activities, work, and overall human health, whereas an abnormal foot arch can hinder physical activities, work, and negatively affect health. Foot-arch diagnosis is commonly performed using footprint creation and foot-arch determination. Foot arch diagnosis can be established through conventional examinations, which are relatively more time-consuming, and examinations using scanning devices, …

Seasons That Speak: The Power Of Storytelling In Memoir, Pamela Snead

Masters Theses

Memoir bridges literature and lived experience, transforming personal history into shared meaning through storytelling. This creative-critical thesis examines memoir as a reflective narrative practice through which identity, resilience, and faith are shaped over time. Grounded in narrative theory and selected memoir readings, the primary site of inquiry is the original braided memoir Seasons That Speak, which explores faith, endurance, generational healing, and provision. The project also draws on world literature traditions to show how storytelling across cultures uses voice, structure, imagery, testimony, and reflection to preserve memory, question authority, and shape meaning. Through alternating scenes and reflective passages, Seasons That …

The Relationship Between Musical Aptitude And Multiple Intelligences In High School Music Students, Rachel Connor

Masters Theses

This quantitative correlational study examines the relationship between musical aptitude, measured by Edwin Gordon’s GIA assessments, and students’ predominant multiple intelligences (MIs), as defined by Howard Gardner. Although MI has been widely researched, little is known about how intelligence strengths relate specifically to musically adept students. High school music students at Fayetteville Christian School in Fayetteville, NC, were first assessed using the GIA to identify those demonstrating musical aptitude. Eligible students then completed the AMI R/ARCH Profile to determine their strongest MI. A correlational analysis examined whether specific intelligence strengths are commonly associated with musical aptitude. Grounded in Gardner’s MI …

Creating Trust: Strengthening Visual Communication Systems For Small Nonprofits, Jennifer R. Wenz

Masters Theses

This study explores how small nonprofits often fail shortly after they are created because of weak design practices and limited access to professional design tools and skills. Large organizations and nonprofits survive because they invest in strong branding, clear messaging, and long-term design strategy. Small nonprofits rely on volunteers with little to no design training which leaves them with inconsistent branding, unclear visual communication, and materials that fail to build the trust they need to survive. This project will examine the gap through research in the nonprofit areas of communication, visual psychology, accessible design systems, and case studies of successful …

Differences In The Effects Of Multicomponent Vivifrail Training And Senam Lansia On Physical Performance And Fall Risk In Pre-Frail Elderly, Nadia Ovianti, Annisa Susilowati, Endang Ambarwati, Robby Tjandra Kartadinata, Tanti Ajoe Kesoema, Erna Setiawati

Folia Medica Indonesiana

Pre-frailty is a condition where individuals experience early signs of frailty. Frailty is a geriatric syndrome associated with falls and reduced physical performance, which will impact the health and well-being of the elderly population. To mitigate the harmful effects, the WHO recommends Vivifrail, a multicomponent exercise that is effective in preventing frailty. In Indonesia, the most common program for the elderly community is Senam Lansia (elderly exercise). No studies have compared the effects of these two exercises on the pre-frail elderly community. This study aims to assess differences between Vivifrail training and Senam Lansia on physical performance and fall risk, …

Effectiveness Of Cadre Training In Improving Knowledge On The Completion Of The Elderly Health Book In Sidoarjo, Lilik Djuari, Sulistiawati Sulistiawati, Linda Dewanti, Muhammad Izhar Yuliantama, De Farras King, Minarni Wartiningsih

Folia Medica Indonesiana

Primary healthcare in Indonesia faces challenges due to an ageing population since 2021. An elderly health book, published by Ministry of health, is an essential tool for recording, monitoring, and following up elderly health status. However, Health cadres have not yet fully understood how to fill in and use the book, resulting in suboptimal data quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of cadre training to complete the Elderly Health Book (before and after training) in Sidoarjo Regency. A quasi-experimental study with a one-group pre-test and post-test design was conducted among 50 elderly health cadres which …

Get Ready To Lead: Human-Centered Leadership In An Ai-Driven World, Ellen Ramsey

Faculty and Staff Publications & Presentations

As AI becomes increasingly integrated into our daily lives, online students continue to seek instructors who consistently appear, genuinely care about them as individuals, and provide guidance, challenge, and support. AI tools can help with speed and structure, but human-centered leadership keeps connection and meaning at the forefront of the learning experience. 

This interactive workshop invites online instructors and faculty leaders to explore how human-centered leadership can support their teaching in the middle of rapid technological change.

Grounded in a six-pillar leadership model that encompasses conscious self-awareness, relational intelligence, ethical influence, adaptive growth, transparent communication, and empowered action, this session …

Detection, Persistence, And Rising Prevalence Of Oncogenic Viruses Revealed By Wastewater Metagenomics, Harihara Prakash, Ryan K Perez, Matt Ross, Michael Tisza, Sara J Javornik Cregeen, Jennifer Deegan, Joseph F Petrosino, Eric Boerwinkle, Justin R Clark, Anthony W Maresso

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Oncogenic viruses cause high-risk cancers in humans and are responsible for nearly 20% of all cancer cases worldwide. Currently, very limited data exist in the realm of wastewater-based viral epidemiology (WBE) for cancer-causing viruses, with existing studies using targeted approaches (i.e., PCR-based approaches) that lack genomic resolution. In this study, we used a hybrid-capture approach to detect, filter, and sequence all known oncogenic virus signals from wastewater samples collected over 3 years (May 2022-May 2025) in 16 Texas cities, covering nearly 25% of the state's population. Once sequenced, we used custom computational tools designed for wastewater metagenomics to assign reads …

Learning In Infants Using Intrinsically Motivated Goal Conditioned Reinforcement Learning, T I Darsan

Master’s Dissertations

Traditional artificial intelligence models learn by passively digesting large datasets. In contrast, human infants discover skills by actively interacting with their bodies and environments without explicit external rewards. This thesis introduces the Composer Architecture, a machine learning framework designed to mimic this autonomous, open-ended development. The Composer architecture operates in a multi-stage loop, the latent model using Contrastive Learning Through Time (CLTT) to compress high-dimensional raw data from visual, proprioceptive, and touch sensors into a low-dimensional space. To preserve data relationships and prevent topological collapse, a Softmax activation forces these latent representations to lie smoothly on a probability simplex. A …

Design And Evaluation Of A Code-Switching-Aware Multilingual Conversational Ai System Using Advanced Rag Architectures, Ashutosh Juvale

Master’s Dissertations

Conversational artificial intelligence has become the primary interface through which hundreds of millions of users in India seek information and customer support. Yet the way these users actually write and speak is fundamentally at odds with the monolingual assumptions baked into most retrieval and generation systems: they code-switch, fluidly mixing one or more of the twenty-two scheduled languages of India with English, frequently typing Indic words in the Roman script ("mera refund kab tak aayega"). Standard Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipelines silently fail on such input — the retriever returns off-topic passages because the query and the knowledge base live in …

An Efficient Hierarchical Deployment Of Sensors For K-Coverage In Planner Wireless Sensor Network, Abhay Raj Singh

Master’s Dissertations

Ensuring reliable sensing coverage is a fundamental challenge in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), particularly when multiple sensors are monitoring each location to provide robustness against node failures. In this work, we address the problem of deterministic k-coverage in planar WSN by proposing a hierarchical triangular lattice-based deployment strategy that organizes sensor locations across di↵erent refinement levels and guarantees coverage of every point in the sensing domain by at least k sensors. Each lattice is three-colorable, and selective activation of color classes ensures adjustable coverage guarantees. We prove that activating a single color class at refinement level t guarantees at least …

Telluric Correction Of M-Dwarf Stars Using Machine Learning, Sayak Rana

Master’s Dissertations

The study of M-dwarf stars is of prime scientific interest to us because of their closer habitable zones and the favorable conditions they offer for exoplanet detection. However, telluric contamination of the ground-based spectra results in sharp absorption lines, which makes their study cumbersome. Removing this contamination is necessary for estimating key stellar parameters. The central contribution is a one-dimensional Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) that retrieves the four atmospheric parameters governing telluric absorption: pressure, temperature, humidity, and airmass. These predicted parameters are passed to Telfit which produces an estimated telluric spectrum. The observed spectrum is then divided by this estimated …

K–3 General Education Teachers’ Experiences On Their Roles In Supporting English Language Learners, Sylvia Pollard-Ware

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Reality Tv & Social Media Impact On The Psyche Of Adult Women Who Experience Physical Image Discomfort, Tierra James

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study employed Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to examine the perception of adult women regarding the role of reality television and social media in influencing body image, self-worth, and mental health. Semi-structured interviews were conducted on 15 women aged between 18 and 50 years, who lived in the United States and actively used reality TV and social media, and reported body-image distress, which was indicative of body dysmorphic trait. Data interpretation was done in an ideographical manner and followed by pattern analysis across cases. The results suggested that idealized and edited media images were popularly identified by the participants as …

Leadership Reflections: The Unique Challenges And Rewards Of Leadership In Library Technical Services, Maria Savova

Library Staff Publications and Research

Library Technical Services functions are at the core of library operations and are indivisible from any public service the library provides. The way technical services librarians and staff approach their work, communications, and organizational experience, however, is distinct and requires thoughtful approaches and concerted effort from leadership. Greater visibility and institutional understanding are critical to resourcing these services properly and sustaining their excellence. Drawing on practice-based reflections, this column proposes approaches to capturing the insight and expertise of the people who steward the library’s largest investments, connecting their task-based sustainer activities to the larger strategic library context, supporting and empowering …

Being Desi At School: Exploring The Racialized School Experiences Of South Asian American Youth, Prabha Kaundinya

Dissertations

Schools in America have been central areas for racialization, and as an immigrant, racial-ethnic minority population, South Asian American (SAA) students have been subjected to a variety of racialization processes (S. J. Lee et al., 2017; Rice, 2017, 2019; Subedi, 2013). However, what is known about SAA educational experiences is often based on celebratory stereotypes that proclaim their uniform success while neglecting attention towards the diversity of their needs (including academic, social-emotional, or mental health needs; Saran, 2015; Ngo & Lee, 2007; P. Patel & Patel, 2017; Pedraza & Guillaume, 2023; N. Sharma et al., 2020). This dissertation uses a …

The Year Of Birth Age Grouping Policy: Its Impact On Participation In Us Youth Soccer, Murray James Findlay

Dissertations

In 2016, the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) implemented a nationwide year-of-birth (YOB) age grouping policy that aligned youth soccer teams with calendar years (January 1st –December 31st), replacing the traditional schoolyear (August 1st –July 31st) grouping system. This dissertation investigates the impact of that policy on youth soccer participation in the United States, addressing a critical gap in empirical research linking national policy interventions to participation outcomes. Framed through the Fun Integration Theory (FIT) (Visek et al., 2015), which conceptualizes youth sport engagement as driven by social and intrinsic enjoyment factors, the study examines whether the YOB policy caused …

“Being An Arab Is Like Fighting For Your Joy”: Exploring Bicultural Identity, Racialization, And Psychological Well-Being Among Us-Born Arab Americans, Hisham Nsier

Master's Theses

Bicultural identity development in Arab Americans, who must manage sometimes conflicting cultural expectations, is understudied. Even less is known about Arab Americans born in the United States (US-born AA), who are American by birth yet are alienated from society due to differences between their ‘white’ racialization and their cultural identities. The current study aimed to examine the relationship between bicultural identity, racialization, and psychological well-being at the intersection of US-born AA’s co-existing identities. Eight adult US-born AAs (Mage = 28 years, SD = 4) were recruited from professional Listservs and WhatsApp affinity groups. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed …

Articulating The Future: How The Techno-Optimist Manifesto Constructs Ai Hegemony, Christian Noel Yeomans

Master's Theses

This paper analyzes two recently published digital manifestos—the Techno-Optimist Manifesto (TOM) by Marc Andreessen and the Bitcoin Whitepaper (BW) by Satoshi Nakamoto—and how they articulate political visions for the respective rising technologies of artificial intelligence (AI) and cryptocurrency. I apply Laclau and Mouffe’s discursive articulation theory to both manifestos, analyzing how they contribute to the formation of hegemonic ideological visions among the elites of these two technological sectors. In the context of AI elites, TOM transforms an existing Silicon Valley ideology, techno-optimism, into a radical new form of accelerationism, which I coin t/opt. This shift is examined within the context …

Selective Extraction Based On Molecular Imprinting Polymer For Determination Lorazepam In Pharmaceutical And Biological Samples, Eman W. Ammen, Yehya K. Al-Bayati

Baghdad Science Journal

A new and selective method was evaluated for the separation and quantification of lorazepam in pharmaceutical and biological samples utilizing a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) as a solid-phase extraction adsorbent material. The molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was synthesized via free-radical polymerization with lorazepam as a template and acrylamide as a functional monomer. The synthesized polymers were characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The adsorption isotherm and Kinetic studies were applied to characterize the adsorption of lorazepam by the synthesized polymers; additionally, the selectivity and reusability of the molecularly imprinted polymer were evaluated. …

Sexual Dimorphism, Reproductive Biology, And Growth Patterns Of Sumatran Combtail (Belontia Hasselti, Cuvier 1831) From The Kelekar River, South Sumatra, Indonesia, Muslim Muslim, Edo Saputra, Selly Oktarina, Muhammad Rizky Ariansyah Putra

Baghdad Science Journal

Sexual dimorphism, reproductive biology, and growth patterns are fundamental knowledge in fisheries studies. This study aimed to analyze the sexual dimorphism, reproductive biology, and growth patterns of Belontia hasselti. Samples were collected in the Kelekar River, South Sumatra, Indonesia. Traditional fishing gear, specifically fish traps (``bubu'' and ``pengilar''), was used to catch fish samples. The samples were transported to the Basic Fisheries Laboratory of the Universitas Sriwijaya for collecting study parameters. A total of 100 B. hasselti were used in this study: 56 males (TL: 8.00-13.24 cm, BW: 9.50-37.49 g) and 44 females (TL: 8.00-13.99 cm, BW: 9.00-38.99 g). …