Digital Commons Network^™

How Effective Structured Linguistic Phonics Instruction In K-2 Classrooms Support Early Literacy Development, Madison G. Dorn

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This literature review explores what current research shows about how young children learn to read and what kinds of instruction best support students in kindergarten through second grade. The studies make it clear that early readers benefit from structured, explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, and letter–sound relationships. Researchers such as Ehri and the National Reading Panel demonstrate that helping children connect the sounds they hear to the print they see is essential for building strong decoding and word recognition skills. Several intervention studies highlight how small-group instruction, intentional modeling, and consistent routines can significantly help struggling learners. The review …

Racial Disparities In Public Education: Examining The Black-White Achievement Gap, Cheryl A. Jackson

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the persistent achievement gap between African American males and their White peers in public schools, focusing on how historical and systemic factors continue to shape educational outcomes. The research aims to understand the complex interplay among social, institutional, and historical influences that contribute to academic disparities. Using historical analysis and literature review, the study examines issues such as inequitable school funding, biased disciplinary practices, and structural barriers in education. Findings indicate that African American males encounter significant challenges, including limited access to high-quality instruction and disproportionate disciplinary actions. Additionally, the lasting effects of historical injustices, such as …

Reading Motivation And Achievement: Exploring Theories, Strategies, And School Climate Contexts, Andrea L. Esterly

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This literature review examined the intersection of self-efficacy and motivation, and their impact on reading achievement. The analysis demonstrated how motivation and context support and shape students’ reading outcomes. This synthesis of peer-reviewed research (2014–2024) from ERIC, PsycINFO, and JSTOR highlights Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as a lens for understanding reading motivation through competence, autonomy, and relatedness. Evidence shows that fluency strategies (prosody, repeated reading, and arts integration) enhance pacing, comprehension, and engagement, while supportive school climates (characterized by safety, teaching, and relationships) further sustain motivation. The evidence underscores the importance of integrating motivational supports, fluency instruction, and student-centered practices to …

Shouting Down Democracy: The Role Of The Deeply Engaged In American Political Discourse, Annaliese Fleck

Honors Theses

In an age of heightened polarization and increasing incivility in politics, a small but influential subset of Americans, known as the deeply engaged have emerged as dominant voices in political dialogue. This thesis investigates who these individuals are, what drives them, and how their behavior impacts democratic participation in the United States. Through a combination of theoretical analysis and original survey data, this study constructs a profile of the deeply engaged and distinguishes them from the general electorate. Drawing on foundational concepts of free speech, including isegoria and parrhesia, and the philosophies of John Stuart Mill and Karl Popper, this …

Introducing Catalizer: A Framework For Prototyping Models Of Biological Systems, Andy M. Day

Honors Theses

Modeling the light response system of Nannochloropsis oceanica brings

a set of challenges that make modeling difficult. Notably, potential models

may contain a large number of chemical species. A large number of

species creates a quadratic explosion in the number of potential pathways.

In addition, mathematically defining these pathways is error prone, yet

follows a surprising simple set of rules. We seek to create a domain specific

language which can precisely define these chemical reaction networks.

Once the networks have been defined, they can be exported as procedures

defined in popular programming languages for further analysis.

Asian American Navigation In Higher Education: Do We Belong At Colby College?, Amanda Rose Alpert

Honors Theses

This thesis explores how Asian American students navigate their belonging at Predominantly White Institutions (PWI), specifically a case study at the higher educational institution Colby College. In understanding how Asian American students navigate the spaces around them, this thesis dives into the history of Asian immigration to the U.S., the Asian American politicized label, and the different diasporas and cultural nuances Asian Americans experience that make up the complicated, diverse, and misunderstood label. Through exploring global racializations of Asian bodies and legacies of Western imperialism and colonialism, this gives a basis of how Asian Americans understand themselves as persons living …

Global Rate Pass Through: Impact Of The Global Savings Market On Home Prices In The Uk, Laxmi Namboodiri

Honors Theses

This paper examines how changes in the global savings and investment market impact housing prices and supply in the United Kingdom. I first constructed a global interest rate using principal component analysis. Then, using structural VARs, I estimate impulse response functions to study the dynamics of housing prices and supply in the UK with an impulse in the global interest rate. The model predicts that housing prices and supply will increase immediately and then decrease after a lag. The decrease is primarily driven by the years after the stock market crash as opposed to before.

Scalable Mental Health Analysis Using Big Data: A Demographic And Geographic Study Of Depressive Symptoms, Saikrishna Katamneni, Anitha Bommana, Naman Pandya, Gokul Kareti, Sangwhan Cha

Harrisburg University Other Works

This project explores the application of Big Data technologies for large-scale mental health analysis, focusing on the prevalence of depressive disorder symptoms across diverse demographic and geographic subgroups. Utilizing Apache Spark on Google Cloud Dataproc, the system efficiently processed millions of survey records stored in Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS). Through comprehensive data preprocessing, aggregation, and visualization, the analysis revealed critical trends and disparities in mental health outcomes related to age, race, education level, gender, and state. Seasonal variations and subgroup-specific confidence intervals were also examined to identify high-risk populations and areas of measurement uncertainty. The results offer actionable insights …

Readmission Prediction For Diabetic Patients: A Scalable Big Data Approach For Resource-Constrained Hospitals, Rhema Ike, Minjae Kim, Bhushan Chindarkar, Sangwhan Cha

Harrisburg University Other Works

Hospital readmissions, particularly among diabetic patients, place a significant burden on healthcare systems by increasing operational costs and straining limited resources. This project presents a scalable, cloud-based solution that leverages machine learning and big data analytics to predict 30-day hospital readmissions. Utilizing a ten-year dataset of over 100,000 patient records, we implemented a Random Forest classifier trained on clinical, demographic, and hospitalization data. The system architecture integrates Google Cloud Platform services—including BigQuery, Vertex AI, and Looker Studio—with a custom Python/Flask web application for real-time data input and inference. Data preprocessing and feature engineering were conducted in Vertex AI Workbench, enabling …

Computational Bridges: Enhancing Natural Language Processing Of Swahili., Joyce Murungi

Harrisburg University Other Works

Swahili remains significantly underrepresented in natural language processing (NLP) despite being one of the most widely spoken languages in Africa. Computational Bridges: Enhancing Natural Language Processing of Swahili addresses this gap through computational linguistics, corpus creation, and large-scale analysis of Swahili syntax and lexical structure. Central to this study is GUMZO, a novel corpus developed from spontaneous conversational data collected from YouTube videos, television panel discussions, political speeches, religious discourse, and unscripted broadcasts. Unlike many existing datasets that rely on formal or translated text, GUMZO captures authentic language use and provides a stronger foundation for NLP research involving low-resource languages. …

The Lived Experiences Of Trauma In Autistic Adults: A Thematic Analysis, Briana Trageser

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

A qualitative research study focused on Autistic adults explored the lived experiences of trauma. Participants included Autistic adults who have either been professionally diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder or who self-identify as Autistic. Data was collected through a survey with 12 open-ended questions. A thematic analysis revealed six themes: (a) adverse childhood experiences, (b) exposure to violence and loss, (c) difficulty relating to others, (d) complex mind and sensory experiences, (e) medical and mental health challenges, and (f) autistic identity. The themes revealed instances of Autistic people experiencing trauma in ways that differ and vary in clinical presentation from their …

Design Thinking For Health Environments: Case Study Research On Innovation, Design Leadership, And Healthcare Complexity, Diana S. Nicholas

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

As healthcare costs are skyrocketing, of the 6,093 hospitals in America, 53% will lose money in the current year (Coleman-Lochner, 2022). Design health innovation centers (DHICs) are formed in Europe and the United States to create efficiencies in healthcare related to budget challenges. DHICs exist in unique contexts both in America and Europe that are not yet well understood. These efforts are difficult to lead due to the lack of understanding of their worth and how their process is valuable to healthcare settings (Bhattacharyya et al., 2022). The specific problem examined here is that little is known about how DHIC …

Mirrors Of The Reel: Black Women's Identity In American Cinema (2009-2024), Melanie-Penny Harrison

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study investigates whether white supremacy structures, embodied in Hollywood’s predominantly white leadership, drive negative portrayals of Black women in 31 mainstream American films from 2009 to 2024. Employing a mixed-methods approach—quantitative content analysis, qualitative content analysis (QCA), and narrative methodology—I code portrayals for racism, patriarchy, heterosexism, colorism, and internalized racism, classifying them as progressive (e.g., empowered roles), regressive (e.g., subservient stereotypes), or hybrid. Guided by Critical Race Theory and intersectionality, the analysis examines narrative structures, character agency, symbolism, and dialogue to uncover intersectional patterns (e.g., race, gender, class) across three periods: 2009–2013, 2014–2018, and 2019–2024. Across these periods, cultural …

Exploration Of Mystical Experiences And Relationship Changes: An Ayahuasca Study, Ginny Jo Reyes

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This mixed-methodology dissertation explores how participation in ayahuasca ceremonies at Rythmia Life Advancement Center (Costa Rica) influences relationship dynamics within couples. Looking at this in combination with self-reported mental health changes, the connection to mystical experiences are navigated. Statistical significance and narratives are explored; this study steps into the gap between ancient plant medicine traditions and the modern search for meaning, healing, and connection. Grounded in a social constructionist lens, the study combines pre- and post-surveys (CAGE-AID pre-only; MAT, KMS, RHS, PSS, GAD-7, PHQ-9; MEQ-30 post-only) with semistructured interviews. Quantitatively, participants showed significant reductions in stress, anxiety, and depression, with …

Combination Of Hsp90 Inhibitors And Hsp70 Inducers Prevent Hydrochloric Acid-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis In Rabbits, Ruben M. L. Colunga Biancatelli, Pavel A. Solopov, Tierney Day, Dan E. Austin Jr., Len E. Murray, John D. Catravas

Bioelectrics Publications

Combined therapies with Heat Shock Protein 90 (HSP90) inhibitors and Heat Shock Protein 70 (HSP70) inducers are gaining significant interest in cancer and cardiovascular research. Here, we tested the hypothesis that HSP90 inhibitors and HSP70 inducers, together, can block the development of pulmonary fibrosis. We exposed New Zealand White Rabbits to hydrochloric acid (HCl, 0.1 N, 1.5 mL/kg), one of the top five chemicals most commonly involved in accidental exposures and inhalation injuries worldwide, and treated animals with either the orally available HSP90 inhibitor TAS-116 (1.7 mg/kg 5x/week) or TAS-116 combined with the HSP70 inducer, geranylgeranyl acetone (GGA, 50 mg/kg, …

The Vertebrate Breed Ontology: Toward Effective Breed Data Standardization, Kathleen R. Mullen, Imke Tammen, Nicholas A. Matentzoglu, Marius Mather, James P. Balhoff, Elizabeth Esdaile, Carissa A. Park, Halie M. Rando, Nadia T. Saklou, Tracy L. Webb, Nicole A. Vasilevsky, Christopher J. Mungall, Melissa A. Haendel, Frank W. Nicholas, Sabrina Toro

Computer Science: Faculty Publications

Background: Limited universally-adopted data standards in veterinary medicine hinder data interoperability and therefore integration and comparison; this ultimately impedes the application of existing information-based tools to support advancement in diagnostics, treatments, and precision medicine.

Hypothesis/Objectives: A single, coherent, logic-based standard for documenting breed names in health, production, and research-related records will improve data use capabilities in veterinary and comparative medicine.

Animals: No live animals were used.

Methods: The Vertebrate Breed Ontology (VBO) was created from breed names and related information compiled from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, breed registries, communities, and experts, using manual and computational …

Menin Inhibition With Revumenib For Kmt2a-Rearranged Relapsed Or Refractory Acute Leukemia (Augment-101), Ghayas C Issa, John Dipersio, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

PURPOSE: Revumenib, an oral, small molecule inhibitor of the menin-lysine methyltransferase 2A (KMT2A) interaction, showed promising efficacy and safety in a phase I study of heavily pretreated patients with

METHODS: AUGMENT-101 is a phase I/II, open-label, dose-escalation and expansion study of revumenib conducted across 22 clinical sites in five countries (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04065399). We report results from the phase II, registration-enabling portion. Individuals age ≥30 days with R/R

RESULTS: From October 1, 2021, to July 24, 2023, N = 94 patients (median [range] age, 37 [1.3-75] years) were treated. Grade ≥3 adverse events included febrile neutropenia (37.2%), differentiation syndrome (16.0%), …

Physicists As Environmental Experts, Rachel Rothschild

Articles

The question of which scientists are qualified to provide expert guidance in legal controversies is a perennial debate among scholars, judges, and lawyers. Scientists who participate in legal disputes can achieve enormous power and influence, not only over the case at hand but over long-term developments in legal doctrine. While these issues arise in many areas of the law, environmental litigation has been a particularly active site of contestations over epistemic authority. Courts have frequently relied on scientists to understand whether the government is justified in regulating pollution and who may be liable for environmental and public health harms.

This …

Synthetic Data Generation Of Health And Demographic Surveillance Systems Data: A Case Study In A Low- And Middle-Income Country, Dorcas G. Mwigereri, Nigel T. Kamotho, Akbar K. Waljee, Ryan T. Rego, Eileen M. Weinheimer-Haus, Farhana Alarakhiya, Anthony K. Ngugi, W. Nicholson Price, Ji Zhu, Stephen Peter Wong, Geoffrey H. Siwo

Articles

Objective: To evaluate effectiveness of open-source generative models in producing high-quality tabular synthetic data using a Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) dataset from rural Kenya, as a proof of concept in a low- and middle-income (LMIC) setting.

Materials and Methods: Three open-source models (CTGAN, TableGAN, and CopulaGAN) were used to generate synthetic data from the Kaloleni/ Rabai HDSS dataset. To assess the quality of the synthetic datasets generated by each model, we performed fidelity, utility, and privacy tests.

Results: CTGAN outperformed the other models, producing synthetic data that closely mirrored the statistical properties of the real dataset while preserving …

Chasing Dreams In Modern America: Can We All Still Reach The Stars?, Selina Osebre Yawson

Tredway Library Prize for First-Year Research

Judges' Statement

"Chasing Dreams in Modern America: Can We All Still Reach the Stars?" is an excellent and timely examination of the American Dream during a time of political polarization and economic uncertainty. Yawson synthesizes systemic social critique with close literary analysis, applying a reading of Langston Hughes' poetry to address the current moment. Her unique selection of sources and well-reasoned call to action earned the paper an honorable mention.

The Struggle For Equity In Education: Affirmative Action And Systemic Change, Derek Truong

Tredway Library Prize for First-Year Research

Derek’s paper analyzed both the oppressive and liberating roles the education system holds within society. He grounded this research by examining this paradox within the case study of affirmative action, particularly alongside the experiences of Asian Americans and other historically marginalized perspectives. By examining educational theories, Derek argued that a critical analysis of affirmative action demystifies this paradox and exposes deeper systemic inequities in the education system. With a nuanced view of affirmative action based on theory, Derek concluded that systemic and pedagogical changes can occur with internal reforms, such as integrating a more inclusive curriculum that reflects a diverse …

Co-Transmission Is Co-Opted For The Coordination Of Auditory Sensory Integration, Marryn M. Bennett

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Corollary discharge circuits (CDCs) are conserved mechanisms for sensory modulation during species specific behavioral programs. Many behaviors require multiplexed differential sensory modulation for proper execution. Co-transmission of fast and slow neurotransmitters allows for distinct modulation of different downstream targets within one sensorimotor circuit. However, studying co-transmission within the context of modulatory circuits like CDCs requires complete knowledge of behavioral circuits and precise tools for individually determining the implications of each transmitter on its targets. In this dissertation, I used a conserved set of corollary discharge interneurons in Drosophila melanogaster as a model to study the intricacies of sensory modulation through …

Framing The Moment, Shaping The Movement: News Narratives And Public Response To George Floyd’S Death, Madison B. Hall

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study investigates how national and local U.S. news outlets framed George Floyd, Black Lives Matter protesters, and the surrounding protests in the immediate aftermath of Floyd’s death. Through a qualitative content analysis of YouTube news broadcasts posted between May and June 2020, coupled with thematic analysis of popular comments that viewers posted in response, this research explores media narratives and public understanding of a pivotal moment of an ongoing racial justice movement. Drawing on framing theory and construal level theory, the study identifies a range of frames (i.e., pro-accountability, anti-accountability, raw perspective, neutral, episodic, riot) used by both local …

Vital Rates And Nest Site Selection Of Merriam’S Wild Turkeys (Meleagris Gallopavo Merriami) In South-Central, South Dakota, Luke N. Mccray

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) are an economically and culturally significantly game species throughout much of the United States. Within South Dakota, spring turkey hunting generates approximately $20 million in expenditures annually to local economies. Merriam’s wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo meriami) were reintroduced to the Missouri River Breaks of Gregory County, South Dakota, USA, between the 1950s and 1980s, and was one of the most successful reintroductions in the state. However, a recent decline in gobbler harvest suggests a potential decline in this population. To estimate survival and reproduction and evaluate nest site selection, we captured 121 …

Police Abuse In America And The Search For Remedy, Howard Ryan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The dissertation contends that, despite many diligent efforts—from mass protests to a presidential task force—America is not yet on path to remedying its outsized patterns of police abuse. The abuse problem is broadly characterized herein through a “triad” of over-enforcement, excessive force, and racial discrimination. The Washington Post’s “Fatal Force” database, covering the years 2015 through 2024, is offered as a bellwether of American progress in addressing its police abuse; and, it is observed, the nation’s yearly count of fatal police shootings of civilians has been increasing, rather than decreasing.

To help make sense of our lack of national progress, …

Development And Applications Of Capillary Vibrating Sharp-Edge Spray Ionization Coupled With Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization (Cvssi-Apci), Madison Elizabeth Pursell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Mass spectrometry (MS) is a technique that is used in fields in which both complex and non-complex mixtures are analyzed. The state-of-the-art ion sources that are utilized for MS are being demonstrated to be functional for direct infusion of samples as well as for use with online separations. However, ion sources, such as electrospray ionization (ESI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) can encounter problems such as ion suppression and an inability to ionize based on size and/or polarity, respectively. Further these sources are bulky and require gas flow, heat sources, and additional high voltage power supplies for optimal performance. …

Deep Target Recognition: Semi-Supervised Annotation, Sensor Fusion And Super-Resolution, Shoaib Meraj Sami

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Despite the recent expansion of machine learning algorithms to cover a wide range of disciplines, several areas of automatic target recognition (ATR) remain underexplored. This dissertation presents tools developed to improve performance in three significant aspects of ATR: semi-supervised annotation, sensor fusion, and image super-resolution. The aim of the semi-supervised methods is to automatically annotate targets in scenarios where labeled data are scarce in the target domain but available in the source domain. Secondly, to address the limitations of individual image sensors and enhance robustness under different environmental conditions and man-made constraints, a sensor fusion algorithm was developed to improve …

Ciliary Arl14b In Vision, Alexis Breann Crockett

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Primary cilia are highly specialized organelles that regulate signaling, trafficking, and sensory perception across multiple tissues, including the retina. The small GTPase ADP Ribosylation Factor-Like Protein 13B (ARL13B) is an atypical ARF-family protein enriched in cilia. ARL13B acts as a guanine exchange factor (GEF) for another small GTPase ARF-like Protein 3 (ARL3). Mutations in ARL13B cause Joubert syndrome, a ciliopathy characterized by brain malformation, developmental delays, and retinal degeneration. Despite ARL13B’s known ciliary localization and clinical relevance, ARL13B’s precise functions in cilia remain poorly defined. This dissertation investigates the cilia-specific roles and GEF-specific roles of ARL13B in photoreceptors using two …

A Difference-In-Differences Investigation Of The Impact Of State-Mandated Campus Carry Laws In Texas On Violent Campus Crime Rates, Ryan Matthew Gibson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study is to examine the potential impact of state-mandated campus carry laws on sexual misconduct and other violent crime statistics at public, four-year institutions. The study focuses on the state-mandated campus carry law put into effect in Texas starting in 2016 to analyze whether or not it had an impact on campus crime rates. Findings of the study showed that reported campus crime increased at Texas institutions post-2016 at a larger rate than the states that explicitly ban campus carry. Due to a lack of data on the number of individuals carrying guns on campuses in …

Pancreatic Cancer In Appalachia: An Examination Of Detection, Associated Factors, And Provider Experiences With A Focus On West Virginia, Melissa Mae Elder

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

ABSTRACT

Pancreatic Cancer in Appalachia: An Examination of Detection, Associated Factors, and Provider Experiences with a Focus on West Virginia

Melissa M. Elder

Introduction: The Appalachian population accounts for a substantial proportion of the United States and are uniquely susceptible to health care disparities. The Appalachian Regional Commission has reported on the inequities found within the Appalachian region as part of its formal establishment in 1965. When compared to the Non-Appalachian U.S., Appalachia experiences a higher incidence of chronic disease such as diabetes, cancer, lung, and liver disease; mortality from diseases of despair constituting prescription drug, alcohol, illegal drug use, …