Digital Commons Network^™

Mathematical Model For Tripledemic Disease (Covid-19, Rsv, And Influenza), Foster Opoku

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The concurrent circulation of COVID-19, Influenza (Flu), and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), collectively termed the ”Tripledemic,” poses substantial public health challenges due to their overlapping transmission patterns and compounded healthcare demands. The discovery of COVID-19 vaccines such as Moderna (mRNA-1273, Spikevax) and Johnson & Johnson’s, among other vaccines, has reduced COVID-19 cases but has not completely eradicated the disease. In the 2022-2023 season, the world witnessed a ”tripledemic” of Flu, COVID-19, and RSV. We propose Susceptible-Infectious-Recovered (SIR) and SusceptibleExposed-Infectious-Recovered (SEIR) mathematical models to estimate transmission rates, compute the basic reproduction number, forecast infections, and analyze seasonal variations and comparative transmission …

Microplastics In Urban Environments: Distribution, Fate, And Transport, Mithu Chanda

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Microplastics (MPs) have become a growing environmental concern, particularly in urban areas where anthropogenic activities intensify their presence in ecosystems. This research investigates MPs’ distribution, fate, and transport in urban environments, focusing on stormwater retention (SWR) ponds, bioretention systems (BRS), and saturated porous media. Field studies analyzed MPs in freshwater sediments of SWR ponds across residential, educational, and mixed urban land-use types, identifying distinct contamination patterns. Vertical distribution analyses in bioretention media highlighted the potential of BRS as a green infrastructure for retaining MPs. Laboratory experiments further explored MPs’ transport and retention in saturated porous media, examining the effects of …

Assessing A Police Department's Reliance On The National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (Nibin) To Solve Shooting Cases: Can Nibin Increase Shooting Clearance Rates?, James Stephen Abbott

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Often, police response to shooting incidents lacks the investigative leads needed for successful follow-up and prosecution. This may result from a lack of surveillance video or witnesses investigators rely on to solve such cases quickly. To overcome these obstacles, law enforcement has turned to forensic science to provide police with the information and clues to be successful. Ballistic evidence is one such tool that can provide police with detailed information regarding linked shooting cases that can help identify possible new witnesses, surveillance videos, potential suspects and criminal groups, motive, and account for the number of firearms used at the scene. …

The Relationship Of Family Characteristics Of At-Risk Children In Rural West Tennessee And Select Measures Of Success Over A Period Of 10 Years, Kelly Ann Maupin

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore differences in a program funded in rural West Tennessee. The Promethean Foundation is a program that provides childcare tuition support to at-risk children. While the program has been in existence for 20 years, the study focused on 10 years from 2009 through 2019. The program staff reviewed the perceptions of staff and family members during the qualifying process. The study was also to investigate the level of achievement measured in children by age five and nine years considering the length of time enrolled in an early childhood program. To explore differences, children …

Person-Centered Preemployment Transition Services: Student And Parent Involvement, Tiffany Ramsey

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) in 2014, changed the way state operated vocational rehabilitation (VR) programs provide services to students with disabilities. WIOA did this with the introduction of the provision of preemployment transition services to students with a disability aged 14-22 and allowed for the provision of services to both potentially eligible students and eligible students with an IPE. This study explored the associations of preemployment transition services in relation to the number of days from eligibility to VR case closure with an exit reason of competitive integrated employment outcome. The quantitative results of …

Assessing The Doctoral Capstone As A High-Impact Practice In Occupational Therapy Education, Erin Melhorn

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to assess the doctoral capstone as a high-impact practice in occupational therapy education. By analyzing the perceptions of Occupational Therapy Doctorate graduates, site mentors, and faculty mentors, using the eight key indicators of a high-impact practice the researcher sought to understand the value and impact of the doctoral capstone experience. A single case study design was used to survey graduates, faculty mentors, and site mentors who participated in the doctoral capstone from 2017-2024. Using a generic qualitative research approach to investigate the research questions, the researcher utilized both survey questionnaire data and interview data …

Optimizing Inpatient And Emergency Care For Pediatric Healthcare For Patients With Disabilities And/Or Diverse Health Needs, Ellagrace Brunton

OTD DEx Reports - College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Abstract

A researcher from an entry-level doctorate program examined the barriers to equitable healthcare access and experiences in emergency and inpatient settings for pediatric patients with diverse health needs, including intellectual and developmental disabilities, social-emotional challenges, and complex medical histories. The Optimizing Pediatric Healthcare project aimed to enhance the healthcare experience for individuals with disabilities and their support systems by emphasizing the importance of continuing education, collaboration, and inclusivity. This report evaluates the implementation of evidence-based resources, such as continuing education modules for healthcare providers. These modules were developed to address disparities pertaining to sensory strategies, trauma-informed care approaches, and …

The Effectiveness Of Cannabis And Its Impact On Daily Activities, Brooke Mazzarelli

OTD DEx Reports - College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Mental and physical health struggles have become increasingly prominent for individuals in all phases of life to various degrees. These struggles negatively impact a person's ability to effectively complete preferred daily tasks and occupations, specifically if untreated. Current literature indicates that although there are multiple prescription medications to alleviate symptoms of anxiety, chronic pain, and sleep issues, these medications come with a long list of short-term and long-term side effects and can also be expensive and unaffordable without insurance, especially when considering that these four symptoms are often identified as comorbidities. These factors highlight why there is an increased need …

Supporting Care Partners Of Individuals Impacted By Mental Illness Through An Occupational Therapy Lens, Chelsea A. Monpas

OTD DEx Reports - College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Care partners of individuals with mental illness experience impacts on daily life from stress, stigma, changes in role and routines, and occupational imbalance. Addressing these needs falls within the scope of occupational therapy (OT); however, it has not been widely implemented with care partners. The purpose of this research study was to develop and implement a support program for care partners of individuals with mental illness through an OT perspective. The program was designed using literature supported interventions, collaboration with mental health practitioners and health care providers, and participant reported needs to support and increase occupational balance for care partner …

The Impact Of Learning Environment Modifications On Physical And Mental Health, Marley J. Nissenbaum

OTD DEx Reports - College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

University students are at heightened risk of chronic pain and mental health challenges due to academic stress, poor sleep, and inadequate ergonomics in classroom settings. Musculoskeletal pain is especially common among students in healthcare fields, including occupational therapy, where the demands of the profession increase the importance of proper body mechanics. Despite being taught ergonomic principles, many students lack access to ergonomically appropriate learning environments. This study aims to explore how ergonomic modifications and education affect the physical and mental well-being of occupational therapy graduate students. A four-week randomized control trial was conducted with 19 students from Western New England …

Unlimbited Wellness ©: Exploring Prosthetic Use: Navigating The Journey Of Embodiment Through Occupational Therapy Intervention, Jordyn A. Robertson

OTD DEx Reports - College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

This doctoral capstone project explores prosthetic abandonment and embodiment with the goal of enhancing prosthetic acceptance through education, advocacy, and psychosocial support. The student researcher implemented a series of educational modules within Unlimbited Wellness©, a telehealth program founded by Dr. Debra Latour, in collaboration with Handspring Clinical Services. The researcher delivered these modules through structured focus groups using an occupational therapy framework, designed to support individuals with upper limb absence (ULA). The researcher included participants over the age of eighteen years of age, with any level of ULA currently using prosthesis, or who are currently in the process …

Tracking Love, Marking Milestones: The Hidden Struggle Of Caregiver Mental Health, Kehinde Olasehinde

OTD DEx Reports - College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Caregivers play a critical role in monitoring and tracking their child's developmental milestones, often seeking reassurance that their child is progressing appropriately for their age. However, the process of developmental tracking can present emotional challenges and contribute to caregiver stress and anxiety. This doctoral experiential project aims to assess the accuracy with which caregivers track developmental milestones and explore the mental health implications of this process. The primary objective is to identify gaps in caregiver knowledge and recognize the challenges they face in understanding and monitoring child development. A secondary goal is to promote awareness of the importance of caregiver …

Holistic Healing: Advancing Psychosocial Cancer Care Through Occupational Therapy, Emily N. Labrie

OTD DEx Reports - College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

In 2025, an estimated 2,041,910 cancer diagnoses will be given in the United States (American Cancer Society, 2025). With continued developments in cancer research, this increased number of diagnoses also leads to a growing number of cancer survivors. In the depths of traditional Western approaches to cancer care, however, the person behind the diagnosis often remains unaddressed. This doctoral experiential capstone project focused on the integration of occupational therapy within the Cancer House of Hope, a nonprofit community organization in West Springfield, Massachusetts supporting individuals living with and beyond cancer. The project aimed to increase psychosocial support for individuals along …

Bridging Health And Function: Integrating Occupational Therapy Into An Urgent Care Campus Health Center, Brooke L. Mckeon

OTD DEx Reports - College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

As the field of occupational therapy (OT) continues to grow, its potential impact in emerging practice areas is often underrecognized, particularly in primary and urgent care settings. Traditionally rooted in hospital and rehabilitation environments, occupational therapy remains underutilized in outpatient and preventative care, despite its well-established benefits. This is especially evident in university health centers, where increasing health concerns among college students, faculty, and staff have created a growing need for holistic and accessible support services. Occupational therapy's unique role supports health promotion, rehabilitation, and injury prevention in ways that complement and enhance medical care. Integrating occupational therapy into primary …

The Examination Of Teacher Mentorship Design For Mentees, Cagla Cobek

Dissertations

Teacher stress has been documented as a problem for today’s educators. Improving teachers’ well-being through mentorship programs is promising in the literature. Therefore, this study examined a daily check-in mentorship program for teachers experiencing moderate stress. The researchers examined the changes in mentees’ daily stress levels, perceived stress, sense of self-efficacy, and use of proactive classroom management strategies. Mentees and mentors were also asked to complete ratings of the social validity of the mentorship program. Three mentees and mentor dyads working in an elementary and middle school in a Southeastern school district in the USA participated. A nonconcurrent Multiple Baseline …

Calliope Liv Steadfast 2025, Calliope

Calliope

No abstract provided.

Cotton/Soybean Insect Newsletter, May 1, 2025, Jeremy K. Greene

Clemson University Cotton/Soybean Insect Newsletter

No abstract provided.

2025 Commencement Program, Columbia College Chicago

Commencement Programs

The commencement program of the 2025 Columbia College Chicago graduation ceremonies.

Learning Through Relationship, Eileen L. Lamble

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

A brief compilation of growth and learning through the 10 core competencies of social work.

The Effect Of Hiv-1 Infection Associated Bacterial Lipopolysaccharide (Lps) On Human Oral Keratinocytes: Implications For Promoting Chronic Inflammation, Md Shafayat Jamil

Theses and Dissertations

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) remains a major global health concern, affecting approximately 39 million people worldwide, with 500,000 new infections reported in 2022. While combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) has significantly reduced viral replication, HIV-1 infection is linked to various comorbidities, including oral dysbiosis and accelerated aging. Immune dysregulation in HIV-1–infected individuals promotes the proliferation of pathogenic gram-negative bacteria like Porphyromonas gingivalis, a key contributor to periodontal disease. P. gingivalis secretes lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which adversely affects human oral keratinocytes (HOK), the first line of defense against microbial threats in the oral cavity. HOK recognize LPS as a threat, …

Drug-Target Binding Affinity Prediction With Graph-Based Models: The Impact Of 3d Structural Information, Angel Antonio Peredo

Theses and Dissertations

Drug–target affinity (DTA) prediction is a critical step in accelerating drug discovery and reducing its associated costs. Existing computational approaches often employ one-dimensional protein sequences or two-dimensional molecular graphs, which can overlook important three-dimensional (3D) structural features. The present study investigates whether incorporating 3D information of both proteins and ligands can yield more meaningful representations for binding affinity prediction. Specifically, Graph Transformers (GT) are utilized, and the integration of Equivariant Graph Neural Networks (EGNN) is explored to preserve and leverage spatial information during learning.

Using the CrossDocked2020 dataset, which provides protein structures in Protein Data Bank (PDB) format, proteins and …

Generalizable Skill Learning In Robotic Agents Using Transformer Models, Erik Enriquez

Theses and Dissertations

This work explores the application of Transformer models to robotic skill learning, aiming to enhance generalization across various physical tasks and environments with continuous control. Despite their success in other domains, our experiments reveal that the utility of Transformers in robotics heavily depends on pretraining strategies. Specifically, Transformers pretrained on reinforcement learning tasks generalized effectively, while those trained with task-agnostic masking strategies did not. These findings challenge assumptions about the universality of Transformer-based methods and underscore the importance of domain-aligned pretraining for developing versatile robotic agents.

Identification Of Cadmium As A Structural And Functional Modulator Of Psd-95 Regulating Nmdars At Postsynaptic Membranes, Claudia Garza

Theses and Dissertations

Postsynaptic density-95 (PSD-95) is an essential scaffolding protein in excitatory neurons. PSD-95’s N-terminal palmitoylation region elicits synaptic plasticity by targeting, anchoring, and trafficking glutamate receptors, such as N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDAR), to the postsynaptic membrane. The molecular interactions of PSD-95 and its dysregulation in excitatory synapses are currently being explored as primary causes of neurodegenerative diseases and disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Schizophrenia, and Parkinson’s disease. Recent studies demonstrate an overaccumulation of zinc at two cysteines (C3 and C5) and two histidines (H24 and H28) of PSD-95 blocks palmitoylation, causing a loss of NMDAR at the postsynaptic membrane. In addition, exposure …

A Modern Prometheus: Frankenstein's Relevance In Our Modern Society, Amanda C. Partida

Theses and Dissertations

For over two hundred years Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has been in the public consciousness. It took only five years for the first adaptation, Presumption; or the Fate of Frankenstein, to be staged in 1825. Since then, there has been at least one adaptation every decade, with Universal Studios’ 1931 Frankenstein as the most famous adaptation, which shows just how much Shelley’s novel of science and hubris has resonated with audiences for many years.

This thesis aims to connect the ever-changing scientific anxieties of society with the most well-known Frankenstein film adaptations. By focusing on four specific films Frankenstein (1931), …

Two Essays On Finance And Culture, Gia Han Ngoc Doan

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of two essays on finance and culture. The first essay examines the relationship between corporate quality culture and product recalls. The results show that firms with a stronger quality culture are less likely to have product recalls. This relationship is stronger for firms with more female directors and higher levels of managerial ability. We also find that for firms in high-tech industries, the impact of quality culture on product failure is more profound. The results are robust to various endogeneity tests and alternative models. Our findings support that a firm’s quality culture significantly influences product success and …

The Impact Of Politics On Romantic Relationships: Longevity, Quality, And Political Beliefs Or Candidate Choice?, Jadelyn Lopez

Theses and Dissertations

This project aimed to understand how polarization in the United States affects romantic relationships. Other studies in this area have only gauged samples that were either couples in relationships or singles. This work compared the responses of individuals based on their relationship status (in a relationship or not), to note the differences, if any, between samples. This research was conducted through surveys on The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley student population.

In understanding how political opinions affect relationship longevity, satisfaction, and whether candidate choice or opinions matter more, there were interesting findings. Regarding relationship longevity, there was a significance …

Carbon Dioxide, Methane, And Nitrous Oxide Fluxes From Managed Aquatic Systems Of The Rio Grande Valley, Siena Rose Stassi

Theses and Dissertations

Greenhouse gas (GHG) dynamics from small-scale inland water remain relatively understudied, with knowledge gaps across ecosystem types and regions. In South Texas, there is a unique system of managed distributaries and their associated ox-bow lakes, commonly known as resacas. Most resacas are artificially managed and considered novel ecosystems, yet their GHG dynamics are unknown. Two resaca systems were monitored throughout one year to understand the magnitude, temporal variation, and environmental drivers of diffusive fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), along with ebullitive CH4 emissions. Emissions of both CO2 and CH4 peaked in hot summer months, …

Territorio Nepantla: A Visual Exploration Of The Matamoros – Brownsville Borderlands, Michel Valeria Flores Tavizón

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the work presented in the MFA exhibition titled Territorio Nepantla. A multidisciplinary exhibition featuring a visual exploration of the Matamoros and Rio Grande Valley borderlands through the perspective of a Mexican transfronteriza traversing the Matamoros – Brownsville border. The feminist Chicana theory of nepantla, a word from Nahuatl origin meaning “in-between” is central to the exhibition. Scholar Gloria Anzaldua defines the borderlands as a nepantla space, a liminal space where art and la frontera intersect. Nepantla represents the in-betweenness beyond physicality. A nepantla space can be emotional, spiritual, sexual, linguistical and more. This body of work …

Climate Resilience In Texas Assessing The Impact Of Extreme Weather On Energy Poverty And The Mitigating Role Of Tree Canopy Coverage, Yongwen Yang

Theses and Dissertations

Extreme weather events, including severe heat and cold waves —increasingly threaten public health, economic stability, and energy equity. This two-part study examines the interplay between extreme weather, energy poverty, and green infrastructure (tree canopy coverage) in Texas, a state characterized by climatic extremes and socioeconomic diversity.

This study consists of four chapters. The first chapter in the Introduction includes the research background, existing research, research gaps, research questions, and potential contributions. Followed by two core chapters. Chapter II aims to assess the impact of extreme weather on energy poverty at the household level. Chapter III aims to identify whether tree …

Survival, Biofilm Formation, And Control Of Foodborne Pathogens In Hydroponic Systems, Sai Rithin Reddy Kothur Thirupathi

Theses and Dissertations

The growing global population and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns have intensified the demand for sustainable food production methods. Hydroponics, a form of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), has gained attention as a viable solution due to its efficient use of resources such as land and water. Although hydroponic systems are perceived as safer alternatives to conventional farming, recent foodborne outbreaks associated with these systems have raised significant public health concerns. This thesis research investigated the food safety risk in hydroponic, particularly the survival and persistence of foodborne pathogens. Chapters I and II provide a comprehensive overview of hydroponics and the microbial …