Digital Commons Network^™

The Barriers For Special Education Teachers During Covid-19: Beyond Instructional Changes, Eunjoo Kim, Jeongae Kang, Eunyoung Jung

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Although special education teachers faced many challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, far less is known about those details. This study investigated the barriers that special education teachers encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using an online survey, the researchers gathered information about technology-related questions and three domains of the barriers: the teachers themselves, students, and parents/caregivers. The findings are: (1) the barriers extended beyond mere technology issues; (2) the barriers were multi-dimensional; (3) stronger collaboration between SETs and caregivers as needed; and (4) the home environment was highly dependent on the district’s support.

Rising Numbers, Rising Risks: Population, Growth, And Natural Disasters, Sophia Becker-Toro, Yu Ouyang

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

How does population size and growth affect the risk of natural disasters? On October 7, 2024, before Hurricane Milton makes landfall in the Tampa Bay area, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor issues a dire warning to affected citizens: “I can say without any dramatization whatsoever. If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re going to die.” While there is an extensive literature which focuses on the impact of climate change and/or natural disasters, there is a dearth of works on how population affects the risks of natural disasters. As both the frequency and severity of storms and …

George C. Roberts Award Recipients

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Submission Guidelines

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Multiple-Valued Quantum Automata For Robotics, Yuchen Huang

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation introduces a new type of quantum automata, their encoding and circuit realization. I concentrate on possible applications in robotics. Several methods and application of quantum automata and quantum circuit-based controllers for elementary robotic systems, with a focus on humanoid robot motion, emotion, and behavior generation are illustrated in detail. The research introduces several novel methodologies that bridge quantum computing principles with robotic control, aiming to overcome the limitations of classical deterministic and probabilistic approaches.

The dissertation first presents a quantum-circuit-based framework for generating non-repetitive and expressive (e)motions in a humanoid robot actor, using superposition and entanglement to produce …

Budget Transparency Report, Isaac Slaven, Barbara Carlsward, Steve Brantley

Faculty Senate Reports

This budget transparency report focused on the benefits and costs of EIU being a Division I athletics school, compared to the benefits/costs of being Division II or Division III.

2026 Library Award Winners, University Of Dayton

University Libraries Blog Archive

Congratulations to Lilly Lowe, Maggie Romano and Stacy Ngo.

Implications Of Leisure Activities On Veterinarian Mental Health Outcomes, Kevin Garuccio

Undergraduate Theses

While there are many professions that are stressful enough to be linked with negative mental health outcomes, few measure up to the mental dangers of veterinary medicine, with suicide rates twice that of the dental and medical professions and four times that of the general population (Stoewen, 2015). The current study aimed to focus on veterinarians and their mental health. While there have been a few studies done about the veterinary workplace, none thus far have investigated how veterinarians are spending their leisure time outside of work and how it could be impacting their mental health. The current study was …

Can The Implementation Of The Pause Decrease Death Anxiety And Poor Mental Health In Practicing Nurses?, Lilli Meyer

Undergraduate Theses

Practicing nurses are frequently exposed to patient death, placing them at increased risk for death anxiety and compromised mental health. Despite this, there remains a lack of structured, in-the-moment interventions to support emotional processing within clinical settings. This study evaluates whether the implementation of “The Pause,” a brief moment of silence following a patient’s death, may reduce death anxiety and improve mental health outcomes among practicing nurses. A quantitative survey consisting of eight questions was distributed to nurses in the Louisville, Kentucky area over a three-month period, yielding 26 responses. Findings indicated that 80.8% of participants reported no improvement or …

How Gender Impacts Mock Jurors’ Receptiveness To Aggravating And Mitigating Evidence In Capital Trials, Jolie E. Parker

Undergraduate Theses

This study examines how gender influences mock jurors’ receptiveness to aggravating and mitigating evidence in capital trials. Drawing on prior research that highlights the critical role of mitigation in reducing death sentences and persistent gender differences in death penalty attitudes, this study addresses a gap in the literature by analyzing how gender shapes responses to specific types of evidence rather than general support for capital punishment. Using a quantitative survey of 209 participants, the research analyzes Likert-scale responses measuring how various aggravating and mitigating factors impact sentencing preferences. Results indicate a weak but consistent relationship between gender and receptivity to …

Gender And Emotional Expression In The Courtroom: Mock Juror Perceptions Of Attorney Effectiveness, Emma Cantrell

Undergraduate Theses

This quantitative study examines how gender and emotional expression influence mock jurors' perceptions of an attorney's courtroom effectiveness. Using mock jurors, this study extends previous research suggesting that assertiveness and emotional displays are evaluated differently by gender. Participants were randomly assigned to view one of four closing statements in a mock burglary trial. The videos were of either a male or a female attorney delivering a passive or an aggressive argument. Participants then evaluated the attorney’s effectiveness across four categories: competence, persuasiveness, ability to instill confidence, and emotionality. Male participants generally rated female attorneys as less effective than female participants …

American Society For Testing & Materials V. Upcodes Inc

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Ai Exposure And The Future Of Work: Tasks, Skill Demand, And Education, Erik Vasilauskas, Michael Horrigan

External Papers and Reports

No abstract provided.

Elementary-Level Achievement And Compliance Coach Training Manual, Tara B. White

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the Ernst and Sara Lane Volgenau College of Education at Morehead State University by Tara B. White on April 7, 2026.

New Hampshire Ski Professionals Are Concerned About Climate Change, Robbin Ray

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Federal Investment Advances Unh Plant Research Excellence, Mark Wanner

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Is Home Birth A Choice? Racial And Geographic Differences In Unintended Home Births In The U.S., Anna De La Paz

Population Health Research Brief Series

Home births that happen without planning or medical support (i.e., unintended home births) carry a higher likelihood of adverse outcomes, such as low birth weight, preterm birth, and hypothermia. This data slice summarizes findings using data from CDC WONDER (2017–2023) on racial, regional, and metropolitan status differences in home births among women ages 15–44 in the U.S. Findings show that unintended home births are disproportionately concentrated among non-Hispanic Black women, with rates varying substantially by region and metropolitan status.

Progesterone Receptors Drive Advanced Breast Cancer Phenotypes Including Circulating Tumor- And Stem-Like Cell Expansion In The Context Of Esr1 Mutation, Thu H. Truong, Noelle E. Gillis, Amy R. Dwyer, Rosemary J. Huggins, Kyla M. Hagen, Sai Harshita Posani, Nuri A. Temiz, Carlos Perez Kerkvliet, Ellie M. Piepgras, Julie H. Ostrander, Geoffrey L. Greene, Carol A. Lange

Department of Urology Faculty Papers

Endocrine therapy resistance remains a major challenge in the treatment of advanced estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer. This can be driven by acquired mutations in the estrogen receptor gene (ESR1), such as Y537S or D538G, that results in constitutive estrogen-independent ER activity. Progesterone receptors (PR) are important modifiers of ER activity, in part via direct binding. We previously showed that PR mediates expansion of cancer stem-like cell (CSC) populations. In this study, we sought to define whether PR function changes in the context of ESR1 mutations. PR readily interacted with wild type (WT), but not Y537S or D538G ERs. …

Exploring Identity And Promoting Interprofessional Collaboration In Rehabilitation, Tavae D. Lewis I

OTD Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Executive Committee - Agenda, 04/07/2026, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

The Mommy Wine Culture: A Scoping Review Using The Person-Environment-Occupational Model., Sabina Khan

Student Dissertations

Maternal alcohol use as a coping response to parenting-related stress has received growing attention in public health and psychology but remains underexplored within occupational therapy. This gap limits understanding of how daily role demands, environmental pressures, and individual vulnerabilities combine to shape drinking as a functional coping behavior. This dissertation aimed to identify and synthesize factors associated with maternal alcohol use in the context of parenting stress and interpret these determinants using the person–environment–occupation model. A scoping review was conducted following the Arksey and O’Malley framework and reported according to PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Five databases were systematically searched without date or …

Reviewers And Referees

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

The Courts Closest To The People: The Battle Between Populism And Democracy In The U.S. District Courts, Shruti Rana

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

The U.S. district courts have emerged as a critical site of contested terrain amid the chaos and controversies consuming American law and politics since the start of the second Trump administration. This article examines these frontline courts through the theoretical lens of populism, arguing that they have become a critical institutional flashpoint in the populist assault on constitutional democracy in the United States. As the courts closest to the people, the district courts occupy a unique structural position: They are the fact-finding courts, the most geographically dispersed and professionally diverse tier of the federal judiciary, and often the first institutional …

Family-Owned Small And Medium Enterprises And The Influence Of Social Capital Dimensions On Innovative Performance, Dawn Renee Proctor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Family-owned businesses in the United States encounter innovation and performance challenges that may contribute to unsustainable business practices. Owners and managers of family-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) must understand these challenges, as failure to do so may indicate missed opportunities to leverage innovation through dimensions of social capital. The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental, correlational study was to measure investment levels within social capital dimensions (structural, relational, and cognitive) that impact family-owned SMEs’ innovative efforts and performance capabilities in the West and Midwest regions of the United States. The theoretical foundation was social capital theory. There were four research …

Gene-To-Population Level Responses To Multiple Stressors On The Rocky Shore, Ramesh Wilson, Katie Driver, James Orr, Manuela Truebano, Michael Collins, Michelle Jackson

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Coastal ecosystems are exposed to both global and local stressors operating across multiple scales. However, research rarely considers how their combined effects propagate over time and across levels of biological organisation. Here, we employ an in situ warming experiment across two rocky shore sites with contrasting sewage pollution to quantify independent and interactive effects of warming and nutrient pollution from genes to populations. Passively warmed and control settlement plates were deployed at polluted and non-polluted sites and surveyed across a summer to quantify temporal dynamics in the responses of key intertidal taxa. Barnacles were further employed as a model for …

Hurdles To Retirement Security: Exploring Race, Religion, And Savings Behavior, Mamoud A. Jalloh, Sedefka Beck

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Retirement savings have become increasingly central to household financial security as defined contribution plans replace traditional pensions. Using nationally representative data from the 2019 Panel Study of Income Dynamics, this study applies a double‑hurdle model to examine the distinct factors shaping participation in retirement plans and contribution intensity. Results reveal persistent racial and ethnic inequalities: Hispanic, Black, and Mixed‑Race workers are significantly less likely to save and contribute markedly less than White workers, even after accounting for income, wealth, and employment characteristics. Religious affiliation also influences savings behavior, with Jewish contributors saving more and several other groups saving less than …

Author Biographical Notes

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Editor-In-Chief's Note, Surekha Rao

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Art Battle: Perceptions Of Criminality In Rap Vs. Stand-Up Comedy, Abiodun A. Akinseye, Fabiana Alceste, Ashley N. Peters

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Applied research on perceptions of rap music shows that it is viewed more negatively than other musical genres, such as rock or country (e.g., Dunbar et al., 2016). This is in part due to associations between rap and Blackness, including stereotypes about Black people in general and about rappers specifically (e.g., Reyna et al., 2009). In the United States, prosecutors will sometimes present a rapper’s lyrics as a form of confessionary evidence in the courtroom (e.g., State of New Jersey v. Vonte Skinner, 2012). The practice of using art as criminal evidence appears to be unique to the musical genre …

The Prospector, April 7, 2026, Utep Student Publications

The Prospector

No abstract provided.