Digital Commons Network^™

Study Of Output And Behavior Of Llms Using Confidence Framing In Prompt Engineering, Micah Parrilla

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

While prompt engineering is pivotal for shaping Large Language Model (LLM) outputs, the impact of confidence framing on behavioral calibration remains underexplored. This study investigates the ways in which psychological framing, utilizing techniques such as capability praise, role amplification, and doubt induction, affects linguistic tone, objective accuracy, and internal calibration. A 1,080-trial experimental matrix evaluated six diverse models across factual, logical, coding, and cyber security domains. Analysis using the Kruskal-Wallis H-test revealed highly significant behavioral shifts across all measured dimensions, providing conclusive evidence that the applied frames exert a substantial influence on model performance.

The findings identify a distinct cognitive …

Adaptive Methods Of Resident Space Object Identification For Space Situational Awareness, Evan Pavetto-Stewart

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

One of the fundamental tenets of Space Situational Awareness (SSA) is the detection and sub sequent identification of Resident Space Objects (RSOs) within unresolved optical space imagery. This function is vital to the documentation and tracking of RSOs in their respective operational orbits, knowledge that is necessary for collision avoidance efforts and Space Domain Awareness (SDA) applications. In previous work, development was begun on a MATLAB program called RSOID to fulfill this purpose by accepting a collection (or ’collect’) of unresolved imagery and outputting a sequence of RSO locations (called a ’tracklet’) that can be used to determine the RSO’s …

Materials Testing Furnace 2026, Austin Gregson, Lucas Lafayette, Mekhi Hale

Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses

This thesis presents the design, analysis, manufacturing, and testing of a material testing furnace for its intended use at Santa Clara University. The goal of this project is to develop a cost-effective and adaptable furnace capable of providing a controlled hightemperature, inert environment for material characterization. The furnace incorporates welded aluminum chambers, stainless steel load-transfer rams, an argon-based atmospheric control system, and planned tungsten heating elements for reaching temperatures up to 2000 ◦C. Trade-off analyses were conducted on the ram cooling channel geometry as well as the choice of coolant through both plates and rams. Manufacturing efforts were focused on …

"Ever Changing, Simply Amazing:" A Storymap Of Adaptive Reuse At Brookgreen Gardens, Lola G. Bellah

Senior Theses

In 1930, Archer Huntington, a scholar of Hispanic studies, used a portion of the fortune he inherited from the Central Pacific Railroad to purchase The Oaks, Brookgreen, Springfield, and Laurel Hill plantations in coastal South Carolina and build Atalaya Castle, a winter home on the Atlantic. His wife Anna Hyatt Huntington, a sculptor, led the effort to turn the 19,000 acres into America’s first public sculpture garden, known since as Brookgreen Gardens. In the construction process, some structures from Brookgreen Plantation were repurposed while others were removed from the landscape.

Though Brookgreen Gardens has since interpreted its plantation history through …

Curating Attendee-Centered Corporate Event Experiences Through The Strategic Implementation Of Psychological Principles, Alexis G. Mullendore

Senior Theses

This thesis explores how psychological principles can inform event professionals’

decisions in the planning and execution of attendee-centered corporate events. In the modern

experience economy, corporations increasingly prioritize engaging, high-production events for

employees and stakeholders, while attendee expectations for immersive, spectacle experiences

continue to rise. Therefore, the importance of designing corporate events that balance clients’

fiscal and objective needs with attendees’ experience-driven expectations has become

increasingly recognized. This shift toward a human-focused approach prompted the researcher to

examine how psychological principles can inform the design and execution of events. The

project was conducted through a three-phase research process consisting of …

Beyond The Individual: Exploring Structural Explanations Of Homelessness Through Thematic Analysis Of Extant Research, Madison R. Mcclain

Senior Theses

This thesis examines how homelessness is defined, explained, and addressed within contemporary U.S. research using Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Intersectionality as guiding frameworks. Through a qualitative, deductive thematic analysis of 16 peer-reviewed articles, this study identifies six key themes related to structural causation, policy governance, measurement practices, racial inequality, dominant narratives, and intersecting systems of disadvantage. Findings reveal that while structural explanations of homelessness are widely acknowledged, they are inconsistently defined and often insufficiently theorized. Institutional systems primarily function to manage rather than resolve homelessness, while measurement practices and definitions actively shape who is recognized and prioritized. Additionally, structural …

Modernity And Transcendence: Gendered Subjectivity In Miss Lonelyhearts And A Spy In The House Of Love, Rachel Loging

Senior Theses

This thesis examines how Nathanael West’s Miss Lonelyhearts (1933) and Anaïs Nin’s A Spy in the House of Love (1954) represent gendered subjectivity under the conditions of modernity. Drawing on Ben Singer’s account of modern experience and Rita Felski’s analysis of modernity as a masculine structure organized around autonomy and production, it argues that both texts stage encounters between masculinity and femininity as sites of interpretive conflict. In Miss Lonelyhearts, masculinity remains tied to coherence, authority, and the paradigm of Christ, and repeatedly attempts to impose order through perception, relationships, and religion. These efforts ultimately collapse, exposing the futility and …

Effect Of Ginseng On Obesity And Neurogenesis, Hayden L. Withers, Claudia A. Grillo, Lawrence P. Reagan, Natalia Maciejewska, Sai V. Nallu, Jennifer L. Woodruff

Senior Theses

Obesity and major depressive disorder are two conditions with high comorbidity as well as overlapping pathophysiological mechanisms, including neuroinflammation, metabolic/endocrine dysfunction, and impaired hippocampal neurogenesis. Panax ginseng, a medicinal herb, is known to demonstrate anti-inflammatory and metabolic regulatory properties. Ginseng has demonstrated its effective antidepressant-like effects within preclinical studies, but its potential to restore neurogenesis in the context of obesity-induced depression is not clear. Within this study, male Sprague-Dawley rats were tested in either a high fat diet (HFD) or control diet (Cont) for 12 weeks and then was treated subsequently with daily intraperitoneal injections of either ginseng or saline …

Breaking The Cycle: Implementing Journal-Based Emotional Regulation Workshops At South Carolina’S Department Of Juvenile Justice, Sarah Hobson

Senior Theses

Incarcerated youth experience disproportionately high rates of trauma exposure, estimated at 70% to 90%, which significantly impacts emotional regulation and behavior, keeping them in a cycle of repeated offense and increased recidivism rates (Branson et al., 2017). Despite the prevalence of these psychological needs, juvenile justice systems often lack consistent, trauma-informed programming that addresses the underlying causes of delinquent behavior. This study examines the implementation and impact of a structured, eight-week trauma-informed journaling intervention conducted as a pilot program within the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice. This program was implemented among a small cohort of participants at the Juvenile …

Staphylococcus Aureus Prostatic Abscess In A Young Diabetic Patient: A Case Report And Literature Review, Hellen Mram, Musa Machibya, Samina Somji, Arafa Mahmoud, Hussam Uddin

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Introduction: Prostatic abscess is a rare complication of acute bacterial prostatitis, accounting for approximately 0.5% of urologic conditions. It is mostly caused by gram-negative organisms such as Escherichia coli, although Staphylococcus aureus is an increasingly recognized but uncommon pathogen. Clinical presentation is often non-specific with lower urinary tract symptoms, frequently leading to delayed diagnosis. Imaging plays a crucial role in confirming the diagnosis and guiding management.

Case presentation: A 41-year-old diabetic man who initially presented with lower urinary tract symptoms for 1 week that progressed to urinary retention and fever. Was initially diagnosed with acute prostatitis and initiated …

Empowering Mothers: Occupational Therapy Video Series For Postpartum Depression, Brenda J. Ramos

Student Capstone Papers

The purpose of this research is to highlight the importance of maternal mental health and the use of self-regulation techniques to improve PPD. OTs can use self-regulation techniques as an intervention to assist mothers feel regulated and get through day-to-day tasks.

Establishing Breast Mri As A Standard Protocol For Cancer Detection In Women With Implants, Leslie Estela Ruiz, Katrine Gisell Franco, Lesly Karina Ortiz

Research Methods Poster Session 2026

Breast implants can limit the effectiveness of traditional imaging methods like mammography and ultrasound by obscuring underlying tissue and masking abnormalities. This literature review highlights findings from six studies demonstrating that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides superior accuracy in both cancer detection and implant evaluation. MRI consistently shows higher sensitivity and specificity, effectively identifying tumors, assessing their size and spread, and detecting implant ruptures with strong agreement to surgical outcomes. It also enables long-term monitoring by revealing silent complications and improving screening compliance in post-reconstruction patients. Overall, MRI offers enhanced tissue contrast and three-dimensional visualization, making it the most reliable …

Structural Basis Of Anthocyanin-Mediated Modulation Of Il-2, Il-17, And Tnf-Α: A Docking And Molecular Dynamics Study, Andrey Bogoyavlenskiy, Adolat Manakbayeva, Timur Kerimov, Igor Yershov, Madina Alexyuk, Pavel Alexyuk, Vladimir Berezin, Vyacheslav Dushenkov

Publications and Research

Anthocyanins are naturally occurring flavonoid pigments widely distributed in plants and are recognized for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying their potential immunomodulatory effects remain poorly characterized, particularly regarding their direct interactions with key signaling cytokines. In this study, a set of selected anthocyanins was investigated using a hierarchical computational workflow targeting three major pro-inflammatory cytokines: interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-17 (IL-17), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Molecular docking analyses identified primulin and antirrhinin as the most favorable binders, forming stabilizing hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions within predicted cytokine interaction interfaces. To further assess the stability of these …

Resolving Cross-Border Nft Disputes: Jurisdictional Approaches, Smart Contracts, And Proposed Solutions, Aparna Vaitla

Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts

The emergence of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) has significantly impacted the enforcement of intellectual property (IP) rights, particularly in the digital environment. NFTs enable the creation, transfer, and monetization of unique digital assets such as artwork, music, and virtual goods, raising new legal challenges for IP protection. Among various IP concerns, copyright law is the most directly implicated in NFT-related disputes. While existing copyright frameworks remain broadly applicable, they require refined interpretation and targeted regulatory adaptation to address blockchain-specific issues such as pseudonymity, decentralized ownership, and cross-border enforcement. This Article focuses exclusively on copyright law, examining its applicability to NFT transactions …

Alabama Prairie Reconstruction: Comparing Management Pathways For A Southeastern Landscape, Cecelia R. Geyer

Theses

Southeastern prairies are highly biodiverse yet increasingly threatened by land-use change, fire suppression, and habitat fragmentation. These disturbance-dependent systems rely on periodic fire and grazing to maintain plant diversity and ecosystem function. This study evaluates prairie restoration strategies by testing predictions from the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis and the Patch Mosaic Burn Hypothesis. The study site was divided into three treatments: prescribed burned only (B), prescribed burned with mowing (BM) to simulate grazing, and an undisturbed control (C). A standardized mix of native plant seeds was broadcast across all treatments. Ecosystem health and function were evaluated using plant community diversity and …

The Impact Of Social-Emotional Learning Instruction On Intermediate Grade Levels, Leah Frances Davis

Dissertations

The study, The Impact of Social-emotional Learning on Intermediate Grade Levels, examined the perceived impact of social-emotional learning on the five core CASEL competencies. This included: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. The study was a mixed methods design using qualitative research methods of surveys and interviews to analyze the teachers’ perceptions on the impact of social-emotional learning. Quantitative analysis reviewed attendance and discipline data to determine the impact of social-emotional learning on these factors. Teachers’ perceptions, coupled with and compared to the quantitative component of change in discipline infractions and daily attendance, offer great insight into …

Perspectives Of Classroom Teachers On The Foundational Reading Needs Of Fourth Through Sixth Grade Students, Deliska Burton-Cooley

Dissertations

Reading proficiency is a critical foundation for academic success; however, many students enter the upper elementary grades without the foundational literacy skills necessary to access grade level content. Teachers in grades four through six are increasingly responsible for addressing persistent reading gaps while simultaneously meeting instructional expectations aligned with grade-level standards. The problem addressed in this qualitative descriptive study was the limited research examining how upper elementary teachers identify and respond to foundational reading needs when such gaps persist beyond the primary grades. The purpose of this study was to examine upper-elementary teachers’ perspectives on identifying and addressing foundational reading …

Gamification And Serious Games In Undergraduate Nursing Education For Disaster Preparedness In The United States, Jacob Fast

Dissertations

Disaster preparedness is a critical component of undergraduate nursing education, yet traditional instructional approaches often inadequately prepare students for the complexity and uncertainty of real-world emergencies. Emerging literature suggests that gamification and serious games may enhance engagement and applied learning; however, limited research has examined their integration within nursing curricula from the perspective of faculty responsible for instructional design. This convergent mixed-methods study investigated the extent of integration, perceived effectiveness, and practical utility of gamification and serious games in undergraduate nursing education for disaster preparedness. Quantitative data were collected through a national survey of faculty teaching in CCNE- and ACEN-accredited …

Constrained Calling: Limited Presidential Power Under The Insurrection Act, Jamie Kenyon

University of Dayton Law Review

No abstract provided.

Columns Spring 2026, Southern Adventist University

Alumni Newsletter

The Spring 2026 issue of Columns features articles about Southern's new mission statement, living memoirs, and a new student led ministries.

Muscle Atrophy After Acl Reconstruction Involves Molecular Mechanisms Beyond Unloading, Alexander R. Keeble, Gonzalez Velez Sara, Nicholas T. Thomas, Allison M. Owen, Austin V. Stone, Darren L. Johnson, Julián Candia, Luigi Ferrucci, Marco Narici, Esther E. Dupont-Versteegden, Brian Noehren, Martino V. Franchi, Christopher S. Fry

Physiology Faculty Publications

Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) leads to profound muscle atrophy and weakness that remain resistant to rehabilitation. Although early recovery typically involves a brief period of limb unloading, the degree to which disuse alone accounts for muscle pathology after ACLR remains unclear. Here, we leveraged publicly available RNA-seq datasets of muscle biopsies from vastus lateralis obtained 7 days after ACLR or 10 days after unilateral lower limb suspension (ULLS), each with matched control limbs, to directly compare disuse-driven and ACLR-specific early transcriptional responses. Despite similar periods of reduced loading, substantial transcriptomic divergence was identified using both intersection and interaction bioinformatic …

Table Of Contents

Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts

No abstract provided.

Threads Of Protection: Intellectual Property Protections For Fashion Designs In The Age Of Generative Ai, Nayomi Mendez Andrade

Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts

This Article examines the limitations of intellectual property law in the United States for fashion designers and their creations. In doing so, it considers the impact generative artificial intelligence technologies have had on such protections. Despite fashion’s cultural and economic significance, U.S. law offers only fragmented protection through copyrights, trademarks, trade dress, and patents. Copyright law is significantly constrained by the useful article doctrine and the separability requirement articulated in Star Athletica v. Varsity Brands. Thus, copyrights only protect separable artistic elements rather than garments as a whole. Trademark and trade dress protections are typically only effective for well-established brands, …

Generated Wills And Responsible Ai Use In Estate Law, Collin Peters

Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts

Generative AI tools have been increasingly used by corporations and individuals to create documents quickly and cheaply based on short human inputs. The coming of widely accessible and cheap-to-use generative AI tools introduces the possibility of firms or lay testators using AI to generate wills. However, the risks of using AI to generate wills are largely unexplored and have not received much regulatory attention nor discussion in the literature. As a result, the question of how to manage the risks of AI-generated wills in a way that ensures their safe, accessible, and productive use has largely gone unaddressed. This article …

From Software To Models: Rethinking Open Source In The Age Of Generative Ai, Dana Beldiman

Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts

Open-source software (OSS), a form of distributed and collaborative software development rooted in the ethos of early computer science, has evolved into an essential component of modern digital infrastructure. This article asks whether open source will assume a similarly transformative role within the emerging technological paradigm of generative artificial intelligence (AI).

Generative AI differs fundamentally from software: its constituent artifacts, architectures, generative capacities, and deployment contexts are distinct and substantially more complex. Despite these differences, foundation models continue to be released under licenses originally designed for software, which may not constitute a valid transfer of rights in the generative AI …

Nh Ece Data Collection Efforts Running Inventory, Jess Carson, Evan England, Tyrus Parker

New Hampshire Early Care and Education Research Consortium

Updated April 2026!

The NH ECE Research Consortium maintains an inventory of current and complete NH ECE-relevant data collection efforts. Included are surveys, interviews, focus groups, needs assessments, and other ways people in the field collect information. The inventory strengthens public access for data users, improves awareness and coordination among researchers, and minimizes duplication.

Mixed Methods Evaluation Of A Shipped Medically Tailored Meal Pilot Intervention, Shelly Palmer, Laura E. Balis, Amy L. Yaroch

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Medically tailored meal (MTM) programs generally demonstrate meaningful health outcomes for patients. There is a need to evaluate novel MTM delivery methods to understand participant and organizational-level impacts. The objectives of this study were to assess a shipped MTM pilot intervention, including 1) initial and ongoing client reach, 2) effects on clients’ health and behaviors, and 3) staff members’ perceptions of factors that influence intervention maintenance.

Methods: Based on the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, maintenance (RE-AIM) framework, the mixed methods design included quantitative data collected from participants and qualitative data collected from MTM provider staff. The pilot took place …

Strategic Resource Management In Pandemics: Integrating Capacity Planning With Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions For Covid-19, Ozlem Cosgun, Eyyub Kibis, Ali Dag, Burak Cankaya

Department of Information Management and Business Analytics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the urgent need for integrated healthcare resource planning to manage patient surges and reduce mortality. This study presents a novel optimization-based framework that jointly considers healthcare capacity planning and non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), including mask mandates, social distancing, and quarantining. The framework extends traditional compartmental models by distinguishing patient categories—such as hospitalized non-ventilator patients, ventilated patients, and ICU admissions—within a mixed-integer programming (MIP) structure that remains computationally tractable. Applied to the COVID-19 outbreak in New York City, the model optimizes the allocation of hospital beds and ventilators while minimizing deaths. Results show that combining high-effectiveness NPIs with …

Let's All Go To The Lobby: Examining The American Cold War Experience Through Film, Renaldo Gonzales Jr.

GLI MA in American History Student Works

The films of the American film industry produced and released during the Cold War are as varied as the complex events that occurred throughout the entirety of the conflict. These films can provide an understanding of how the feelings and attitudes of the American people shifted and evolved as the Cold War progressed. This work will examine a small sample of these films, focusing on one film from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. By providing critiques and reviews of the film from the time of its original release, information about the motives of the director of the films being …

Using Exit Polls To Enhance Undergraduate Student Research Understanding, Corey Lang, Sarah Leclair, Shanna Pearson-Merkowitz

Environmental and Natural Resource Economics Working Papers

We examine the effect of participating in a survey of constituents on student attitudes toward research and civic engagement and student confidence in several “soft skills”. Each student was trained in human subjects research and survey procedures and spent between four and six hours conducting an in-person survey at a location appropriate for the survey's target. We explore the effects of student outcomes through analyzing qualitative post survey experience reflection papers in one class, and a comparison of pre and post poll responses to an assessment in another. The results suggest that participation in the activity was correlated with an …