Digital Commons Network^™

A Cold War Story: The Emigration Of Soviet Jews 1967-1980, William Bernstein

History Honors Papers

No abstract provided.

Queer Experiences Of Double Disadvantage: The Moderating Effects Of Rejection On The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And Attachment Style, Isabella Kinney

Psychology Honors Papers

This thesis examines how intersecting forms of disadvantage – particularly experiencing identity-based rejection and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) – can negatively impact a queer-identifying individual. Previous research highlights that both ACEs and rejection are linked to poor mental health and insecure attachment patterns within LGBTQ+ populations. This study aimed to determine whether rejection serves as a moderator for the relationship between ACEs and attachment. Data was collected through an anonymous online survey of 81 participants recruited from Connecticut College and Connecticut’s LGBTQ+ Justice and Opportunity Network, and included measuring ACEs, rejection experience, and attachment patterns. Using a regression and moderation …

The English You Speak Matters: Immigrants, Phonological Roots, And Psychological Perspectives On Accent Discrimination, Sophia Hauschildt

Psychology Honors Papers

Accent serves as a highly salient social cue that influences how speakers are perceived, particularly in multicultural contexts where linguistic diversity is increasing. The present study examined how English accent affects evaluations of speaker warmth and competence, and how individual differences in cultural intelligence and colour-blind racial attitudes shape these perceptions. Using a between-subjects experimental design, participants (N = 225) were randomly assigned to listen to a standardised speech passage presented in one of five accents: General American English (GAE; control), Spanish-accented English, Chinese-accented English, Hindi-accented English, or Filipino-accented English. Participants then completed measures of speaker evaluation based on …

Embodied Aging: Older Adults’ Gendered Participation In Physical And Recreational Activity In Assisted Living, Gavin Anderson

Self-Designed Majors Honors Papers

This study examines how older adults interpret their experiences with physical and recreational activity in assisted living, and how these interpretations influence how they engage in their everyday social and physical contexts. In the fall of 2025, eleven older adults—nine women and two men—living in an assisted living facility in a coastal city in Southeastern Connecticut participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews. The facility provides both short-term post-acute care and long-term residential care, offering structured opportunities for physical and recreational engagement.

Past research demonstrates that participation in physical and recreational activity provides substantial benefits for older adults; yet, the lived experience …

A Systematic Review Of Shark Behavior Across Ventilation Methods And Activity Levels, Hannah Kleiman

Theses & ETDs

Shark sleep is a topic still yielding many questions and unknowns, especially when it comes to ram ventilating species. These animals are known for their energy optimization shown through their behavior, yet sleep remains somewhat unknown. This study aims to analyze the behaviors of sharks across ventilation methods to pinpoint their activity levels and infer possible sleep in more than just buccal pumping sharks. This systematic review utilized behavioral observations found detailing the behavior of sharks to make an ethogram for each ventilation method. Once the ethograms were made, the behaviors were analyzed via a contingency table and the distribution …

Philosophical Gardening: An Existential Inquiry, Angel Ramirez Heske

Theses & ETDs

No abstract provided.

Prodigiosin Production By Marine Isolate 3 And Molecular Modeling And Simulation Of A Cutibacterium Acnes Oxidative Stress Response Sigma Factor-Anti Sigma Factor Pair, Mar Werner Hernandez

Theses & ETDs

Prodigiosin, a natural product of several marine bacteria, has become a popular molecule for study, given its many pharmaceutical effects. However, most studies on optimizing its yield through biosynthesis have focused on Serratia marcescens, leaving a gap in knowledge for other prodigiosin-producing bacteria. Therefore, a preliminary study was done to determine the effects of oxygen availability and MgCl2 concentration on Zooshikella Marine Isolate 3 prodigiosin production. Additionally, computational work was done to construct three-dimensional structures of PPA2382 and PPA1266, a putative oxidative stress response σ factor-anti σ pair encoded by Cutibacterium acnes. The models were then characterized via classical molecular …

Southern Adventist University Undergraduate Catalog 2025-2026, Southern Adventist University

Catalog, Undergraduate

Southern Adventist University's undergraduate catalog for the academic year 2025-2026.

Southern Adventist University Graduate Handbook 2025-2026, Southern Adventist University

Student Handbooks, Graduate

No abstract provided.

Paternal Involvement And Bonding In Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Evaluating Daily Caregiving, Emotional Well-Being, And Father-Infant Connection, Ava G. Kinyon

Nursing | Senior Theses

Background: Premature birth and serious neonatal conditions frequently require infants to obtain care in the NICU, producing psychological and emotional obstacles for families. Despite the fact that skin-to-skin contact has been extensively researched for its strengths in encouraging stability and bonding, there persists restricted importance and understanding on paternal participation in routine caregiving tasks such as feeding, diapering, temperature checks, and swaddling. Purpose: This study aims to evaluate paternal participation in daily NICU caregiving tasks to address gaps in comprehending how these experiences impact bonding and emotional well-being among fathers of hospitalized infants. Methods: This study will employ a quasi-experimental …

Deterrence Without Peace: Nuclear Weapons And The Rising Threshold Of Warfare, Catie Clarke

CISLA Senior Integrative Projects

Nuclear weapons fundamentally changed the international political landscape, leading to the emergence of deterrence theory and the notion of the Long Peace. This paper challenges these claims, arguing that nuclear weapons facilitated a more violent and volatile international system rather than stability. Drawing on constructivist theory, this paper develops the Threshold of Violence framework – a normative model which asserts that nuclear weapons elevated the perceived upper limit of tolerable violence in international politics. This raised threshold generated three trends in the nuclear era: increased frequency of proxy wars, escalating levels of benefactor involvement, and greater severity of conflicts fought …

Teaching That Resonates: Reimagining High School Literature Through Real-World Connections, Lizzie Galanis

ENG 490 Senior Seminar Capstone

The current high school literature curriculum is overdue for reform. While classic books have value, teaching them in a modern context is crucial so the lessons can be translated to students’ daily lives. Integrating contemporary texts is essential when reimagining the curriculum because students can relate to them and connect with their themes. This paper analyzes five texts that would meaningfully enhance an updated curriculum. These texts promote real-world connections, interdisciplinary learning, and multicultural exposure. Schools and educators must reassess both what they teach and how they teach it to diversify the content and evolve with the times. Students should …

Community Science For Enigmatic Ecosystems: Using Ebird To Assess Avian Biodiversity On Glaciers And Snowfields, William E. Brooks, Jordan Boersma, Neil Paprocki, Peter Wimberger, Scott Hotaling

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Mountain glaciers and snowfields are rapidly receding because of climate warming. Species living in these habitats remain poorly studied, likely because of the remoteness and ruggedness of their terrain. We leveraged community science data from eBird—an online database of bird observations from around the world—to characterize bird use of mountain glaciers and snowfields. We estimated total bird biodiversity and preference for glaciers and snowfields over nearby, ice-adjacent habitats. We used field notes from eBird users and breeding codes to extend our data set to include insight into habitat usage and behavior. Finally, we compared our community-science approach to previous studies …

Western Australia’S Primary Industries: 2023-24 Economic Overview, Dipesh Maharjan, Hue Vuong, Jan Van Staden, Nicholas Thorsager, Saloomeh Akbari, Amir Abadi Abadi Ghadim, P. Mattingley, Manju Radhakrishnan, Tafesse Estifanos

Farm Systems and Economics published reports

The Western Australia’s Primary Industries: 2023-24 Economic Overview (WAPIEO) has been developed by DPIRD. The WAPIEO has a production and trade focus and provides a single source for consistent statistics and insights into observed industry trends.

• The WAPIEO is based primarily on 2023-24 economic indicators from the Department of Treasury and Finance, DPIRD data, and statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), in line with the release cycle dates of final ABS data.
• All values are in Australian dollars. ABS provides production value data in 2 formats - local value (farm gate) and gross value (value at first point …

Insecticide Resistance Testing In Cluster Caterpillar (Spodoptera Litura) From Population Across Wa, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Horticulture factsheets

A study by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) was undertaken with the aim to better manage insecticide resistance in the cluster caterpillar (Spodoptera litura). Cluster caterpillar is an endemic armyworm species in WA, particularly in the State’s north, which affects a wide range of host plants including table grapes, capsicums, aubergine, cow peas, mung beans, maize, cotton and asparagus. The work was undertaken in response to field reports, from northern Western Australian horticultural regions, that some commonly used insecticides no longer provide adequate control, raising concerns that resistance has developed to some insecticides.

Vision 2026

Vision

No abstract provided.

Investigation Of Educational And Social Factors Affecting Health Outcomes In The United States, Maxx Cadmus, Saiprashanthi Thota

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Although increasing levels of educational attainment has been linked to stronger health outcomes in the United States, the mechanism behind this relationship and quantifiable relationship warrants further investigation. It is hypothesized that increasing level of educational achievement leads to improved job placement, higher wages, and improved health literacy, which directly contribute towards stronger health outcomes. The objective of this study was to further investigate the link between education and health outcomes through a variety of social and environmental parameters as reported in the County Health Rankings (CHR) dataset. Healthy counties were categorized as those that received a ranking of 5 …

Tet2 Deficiency Promotes Igg1+ B-Cell Expansion And Differentiation Blockade Through Deregulation Of The Nfkbia-C-Rel Axis, Hussein Ghamlouch, Michaël Degaud, Veronique Della-Valle, Alexandre Eeckhoutte, Marine Armand, Amina Joudat, Camille Decaudin, Pilar M Dominguez, Wojciech Rosikiewicz, Patrycja Pawlikowska, Walaa Darwiche, Enguerran Mouly, Sheng Li, Ari M Melnick, Said Aoufouchi, Olivier A Bernard

Faculty Research 2026

The germinal center (GC) reaction is essential for orchestrating humoral immunity by producing plasma cells (PCs) and memory B cells (MBCs). TET2, an α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase, plays a critical role in B-cell exit from the GC and in plasma cell differentiation. Moreover, TET2 functions as a tumor suppressor in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), with mutations frequently observed in the ST2 DLBCL subgroup, which is marked by elevated NF-κB and PI3K signaling and predominant expression of IgG B-cell receptors (BCRs). We used a combination of in vivo mouse models and in vitro differentiation systems to investigate the effects of Tet2 deficiency …

Life Cycles Of Living Organisms: Place-Based Learning Plan For The Msum Regional Science Center, Thea Kunka

OER Materials

The goal of this assignment was to create an immersive, place-based learning experience centered on a natural phenomenon for the Minnesota State Moorhead Regional Science Center in Glyndon, MN. Place-based learning involves establishing a connection between the classroom and the local community or environment. The natural phenomenon focused on is life cycles in living organisms, emphasizing how, despite the variety of living organisms (e.g., birds, animals, plants), their life cycles are quite similar. Students will explore this by taking a phenomenon walk, making observations to spark curiosity and questions, and ultimately developing a model of life cycles. This also briefly …

Leadership In Chaos: Law Enforcement Perspectives On Addressing The Missing Piece Of Nims, Joshua Pierce

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the perceptions of law enforcement leaders regarding how to address the missing piece of the National Incident Management System (NIMS): the initial, chaotic phases of large-scale incidents. Specific elements investigated included the major challenges faced by incident commanders, the necessary knowledge and skills required, effective training models, the receptivity of the law enforcement community to new and/or additional training, any perceived implications for personnel, and evidence-based guidelines and recommendations from policymakers and leaders. Purposeful, convenience, and snowball sampling were used to select study participants. Study participants (n=20) were active, sworn law …

Ai In The Workplace: Understanding Role Ambiguity, Employee Motivation, And Learning Engagement, Sheena Leah Metzger

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into organizational processes has altered how work is performed and experienced by employees, yet empirical research examining the human implications of AI-driven change remains limited. This study examined the perceived impact of AI implementation on role ambiguity, employee motivation, and training engagement, and investigated the moderating role of perceived organizational support (POS). Grounded in Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) Theory and Organizational Support Theory (OST), the research examined how employees interpreted and responded to AI-related changes in their work environment.

The results offer valuable insights into a shifting perception of how employees experience technology in …

Gene Loss And Ecological Adaption In Honeybee Venom: Exploring The Apparent Absence Of Melittin In Apis Andreniformis, Grace Wong, Diya Patel, Rshubh Madabossi, Kayllee Reyes Lazo, Jovonne Grant, Isabella Garcia, Navi Gill Dhillon

Bioinformatics

Venom composition within the Apis genus varies due to ecological divergence. In Apis mellifera, melittin constitutes 40–60% of venom dry weight and functions as the primary cytolytic toxin. However, BLAST analyses failed to identify a detectable melittin homolog in Apis andreniformis, despite evidence of comparable venom potency. Using comparative genomics and literature-based venom analysis, we evaluated whether melittin is absent, highly diverged, or functionally replaced. Our findings suggest venom efficacy in A. andreniformis is maintained through enzymatic synergy involving phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂), apamin, and antimicrobial peptides, supporting a distributed toxin model shaped by ecological pressures.

The Dna Control Panel: Identifying Conserved Regulatory Elements In Differentially Expressed Genes, Mahalaxmi Some, Eimaan Ahmad, Navi Gill Dhillon

Bioinformatics

Plant responses to heat stress involve changes in gene expression, and identifying conserved domains in promoters of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) is essential for understanding regulatory mechanisms. In this study, we analyzed 149 DEGs previously identified from transcriptomic analyses of two rice varieties, Cypress (heat-tolerant) and LaGrue (heat-sensitive), exposed to high night temperature ((HNT; 82.4 ± 1°F or 28 ± 1°C) (Kumar et al. 2022.Nature Scientific Reports DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs1832853/v1). Promoter sequences were analyzed using ElemeNT and MEME to identify core promoter motifs, their positions relative to the transcription start site (TSS), and statistical significance. Functional annotation revealed motif enrichment differences …

Comparative Genomics Across Ganoderma Species To Identify Secondary Metabolite Clusters With Cytotoxic Properties, Fatima Muhammad, Maya Pasapuleti, Navya Mysore, Emily Abraham, Rajendra P. Pangeni, Braham Dhillon, Navi Gill Dhillon

Bioinformatics

Fungi in the genus Ganoderma have been widely studied in Chinese culture for their medicinal properties and promoting overall health and longevity. Our prior work on eight Ganoderma species showed that they contain Secondary Metabolite Clusters (SMCs) that code for multiple terpenes, betalactones, and ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs). These compounds are well known for their cytotoxic and anticancer potential. Using the bioinformatics platform antiSMASH1, we previously identified and annotated the specific SMCs within these genomes that are predicted to produce such bioactive metabolites. To test the results obtained from the bioinformatics analysis, fungal extracts were prepared from …

Asymptotic Profiles And Disease Prevalence At The Steady State For An Sis Patch Model, Daozhou Gao, Xin Li

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

Infected individuals often display mobility patterns that differ significantly from those of healthy individuals-traveling less frequently, covering shorter distances, visiting fewer destinations, and altering their timing and modes of movement. In this paper, to explore the influence of changes in travel frequency and destination on the spatial spread of infectious diseases, we propose a susceptible-infectious-susceptible patch model in which susceptible and infected populations have different dispersal rates and connectivity matrices. We first establish the threshold dynamics in terms of the basic reproduction number R-0 and show the existence and uniqueness of endemic equilibrium (EE) when R-0>1. Then we examine …

The Lives Of Fritz Haber And Of International Law: Entwined Tales Of Tragedy And Irony, Mark A. Drumbl, C. William Vardy

Scholarly Articles

This article recounts the life of international law through the story of a single individual. This is the narrative of biographical international law. The subject — equally protagonist and antagonist — of this article is Fritz Haber, a German-Jewish scientist born in 1868. Devoted to the Kaiser, Haber was declared a war criminal by the Allies following World War I for having been ‘the father’ of chemical warfare. Haber argued that chemical weapons were more humane than conventional weapons. While under this shadow, Haber also won the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1920 for his pioneering work with ammonia …

Incarcerated Persons’ Day In The Sun: Why Prisoners Should Have A Right To Fresh Air And Direct Sunlight, David Gross

Indiana Journal of Law and Social Equality

One word sums up the current state of a prisoner’s rights to fresh air and direct sunlight: conditionality. Because the rights are conditional in the United States, the sword of litigation hangs above prisons while residents are subject to violations of their limited constitutional rights. International law and medical research respectively recognize the right to, and need for, outdoor recreation. However, the grueling deliberate indifference standard debilitates attempts to change this reality in the courthouse. Thus, the impetus of change must come from the expansion of statutory rights. The right to fresh air and direct sunlight can be energized …

Characterization Of Tomographic Piv System For Single-Phase Immersion Cooling Applications, Joel Joshua Oommen

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses

As the rapid expansion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure and High-Performance Computing (HPC) pushes power requirements to new heights, traditional air-cooling methods have become inadequate for modern server demands. Consequently, single-phase immersion cooling (SPIC) has emerged as one of the effective and sustainable alternatives, utilizing dielectric fluids to remove heat through direct contact with electronic components. Despite numerous thermal and reliability studies, the complex three-dimensional movement of buoyant thermal plumes around intricate component shapes are not yet fully understood in confined spaces.

This thesis provides a detailed characterization of Tomo-PIV and a component level experimental study of flow patterns in …

Multimodal Deep Learning For Biological Data Understanding, Saiyang Na

Computer Science and Engineering Dissertations

This dissertation presents three contributions to multimodal deep learning for biological data understanding, addressing the fundamental challenge of cross-modal alignment from two complementary perspectives: designing effective multimodal fusion methods for specific biomedical applications, and proposing a general framework for higher-order multimodal alignment that captures hierarchical structure in data.

First, we develop Cmai, a deep learning framework for B cell receptor (BCR) to antigen binding prediction that aligns BCR sequence information with antigen three-dimensional structures using contrastive learning. Cmai achieves an average AUROC of 0.907 across 17 antigens and 5 independent cohorts, and demonstrates clinical utility in predicting immune checkpoint inhibitor …

Using Herbarium Specimens To Morphologically Delineate Three Western Phlox Species, Jack David Hager, Meredith Zettlemoyer

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Western Phlox are incredibly diverse, found in a variety of habitats spanning lowland meadows to high alpine tundra. The genus contains around 65 unique species, often with overlapping trait variation that makes morphological and taxonomic delineation difficult. Phlox missoulensis, a cushion-forming species endemic to the Missoula Valley, inhabits lower-elevation, windy, arid ridgelines that mimic alpine conditions. Two nearby congeners, Phlox kelseyi and Phlox pulvinata, occupy partially overlapping ecological niches: P. kelseyi is found in wet meadows at similar elevations to P. missoulensis, while P. pulvinata is found in higher elevation environments. P. missoulensis exhibits morphological characteristics that are intermediate between …