Digital Commons Network^™

Pastoring The Pastor: Self-Care Among African American Clergy, Alexander Jamerison

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

When self-care is effectively implemented, it can help individuals avoid or reduce mental health challenges throughout their lives (Luis et al., 2021). Unfortunately, research indicates numerous mental health challenges faced by clergy (Chan & Chen, 2019; Jackson, 2013; Gallagher, 2019; Edward, 2020). To assist ministers in cultivating a healthier life and a more effective ministry, this study will specifically explore the relationship between self-care and mental health challenges among African American clergy. The literature on this subject will identify historical, cultural, and spiritual influences. It will also examine specific mental health concerns, effective self-care practices, and relevant outcomes. Although research …

Ties That Bind: A Study Of Relational Networks And Spiritual Formation, Joshua Michael Leborious

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In His earthly ministry, Christ tasked the church with the responsibility of making disciples. Today, God calls leaders into professional ministry to discern specific means of doing so. The calling does not make that task easy and the methods for making disciple vary greatly, leaving Christian leaders overwhelmed by trying to figure out how to disciple the people in their care. A mountain of sources suggest that a relational approach has remarkable potential for making disciples. The purpose of this quantitative research study was to explore the potential relationship between relational networks and quantifiable habits of spiritual formation for adult, …

Finding Strength In The Broken Places: Examining The Influence Of Aces On The Mother/Daughter Relationship, Taressa R. Copeland

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Daughters raised by mothers who experienced childhood adversity may be ill-equipped for motherhood themselves due to the mother’s guilt and societal stigma associated with the adversity and the impact on lived experiences. Current studies fail to consider the bidirectional influence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on the mother-daughter relationship. Community stakeholders such as healthcare providers must find a way to support the mother-daughter relationship by providing a safe platform to share and understand experiences as well as identify opportunities for resilience. Resources are also necessary to raise awareness and support mental health. This study used a qualitative phenomenological approach to …

Examining The Effectiveness Of Anti-Recidivism Programs In Fresno County, California, James Mora

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological research is to examine the perceived effectiveness of anti-recidivism programs in California and the lived experiences of ex-offenders who participate in the programs. This research will employ a qualitative methodology, utilizing a phenomenological design and interviews to collect data. The guiding theory for this research will be the Life-Course Theory, which examines relationships, significant life events, or turning points and their correlation with sobriety, gainful employment, and a crime-free lifestyle. The open coding system will synthesize and categorize interview responses before inputting the data into NVivo 15, a qualitative analysis software. The participant sample will …

Investigating The Retention And Persistence Of Black Undergraduate Students At Hbcus And Pwis: A Multiple Case Study, Tamika L. Lindsay

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this instrumental, multiple-case study was to gain a comprehensive understanding of the lived experiences, perceptions, and challenges faced by Black undergraduate students at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). I ultimately aimed to propose viable strategies to help close the retention and persistence gap for Black undergraduate students at PWIs. The theories guiding this study were Bourdieu’s Social Reproduction Theory and Tinto’s Model of Institutional Departure as they examine the issues surrounding the retention and persistence of Black undergraduate students. The central research question was: How do the unique experiences and support …

Apologetics Curriculum In A Chinese International School, William Kiel Nation

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Christian schools face the challenge of engaging students whose biblical views are being secularized by a culture that is individualistic and materialistic. At International Christian School Hong Kong, in response to such secular challenges, the overreliance on classical and evidential apologetics in the Bible curriculum has led to student disengagement, as these methods often fail to address the presuppositions of secular youth. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a presuppositional apologetics curriculum, grounded in Tim Keller’s Making Sense of God, compared to the traditional classical approach grounded in Keller’s The Reason for God, to determine which method better …

The Failure Of Change Management Projects In Strategy Implementation, Brandon S. Cupp

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Change management is critical to strategy implementation, yet organizations frequently struggle to integrate change initiatives, leading to high failure rates. This study explores the systemic challenges associated with change management projects within strategy implementation programs, identifying key factors contributing to success or failure. The research, using a flexible qualitative case study, examines the perspectives of executives, middle managers, and front-line employees in a U.S.-based public safety apparel company. Findings reveal that ineffective communication, insufficient training and support, lack of leadership accountability, employee resistance, generational and cultural differences, and misalignment between strategic vision and operational execution significantly contribute to change management …

Student And Teacher Perspectives On Blending Popular Music Pedagogies Into Kodály-Based Elementary Music Classes, Maurine Floyd Parker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Kodály instructors in the United States train music educators to use American folk songs and classical Western European music as a foundation for students’ lessons; however, American music classrooms today look very different from the 1940s Hungarian classrooms when Zoltán Kodály developed his philosophy for teaching music, and there is a current need to include music that reflects the diverse student population within our schools. While Kodály “purists” may be hesitant to add music outside the realm of folk songs and art music, doing so may provide today’s learners the relevancy to stay engaged as valued members of the music …

Media Richness In Nfl Communications: A Content Analysis Case Study, Ashley Menard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study aimed to examine the social media engagement of fans of the National Football League (NFL). The central problem identified was a lack of understanding of brand storytelling across different social media platforms, particularly concerning the richness of information each platform provided. Guided by media richness theory, developed by Daft and Lengel, this research explored the varying communication styles employed in brand storytelling on social media. The study sought to provide insights into how NFL brands can effectively utilize different platforms to enhance their storytelling and engage with their audience more richly and effectively. The results indicate that …

Changes In Royal Air Force Aviation Technology, Tactics, And Strategy From World War I To World War Ii, Daniel J. Heiser

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The changes in aviation technology, strategy, and tactics in the Royal Air Force (RAF) formed at the end of World War I and throughout the Second World War would later sculpt the future of the modern era. This dissertation aims to explore the changes the RAF made which would ultimately help the Allied Forces win the Second World War and fill in the gaps of history that has seemed to have forgotten. The research shows that with the advancement of radar systems in the interwar period and the focus on fighter plane production the RAF became an outstanding fighting force. …

To Use Or Not To Use Exclusionary Discipline In Early Childhood Education? A Phenomenological Analysis Of Pre-Kindergarten Teachers In Alabama, Christal C. Coker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to examine the lived experiences of pre- kindergarten teachers in Alabama regarding their use of and restraint from using exclusionary discipline. The study aimed to find outcomes that could potentially improve social contexts in Alabama's preschools by creating more equitable learning environments. The problem addressed by the study is that the lived experience of preschool teachers regarding their use of and restraint from using exclusionary discipline when students misbehave at school remains to be discovered. A purposive sampling strategy was employed to recruit seven preschool teachers licensed in Alabama for a one-on-one semi-structured Zoom …

Odnawialne Źródła Energii Na Obszarach Wiejskich, Adam Niewiadomski

internetowy Kwartalnik Antymonopolowy i Regulacyjny (internet Quarterly on Antitrust and Regulation)

The geographic location of renewable energy sources (RES) is one of the challenges in economic, agricultural and energy law in Poland, as well as in Europe. Rural areas offer the greatest potential for the placement of renewable energy sites, while ensuring their competitiveness on the market. There is a problem, however, in the lack of clear legal regulations enabling the positioning of renewable energy sources in rural areas. This article evaluates selected legal instruments of spatial planning, which are intended to improve the process of RES development. At the same time, the relationship between the use of rural areas for …

Entire Issue Vol. 14 No. 2

internetowy Kwartalnik Antymonopolowy i Regulacyjny (internet Quarterly on Antitrust and Regulation)

Vol 14(2)

Impact Of Optimal Medical Therapy In Heart Failure Certification For Hospitalists On Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy Utilization, Farhan Ishaq, Duc T Nguyen, Edward A Graviss, Ebun Ebunlomo, Arvind Bhimaraj, Nadia Fida

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Significant gaps in guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) for heart failure (HF) stem from shortages of cardiologists and advanced HF providers, as well as a lack of optimal HF management knowledge among hospitalists. This study compared the impact of optimal medical therapy in HF (OMT-HF) certification on GDMT implementation and patient outcomes between an intervention group (IG) of hospitalists and a standard-of-care comparison group (SOC-CG).

Aim: To evaluate if OMT-HF has a difference in GDMT and patients in outcomes between IG and SOC-CG.

Methods: This study was implemented from November 2022 to May 2023. Hospitalized cardiology patients with HF and …

Atomic And/Or Renewable Energy Sources In The Mitigation Of Climate Change In Czech Law, Milan Damohorský

internetowy Kwartalnik Antymonopolowy i Regulacyjny (internet Quarterly on Antitrust and Regulation)

Niniejszy artykuł podejmuje analizę ram prawnych regulujących funkcjonowanie energetyki jądrowej oraz odnawialnych źródeł energii w Czechach, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem ich roli w procesie przeciwdziałania zmianie klimatu. W obliczu rosnącego zapotrzebowania na energię oraz pogłębiających się globalnych problemów środowiskowych, czeski porządek prawny ulega dostosowaniom odpowiadającym na wyzwania związane z ochroną klimatu, bezpieczeństwem energetycznym oraz transformacją w kierunku zrównoważonych źródeł energii. Przeprowadzona analiza uwypukla wzajemne relacje pomiędzy krajowym ustawodawstwem czeskim a dyrektywami Unii Europejskiej, a także identyfikuje konflikty prawne i środowiskowe, które pojawiają się w praktyce wdrażania rozwiązań opartych na odnawialnych i jądrowych źródłach energii. Artykuł omawia ponadto kierunki polityki energetycznej oraz …

Energy In The Portuguese Climate Framework Law, Rute Saraiva

internetowy Kwartalnik Antymonopolowy i Regulacyjny (internet Quarterly on Antitrust and Regulation)

The Portuguese Climate Framework Law of 2021 has been underassessed by legal scholars. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to evaluate it through an energy lens. Through a close analysis of the legal text, the article seeks, firstly, to determine how the climate-energy relationship is treated, and then to understand the challenges that arise in implementing this Law, especially its interaction with the Environmental Policy Basis Law of 2014.

Decreasing Medication Errors Among Unlicensed Assistive Personnel, Tamara J. Carroll

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Unlicensed assistive personnel, although their role is controversial, are present in many different settings and have many varying roles and job responsibilities. Yet, removing this type of healthcare worker from the job pool may lead to increased labor costs, which could be stifling to some organizations and facilities. Digging deeper, data suggests errors are due to lack of a defined scope of practice, a lack of understanding of job roles and responsibilities and decreased confidence when working in the healthcare setting. The purpose of this project utilizes a setting specific educational intervention and skills check off to increase job self-efficacy …

Quantifying Experiences Of Religious Abuse Among Sexual And Gender Minority Populations, Joshua Sink

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A niche venue of research around religious trauma and spiritual abuse has demonstrated adverse outcomes of individuals who feel manipulated or harmed by institutions or individuals holding an imbalance of religious power. While general claims are often made that religion is a positive force on health and psychological wellness, religious trauma is usually associated with PTSD, anxiety, depression, and other pathological symptoms. Interestingly, an area where religion is not related to positive outcomes is among sexual and gender minorities, who show poorer health, higher suicidal rates, and poorer psychological well-being correlated with higher religiosity. While research has been conducted to …

Collegiate Music Recruiting: Using Athletic Recruiting Best Practices To Transform The Industry, Larry Jay Giddens Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The recruitment of new students is vital to every music program and can have a tremendous impact on its success. As technology evolves and the needs of the world change, so do the methods of student recruitment and retention in music departments, music schools, and colleges of music. This study covers the perspectives of collegiate music unit recruiters and compares current and potential strategies. Using a mixed methods approach, this research employs surveys to identify current music unit recruiting trends and challenges. Online recruiting, scholarship availability and facilities/staff emerge as themes within the small body of existing literature and personal …

Secondary Youth-Level Mechanisms Of Change In Parent Training For Anxious Youth, Jacey L Anderberg, Kelly Barry, Blake M Upshaw, Katie H Mangen, Samuel D Spencer, Andrew G Guzick, Daphne M Ayton, Amanda D Palo, Abigail E Candelari, Eric A Storch

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Parent-focused treatments are a promising approach for addressing youth anxiety outside of traditional therapist-delivered modalities. Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) has preliminarily demonstrated efficacy for reducing family accommodation (FA), a key treatment outcome for youth anxiety.

Objective: Since the mechanisms of SPACE remain relatively understudied, we examined youth-reported distress tolerance (DT), anxiety sensitivity (AS), and negative automatic thoughts as candidate mechanisms of SPACE using data from a previously conducted clinical trial.

Methods: In a sample of N = 68 youth (M age = 10.2; 52% male; 62% White), we examined: (a) associations among candidate mechanisms and …

Encorafenib, Cetuximab, And Mfolfox6 In Braf-Mutated Colorectal Cancer, Elena Elez, Takayuki Yoshino, Lin Shen, Sara Lonardi, Eric Van Cutsem, Cathy Eng, Tae Won Kim, Harpreet Singh Wasan, Jayesh Desai, Fortunato Ciardiello, Rona Yaeger, Timothy S Maughan, Van K Morris, Christina Wu, Tiziana Usari, Robert Laliberte, Samuel S Dychter, Xiaosong Zhang, Josep Tabernero, Scott Kopetz, Breakwater Trial Investigators

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: First-line treatment with encorafenib plus cetuximab (EC) with or without chemotherapy (oxaliplatin, leucovorin, and fluorouracil [mFOLFOX6]) for BRAF V600E-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer, an aggressive subtype with a poor prognosis, was compared with standard care (chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab) in an open-label, phase 3 trial, which showed significance regarding one of the two primary end points, objective response according to blinded independent central review (odds ratio for EC+mFOLFOX6 vs. standard care, 2.44; one-sided P< 0.001). This result led to accelerated Food and Drug Administration approval of this investigational combination therapy for BRAF V600E-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer, including as first-line therapy. Data on progression-free survival (the second primary end point) and an updated interim analysis of overall …

Mis-Splicing-Derived Neoantigens And Cognate Tcrs In Splicing Factor Mutant Leukemias, Won Jun Kim, Edie I Crosse, Emma De Neef, Inaki Etxeberria, Erich Y Sabio, Eric Wang, Jan Philipp Bewersdorf, Kuan-Ting Lin, Sydney X Lu, Andrea Belleville, Nina Fox, Cynthia Castro, Pu Zhang, Takeshi Fujino, Jennifer Lewis, Jahan Rahman, Beatrice Zhang, Jacob H Winick, Alexander M Lewis, Robert F Stanley, Susan Dewolf, Brigita Meškauskaitė Urben, Meril Takizawa, Tobias Krause, Henrik Molina, Ronan Chaligne, Priya Koppikar, Jeffrey Molldrem, Mathieu Gigoux, Taha Merghoub, Anthony Daniyan, Smita S Chandran, Benjamin D Greenbaum, Christopher A Klebanoff, Robert K Bradley, Omar Abdel-Wahab

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Mutations in RNA splicing factors are prevalent across cancers and generate recurrently mis-spliced mRNA isoforms. Here we identified a series of bona fide neoantigens translated from highly stereotyped splicing alterations promoted by neomorphic, leukemia-associated somatic splicing machinery mutations. We utilized feature-barcoded peptide-MHC dextramers to isolate neoantigen-reactive T cell receptors (TCRs) from healthy donors, patients with active myeloid malignancy, and following curative allogeneic stem cell transplant. Neoantigen-reactive CD8+ T cells were present in the blood of patients with active cancer and had a distinct phenotype from virus-reactive T cells with evidence of impaired cytotoxic function. T cells engineered with TCRs recognizing …

Strategies Minority Small Business Owners Use To Obtain Access To Capital, Marchelle Ronique Yearby

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Minority small business owners (MSBOs) often experience significant challenges in securing business capital, which is critical for sustaining and growing their businesses. MSBOs are concerned with the lack of business capital because it restricts their ability to expand operations, innovate, and generate employment within their communities. The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study, which was grounded in the financial inclusion theory, was to identify and explore strategies MSBOs employ to secure access to capital. The participants were nine MSBOs in the Southeastern United States, each of whom had successfully maintained and secured working capital to sustain a profitable business for …

Strategies Health Care Leaders Use For Telemedicine Utilization And Subsequent Revenue Enhancement, Wesley Raymond Wingate

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health care leaders face challenges in increasing the utilization of alternative synchronous health care platforms, such as telemedicine, which enable real-time virtual consultations, which can influence in-person clinic visits and impact organizational revenue. Rising demand for accessible health care, and ineffective telemedicine implementation limits patient access and overall organizational sustainability, increasing the need for evidence-based strategies critical for health care leaders to improve both service delivery and financial outcomes. This qualitative pragmatic inquiry, grounded in the health belief model, aimed to explore strategies used by health care leaders in the South Texas region to implement telemedicine effectively. The participants included …

Examination Of Evidence-Based Practices Implementation And Perceived Job Satisfaction With Mental Health Providers, Rafael Montoya

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Job satisfaction among mental health providers continues to be an important area of inquiry, particularly in relation to professional development and training. However, limited studies have evaluated whether training in evidence-based practices (EBPs) is associated with different levels of job satisfaction compared to traditional training models. The purpose of this cross-sectional, quantitative study was to examine whether a statistically significant difference in job satisfaction exists between mental health providers trained in EBPs and those trained using traditional approaches. The study was guided by Spector’s multidimensional job satisfaction model, which categorizes job satisfaction into nine key domains. Data from 81 mental …

Exploring The Terminology Associated With Nurses Caring For Children And Their Families., Matt Carey, Jane Coad, Suja Somanadhan, Imelda Coyne, Sarah Neill

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Background and aim:The terms for Registered Nurses who care for the families of children and young people (CYP) differs from country to country. Nurses in the United Kingdom can register as ‘Children’s Nurses’ and ‘Pediatric Nurses’, whereas in most countries it is as ‘Registered Nurses’. Less is known about other important roles, such as family nurses and public health nurses to name a few. The aim of this study was to identify terminology and roles of nurses who care for families and their children to inform a larger research project: The ASTOUND study. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey launched between …

Maternal And Child Nutrition: Nutrition And Weight Management In Pregnancy, And Nutrition In Children Up To 5 Years-Summary Of New Nice Guidance, Shalmali Deshpande, Samantha Ross, Sharangini Rajesh, Maija Kallioninen, Kate Maslin

School of Nursing and Midwifery

No abstract provided.

The Dynamic Responses Of The Mouse Gut Microbiome To Dietary Supplementation With Various Anthocyanin-Rich Foods In The Context Of A Western Diet, Abby D. Benninghoff

Browse all Datasets

Background/Objectives: Chronic inflammation and Western-style diets elevate colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, particularly in individuals with colitis, a feature of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Diets rich in polyphenol-containing functional foods, such as cocoa, may reduce gut inflammation and modulate the gut microbiome. This study examined the effects of cocoa polyphenol (CP) supplementation on inflammation and microbiome composition before, during, and after colitis in mice fed either a healthy or Western diet. We hypothesized that CPs would attenuate inflammation and promote distinct micro-biome shifts, especially in the context of a Western diet. Methods: A 2×2 factorial design tested the effects of basal …

Pneumococcal Colonization Dynamics Among Young Children With And Without Respiratory Symptoms During The First Year Of The Sars-Cov-2 Pandemic., Liset Olarte, Brian R. Lee, Dithi Banerjee, Douglas Swanson, Christopher J. Harrison, Rangaraj Selvarangan

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Non-pharmaceutical interventions to mitigate the spread of SARS-CoV-2 were implemented across the United States in 2020. These public health measures might influence pneumococcal colonization in younger children and their subsequent risk of invasive pneumococcal disease. Our objective was to evaluate pneumococcal colonization rates in children ≤ 5 years of age with and without respiratory symptoms during the first 12 months of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (April 2020 - March 2021).

STUDY DESIGN: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study evaluating pneumococcal colonization rates, density and serotype distribution across three study periods (April-July [Period 1], August-November [Period 2] and December-March [Period 3]) after …

Genai For Merchant Category Identification, Neethu Prem, Vinay Gaonkar, Hazar Yuksel, Kavalpreet Kawatra, Siva Natarajan, Anubhav Kumar, Rupal Gakkhar, Shikhar Shukla, Anupam Chauhan

Defensive Publications Series

The present disclosure related to a system and method for merchant category identification. The method includes extracting historical data and merchant’s transactional information. The method further include detecting miscode merchant category code based on the statistical and deep learning models. Subsequently, the method include sharing list of miscoded merchants to the business.