Digital Commons Network^™

The Trouble With Being Human, Sam Bray

Theses - ALL

Grief, Trauma and the Invisible Spaces We Cannot Leave

Going Live: How Twitch Appearances Shape Voter Perceptions Of Political Candidates, Leah H. Ross

Theses - ALL

This paper examines the persuasive power of political candidates appearing on livestreaming platforms as a campaign strategy for targeting younger, politically disengaged voters. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of platform affordances, parasocial interaction, celebrity endorsement, and source credibility, it argues that the unique digital architecture of livestreaming sites creates media conditions distinct from traditional broadcast media and other social media. These conditions amplify parasocial experiences, telepresence, and flow, making audiences potentially more receptive to political messaging. The paper then situates livestream appearances within the broader tradition of celebrity endorsements and the growing influence of social media in campaign communication. It …

Evapotranspiration Everywhere, All The Time: Towards A Unified View From Earth Observation, Joshua B. Fisher, Martha C. Anderson, Diego G. Miralles, Kanishka Mallick, Paul C. Stoy, Youngryel Ryu, Wim G. M. Bastiaanssen

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Scientists want to know everything, everywhere, and all the time. This is particularly true in Earth science, where we seek to understand processes that span from the molecular to the planetary scale in how the world works, how it affects us, and how we impact it—especially the water cycle. Evapotranspiration (ET) was the last component to be measured in closing the water cycle: for decades, closing the water budget meant adding up all the measurable components, then inferring ET as the residual. Early measurements relied on water loss from pans and weighing lysimeters, followed by sensors inserted into plants to …

Assessing Knowledge And Decision-Making In Basic Genomics Among Adolescents And Adults, Sidharth Masarur

Honors Scholar Theses

Background

Genetic testing and genomic sequencing are increasingly part of pediatric care, yet many adolescents and parents lack the knowledge needed to make informed decisions. Prior studies show gaps in understanding, even among highly educated families, raising concerns about the adequacy of consent and assent. Little is known about when youth begin to comprehend genomic sequencing and how this impacts their own genetic and genomic decision-making.

Objective

To assess baseline genomic knowledge among adolescents and parents, examine its influence on decisions about genetic testing and sequencing, and identify opinions on appropriate age thresholds for youth participation in testing decisions.

Methods …

Leading A Culture Of Success, Collin T. Ginnaty

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

An in depth look toward leadership in the private and public sectors with emphasis in Law Enforcement Leadership.

A Quality Improvement Project To Increase Identification And Treatment Of Obstructive Sleep Apnea In Patients With Type 2 Diabetes In A Rural Clinic, Paige Spence

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

No abstract provided.

Geometric Approaches To Memory Formation In Soft Matter, Gentian Muhaxheri

Dissertations - ALL

The primary focus of this dissertation is the development of a geometric framework for understanding memory formation in systems composed of interacting hysteretic elements, or hysterons. Using tools from bifurcation and catastrophe theory, this work provides a description of how complex memory behaviors emerge from the structure of the system's configuration space and the system bifurcations under external driving. As a concrete model system, we study networks of connected rubber balloons subjected to different inflation protocols. Under pressure control, the system maps naturally onto a Preisach-type system of non-interacting hysterons and exhibits return point memory. In contrast, under volume control, …

Who Really Cares: A Critical Textual Analysis Of Television Portrayals Of The Fictional “Black Lady Therapist” Post-Pandemic, Tiara Johnson

Dissertations - ALL

Given television’s capacity to shape audience perceptions (Bryant & Oliver 2009) and help our cultural understandings of mental health (McMahon-Coleman & Weaver, 2020), both academic and industry research on mental health depictions and stigmas on television have increased. However, with the growing crisis and need for mental healthcare within the Black community over the past 15 years, this research uses a critical qualitative textual analysis to explore television's portrayal of fictional Black Lady Therapist (BLT) as a main character, and how these depictions counter and support stereotypical depictions of the Black woman and how these depictions can be used to …

Scalable Advanced Control Of Building Hvac Systems Using Physics-Informed Machine Learning, Xuezheng Wang

Dissertations - ALL

Buildings account for approximately 40% of total energy consumption in the United States, with HVAC systems representing the single largest energy end-use. Advanced control strategies such as model predictive control (MPC), reinforcement learning (RL), and differentiable predictive control (DPC) have demonstrated significant energy savings in individual studies, yet their widespread adoption remains limited by the lack of scalable, control-oriented dynamic models, the absence of consensus on control strategy selection, and the gap between single-zone research and multi-zone real-building deployment. This dissertation addresses these barriers through an integrated research program spanning physics-informed machine learning (PIML) model development, advanced control evaluation, and …

As Seen On Tv: Growing Influence Of Latinidad In The United States, Alex Vazquez

Dissertations - ALL

“As Seen on TV: Growing Influence of Latinidad in the United States” examines how Latinos increased their political power through television. Examining both English and Spanish language television programming and its business dealings from the 1970s to the 2010s uncovers an unexplored history of Latino activism. Cultural representations of Latinos on television caused Latinos to respond to these depictions through acts of protest, challenging television’s display of Latinidad. In this dissertation, Latinidad serves as a broad term to link Latin Americans living in the United States. It crosses ethnic identities, uniting them through similar elements of culture expression, language, attitudes, …

Global Invertibility Of Sobolev Mappings And Energy Minimizers With Prescribed Jacobian, Sabrina Traver

Dissertations - ALL

We prove two main results at the intersection of Geometric Function Theory and Nonlinear Elasticity. The first is a Sobolev variant of the Inverse Function Theorem, which generalizes a famous result of John Ball. It uses Classical Sobolev Theory as well as the Degree Function, which was initially a topological tool. The second result is the existence and uniqueness (up to rotation) of a radially-symmetric minimizer for Sobolev mappings with prescribed Jacobian. This result generalizes recent work of André Guerra, Lukas Koch, and Sauli Lindberg.

On Compact Quasi-Einstein Metrics Of Constant Scalar Curvature, Eric Morgan Cochran

Dissertations - ALL

This thesis concerns a generalization of Einstein manifolds called quasi-Einstein manifolds. These manifolds are a triple $(M,g,X)$ where $(M,g)$ is a Riemannian manifold, and $X$ is a smooth vector field on $M$. Quasi-Einstein manifolds are of interest in general relativity, where a special class of quasi-Einstein manifolds are known as near horizon geometries. They are also related to Ricci solitons, which are self-similar solutions of the Ricci flow. In the first set of results in this thesis, we study the existence of Killing fields on compact quasi-Einstein manifolds. In particular, we prove an equivalence between compact quasi-Einstein manifolds of constant …

The Impact Of The U.N. Convention On The Rights Of People With Disabilities On Education For Students With Disabilities In China: A Case Of Non-Compliant Effectiveness With International Law, Renci Xie

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation empirically investigates the impact of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in China, with a particular focus on Article 24, the right to education. Using a mixed-methods approach, this dissertation addresses two central questions: whether and how Article 24 has influenced Chinese national policies on inclusive education; and whether and how the Chinese law that promotes inclusive education has impacted the lived experiences of students with disabilities in seeking educational accommodations. To examine changes in Chinese national policy, the study employs Critical Discourse Analysis of disability-related education laws and regulations. This analysis …

A Study Of The Links Between Denudation, Lithology, And Tectonics In The Tropical Andes, Helbert Garcia-Delgado

Dissertations - ALL

Landscape evolution in the tropical Northern Andes is governed by complex interactions between tectonic deformation, climatic shifts, and bedrock lithology. Standard geomorphic models often struggle to capture the full spectrum of these processes, particularly in active orogens where topographic steady state is frequently challenged by variable sediment dynamics and deep weathering. Understanding how these factors dictate landscape responses over different timescales is critical for interpreting the relationship between landscape evolution and surface processes of tropical mountain belts. This dissertation utilizes a combination of cosmogenic nuclide dating, numerical modeling, and subsurface borehole analysis to examine the structural, climatic, and lithological controls …

"I Just Wanted To Help": Certified Recovery Peer Advocates And Disconnected Labor, Rosie Benser

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation examines the remaking of the recovery industry via the rise of Certified Recovery Peer Advocates (CRPA), or recovery peers, and the conditions that enable and constrain their labor. Peer Based Support Services (PBSS) was professionally recognized in the substance use disorder (SUD) treatment field starting in the early twenty-first century through federal grants for the underinsured and the ability to submit services for Medicaid/Medicare insurance repayments. As a result, CRPAs are especially present in low-income communities, dispatched to serve people seeking recovery from SUD with a mandate to “have conversations about change.” Drawing from in-depth interviews, participant observation …

A City’S Neglectful Past: Young Black Mothers And The Creation Of A Reproductive Health Crisis In The Urban North 1900 - 2005, Semaj Imane Campbell-Blakes

Dissertations - ALL

"A City’s Neglectful Past: Young Black Mothers and The Creation of A Reproductive Health Crisis in the Urban North 1900‐2005" examines how the promise of northern liberalism concealed enduring forms of racial inequality in reproductive health. Centering Syracuse, New York, a city long celebrated for its nineteenth-century abolitionist legacy, the project reveals how its twentieth-century institutions expelled pregnant Black girls from schools, criminalized their sexuality, and oversaw some of the highest Black infant-mortality rates in the nation. Through this lens, Syracuse becomes a case study in the contradictions of progressive reform, where liberal ideals coexisted with structural neglect and moral …

Translating Marine Corps Learning Doctrine Into Practice: Alignment Between Data Systems Training And Fleet Operations, Daniel Duayne Green

Dissertations - ALL

Modern military organizations increasingly rely on information-rich systems that demand both technical competence and adaptive problem-solving from their personnel. In the United States Marine Corps, recent doctrinal reforms articulate an ambitious learning philosophy centered on adaptability, conceptual understanding, and continuous development. This thesis examines how that doctrinal vision is translated into practice through the entry-level training of enlisted data systems technicians. Using an exploratory case study design, the research investigates how first-line supervisors interpret the alignment between institutional training at the Marine Corps Communication-Electronics School and the operational competence demonstrated by newly assigned Marines. Data were collected through surveys, interviews, …

Financial Outcomes Of Digital Marketing, Jaihyun Jeon

Dissertations - ALL

Digital technologies have transformed how information about firms is created, disseminated, and interpreted in the marketplace. In particular, social media and artificial intelligence (AI) have introduced new channels through which marketing-related information reaches financial markets. Consumers increasingly share product experiences and opinions on social media, while firms communicate technological initiatives through corporate disclosures such as press releases. These developments have reshaped the information environment surrounding firms and influence how investors and financial analysts evaluate firm performance. In this dissertation, I examine how digitally mediated information originating from both consumers and firms affects financial market perceptions, contributing to research at the …

Transformative Simulations: Bridging Theory And Practice Through Clinical Simulations, Jessica Fundalinski

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation study explores how teacher candidates (TC) respond to, reflect on, and make meaning of a clinical simulation that surfaces marginalizing language ideologies towards multilingualism and multilingual language users. This study is framed conceptually through language ideologies, Critical Multilingual Language Awareness (CMLA) (García, 2017; Prasad & Lory, 2020), and practice-based teacher education, emphasizing the role of reflective, justice-oriented practice in shaping future educators' critical consciousness. To explore how TCs navigated the simulation in real-time and how they reflected on their approaches and takeaways from the simulation, this study employed a four-phase analytical framework and coding process of video and …

How Institutions Of Higher Education Leverage Information Technology To Navigate In A Dynamic Environment: The Case Of Alternative Credentials, Sarah J. Williams

Dissertations - ALL

This research examines how higher education leverages information technology (IT) to mitigate the uncertainty of enrollment volatility in a dynamically shifting landscape. The strategic alignment model (SAM), a theory of strategic alignment of business and information technology, was applied to analyze how microcredential programs in higher education institutions address this uncertainty. Publicly accessible information was collected to develop cases from 15 institutions of higher education alternative credential programs. The collected evidence was assessed to discern how leveraging technology generates value related to the strategic mission of the institutions. The hallmarks of excellence standards, developed by the University Professional and Continuing …

Estimator And System Variables On Eyewitness Identification Procedure Outcomes, Gabriella Kathryn Larson

Dissertations - ALL

Eyewitness identification is fundamentally a recognition memory task, yet the field has historically been disconnected from broader memory research. The present dissertation bridges this gap by applying foundational recognition memory principles, including list length effects, encoding strength, output interference, and retention interval, to eyewitness lineup identification across three experiments. Using signal detection theory (SDT) as a theoretical framework, discriminability was assessed through both theoretical (d′) and empirical (AUC) measures, alongside positive predictive value (PPV) and confidence-accuracy calibration analyses. Experiment 1 employed a 4 × 3 × 3 factorial design (n = 181) to examine the effects of lineup size, encoding …

The World Needs You — And You Are Ready, Eric F. Spina

President's Blog: From the Heart

Build community. Seek truth. Cultivate belonging. Model hope. "Together, these are powerful forces as we work toward peace, justice, and the common good," University of Dayton President Eric F. Spina told the Class of 2026 at spring undergraduate commencement.

Belonging, Identity, And Agency: A Qualitative Study Of Muslim Students In U.S. Higher Education, Amir Duric

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation examines the lived experiences of Muslim students in U.S. higher education, focusing on how they navigate identity formation, search for belonging, and exercise agency within two predominantly white institutions (PWIs) in the Northeast. Drawing on 40 semi-structured interviews and four months of fieldwork, the study demonstrates how Muslim students navigate not only their religious identity and practices in secular contexts but also how the racialization of their Muslim identity is shaped by U.S. foreign policy and the Global War on Terror. Three central findings emerged from the data. First, Muslim students demonstrated sustained and deepening religious commitment through …

Nanoparticle-Based Therapy For Peripheral Artery Disease: Evaluation Of Collagen Reduction And Fibrosis Mitigation In Ischemic Tissue, Tresha Nguyen

2026 Spring Honors Capstones Projects

Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) is characterized by reduced blood flow, ischemic injury, and fibrosis, which collectively impair tissue function. Current treatment strategies are limited in their ability to target fibrotic tissue and restore normal function effectively. This study evaluates the therapeutic potential of drug-loaded nanoparticles to reduce fibrosis in ischemic tissue. Nanoparticles were synthesized and characterized for in vivo application. Tissue samples from experimental groups, including saline control, blank nanoparticles, free drug, and drug-loaded nanoparticles, were analyzed using Masson’s Trichrome staining to quantify collagen deposition. Histological images were processed using image analysis software to determine the percentage of collagen area. …

“The Least You Can Do Is Start A Meeting With A Karakia”: Challenging The Culture Order In A New Zealand Cricket Organisation, Stephanie Foxton, Tame Pere

Journal of Global South Sport Studies

Previously, it was documented that cricket operated as a tool of colonisation, serving to spread British culture and values across the empire, reinforcing British identity and asserting cultural superiority (Baucom, 1999). In places like Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ), cricket became a cornerstone of colonial social life, solidifying the dominance of British culture. Employing the Colonial Matrix of Power framework (Mignolo, 2007; Quijano, 2007) alongside the concept of the culture order (Holmes, 2018), this article aims to understand how Aotearoa NZ’s ever-evolving cricket culture sustains, and in some cases challenges, the dominance of Pākehā/British norms. By weaving these theoretical …

Co-Designing Sweettexts: An Intake-Driven Sms Intervention To Reduce Free-Sugar Consumption In Preschoolers, Bervelyn Asantewaah Addo

Theses - ALL

Abstract Introduction: As early childhood represents a crucial window for establishing lifelong dietary patterns, excessive intake of sugary foods and beverages during this period may result in long-term adverse health outcomes. Intake levels continue to exceed recommended guidelines, and disparities within and across race and low-income population groups persist. Given these disparities, targeted interventions developed to consider the unique needs, preferences, and cultural differences in diverse population groups are essential to enhance health and well-being. The purpose of this research was to develop the content of the "SweetTexts", a text-message-based intervention to reduce the intake of free sugar among preschool-aged …

Human Rights Deferred: The Carter Administration And Continuity Of U.S. Policy Regarding Western Sahara, Adrienne Kinne

Theses - ALL

“Human Rights Deferred: The Carter Administration and Continuity of U.S. Policy Regarding Western Sahara” examines Western Sahara as one of the most enduring cases of unfinished decolonization in the postwar international order, focusing on U.S. policy during the Jimmy Carter administration. Despite clear legal affirmation of Sahrawi self-determination through the United Nations and the 1975 International Court of Justice advisory opinion, its implementation was persistently deferred. Drawing on declassified documents and congressional hearings, I argue that this outcome reflects a broader pattern of institutionalized deferral, in which normative commitments are formally recognized while their enforcement is postponed through procedural and …

Apparatus Of Relief: On Sustained Exhaustion, Jiayue Yu

Theses - ALL

This thesis examines how contemporary capitalism manages a shared condition of exhaustion—the accumulation of stress, alienation, and mental fatigue—by offering calibrated forms of relief that leave its underlying causes intact. Approaching exhaustion as a collective and structurally produced condition, I make photographs that trace how it is softened and normalized within the spaces we inhabit and move through in our daily lives. Central to the project are what I describe as “apparatuses of relief”: infrastructural features embedded in public and semi-public spaces that are designed to regulate affect and soothe nerves. Operating beneath the surface, these elements promise momentary relief …

Agency At The End Of History: Time, Terrorism, And Technologies Of Innocence In Engaging The Far Right, Gabriel Gr Herring

Theses - ALL

This thesis explores the way political rhetorics of time, morality, and political violence play out in visual representations of the far right in the United States via maps. In Out of Joint: Power, Crisis, and the Rhetoric of Time, Nomi Claire Lazar argues that governments and political movements use temporal-rhetorical frameworks to generate political legitimacy by associating their movement with time, which is generally understood as natural. I argue that every temporal-rhetorical frame also implies a set of moral codes which are understood to be materially true, despite the fact that our experiences of time are only ever aim-dependent and …

Systems Thinking And Satire, David Kossack

Theses - ALL

In this thesis, I explore the relationship between satire and systems thinking, drawing on the DSRP (Distinctions, Systems, Relationships, Perspectives) theory of Systems Thinking developed by Dr. Derek Cabrera as a lens through which to examine satire as both a creative and cognitive phenomenon. In my view, satire functions not merely as a tonal mode of storytelling but as a deliberate cognitive engagement that operates on the audience's preexisting mental models, subverting and reorganizing them to generate new meaning. Referencing well-known satirical works of cinema, including Dr. Strangelove and Brazil, I aim to articulate how satire uses humor and absurdity …