Digital Commons Network^™

Integrating Artificial Intelligence & Purpose-Driven Design Within Spiritual, Wellness, Eco-Conscious, & Cultural Brands, Jessica Molina

Masters Theses

This visual thesis explores the practical and ethical applications of artificial intelligence in the work of designers for brands that promote wellness, spirituality, eco-consciousness, and cultural identity. The central challenge in adopting AI will be balancing the capitalization on its benefits with assessing the ethical ramifications of its adoption, while still upholding brand values, the imperative of authenticity, emotional intelligence, and integrity. As the technology and capabilities of AI continue to skyrocket, purpose-driven designers will remain under-resourced and underdeveloped in frameworks for ethical adoption. This work seeks to resolve the existing gap through a literature review, case studies, and a …

The Intersection Of Ethnomusicology And Special Education: An Exploration Of Aba-Infused World Music Play Facilitation In The Social-Emotional Development Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jean-Pierre Ervelt Leroy

Masters Theses

Inspired by experiences across disciplines, this mixed-method study peered into a possible intersection of ethnomusicology and special education. An innovative ABA-infused world music play facilitation program for children was created to examine how culturally diverse musical intervention in combination with Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) principles could enhance the social-emotional development in children diagnosed with ASD. To gain an informed context on worldview and structure, this research was conducted within both sacred and secular communities. To gain a comprehensive understanding of how interdisciplinary intervention can impact the self-expression, self-regulation skills, and cultural awareness of children, both quantitative assessments and qualitative observations …

Examining Factors Influencing Ultra- Processed Food Consumption Among Liberty University Students Aged 18 And Older, Ginika Rosemary Muomah

Masters Theses

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are widely consumed among college students and are linked to adverse health outcomes including obesity, poor mental health, and cardiometabolic disease. Despite their rising prevalence, limited research has examined psychosocial and behavioral factors influencing UPF intake within Christian university settings. This study investigated demographic, behavioral, and psychosocial predictors of UPF consumption among Liberty University students, guided by the Health Belief Model (HBM). A cross-sectional survey of students aged 18 and older (N = 337) was conducted. After excluding incomplete or invalid responses, 276 cases remained. The 25-item survey assessed UPF intake, HBM constructs, and demographics. Descriptive statistics …

The Quality Of Life Of Mothers Of Severely Autistic Children Under The Age Of 22: A Preliminary Study, Chele J. Weiglein

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of autism in the United States is 1 in 31 individuals. Out of that number, 27% are children with severe autism and potentially profound comorbidities that require 24-hour surveillance due to their severe symptomology. The primary caregivers for these children are their mothers, and research shows that mothers are subjected to multiple stressors that result from providing a high level of care for their children. These stresses include emotional, social, financial, adjusting to new roles, trauma, and changes in family dynamics, which impact multiple domains of life, including …

Church Engagement With Generation Z In A Post Christian Culture, Caleb W. Saunders

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research was to apprehend what has kept Generation Z individuals to continue attending church in a post Christian culture. Understanding what keeps this demographic committed to their faith communities is essential for the FWB church. Focusing on Gen Z individuals that have stayed faithful to their local FWB church gives insight on why Gen Z individuals that have grown up attending church have abandoned their faith. The data collected through in-depth, semi structured interviews with Gen Z participants who met the criteria of sustained attendance and involvement in their local FWB church was practiced. …

Perceptions Of Faculty Influence On Graduate Student Diversity Attitudes: A Phenomenological Study, Lyn Porter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to understand the lived experiences regarding the perceived influence of faculty interactions in shaping diversity attitudes for graduate students in healthcare-related professions across the United States. The theory guiding this study is Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, which argues that social interactions deeply influence cognitive development (Vygotsky, 1978/1995). These interactions are necessary for the development of new skills and knowledge. Vygotsky also highlighted the role of culture in shaping how individuals think, learn, and interpret the world, suggesting that the cultural context in which faculty and students interact profoundly affects internalized values and attitudes. …

A Phenomenological Study Of Overcoming School Experiences Of Disability-Related Stigma To Gain Competitive Employment For Individuals With Learning Disabilities, Katherine Lamont

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutical phenomenological study was to interpret the experiences of overcoming disability-related stigma to gain competitive employment for individuals with learning disabilities (LDs) who have previously received special education services in public schools in the United States. Goffman’s stigma theory framed the investigation of the research question: What are the lived experiences of individuals with LDs who have received special education services in public school settings with overcoming disability-related stigma to gain competitive employment? This study was conducted with 12 participants, who each received special education services in public schools in the United States for a specific …

A Study Of The Relationship Between The Stress Responses From Rehearsal Preparations For Music Ensemble Performance Evaluations And Performing Arts Adolescents’ Working Memory, Gregory Thomas Minter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The organization of memory retrieval is vital to the association between stress responses and negative educational achievements. These stress responses offer an opportunity to study the harmful consequences of prolonged strain on the developing brain, which may impair emotional restraint, self-control, and cognitive development. However, little research considers the fundamental notions of how stress responses from rehearsals for music ensemble performance assessments impact adolescent working memory. This mixed-methods study explored how rehearsal-related stress in music ensemble settings may affect adolescents' working memory. Participants included high school students in grades nine through 12 who participated in performing arts band ensembles. The …

Therapeutic Day Treatment Counselors’ Perspective Of Parental Engagement And Involvement, Dominique Rose Lynn Woods

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study was to describe Therapeutic Day Treatment Counselors' (TDTCs) lived experiences with parental engagement and involvement (PEI) for TDTCs, within their professional collaborations in Virginia. The study focused on a specific aspect of TDTC’s lived experience: their perspective of PEI. Several theories were reviewed as a foundation for research development. Bronfenbrenner's (1979) Ecological Systems Theory has been an essential component of the research, as it emphasized that a child's development involves multiple elements of their environmental and social systems. Stroul and Friedman's (1986) Systems of Care Theory provided a foundation for understanding …

2025 September 25 - Tennessee Weekly Drought Summary, Tennessee Climate Office, East Tennessee State University

Tennessee Climate Office Weekly Drought Summaries

No abstract provided.

Face Off: Evaluating Virtual Human Expressions And Non-Tracking Control Methods In Vr, J K Sangeeth Chandran, Marisa Llorens Salvador, Cathy Ennis

Conference papers

Social virtual reality (VR) applications have become more ubiquitous in recent years; central to this is the communication pipeline, how users perceive virtual human facial expressions, and how they control them in real time, especially when using VR devices without face-tracking. We investigated both aspects in a set of experiments. Firstly, we compared the perception of virtual human emotions on a traditional 2D screen and in VR. In a second experiment, we used a validated set of stimuli to compare three different control methods for manipulating an avatar’s facial expressions in VR. These control methods utilize non-tracking control techniques, which …

Postsurgical Pain, Psychosocial Functioning, And Cannabis Use Among Adolescents And Young Adults Undergoing Gender Affirming Surgery, Eleanor Battison, Emily A. Kenyon, Corrin Murphy, Eline Lenne, Danielle N. Moyer, Sarah W. Feldstein Ewing, Anna C. Wilson

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose: Little is known about transgender and gender expansive (TGE) adolescents and young adults (AYAs) pain and psychosocial experiences in the acute postsurgical period following gender-affirming surgery (GAS). This study describes pain symptomatology and psychosocial functioning within 1 month after GAS among TGE AYAs, examines immediate postsurgical associations of cannabis use with pain symptomatology, pain catastrophizing, and psychosocial functioning, and explores pain persistence, cannabis use, and psychosocial functioning in a subgroup of individuals 6 months after surgery.

Methods: AYAs (N = 64) underwent GAS at a large academic medical center in the Pacific Northwest between March 2019 and June …

Library Year In Review 2024-2025, Saint Mary's College Of California

SMC Community Engagement

No abstract provided.

The Catholic Church And The Acculturation Of Immigrants To The United States: Pittsburgh And The Slovak Community During The Gilded Age And Progressive Era, Thomas Frank Demharter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Catholic Church and the Acculturation of Immigrants to the United States: Pittsburgh and the Slovak Community During the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.” Throughout the nineteenth century, hundreds of thousands of immigrants arrived in the United States from southern and eastern Europe, marking a radical change in the cultural and social background of those who arrived in search of work in the industrial world that had come to dominate the economy of the nation. This dissertation will examine the role that the Catholic Church played in aiding these mostly Catholic immigrants in their attempt to conform to and assimilate …

Assessing The Impact Of Flight Occupancy And Motivation On General Aviation Pilot Decision-Making In Restricted Visibility, Brad A. Bowser

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Annually, general aviation (GA) continues to experience an elevated number of fatal weather-related accidents. The highest fatality rate occurs during transitions from visual flight rules (VFR) with clear skies to instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) and restricted visibility. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in flight occupancy (with family, with another pilot, and solo) and flight motivation (extrinsic, intrinsic, and neither) in the willingness of GA pilots to transition from VFR-to-IMC. The framework for this study includes the prospect theory, which is based on behavioral economics, explaining that choices often result in decisions to avoid losses rather than …

From Belief To Action: An Exploratory Study Of Theological Perspectives In Influencing Credibility-Enhancing Displays, John Chambers

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this two-phase qualitative research design was to explore the relationship between faith and works, as evidenced by manifest Credibility Enhancing Displays (CREDs), for electronic survey participants in the orthodox Christian community. Exploring the potential links between specific aspects of the theological narratives and the intentions that precede behavior was the central focus of the study. An expert panel was used to develop the Phase One survey. Phase Two retained the same expert panel members but presented them with the Phase One survey analysis to expand the interpretation of the results. At this stage in the research, CREDs …

The Relationships Among Childhood Abuse, Neglect, Household Dysfunction, And Adult Anxiety: The Moderating Effect Of A Trusted Adult, Jennifer Marie Cobb

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study investigated the relationships between the three types of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), (abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction) and adult symptoms of anxiety, according to the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale. Beyond examining the bivariate relations of each ACE type with adult anxiety, this study also investigated if having at least one supportive adult in childhood moderated the relationships. The sample consisted of 213 adults recruited online who completed an anonymous survey containing the ACE Questionnaire, the GAD-7, a question regarding the presence of a trusted adult, and demographics. Hierarchical multiple regression tested the relationships of each ACE subtype …

Qualitative Evaluation Of Eeg Neurofeedback For Anxiety In Adults, Leah M. Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health disorders globally, yet many treatment options are inaccessible, ineffective for some, or lack long-term efficacy. One treatment for with substantial research support is neurofeedback, though it remains categorized as an experimental treatment and is underutilized in clinical practice. The qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of adults who received neurofeedback treatment for anxiety. The purpose was to understand participants’ perceptions of neurofeedback’s efficacy and the interactive effects of neurofeedback and psychotherapy. Data were collected from two Oregon clinics that offer Neurofeedback and from students at Liberty University. An open-ended survey …

Psychological Safety And Its Impact On Teacher And Staff Morale, Yvonne R. Crace

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Psychological safety is a concept that has been around since 1965. Psychological safety exists when employees feel safe to share their ideas and opinions without fear of retaliation, retribution, or belittlement. Studies on psychological safety have mainly focused on businesses and corporations and work team learning behaviors. In recent years, it has become evident that psychological safety is needed in additional types of industries, including all stages of education, from primary to graduate school. In education, teachers and staff often feel isolated and have concerns about voicing their opinions which creates relational stress and conflict, thus lowering staff morale. This …

Fueled To Succeed: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study On The Passion Of Students In Pursuit Of Success During And After College Life, Mesack Dieudonne

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to describe college students' experiences with passion while studying in a higher education setting in Florida. For this study, passion will be defined as a natural penchant that leads an individual to highly value something or someone, increasing persistence and thus leading to success. The theory underpinning this study is Vallerand's dualistic model of passion (DMP). The central research question guiding this research is as follows: How do college students describe their experiences with passion while studying in a higher education setting in Florida? Transcendental phenomenology was selected as the qualitative research …

Science Unleashed: The Influence Of Science Content Implementation Within Learning Management Systems, D'Aieriean Murray

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The qualitative, phenomenological study addressed the factors secondary science teachers face in implementing the science content in online LMS while continuing to teach in traditional classrooms. The research addressed the adequate training secondary science teachers may or may not have received in LMS and technology integration into the classroom. Utilizing Bruner's constructivist theory (1966) concerning the virtual classroom to recognize the imperativeness of educators in curriculum development to answer the question, "How are science teachers' experiences regarding the effectiveness of LMS and online learning?" While conducting a literature analysis, the most frequent themes were faculty readiness, transitioning to online education …

Edge Percolation Centrality: A New Measure To Quantify The Influence Of Edges During Percolation In Networks, Christina Durón, Hannah Kravitz, Moysey Brio

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Numerous centrality measures exist to quantify the influence of edges within a network, with edge betweenness being one of the more well-known measures. However, such measures are inadequate in network percolation scenarios (e.g., the transmission of a disease over a transportation network of highways) as they fail to consider the changing percolation states of edges over time. This paper addresses this limitation by extending percolation centrality, a measure originally developed to evaluate the influence of vertices during a percolation process (i.e., a dynamic spread of a contagion) in the network, to the edge level. The proposed measure, edge percolation centrality, …

Industries, Self-Rated Health, And Status Characteristics: An Exploration Of Health In Industries At The Intersection Of Race/Ethnicity, Gender, And Disability, Emmanuel Legarreta

Dissertations and Theses

While industries, occupations, and health outcomes have been widely studied, research has neglected self-rated health (SRH) and the intersectionality of different status characteristics in various industries. Using an IPUMS version of the Current Population Survey, this study explores the possible relationships between industries and SRH. More specifically, it seeks to find if workers' disability status, racial minority status, or gender moderates (i.e., differentiates) the relationship between their industry and SRH. Findings show that certain industries are significant predictors of SRH, and that women with disabilities working in Mining and Construction, and Business and Repair Service have significantly worse SRH than …

September 25, 2025, James Madison University

The Breeze, 2020-

The Breeze is the student newspaper of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

September 25, 2025, James Madison University

The Breeze, 2020-

The Breeze is the student newspaper of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Solutions For Linear Fractional Differential Equations With Multiple Constraints Using Fractional B-Poly Bases, Md. Habibur Rahman, Muhammad I. Bhatti, Nicholas Dimakis

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

This study presents an innovative numerical method for solving linear fractional differential equations (LFDEs) using modified Bernstein polynomial bases. The proposed approach effectively addresses the challenges posed by the nonlocal nature of fractional derivatives, providing a robust framework for handling multiple initial and boundary value constraints. By integrating the LFDEs and approximating the solutions with modified fractional-order Bernstein polynomials, we derive operational matrices to solve the resulting system numerically. The method’s accuracy is validated through several examples, showing excellent agreement between numerical and exact solutions. Comparative analysis with existing data further confirms the reliability of the approach, with absolute errors …

Standing Waves Of Schrödinger Equation With Constant Magnetic Field And Combined Power Nonlinearities, Zhaosheng Feng, Yu Su

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

We study standing waves of the Schrödinger equation with constant magnetic field and combined power nonlinearities, which describes a single non-relativistic quantum particle in the presence of an electromagnetic field. We develop the local minima geometry method to establish the existence, estimates and mass collapse results for this equation, which generalize exiting results in the literature.

September 25, 2025, The Daily Mississippian

Daily Mississippian (all digitized issues)

No abstract provided.

Association Of Chronic Conditions With Bladder Health In Women: Cross-Sectional Results From The Rise For Health Study, Camille P Vaughan, Gerald Mcgwin, Jean F Wyman, Siobhan Sutcliffe, Diane K Newman, Ariana L Smith, Colleen M Fitzgerald, Todd Rockwood, James Griffith, Sheila Gahagan, Alayne D Markland, Prevention Of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (Plus) Research Consortium

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Women with multiple chronic conditions are more likely than women without them to report lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS); understanding the association of common and coexisting chronic conditions with bladder health across adulthood may inform prevention efforts.

METHODS: Data were collected from May 2022 through December 2023 from a regionally representative cohort of community-dwelling adult women in the US. Chronic conditions were assessed by self-report and bladder health, and LUTS were measured using validated questionnaires. Analyses were limited to women aged 40 years or older and included multivariable linear and logistic regression models, adjusted for age, body mass index, …

Increasing Tree Size Across Amazonia, Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert, Rebecca Banbury Morgan, Roel Brienen, Emanuel Gloor, Simon L. Lewis, Kyle G. Dexter, Everton Almeida, Edmar Almeida De Oliveira, Esteban Álvarez-Dávila, Atila Alves De Oliveira, Ana Andrade, Simone Aparecida Vieira, Luiz Aragão, Alejandro Araujo-Murakami, Eric Arets, Luzmila Arroyo, Gerardo Aymard-Corredor, Olaf Banki, Plinio Barbosa De Camargo, Jorcely Barroso, Lilian Blanc, Foster Brown, José Luís Camargo, Wendeson Castro, Victor Chama Moscoso, Jérôme Chave, Ezequiel Chavez, James Comiskey, Antônio Carlos Lola Da Costa, Jhon Del Aguila Pasquel

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Climate change and increasing availability of resources such as carbon dioxide are modifying forest functioning worldwide, but the effects of these changes on forest structure are unclear. As additional resources become available, for example, through CO₂ fertilization or nitrogen deposition, large trees, with greater access to light, may be expected to gain further advantages. Conversely, smaller light-suppressed trees might benefit more if their light compensation point changes, while bigger trees may be the most negatively impacted by increasing heat and drought. We assessed recent changes in the structure of Earth’s largest tropical forest by analysing 30 years of Amazonian …