Digital Commons Network^™

Mining For Answers: Decrypting The Securities Puzzle Of Cryptomining Hosting Contracts, Waleed Alkoor

North Carolina Journal of Law & Technology

No abstract provided.

A Noisy Debate: Should The Law Require The U.S. Census Bureau To Sacrifice Accuracy For Privacy?, Justin Giles

North Carolina Journal of Law & Technology

No abstract provided.

Fair Admissions, Fair Decisions, And Fair Outcomes: An Analysis Of Algorithmic Bias In Education, Employment, Healthcare, And Housing, Mclean Waters

North Carolina Journal of Law & Technology

No abstract provided.

Storytelling For Social Change: Using Victim Narratives From Social Media To Disrupt Rape Myth Acceptance Among College Students, Grace Carmack

Journalism Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study employed a narrative intervention experiment aimed at challenging college students' acceptance of rape myths (RMA). Rape myths are erroneous beliefs that shift blame for sexual violence (SV) from perpetrators to victims and encompass stereotypical misconceptions about women. Three authentic narratives, shared anonymously on social media by college victims of sexual violence, were selected for their varying levels of graphic detail and situational context. The study's objective was not only to interrogate RMA among college students but also to discover which of the three narratives was most effective in reducing RMA among readers, utilizing the Transportation Theory as a …

Artscape: Canvassing The Ozarks, Noah D. Kim

Journalism Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper focuses on the impact of public art in regards to the overall quality of life within a city. The findings are localized to Northwest Arkansas, a region densely populated with public art installations. This thesis is non-traditional and it focuses more so on the coinciding project. The topic was covered in depth by a 26-minute long documentary that uncovers the impact of one local public artist. Through an examination of historical accounts and qualitative assessments, this paper and accompanying project both showcase public art's innate ability to benefit encompassing communities. The study also focuses on how the presence …

Improved Hydrologic Modeling And Geophysical Imaging Of Critical Zones: Incorporating Structural And Temporal Constraints, Hang Chen

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The Earth's critical zone (CZ) is a life-sustaining layer extending from the canopy of the tree to the bottom of the active groundwater circulation, providing valuable resources to terrestrial life, including nutrients, minerals, and fresh water. There are many challenges in studying various processes within and the function of the CZ. This dissertation addresses two common challenges in studying the CZ hydrology and watershed function, which are critical for a predictive understanding of the water dynamics in mountainous terrain and for an informed management of future water resources under rapid climate change. These challenges include (1) accurate quantification of hydrological …

Assessing Experiential Learning In A K-12 Afterschool Makerspace: Using The Beyond Rubrics Toolkit, Stacy L. Dzbenski

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the efficacy of the Beyond Rubrics Toolkit (BRT) as an embedded assessment instrument within makerspaces. Conducted as a pilot study at two Boys & Girls Club sites during afterschool programming, the research aimed to address the following research questions: (1) What skills are Youth Development Professionals teaching and assessing through makerspace programming? (2) How is learning currently assessed in the BGCS makerspaces? (3) What is the Youth Development Professional's perception of the Beyond Rubrics toolkit as a method to assess learning in the makerspace? (4) How would the Youth Development Professionals characterize the student learning being assessed …

Assessment Of Western Farmers’ Use, Knowledge, And Acceptance Of Cover Crops And The Agri-Environmental Schemes That Support Their Use, Lauren Golden

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Agri-environmental schemes (AES), which pay farmers to adopt conservation practices, are increasingly important environmental and agricultural policy tools. Despite large budgetary shares allocated to these programs, studies identify lower-than-expected environmental outcomes. In the U.S. reasons for low environmental outcomes include low participation rates, lack of program awareness, and poor targeting levels. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the largest conservation program in the U.S. highly promotes cover crops, as this practice has many benefits to water, air, and soil quality. The Western U.S.is a large cropping region where data on cover crop use and AES participation are lacking. Using a …

Promoting Successful Industry Academic Partnerships For Curriculum Development: Integration Of Multiple Streams Framework And Stakeholder Theory, Jennifer D. Gudapati

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

There is a widening gap between traditional higher education and the needs of the industry workforce. Higher education has lately been criticized for having too few voices playing a role in most curricula development, with the voices being used consisting largely of career academics (Nature Editorial, 2023). Both industry and academia have found a disconnect between academic training and preparedness to enter the labor market (Jackson et al., 2016). Multiple Streams Framework (MSF) and Stakeholder Theory (ST) have been offered as potential frameworks for guiding elements of policy or strategy development and implementation in this context. However, in this dissertation, …

An Analysis Of Instructor Feedback, Olga Hawranick

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Carless & Boud (2018) capture the definition of feedback best as “a process through which learners make sense of information… use it to enhance their work or learning strategies (p.1).” This definition goes beyond feedback solely being the role of instructors and highlights the student component in making sense of the feedback which we reference in this study as “actionable feedback.” Are instructors providing meaningful feedback to their students to encourage revision? Past studies offer inconsistent results on most features of feedback and little is known about how some of these factors benefit students’ interactions with feedback.

This study aims …

Triggers Of Rapid Change In Glacier Dynamics, Jukes Liu

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The loss of land ice has become the greatest contributor to global mean sea level rise since 2006 (Oppenheimer et al., 2019). Glaciers have contributed ∼20% to global sea level rise over the last ∼2 decades (Oppenheimer et al., 2019; Hugonnet et al., 2021), while the ice sheets have contributed 33% (Oppenheimer et al., 2019). For the outlet glaciers and ice streams that drain the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, changes to their dynamics (flow speed, thickness, and length) dominate their present and future mass loss (King et al., 2020; Diener et al., 2021). One of the main limitations in …

Witnessing Bullying And Defending Behavior Among Elementary And Middle School Students, Matt Peck

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation includes three individual articles that explore the relationship between witnessing bullying and defending behavior among students who are bystanders of bullying. Chapter One provides the rationale and purpose of this dissertation and an overview of the three articles that comprise it. Chapter Two employed a cross-sectional analysis to examine the moderating effect of gender on witnessing bullying, defending behavior, and internalizing symptoms while controlling for previous experiences with bullying perpetration and victimization. Results indicated that students who witness bullying and utilize defending behavior exhibit different internal symptoms based on gender. In a longitudinal study, Chapter Three expands this …

Preservice Teachers’ Self-Efficacy For Technology Integration And Levels Of Planned Technology Integration: A Mixed-Method Study, Marielle Portaro

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Teacher education programs have a responsibility to prepare preservice teachers for the demands of teaching, including how to integrate educational technology into lessons. The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods approach study is to understand the relationship between preservice teachers’ self-efficacy for technology integration and their level of planned technology integration. Self-efficacy is the belief in one’s ability to complete a task and self-efficacy for technology integration is specific to teacher’s beliefs in their ability to integrate technology in their lessons.

Participants in this study were 9 preservice teachers who were enrolled in a university-based preservice teacher education program …

The Opioid Epidemic In Virginia: Comparing Case Studies Of County-Level Implementation Of Opioid Response Plans, Sydney Elyse Fox

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This project entails a mixed method review of the implementation of opioid policies in the 133 cities and counties of the Commonwealth of Virginia using van Meter and van Horn’s (1975) Model Theoretical Framework as a guide. This study focuses upon understanding how the characteristics of successful implementation intersect with the components of opioid policy, controlling for education, poverty, and health insurance coverage, and how that interaction may lead to reduced overdose deaths. According to van Meter and van Horn, political agreement is necessary to create a policy with an administrative mechanism to implement. This administrative mechanism, along with resources, …

Word Choice, Deep Core Beliefs, And Unlikely Alliances: Increasing The Distance Traveled By The Narrative Policy Framework, Dalten Warren Fox

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation expands the use and capabilities of the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) by utilizing the framework across three projects that address prevailing knowledge gaps. Since 2010, the NPF literature has produced significant evidence for the importance of understanding the roles of narrative language in public policymaking. Moreover, the NPF’s creators have consistently called upon other policy narrative scholars to challenge, refine, and expand the framework. To contribute to this endeavor, this collection of studies examines language components previously unconsidered by the NPF, leverages the framework in untested belief areas, and examines atypical policy subsystem dynamics using the framework. The …

“Bona Fide And Sincerely-Held”: How Deep Core Beliefs Inform And Influence Policy Engagement At The Institutional Level, Grant Miller

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Developing, fine-tuning, and implementing policy in a pluralistic society includes several potential pitfalls as policy actors engage and represent divergent interests. While much work has been done to explore the possible benefits to the policy process that could come from understanding the intrinsic motivations of individual policy actors, this study is an effort to account for the impact of the core beliefs of institutions as a whole when they engage in the policy process. Drawing from the concepts of the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) regarding deep core beliefs, this study applies Moral Foundations Theory to process and analyze the language …

E-Government In Idaho’S Small Cities: Factors Of Adoption, Implementation, And Growing Organizational Capacity, Jeffrey Adam Skinner

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Over the last few decades, a growing body of academic research has focused on e-government in incorporated cities. Much of this research has focused on large and medium sized cities, with most researchers neglecting the study of small cities due to antiquated assumptions and assertions regarding population size and fiscal resources. This has created a digital divide in the literature, which impacts small cities and the citizens they serve. However, recent, and rapid changes have made e-government technology more widely available at a relatively lower cost. This, along with the punctuating events of the COVID-19 pandemic, indicate that e-government in …

Exploring Creative Economy Policy Change In United States Cities: An Interconnected Theoretical Approach Framing An Emerging Field And Practice, Matilda Rose Bubb

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The creative economy is a relatively new policy arena focusing on the consumption and production of culture and cultural products, urban development and placemaking, intellectual property protection, entrepreneurship and innovation, tourism, sustainability, and social impact. Despite its documented growth in U.S. cities in the past twenty years, we know very little about how these policy innovations spread, or about who advocates for them. To contribute to public policy research and the creative economy sector, I ask the following overarching question: How are emerging creative economy policy innovations spread, adopted and implemented in cities identified as highly creative in the United …

Counseling Students’ Experiences Of Religious/Spiritual Transitions: A Narrative Inquiry, Lexi Gene Heringer Wimmer

Dissertations

Religious and spiritual (R/S) identities are not stagnant constructs, as may often be believed (Strawn, 2019). The landscape of religion and spirituality is shifting rapidly, and these changes point to individual experiences of R/S transition. One place these kinds of individual changes are occurring is within counselor training. Counselor training can be a transformative experience, and these transformations can include religious and spiritual changes (Nogueiras et al., 2019). Little research explores a broad understanding of religious/spiritual transition, and this gap widens when considering counselors-in-training (CITs) specifically. The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to more fully understand the narratives of …

Practices, Curricula, And Perspectives: Creating Equitable And Inclusive Science Higher Education Classrooms, Victoria Lee Duncan

Dissertations

How can Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) faculty create environments where students do not feel marginalized? Changes are necessary to address the historically exclusive climate, systemic oppressive classroom policies, and practices dominated by White, patriarchal, Eurocentric perspectives in many STEM classrooms. Faculty incorporating approaches and practices documented in the literature across time and multiple STEM disciplines can create equitable and inclusive (EI) classrooms. However, the challenge for faculty is consolidating the information to identify fundamental elements necessary for establishing EI classrooms. By synthesizing and cataloging components found in the literature, following a qualitative meta-synthesis framework, the purpose of Project …

A Narrative Inquiry Into The Perceptions Of Counseling Faculty Regarding The Use Of Humor In Clinical Supervision, Ryan Cheuk Ming Cheung

Dissertations

Cheung, Ryan Cheuk Ming. A narrative inquiry into the perceptions of counseling faculty regarding the use of humor in clinical supervision. Published Doctor of Philosophy dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, 2024. Students in counselor preparation programs are required to be clinically supervised by faculty when working with clients. Considering how to help supervisees and positively affect supervision outcomes, one method could be the use of humor by counseling supervisors. Research in the area of humor in counseling supervision is largely missing (Dantzler, 2017; Vereen et al., 2006). A key task in supervision is building a strong working alliance (Bordin, 1983) …

A Compendium Of Three Musical Works Inspired By The African American Experience: Recordings, Commentary, And Pedagogical Observations, Edward W. Hardy

Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on three of my musical compositions inspired by Wade in the Water, Billie Holiday, and Margaret Walker respectively: Evolution (for solo violin, 2016), Strange Fruit (arranged for string quartet, 2020), and Born Free (for voice, violin, and piano, 2022). From the perspective of a classical composer-violinist, I created musical portraits that reflect America's pre-civil rights oppression, the celebration of the Harlem Renaissance, and the landscape of political, social, and economic experiences. This dissertation can also serve as a tool for various individuals: fellow violinists seeking modern techniques that bridge classical music to popular music, composers in search …

Crummer Graduate School Of Business Bylaws - May 2024, Crummer Graduate School Of Business Faculty

Crummer Graduate School of Business Bylaws

No abstract provided.

Digital Rite Of Passage: The First Social Media Kids, Julia Kennedy

Honors College Theses

Through a combination of academic research and creative storytelling, this thesis delves into the largely undocumented experiences of the “first social media kids,” an entire generation of tweens who grew up using social media in the 2010s before it was heavily moderated or imbued with age restrictions. While stories about this age of social media have been traded consistently in conversations between peers who are currently in their early twenties, there is a clear lack of academic work focused on early social media and the young users who explored it. Through the medium of an episodic and investigative podcast titled …

Ludamus: An Exploration Of Musical Improv And Spirituality In Christian Theology And Praxis, Will Parker

Yale Divinity School Theses

This project examines the practice of musical improv and group vocal improvisation as an accessible method for Christian worship, formation, and theological reflection, focusing on the Episcopal Church. It explores musical improv’s potential for community-making and transformation through overlapping elements necessary for improv and love: play, attentiveness, acceptance, self-giving, and trust. This paper also gives attention to the loneliness epidemic, one of the most pressing global problems in the wake of COVID-19, and how musical improv in a faith context might serve to help alleviate social, psychological, and existential loneliness by helping people connect with each other, themselves, and God. …

“Taste And See . . .”: The Eucharist As Immersive Theatre, Vincent Lin

Yale Divinity School Theses

A ceremonial Eucharist bears striking resemblance to immersive theatre, both involving the creation of a delineated space, the prioritization of bodily senses, and emphasis on audience participation. These similarities are not accidental; rather, a ceremonial Eucharist is immersive theatre. Two key arguments are discussed: First, drawing on performance studies, we classify historical eucharistic liturgies through the lens of “doubleness,” moving beyond simplistic categorizations in previous literature. This approach reveals the contemporary Anglican liturgy as theatre, where the event of the Eucharist and the eucharistic elements (the bread and cup) “perform.” Second, utilizing immersive theatre research, we explore how immersive characteristics …

Shale Investment Dashboard In Ohio Q1 And Q2 2023, Andrew R. Thomas, Mark Henning, Samuel Owusu-Agyemang

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

This report presents findings from an investigation into shale-related investment in Ohio, looking at up, mid and downstream activities. The investment estimates are for January through June of 2023. The report also includes an estimate of cumulative investment in shale in Ohio from 2012 through June 2023. Prior biannual investments are included in previously posted reports that are available from Cleveland State University.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Of Alternative Screening Strategies For The Detection Of Cervical Cancer Among Women In Rural Areas Of Western Kenya, Christopher Lobin, Elkanah Omenge, Edwin Were, Kapten Muthoka, Kavita Singh, Manuela De Allegri, Konrad Obermann, Magnus Doeberitz, Hermann Bussmann

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

While the incidence of cervical cancer has dropped in high-income countries due to organized cytology-based screening programs, it remains the leading cause of cancer death among women in Eastern Africa. Therefore, the World Health Organization(WHO) now urges providers to transition from widely prevalent but low-performance visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) screening to primary human papillomavirus(HPV) DNA testing. Due to high HPV prevalence, effective triage tests are needed to identify those lesions likely to progress and so avoid over-treatment. To identify the optimal cost-effective strategy, we compared the VIA screen-and-treat approach to primary HPV DNA testing with p16/Ki67 dual-stain cytology …

Person-First Versus Identity-First Language For Mental Illness: A Discourse Analysis, Amanda M. Cox

University Honors Program Senior Projects

A general consensus on the most appropriate language in reference to people with disabilities has yet to be established. Advocates of person-first language, such as a person with autism, argue that such language emphasizes the whole person, as opposed to focusing on their disability or impairment (Granello & Gibbs, 2014). However, those in favor of identity-first language, such as an autistic person, believe that this language usage allows individuals to claim their diagnosis, as there is nothing inherently wrong with the adjectival form (Dunn & Andrews, 2015). There is a lack of research of written works regarding whether person-first or …

Nurses' Perceptions Regarding Supportive Care In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Brandi D. Garrett

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

NICU nurses are the primary supporters of NICU families and their infants, making it vital that nurses understand the impact of a NICU visit on families and how to improve the parental experience. The complex challenges begin at the NICU admission, where families are left bewildered and unprepared for the uncertainty that lies ahead. During the NICU stay, nurses support families by providing encouragement and empowerment as they navigate their new role as NICU parents. In addition, NICU nurses are advocates for supportive initiatives to help NICU families cope with challenges such as being away from their infant and better …