Digital Commons Network^™

Dental Hygiene Programs’ Use Of Oral Health Literacy Techniques For Special Needs Patients And Caregivers, Socorro D. Tejeda Diaz

Dental Hygiene ETDs

This study examined oral health literacy communication techniques in dental hygiene programs across the U.S. for special needs patients and their caregivers. The study surveyed 46 U.S. dental hygiene program directors on communication techniques, degrees offered, and subject areas. Two-sample t-tests compared differences in communication techniques between AAS and BAS and subject areas. Most respondents routinely employed printed materials with 2 or 3 concepts, speak slowly, and simple language. When comparing the variances in communication techniques offered in AAS and BAS, we observed a t-statistic of 2.06 with a corresponding p-value of 0.54. This suggests that the mean communication techniques …

Acoustofluidics-Based Intracellular Nanoparticle Delivery, Zhishang Li, Zhenhua Tian, Jason N. Belling, Joseph Rich, Haodong Zhu, Zhehan Ma, Hunter Bachman, Liang Shen, Yaosi Liang, Xiolin Qi, Liv K. Heidenreich, Yao Gong, Shujie Yang, Wenfen Zhang, Peiran Zhang, Yingchun Fu, Yibin Ying, Steven J. Jonas, Yanbin Li, Paul S. Weiss, Tony J. Huang

Faculty Publications

Controlled intracellular delivery of biomolecular cargo is critical for developing targeted therapeutics and cell reprogramming. Conventional delivery approaches (e.g., endocytosis of nano-vectors, microinjection, and electroporation) usually require time-consuming uptake processes, labor-intensive operations, and/or costly specialized equipment. Here, we present an acoustofluidics-based intracellular delivery approach capable of effectively delivering various functional nanomaterials to multiple cell types (e.g., adherent and suspension cancer cells). By tuning the standing acoustic waves in a glass capillary, our approach can push cells in flow to the capillary wall and enhance membrane permeability by increasing membrane stress to deform cells via acoustic radiation forces. Moreover, by coating …

Exploring Teacher Pathway Programs: The Importance Of High School Students’ Perspectives, Mackenzie C. Kasgorgis

Honors College Theses

This thesis explores and investigates the effectiveness of teacher pathway programs for high school students interested in education. The aim is to find and discuss the importance of teacher pathway programs and how they benefit the participants involved. This paper intertwines my analysis of the extant scholarly literature and my use of qualitative research methods during my immersion in two summer programs. Through participant observations and a survey, I gained insights into the participants’ perspectives that provided me with raw, unbiased views and opinions on the teacher pathway program. Student participants’ perspectives include the experiences they faced during the program, …

Rational Design Of Nanoparticles For Overcoming Barriers Of Nucleic Acid Delivery: Applications In Cancer Therapeutics, Angelea M. Maestas-Olguin

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

The use of exogenous nucleic acid technologies to modulate aberrant protein expression resulting from genetic mutations is a promising therapeutic approach for the treatment of diseases such as cancer. The promise of nucleic-based therapeutics is dependent on the development of platforms that effectively protect nucleic acids from nuclease degradation and deliver the nucleic acids to specific intracellular locations (nucleus or cytosol) of target cells. The application of nanotechnology for development of nucleic acid-based nanomedicines is poised to revolutionize the clinical landscape of cancer. In this dissertation, I demonstrated the rational design, synthesis and evaluation of a lipid coated mesoporous silica …

Raising Awareness Of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Critical Care And Emergency Department Nurses, Caroline Kincaid, Logan Larkey

Doctoral Projects

Problem Statement: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are experiencing increasing rates of symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), particularly after the collective trauma many nurses experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurses are often unaware of this problem and are underdiagnosed which can negatively impact their health and the quality of healthcare.

Purpose: Implement and determine the effect of an educational intervention to increase awareness and symptom recognition of PTSD among high-risk acute care nurses.

Methods: An outcome evaluation approach using a pretest-posttest design was used with an educational intervention that provided information on PTSD including high-risk groups, symptoms, and protective factors.

Sample: …

Improving Obsolescence Management By Enhancing Supplier-Customer Collaboration, Mora Issa

Theses

There are currently many legacy facilities operating in the Middle East & Africa region that have plans in place to extend the plant life. Oil prices have been steadily going up, leading to increases in production, and driving economic growth. In order to extend the life of these older facilities, the sites are budgeting to replace critical parts accordingly. Obsolescence is an inevitable part of every product lifecycle and, with the new wave of technology and AI in the market, facilities face the challenge of increasing profitability in the fast-paced economy. The number of more efficient upgrades available presents an …

Karst Hydrologic Memory Supplements Streamflow During Dry Periods In Snow-Dominated, Mountainous Watersheds, Hyrum Tennant, Bethany T. Neilson, Devon Hill, Dennis L. Newell, James P. Evans, Seohye Choi, James P. Mcnamara, Nathaniel Ashmead, Tianfang Xu

Geosciences Faculty Publications

Analysis of PRISM and SNOTEL station data paired with USGS streamflow gage data in the western United States shows that, in snow-dominated mountainous watersheds, streamflow regimes differ between watersheds with karst geology and their non-karst neighbours. These carbonate aquifers exhibit a spectrum of flow paths encompassing karst conduits, including large fractures or voids that transmit water readily to springs and other surface waters, and matrix flow paths through soils, highly fractured bedrock, or porous media bedrock grains. A well-connected karst aquifer will discharge a large portion of its accumulated precipitation to surface water via springs and other groundwater flow paths …

Perceived Engagement And Achievement Of Students In A Career And Technical Education And Math Co-Taught Lesson In Southeast Tennessee: A Mixed Methods Study, Charis P. Reagan

Ed.D. Dissertations

Given the problem that students were not engaged in math class and were leaving high school without the basic math skills needed to be successful for college and career, the purpose of this convergent mixed methods case study was to investigate student and teacher perceptions of how math application through a Career and Technical Education (CTE) and math co-taught lesson influenced the level of student engagement in math and whether this co-teaching affected student achievement with math. As I reviewed the literature, I found a lack of studies related to co-teaching and if providing the students with the opportunity for …

Hit-And-Runs: A Memoir, Alison Cope

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The vignettes in this collection are memoir essays connected by the theme of hit-and-runs – i.e., random life encounters in which people share bits of themselves and leave subsequent lasting impressions. Resonating with themes of identity and belonging, overcoming obstacles and taking risks, the chronological throughline visits unique locations around the world, and frequently “hits” historical events, while tracing the narrator’s coming-of-age and spiritual journey from the mountains of Appalachia to the streets of Prague and home to Houston, as she “runs” with carnies and psychics, hurricane refugees, lovers, and predators from whom she must escape. Interspersed in these memoirs …

Modeling The Performance And Resource Requirements For Gamma-Ray Telescope Signal Processing, Shijing Liang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

This thesis investigates the buffering requirements of the data pipeline for the Advanced Particle-astrophysics Telescope gamma-ray telescope. Given the importance and stochastic arrivals of astronomical signals, it is crucial to ensure that each gamma-ray signal is fully buffered to prevent data loss. To achieve this, FIFOs are inserted into the data processing pipeline to prevent bottlenecks during data packet processing. Buffers play a critical role in regulating data flow, preventing data loss, and ensuring efficient data processing. They act as temporary storage areas, absorbing data surges and releasing it steadily, thus maintaining the pipeline’s optimal performance. In general, buffer integration …

The Impact Of Transformational Leadership And Knowledge Sharing On Intention To Use Gamification In Teaching, Truong M. Vu

Dissertations, 2020-current

This paper investigates the impact of transformational leadership and knowledge sharing on university professors' intentions to use gamification in teaching, employing the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as a theoretical framework. Gamification, defined as the integration of game-based mechanics to promote learning and engagement, has shown significant potential in enhancing educational experiences but remains underutilized in higher education. This study suggests that knowledge sharing is a critical antecedent influencing the perceived ease of use, usefulness, and adoption of gamification by educators. Using a quantitative methodology, data are collected from 204 university professors in Vietnam, analyzing their perceptions of transformational leadership behaviors, …

Characterizing Teacher Support Of Debugging With Physical Computing: Debugging Pedagogies In Practice, Colin Hennessy Elliott, Jessie Nixon, Alexandra Gendrau Chakarov, Jeffrey B. Bush, Michael J. Schneider, Mimi Recker

Publications

Objectives. Physical computing systems are increasingly being integrated into secondary school science and STEM instruction, yet little is known about how teachers, especially those with little background and experience in computing, help students during the inevitable debugging moments that arise. In this article, we describe a framework, comprising two dimensions, for characterizing how teachers support students as they debug a physical computing system called the Data Sensor Hub (DASH). The DASH enables students to program sensors to measure, analyze, and visualize data as they engage in science inquiry activities

Participants. Five secondary school teachers implemented an inquiry-oriented instructional …

Analysis Of Team Size Effects On Technical Debt And Code Quality For Open Source Projects, Tyler Borrelli

Theses

Little research has been done to analyze the relationships between the amount of Technical Debt in an open source software project and the number of developers. This study seeks to identify the effects that team size and number of contributors have on Technical Debt and overall software quality. The results of the study observed after accounting for effects from code size that there was a negative correlation for issues with software quality, for example code smells or complexity, and the number of authors on a per file basis. This suggests that increasing the developer count most likely will not negatively …

Improved Detection Of Great Lakes Water Quality Anomalies Using Remote Sensing, Karl Bosse, Robert Shuchman, Michael Sayers, John Lekki, Roger Tokars

Michigan Tech Publications

Due to their immense economic and recreational value, the monitoring of Great Lakes water quality is of utmost importance to the region. Historically, this has taken place through a combination of ship-based sampling, buoy measurements, and physical models. However, these approaches have spatial and temporal deficiencies which can be improved upon through satellite remote sensing. This study details a new approach for using long time series of satellite remote sensing data to identify historical and near real-time anomalies across a range of data products. Anomalies are traditionally detected as deviations from historical climatologies, typically assuming that there are no long-term …

Energy Efficiency Optimization In Integrated Sensing And Communication Networks, Arianna M. Santamaria Penafiel

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

In the emerging landscape of Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) networks, achieving energy efficiency while concurrently performing sensing and communication tasks remains challenging. This paper introduces a new framework, a novel solution that empowers User Equipment (UEs) to make informed decisions regarding their transmission power allocation, optimizing the energy efficiency of sensing, communication, and data reporting to the gNB (gNodeB) functions. Initially, a novel ISAC network paradigm is proposed, where the gNB employs rewards, such as monetary incentives, to motivate UEs to engage in sensing, data collection, and reporting within its coverage area based on the principles of Contract Theory. …

2024 Fall Commencement, Harding University

Commencement Programs

Program for the Harding University Commencement on December 14.

Commencement Speaker: Dr. Jim Martin

Geomorphic Evolution Of St. Augustine Inlet, St. Johns County, Florida, Kristen Becker

Theses and Dissertations

Tidal inlets interrupt longshore sediment transport, influencing adjacent beach morphology and allowing the exchange of water and sediment between the open oceans and protected back barrier bay. Inlets evolve through a combination of natural processes and are highly dynamic zones where sediment exchanges cause shifting shoreline positions nearby and create new morphological features. Barrier islands/beaches that are close in proximity to inlets evolve and are an important natural feature that dissipates wave energy and protects inland areas. Both natural and anthropogenic processes that affect barrier islands will be investigated during this study, including storm activity, waves, wind, water level, and …

Making The World A Better Place: Meaningful, Reciprocal Service Learning In Costa Rica, Nora Geer

Capstone Collection

Despite the countless benefits that international service learning can present to host communities and student service learners, current service learnings offerings for undergraduate students remain relatively limited in quantity and intentionality. Unless international service learning programs lead with reciprocity, meaning, and sustainability, their pitfalls may exceed their advantages, resulting in an industry that leaves both communities and student participants necessitating more. The following proposed program in Costa Rica plans to lead by example, remedying service learning’s greatest shortcomings by making community relationship building its utmost priority, emphasizing cross-cultural exchange between students and community members, and offering service projects that fill …

Exploring Self-Efficacy: Key Influences Shaping First Year Students’ Self Belief During Their First Semester Abroad, Isabella Lena Agostino

Capstone Collection

Guided by Albert Bandura’s self-efficacy theory, this research explores the four primary sources of self-efficacy—mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasion, and physiological and emotional states—and their impact on first-year students’ belief in their ability to navigate the challenges of studying and living in an international context. By examining the sources of self-efficacy, the study provides an understanding of the factors that support or hinder students’ self-efficacy during their transition and experience in a new environment.

Using a mixed methods approach, self-efficacy levels were assessed through the New General Self-Efficacy Scale (NGSE), followed by semi-structured interviews that provided qualitative insights into …

The Crisis Of A New Gender Gap: Male Underrepresentation In Liberal Arts Higher Education, Zachary T. Gerdes

MAGIS: Student Development Journal

Women outnumber men in college attendance for the first time in United States history. Research to date has shown that while male privilege persists in the U.S. regarding some aspects of society (e.g., disproportionate numbers of men in leadership positions), men as a whole are decreasingly represented in institutions of higher learning. Liberal arts and Jesuit colleges maintain an even wider gender gap. Particularly, men of color and men from low socioeconomic backgrounds are at an increasing disadvantage in regards to admissions and scholarship review practices. The educational, biological, psychological, and social factors contributing to lack of male achievement are …

Mr. Justice Black: The Man And His Opinions (John P. Frank, 1949), Stanley L. West

Florida Law Review

No abstract provided.

Neo-Documentation’S “Copernican Revolution” Upon Information Science, Ronald E. Day

Proceedings from the Document Academy

The article discusses neo-documentation's "Copernican Revolution" upon information science from the aspect of Heideggerian phenomenology and a documentality of relation and emergence.

Conceptual Curiosity: Sense(Un)Making, Rebekah L. Cowell

Proceedings from the Document Academy

Across disciplines, sensemaking is a theoretical and methodological research program, over forty years in development, that has been treated as a framework for understanding how humans behaviorally respond to external information sources and interpret to construct and actualize actionable outcomes; however, sensemaking is an interlinking process that does not operate in singularity–behaviorally or actionably–it is neurobiological (autonomous drive), cognitive (perceptual and predictive), and psychological (congruency in meaning).

This paper enlarges the conceptual framework for studying sensemaking and redefines it by addressing what sensemaking is, does, and needs. At the core of this conversation is addressing the absence of knowledge and …

Documents In The Age Of Non-Human Agency, Bernt Ivar Olsen-Kristiansen Dr, Niels W. Lund

Proceedings from the Document Academy

As documents are inherently tied to humans and their expressions (Lund 2024), facilitating communication across time and space, we might have historically reflected on the implications of inserting a computer or information system between humans. If we envision the human as a handyman engaged in technical engineering, we can comprehend the development of AI, Artificial Intelligence, as part of a much longer history of creating instruments and machines to support human endeavors. These include the printing press, musical instruments, steam engines, typewriters, microphones, and progressing to digital musical instruments that create their own music.

Yet, it remains humans who craft …

Imagining The Future Of Records Management: An Analysis Of The Srikandi In Indonesia Through Documentation Studies, Suprayitno Suprayitno, Rahmi Rahmi, Zulfatun Sofiyani

Proceedings from the Document Academy

The SRIKANDI application, a cornerstone of Indonesia's digital records management initiative, embodies the nation's commitment to modernizing governance through electronic systems. This study employs Niels Windfeld Lund’s Complementary Documentation Analysis Model to dissect SRIKANDI'S evolution (diachronic analysis) and its current state (synchronic analysis), offering a comprehensive understanding of its role in Indonesia's e-government landscape. Diachronically, SRIKANDI'S development reflects a strategic shift from fragmented, standalone applications towards a unified, interoperable platform, as mandated by Presidential Regulation No. 95 of 2018. This transition aims to streamline government processes, reduce redundancy, and enhance budget efficiency. Synchronically, SRIKANDI is evaluated as a digital platform …

Relevance, Works And Context Engineering, Michael K. Buckland, Wayne De Fremery

Proceedings from the Document Academy

Relevance is regarded as centrally important in documentation and information science but has resisted satisfactory definition. The literature presents vague, subjective descriptions and/or operational definitions based on untenable theoretical assumptions. The “work” is a similarly central and poorly defined concept in bibliographic theory and cataloguing. This short essay summarizes previous scholarship that reformulates concepts of relevance in information science as functions of use and works in bibliographic theory as useful sets of objects. Conceptual utility in both cataloging theory and information science is sought by developing descriptive models that attend to the positionality and temporality of “works” and “relevance” as …

Beyond The 'Idols Of The Marketplace': Managing Semantic Change In Research, Christopher B. Rauch, Hyung Wook Choi, Mat Kelly

Proceedings from the Document Academy

Semantic change refers to the process by which words acquire new meanings over time or in different contexts, particularly as they transition between disciplines. This shift in meaning, especially when words are adopted as terms in multiple academic areas, often leads to confusion and ambiguity. This study focuses on the terms "agent" and "ontology," tracing their semantic evolution over time and across disciplines to understand how their meanings differ between fields such as philosophy, law, and artificial intelligence. Drawing on insights from Boon and Van Baalen's metacognitive framework, the analysis demonstrates how understanding these differences can help prevent miscommunication.

Situating Black Death And Grief Within The Context Of Ancestral Veneration, Chris Z. Sanders

Tapestries: Interwoven voices of local and global identities

Death and grief are an ever-present phenomenon in the Black community. Starting with the Trans-Atlantic Slave trade and chattel slavery; then transcending into mortality rates; police brutality; gun violence; and just living while Black. Statistically, Black Americans die at higher rates than white Americans at nearly every age. As a result, the Black community has always had a very intimate and ambiguous relationship with death and grief. In response to this relationship, the Black community has created our own way of mourning through the formation of unique funeral and vigil traditions, the establishment of Black-owned funeral homes, the preservation of …

The March Toward Indian Black Solidarity, Tara Marella Weber

Tapestries: Interwoven voices of local and global identities

This essay explores Indian Americans’ nuanced identity, privilege, and historical relationship to Black Americans. Today, Black and Indian American racial identities are often isolated from one another due to the effects of White Supremacy and Anti-Blackness within the Indian American diaspora. This paper assumes that complicity and conflict are not the end, but anti-racism and solidarity are possible within the diaspora. The paper will begin with a brief explanation of terms and phrases concerning my paper. I will attempt to answer two major research questions: What systems were put into place by White Supremacist Institutions to position Indian Americans as …

Architectures Of Solidarity: The Worker Cooperative Movement In Chicago, Katherine Norquist

Tapestries: Interwoven voices of local and global identities

This article analyzes the worker cooperative landscape in Chicago, defining both the historical roots of the movement and the current barriers and supports faced by worker-owners. The paper takes two approaches. First, I compile existing research related to worker cooperatives, labor history, and the solidarity economy in order to trace the roots of Chicago's present-day worker cooperative landscape. Secondly, to more specifically delineate the supports and barriers currently encountered by worker co-ops, I conducted descriptive interviews with several members of Chicago-based cooperative incubation and worker rights organizations. Thematic analysis of their comments helped me to outline certain factors at play …