Digital Commons Network^™

Examining Sustainable And Regenerative Viticultural Practices In The Rheinhessen Wine Region Of Germany, Claire Hoffmann

CISLA Senior Integrative Projects

No abstract provided.

Exploration Of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses’ Perception Of Barriers To Promoting And Supporting Breastfeeding In Primary Care, Devon L. Stubblefield, Allison L. Scott, Carmel Kruse, Marilou D. Shreve, Hope A. Ballentine

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing DNP Capstone Projects

Background: Breastfeeding is the biological way to provide active and passive immunity, as well as necessary nutrients, to infants while concurrently providing multiple health benefits for mothers. Even though evidence is readily available to support the argument to breastfeed, United States’ breastfeeding rates fall below Healthy People 2030 goals. Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in primary care settings are in a prime position to give education and create care plans to support breastfeeding mothers to improve breastfeeding rates but literature supports APRNs lack confidence to do so. An APRN is likely to defer care to another provider to address …

Queer X Trans Memoir: In Sight Of An Embodied History, Rhyan Warmerdam

English (MA) Theses

Are queer and trans identities innate or constructed? What constitutes a queer or trans identity? What prompts a person to identify with a particular queer or trans identity category? Prominent queer theorist Judith Butler contends that “There is no gender identity behind the expressions of gender; that identity is performatively constituted” (Butler, Gender Trouble 34). However, many scholars have claimed that Butler’s theory is “not compatible with lived experience” (McCann & Monaghan 134). This project utilizes the genre of memoir to gain insight into lived experiences to put this theory to the test. Through a mini historical archive of twelve …

Survey Of A Paired Gravity Anomaly Within The Benton Uplift Of The Ouachita Mountains, Isaac B. Prud'homme

Physics Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Benton Uplift west of Hot Springs, AR is underlain by a paired gravity anomaly on the order of 80 mGal. Nicholas & Rozendal (1975) have theorized that the gravitational low is caused by a “downwarp of the crust into the mantle”1 however the cause of the gravitational high is still debated. This paired gravity anomaly within the Benton Uplift follows the Ouachita orogenic belt southwest for 500 miles where it meets the Marathon uplift in southwest Texas. We conducted a gravity survey along a 108-km-long transect east of two previous gravity surveys.2,3 We corrected the data from this transect …

Assessing Biochar And Industrial Hemp To Remediate Heavy-Metal-Contaminated Soil, Sophie W. Sward

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Environmental degradation is becoming increasingly prevalent as global industrialization runs rampant. Anthropogenic activity, such as mining, deposits inorganic pollutants into the environment, leading to potential soil and water contamination. Traditional, engineering-based remediation and containment procedures alter soil structure and aggregate stability and affect the biological function of the area impacted by mining activities. Phytoremediation is a more energy-efficient, and therefore cost-effective, method of environmental restoration. Phytoremediation, on its own, works in soils that are less contaminated so that the selected plant can actually grow. Soil amendments, such as biochar, can be added to improve remediation potential in more contaminated soils. …

Understanding The Lived Experiences And Sense Of Belonging Of Bipoc Lgbtqia+ College Students At Urban Institutions Of Higher Education, Kayla M. Bassknight

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research study explores the lived experiences and sense of belonging of college students who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual (LGBTQIA+) at urban higher education institutions. Using Meyer’s minority stress model, Crenshaw’s intersectionality theory, and Strayhorn’s belonging framework, the study investigates how students’ intersecting identities shape their college experiences. Through an instrumental case study design, the research focuses on the unique challenges and opportunities faced by BIPOC LGBTQIA+ students, particularly the role of co-curricular engagement and institutional agents in fostering belonging. Eleven individual interviews and two focus …

Rising Rates Of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Carly Ogilvie

Honors College Theses

While autism spectrum disorder has always been around, the diagnosis rates are skyrocketing. There are many different theories and ideas as to why rates are increasing so rapidly. These theories cover a wide range of ideas such as better tests, side effects of vaccines, and everything in between. The goal of this research is to analyze the statistics on the rising rates of autism spectrum disorder diagnoses and to look into why they are rising. This research will compare diagnosis rates over the past several decades and then evaluate theories on the reason behind the diagnosis rates. Although there is …

Defenses Not Cleansed By The Endorsement Of A Check In Light Of Legal Provisions And Judicial Rulings: A Comparative Study, Abdelsalam A. Bani Hamad, Marwa Al-Shraida

An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities)

The study deals with the rule of defenses that are not "cleansed" by endorsement in a check and the scope of its application in law and jurisprudence. According to the rule, the rule of purifying defenses stems from the principle of independence of signatures, such that each signature on a check is independent of the other, meaning that the obligation signed by virtue of this signature has no relation to the other signatures on the check. For example, if the drawer’s obligation is invalid for any reason, this invalidity does not extend to the holder who did not intend to …

Estimating The Optimal Size Of Government Spending In The Palestinian Economy Over The Period (1996-2020), Na'el A. Mousa, Nora Abu Salleh, Mallak Ghog, Aseel Salahat

An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities)

Objective: This study aims to analyses the optimal size of government expenditure in Palestine over the period (1996-2020) and determine the optimal size of this expenditure through the reflection of this expenditure on achieved economic growth rates. Methodology: It was reached to the results by theoretical analysis and quantitative standard, The Researchers using mainly the Canonical Cointegrating Regression (CCR), Dynamic Ordinary Least Square Method (Dynamic OLS) and Fully Modified Least Square Method (Fully-Modified OLS) by following the methodology which used by Hajaya and Edie Nat (2017) and Scully (1998 - 2003) based on the work of Barro (1990). Results: The …

Attitudes Of President Obama And President Trump Towards Iran's Nuclear Program In The Period 2009-2021: A Comparative Study, Yusra S. Al-Khalaileh, Ghaida H. Al-Biltaji

An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities)

Objectives: The research aims to shed light on a historical successor to US-Iranian relations, explain Iran's motives for establishing the nuclear program, and review the attitudes of Iranian leaders towards the development of this program, with a focus on the impact of the development of the Iranian nuclear program on the policy of both US President Barack Obama and US President Donald Trump towards Iran in the period (2009-2021). Methods: The research used the descriptive comparative approach along with both the historical and systems analysis methods. Results: The research showed that despite the different strategies, orientations, methods and backgrounds of …

Impact Of Innovation On Competitive Advantage In Palestinian Telecommunications, Firas M. Alnasr, Taimaa A. Kharoub, Aya J. Yahya

An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities)

Objective: This study aimed to establish that innovation is a major axis that supports the competitive advantage of telecommunications companies, enabling them to launch innovative products and services that meet and exceed customer expectations. It helps improve the quality of services, reduce costs, and exploit new market opportunities, such as new generation networks. Innovation also enhances flexibility and adaptability, which prepares companies to effectively meet market challenges. Methods: The study included a random sample of employees of Palestinian telecommunications companies out of 3,000 employees. 350 responses were collected through an electronic questionnaire and a personal interview, 341 of which were …

Respiratory Syncytial Virus And Metapneumovirus Infect Human Induced Excitatory Neurons And Trigger An Innate Immune Response, Gage Greening, Rebecca Mclennan, Eric S. Geanes, Santosh Khanal, David Moore, Heather Mwitani, Daniel A. Louiselle, Todd Bradley

Research at Children's Mercy Month 2025

Certain respiratory viruses exhibit neurotropism, allowing them to invade the central nervous system and induce neuroinflammation. Neurotropic respiratory viruses can lead to a variety of symptoms including encephalitis, seizures, and acute flaccid paralysis, among others. Recent research also suggests that even in non-severe cases, long-term neurological sequelae can persist. Despite the known association of these neurotropic respiratory viruses with short- and long-term neurological manifestations, there are significant knowledge gaps regarding the basic mechanisms of neuropathogenesis that, if addressed, could provide a foundation for the development of prevention and treatment interventions. The goal of this study was to establish in vitro …

Variable Selection In Mixture Cure Models Using Elastic Net Penalty: Application To Covid-19 Data, Aluwani Ramalata, Akim Adekpedjou, Maseka Lesaoana

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Research & Creative Works

In survival analysis, it is often assumed that all individuals will eventually experience the event of interest if followed long enough. However, in many real-world scenarios, a subset of individuals remains event-free indefinitely. For instance, in clinical studies, some patients never relapse and are considered cured rather than censored. Traditional survival models are inadequate for capturing this heterogeneity. Mixture cure models address this limitation by distinguishing between cured and susceptible individuals while modeling the survival of the latter. A key challenge in mixture cure modeling is selecting relevant covariates, particularly when dealing with time-varying effects. This study develops a penalized …

Changes In Classroom Environment And Its Impact On Student Learning Behaviors, Adam A. Gaines

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research study investigated the impact of playing background music on the time-on-task behavior of students in a high school American Studies class. The research participants were thirteen high school students attending a small K-12 private school in the Pacific Northwest during the 2024-2025 school year. During the first phase of the study, students engaged in working on homework tasks during in-class worktime without any music playing in the classroom. During the second phase, students worked with music playing in the background. This study used an interrupted time-series design to record the percentage of time-on-task for each day of …

Effect Of The Sequencing Of Instruction On Students’ Perceptions Of Engagement And Learning, Ingrid Etherton

Master of Education Program Theses

Inquiry-based learning has become a hallmark of science education, in part through the introduction of the Next Generation Science Standards. Research has shown inquiry and direct instruction are effective and essential components of student learning; however, effective implementation of these strategies requires intentional sequencing and understanding of student cognition and motivation. This action research project sought to investigate the relationship between the sequence of inquiry and direct instruction and students’ perceptions of their learning through inquiry. The results of this study indicate that inquiry activities are effective for student learning and interest in the content; however, further research is needed …

The Harmful Effects Of Book Banning In New York State, Ella Kelly

Honors Theses

There have been 4,231 book bans across America just in the 2023-2024 school year (PEN America, 2024). Book Banning is becoming an increasingly prevalent issue in today's society, and with our current political climate, it has the potential to worsen. This research will focus on where book bans originated from, and how they have continued to happen in modern day education. Through literary analysis, this research will examine how censorship is affecting elementary education and its students. There will be a focus on New York State, and how book banning is affecting public education here.

Gravity Of Ideas: Mapping Science At Bu, Sadamori Kojaku

DataViz Community at BingU

We plan to showcase a hyperbolic map that visualizes 1.1 million papers by 14,490 BU researchers, tracking topic shifts over time. A working visualization can be found at https://github.com/skojaku/bu-art-2025

From Great Migration To Gentrification: Heirs Property In The Urban Context, Codi Royall

Northern Illinois University Law Review

The current legal framework, including common law doctrine, individual state statutes, and the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act (UPHPA), fails to meet the needs of heirs property owners in urban communities. This oversight allows real estate speculators to exploit the law, accelerating gentrification, urban blight, displacement of heirs, and the erosion of generational wealth. While Thomas Mitchell’s scholarship has illuminated the challenges of heirs property, its focus on rural contexts neglects the distinct issues faced by urban heirs.

This Note addresses this gap by examining heirs property through an urban lens, emphasizing the unique historical and legal contexts of …

How To Message Plant-Based Diets And Products In Southeast Asia: A Social Media Analysis, Audrey Tsen, Thomas Manandhar-Richardson, Allison Troy Phd, Andie Thompkins Phd

Diet

This study will employ social listening analysis to identify key beliefs and misconceptions for South East Asians around plant-based diets and alternative proteins. It will use this rich understanding to recommend messaging strategies to address current misconceptions and inspire diet change. The details of the preregistration are provided in an uploaded PDF. It was adapted from the standard OSF Pre-registration template, which does not apply well to qualitative research.

Student Film Fest 2025 Playbill, Providence College Department Of Theatre, Dance, & Film

Playbill and Promotion

Providence College Department of Theatre, Dance & Film

John Bowab Studio Theatre, Smith Center for the Arts

Student Film Fest 2025

Thursday, May 1, 2025, 7PM

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS:

Fr. Ken Gumbert

COMPETING FILMS:

Will Drew ‘25, A Day in the Life: Luke Fonts, 3:49

Nariah Scott ’25, No Limit Just Miles Ft. Kimberly May, 4:25

Teddy Lucier ’25, The Growing Game, 5:53

Janet Newman ’27, Marvelous, 5:00

Rodney Lopez ’25, Lost and Found, 7:24

Gavin Sheridan ’25, Born to Die, 9:52

JURY DELIBERATIONS

The 2024 Film Festival winning film will be screened while jury …

Functional Characterization Of The C-Terminal Cholinesterase-Like (Chel) Domain Of The Thyroid Hormone Precursor Protein, Berenice Morales-Rodriguez

Pharmaceutical Sciences (MS) Theses

Vertebrate life is unsustainable without thyroid hormones. The only known precursor for thyroid hormone synthesis is thyroglobulin (Tg), composed of upstream regions I-II-III and a C-terminal cholinesterase-like (ChEL) domain, which bears 47% similarity to acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Mutations in Tg cause congenital hypothyroidism, the most common congenital endocrinopathy affecting 1 in 2,000-4,000 newborns, with a varying degree of phenotypic manifestations. Tg protein, regulated by TSH, is secreted to the lumen of thyroid follicles, where thyroxine (T₄) is formed primarily at the N-terminus, and triiodothyronine (T₃) is formed primarily in the ChEL domain. Previous in vitro studies indicated …

Revealed And Hidden Social Preferences, Saika Cer Askin

Behavioral and Computational Economics (MS) Theses

This study investigates individuals’ social preferences by examining the impact of group identity on economic decision-making through Dictator Game and Lying Dictator Game experiments conducted in different cultural contexts. The research compares students from Chapman University (USA) and Wuhan University (China), with each participant informed of their counterpart’s university affiliation. This design allows for the comparison of behaviors exhibited in in-group versus out-group settings. The results show that in the Dictator Game, allocation behavior remained consistent regardless of group identity. However, in the Lying Dictator Game, Wuhan participants displayed different levels of honesty depending on their counterpart’s university affiliation. A …

Leaving California: The Price Impact Of Announcing A Headquarters Relocation, Marilyn Giselle Hazlett

Behavioral and Computational Economics (MS) Theses

Over the past decade, people and companies have left California for myriad reasons. This paper examines the effect of announcing a headquarters relocation on a firm's stock price. Using traditional event study methodology, I analyze over 400 move announcements from 2004-2024 to find a positive abnormal return in the short run when firms announce that they are moving their headquarters. There is a pronounced impact on stock prices for firms leaving California and moving to Texas.

Examining The Role Of Intersectionality With Risk And Protective Factors In Suicidal Ideation: Insights From The 2022- 2023 California Health Kids Survey, Sarah E. Madrid

Education (PhD) Dissertations

Critical suicidology aims to broaden traditional suicidology and theories by critically engaging with discourse, power dynamics, and social histories to draw attention on how social systems and structures affect an individual’s experience with suicidal behavior. This study was grounded by critical suicidology and investigated suicidal ideation in secondary school-age students by using an intersecting lens. The 2022 – 2023 California Healthy Kids Survey, and accompanying Mental Health Supports Module and Trauma Module, were used to identify both risk and protective factors for suicidal ideation. A series of binary logistic regression models were conducted to predict the likelihood of an individual …

Ai's Impact On The Labor Market: Shaping The Present And Forecasting The Future, Emma Ryan

Honors Projects in Mathematics and Economics

Artificial Intelligence is one of the fastest growing technologies, providing humans with a tool to assist them in their daily lives. While this is an advantage, there is also the downside that AI has the ability to remove routine and repetitive tasks. This paper takes a closer look at the impacts of Artificial Intelligence on the labor market and analyzes the implications of AI, both positive and negative. It elaborates on both the job opportunities present due to AI and the job displacement that may occur. A detailed survey was distributed to college students to understand their perceptions of AI …

Motivating Community Attendance: The Role Of Self-Determination Theory And Message Framing, With Moderating Effects Of Organizational Credibility And Community Attachment, April Batson-Bright

Communication (PhD) Dissertations

A two-part, mixed methods study explored the impacts of motivational messages on a parents’ intention for their family to attend a hypothetical community Snow Day event hosted by the local County parks and recreation division. Grounded in self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000), message frame theory (Rothman & Salovey, 1997), community attachment theory (Kasarda & Janowitz, 1974), and organizational credibility the study examined these factors and their impacts on behavioral intention. In Study One, two focus groups assessed parents’ perceptions of credibility of a local government agency hosting the event, as well as perceptions of the flyer advertising the event. …

Improving Accessibility Of Anatomy Physical Study Aids, Michael Hopwood, Dorothy Berenbrok, Timberlyn Weber, Abby L. Adamczyk Mlis, Ahip

Academic Commons and Scott Memorial Library Staff Papers and Presentations

Background

Physical anatomy models are a valuable tool for student learning.^1-3 The Scott Memorial Library, an academic health sciences library, houses a total of 240 anatomy models in 75 different forms (e.g., hand, arm and shoulder, whole torso, etc.) at the service desk. These models are used by students across the health professions including medicine, physician assistants, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. Previously, library catalog records were the only way to find a list of available models. These catalog records were not comprehensive, did not use a consistent naming system, and did not contain images of the models. This …

Osc Agenda 2025-05-01, Northern Illinois University

Operating Staff Council Archives

No abstract provided.

Perceptions Of Choral Diction Curricula, Caitlyn Dixon

Dissertations

This study proposed to provide in-depth insights into the current status of the efficacy of diction curricula, as well as to seek ways for enhancing the curricula to better support a culturally diverse musical experience. 21st century choral music encompasses languages and music from all over the world. While this diversity is crucial to the idea of a global choral community, it necessitates choral conductors to be scholars of diction, which includes creating the appropriate sounds for a given language. For a conductor to confidently perform in global languages requires skills, resources, and tools. This study examined the diction coursework …

Israeli Educational Policy Procedures On The Book “Geography Of Palestine And Its Modern And Contemporary History” For The Tenth Grade, Mirvat R. Abu Asab, Soheil H. Salha

An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities)

Objective: The study aimed to verify the procedures of the Israeli educational policy on the book “Geography of Palestine and its Modern and Contemporary History” for the tenth grade. Method: The descriptive analytical approach was used by analyzing and comparing the content of “The Geography of Palestine and its Modern and Contemporary History” for the tenth grade, first and second parts, issued by the Palestinian Ministry of Education, with the content of the same one that the Israeli censorship in the Ministry of Education and the Jerusalem Municipality changed it, and determined the size and quality of the change. Results: …