Digital Commons Network^™

The Inverse Elasto-Acoustic Problem, Patrick Grice

Dissertations

A stable and numerically efficient boundary integral method formulation of the elasto-acoustic problem is presented, based on Fourier analysis. The method generalizes well to multiple scattering. The Frechet derivative of the elasto-acoustic problem with respect to shape perturbations is derived, and geometric flow theory is used to design stable numerical methods for the simulation of moving boundaries. The shape derivative is used to define a regularized Gauss-Newton algorithm for shape fitting of elasto-acoustic scatterers.

Geographic And Environmnetal Influences On Color Pattern Similarity Between Coral Snakes (Genus: Micrurus) And Their Lookalikes, Anthony Sena

Dissertations

Venomous coral snakes and their lookalikes are often regarded as a classic example of Batesian mimicry, whereby a harmless species imitates a harmful species. The existing literature regarding coral snake resemblance presents a divisive stance on whether Batesian mimicry is the primary driver of shared color patterns or if alternative factors are responsible. While recent literature largely favors the Batesian hypothesis, empirical support remains inconsistent, and the specific geographic and interpretation of the conditions required for mimicry lacks consensus within the scientific community.

To evaluate the mechanisms maintaining these phenotypes, a quantitative, multivariate framework was utilized to analyze 400 museum …

Geometric Convergence And State-Space Decompositions For Stochastic Gradient Descent Markov Chains, Philip Zaleski

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Solar Wind - Magnetosphere - Ionosphere Coupling Processes Through Small-Scale Magnetic Flux Ropes, Youra Shin

Dissertations

Small-scale magnetic flux ropes (SMFRs) in the solar wind are examined to determine their properties in the near-Earth upstream region and their effects on geospace. Although SMFRs are observed frequently in the solar wind, their statistical behavior near Earth and their role in solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling remain insufficiently constrained. In this dissertation, an automated Grad-Shafranov reconstruction technique is applied to magnetic field and plasma measurements from MMS and Wind, and ionospheric responses are investigated using geomagnetic indices and SuperDARN observations. During the survey period, MMS has an apogee of approximately 25-29 R_E. This orbital configuration allows the near-Earth …

Beyond The Binary: Strengthening Nursing Students’ Proficiency Of Equitable Health Promotion, Martha K. Findley

Theses

Background: Sexual and gender diverse (SGD) populations continue to experience significant health inequities, yet prelicensure nursing curricula often lack structured, evidence‑based training to prepare students for equitable care.

Purpose: This study evaluated whether a targeted, transgender‑focused simulation could improve nursing students’ clinical knowledge and preparedness for providing equitable health promotion to SGD populations.

Methods: A pre‑/post‑intervention design was used with senior‑level nursing students who completed a transgender patient simulation emphasizing communication, assessment, and equitable health promotion. Students completed a validated survey measuring knowledge and preparedness in caring for SGD patients.

Results: Significant improvements across most survey items demonstrated that the …

Gender Inequality In Political Participation: Focusing On Social Structure, Legal Instrument, And Social And Cultural Change, Eakpant Pindavanija

Indonesia Law Review

The transition of Thailand's political system from absolute monarchy to parliamentary constitutional monarchy in 1932 brought about opportunity in developing democratic society in this country. However, 90 years after the political transition Thailand is still struggling to pursue democratic stability while the degree of authoritarianism is very high due to several political, economic, and social factors. This circumstance raises concerns on the democratic development in this country. This paper is written based on Westminster Foundation for Democracy (Thailand)’s preliminary report on situation analysis of gender equality for the female and other genders who are the candidates, and potential candidates to …

Relationship Between Financial Performance And Healthcare Quality Outcomes, Ela C. Lena

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hospital leaders face increasing pressure to improve quality outcomes while controlling costs. The evidence is limited on whether hospital financial performance predicts overall quality star ratings. Grounded in the general contingency theory, this quantitative, correlational project examined the predictive relationship between operating margin, current ratio, and a composite of quality metrics represented by the overall hospital Quality Star Rating (QSR). Data included the population of acute care hospitals in Massachusetts with 25 or more beds, yielding a final analytic sample of 54. Four year-specific multiple linear regression models were performed from 2021 through 2024. The analyses did not indicate a …

Universalism And Exclusion: Immigrants Through The Lens Of French Law And Media, George Mikhael Taliak, Abellia Anggi Wardani

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

This research examines France’s Immigration Law LOI n°2024-42 du 26 janvier 2024 and its representation in three mainstream media outlets across the ideological spectrum: Le Figaro (right), CCFD-Terre Solidaire (left), and France Info (center). Using Critical Discourse Analysis (Fairclough, 1995) and Maurice Halbwachs’s theory of collective memory, the study explores how legal and media discourses construct symbolic and administrative boundaries of national citizenship. Findings reveal that integration is framed not as civic inclusion, but as the internalization of a singular national identity and memory. Media reinforce this framework through divergent but convergent discursive strategies. At the macro level, the law …

Transmutation Of Psychological Phenomena (Academic Burnout And Fomo) Into Cyanotype Art Creation, Zulfan Ali Mujtaba, Adi Kuntoro

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

The pressure of hustle culture and the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) in the digital era have triggered an escalation of academic burnout among students, demanding alternative psychological recovery interventions beyond verbal clinical approaches. This research aims to explore the creation of alternative Cyanotype photography as a medium for catharsis and resistance against toxic productivity. Utilizing a Practice-Based Research methodology with an autoethnographic approach, data were extracted from the researcher's subjective experiences and transmuted into a visual artifact titled "Metamorfosis yang Lelah". The cultural studies approach and wabi-sabi aesthetics are specifically applied to analyze visual elements in the Prussian Blue …

The Experience Of Bipoc Participants In Wilderness Therapy, Rachel Esrig

Doctoral Dissertations

Wilderness therapy is an alternative to residential treatment for adolescents and young adults. Although these programs predominantly serve White-identifying individuals, a proportion of participants identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color (BIPOC). Research has shown that race and ethnicity shape individuals’ experiences with mental health treatment; however, no studies to date have specifically explored the experiences of BIPOC individuals in wilderness therapy programs. This qualitative study addresses that gap by examining the experiences of BIPOC individuals who participated in wilderness therapy during adolescence. Using an interpretive phenomenological approach, nine themes emerged from the data. Findings suggest that participants’ levels …

Resilience Ain’T Free: Surviving And Resisting While Navigating Well-Being As Black School Social Workers In California’S Bay Area, Ashley Lynnette Bonton

Doctoral Dissertations

The well-being of school-based mental health professionals is critical to the functioning of educational systems, yet the experiences of Black school social workers remain largely absent from existing research. Black school social workers often navigate complex professional demands while also confronting racialized expectations, systemic inequities, and emotional labor within predominantly white educational institutions. This qualitative study examines how Black school social workers in the San Francisco Bay Area navigate their personal and professional well-being within these conditions. Guided by Ecological Systems Theory and Critical Race Theory, this study explores how multiple environmental contexts and racialized institutional dynamics shape their experiences. …

Draft Final Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit Unreclaimed Sites: Ur-35 Construction Completion Report (Ccr), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

The purpose of this Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (BPSOU) Unreclaimed (UR) Sites Construction Completion Report (CCR) is to describe the tasks completed as described in the Final BPSOU UR Sites: UR-35 Remedial Action Work Plan (RAWP) (referred to herein as RAWP; Atlantic Richfield Company, 2025) (Appendix A). This CCR was prepared to outline Remedial Action (RA) tasks performed at the UR source area, UR-35, within the BPSOU (referred to herein as UR-35 Site or Site) as part of the Further Remedial Elements Scope of Work described in the BPSOU Consent Decree (EPA, 2020). All work was completed according to …

Clinic-In-A-Box: A Portable, Software-Defined Cyber Range For Realistic, Scenario-Based Cybersecurity Training, Ethan Chumley, Aaron Nair, Royce Yaezenko, Joshua Payne, Veronika Kyles, Paul Wagner, Robert J. Honomichl, Ryan Straight, Shengjie Xu

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Realistic, hands-on cybersecurity training has traditionally depended on fixed infrastructure such as dedicated lab hardware, cloud subscriptions, or permanent network connectivity, limiting where and how often it can be delivered. This paper presents the design and implementation of a portable, scenario-based cybersecurity training platform housed in a single travel case and built from commodity hardware, type-1 hypervisor virtualization, containerized service orchestration, and software-defined networking. The platform clones, isolates, and resets complete lab environments on demand, allowing the same physical system to support repeated classroom, workshop, or field deployments with minimal manual reconfiguration. Training scenarios are grounded in generated organizational profiles …

The Npso Model Decreased Hospital-Acquired Infections And Sustained The Clinical Outcomes, Hsin-Mei Chen, Shannan Hamlin, Vaibhav Unhelkar, Lydia Kavraki

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

The study revealed that patients with hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) experienced a length of stay (LOS) that increased from 3 days to 30 days (Stewart et al., 2021). Another study shows that a CAUTI case incurs an additional cost of $13,793, while a CLABSI case incurs an additional cost of $48,108 to the care (Forester et al., 2022).

In October 2021, our department received a request to mitigate the surge in CAUTI and CLABSI rates in Q3 2021. We reviewed the literature and designed standardized tools for skill validation. Then, we observed the nursing practice, identified the fallouts, and prepared an …

Spider Biodiversity And Insecticide Sensitivity Across Active And Restored Cranberry Bogs On Nantucket, Tyler J. Kulak

Graduate Masters Theses

Spiders are one of the most diverse groups of organisms on the planet with over 53,000 species described as of 2026. They provide a suite of ecosystem services including their regulation of problematic pests in agricultural systems, appearing in high biomasses across a breadth of ecological niches. While beneficial as pest regulators, they are also susceptible to the same management techniques as pest organisms and are especially vulnerable to chemical control. Cranberry production in Massachusetts likely benefits from spider ecosystem services, but diversity research on spiders in these systems is limited. This study compares the diversity of spider populations from …

Beyond Monolithic Narratives: The Interaction Of Ethnic-Racial Socialization And Resistance In Shaping Mental Health Among Black Immigrants In The U.S., Krystel Francis

Graduate Masters Theses

Black immigrants represent one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. Black population, yet their unique racialized and cultural experiences remain understudied within psychological research. This thesis examined how ethnic-racial socialization and resistance and empowerment against racism can influence how race-related stress was associated with psychological distress among Black immigrants in the United States. This study tested a moderated moderation model to determine whether ethnic-racial socialization and resistance and empowerment against racism, independently and jointly, buffered the adverse effects of race-related stress on psychological distress. Using data from a larger IRB-approved study on racism and mental health among people of …

Comfort In Cases Of Sickness: Health And Colonialism At The Eastern Pequot Reservation, 1800-1850, Katherine N. Brauckmann

Graduate Masters Theses

Health and sickness were major concerns for the Eastern Pequot community in the first half of the 19th century. At this time, the Eastern Pequot’s collective finances were controlled by a court-appointed overseer who rented reservation land to non-Pequot individuals and used the generated funds to purchase goods and services for those on the reservation. In an 1841 petition to remove an overseer for failing in his duties, issues of health were brought up twice among their grievances: that they received little support “in Sickness or in health” and that “our Land if family rented […] would add much to …

A Variational Algorithm For Preparing Superoptimal Thermal States For Quantum Thermometric Measurement Adaptable To Nisq Hardware, Nicholas Donatelli

Graduate Masters Theses

The conditional thermal state (CTS) is a probe-specific quantum thermal state that is known to outperform the Gibbs state in quantum thermometric measurements at sufficiently low temperatures. This thesis introduces a variational quantum algorithm designed to prepare the CTS on quantum computing hardware which optimizes the angular parameters of the quantum gates that comprise the ansatz circuit and, for the one-qubit case, minimizes relative infidelity of the output state with the known CTS. Using noiseless numerical simulations (SPSA with Qiskit), attempting to prepare the CTS yielded relative infidelities with the known CTS on the order of $10^{-5}$ for most parameter …

Propagating Labor: How The Craft Brewery Movement Attracted And Grew A Workforce To Fuel Its Rise, Timothy J. Vlieger

Graduate Masters Theses

The craft beer movement grew from just a few tiny microbreweries and disparate homebrewing clubs to a nationwide phenomenon accounting for over ten thousand businesses and hundreds of thousands of employees. The arrival of this movement in the 1980s coincided with drastic changes in the economy, which was moving away from the manufacturing base that enabled postwar prosperity and developing a “New Economy” of high-tech and service sector employment. Within this economic transition, the social contract between capital and labor was being rewritten and what constituted a good job was being redefined. Employment in the emerging craft brewing industry represented …

The Furry Community As A Case Study In Identity-Related Conflict, Patrick Hampton

Graduate Masters Theses

The “furry” community has gained notoriety both on the internet and in physical spaces for the dramatic portrayal of animal-based personas referred to as “fursonas.” This group has become the subject of ridicule and moral concern due to the occasionally controversial nature of the content produced by some members of the community. However, there are many different interpretations both within and outside of the community around what the community entails. In this thesis, I examine how the furry community and the identity of its members is shaped by external pressure or social stigmatization? I answer this through the following three …

Toward The Study Of Photon Dynamics In Non-Separable Spacetimes, Kara Nelson

Graduate Masters Theses

Black holes provide a unique laboratory for testing general relativity in the strong-field regime through observations such as black hole images and gravitational wave signals. Comparing theoretical predictions with these observations requires accurate numerical models of photon trajectories. This thesis develops and validates a generalized ray-tracing framework for computing null geodesics in stationary, axisymmetric spacetimes. Unlike many existing ray-tracing methods, the framework does not rely on metric separability or analytic solutions, allowing it to be applied to both separable and non-separable spacetimes. The framework is validated by reproducing known Schwarzschild and Kerr results and is applied to a quasi-Kerr spacetime …

Electrolyte Development And Interfacial Reactions At Multivalent Metal Anode For Next Generation Energy Storage Systems, Leslie Gates

Graduate Masters Theses

The increasing demand for safe, sustainable, and high-performance energy storage systems has driven significant interest in multivalent-ion batteries, including aluminum, magnesium, and zinc-based systems. These technologies have attracted attention due to their high theoretical energy densities, natural abundance, low cost, and environmentally benign nature. However, their development remains hindered by a limited fundamental understanding of electrolyte development and interfacial processes at the electrode–electrolyte interface, where complex electrochemical interactions govern battery performance and stability.

This thesis investigates electrode–electrolyte interactions in both a novel aluminum electrolyte and divalent magnesium and zinc systems. Beginning with the development and characterization of a novel aluminum …

Urinary Collagen As An Indicator Of Prostate Fibrosis In Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction, Claweens Quetant

Graduate Masters Theses

Lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTD) is a progressive disorder that affects millions of men over the age of 50 years old. LUTD manifests as urgency, nocturia, urinary frequency, weak urinary stream, and incomplete bladder emptying (Egan, 2016). The current treatment for LUTD doesn’t always yield the desired results due to several issues. In this thesis, we aim to address the lack of suitable tools for detecting prostatic collagenization and to assess whether urine could serve as a substrate for detecting pro-fibrotic proteins associated with moderate-to-high AUASI scores. We used whole urine from 2 different cohorts, the Boston and the LURN …

Civilian Sustenance: Parcel Exchange, Household Provisioning, And Soldier Foodways In The American Civil War, Kathleen Migneault

Graduate Masters Theses

This thesis examines parcel exchange between Civil War soldiers and the households and communities that continued to sustain them after military service removed them from ordinary domestic provision. Drawing on forty published collections of Civil War correspondence and diaries, it follows references to boxes, parcels, food, clothing, money, medicine, and useful goods across camps, hospitals, prisons, and home front networks. It argues that parcels from home were neither incidental sentimental tokens nor simple supplements to the ration, but a recurring practice of civilian sustenance shaped by affection, scarcity, infrastructure, and loss. The chapters trace the routes through which parcels moved, …

Microrheological Characterization Of Collagen-I Extracellular Matrix Remodeling During Tr146 Tumor Spheroid Invasion And Ppix-Mediated Photodynamic Therapy, Himantha Dilshan Saldonge

Graduate Masters Theses

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) invasion is strongly regulated by interactions between tumor cells and the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM). However, localized ECM mechanical changes during tumor invasion and after photodynamic therapy (PDT) remain insufficiently understood. This study mainly investigated: time-dependent viscoelastic remodeling of collagen-I ECM during TR146 tumor cell invasion, visualization of time-dependent TR146 tumor cell invasion and post-PDT response using live/dead fluorescence imaging, and the direct effect of PpIX-mediated PDT on the viscoelastic properties of spheroid-free collagen-I ECM. Three-dimensional TR146 spheroids were generated using a non-adherent agarose-based method, surrounded by a basement-membrane-like Matrigel layer, and embedded in 3.0 …

Symmetry Breaking And Restoration In The Grasshopper Ising Model, Aradh Bisarya

Graduate Masters Theses

Distance-selective interactions in Ising systems give rise to a range of rich and unexpected phenomena. A notable example is the so-called Grasshopper Ising model, a conserved spin Ising model with interactions only between spins at a fixed distance. This model is the discrete version of the following mathematical problem: A grasshopper lands at a random point on a planar lawn of area one. It then makes one jump of fixed distance in a random direction. What lawn shape maximizes the probability that the grasshopper lands on the lawn after the jump? The solution to this problem, corresponding to the ground …

Female Perpetrators In Nazi Germany: The Effects Of Nazi Ideology And Radicalization On Three Female Concentration Camp Perpetrators, Stephanie Afonso

Graduate Masters Theses

The Second World War in Germany saw the largest number of civilian German women participating in brutal violence against Jewish peoples. The combination of sources used aids in presenting a broader image of these women both within the concentration camps and during their trials. This thesis argues the effects of Nazi ideology and radicalization on the three main subjects, Irma Grese, Maria Mandl, and Ilse Koch. Equally as important is how the American public perceived them and their roles during their respective post-war trials--which looked at them through the lens of femininity and sexuality. Within that violence came the transgression …

Symmetric Informationally Complete Positive Operator Valued Measures Minimize P-Norm Difference Between Quantum And Classical Probability Rules, Austin Monaghan

Graduate Masters Theses

Experimental violations of Bell's inequality demonstrate quantum theory's incompatibility with a local hidden-variable formulation. Simply put, either 1) measurements performed at one point in space may instantaneously influence far away systems ("spooky action at a distance") or 2) measurement outcomes are not the result of pre-existing properties. The act of measurement takes part in the very creation of the outcomes. If we reject condition 1 as a valid assumption, how can we interpret the significance of condition 2 i.e. no local parameters?  In QBism, condition 2 arises from something deeper: that the Born rule expresses a nonclassical condition for connecting …

Infrared Detectability Of Whale Species And Behaviors To Enhance Automatic Detection For Real-Time Vessel Strike Avoidance, Laura J. Howes

Graduate Masters Theses

Real-time detection of large whales at sea is critical for mitigating serious injury and mortality from ship strikes and other human activities such as seismic surveys, especially for endangered species such as the critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis). Traditional marine mammal observers are limited by environmental conditions and human factors, necessitating a robust, 24-hour solution. This study investigates the efficacy of a novel onboard detection tool infrared (IR) technology to detect whale blows and body parts. While IR is a promising advancement, its performance under varying sea conditions (e.g., fog, humidity) and its ability to …

The Nature Of Things: An Investigation Into A Viking Age Assembly Site, Tyler L. Perkins

Graduate Masters Theses

Icelandic sagas and archaeological research suggest that Viking Age Icelandic assembly sites or things (þing) were generally occupied for brief periods of time during annual gatherings. One of the archaeological manifestations of repeated temporary occupation around assembly sites is small booths. At Hegranesþing in North Iceland, besides multiple booths that cover the site, there is also evidence of long-term occupation and farming. The Skagafjörður Church and Settlement Survey conducted geophysical and coring surveys, excavated three test pits into middens from different periods of occupation, and excavated one test trench into the homefield enclosure (tún) wall. The results suggest Hegranesþing, besides …