Digital Commons Network^™

Five Corridors: A Community Health Needs Assessment Of Horry County, Stephen Borders, Hayley Bilko, Molly Craig, Olivia Guthrie, Ashley Mcconnell, Emily Mcgowan, Anna Quick, Abigail Rike, Makayla Wilson

Public Health

This report presents a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) of Horry County, South Carolina. Its central analytical contribution is a five-corridor framework derived from k-means cluster analysis of the county's 76 residential census tracts, drawing on social and economic indicators from the American Community Survey and health estimates from the CDC PLACES program. The analysis organizes the county into five distinct community types — Affluent Coastal Retirement, Moderate Coastal Retirement, Inland Rural/Suburban Transitional, Concentrated Disadvantage, and Hispanic Hospitality Worker — each with a characteristic profile of social and health conditions.

Within this framework, the assessment examines a range of social …

Mitigating The Effects Of Ceo Overconfidence: A Group Information Processing Perspective, Jun Xu, Lin Li, Haibo Liu, Wanrong Hou, Qi Zhu

Management Faculty Publications

Research Question/Issue

This study explores the moderating effects of board network centrality on the relationship between CEO overconfidence and acquisition intensity.

Research Findings/Insights

Using a panel of S&P 1500 firms from 2002 to 2018, we find that CEO overconfidence is positively associated with acquisition intensity. This relationship is weakened when boards occupy more central positions in the interlocking director network. Furthermore, this mitigating effect is stronger when (1) connected firms exhibit greater variability in acquisition intensity, (2) directors maintain stronger internal social connections, and (3) boards have greater female representation.

Theoretical/Academic Implications

We conceptualize board network centrality as enhancing information …

Improving Nursing Compliance With Pressure Injury Prevention In Postoperative Patients In The Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit, Chingyi Lam

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Pressure injuries acquired in the hospital continue to be a major concern in patient safety among critically ill populations. The purpose of the quality improvement project was to improve nursing compliance with pressure injury prevention strategies among postoperative patients in a cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU). Patients who undergo cardiovascular surgery are at a high risk of developing pressure injuries due to immobility, sedation, vasopressors, and prolonged positioning on their backs. The quality improvement project was carried out in a 37-bed CVICU using the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Model for Improvement and Plan–Do–Study–Act (PDSA) cycles. Data on nursing repositioning …

Clustering And Switching As A Scoring System In Indonesian Three Word Fluency Tests, Heni Gerda Pesau, Gilles Van Luijtelaar

Makara Human Behavior Studies in Asia

The number of correctly produced words is the primary output variable n most verbal fluency tests. The examination of the number of clusters and cluster size achieves a more in-depth analyses of cognitive aspects and processes. We propose a scoring system for phonemic, semantic, and emotion word fluency tests in the Indonesian context. This study aimed to determine the underlying cognitive constructs of the participants, including the clustering and switching indices, using principal component analysis (PCA). A total of 150 participants were included, and the tests were administered online following a previously validated protocol. The three fluency tests loaded different …

Bridging Images And Language In Radiology: A Comprehensive Prisma Systematic Review Of Transformer Vision-Language Models And Clinical Readiness, Mohammad T. Khasawneh Dr., Sadaf Tabatabaee

Systems Science and Industrial Engineering Student Scholarship

Transformer vision-language models (VLMs) promise end-to-end automation of radiology reporting and related multimodal tasks. However, evidence remains fragmented across datasets, architectures, evaluation practices, and levels of clinical validation, limiting fair comparison and safe translation into practice. Following PRISMA 2020/PRISMA-S, search engines including PubMed, IEEE Xplore, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were systematically searched for peer-reviewed, English-language studies published between 2019 and 2025 that used paired radiology images and free-text reports. Dual reviewers screened records and extracted data using a locked schema covering datasets, modalities, architectures, training objectives, evaluation metrics, and indicators of clinical readiness. Free-text model descriptions were normalized …

The Red Hook Project In Perspective: Reflections On The Multi-Hatted Court, Malcolm M. Feeley

NULR Online

No abstract provided.

Brain Age Prediction In Generalized Anxiety Disorder Using A Convolutional Neural Network, Corey Richier, André Zugman, Anita Harrewijn, Elise M Cardinale, Parmis Khosravi, Moji Aghajani, Willem B Bruin, Kevin Hilbert, Narcis Cardoner, Daniel Porta-Casteràs, Marta Cano, Savannah Gosnell, Ramiro Salas, Andrea P Jackowski, Pedro M Pan, Giovanni A Salum, Karina S Blair, James R Blair, Mohammed R Milad, Katie L Burkhouse, K Luan Phan, Heidi K Schroeder, Jeffrey R Strawn, Katja Beesdo-Baum, Neda Jahanshad, Sophia I Thomopoulos, Jared A Nielsen, Jordan W Smoller, Jair C Soares, Benson Mwangi, Mon-Ju Wu, Giovana B Zunta-Soares, Michal Assaf, Gretchen J Diefenbach, Paolo Brambilla, Eleonora Maggioni, David Hofmann, Thomas Straube, Carmen Andreescu, Rebecca B Price, Gisele G Manfro, Federica Agosta, Elisa Canu, Camilla Cividini, Massimo Filippi, Milutin Kostić, Ana Munjiza Jovanovic, Brenda Benson, Gabrielle F Freitag, Ellen Leibenluft, Grace V Ringlein, Kathryn Werwath, Hannah Zwiebel, Hans J Grabe, Sandra Van Der Auwera, Katharina Wittfeld, Henry Völzke, Robin Bülow, Nicholas L Balderston, Monique Ernst, Lilianne R Mujica-Parodi, Helena Van Nieuwenhuizen, Hugo D Critchley, Elena Makovac, Matteo Mancini, Frances Meeten, Cristina Ottaviani, Gregory A Fonzo, Martin P Paulus, Murray B Stein, Raquel E Gur, Ruben C Gur, Antonia N Kaczkurkin, Bart Larsen, Theodore D Satterthwaite, Jennifer Harper, Michael T Perino, Chad M Sylvester, Qiongru Yu, Patrick Mcclure, Francisco Pereira, Ulrike Lueken, Dick J Veltman, Paul M Thompson, Nynke A Groenewold, Janna Marie Bas-Hoogendam, Dan J Stein, Nic J A Van Der Wee, Anderson M Winkler, Daniel S Pine, Chelsea K Sawyers

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Higher predicted brain age difference has been associated with several psychiatric disorders. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is associated with markers of accelerated aging. In this study, we determined brain predicted age difference (PAD) in individuals with GAD and healthy controls (HC) as well as group differences in PAD variability using voxel-wise structural MRI. The training dataset included 3511 controls, and the testing dataset included 1595 individuals with GAD and 4552 HC from the ENIGMA-Anxiety GAD Working Group. A convolutional neural network model using four input modalities per subject and a model ensemble approach was used to predict brain age. The …

The Red Hook Community Court: A Continuing Experiment, Christopher Slobogin

NULR Online

No abstract provided.

The Beauty Of Gray: Embracing The Role Of Community Courts And The Professionals Who Work At The Boundary Of Court And Community, Amanda N. Berman

NULR Online

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Social Media Platforms In Combating Health Misinformation Among The Jordanian Public From The Perspective Of Jordanian Pharmacists, Hani Ahmad Fayez Al-Badri

Middle East Journal of Communication Studies

The proliferation of health-related misinformation constitutes a serious threat to public health security. Pharmacists, as healthcare professionals, play a crucial role in addressing this phenomenon by increasing public awareness and dispelling misconceptions. The present study seeks to examine the role of social media platforms in mitigating health misinformation among the Jordanian public from the perspective of practicing pharmacists in Jordan. Adopting a descriptive survey methodology, the study employed a structured questionnaire distributed to a random sample of 480 pharmacists. The findings indicated that platforms such as WhatsApp (mean score = 4.43) and Facebook (mean score = 3.92) were the most …

The Role Of Media In Enhancing The Awareness Of Jordanian University Students About The Risks Of Energy Drinks, Rasha Salameh, R. Abuhasirah

Middle East Journal of Communication Studies

This article aimed to explore the role of media in enhancing the awareness of Jordanian university students regarding the health risks associated with energy drink consumption. The article employed a media audience survey method, applied to a Quota sample of 300 students from diverse academic disciplines (humanities, health sciences, and natural sciences) at Yarmouk University (public) and Middle East University (private). Data were collected between March 10 and April 15, 2025. The results indicated that energy drink consumption was higher among Middle East University students (55.4%) compared to Yarmouk University students (44.6%). Furthermore, students in the humanities reported higher consumption …

The Role Of Artificial Intelligence In Developing Science Journalism Strategies And Enhancing Political Awareness, Enad Akif Al-Jallad

Middle East Journal of Communication Studies

This study aimed to analyze the role of artificial intelligence in developing science journalism strategies and enhancing its capacity to raise political awareness. The study adopted a descriptive-analytical methodology through a review of relevant literature and an analysis of scientific content related to artificial intelligence technologies and their media applications. It also relied on a set of applied experiences in science journalism, including The Guardian’s coverage of climate issues and Al Jazeera Net’s reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic and its connection to health policies.

The findings revealed that science journalism serves as a fundamental tool for transferring knowledge to the …

The Role Of Public Relations Practitioners In Jordanian Hospitals In Managing The Covid-19 Crisis In 2020., Dana Khalil Basheer Al-Shloul

Middle East Journal of Communication Studies

This study aimed to identify the departments and divisions that contributed to public relations in Jordanian hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to determine the procedures undertaken by public relations practitioners and the challenges they faced. Utilizing a descriptive-survey methodology guided by the Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) model, the research collected data from a comprehensive sample of 16 individuals using a questionnaire.

The findings revealed that senior management’s participation in pandemic management in the surveyed hospitals was 37.93%, followed by the Ministry of Health at 27.59%. The public relations department’s actions varied by phase. Before the …

Media And Climate Change: Responsibilities And Tasks, Kamel Khurshid Murad, Najm A. Alhatimi, Muhammed Kamel Al-Quran

Middle East Journal of Communication Studies

The study aimed to examine the role of the media in enhancing public awareness of climate change and to assess how media framing of content influences individuals’ beliefs, responses to climate-related messages, and subsequent behaviors. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, combining both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. A survey was conducted with 142 academics and university students to evaluate the media’s role in covering climate change issues and to determine their level of trust in the presented content. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted with five experts specializing in journalism and media, including professionals in media management and program hosting. The findings …

Breaking Barriers: A Literature Review On The Experiences Of Black Male Librarians In Urban Academic Libraries, Quintis Pinder

Urban Library Journal

This literature review examines the underrepresentation of Black male librarians in academic libraries, focusing on systemic barriers that they face, such as stereotype threat, microaggressions, and lack of mentorship. It explores the challenges to their career advancement and leadership opportunities, highlighting the influence of racial and gender biases in the workplace. The review also discusses the strategies Black male librarians use to navigate these obstacles, including personal coping mechanisms, mentorship, and support from professional organizations like the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA). Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of institutional diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, advocating for …

Let Freedom Read: Exploring Mississippi’S Defiance Of National Book Banning Trends, Olivia S. Hoover

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Why have book bans have surged so dramatically across the United States in recent years, especially as they have become a defining political project for conservative lawmakers? At the center of this uptick in book bans lies a confusing puzzle: while book bans overwhelmingly occur in Republican-dominated states, Mississippi, despite its conservative political landscape, has seen almost none, even as states like Florida have enacted more than a thousand in a single year. Much of the existing scholarship on book bans focuses on national patterns of them or on the lawmakers and advocacy groups driving these bans, leaving a gap …

Evaluation Of Spontaneous Awakening And Breathing Trials Prior To Mechanical Ventilator Extubation To Enhance Intensive Care Unit Liberation, Shelby Taranto

Doctoral Projects

Spontaneous Awakening and Breathing Trials (SAT/SBT) might be central to early extubation by decreasing total ventilator time and reducing the intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS). Unfortunately, these trials often have not been conducted consistently in the ICU. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the frequency of SAT/SBT performed prior to mechanical ventilator extubation on total ventilator time in hours and LOS. Quality improvement aims were: (1) to ascertain if an extubation readiness tool could be easily followed and documented, and (2) to evaluate if an extubation readiness tool would add value in clinical practice. A …

Private Languages, Jeremy Bertomeu

Olin Business School Faculty Research

Strategic communication often relies on anchors observed by the sender but not by the receiver. An analyst may report against a proprietary valuation model, an auditor against an internal score, a manager against an accounting estimate, or an institution against its own standard. I study a sender-receiver game in which reports are costly to move away from such privately observed anchors. Anchor heterogeneity changes the geometry of communication. Rather than relying on partitions, privately anchored reporting generates continuous variation in messages because different senders find different reports costly to make. This mechanism can improve information transmission, but it can also …

What Complexity Costs: Growth, Productive Capability, And The Vulnerability Of Interconnectedness, Pete Mcniff

Master's Theses

Growth depends on the sophistication of what an economy can produce, but economies that have specialized more deeply depend on the market access that sustains it. I test whether this dependence makes complex economies more vulnerable when access is disrupted, computing the Economic Complexity Index (ECI) from firm-level records in the U.S. Census of Manufactures (1850--1880) and using the Panic of 1873 as a natural experiment to measure county-level market access shocks from railroad bond defaults following Dutta (2024) and Donaldson and Hornbeck (2016). ECI predicts production and employment growth across all three decade windows, with the association strengthening as …

Hidden Behind Happiness: Bhutan’S Global Image And Ethnic Exclusion, Deepesh Das Shrestha

Master's Theses

Bhutan has gained international recognition for its philosophy of Gross National Happiness (GNH), which promotes holistic development through principles of well-being, environmental sustainability, cultural preservation, and good governance. Yet this celebrated image conceals a darker history: the systematic expulsion of the Lhotsampa, the Nepali-speaking ethnic minority of southern Bhutan. This study critically explores the contradiction between Bhutan's international image as a model of happiness and the lived experiences of Lhotsampa refugees who were displaced during the early 1990s.

Using a qualitative phenomenological research design, the study draws upon in-depth semi-structured interviews with six resettled Bhutanese Lhotsampa refugees living in the …

The Impact Of Sovereign Wealth Funds On Emerging Markets: A Behavioral Analysis Of Investment Decisions And Market Reactions, Grant A. Mosshart

Senior Honors Theses

Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) are increasingly influential in emerging markets, yet the behavioral drivers behind their investments remain underexplored. In this paper, an analysis of SWF capital’s impact on economic development and the psychological factors, such as optimism bias and herding, that shape these decisions is examined. Utilizing a mixed-methods comparative study, the research analyzes Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Singapore’s Temasek Holdings. Event study analysis reveals a divergent impact: the PIF’s high-profile developmental commitment to India generated a positive 5-day Cumulative Abnormal Return of +2.05%, confirming a macro-level “seal of approval” signaling effect. By contrast, Temasek’s commercially …

Reviving Revive. Is The Notion Of An Independent Artist An Outdated Concept?, Richard C. Moore Mr

Staff Scholarship - Australia & Dubai

This article published in Spectator Magazine - online - is a reflection on whether or not a cultural policy is a means of controlling the artistic community and whether there is still such a being as an independent Australian artist. It was published as the 2026 submissions for an update to Australia's cultural policy REVIVE -  were closing.

Updated Trends In The Global Prevalence And Burden Of Mental Disorders, 1990–2023: A Systematic Analysis For The Global Burden Of Disease Study 2023, Damian F. Santomauro, Paul Anthony Miller, Jamileh Shadid, Sarah Wulf Hanson, Anh Vo, Darius Jake Roy, Hailey Hagins, Ana M. Mantilla Herrera, James G. Scott, Holly E. Erskine, John J. Mcgrath, Hasan Aalruz, Hedayat Abbastabar, Nadin M.I. Abdel Razeq, Ahmed Abdelrahman Abdelgalil, Ali Abdolizadeh, Deldar Morad Abdulah, Abisola Esther Abdulmalik, Meklit Girma Abebe, Mesfin Abebe, Habtamu Abebe Getahun, Roberto Ariel Abeldaño Zuñiga, Olifan Zewdie Abil, Richard Gyan Aboagye, Shady Abohashem, Abdullahi Tunde Aborode, Moaz Elsayed Abouelmagd, Mohammad T. Abuawwad

All Works

Background The 2023 iteration of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) estimated prevalence, incidence, and health burden for 375 diseases and injuries, including 12 mental disorders. We assess past, current, and emerging trends in the prevalence and burden of mental disorders across sexes and age groups, for 21 regions, 204 countries and territories, and by Socio-demographic Index (SDI) quintile, from 1990 to 2023. Methods Mental disorders included in GBD 2023 were anxiety disorders, major depressive disorder, dysthymia, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders, conduct disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, idiopathic developmental intellectual …

Field Monitoring And Geometric Representation Of A Uhpc-Repaired Bridge Structure, Robert Lawler

Honors Scholar Theses

Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) has shown promise in bridge rehabilitation broadly, but its application to steel gusset plate repair represents a novel use case with limited prior research. Therefore, when the Commodore Isaac Hull Bridge in Derby, Connecticut, was issued an emergency declaration due to gusset plate section loss, a UHPC repair was implemented. This project represented the first known field implementation of this type of UHPC gusset plate repair, marking a significant advancement in the rehabilitation of deteriorated steel bridge components. To support long-term performance assessment and ensure the success of the repair, field monitoring efforts were also incorporated …

Stronger Together Program: Justice For Latino Youth Involved In The Juvenile Justice System, Leyla Feize, Marisa Ugalde, John M. Gonzalez, Tamer Oraby

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

Adolescents are vulnerable to delinquent behaviors during their period of cognitive and emotional development. Latino adolescents are often more vulnerable to delinquency behaviors and are over-involved in the juvenile system. Ten Latino youths and 15 parents/guardians participated in a culturally adapted Functional Family Therapy (FFT) intervention program. The behavioral change of the youths was measured using pre- and post-test scores on the Sorensen Self-Esteem test questionnaire and the Low Self-Control Measure. The parents/guardians’ behavioral change was measured using pre- and post-test scores from the Family Interpersonal Relationship Questionnaire. The results indicated that the youths’ self-esteem increased. The change in self-control …

Improving Human-Wildlife Coexistence: An Ecological And Educational Approach To Rewilding Grizzly Bears (Ursus Arctos Horribilis) In California, Amanda C. D. Rosales

Master's Projects and Capstones

Megafauna extinction during the Holocene has been both caused and amplified by climatic changes and human influence. By the last half century, large carnivores were diminished in Europe and the United States, but policies increasingly addressed species decline and their territories expanded. This research examined large carnivore rewilding across the European Union and United States, specifically for rewilding brown bears, Ursus arctos, in historic habitat. Next, case studies for the health status of climate-impacted whitebark pine, Pinus albicaulis, a high energy food for bears, was assessed. Ultimately, research case studies, human perspective surveys, and the California Department of Education content …

Justice On Autopilot: Comparing Predictive Litigation And Data Justice In Bay Area Municipal Governments, Darris M. Thomas

Master's Projects and Capstones

This Capstone project examines how Bay Area municipal governments, specifically the City and County of San Francisco, Alameda County, San Mateo County, and Santa Clara County, are adopting and governing predictive litigation technologies, and what these practices reveal about the possibilities and limitations of data justice in advancing racial equity, transparency, and public accountability. Drawing on a qualitative, comparative case study methodology analyzing procurement contracts, AI governance policies, California Public Records Act (CPRA) disclosures, and semi-structured interviews gathered across fifteen municipal legal institutions, the research applies an interdisciplinary theoretical framework synthesizing John Rawls’s distributive fairness, Nancy Fraser’s recognition justice, Tom …

Increasing Students’ Self-Efficacy In Consuming, Conducting, And Disseminating Neuroimaging Research: Experiences From Teaching Edps 991: Social And Affective Neuroscience, Isabella Starling Alves

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

Social and emotional factors are critical for learning, being core aspects of the educational  psychology curricula. Recently, neuroimaging has emerged as a powerful tool to  comprehend the neurobiological factors underlying these factors. Yet, many educational  psychologists have low familiarity with neuroscience research. The course EDPS 991:  Social and Affective Neuroscience, from the Department of Educational Psychology at the  University of Nebraska-Lincoln, emerges in this context, training educational psychology  graduate students to consume, conduct, and disseminate findings about how the brain  relates to socioemotional processes. One challenge related to the course is that many  students feel anxious about learning the neuroimaging …

Climate-Driven Maritime Hazards And Marine Fuel Oil Spill Risk In The Northwest Passage, Emily Grace Parker

Master's Projects and Capstones

Shipping activity across the Northwest Passage has increased by 46% since 2011 as climate forcing drives sea ice decline, but associated risks to vessels and the environment are underestimated and rarely examined together. A literature review conducted in this study indicated that by 2070, a 5-month navigation window will expose vessels to increasingly unpredictable hazards as the region transforms from an ice- to wave-dominated regime, with wave heights increasing by 10-13% per decade. Ice hazards persist, and vessels operating in early summer and late fall will be exposed to elevated ice accretion risk that can cause capsizing and marine fuel …

Effectiveness Of Wastewater Treatment Technologies For Pharmaceutical Removal In Bogotá, Colombia, Lady Palomino

Master's Projects and Capstones

Pharmaceutical compounds are increasingly detected in urban water systems worldwide, posing significant ecological and public health risks in cities where wastewater treatment infrastructure is insufficient to remove them. This study evaluates the presence of pharmaceutical compounds in Bogotá's wastewater systems, the effectiveness of current treatment technologies for their removal, and the regulatory and monitoring gaps that hinder their management as emerging contaminants of concern. A systematic literature review was conducted to assess the occurrence of pharmaceuticals in municipal and hospital wastewater, as well as in effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and receiving surface waters in Colombia, with particular focus …