Digital Commons Network^™

Funding Traditional Best Practices: Exploring The Impacts Of Multidimensional Funding Through The Centers Of Disease Control And Prevention's (Cdc) Healthy Tribes Project, Hannah Lorraine Youngdeer

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the experiences of Health Tribes recipients managing or participatingin more than one funding opportunity provided through the CDC Healthy Tribes program; offering an opportunity to share successes and challenges in multidimensional funding management, program implementation, and impacts, as well as recommendations for funders and other American Indian and Alaska Native communities. This qualitative study used document analysis and a focus group, with data analyzed using deductive thematic analysis to identify patterns and develop themes.

The findings highlight methods of funding management and factors, such as organizational structures, that drive the organization of funding management. The findings also …

The Supreme Court And The Constitution, Tom Rozinski

Open Touro Created

2026

The Supreme Court and the Constitution is a casebook for undergraduate students who want to earn about the Constitutional structure of the US government. Since the Supreme Court is responsible for interpreting the Constitution, the book begins with a history of the Court before examining the processes and methods it uses to decide cases. There is also a unit on the development of judicial review and the limitations on the scope of the Court’s actions. One major unit examines the powers of the president in both foreign and domestic affairs, and includes a section on presidential immunities. Another major …

Testing P300-Based Biometric Authentication Paradigms, Jordan Razzak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bench research suggests that P300 amplitude is greater in response to self-relevant stimuli compared to familiar stimuli. This effect could enable a novel method of biometric authentication based on the self-relevant P300. This dissertation aims to: (1) determine the optimal presentation paradigm for leveraging self-relevance in P300-based biometric authentication, and (2) investigate P300 responses from self-relevant stimuli versus stimuli learned over the course of a week.

Two presentation paradigms were compared – rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) and matrix presentation (MP). Participant-specific RSVP and MP classifiers were trained by applying stepwise linear discriminant analysis to data collected during presentations of …

Women In Banking Leadership: A Qualitative Study On Experiences In Breaking Through The Glass Ceiling, Thelma E. De León García

Theses & Dissertations

Although women make up a substantial part of the banking workforce, they remain underrepresented in leadership roles due to barriers like the glass ceiling that limit their career advancement. Despite women’s underrepresentation in leadership roles, little research has examined their perspectives on the enablers of career advancement in this sector. This qualitative descriptive study explores the factors women identify as critical in breaking these barriers to attain leadership roles. Ten semi-structured interviews of women who hold a leadership position in banking were thematically analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-step thematic analysis and NVivo software. Guided by feminist theory, the …

Do You Use Chatgpt? A Technology Acceptance And Segmentation Study Of Chatgpt Use Among Students At A South Texas University, Brian F. Waltman

Theses & Dissertations

Do You Use ChatGPT? A Technology Acceptance and Segmentation Study of ChatGPT Use Among Students at a South Texas University

August 2026

Brian F Waltman, Doctor of Philosophy in Education

The study investigates the integration of ChatGPT in academic settings, focusing on validating the TAME-ChatGPT instrument for a small private university in South Texas. This research aims to assess students' attitudes towards ChatGPT and identify the factors influencing its adoption and perceived usefulness. Previous studies have indicated ChatGPT's broad applicability across various sectors, including business, healthcare, and law, but its role in academia remains under-explored, particularly within the United States. …

Shifting The Paradigm Through Practice: A Co-Operative Inquiry Approach To Sustained Commitment In Nature-Based Education, Amanda Mcmickle

Theses & Dissertations

Nature-based learning has demonstrated positive outcomes for young children’s academic, social-emotional, and developmental growth; however, its implementation within school systems remains limited due to a lack of governance or organized oversight. This qualitative study examined how nature-based learning can be implemented with practical fidelity in Texas public schools while remaining aligned with state standards and school district policies. Grounded in Biophilia Theory, Attention Restoration Theory, and Experience Theory, the study explored educators’ perceptions as co-researchers into the practices and decision-making processes as they integrated nature-based learning into daily instruction.

Participants included experienced Texas public school educators teaching prekindergarten and kindergarten. …

Musical Training Increases Anticipatory Responding And Predictive Control In Sequence Learning, Li Ann Leow, Jarrad Lum, Sara Johnson, Emily Corti, Welber Marinovic

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Musicians demonstrate advantages in acquiring motor sequences, showing faster learning and better explicit sequence knowledge than non-musicians. However, it is unclear whether this advantage extends beyond acquisition to the consolidation phase, which is when newly learned skills stabilize and become resistant to interference. Additionally, while interference from executing competing motor tasks is well-established, less is known about whether purely sensory information presented after learning can disrupt consolidation of a bimodal motor sequence. We investigated how post-acquisition sensory interference affects performance of a learned audio-visual sequence, and whether musical training moderates this vulnerability. Participants first learned an explicit sequence in a …

Attenuation Of Redox Interference In Ruo2 Ph Sensor Using A Ta2o5/Nafion Multilayer Architecture, Wade Lonsdale, Magdalena Wajrak, Md Mahamudul Hassan, James Jin Kang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Despite the growing preference for solid-state pH sensors due to their advantages over glass pH electrodes, their practical application is still limited by challenges, particularly in metal-oxide based systems. The main issue is their susceptibility to redox-active species such as dissolved oxygen, ascorbic acid, sulfides, and transition-metal ions. In this work, the effects of representative redox interferents, with particular emphasis on ascorbic acid, together with dissolved oxygen and potassium permanganate, were investigated and mitigated through the application of Ta2O5/Nafion overlayers. The solid-state metal-oxide pH-sensitive electrodes were fabricated with laser micro-etching of radio-frequency (RF) sputtered RuO2 thin films deposited on ceramic …

Automated Testing And Enhancement For Autonomous Driving Systems, Mingfei Cheng

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) rely on Autonomous Driving Systems (ADSs) to perceive their surroundings, predict the behavior of traffic participants, plan driving actions, and control vehicle motion in complex traffic environments. As AVs move toward large-scale real-world deployment, ADSs are expected not only to avoid collisions and traffic-rule violations, but also to make robust decisions, cooperate effectively with other AVs, and maintain high-quality driving behavior. However, the open, dynamic, and uncertain nature of driving environments makes the systematic testing and enhancement of ADSs a challenging problem.

Although scenario-based testing has made substantial progress in discovering safety-critical violations, several important limitations remain. …

What Is Left After Memory: Love, The Body, And The Unconscious In Little Fish, Paul Longley Arthur, Isabel Smith

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Chad Hartigan’s science fiction romantic drama Little Fish was released in 2020, soon after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the disease plaguing communities in Little Fish is not affecting people’s bodies but their minds—those who have contracted Neuroinflammatory Affliction (NIA) are losing their memories. The story centres upon the experiences of one young couple as they anxiously witness the disease take hold of their community, loved ones, and eventually one another. The film explores relationships between memory and identity, and poses questions about the ways these processes interact with those of love and loss. Who are we once …

Molecular Refinement Of The Taxonomy Of Pyrgulopsis Springsnails In Western North America, Michael K. Young, Kristine L. Pilgrim, Eric S. Miskow, Chante L. Lundskog, Kathryn E. Perez, Michael K. Schwartz

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Springsnails in the genus Pyrgulopsis in western North America have long been a dilemma for taxonomists. Defining species boundaries has been complicated by the presence of undiscovered or cryptic taxa, range over- or underestimation, species complexes representing an unknown number of species, and named species synonymous with other taxa. To address these issues, we conducted an array of molecular species delimitation analyses using sequences from up to 2 mitochondrial and 2 nuclear genes from over 5000 specimens representing 140 of the 151 currently recognized taxa. These analyses reaffirmed most species hypotheses, favored synonymy for some taxa and redrawing of species …

Neurotypical And Neurodivergent Traits As Predictors Of Memory Performance, Maranda N. Willis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Traits associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been observed within neurotypical populations to influence a range of cognitive and behavioral characteristics, including attention to detail and the need for cognition (NC). The present study assessed traits commonly associated with ASD with the 42-item Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory (CATI) for 111 participants. The relations between ASD-like traits, attention to detail, as afforded by the Minnesota Clerical Aptitude Test (MCT), and memory, as measured by vignettes, were examined. Memory performance was assessed using 12 multiple-choice questions on vignette details. Participants read one of three randomly assigned 25-sentence vignettes of varying themes …

The Rise Of Emergent Bilingual Students In Texas School Districts: A Longitudinal Analysis Of Outcomes, Resources, And Conditions, Ashley Ivy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined district-level changes associated with rapid growth in Emergent Bilingual (EB) enrollment across 53 Texas public school districts between the 2012-2013 and 2022-2023 academic years. Using a quantitative, nonexperimental, longitudinal descriptive-comparative design, secondary data from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) were analyzed to assess changes in district demographics, staffing patterns, bilingual/ESL expenditures, academic achievement, graduation rates, and college readiness outcomes. Paired-samples t-tests were conducted to determine statistically significant mean differences across the 10-year period. Findings revealed significant increases in EB enrollment, Hispanic enrollment, and economically disadvantaged enrollment, indicating that participating districts served increasingly diverse student populations with …

The Interplay Of Interdependence And Correlation In Bilateral Trade, Takashi Kunimoto, Cuiling Zhang

Research Collection School Of Economics

Following Crémer and McLean (1985, 1988) for finite type spaces and McAfee and Reny (1992) for continuous ones, we establish two respective sufficient conditions for the existence of efficient, ex ante budget-balanced mechanisms satisfying Bayesian incentive compatibility (BIC) and interim individual rationality (IIR) in bilateral trade settings with interdependent values and correlated beliefs. We then utilize the ex ante welfare (EAW) condition proposed by Kunimoto and Zhang (2026), which is necessary for the stricter requirement of ex post budget balance. We prove that while the EAW condition is sufficient in a two-type model and generalizes existing conditions in the literature, …

The Treatment Of Digital Assets In Insolvency, Nydia Remolina Leon, Aurelio Gurrea-Martinez, Daniel Liu

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the treatment of digital assets in insolvency. Given that cryptoassets can be the subject of various transactions—including purchase, sale, custody, and lending—understanding their nature and implications in insolvency is relevant for any firm, not just cryptoexchanges. The article begins by offering a general overview of the world of cryptoassets. It then examines the nature of cryptoassets from accounting, financial, and legal perspectives. While much of the literature on insolvency and cryptoassets has primarily focused on the analysis of whether cryptocurrencies constitute property of the estate, this article explores additional issues, such as the …

Macroscopic Classical And Quantum Models Of Inverse Compton Scattering, Emerson Penn Rogers

Physics Theses & Dissertations

Inverse Compton sources — in which a relativistic electron beam scatters a laser pulse to produce tunable, collimated, high-energy radiation—have emerged as among the most promising compact radiation sources, with applications ranging from nuclear photonics to medical and nanoscale imaging and metrology. The most viable current tabletop configuration couples laser-wakefield acceleration with inverse Compton scattering, producing GeV-scale electron beams over millimeter distances. As laser intensities increase and electron energies grow, the interaction enters the radiation reaction regime, where the energy radiated by the electron becomes a significant fraction of its kinetic energy. Predicting the scattered electron energy spectrum — the …

Singapore In Global Value Chains: Implications Of The Trump Ii Tariffs, Pao-Li Chang, Ruoqing Chen

Research Collection School Of Economics

This paper examines Singapore’s structural position in global value chains (GVCs) and the implications of the second Trump administration’s tariff escalation for Singapore and the broader ASEAN region. We proceed in three parts. First, using the ADB Multi-Regional Input–Output (MRIO) tables for 2019 and 2024, we characterise Singapore’s GVC participation and position. Singapore is the most GVCintensive economy in ASEAN, with nearly half of its gross exports comprising foreign value-added and a markedly downstream orientation. China is its dominant upstream partner across manufacturing and services—intermediating over 27% of foreign content in electronics and over 10% in chemicals—while Malaysia, Taiwan, and …

Laponite Nanosilicate As A Platform For Antigen–Adjuvant Co-Delivery In Vaccination, Haoyu Qi

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Nanosilicates are two-dimensional, charged nanomaterials with tunable surface chemistry that enable electrostatic interactions with proteins and nucleic acids. These properties make Laponite nanosilicate a promising platform for vaccine delivery, where coordinated antigen–adjuvant presentation and lymph node delivery are important for shaping immune responses. This thesis investigated nanosilicates as scaffolds for lysozyme-based antigen delivery and co-delivery with CpG.

The preparation method reduced the apparent size of the NS–Lys–CpG complex at pH 10, although neutralization to pH 7 promoted larger aggregate formation. In vivo IVIS imaging after footpad injection showed persistent Cy7-associated fluorescence at the injection site for up to three weeks …

Capital Cities: The Intersection Of Power And Protest Urban Planning And Civic Design In Brasília And Washington, D.C., Noah Benjamin Gill

Theses

The physical environments of capital cities play a critical role in shaping how citizens interact with governmental power, particularly during moments of political unrest, protest, and democratic conflict. As both symbolic representations of national identity and functional centers of government, these urban landscapes influence how citizens approach, occupy, and confront civic institutions through their planning, architectural form, circulation networks, and spatial organization. Government buildings, public plazas, monumental landscapes, and civic axes do more than provide settings for political activity; they actively shape patterns of movement, visibility, accessibility, and control. The design of these spaces influences not only how democratic institutions …

A Mixed Methods Study: Exploring The Concept Of Rematriation Through The Work Of Indigenous Doulas In New Mexico, Michelle Gutiérrez

Theses and Dissertations

Both the United States and New Mexico are facing a maternal health crisis. Despite significant resources and medical advances, Indigenous mothers continue to be impacted by health disparities. This research study explored the concept of Rematriation, most simply defined, as a return to a traditional and spiritual way of life with respect to Mother Earth or the Land, through the work of certified Indigenous birth doulas in New Mexico. Using a mixed methods approach that integrated a survey, body mapping, and interviews with 10 self-identified Indigenous doulas, this research sought insights and knowledge on their experiences and practices in birthwork, …

Impact Of Active Learning On Student Performance In An Introductory Atmospheric Science Laboratory Course, Kassidy Danae Kjos

Theses and Dissertations

Little investigation into pedagogy in atmospheric sciences has been conducted. While numerous studies across STEM disciplines have examined and demonstrate active learning (AL) is beneficial to student performance, fewer than fifty explored atmospheric sciences specifically. This study expands upon these few existing studies by evaluating a diverse set of AL strategies implemented into introductory meteorology laboratories. Five AL techniques (Think-Pair-Share, Game-Based, Role-Playing, Diagramming, and Gallery Walks) were implemented between two semesters across multiple laboratory sections. Student performance is analyzed using the laboratory and its accompanying lecture curriculum assessments, as well as through pre- and post-tests. Results indicate students exposed to …

The Role Of Financial Risk Aversion In Shaping Financial Sustainability And Organizational Growth Among Black-Led Nonprofit Organizations, Renika Atkins

All Dissertations

Black-led nonprofit organizations play a vital role in addressing socio-economic inequities, but many suffer from persistent financial constraints. Prior research has explored nonprofit financial management and organizational performance; however, how financial caution influences the health of Black-led nonprofit organizations remains understudied. This study examined the relationships between financial caution and the financial strength of Black-led nonprofit organizations. The study addressed two questions: (1) What is the relationship between financial caution and financial sustainability among Black-led nonprofit organizations? and (2) What is the relationship between financial caution and growth among Black-led nonprofit organizations? Data were collected through an online survey administered …

Improving Juror Comprehension: The Impact Of Simplified Instructions And Defendant Conduct Severity On Damage Awards, Alivia Mae Adams

Theses and Dissertations

Jurors in civil trials make judgments regarding liability and damages, often relying on jury instructions that are legally challenging to understand. Prior research indicates jurors frequently misunderstand standard instructions, which can contribute to legally inappropriate decisions influenced by factors such as the reprehensibility of the defendant’s conduct. The present study examined whether simplifying jury instructions would improve mock jurors’ comprehension and reduce the influence of defendant conduct on damage award decisions. Using a 2 × 2 between-subjects experimental design, participants received either standard or simplified jury instructions within the context of a mock civil negligence case involving either lower or …

An Action Research Study Of Kindergarten Educators’ Literacy Assessment Practices In International Schools In Brazil, Giselle B. Casagrande

Multidisciplinary Studies Theses

This action research study explored how Kindergarten educators assess foundational literacy skills, identify learning gaps, and use assessment data to inform instruction in two international schools in Brazil, where English is the primary language of instruction and most students are second-language learners. Using a qualitative design, data were collected from seven Kindergarten educators through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and assessment samples. Data were analyzed using descriptive summaries and thematic analysis to identify patterns across participants' responses. The findings revealed that educators rely on a combination of standardized assessments, teacher-created tools, and ongoing classroom observation to evaluate foundational literacy skills, particularly phonological …

Dupilumab Versus Placebo In Adults And Adolescents With Eosinophilic Gastritis (Degas): A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Phase 2, Multicentre, Randomised Controlled Trial, Nirmala P Gonsalves, Evan S Dellon, Kara L Kliewer, Tetsuo Shoda, Regina Yearout, Seema S Aceves, Nicoleta C Arva, John A Besse, Julie M Caldwell, Mirna Chehade, Amaziah Coleman, Margaret H Collins, Sara Anvari, Gary W Falk, Sandeep K Gupta, Girish Hiremath, David A Katzka, Paneez Khoury, John Leung, Calies Menard-Katcher, Paul Menard-Katcher, Kathryn A Peterson, Maria A Pletneva, Amanda K Rudman Spergel, Jonathan M Spergel, Tatyana Vaysman, Joshua B Wechsler, Benjamin L Wright, Guang-Yu Yang, Xue Zhang, Meijian Zhou, Ashish Bansal, Bram P Raphael, Amr Radwan, Jennifer Maloney, Antonio Martin, Yamo Deniz, Glenn T Furuta, Lisa J Martin, Marc E Rothenberg

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Eosinophilic gastritis currently has no approved treatments and is postulated to be driven by type 2 inflammation. Dupilumab blocks type 2 cytokines IL-4 and IL-13 and has efficacy in multiple diseases characterised by type 2 inflammation, including eosinophilic oesophagitis. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of dupilumab in patients with eosinophilic gastritis.

Methods: DEGAS was a proof-of-concept, phase 2, multicentre, randomised controlled trial consisting of a 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled period, followed by a 24-week open-label extension period. Patients aged 12-70 years from 11 hospitals in the USA with histologically active eosinophilic gastritis (≥30 eosinophils per high-power field …

The Effects Of Deepfake Education On Detection Ability And Media Trust, Richard Hawkins

Theses and Dissertations

The proliferation of AI-generated media, particularly deepfakes, has generated growing concerns regarding misinformation, media authenticity, and public trust in digital communication. This study investigates how education about deepfakes influences the ability to detect deepfake and genuine videos as well as trust in media institutions. Drawing on Inoculation Theory, media literacy research, and sociological perspectives on misinformation and trust, this research examines whether educational materials about deepfakes enhance detection abilities while simultaneously reducing trust in media. A between-subjects experimental design was employed, with 220 undergraduate participants randomly assigned to either an educational treatment condition or a control condition. Pretest measures assessed …

Consent Teachings In Sex Education: A Qualitative Study, Andrea Rose Doyon

Theses and Dissertations

The current study sought to qualitatively explore sex educator's beliefs about sexual consent and how it is included in their sex education curricula. Additionally, how sex educators perceived their sexual education curricula and, more specifically how their students responded to information regarding sexual consent, were explored. Overall, the goal of the current study was to better understand the experiences and attitudes held by sex educators in Upper Midwestern schools regarding sexual consent information in their sex education courses, and their perceptions of what role community attitudes have on the teaching of sexual consent. This study utilized a grounded theory methodology …

The Role Of Social Capital And Emotional Well-Being Among Collegiate Members Of Greek Life, Sonia Doulamis

Theses and Dissertations

Current literature has focused on the emotional well-being of collegiate students, specifically around feelings of loneliness and isolation, while trying to determine how to increase sense of belonging. There is research that demonstrates the importance of being involved in student organizations, as it can help students be successful both in college and when they graduate. The benefits of being involved in an organization also translate to retention and graduation rates. Research has demonstrated that students who are actively engaged in activities outside of the classroom are able to connect with friends and faculty members, get a better handle on campus, …

Understanding Health Literacy In Confinement: Intersectional Perspectives And Criminal Justice Implications, Laura Mishne Heller

Theses and Dissertations

Health literacy, defined as the ability to access, understand, evaluate, and apply health information, is a critical determinant of health and health equity. Although national public health initiatives emphasize improving health literacy, incarcerated populations remain largely overlooked in health literacy research despite experiencing disproportionately high rates of chronic illness, infectious disease, mental health conditions, and substance use disorders. Using data from the 2014 U.S. Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) Prison Study, this dissertation examined health literacy among incarcerated adults through three sequential analyses. First, literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving measures were evaluated as proxy indicators of health …

Deep Learning For Lithium-Ion Battery Status Monitoring: Robust State-Of-Charge And Trustworthy State-Of-Health Estimation, Mingwei Lei

Theses and Dissertations

In electric vehicle and energy storage applications, the reliable operation of safety-critical battery management systems (BMS) relies on accurate, real-time estimation of the state of charge (SOC) and state of health (SOH). Although data-driven methods show great potential, their practical application is primarily constrained by two major challenges. First, battery operation under real-world conditions involves continuously varying factors—such as temperature, aging stages, and dynamic cell characteristics—making it impossible to exhaustively cover all scenarios during laboratory data collection. This discrepancy often leads to a significant decline in estimation performance due to the domain shift problem. Second, engineering practice requires a balance …