Digital Commons Network^™

Feasibility Of Staff Training In Facilitating Affirmative Moving With Unhoused Lgbtq+ Individuals, Sujin Ma

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

Homelessness-service environments require non-clinical frontline staff to manage frequent crises and provide relational support to sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals with extensive trauma and minority stress histories. However, staff training often prioritizes didactic knowledge over embodied skills that support emotional regulation, attunement, and identity-affirming engagement. Grounded in trauma-informed care, minority stress theory, and somatic learning, this mixed-methods study examined the feasibility and preliminary patterns of change associated with an embodied staff training designed to prepare non-clinical workers to facilitate Affirmative Moving (AM), a brief movement-based, LGBTQ+-affirming support group model.

The study was conducted between July and September 2025 at …

Centering Testimonio: Understanding Chronic Absenteeism Through The Eyes Of Multilingual And Newcomer Families, Alexandra Sanchez

Educational Studies Dissertations

Chronic absenteeism remains a persistent concern in K–12 education and is often framed through deficit-based narratives that place blame solely on students or families. This qualitative study examines how a multilingual learner (MLL) and newcomer caregiver understands and experiences school attendance within her child’s public charter school community. Grounded in testimonio as both a methodological and epistemological approach, this study centers the lived experiences and knowledge of a caregiver navigating schooling within a new sociocultural and linguistic context.

Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted in Spanish and subsequently translated into English for analysis. An inductive coding process was …

Virus-Like Particle Peptoid Conjugate As A Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Targeting Delivery System, Ricky Zhu

Chemistry Theses

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), an aggressive form of breast cancer, characterized by its lack of estrogen receptors (ER), progesterone receptors (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptors (HER2) poses a therapeutic challenge as common treatment options are rendered ineffective. Here is a strategy to develop a drug delivery system utilizing poly-glycinated LC129 8, a TNBC targeting peptoid, covalently attached to HK97 virus-like particles (VLP) containing a C-terminal LPETG sequence via a sortase mediated reaction. Using the properties of the cage-like structure of VLPs and the TNBC specificity of the LC129-8, high doses of chemotherapy can be efficiently loaded into the …

Feasibility Of A Functional Reach Tool For Individuals With Lower Extremity Amputations, Neil Bongolan, Dustin Hoy, Ashlyn Strange

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Purpose: Patients with lower extremity amputations are at increased risk of falls due to decreased balance ability between amputated and sound side. The purpose of this study was to examine the usefulness of a reaching tool for practitioners to assess balance in an inpatient rehab facility. It was anticipated that clinicians will find the reaching device useful when administering the Functional Reach Test (FRT) in a clinical setting, given the frequent use of these assessments and the device’s demonstrated reliability.

Participants: Physical Therapists and patients at an Inpatient Rehab Facility in Henderson, Nevada

Materials/Methods: A prototype reaching tool was provided …

Digital Society: Media And Mental Health, James P. Sims

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis examines how contemporary media environments especially algorithmic, mobile, and socially interactive platforms are shaping attention, identity, emotional regulation, and mental health in a mediatized society. While research has documented rising levels of anxiety, depression, social comparison, compulsive media use, and fragmented communication patterns, much of the existing scholarship is quantitative and clinical, leaving a gap in how individuals experience these effects subjectively. This project combines literature grounded in media effects theory with a qualitative documentary film featuring lived-experience narratives from media users, clinicians, and scholars. The thesis argues that the psychological, social, and behavioral outcomes associated with digital …

Proceedings Of The 18th Indonesian Occupational Medicine Update (Iomu) 2026 - Occupational Medicine Without Borders: Emerging Risks, Evolving Workforces, And Inclusive Collaboration, Indonesian Association Of Occupational Medicine Specialists (Perhimpunan Kedokteran Okupasi Indonesia / Perdoki)

Occupational and Environmental Medicine Journal of Indonesia

This Supplemental Issue of the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Journal of Indonesia (OEMJI) compiles the scientific abstracts presented at the 18th Indonesian Occupational Medicine Update (IOMU) 2026, convened in Surabaya, Indonesia, from 15 to 17 May 2026. The IOMU has matured into the most prominent annual scientific platform of the Indonesian occupational medicine community, hosted by the Indonesian Association of Occupational Medicine Specialists (Perhimpunan Kedokteran Okupasi Indonesia / PERDOKI). Since its inception, the conference has served as a meeting point where clinicians, academics, industrial hygienists, regulators, employers, and worker representatives gather to translate emerging scientific evidence into …

Impacts Of Structural Design On Oyster Survival And Predation In Restored Oyster Reefs, Jaden Akers

Theses and Dissertations

Restoration efforts are critical to ensure healthy oyster populations, but the high cost and marginal success rate of many restoration efforts demonstrates the need to evaluate alternative oyster reef restoration designs and strategies. To address this issue, I conducted a paired field and mesocosm study to assess the influence of structural design on oyster survival and predation. Results of the field portion of this study showed that oyster survival was greatest in short and bed-level (i.e., sitting on the sea bottom) reef designs. When assessing how design features impact oyster drill activity, elevated reefs (i.e., elevated above the sea bottom) …

Machine Learning-Based Decision Support Models With Applications In Postsecondary Education, Marco Paolo Anglesio

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the deployment of machine learning methodologies in an industrial engineering framework for the development of advanced decision support systems in the context of enrollment management. Drawing on techniques from educational data mining, the research addresses three key phases in the lifecycle of traditional and non-traditional students. First, it analyzes student retention using predictive classification models designed to identify individuals at elevated risk of attrition. Second, it employs temporal convolutional networks for time series forecasting, estimating aggregate enrollment levels over highly variable, finite planning horizons on the basis of partially observed data and using an asymmetric loss function. …

An Evaluation Of Mississippi’S Policy For Identifying And Exiting Targeted Support And Improvement (Tsi) And Additional Targeted Support And Improvement (Atsi) Schools, Christopher A. Burrow

Theses and Dissertations

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires states to identify schools for improvement based on overall performance and the performance of student subgroups. While substantial research has examined CSI schools, limited attention has been given to state policies governing the identification and exit of TSI and ATSI schools. This project evaluates Mississippi’s policy for identifying and exiting TSI and ATSI schools to determine whether the system appropriately identifies underperforming subgroups, promotes sustained improvement, and aligns with ESSA's equity-focused intent. Guided by the policy analysis triangle framework, the study employed a desk-based secondary data analysis of Mississippi’s publicly available state and …

Determining Agricultural Literacy Proficiency Of Extension Professionals And Primary Volunteers In Mississippi, Molly Campbell

Theses and Dissertations

The development of agricultural literacy is a lifelong process, moving from gaining agricultural knowledge to communicating with others to applying to societal issues, and extends beyond the formal classroom. The Mississippi State University Extension Service has the ability to reach various audiences through educational programming, making them a potential catalyst for change in increasing agricultural literacy across the state. The study aims to determine the agricultural literacy levels of Extension professionals and primary volunteers in Mississippi and the factors potentially influencing these levels. Twenty-nine Extension professionals and eleven primary volunteers completed a survey of demographic questions and the Judd-Murray Agricultural …

The Development And Evaluation Of An Automated Tactical Tillage Tool To Identify And Control Weeds In Row-Crop Production Systems Using Vision-Based Machine Learning., Clara Anne Cobb

Theses and Dissertations

Controlling in-field weeds in row-crop production systems is vital to the success of the operation. To control weeds, most producers use combinations of weed control strategies, including tillage and herbicide applications. Cotton production operations across the country have been trending toward conservation tillage practices in an effort to minimize soil disruption and maintain crop residues on the soil surface. This practice, in addition to the adoption of herbicide-tolerant cotton varieties, has encouraged more use of chemical herbicides. The overuse of these herbicides has resulted in an increase in herbicide-resistant weeds, making weed control difficult for farmers. This research aimed to …

Patterns Of Molecular Evolution Driving Reproductive And Genomic Processes In Sauropsids, Taylor Green

Theses and Dissertations

Sexual reproduction is an important driver of genetic diversity and speciation through such forces as selection, mutation, and drift. Sauropsids are an appropriate clade to study shared molecular drivers of sexual and genomic evolution due to their genome architecture, sex determination mechanism (SDM) plasticity, and large syntenous genomic regions. Using comparative phylogenetic methods, I identify predictable patterns of selection in meiotic recombination genes and clade-specific drivers of recombination rate evolution. Then, leveraging whole genome sequencing, I demonstrate that American alligator genomes are characterized by an ancient loss of genetic diversity driven by drift and historic inbreeding. I also generate a …

Adaptive Channel Switching For Contention Resolution, Shafqat Hasan

Theses and Dissertations

Contention resolution is a fundamental problem in distributed computing, where multiple devices compete to transmit over a shared channel without centralized coordination. Classical models typically assume a single always-available channel and focus on minimizing makespan. However, modern wireless systems increasingly operate under spectrum-sharing frameworks in which access to high-capacity spectrum is opportunistic and may be interrupted by higher-priority users. These settings introduce new challenges, including asymmetric channel speeds, adversarially scheduled evictions, and non-trivial switching costs. In this thesis, we study contention resolution in a dual-channel model consisting of a slow, always-available channel and a faster channel subject to adversarially scheduled …

Developing And Evaluating U.S. Army Bridging For Ship Simulation, Jacob C. Hodges

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates the intricacies of ship simulation and developmental processes for integrating wet gap crossing capabilities into a simulated environment. The US Army Mark III Bridge Erection Boat (BEB) and Improved Ribbon Bridge (IRB) were modeled in commercial off the shelf (COTS) and Government Co-Owned (GCO) navigation software suites to determine their performance capabilities and limitations. Each model was constructed using naval architecture concepts to accurately capture their hydrostatic and hydrodynamic effects before being validated against available performance data and expert elicitation from expert US Army watercraft operators. Models were configured and tested in simulated river flows with current …

Mapping And Measuring Sidewalk Network Connectivity In Starkville, Mississippi: The Role Of Policy-Required Development, Public Investment, And Destination Access, Isabella R. Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Sidewalks support pedestrian mobility, public health, social community, and access to destinations, but few studies explore sidewalk connectivity in small cities. This study examines changes in sidewalk network connectivity in Starkville, Mississippi after the adoption of a sidewalk ordinance in 2009. Using ArcGIS Pro, a dataset of the city’s sidewalk network was created and used to analyze changes in the network between 2009 and 2024. Sidewalks were given connectivity ratings using a system that considered physical connections to the network as well as proximity to important destinations such as grocery stores, parks, schools, bus stops, and the city’s hospital. The …

Accelerating Defensive Cyber Operations Via Unsupervised Log Clustering And Automated Regex Template Synthesis, Charles Matthew Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Modern Security Operations Centers (SOCs) ingest millions of log entries per day, but manual parsing does not scale to the volume, heterogeneity, and rapid evolution of log formats. This dissertation investigates whether unsupervised clustering can automate the generation of candidate field-extraction templates while remaining deployable in production and feasible under realistic runtime and memory constraints. The central research question asks whether a machine-learning-assisted pipeline that proposes extraction templates for security engineer review—relative to reproducible human-authored baselines such as hand-written regular expressions—can measurably improve rule-set deployability and corpus-scale extraction quality. Improvement is quantified using four applicability metrics: Coverage Rate (CR), Exclusive …

Parhsom: A Novel Parallel Hierarchical Self-Organizing Map Implementation, Rebekah E. Lane

Theses and Dissertations

The digital age has completely transformed the way that information is processed and stored, which makes cybersecurity a crucial field of research. Cybersecurity contains many different domains, but this work focuses on Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs). Within the literature, Hierarchical Self-Organizing Maps (HSOMs) have been used to create trustworthy, explainable, and AI-based IDSs. However, HSOMs are trained sequentially, which means that training HSOMs on large datasets is slow. This work presents a novel parallel HSOM architecture, called parHSOM. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect that parallel computation has on the HSOM training time. parHSOM is tested …

Reproductive Genetics Of Caenorhabditis Nematodes, Dharani U. Matharage

Theses and Dissertations

Variation in reproductive traits and genome evolution reflects the interaction between selection, environment, and life-history. In the genus Caenorhabditis, recombination rate and sperm size exhibit a striking variation between strains and species. Here, Iintegrate three projects investigating recombination rate variation and recombination plasticity in C. elegans and sperm size divergence across Caenorhabditis species. First, I quantify recombination rates in two genetically distinct strains, N2 and CB4856, with different levels of laboratory adaptation using fluorescent markers spanning across gene-rich and gene-poor regions of the chromosome IV. I identify significant differences in recombination rate between the two strains within both gene-rich and …

Investigating Semantic Categorization Using Fast Periodic Visual Stimulation, Zack Murphy

Theses and Dissertations

Fast periodic visual stimulation (FPVS) with EEG provides a rapid method for isolating both higher-order and lower-order cognitive responses, an advantage that could prove useful in future research into higher order cognitive tasks. This thesis tested whether a semantic categorization response could be reliably differentiated from a low-level color response. EEG data were collected while 33 young adults viewed image sequences of fruits and vegetables of varying colors across five experimental conditions that compared color and semantic categorization responses. Frequency domain analysis revealed that color responses were much stronger and localized to the Left Occipito-Temporal (LOT) region of interest (ROI) …

Optical Performance Of Wall-Mounted Inverted Absorber Asymmetric Compound Parabolic Concentrators For Air Heating Solar Collectors, Fernando Guerreiro, M. Mckeever, D. Kennedy, B. Norton

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

The optical performance of inverted absorber asymmetric compound parabolic concentrators (IACPCs) for solar air heating applications is analysed. An inverted absorber concentrates incident solar energy on to a downward-facing transpired surface from which convective and radiative heat losses can be minimised. Three-dimensional ray tracing is used to model optical behaviour, simulating solar radiation pathways and interactions with reflective surfaces. The variations of optical efficiency and effective concentration ratio with reflector geometry, truncation and collector length are analysed. Findings indicate that smaller, elongated concentrators maximise optical performance and reduce material requirements when integrated over a fixed façade area. Design configurations that …

Remote Sensing Techniques For Soil Moisture Retrieval And Crop Yield Estimation: Employing Multi-Sensor Receiver Systems From Uas And Ml For Precision Agriculture, Mohammad Abdus Shahid Rafi

Theses and Dissertations

Accurate soil moisture (SM) measurement and crop yield estimation are critical components of modern precision agriculture (PA) management. Efficiently observing SM at high resolution on a sub-field scale can enhance irrigation planning and management, leading to improved yields and product quality while also conserving environmental resources. Yield predictions provide insights into expected production, facilitating optimized resource allocation, improved agricultural management strategies, and enhanced profitability. Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) based multi-sensor receiver systems offer promising solutions in obtaining high-resolution SM measurements across large fields where satellite remote sensing falls short, as well as collecting necessary data over corn and cotton for …

A Cradle To Grave Life Cycle Assessment Of Captured Landfill Methane Abatement Strategies, Joshua Caleb Richard

Theses and Dissertations

Landfill methane mitigation strategies are commonly evaluated using percentage-based leakage assumptions and linear scaling models. These approaches may misrepresent system performance at varying throughput levels and real-world operating scenarios. This thesis develops a system-level life cycle assessment framework that incorporates both fixed infrastructure losses and employs sensitivity analysis to more accurately characterize emissions from landfill gas management pathways. Three scenarios are evaluated: methane capture and flare, methane capture and combustion for electricity generation, and methane upgrading with pipeline injection as renewable natural gas. Results demonstrate that emissions models over- dependance on static factors may inadvertently lead to under-reporting and provide …

Investigating The Evolution Of Shear Failure In Cross Laminated Timber (Clt) Transverse Layer Using Acoustic Emission, Harika Undadi

Theses and Dissertations

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is susceptible to rolling shear failure in the transverse layers. This study evaluated the rolling shear failure in southern pine (Pinus spp.) and yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) CLT panels using block shear, delamination, and interlaminar shear tests. Acoustic emission (AE) monitoring was integrated with video recording to capture structural damage while loading. The results showed rolling shear failure as the dominant failure mode in the transverse layer. The AE energy and the load-displacement curve were classified into stages і) deformation stage with negligible AE signals (elastic behavior); ⅱ) crack propagation stage with increased AE signals; and ⅲ) …

Tracing Hazing Across Adolescence: Examining How Prior Hazing Experiences Shape Hazing Motivation And Tolerance Among Newly Initiated Ifc Fraternity Members, John Michael Vanhorn

Theses and Dissertations

Hazing remains pervasive and underreported, disproportionately affecting adolescent and emerging adult men, particularly within athletic teams and fraternity contexts. Although hazing is most often studied within collegiate organizations, many students encounter hazing behaviors prior to college, yet little is known about how these early experiences shape later hazing perceptions, motivations, tolerance, and masculine norms. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s Process-Person-Context-Time (PPCT) model, this dissertation conceptualizes hazing as a developmental process shaped by repeated social interactions, individual characteristics, contextual environments, and time across adolescence and emerging adulthood. Using a two-paper approach with a quantitative, longitudinal survey design, study 1 examined fraternity new members’ …

Experimental Investigation Of The Effectiveness Of Various Stitching Methods On Arresting Mode-Ii Interlaminar Damage Propagation In Geometrically-Scaled Stitched Resin-Infused Composites, Allison Jean White

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents an experimental and analytical investigation of mode-II interlaminar fracture in geometrically-scaled quasi-isotropic resin-infused composites, with emphasis on through-thickness stitching as reinforcement. A global-local framework integrating load-displacement response, size effect fracture energy analysis, and digital image correlation-based separation measurements enabled direct comparison between unstitched and stitched configurations. Unstitched laminates exhibited pseudo-ductile behavior but significant post-peak load drops (16.7–26.8%) and a small fracture process zone (FPZ) of 0.73 mm, limiting stable crack growth. Stitching preserved pre-peak stiffness while reducing post-peak load drops by 43–95%, increasing effective fracture energy by 39.7% (to 2.413 N/mm), and expanding the FPZ to 2.85 …

Accuracy Of Parameter Estimation For A Simple Gene Regulatory Network Model Is Sensitive To Network Motif, Number Of Parameters Estimated, And Magnitude And Direction Of Regulatory Relationships, Nikki C. Chun, Kam Dahlquist

Honors Thesis

A gene regulatory network (GRN) is a set of transcription factors that regulate the expression of genes encoding other transcription factors. The dynamics of a GRN explain how gene expression changes over time. GRNmap is a MATLAB software package that uses ordinary differential equations to model dynamics of small-scale GRNs. We used the program to estimate production rates, expression thresholds, and regulatory weights for each transcription factor in three related literature-derived GRNs based on yeast cold shock microarray data previously collected in the Dahlquist Lab. We noticed large differences in estimated weight values when 1-2% of the expression values were …

Phase Field Modeling And A Fully Discrete Numerical Scheme For Two-Phase Incompressible Mhd Flows With Different Densities, Electric Conductivities And Viscosities, Xiaoyong Chen, Rui Li, Jian Li, Xiaoming He, Yanping Lin

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Research & Creative Works

This article establishes a phase field model for governing the two-phase incompressible MHD flows with different densities, electric conductivities, and viscosities. In addition to the coupling between the Cahn–Hilliard phase field equations and the single-phase MHD equations together with the varying parameters, it is physically faithful and mathematically rigorous for the modeling to incorporate a relative flux term, which is related to the diffusion of the components, into the coupled system, inspired by Abels et al. and Shen and Yang. We present a linear fully discrete numerical scheme for this complex multi-physics system, which leverages the artificial compressibility method, an …

Within These Walls, Nicholas J. Roberts

LSU Master's Theses

I was raised to understand home through labor. In the working-class household I grew up in, in rural Southeastern Pennsylvania, value was earned through work, identity took shape through trade, and rest was often an afterthought. That framework was not chosen. It was inherited. And it has not been easy to see it clearly from the inside.

The Exhibition, Within These Walls, examines that inheritance through printmaking and sculpture, using the material and spatial language of domestic construction as both subject and method. Through fragile paper structures that resemble wood but cannot hold weight, a staircase that cannot be climbed, …

Examining The Association Of Nurse Staffing Levels With Delayed Antibiotic And Insulin Administration: A Mixed Methods Study, Mikie Desyana Rachman

WUSM Theses and Dissertations – All Programs

Background: Recent reports indicated that medication errors contributed to 10% of preventable harm among hospitalized patients with over half occurring during the administration stage. Despite emerging research using EHR data to examine care processes and clinical outcomes, limited studies have integrated objective and subjective nursing staffing measures to evaluate how nursing staffing levels could be associated with delays in care delivery.

Method: A parallel convergent mixed-methods study was conducted in four adult medical-surgical units at a Midwestern Academic Medical Center from January 1 – March 31, 2025. Quantitative data of insulin and IV antibiotic administration records, laboratory results, and nurse …

At The Crossroads Of Traditional And Nuclear Forensics: Decontaminating Radiologically Contaminated Dna Evidence Using Magnetic Beads, Rin Nyx Ruby

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Known for its impressive discriminatory power, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fingerprinting stands as the “gold standard” of forensic investigation. However, complications arise when such evidence is contaminated with radioactive material. Though biological samples exposed to ionizing radiation can still yield comprehensive DNA profiles, most forensic laboratories lack the facilities which meet the safety and security requirements necessary for handling radioactive material. While nuclear facilities can decontaminate samples prior to forensic analysis, conventional methods for radiological decontamination – such as mechanical cleaning and chemical washes – may degrade the quality of the forensic evidence. The purpose of this study is to evaluate …