Digital Commons Network^™

Burnout In Dancers & The Use Of Dance/Movement Therapy As An Intervention: A Literature Review, Delia Tan

Expressive Therapies Theses

Burnout is recognized by the World Health Organization as an occupational phenomenon characterized by exhaustion, cynicism and reduced professional efficacy (World Health Organization [WHO], 2019). While burnout is well researched in high-stress professions, burnout in dancers appears to be lacking. This literature review examines existing burnout theories, current assessment tools and the lived experience of burnout within the dance population together with the role of Dance/Movement Therapy as an intervention.

Creating Safety In Trauma-Informed Care, Grace Alzamora

Expressive Therapies Theses

This study investigated the implementation of narrative art therapy directives focused on identity development and support for adults who have experienced childhood trauma. Narrative therapy was applied to further examine the ways operating from a strength-based perspective benefits clients. Existing research supports the application of the narrative art approach with various populations as a way to validate the client’s lived experiences, strengthen personal identity, and improve the perspective of the situation. A series of art therapy directives were implemented at a partial hospitalization program for mental health and substance use. The participants were between the ages of 19-65 years old …

Loneliness Among Growing Adolescents: How The Bible Is The Sufficient Example For Every Aspect Of Forming Community, Savannah Paige Clemons

Senior Honors Theses

Adolescents in the world today have a variety of opportunities to take part in, as they are more digitally connected with people than ever before. In American culture there is a recognizable goal to stay at a constant pace of achieving more and more; however, technology no longer acts as an aid, but it has become a replacement to physical community. This isolation and lack of living life with community is causing a detriment to adolescents’ mental health. The Bible is sufficient for every aspect of community through showing structure of belonging and relationship.

'Here's What Bali Can Do For You': Social Media's Impact On Travel Writing, Carlisle Avalon Jarnigan

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis examines how social media has initiated a shift in the genre of travel writing from educational cultural observation to a form of engagement-driven, monetized travel content creation. Historically, the genre has functioned as a descriptive genre dedicated to educating readers who would never get to see the destinations they read about modern travel writing and content creation use emotional persuasion to market travel experience as a product, redefining the genre. Using methods like geotagging, user-generated content (UGC), and emotionally charged storytelling approaches, travel creators no longer just describe locations but instead promise readers that if they visit, they …

Sustainability In The Fashion Industry: Environmental Effects & Analyzing Innovative Approaches To Reducing Environmental Impact While Maintaining Profitability And Effectiveness, Haley Castillo Rebollar

Senior Honors Theses

The fast-fashion business model has several severe environmental impacts, including resource overconsumption, chemical pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and solid waste consumption. Hence, the sustainable fashion alternative is questioned as to whether it can be applied with recoverable economic value and limited consequential impact when considering novel approaches in business model innovation, supply chain transformation, and the adoption of digital technologies. Evidence suggests that sustainability and profitability need not be mutually exclusive when strategic intervening actions are effectively managed. The set of principles of the circular economy, sustainable enterprise architecture frameworks, green supply chain management, advanced systems of forecasting, and three-dimensional …

Behavioral Biases In Investment Decision-Making: Evidence From Short-Term Trading Behavior During High-Volatility Market Events, Jayden A. Shwed

Honors Theses

This study examines how behavioral biases influence short-term trading behavior during periods of high market volatility. While traditional financial theory assumes that investors act rationally, real-world market behavior often reflects the influence of psychological factors. Rather than treating behavioral bias as a single market force, this thesis compares how different biases appear across distinct market environments. Using an empirical, case-study-based approach, this study evaluates three recent market episodes: the COVID-19 market crash in 2020, the GameStop meme stock surge in 2021, and the rise of NVIDIA during the artificial intelligence boom from 2023 to 2024. Historical price and trading volume …

The Mystery Of The Epstein-Barr Virus: How To Detect An Undetectable Virus, Paris Lange

Honors Theses

The Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) is a latent virus that stays in the body after the initial acute infection. In severe cases, this virus can lead to viral myocarditis and can cause life-threatening health issues. One reason this virus is impactful is its ability to suppress the intrinsic apoptotic response through a gene called BHRF1. This gene is an early lytic gene that encodes a homolog of a human pro-survival protein named Bcl-2. This allows the gene to act as an anti-apoptotic survival factor, facilitating the viral persistence inside the host without premature death of the host’s cells. Here, the BHRF1 …

Hearing And Vision Impairment And Cognitive Function In Later Life: A Scoping Review Of Psychosocial Mechanisms, Lea Guelde

Honors Capstones

Introduction: Sensory impairment is one of the most prevalent chronic conditions in later life and has been consistently associated with poorer cognitive outcomes. While prior research has documented associations between sensory loss and global cognitive decline, less attention has been paid to the psychosocial mechanisms that may explain this relationship. Understanding these pathways is essential for identifying modifiable intervention targets. This scoping review mapped and synthesized the existing literature on associations between hearing and vision impairment and cognitive function in adults aged 60 years and older, with a specific focus on psychosocial mechanisms linking sensory function and cognition in later …

Improving Emergency Department Throughput: Implementation Of A Nurse-Driven Protocol In Pediatric Fast-Track Patients Presenting With Fever, Kerrigan A. Teeple

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Overcrowding in the emergency department presents significant operational challenges and is associated with adverse patient outcomes (Gottlieb et al., 2020). Despite throughput initiatives, increasing patient acuity and rising census levels continue to strain emergency department efficiency. This quality improvement project evaluated whether implementing a fever-reduction standing order protocol could reduce door-to-provider and door-to-disposition times for pediatric fast-track patients presenting to the emergency department. A review of evidence across 6 databases identified nurse-initiated standing orders as a best-practice strategy to expedite care, improve throughput, and reduce delays in disposition. Guided by this evidence, a standing order protocol for acetaminophen administration was …

Socioeconomic Status, Motivations And Barriers To Higher Education, And The Academic Achievements Of Women Attending Postsecondary Institutions In The Freely Associated States, Laura Ann Mccormick

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Improving Nursing Orientation: A Preceptor-Led Competency Program, Brandy Tanesa Broadway

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Staff Education To Improve Phq-9 Knowledge, Confidence, And Competency In An Outpatient Mental Health Clinic, Zainab Lawal

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Staff Education Intervention To Improve Staff Knowledge And Competency In Supporting Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Self-Management, Dorothy Chudi-Agbaku

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

A Qualitative Analysis Of Reddit Posts Made By Formerly Incarcerated Women, Madison R. Diaz

Graduate Student Thesis

Women with felony convictions who serve prison sentences encounter significant barriers during reentry, making it difficult to achieve stability. These barriers are shaped by stigma, background check policies, and limited access to supportive resources, often leading to feelings of hopelessness and isolation. The current study analyzes Reddit posts made by self-identified women in the r/Felons subreddit to understand how they describe these barriers and how they use online spaces for support. A qualitative content analysis was used to identify common themes related to employment, education, housing, and stigma. Many posts reflect frustration, discouragement, and anger toward the criminal justice system …

Barriers To Palliative Care Access In Rural South Dakota: A Policy And System-Level Analysis, Harshavardhan Kadarkaraisamy

Honors Thesis

Palliative care improves the quality of life for people living with serious illness. It helps by addressing symptoms, improving communication, and providing mental, physical, and spiritual support. However, in South Dakota access to palliative care is limited in rural areas. These challenges include geographic isolation, workforce shortages, healthcare infrastructure, reimbursement, and misunderstandings about palliative care. This thesis examines the key policy barriers that limit access to palliative care in rural South Dakota. This work involves engaging with South Dakota-specific literature, rural health research, policy sources, community education, telehealth expansion, and policy reform. By focusing on the rural context of South …

Rhettech Journal Volume 8

RhetTech

No abstract provided.

Falling Star Program: A Visual Cue Intervention To Reduce Falls In Long-Term Care, Maggie Shanahan

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Falls among older adults in skilled nursing and long-term care settings remain a leading cause of injury, functional decline, and increased healthcare utilization, contributing significantly to morbidity and mortality in this population (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2023; Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [AHRQ], 2022). The primary purpose of this project aimed to implement and evaluate a structured visual cue–based fall prevention intervention to reduce fall rates among high-risk residents in a long-term care facility in Northwest Indiana. The project included 23 participants aged 65 years and older who were identified as high risk for falls. Using …

Variation In Prevalence Of Participation Limitation, Injury Location, And Training Habits Between Young And Master Runners: A Cross-Sectional Study, Rachel Berns, Jo Armour Smith, Natalia Sánchez, Samantha N. Jeffcoat, Susan Sigward, Andrew Hooyman, Shawn Farrokhi

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Background/Objectives

Running is a popular form of physical activity, but its growing participation has been accompanied by high rates of injury that may limit ongoing engagement, particularly in older runners. This study explored differences in running participation limitation, injury location, and training characteristics between young (18–34 years) and master (>35 years) runners.

Methods

A total of 207 runners (105 young, 102 master) completed an online survey assessing demographics, training habits, and injury-related participation limitations using the updated Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Overuse Injury Questionnaire.

Results

Master runners reported higher rates of injury-related participation limitation than young runners (51% …

Increasing Medication Adherence In Those With Hypertension, Holly Kimiecik

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Hypertension is a chronic condition characterized by persistently elevated blood pressure and remains a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024), approximately 47.7% of U.S. adults have hypertension, yet only about one in five achieve blood pressure control below 130/80 mm Hg. Medication adherence plays a critical role in managing hypertension and preventing complications. Adults aged 18 years and older prescribed antihypertensive medications from a primary care clinic in Valparaiso, Indiana, participated in this six-week quality improvement intervention. Evidence from a comprehensive literature review supports combining patient …

A Two-Phase Perspective On A Related-Rates Paradox, Charlie Vazquez Acosta

Honors Capstones

Related-rates problems are a standard topic in first-year calculus and have appeared in textbooks for over 150 years. These problems are used to teach implicit differentiation and the relationship between changing quantities. Common examples include the falling ladder, the fishing bobber, the melting snowball, and the leaking conical tank. In each of these problems, a quantity is changing at a constant rate, and students are asked to find the rate of change of another related quantity. While the computations themselves are usually straightforward, the standard models lead to unrealistic results near the end of the motion. For example, the falling …

A Quality Improvement Project To Strengthen Hospice Spiritual Care Delivery, Patricia Boudreau

Doctoral Projects

Spiritual care is an essential component of holistic end-of-life nursing, yet it is inconsistently provided in home hospice settings. For this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) quality improvement project, we developed and implemented the Compassionate Spiritual Comfort Integration Program (CSCI), a brief, theory-based educational intervention to strengthen hospice nurses' spiritual care practices. Grounded in Kolcaba's Comfort Theory and Jinpa's Compassion Framework, the CSCI was delivered as a prerecorded webinar. A quasi-experimental single–group pretest–posttest design was used to evaluate changes in spiritual care behaviors, measured with the 17-item Nurse Spiritual Care Therapeutics Scale (NSCTS) and a single-item confidence measure. Twenty-two nurses …

Dairy And Food Science Student Newsletter, May 5, 2026, Department Of Dairy And Food Science

Dairy and Food Science Student Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Spartan Daily, May 5, 2026, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2026

Volume 166, Issue 41

Ultrasound Neuromodulation Reveals Distinct Roles Of The Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex And Anterior Insula In Learning, Nomiki Koutsoumpari, Johannes Algermissen, Siti Yaakub, Hanneke E. M. Den Ouden, Nadège Bault, Elsa Fouragnan

School of Psychology

Pavlovian biases reflect how evolutionarily hard-wired tendencies—automatic approach toward reward cues and withdrawal from threat cues—can interfere with flexible, goal-directed action. Such biases arise through three mechanisms: (a) anticipated rewards energize action while anticipated punishments suppress it (response bias), (b) agents learn differently from actions than from inactions (learning bias), and (c) reward/punishment cues themselves drive repetitive behavior, independent of outcomes (perseveration bias). The neural origin of these biases is unclear. Past evidence suggests dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and anterior insula (aIns) as part of a “reset network” that rapidly responds to salient information and might contribute to these …

Numerical–Machine Learning Hybrid Framework For Forecasting Multi-Phase Flow Dynamics In Deep Wellbores, Raghad S. Shamsah, Farhan Lafta Rashid, Mudhar A. Al-Obaidi, Ahmed N. Al-Dujaili

Warith Scientific Journal of Engineering and Technology

The Conventional models do not usually reflect the intricate relationships between the fluid characteristics, wellbore geometry, and operating flow parameters in the deep wellbores, which becomes a major issue in the extraction of hydrocarbons, where the unexpected behavior of the flows (bubble, slug, annular) can cause the efficiency and integrity of the equipment to be compromised. This problem has been tackled by developing a new neural network-based method that incorporates mathematical models and machine learning in this paper to identify the flow patterns and optimize the production parameters. It is an experimental study, where 12 input variables are used (e.g., …

The Effects Of Stimulus Disparity On Acquisition Of Chinese Language Learning, Siyi Duan

Thesis Projects

This study examined the effects of stimulus disparity on Chinese characters. Participants were taught Sets of similar and dissimilar characters using a Pre-test–teaching–Post-Test format with stimulus fading supports. Acquisition was measured by sessions to mastery. Results showed that dissimilar Sets were learned more efficiently than similar Sets. Error patterns include repeated use of the same responses across stimuli, and errors within sets. These findings suggest that similarity may slow acquisition and more errors may occur during early learning.

Jtc 26: From The Sidelines To The Spotlight, Mackenzie Ross

University of Mississippi News

This story is part of the 2026 Journey to Commencement series, which celebrates the pinnacle of the academic year by highlighting University of Mississippi students and their outstanding academic and personal journeys from college student to college graduate.

Cystic Fibrosis Mental Health And Wellness Questionnaire - Factors And Properties Of A Comprehensive Cf-Specific Self-Report Measure, C. Virginia O'Hayer, Patrick J. Smith, Max J. Genecov, Christopher F. Drescher, Heather Bruschwein, Chelsi N. Nurse, Katherine Lawliss, Darcy C. Esiason, Gunnar H. Esiason

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Existing mental health self-report measures have been criticized for over-simplification, lack of CF-specific focus, susceptibility to measurement reactivity bias, and conflation of symptoms of anxiety and/or depression with CF-related symptoms and/or treatment side effects. The CF Mental Health and Wellness Questionnaire (CFMHWQ) is a 25-item measure assessing CF-specific mental health burden symptoms.

METHODS: To examine common underlying factors contributing to scores on the CFMHWQ, principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted of all 25 items. We conducted cross-validation of CFMHWQ principal components, examining unadjusted correlations between each principal component, demographic characteristics (age and biological sex), negative affect (mean rank global …

Descriptive Analysis: Effects Of Insufficient Sleep Among College Students Ages 18-22, Divine Ighalo

Honors Theses

Background: Not getting enough sleep is common among college students and is often linked to habits such as screen time, caffeine intake, stress, and irregular routines. This study examined how these lifestyle factors are associated with insufficient sleep among college students ages 18-22 and how poor sleep affects their overall wellbeing. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional survey design and collected data through an anonymous 25 question online Qualtrics questionnaire. This was completed by 150 participants. The survey was designed to be completed in about 5-7 minutes. It included a mix of multiplechoice questions, frequency-based responses and select all that …

Integrating Movement In Elementary Classrooms: Teacher Perceptions And Student Benefits In A Kindergarten Setting, Ferriday R. Green

Honors Theses

Movement integration has been shown to positively influence elementary students’ cognitive performance, engagement, and on-task behavior; however, its use in classrooms remains inconsistent due to various teacher-perceived barriers. This qualitative study investigates the challenges teachers face when implementing movement integration in elementary classrooms and examines whether access to structured, movement-integrated lesson plans influences instructional practices. The study was conducted with one kindergarten teacher at Lafayette Elementary School. Data were collected through two semi-structured interviews—one conducted prior to implementation and one following a two-week intervention period during which the teacher implemented pre-developed, movement-integrated lesson plans aligned with required academic standards. Interview …