Digital Commons Network^™

Library Anxiety: A Mixed-Methods Comparison Between Honors And University Learning First-Year College Students, Anthony L. Paganelli, Larry Sean Kinder

The Southeastern Librarian

This study examines the results from a mixed-methods comparison study that explored library anxiety between first-year Honors students and first-year students enrolled in a University Learning course. The study explores the levels of library anxiety, overconfidence, barriers, and behavioral factors. Findings indicate that Honors students had higher levels of library anxiety and associated perfectionism and self-esteem more closely with library use. University Learning students worked longer and more independently to use resources before seeking help. Knowing these results, teaching librarians could create tailored instruction sessions to address and alleviate library anxiety and its effects.

Da Mosang Tarsier Series: Developing Digital Bullying Prevention Materials For Filipino Parents Of Grade School Students, Rudy M. Danganan Jr., Ann Christine V. Braga, Maria Kristina S. Alfonso, Romelito Manuel D.S. Clorina, Ma. Regina Hechanova

Children and Families

Bullying remains a significant public health and educational concern worldwide and is particularly prevalent in Philippine public schools, with Grade 7 students identified as a vulnerable group. Although the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013 (Republic Act No. 10627) mandates school-based policies and procedures, persistent implementation gaps underscore the need to strengthen home–school partnerships and equip parents with practical, culturally grounded response strategies. This paper describes the development of the Da Mosang Tarsier Series, a set of digital psychoeducational comic strips designed for Filipino parents of Grade 7 students. Guided by a user-centered design (UCD) framework, the project began with a Generative …

Just Opt For Caesarean Section And Pick The Birthdate': A Qualitative Study Exploring Women's Delivery Preferences After Caesarean Section In Urban Tanzania, Daudi Gidion, Columba Mbekenga, Miriam Mgonja, Marleen Temmerman, Muzdalfat Abeid

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Objectives To explore perspectives, preferences and decision-making regarding mode of delivery after a previous caesarean section among women in urban Tanzania.

Design A descriptive qualitative study using semi-structured in-depth interviews. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Setting A private tertiary hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Participants 11 women with one previous caesarean section who delivered at the study site were interviewed on the third day after delivery. Participants were purposively sampled to include both modes of delivery: five women underwent repeat caesarean section and six attempted a trial of labour after caesarean (TOLAC).

Results Thematic analysis identified four key …

Aadej Comm 12 2 2026

AADEJ - The Communicator

The Communicator is the official publication of the American Association of Dental Editors & Journalists (AADEJ), promoting awareness of the association’s activities and offering valuable insights for dental editors and journalists to enhance their publications. It is published quarterly, distributed digitally via email to members, and posted on the Association’s website at aadej.org, with archives on ADA Commons. Regular contributions from the Editor-in-Chief, Executive Director, President, and Associate Editor cover various topics.

Resisting Dualism In Contemporary Movement Building: Lessons From The Zapatista Movement On Creating Assertive, Insurgent, And Generative Praxis, Nico Killian

University Honors Theses

The common struggle of social movements, revolutionary and otherwise, in the contemporary era is how to establish a collective capable of asserting its politics via grassroots organizing in the face of the logic of global capitalism that atomizes communities, reconfigures the role of the state, and unleashes the fragmentizing and simultaneously totalitizing forces of the global market. Discourse regarding effective movement building in the contemporary era often falls into two dualistic avenues of resistance - complete autonomy that rejects any engagement or affiliation with political structures out of fear that it would result in demobilization through co-optation or negotiating a …

Theism, Atheism, And Nagasawa’S “Problem Of Systemic Evil”, Jeremy Randel Koons

Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers

No abstract provided.

Economic Background And The Role Of Self-Compassion, Dixy Melendez

Psychology and Counseling Theses

Although self-compassion is established as a buffer against psychological distress, few studies examine its protective role alongside socioeconomic discrimination. This study used hierarchical multiple regressions and a hierarchical logistic regression to examine subjective social status, downward classism, self-compassion, and internalized shame as predictors of distress, academic anxiety, and academic task choice among college students, controlling for demographic variables. Greater self-compassion predicted less internalized shame, and greater downward classism predicted greater shame and distress. Self-compassion showed only marginal protective effects against distress after accounting for other variables. Internalized shame was the strongest, most consistent predictor, robustly relating to academic anxiety and …

The Neuropsychological Analysis Of The Effect Of Shame And Traumatic Memories In Paranoia: A Network Analysis, Anwesha Maitra

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Paranoia is increasingly recognized as a multidimensional psychological phenomenon influenced by trauma-related distress, shame, maladaptive interpersonal experiences, and emotional functioning. Although these factors have been extensively associated with paranoia, their relationships with neurocognitive functioning, social cognition, and global functioning remain less well understood. The present study examined these relationships using traditional statistical analyses, network analysis, and machine-learning approaches in a non-clinical sample of 42 adults.

Participants completed self-report measures assessing trauma-related distress, childhood interpersonal experiences, shame, paranoia, depressive symptoms, fear of negative evaluation, self-esteem, and hostile attribution bias, in addition to a comprehensive neurocognitive battery, an emotion recognition task, and …

Against Divine Promulgation Of Psychophysical Laws, Graham Oppy

Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers

No abstract provided.

Nicholas M. L. Nathan, A Map Of Selves: Beyond Philosophy Of Mind, Mark Textor

Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers

No abstract provided.

Tanya Pierce, Tanya Pierce

Faculty CVs

No abstract provided.

Felix Mormann, Felix Mormann

Faculty CVs

No abstract provided.

Examining Data Richness In Undergraduate Students’ Reflections: A Linguistic Analysis Of Three Data Collection Methods, Kirsten A. Davis, Anne Wrobetz

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

Researchers select data collection methods for a variety of reasons. In our research on experiential education programs, we perceived that when we collected students’ reflections using different methods, the data we received was different. However, we found few existing studies to help us characterize what was different across our data sets to inform our decisions about which methods to use. Thus, the purpose of our study was to compare data richness across three data sets from previous studies of engineering students studying abroad, each collected using a different method (written diaries, interviews, video diaries). We used linguistic inquiry as a …

Feasibility Of Using Electronic Medical Records To Identify Postdischarge Mental Health Screening Documentation In Trauma Patients., Kellie Girardot, Julie L Otte

Emergency Medicine and Trauma

BACKGROUND: Injury leads to long-term physical and mental health challenges, yet inpatient screening for post-traumatic stress disorder and depression remains inconsistent, and postdischarge mental health is poorly understood, particularly in less resourced trauma centers where emerging symptoms may go unrecognized.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility of using the electronic medical record to identify postdischarge mental health screening documentation in adult trauma patients within 6 months after discharge.

METHODS: This retrospective descriptive feasibility study was conducted at a midwestern US regional Level II trauma center serving a predominantly rural catchment area. Adult trauma patients admitted between January 1 and December 31, …

Neural Correlates Of Anger Rumination To A Personal Event And Subsequent Changes In Working Memory, Mairin Claire Madison Cotter

Dissertations

Rumination is a maladaptive coping strategy that is associated with the emergence and maintenance of several psychological disorders and related symptomatology and thus has been proposed as a transdiagnostic risk factor. Recent work has focused on patterns of brain activation during rumination to sadness; however, less is known about brain activation patterns in response to anger-inducing events and how anger rumination may influence working memory. This study sought to identify potential neurophysiological correlates (through electroencephalography; EEG) of anger rumination, examine how anger rumination subsequently impacts working memory performance, and determine whether neurophysiological correlates of anger rumination are associated with working …

Deepfakes As Crisis Triggers: Experimental Evidence On Response Strategy Effectiveness, Responsibility Attributions, And Sharing Intentions, Alicia Mason, Mariah Laman, Tanner Glenn, Treyton Meyers

Faculty Submissions

The term deepfake refers to falsified media content created using artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to manipulate audio, video, or images. Deepfake news fabrications are designed to appear highly realistic, making it difficult for audiences to distinguish them from authentic content. Responding to deepfake-induced  reputational threats therefore presents a unique challenge for organizations. Despite the growing prevalence of deepfake technology, little experimental research has examined how different crisis communication strategies perform in mitigating the reputational and relational harm posed by deepfake-induced crises. Accordingly, this study seeks to (1) examine how exposure to deepfake news relates to public perceptions and affect toward …

July 2026 Feature Article 2 — Burning Mouth Syndrome In Dental Settings: Clinical Clues, Diagnostic Approaches, And Management With Topical Doxepin And Alpha-Lipoic Acid, Elizabeth R. Hatfield, Dds, Elizabeth A. Van Tubergen, Dds, Phd, Felipe Nör Dds, Ms, Phd

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

This clinical case report explores Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS), a chronic pain condition predominantly affecting post-menopausal women. Describing BMS as a diagnosis of exclusion with often idiopathic origins, the authors present a case study of a 54-year-old female patient. They review the challenges of traditional management and detail a novel, effective treatment using a combination of topical doxepin oral rinse and oral alpha-lipoic acid. The article provides dentists with practical strategies for recognition and diagnostic procedures, emphasizing their role as the first line of care for improving the quality of life for BMS sufferers.

Automated Scoring Of Prosody In Oral Reading Fluency: Integrating Acoustic And Sentence/Chunk-Level Silence Features With Machine Learning, Kuo Wang

Education Policy and Leadership Theses and Dissertations

Prosody, the ability to read with appropriate variation in pitch, duration, pausing, and stress, is an important (and challenging to measure) dimension of oral reading fluency (ORF) and comprehension. ORF prosody is currently measured through human raters and rubric-based scoring systems (e.g., the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) or the Multidimensional Fluency Scale (MDFS scales). The rating process is labor and resource-intensive and introduces rater bias. Recent work has shown acoustic features to predict prosody ratings; however, their models had low generalization performance on cross-domain data (unseen passages and student samples).

The present study investigated the automated assessment of …

Allied Health Professions (Ahp) Engagement With And Leadership Towards Actionable Carbon Reduction Interventions To Meet The Nhs Net Zero Agenda:: A Consensus Study, Frances Slowie, Linda Hindle, Louise Davey-Hewins, Sarah Cooper, Clare Pettinger

School of Health Professions

Background: Climate change is one of the greatest threats to human health. The UK health and care system is responsible for 4%–5% of the country’s carbon footprint. Following an ambitious commitment to ‘Delivering a Net Zero NHS’, there is an ongoing urgent drive to advocate for proactive sustainability measures across the workforce healthcare practice areas. As the third largest workforce within the NHS, allied health professionals (AHPs) are crucial players in this net zero commitment. Implementing suitable carbon reduction strategies requires leadership and more clarity on the practical steps that AHPs can take specific to their unique skill set. Objective: …

In The Shadow Of The Steeple: A Theory Of Religious Hypocrisy, Justin Arthur Rice

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I explore how Christian doctrine and practice respond to the pressures placed upon them by the troubling reality of religious hypocrisy (RH). Assuming a teleological notion of social institutions, I argue that RH is best understood in relation to the Church as an institution, and that RH occurs when religious agents undermine or subvert their appointed role within the Church. RH consists in the conscious or unconscious charade of spiritual or moral virtue undertaken in one’s capacity as a member of a religious institution, grounded in a fundamental disparity between one’s thoughts, words, desires, motivations, or deeds, …

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy For Toddlers In Japan: Comparing Outcomes For Children With And Without Autism And/Or Developmental Delays, Emily-Anne Sevilla Del Rosario

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Toddlers (PCIT-T) is a toddler adaptation of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy designed to improve social-emotional development and parenting practices among children under two years of age. This study evaluated the effectiveness of PCIT-T among Japanese families and explored whether treatment outcomes differed between neurotypical toddlers and autistic children and/or children with developmental delays. Data was analyzed from 83 parent-child dyads who received PCIT-T in community-based agencies across Japan between 2018 and 2023. Results indicated significant improvements in children’s protective developmental factors, caregiver use of PRIDE skills, and reductions in Avoid skills following treatment. CARES skills did not …

Values And Posttraumatic Resilience: Assessing The Moderating Impact Of Cultural Context, Jeremy Brian Clift

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

People commonly experience a traumatic event during their lives, and many effectively cope with the experience, demonstrating psychological resiliency. However, this is not always the case; others may develop psychopathology in the wake of a traumatic event, such as posttraumatic stress disorder. Why might some people experience clinically significant difficulty following a traumatic event while others do not? The current study examined this question by considering the role of values—cognitive representations of motivations that guide action—and testing predictions generated from the Contextual Model of Values-Based Responding to Traumatic Experiences (Clift & Veilleux, unpublished manuscript). It was predicted that greater growth …

Investigating And Comparing Special Education Teachers’ Perceptions Of Workload Manageability And The Relationship With Attrition, Kasey Sanders

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated special education teachers’ (SETs) perceptions of workload manageability and the relationship between these perceptions and intentions to quit. State-wide data from the Kansas State Department of Education showed a significant increase in the number of special education vacancies from a total of 161, or .03% in the 2019-2020 school year to 557, or 11%, in the 2024-2025 school year. Over the past four years, the number of special education teachers with a non-traditional license has increased from 312, or 6%, in the 2021-2022 school year to 427, or 8%, in the 2024-2025 school year (KSDE, 2025). Using …

Drawing Conclusions: Autonomy And Mental Maps In Denmark And The Faroe Islands, Erik Steven Breidinger

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation develops and tests a comparative heuristic device called optimal autonomy to explain when and how autonomous territories, or simply autonomies, become durable components of the global system of sovereign states. Drawing on a mixed‑methods case study of Denmark and the Faroe Islands, the study operationalizes optimal autonomy as a heuristic device using three interacting metrics: territorial delineation, national distinction, and state dependence. Using semi‑structured interviews with public officials and a mental‑mapping experiment with university students, this research shows that optimal autonomies are not made from single institutional designs but rather a dynamic equilibrium between maximal territorial delineation, medial …

“We Have The Right To Education”: Exploring Student Experiences, Disability Policy, And The Need For Culturally Refined Awareness Raising On Inclusive Higher Education Within The English-Speaking Caribbean, Kadesha Treco

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Within the English-speaking Caribbean, research at the intersection of inclusive education policy and higher education (HIED) remains limited. Despite the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) by countries across the region, the establishment of the CARICOM Special Rapporteur on Disabilities, and the creation of several pieces of national disability legislation, there is little evidence regarding the effectiveness of these initiatives at improving access to HIED. Therefore, this dissertation contributes to regional scholarship on inclusive education by examining how access to, and experiences within HIED institutions are shaped for students with disabilities. This …

Making Meaning In Gender Affirming Therapy: Voices Of Transgender And Gender Diverse Individuals, Shelby Freeman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people frequently seek out counseling services and experience greater mental health difficulties than the general population. Oppressive political and social structures are often cited as a main contributor to mental health disparities. As antitransgender laws and sentiments increase in the U.S., the likelihood of mental health professionals encountering TGD clients will also increase. This requires specific competencies in how to provide effective gender-affirming mental health services. Affirming MHPs are more accessible to TGD clients now than ever due to increases in provider training and improved attitudes. However, previous research revealed that MHPs who identify as …

Beyond Access: Native American Students' Sense Of Belonging At Land-Grant Pwis, Skyler Ames-Patton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Native American students remain one of the most underrepresented populations within higher education and continue to experience unique challenges related to belonging, visibility, and persistence, particularly within predominantly White institutions (PWIs). Although sense of belonging has been widely recognized as a significant factor influencing student success and retention, traditional approaches to belonging often fail to account for distinct cultural, historical, and relational experiences that shape Native students’ educational journeys. This study explores how Native American students describe their interpersonal experiences and sense of belonging at a public, land-grant, PWI in the mid-South region of the United States. Guided by Tribal …

Effectiveness Of Pcit With Toddlers In A Community-Based Sample: Special Considerations For Youth With Neurodevelopmental Conditions, Rebecca Scott Bradley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The early caregiving environment serves as the context in which young children develop emotional regulation abilities. While supportive, responsive caregiving is crucial for helping children regulate their own emotions in times of stress, disruptions to the parent-child relationship may set the stage for poor emotion regulation throughout childhood. Emotional and behavioral problems, particularly in children with neurodevelopmental conditions, may stem from early difficulties with emotion regulation. If left untreated, emotion dysregulation in children can mark a trajectory towards continued social-emotional concerns and family disruption; as such, the toddler years represent an ideal time for intervention. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Toddlers …

Cellulose Membrane Performance And Properties With Focus On Dialysis Application, Juliana Marçal

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Chronic kidney disease affects approximately 35 million individuals in the United States, with nearly 550,000 patients dependent on dialysis for survival. Chronic kidney disease and end stage kidney disease impose substantial burdens on patients and healthcare systems, driving demand for improved dialysis membranes with enhanced flux, selectivity, and biocompatibility. The performance of dialysis membranes plays a critical role in treatment efficiency, governing solute transport, fluid removal, and overall therapeutic outcomes. In hemodialysis, membranes must achieve an optimal balance between high permeability and selective solute rejection while maintaining mechanical stability and long-term biocompatibility. Conventional dialysis membranes are commonly fabricated from polymeric …

A Quantitative Examination Of The Relationship Between College Gpa And Culturally Inclusive Support Services, Sara Jo Barnett Nsakashalo

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Eurocentric formal education model was first introduced to American Indians as a weapon, a tool by which American Indian culture and lifeways could be dismantled thus forcing the entire population into assimilation. The residual trauma of the Indian Boarding School era and other federal Indian policy continue to impact American Indian students, even at the postsecondary level. For decades, research has focused on exploring the role of Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU) to explain the increased success American Indian students experience at these institutions when compared to other institutions. Though they have demonstrated an exceptional ability to adequately serve …