Digital Commons Network^™

Assessing Sustainable E-Cigarette Prevention Messaging In Public Health Communication, Addo Anim Adinkrah

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the sustainability of e-cigarette or vaping prevention messaging on X (formerly Twitter) and the message-design strategies used by public health institutions to maintain message visibility over time. Using the McGuire Communication/Persuasion Model and Media Framing theoretical frameworks, the research employs a qualitative thematic analysis based on Braun and Clarke’s six-phase approach to analyze 506 tweets from official accounts affiliated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The findings reveal that prevention messages are sustained through repeated core warnings and reinforcement of institutional authority rooted in scientific and …

Symbolic Logistic Regression For Interval-Valued Predictors: A Simulation Study And Application To Health Data, Soad Abdullah

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis investigates symbolic logistic regression for interval-valued predictors through simulation studies and a real health data application. Classical logistic regression assumes exact predictor values, whereas in many practical settings variables are available only in interval form due to coarsening or reporting uncertainty. Two simulation studies examine the impact of interval uncertainty under asymmetric intervals and measurement error. Symbolic models based on midpoint and midpoint-plus-width representations are compared with the classical approach. Results show that midpoint modeling captures the general relationship but introduces bias under asymmetry, while incorporating width reduces this distortion. Under measurement error, classical logistic regression exhibits attenuation …

The Only Duck I’Ve Ever Loved Is Daffy In Drag: A Textual Analysis Of Gender Norm Reinforcement In The Looney Tunes Show, Sara Bahaji

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In 2011, Warner Brother’s latest attempt to make Looney Tunes appeal to modern audiences was released, The Looney Tunes Show. This was a departure from classic Looney Tunes, from its slice-of-life sitcom setting to the changes in the characters. But one of the ways it stood out in not just classic Looney Tunes but contemporary cartoons, was its treatment of Daffy Duck. This thesis is a textual analysis of the show’s presentation of Daffy Duck’s gender. Different frameworks were used to build the analytic tools: signifying theory, as presented by Savoy (1995), gender accountability from West & Zimmerman (1987) and …

Cultural Adaptation As A Catalyst For Creativity: The Role Of Immigrant Generation And Bicultural Identity, Milena Demario

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examined the relationship between bicultural identity and creative thinking among first-, 1.5-, and second-generation immigrants across a broad range of skill levels. Creativity was assessed using the Alternate Uses Task, with fluency, flexibility, and originality combined into a composite score. Results indicated that biculturalism was a strong predictor of creativity, with both cultural distance and cultural conflict positively associated with creative performance. Cultural distance showed the strongest effect, suggesting that maintaining differentiated cultural frameworks enhances divergent thinking. Mediation analyses provided partial support for biculturalism as a mechanism linking immigrant generation to creativity, primarily among second-generation immigrants. Moderation analyses …

Application Of Paper Spray Mass Spectrometry For Screening Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors, Diksha Gautam

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Paper spray mass spectrometry (PS-MS) is a novel ambient ionization method that allows chemical and biological samples to be rapidly analyzed with little preparation being required. In this paper, PS-MS was set up and streamlined as an acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-monitoring platform in addition to screening an existing and newly produced AChE-inhibitors. The detection of the substrate, acetylcholine (m/z 146), and the AChE catalysis product, choline (m/z 104) was performed without applying chromatographic separation or derivatization to the dried paper substrates. Assay conditions were optimized in a systematic way, to develop a robust MS-compatible enzymatic workflow.

Calibration curves for both, acetylcholine and …

Hallucination Detection In Scientific Writing: Quantification, Trend Analysis And Benchmarking, Adiba Ibnat Hossain

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The landscape of scientific communication has undergone a significant transformation with the emergence and widespread adoption of Large Language Models (LLMs). LLMs have enhanced productivity and creativity in scientific writing, raising serious questions about the faithfulness and reliability of the generated content. A common problem in LLMs is hallucination, which occurs when models generate fluent but inaccurate or inconsistent content. When hallucinations enter scientific writing, the intended meaning may be distorted, coherence disrupted, and the study’s overall integrity threatened.

This thesis investigates hallucinations in scientific writing from both an analytical and dataset-driven approach. First, it offers a comprehensive analysis of …

A Multi-Study Examination Of Student-Athlete Mental Health And Mental Health Service Delivery In Mid-Major College Athletic Programs, Grace Louis

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Student-athlete mental health has become a central priority in intercollegiate athletics, with the NCAA emphasizing its Mental Health Best Practices (2016) and strengthening and expanding these standards through updated recommendations in 2024. These efforts reflect a broader cultural shift toward recognizing the unique psychological stressors faced by college athletes, including performance pressure, identity foreclosure, high time demands, and transitions both into and out of sport (Moreland et al., 2018; Hughes & Leavey, 2012). Additionally, student-athletes frequently delay or avoid help-seeking due to stigma, time constraints, identity-protective behaviors, cultural norms emphasizing toughness, and limited mental health literacy (Gulliver et al., 2012; …

Simulation And Experiment Of Two-Bunch Wakefield Dynamics And Energy Recovery In Dielectric-Lined Thz Structures, Calcifer Phillips

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Beam-driven structure wakefield acceleration (SWFA) is a proposed method of particle acceleration that produces higher acceleration gradients. This technique could lead to the development of smaller and more efficient particle accelerators. In SWFA, a charged "drive" bunch passing through a dielectric or metallic structure created an electromagnetic "wake" field which can then be used to accelerate a following "witness" bunch. This work studies the effects of structure geometry on wake excitation, presents simulation results of wakefield dynamics in various geometries, and explores how SWFA could be used to achieve higher energy gradients. The use of a circular cross-section structure was …

Nutritional Niche Separation Amongst Sympatric Threatened Lemurs: The Role Of Micronutrients In Food Selection And Implications For Physiological Health, Maire K. O'Malley

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Madagascar’s biodiversity is heavily affected by anthropogenic change and consequently, conservation management plans need to reflect current research to protect biodiversity. Primate nutritional ecology offers valuable insights into ecology, evolution, health, habitat requirements, social behavior, and conservation management strategies. Macronutrients (fat, carbohydrates, and protein) provide consumers with energy whereas micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) are essential to metabolic processes but are frequently overlooked. This study provides a novel examination of dietary niche separation by comparing mineral consumption between three sympatric species differing in feeding strategies: 1) Grey Bamboo lemur (Hapalemur griseus), a bamboo specialist, 2) Diadema sifaka (Propithecus diadema), a folivore, …

High-Throughput Strip Clustering On Fpgas For The Hl-Lhc, Hayden Shaddix

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

With the advent of the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC), the demand for modern approaches to high-throughput data processing has increased substantially. The HL-LHC will deliver far higher collision rates (pile-up reaching ⟨μ⟩ ∼200), producing a dramatic rise in detector activity and placing significant pressure on real-time reconstruction algorithms. One strategy for meeting this challenge is to leverage commodity hardware such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and graphics processing units (GPUs), which can accelerate bandwidth-intensive portions of the reconstruction chain. In particular, FPGAs programmed through high-level synthesis (HLS) offer a promising balance between flexibility and performance, allowing physicists to design …

K–12 Teacher Intention To Use A Makerspace: An Analysis Using The Unified Theory Of Acceptance And Use Of Technology, Kevin W. Rutter

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the factors that relate to K–12 teachers' intention to use a makerspace for classroom instruction. It uses the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) as its theoretical framework. The research addresses gaps in the United States' achievement in STEM subjects and explores makerspaces as a potential instructional innovation that encourages student-centered, interdisciplinary, project-based learning. A quantitative, correlational case study design was employed to survey 120 staff members at a large urban high school in the Midwest with a dedicated makerspace. Survey items were adapted from the UTAUT model to assess three predictor variables: performance …

Can A "Good Jab" Lead To A "Good Job?": Teasing As An Organizational Performance Feedback Tool, Jared P. Wilson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Performance feedback is a valuable tool for bolstering workplace performance, but the prospect of receiving feedback is often aversive, leading to decreased acceptance, increased turnover intent, and increased recipient stress. One plausible explanation for why critical feedback can be aversive is that feedback is face-threatening. Politeness theory suggests that pro social agents can intentionally attenuate face-threat while still communicating intrinsically threatening information. Pro-social teasing, a humorous form of off-record communication, is one such method, offering a potentially less aversive mode of performance feedback. A sample of 133 participants read a vignette where they took on the role of a grocery …

Instruction Vs. Infrastructure: Asymmetric Returns In U.S. Higher Education, Shaibu Yahaya

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Despite massive increases in funding, U.S. higher education degree output has stagnated—a paradox often attributed to external cost pressures like Baumol’s cost disease. This paper tests an alternative hypothesis: that internal resource misallocation, specifically the accumulation of noninstructional liabilities, actively crowds out educational productivity. Using a panel of 26,603 institution-year observations, I estimate the university production function via a fixed-effects Poisson specification, adjusting all financial inputs using the Higher Education Price Index. The results expose a stark asymmetry in productive returns: a 10% increase in instructional spending drives a 1.76% increase in degree production (β = 0.176). In contrast, the …

Creative Works By Zoe Keese, Zoe Keese

The Art of Medicine

• A Family History of Obstetrics and Gynecology

International Students Experience Show: A Television Content To Prepare African Students For Study In The United States., Eric Atsu Senyo

Masters Theses

For many African students, studying in the United States begins with hope but often leads to confusion, isolation, and unmet expectations. This creative thesis presents International Students Experience Show, a 26-minute television shows designed to prepare African students for the realities of studying in the U.S. Grounded in Uses and Gratifications Theory, the project positions media as an active tool for empowerment through storytelling, practical guidance, and emotional engagement.

The series addresses key challenges, housing, transportation, mobile communication and daily life experiences through a hybrid format of personal testimonies, panel discussions, expert interviews, and field segments. Featuring nine African international …

The Final Boys' Club: Conceptualizing A Final Boy Of 1980s Horror, Ej Newton

Masters Theses

Carol J Clover’s (2015) Final Girl, the female slasher protagonist who survives to the end of the movie, has become a staple of horror scholarship, providing insight into the function of gender within the genre as well as our cultural beliefs surrounding femininity. Given the attention paid to horror’s leading ladies, however, another fascinating figure has gone unexplored: the Final Boy. This project analyzes nine horror films from the 1980s with young male protagonists in order to conceptualize and critique this previously unidentified trope. Utilizing McKerrow’s (1989) critical rhetoric as a guide, this research not only provides a thorough definition …

Exploring Phonics Intervention For Elementary Students, Hallee Thomas

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Feasibility Of Corn Stover For Biogas Production In Northwestern Illinois: A Case Study Of Jo Daviess And Carroll Counties, Anthony Amotoe-Bondzie

Masters Theses

The growing demand for renewable energy and sustainable waste management has intensified interest in agricultural residues such as bioenergy feedstocks. This study evaluated the feasibility of converting corn stover into biogas through anaerobic digestion (AD) in Jo Daviess and Carroll Counties, Illinois, with consideration of the Savanna Industrial Park as a potential centralized processing hub. Although corn stover represents one of the largest biomass resources in the United States, this research identifies a critical gap between theoretical availability and practically recoverable feedstock. Using a mixed-methods framework, the study integrates biomass quantification, methane yield modeling, economic analysis, and policy assessment. Results …

It Takes A Village: Residents’ Perceptions Of Mount Prospect’S Place Branding, Jenna Strauss

Masters Theses

The Village of Mount Prospect has heard a fair share of negative critiques about the village’s branding; however, officials have not yet taken the initiative to rebrand. As stated by a village official, the village needs to understand what residents think about the branding before considering a rebrand. This knowledge offers valuable insight into what branding elements are liked/valued by residents, but also whether a rebrand would cause resistance or a mini crisis. Place branding literature highlights that residents determine the authenticity of a place brand (Braun et al., 2013), so Mount Prospect officials seek to make future branding decisions …

“To Hell With Words, [Say] Something!”: An Expressivist Manifesto For The Revival Of Authentic Voice Amid Robocolonial Echoes Of Llms In Composition Studies, Dani Rose Fitch

Masters Theses

This article explores the intersection of composition pedagogy and generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), arguing that large language models (LLMs) impose a robocolonial standardization of language. By mass-producing algorithmically predictable text based on Standard American English (SAE), LLMs threaten the tenets of Students’ Right to Their Own Language (SRTOL) and drown out diverse linguistic identities. The author distinguishes between the embodied, intentional discovery of meaning in human intelligence and the voiceless echo of formulaic LLM generation.

Applying Baudrillard’s theory of simulation, the author positions GenAI-produced texts as pure simulacra—copies that have lost all connection to a human referent. By synthesizing Baudrillard’s …

Shadow Of The Rising Sun: How Japanese Culture Was Transferred To The United States Via Foreign Policy, Alex Pearson

Masters Theses

Post-World War II U.S. economic foreign policy towards Japan aimed to revitalize the war-torn country’s economy and spread democracy to the East. The economic foreign policy enacted by the United States to revitalize the Japanese economy resulted in an increase and “normalization” of Japanese culture in America. This thesis explores the connection of post-war American foreign policy to the increase of American exposure to Japanese culture that sparked normalization. By focusing on the efforts of U.S. policymakers and the positive media coverage of Japanese culture in the United States, a clear correlation between economic foreign policy and the normalization of …

Acceptability Of The Five In 20 Classroom Observation Tool: A School Administrator Sample, Ciara Krowas

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to expand the research on the social validity of a standardized classroom observation tool (the Five in 20 Classroom Observation Tool; FCOT), that assessed the use of five critical features in effective classroom management strategies. Forty-two school administrators (who had experience providing classroom observations and feedback) were recruited. Participants viewed a 20-minute video of a second-grade teacher’s classroom instruction while simultaneously completing the FCOT. Then, participants completed the modified Behavior Intervention Rating Scale (M-BIRS), which was adapted to measure participants’ acceptability of the FCOT. Most administrators (74%) found the FCOT to be an acceptable …

Hierarchical Analysis Of Predictors Of Public Speaking Anxiety, Ruimin Peng

Masters Theses

Public speaking anxiety (PSA) is a prevalent type of phobia that shares many similarities with social anxiety. This paper examines factors related to social anxiety and PSA. Previous literature has identified self-efficacy, perfectionism, and fear of negative evaluation (FNE) as factors related to both social anxiety and PSA. However, less attention has been given to fear of positive evaluation (FPE) and international status, although these two factors are likely related to PSA. This study employed hierarchical regression analysis to investigate the predictive power of FPE and international status on PSA, while controlling for self-efficacy, perfectionism, and FNE. FPE, academic status, …

Personality-Based Clinical Predictors Of Transdiagnostic Suicidality In Emotional Disorders, Harshini Arun

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Religiosity And Spirituality: The Mental Costs And Benefits Of Belief In A College Setting, Tyler Geis

Masters Theses

The relationship between religiosity and spirituality (R/S) with mental health has been widely discussed in more recent years. This thesis examines factors related to religiosity, spirituality, depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as how various stigmas toward mental health, mental health treatment, and mental health treatment seeking may relate to R/S and mental health. Previous literature has identified religious coping with hardship, positive and negative dimensions of sin and behavior, the structure of different religious groups, and overall spiritual wellbeing as factors related to R/S, mental health, and beliefs about mental health . However, most previous literature come to differing …

Sex Differences In Clinical Characteristics, Treatment, And Outcomes Of Cardiovascular Disease: Kenya Heart Registry Analysis, Lilian Mbau, Martha Gulati, Mzee Ngunga, Jasmit Shah, Felix Barasa, Jeilan Mohamed, Anders Barasa, Bernard Gitura, Harun Otieno, Etienne Amendezo

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally, with approximately 80% of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Sex differences in cardiovascular disease are well described in high-income countries but limited in low- and middle-income countries.

Objectives This study sought to evaluate the sex differences in clinical presentation, cardiovascular risk profile, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes among patients in the Kenya Heart Registry.

Methods Data were prospectively collected from 3 tertiary hospitals, including patients with heart failure, acute coronary syndrome, venous thromboembolism, and atrial fibrillation. Primary outcomes were in-hospital and 6-month mortality, as well as sex-specific differences …

Rntuple For Atlas Analysis Workflow, Fatima Ariana Rodriguez

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

RNTuple is the new data storage format set to replace TTree at the start of the High-Luminosity LHC. An investigation was conducted to evaluate how analysis workflows for ATLAS researchers will change with RNTuple, using reading speed, writing speed, disk space, and memory consumption as metrics. In this study, all metrics were measured using converted RNTuple inputs from ATLAS Open Data, compared to their TTree equivalents. Additionally, RNTuples produced with the LZ4 compression algorithm were generated and compared with those produced using ZSTD. Finally, two new versions of the Analysis Grand Challenge (AGC) using ATLAS Open Data were completed for …

Lucretius, Ovid, And Milton In Seventeenth-Century England: First Matter, Creation, And Food Of Angels, Conny M. Pfeifer

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Paradise Lost is a complex poem that not only contains John Milton’s rendition of the Genesis creation narrative and the Fall of humankind but also provides a voice for his unique theology. This dissertation argues that Milton’s creative use of the three disparate concepts of consuming and digesting knowledge, chaos, and the night sky allows him to respond to Lucretian atomism, to address questions regarding the mortality of the soul, and to navigate the scientific discoveries of the seventeenth century, especially the astronomical discoveries of Galileo Galilei. An examination of digestion, chaos, and night helps shed light on Milton’s unique …

Impact Of Water Level Fluctuations On Fish Populations In Eastern South Dakota Rivers, Benjamin Schall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Riverine systems are highly dynamic, and changes in flow conditions can impact the population dynamics of fishes. Increased flows from historical averages in eastern South Dakota rivers have likely impacted fish populations. The goals of this study were to 1) better understand the changes in resource use by Blue Suckers Cycleptus elongatus through retrospective eye lens stable isotope analysis, 2) determine the effects of record flooding in the James River on complex woody habitat and Flathead Catfish Pylodictis olivaris population structure, and 3) assess the influence of river discharge and temperature on Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus and Flathead Catfish condition …

Rebooting Administrative Enforcement For The Information Economy, Nina-Simone Edwards

Library Scholarship

This concept paper considers how to strengthen the enforcement of public mandates to deter harmful practices and business models. The paper offers principles for reinvigorated enforcement such as enhanced visibility, the increased use of design as a remedial lever, and personal responsibility for responsible individuals, not only the corporations that employ them.

To advance these principles, we call for new or amended laws that require companies to document how policy becomes code, grant agencies authority to order design changes to products and services, create pathways for charging responsible individuals, and cabin some forms of prosecutorial discretion. We would support these …