Digital Commons Network^™

The “Meta-Country” Of Morgan Wallen: Authenticity Signaling In Contemporary Country Music, Ryley Fallon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Country music artist Morgan Wallen has dominated sales charts and streaming numbers on digital platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Wallen has also crafted his own image of what it means to be “country,” distilling it into the usual, hyper-recognizable motifs of whiskey and trucks while transitioning them onto new media platforms. In addition, Wallen maintains his small-town Tennessee boy image despite conquering massive digital landscapes. This thesis argues that Morgan Wallen exemplifies a new phase of country music, “metacountry.” “Meta-country,” as detailed in this thesis, refers to the continuation of country music’s commercialization into the digital space in …

The Tugaloo Effect: Preliminary Analyses Of Population Genomics And Parasitism In Salamanders Of Northeast Georgia, Tyler Lewis Brock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Tugaloo River is a 50-mile-long stretch of river that serves as an important political and biogeographical boundary in far northeastern Georgia and northwestern South Carolina. The extreme topography, complex geological and hydrological history, and unique assemblage of soils, flora, and fauna of the Tugaloo region make it a prime candidate for study. I used the diverse salamander community there to conduct two studies. Study 1 investigated how the population genomics of select species in the genera Desmognathus and Plethodon were impacted by ancient drainage modifications from the Pleistocene which included not only the Tugaloo River but also the Tallulah, …

Recipe For Resistance: Oral Histories Of Queer Foodways In The Us South, Astrid Janie Knox-Mcconnell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the emerging question of what constitutes “queer food.” It asks how this concept takes on a distinct regional form in the United States South. Drawing on oral histories, archival materials, and cookbooks, it argues that queer southern foodways are not only a subset of queer food studies, but also a distinct cultural and political formation shaped by southern histories of race, labor, family, and survival. The thesis makes the case that queer southern foodways function simultaneously as protest, utopian practice, and aesthetic pleasure. Through the act of cooking, eating, and sharing food, queer southerners articulate alternative social …

Foundations And Scope Of Moral Standing, Vikas Beniwal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the foundational grounds of moral standing. I contend that sentience, while frequently cited as the primary criterion, lacks sufficient justification when asserted as a necessary condition. I propose an alternate feature as sufficient grounds of moral standing.

On The Importance Of Proportionality In Congressional Redistricting, Guélan Kossi Zaour

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Which party benefits the most from partisan gerrymandering? Extant literature attempting to measure this phenomenon is largely atheoretical, primarily focused on designing tools that could be used in court cases. I argue that measuring the partisan consequences of gerrymandering should require deeper conceptualization of the notion of fairness. I make the normative claim that proportionality, which I define as the alignment between a party’s share of the vote and its share of congressional districts in a given state, should be used as a standard of fairness. Using the redist R package, I measured the partisan consequences of gerrymandering by generating …

Phenotypic Contribution And Regulation Of Vibrio Parahaemolyticus Cold-Shock Protein Homologue Vp1889, Oleg Borisovich Ermolinsky

Theses and Dissertations

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is the primary causative agent of a form of gastroenteritis called vibriosis commonly acquired from ingestion of raw and undercooked seafood. The primary mitigation of seafood-borne illnesses is immediate storage on ice following catch, which inhibits bacterial metabolism and replication. Mesophilic bacteria such as V. parahaemolyticus induce expression of cold-shock proteins in a process named the cold shock response, which facilitates survival at low temperatures. V. parahaemolyticus bears 3 homologues of the major Escherichia coli cold-shock protein CspA, an RNA chaperone. Induction of E. coli CspA at low temperatures depends on autogenous modulation by its mRNA structure, which …

“Oh, Hey, Miss, Why Am I Taking This Test?”: Amplifying The Critical Voices Of Long-Term Emergent Bilinguals From The Rgv On Telpas, Luisa Adriana Valdez

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative narrative study examines the lived experiences of seven Long-Term Emergent Bilinguals (LTEBs) in Texas public schools, with a particular focus on the TELPAS test and its role in shaping students’ academic trajectories. Grounded in decolonial theory and a raciolinguistic ideological perspective, the study investigates how state-mandated English proficiency assessments and identification practices reproduce inequities and racialized linguistic hierarchies. Using pláticas as a culturally sustaining methodological approach, narrative accounts were collected from seven U.S.-born, Spanish-English bilingual Latinx students from the Rio Grande Valley. Findings reveal that the home language survey and TELPAS language proficiency assessment function as colonial sorting …

Developing Ai Literacy In Preservice Stem Teachers: Exploring The Role Of Pedagogically Grounded Engagement With Generative Ai In Lesson Planning, Omar Raul Elizondo

Theses and Dissertations

The rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is introducing new opportunities and challenges in education. This qualitative multiple-case study explored how preservice STEM teachers developed AI literacy through structured engagement with GenAI during inquiry-based lesson planning. Grounded in Ng et al.’s (2021) four-domain AI literacy framework, the 5E instructional model, and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the study examined how preservice teachers conceptualized, applied, evaluated, and ethically reasoned about GenAI-supported outputs while designing lessons aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).

Participants were three preservice STEM teachers enrolled in the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s …

From Homeland To The Foreign Classroom: The Salaysay Of Filipina Immigrant Teachers In Texas, Shanna Cui Miranda

Theses and Dissertations

Filipina immigrant teachers are a growing presence in Texas schools, especially as districts respond to teacher shortages by recruiting internationally trained educators. This narrative study explores the salaysay of Filipina immigrant teachers in Texas and examines how their funds of knowledge inform their teaching practice. Guided by the research question, What are the salaysay of Filipina immigrant teachers in Texas, and how do their funds of knowledge inform their teaching? The study uses Funds of Knowledge (Moll et al., 1992) as the central framework and resizes it to focus on teachers as holders of culturally developed knowledge. The resized framework …

Haciendo Caras Y Hablando Para Atrás: Conceptualizing Espacios Coyunturales/Bridged Spaces As Teachers Resistance To Contemporary Reactionary Legislative Initiatives In K-12 Social Studies, Brittney Louise Thornton-Guzman

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how teachers in the Rio Grande Valley engage in subversive resistance within the context of contemporary legislative constraints regulating discussions of race, identity, and history in K–12 classrooms. Grounded in Chicana Feminist Epistemology (Delgado Bernal, 1998) and informed by Aoki’s distinction between curriculum-as-plan and lived curriculum (Aoki, 2005), this qualitative study employs critical narrative inquiry (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000) and analysis of narrative to explore how educators navigate stateimposed restrictions. Drawing on teacher narratives, the study centers hablando para atrás (hooks, 1989) as a pedagogical stance through which educators sustain critical engagement under conditions of constraint. Findings …

Chatbots In The Classroom: Understanding The Impact Of Chatbot Integration In Writer’S Workshops On High School Students’ Writing, Gabriel Cerda

Theses and Dissertations

Writing is a complex developmental skill, and much research has been conducted to understand in which ways to best close the gaps that national data indicates exist for students in K-12 education. This quasi-experimental study explored how integrating chatbots as dialogue agents within a writer’s workshop framework influences the quality of written compositions among Grade 12 students. The research was grounded in the Direct and Indirect Effect Model of Writing (DIEW) and the Writer(s)-Within-Community (WWC) model, which emphasize both the cognitive and social-emotional dimensions of the writing process.

Participants received real-time, individualized feedback, with pre- and post-test essays evaluated using …

Curriculum, Power And Pedagogical Becoming: An Autoethnographic Inquiry Into Lived Curriculum, Teacher Agency And Institutional Constraints, Norma Ochoa Urban-Palomarez

Theses and Dissertations

My dissertation, Curriculum, Power, and Pedagogical Becoming, examines the complex relationship between institutional curriculum structures, teacher agency, and the lived realities of classroom practice within U.S. public schooling. Situated at the intersection of curriculum theory and critical pedagogy, the study investigates how power operates through scripted curricula, pacing mandates, and fidelity-driven instructional models, and how these mechanisms shape pedagogical decision-making, professional identity, and the educational experiences of Hispanic students of poverty, language, and color. While standardization is frequently framed as a vehicle for equity and accountability, this research explores how institutional constraints may simultaneously regulate teacher practice and delimit possibilities …

Two Essays On Finance: The Dark Side Of The Ceo Inside Debt: Evidence From Stock Price Crash Risk And Cybersecurity Risk And Corporate Bond Yield Spreads, Amir Gholami

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation comprises of two papers. In the first paper, I found that despite being thought of as a governance mechanism, CEO inside debt seems to distort firms’ information environment. My results indicate that the CEO inside debt creates an incentive for managers to hoard bad news to prevent technical defaults, leading to increasing stock price crash risk. My results are robust after addressing endogeneity using the instrumental variable (IV) approach, a difference-in-differences test based on the implementation of Internal Revenue Code Section 409A Final Regulations, and Oster’s omitted variable diagnostic test, and selection bias using the propensity score matching …

From Witness To Weapon: How Elizabeth Barrett Browning’S “The Cry Of The Children” Embodies And Transforms The Rhetorical Situation, Elyssa Vianey Solis

Theses and Dissertations

Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “The Cry of the Children” employs trauma-driven rhetoric to expose Victorian child labor exploitation.

Combining literary analysis with rhetorical theory, this research contextualizes the poem within 19th-century industrial exploitation, showing how Browning transforms documentary evidence like the 1842 Children’s Employment Commission Report into emotional testimony. Visceral imagery, ironic juxtaposition, and embodied suffering weaponize pathos to reveal systemic abuse and moral urgency. Applying Lloyd Bitzer’s and Richard Vatz’s theories, we can posit that Browning both responds to and defines the crisis, merging poetic protest with social reform as civic intervention.

By engaging Bitzer and Vatz, this paper argues …

The Role Of Operational Context In Shaping Energy Management Portfolios: A Comparative Case Study Of Two Manufacturing Facilities, Cynthia Aranda

Theses and Dissertations

Using two facilities as illustrative examples, this research investigates how a manufacturing plant's operational and financial context may influence its investment decisions in energy-efficiency measures. This challenges the primacy of the simple payback period (SPP) as a screening tool and instead demonstrates the role of operational context in investment decision-making. To this extent, this study is anchored to a qualitative comparative case study analysis of two ITAC energy assessments for two manufacturing plants in Texas: a higher value-added aerospace MRO plant (GE Aerospace, TR0060) versus a cost-sensitive automotive stamping plant (UMP Metal Stamping, TR0061). The two cases illustrate two different …

Spatiotemporal Evolution Of Flow Decline And Water Consumption In A Highly Regulated Transboundary River: The Lower Rio Grande/Bravo, Ana Yarely Casillas Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

Long-term flow variability in transboundary rivers reflects the combined influence of water availability, infrastructure development, and binational water use. Integrating historical discharge with evolving water-use data remains challenging due to fragmented records and nationally bounded assessments. This study reconstructs a 125-year discharge record (1900–2025) from historical Water Bulletins and modern observations at 12 gauging stations, providing a spatiotemporal assessment of flow evolution and water-budget components in the Lower Rio Grande/Bravo (LRG).

Discharge records were grouped into four hydrologic regimes—natural (1900–1913), pre-dam (1935–1950), post-dam (1974–1989), and modern (2010–2025)—and analyzed alongside binational water-use data across major sectors. A basin-scale water budget, using …

Identification Of Peptides For A Muc13 Cancer Vaccine, Abigail Olivia Gomez

Theses and Dissertations

Mucin 13 (MUC13) is a transmembrane glycoprotein that is frequently overexpressed in epithelial cancers. Its extracellular domains and cytoplasmic signaling potential contribute to disrupted cell adhesion, increased invasion, and cancer-promoting pathways, making MUC13 a promising target for immunotherapy. This project used an in-silico approach to identify MUC13-derived peptides predicted to bind HLA class I molecules and support CD8+ T cell-mediated immune responses. Bioinformatics tools were used to screen candidate epitopes for HLA binding affinity, antigenicity, toxicity, IFN-γ-inducing potential, and population coverage, allowing rational prioritization of peptide candidates for experimentation. Selected peptides were evaluated in THP-1-derived macrophages using RT-PCR, Western blotting, …

Developing Bilingual Expressive Language Tools For Spanish-Speaking Families In The Rio Grande Valley, Edessa Xcarlet Reyes

Theses and Dissertations

This pilot study examines the development of dialect-sensitive expressive language tools for bilingual children in the Rio Grande Valley. A cross-sectional survey design was used to examine Spanish-speaking caregivers’ confidence, language use, and perceptions of communication support across home, school, and medical settings. The study focuses on culturally and linguistically responsive practices that account for regional Spanish dialectal variation. Findings from this research are intended to inform the development of family-centered expressive language resources and contribute to equitable assessment and intervention practices for bilingual children in speech-language pathology.

The Rio Grande Valley In Text: Exploring The Borderland Within Social Studies Textbooks Via Synoptic Text, Ana Laura Escobar Fuentes

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative, synoptic text inquiry examines how fourth-grade Texas history social studies textbooks portray Mexicans, Mexican Americans, and the U.S-Mexico border, specifically the Rio Grande Valley (RGV). This research sought to answer the following questions: How do Texas history social studies textbooks portray Mexicans, Mexican Americans, and the US-Mexican border in three South Texas school districts? Within these portrayals, what historical representations/content are included, diminished, or excluded regarding the vast majority of the Mexican or Mexican American community?

Guided by the conceptual framings of Miller and Almaraz and Valerio-Jiménez (consensual history), Garza and his colleagues (critical histories), Anzaldúa’s geography of …

Writing And Witnessing Ourselves Into Being: Testimonios Of A Chicana Educator And Latine Students For Social Justice In A Writing Course At A Hispanic Serving Institution, Amy Montoya

Theses and Dissertations

A qualitative study of first-year writing students at a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) sought to understand the extent to which the practice of writing testimonios transformed how students constructed their sense of identity for social justice. Guided by the research question: How does the practice of writing testimonios in a writing course at an HSI shape faculty and student identity for social justice? This qualitative study analyzed the lived experiences of three former Latine female undergraduates and the researcher in a co - participatory testimonio methodology study. Grounded in the conceptual frameworks of decolonization (Mignolo & Walsh, 2018; Paraskeva, 2013) …

Perceptions Of Educators To Recognize And Respond To Suicidal Ideation Of Secondary Students, Clary Aaron

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study explored how secondary teachers in East Tennessee perceive district-provided suicide prevention training and its role in supporting students experiencing suicidal ideation. Eleven middle and high school teachers who had previously made a crisis referral participated in semi-structured interviews. The study examined teachers’ experiences, perceived strengths and limitations of training, and needed resources. Findings revealed that teachers felt confident recognizing warning signs, especially behavioral changes, when strong student relationships existed. However, training was often described as repetitive, generic, and minimally engaging. Social media and limited support systems were seen as major stressors for students. Teachers emphasized relationship-centered …

“The Distance And Time Difference Aren’T Helping”: Family Communication Practices Of African Graduate Students Adapting To A New Country, Hummuh Abubakar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined how international graduate students maintained long-distance communication with family members while adapting to life in the United States. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with seven international students, the research explored how participants sustained emotional closeness, manage disclosure, and select communication media across geographic distance. Guided by Communication Privacy Management Theory and Media Richness Theory, the study analyzed how students regulated private information and strategically used video calls, voice calls, and messaging platforms to meet relational and emotional needs. Findings revealed four primary themes: reliance on digital communication technologies; the emotional and psychological functions of family communication; structural …

Political Legacies Of Malcolm X, Sumair Ahluwalia

Theses

This study explores the ways in which Malcolm X’s legacy has been co-opted by various institutions and actors, including, but not limited to, politicians, historians, the general public, the federal government, and other commentators. As a result of this co-optation, Malcolm’s revolutionary ideals have been diluted or sanitized in the years since his assassination in 1965. Different approaches have been utilized to reframe Malcolm’s legacy, which include associating him with American liberalism, framing his arguments at the end of his life as markedly less radical, and external interference with popular works about Malcolm, including The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Additionally, …

Study Of Global Panel Of Soybean Accessions For Nitrogen Use Efficiency Using Association Mapping, Rita Bhandari

Theses

Soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) is a leguminous crop valued for its high protein, oil content, and other essential nutrients. Global production has significantly increased, with Brazil, the United States, and Argentina being the leading producers. In the U.S., Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota rank as the top soybean-producing states. Nitrogen (N) is a predominant nutrient required for optimal soybean growth and productivity, particularly in high-yielding varieties. While biological nitrogen fixation and soil mineral N supply part of the plant’s N requirement, synthetic fertilizers are commonly used to meet the remaining demand. However, only 30–50% of applied N is taken up …

The Social Seam: Combating Social Isolation Through Architecture, Elissa Hammrich

Architecture Theses

A lack of walkable environments and well-supported public spaces has created a crisis of social disconnection across the United States. Historically, dating back to the public squares of ancient Greece, the public realm was a place of communal ritual from which citizens drew their primary identity. Today, however, modern cities are driven by commerce and technology, rapidly losing the genuine spaces that create face-to-face human interaction. By prioritizing the efficient movement of vehicles and goods over human connection, it has left behind fractured, isolated communities.

This thesis explores architectural strategies to combat this social isolation, focusing specifically on the Near …

Advancements In Wall Systems For Cold Climate Timber Frame Structures, Albert Gérard

Architecture Theses

Timber frame buildings hold a privileged place in the homebuilding industry, where they are prized as a uniquely desirable construction method. Commonly cited reasons for their appeal are the way they feature natural materials and the prominent use of solid wood joinery. Although construction methods for the structures themselves were established through a series of seminal 1980s and 1990s English-language publications, the lack of a suitable wall system has continued to present challenges to achieving more widespread adoption.

Beyond The Battlefield: Architecture As A Path To Veteran Recovery, Alexandria Hamman

Architecture Theses

For many United States veterans, the transition home is not a return to stability, but the beginning of a new and often unseen mental health challenges. This thesis explores the role of architecture in supporting the recovery and reintegration of United States veterans facing mental health challenges and homelessness. Existing mental health and transitional housing facilities are often sterile and institutional, overlooking the impact of the built environment on psychological well-being. This project proposes a combined transitional housing and mental health rehabilitation facility designed to reduce the stigma of veterans needing help, promote stability, and help reintegrate them into a …

Creative Placemaking: Using Makerspace Infrastructure To Support Circular Communities, Grace Dejong

Architecture Theses

This thesis investigates how makerspaces can function as critical social and economic infrastructure within processes of urban regeneration, particularly in post-industrial contexts. Drawing from creative placemaking scholarship, and quantitative and qualitative data on entrepreneurship and making cultures, the research examines making as both a cultural practice and an economic catalyst. Centered on a vacant industrial infill site, the project explores how spaces for production, learning, and gathering can support creative labor, small-scale manufacturing, and community resilience. By bridging societal issues with architectural application, the thesis addresses gaps between discussions of creativity, sustainability, and their spatial implementation. Through an integrated program …

Sanctuary: Caring For The Whole Person In A Fragmented World, Hazel Elizabeth Chvatal

Architecture Theses

Drawing especially upon the writings of Alberto Perez-Gomez, this thesis claims that today’s built environment neglects social and spiritual wellbeing. Efficiency and productivity take priority over meaning and wellbeing, and many spaces fail to provide any context about relationship to a larger reality. Taking inspiration from the traditions of Benedictine monks and nuns, this architecture thesis proposes ritual as a means to invite participation and emphasize connection. A design process of artefactual making grounds the embodied experience in layers of authentic cultural, historical, and scientific realities. Through a layered, narrative-driven design approach, this thesis seeks to address social and spiritual …

Attitudes, Behaviors, And Co-Workers Influence Of Those Who Provide Mental Health Support Services To Refugees And Immigrants., Irene Boamah

Doctor of Social Work Capstone Projects

ABSTRACT

ATTITUDES, BEHAVIORS, AND CO-WORKERS INFLUENCE OF THOSE WHO PROVIDE MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT SERVICES TO REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS

Irene A. Boamah

April 3, 2026

Refugees and immigrants face a variety of mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety. Despite these mental health issues, there is limited research examining the attitudes, behaviors and coworkers’ influence on those who provide mental health support services to this population. This study examines the relationships between the demographic and professional characteristics of mental health support service providers in Kentucky and the stigmas they may have toward refugees and immigrants.

A cross-sectional …