Digital Commons Network^™

Dodgeballs And Dragons: Gamified Live Theatre In The Service Of Community Betterment, Teddy Mcpherson

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis qualifies and documents a new genre of interdisciplinary, interactive theatre called Dodgeballs and Dragons. It covers a brief history of Dungeons and Dragons and Theatre of the Oppressed (the two foundational works for the new genre) as well as previous uses of D&D as a form of theatrical entertainment. After establishing the precedence used to create this product, the rest of the thesis breaks down how to write, lead, and play these shows on a regular basis. The document culminates in collected data providing concrete evidence for the future of the form and its many applications.

Optimizing Markov Chain Monte Carlo Algorithms For Fairness, Scalability, And Interpretability In Electoral Redistricting, Madhukara Kekulandara

Open Access Dissertations

Gerrymandering undermines democratic representation by manipulating electoral district boundaries to dilute the political influence of targeted communities. While Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) based redistricting algorithms have become a standard computational tool for detecting partisan gerrymandering, their effectiveness in addressing racial gerrymandering and their scalability on modern computing systems remain limited. This dissertation advances the theory and practice of algorithmic redistricting by optimizing MCMC-based approaches across three dimensions: racial fairness, computational efficiency, and interpretability.

First, this work introduces the Partial Map MCMC algorithm, a novel redistricting method designed specifically to address racial gerrymandering under the legal framework of Section 2 …

Mg-Spair: Multi-Grade Sparse-Guided Implicit Representation For Training-Data-Free Image Restoration, Jianmin Liao, Lei Huang, Ronglong Fang, Ashley Prater-Bennette, Lixin Shen, Yuesheng Xu

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

MG-SpaIR is a training-data-free framework for restoring a clean image from a single observation corrupted by a mixture of blur, downsampling, noise, and missing pixels. Building on implicit neural representations (INRs), we introduce a multi-grade residual hierarchy that progressively refines the reconstruction from low to high spatial frequencies across grades, improving representational fidelity and mitigating spectral limitations. To stabilize reconstruction optimization and suppress INR-induced artifacts, we further propose an explicit sparse proximal regularization (e.g., ℓ0 type) applied directly in the high-resolution image domain, which discourages spurious high-frequency patterns while preserving sharp structures. The resulting optimization is solved efficiently via a …

The Library Of Congress At A Crossroads: Executive Overreach And The Future Of Public Knowledge, Leslie A. Street, Amanda M. Runyon

Library Staff Publications

This Article argues that the removal of the Librarian of Congress and the Register of Copyrights exposed a dual vulnerability: a constitutional breach of the separation of powers and a cultural threat to the nation’s knowledge infrastructure. The Library’s structural ambiguity—its simultaneous identity as a legislative library, national library, and copyright agency—has left it vulnerable to executive overreach. By asserting control over an institution designed to serve Congress and safeguard America’s intellectual heritage, the President destabilized a statutory framework that has endured for over two centuries. To protect both constitutional integrity and the Library’s role as custodian of national memory, …

Tea And Coffee Intakes, Copd, Adult Asthma, And Lung Function In The Uk Biobank, Nicola P. Bondonno, Pratik Pokharel, Benjamin H. Parmenter, Alysha S. Thompson, Amy Jennings, Kevin Murray, Howraman Meteran, Jonathan Hodgson, Tilman Kühn, Aedín Cassidy

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: Previous studies suggest non-linear associations between tea and coffee intake and respiratory health, with lower risks at low-to-moderate intakes but higher, unexplored risks at high intakes. This study aims to investigate associations between tea and coffee intake and the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and adult-onset asthma. Methods: Among 366 869 participants of the UK Biobank, intakes of tea and coffee were derived from both a food frequency questionnaire and from repeated 24 hour diet assessments. Cross-sectional associations with measures of lung function [forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and FEV1/FVC] and …

Bitcoin Halving: How Effective Is It In Driving Cryptocurrency Market Dynamics?, Nyoman Sri Subawa, Caren Angellina Mimaki, I. Made Oka Mahendra, Made Srinitha Millinia Utami

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Bitcoin halving is a quadrennial event that halves mining rewards and is believed to influence cryptocurrency prices and cryptocurrency market dynamics. This study examines the effect of Bitcoin halving on Cryptocurrency Prices, with Government Regulations, Market Sentiment, and Cryptocurrency Performance as mediating variables. A quantitative research approach was employed, gathering original data via survey instruments from 294 participants within the cryptocurrency community in Bali, which were analyzed using PLS-SEM. The findings indicate that Bitcoin halving exerts a favorable and statistically meaningful influence on Government Regulations, Market Sentiment, Cryptocurrency Performance, and Cryptocurrency Prices. Market Sentiment fully mediates the influence of Government …

C2p-M: Critical Connection Protection In Multiplex Graphs, Conggai Li, Wei Ni, Ming Ding, Youyang Qu, Jianjun Chen, Wenjie Zhang, Thierry Rakotoarivelo

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Multiplex graphs represent diverse real-world interactions among entities, where multiple relationship types coexist within the same set of entities. These graphs introduce privacy risks, as data collectors can exploit cross-layer dependencies to infer hidden and sensitive connections. In this work, we propose a C2P-M framework that identifies and protects critical connections while preserving the structural information in multiplex graphs. Unlike conventional methods for single-layer graphs that perturb all edges uniformly, C2P-M selectively protects critical connections, maintaining the analytical usability of the graph. To achieve this, we introduce the multiplex p-cohesion model, which incorporates new score functions that account for both …

Gauging Affective Atmospheres In Language Teacher Education Through Dialogic Queering As Transformative Research, Julian Chen, Maggie Mcalinden

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Inspired by feminist queering and affect theories to disrupt research norms, we drew on our felt experiences to explore the affective atmosphere of language teacher education. In this experimental work, we harnessed affect and queer theories to contest the gendered, classed, and heteronormative atmosphere of language teacher education using a form of post-qualitative inquiry that we named “dialogic queering”. Given our marginalized backgrounds (queer; academic of colour; working-class female academic), dialogic queering creates spaces to explore difficult but genuine thoughts and feelings while challenging norms entrenched in language teacher education. Underpinned by critical empathy, dialogic queering allowed us to decenter …

Real-World Use Of Theophylline In Critically Ill Patients With Sinus Pauses: A Case Series, Muhammad Ali Elahi, Hamza Jalal, William Frick, Bryan D Kraft

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: A sinus pause is is defined as a delay in sinus node depolarization exceeding 3 s following atrial depolarization. In patients with pauses greater than 5 s accompanied by hemodynamic compromise, the primary treatment is permanent pacemaker (PPM) implantation. However, in the presence of an active infection, alternative strategies such as temporary transvenous pacing or pharmacologic agents may be more appropriate. This report highlights the use of theophylline as a non-invasive therapeutic option in two patients with asymptomatic sinus pauses who had contraindications to PPM placement.

CASES: Patient A was a 74-year-old woman with a history of pulmonary arterial …

"Using Theories" And "Doing Theory": Tool And Action Orientations To Theory At The Interface Of Public Health And Anthropology, Peter Taber, Eileen M Dryden, Jean M Hunleth, Linda S Kahn, Lance Laird, Teresa Winstead, Genevra F Murray

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The use of "theory" is a common concern in public health and anthropology. However, the term can have quite distinct meanings. In this piece, we seek to name and characterize some tendencies in anthropological theorizing that contribute to potential misunderstandings when communicating with non-anthropologist colleagues in public health. In particular, we highlight differences between the use of recognizable, named "theories" that often explicitly frame public health research and interventions, and the open-ended and context-specific work of "doing theory" sometimes referenced in anthropology. Observing the linguistic shifts entailed to refer to theory in each of these cases-"using theories" versus "doing theory"-we …

A Digital Audio Workstation Approach For Matching The Sound Quality Of Speech And Music For Single-Sided Deaf Patients Fit With Cochlear Implants, Stephen R Dennison, Katelyn A Berg, Sarah C Natale, Beatriz De Diego-Lázaro, David Carabias-Galindo, Alberto Acebes-De-Pablo, Joshua S Stohl, Michael F Dorman

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Cochlear implant (CI) patients who are single-sided deaf can match the sound quality of speech presented to their CI ear and speech presented to their normal hearing ear. Previous work using this patient population has generated acoustic approximations of CI sound quality for speech, achieving high similarity ratings through interactive manipulation of sound parameters such as filtering, pitch shifting, and spectral smearing. The present study aimed to extend this approach to music.

METHODS: A digital audio workstation (DAW) methodology was developed for generating sound quality matches to both speech and music in 11 adults with unilateral MED-EL CIs and …

Multi-Institutional Mri-Based Radiomic Pilot Study To Measure The Variations Between Scanner Vendors And Imaging Sessions, Suong Duong, Danny Lee, Carri Glide-Hurst, Bhudatt Paliwal, Jennie Crosby, Michael Boss, Yunfeng Cui, Mi Huang, Heng Li, Khadija Sheikh, Taeho Kim, James Monroe, Jung Hun Oh, Ying Xiao, Jason W Sohn

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Multi-institutional clinical trials frequently use MRI imaging for critical decisions and guidance for medical treatments. Collecting and analyzing images produced by various MR vendors and models is quite difficult since image quality can be highly variable. No unifying quality control targeting protocol studies exists to ensure MRI images used in that study are comparable. This project will investigate variations between imaging sessions and between various scanners using radiomic parameters from prototype MRI QA phantom.

PURPOSE: To develop a 3D radiomic phantom for quantifying radiomic feature consistency between MRI scanners across multi-institutions.

METHODS: The prototype phantom consists of five 3D-printed …

Examining Perceptions, Social, And Policy Factors Influencing Hepatitis B Birth-Dose Vaccine Uptake: A Pen-3 Cultural Model Mixed-Methods Study Of Healthcare Workers In Nigeria, Olufunto A Olusanya, Caven Ngoe, Maria Afadapa, Peter Kalulu, Nkiruka Obodoechina, Temitope Ojo, Juliet Iwelunmor, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: The timely administration of the birth-dose hepatitis B (HepB-BD) vaccine is recommended by global and national guidelines to effectively prevent perinatal transmission. In high-disease-burden countries, such as Nigeria, the adoption of the HepB-BD vaccine remains limited. Emerging global policy discussions highlight the need to examine healthcare workers' (HCWs') perceptions of pediatric vaccination guidelines, the safety and effectiveness of the HepB-BD vaccine, and how family, social support, and community factors influence vaccine delivery.

METHODS: A convergent mixed-methods study of HCWs was conducted in Nigeria between July and August 2024. Using the PEN-3 Cultural Model as our framework, we concurrently administered …

Resolving Heterogeneity In Lymph Node Stromal Cells Using High-Dimensional Analysis Of Non-Optimized Flow Cytometry Data, Mikala E Heon, Eduardo Rosa-Molinar

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Lymph Node Stromal Cells (LNSCs) are a diverse population of cells responsible for maintaining the lymph node environment and regulating the immune response. Given these roles, they have the potential to help replicate lymph node functions

Optimising Vaginal Microbiome Profiling For Clinical Translation: A Comparative Assessment Of Sample Storage Methods And A Vagina-Specific 16s Rrna Gene Database, Alishum Ali, Jeffrey A. Keelan, Blagica Penova-Veselinovic, Morten E. Allentoft, Michael Bunce, Claus T. Christophersen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Vaginal microbiome composition has been linked to risk of preterm birth (PTB), a persistent global health challenge. 16S rRNA microbial profiling has identified specific vaginal community state types (CSTs) that have been associated with PTB risk. Diagnostic profiling requires standardised pre-analytical protocols. We evaluated two storage methods and validated a curated, vagina-specific 16S rRNA gene database (VagDB) to enhance annotation. Paired Copan FLOQ swabs from 22 women at high PTB risk were processed for either (a) dry/immediate freezing or (b) Amies-stabilisation/refrigeration. Amplicon sequence variants were generated via 16S rRNA gene (V4) PCR and Illumina sequencing. We assessed diversity, composition, and …

Professional Development To Inspire, Support, And Extend Stem-Related Learning, Somayeh Ba Akhlagh, Asma Hulayyil Aljohani, Maryam Jamal Alharthi, Nahla Mahmoud Gahwaji, Nouf Mohammed Albadi, Marianne Knaus

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The success of STEM education in early childhood education is reliant on the pedagogical practices of teachers. Effective teaching of STEM requires specific knowledge of the four disciplines of STEM, appropriate teaching and learning methods and relevant experiences. In Saudi Arabia the teaching of STEM is a relatively new field, and this paper outlines a research project to promote the teaching and learning of STEM through professional development workshops. The research is informed by Vygotsky’s cultural-historical/socio-cultural theory, acknowledging the crucial role of social interaction and cultural context in a collaborative learning environment. To evaluate the project, a mixed methods approach …

The Proposed Impact And Anticipated Barriers Of Establishing Food Action Groups In Rural, Regional, And Remote Western Australia, Stephanie L. Godrich, Jess Doe, Sarah Goodwin, Melissa Stoneham, Amanda Devine

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objective: To identify Food Action Groups’ activities that positively impact local food systems, and anticipated barriers to establishing Food Action Groups in rural, regional, and remote Western Australia. Design: This qualitative study employed a phenomenological approach. Nineteen focus groups were conducted. Setting: Rural, regional, and remote Western Australia locations, including 11 towns across 8 regions. Participants: A total of 92 participants (61 interest holders and 31 community members). Analysis: A thematic analysis was undertaken. Results: Priority activities included government advocacy to support local commercial food production, processing, and sales; retain food within its region of origin; and home and community …

Translation And Transformation Of Class Through Migration: Rethinking Social And Spatial Mobility Across Contexts, Jamie Coates, Catriona Turnbull, Maja Cederberg

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This issue of Current Sociology Monographs explores new conceptual opportunities at the intersection of migration studies and the sociology of class. The contributions examine migration as a distinct site where class is translated and transformed, using rich, empirically specific cases to show how social class is experienced and produced relationally, transnationally and temporally through the lives of migrants. Through this focus, the papers conceptualise class as a mobile process that travels with migrants, links different contexts and is translated through movement. Distinct from paradigms that tend to universalise a particular narrative or definition of class, this issue adopts a comparative …

Supporting Displaced Students With Disabilities In Post-Secondary Education: An International Scoping Review, Tetiana Bogachenko, Jia Xu, Larysa Klymanska, Nadia Chubko

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Students with disabilities who are forced to leave their homes due to armed conflict, persecution, environmental crises, or other forms of involuntary displacement, within their country or internationally, face compounded barriers to accessing and succeeding in post-secondary education. Yet, their experiences, educational trajectories, and the supports available to them remain underexplored. This scoping review examines existing empirical research on the experiences of students with disabilities in post-secondary education who come from forced migration backgrounds. By addressing the intersection of disability, displacement, and post-secondary education, this review highlights the unique challenges faced by this population as well as supports identified as …

The Justice–Empowerment Nexus: Pathways To Inclusive And Sustainable Tourism Development, Raymond Rastegar, Siamak Seyfi, Mostafa Rassolimanesh

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

As the pursuit of sustainability increasingly calls for social inclusion and equity, this study examines how social justice shapes community empowerment in tourism destinations. Although justice is central to sustainable development discourse, limited empirical understanding exists of how its dimensions collectively influence empowerment. Focusing on the tourism across three major tourism destinations, Australia, the UK, and the USA, the research examines the relationships between recognition, procedural, and distributive justice and different dimensions of community empowerment including psychological, social, economic and political empowerment. Utilizing a quantitative approach and guided by equity and social justice theories, the study employs partial least squares …

Tourism Low-Carbon Decision-Making Through The Avoid–Shift–Improve Framework, Pezhman Hatamifar, Arghavan Hadinejad, Jalayer Khalilzadeh, Kourosh Esfandiar, S. Mostafa Rasoolimanesh

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Using the Avoid–Shift–Improve framework, this study examines how demographic factors and psychological, behavioral, and attitudinal drivers are associated with tourists’ low-carbon decision-making across mobility, consumption, and accommodation. Survey data were collected from 416 young Finnish travelers, and analyzed using correlation tests, repeated-measures ANOVA, and cluster segmentation to examine cross-domain and cross-strategy variation. Findings show that demographic factors have limited influence, whereas psychological, behavioral, and attitudinal drivers motivate sustainable choices. Shift dominant mobility decision-making, Avoid emergence in consumption, and Improve are most common in accommodation. Three adopter groups are identified as strong, moderate, and weak, reflecting different levels of engagement. Theoretically, …

What Are Information Literacy Skills? Western Australian Primary Teachers’ Interpretations Of The Ict Curriculum, Louise Moroney, Vaille Dawson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Teachers must equip students to navigate an increasingly complex world of unique challenges and opportunities, necessitating the development of a diverse range of transferable skills. These skills are embedded in the General Capabilities (GC) of the Australian school curriculum. Upper primary school teachers’ interpretations of one of the GC, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) learning progressions, was examined, as these skills have become increasingly important with the rise in generative and assistive artificial intelligence. Using an interpretivist paradigm, an exploratory study was used to determine the areas where 36 teachers differed in their interpretations of the learning progression. Data collected …

Perception Of Bsn Nursing Students On Theory-Practice Gap, Emmalyn G. Siclare

Honors College Theses

Nursing students obtain valuable experience and are greatly influenced by their clinical experience in nursing school. The continuity and translation of lecture content learned in nursing school to the clinical part of nursing school is known as the theory-practice gap, and it is a vital part of nursing students’ education that is suffering. A perceivable theory-practice gap has a profound effect on students’ readiness for entering the nursing profession. This study examines how the theory-practice gap is understood by Bachelor of Science in Nursing students, and solutions for how it can be remedied. A descriptive qualitative study was conducted to …

Exploring Academic Burnout In Georgia Southern University Nursing Students, Gwyneth A. Green

Honors College Theses

This project aims to explore the burnout that nursing students experience while going through nursing school. There are plenty of stressors that affect nursing students and their performance in the classroom, so the goal is to identify these stressors and find ways to cope with them to improve classroom performance and decrease the number of students who quit while in school. Finding ways to make nursing school a better experience overall will help improve the outcomes coming out of school and starting to work. A survey was given to research multiple cohorts in the Georgia Southern University Nursing program to …

Effects Of Immediate Skin-To-Skin Contact In Preterm Infants In High-Resource Settings: A Systematic Review, Victoria Rettedal, Siren Rettedal, Maren Johanne Heilskov Rytter, Linea Grothe Larsen, Frederikke Buskov, Evalotte Mörelius, Katrin Mehler, Karoline Lode-Kolz

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Aim: A landmark trial published in 2021 demonstrated a 25% reduction in neonatal mortality when comparing immediate skin-to-skin contact (iSSC) to conventional care in infants with birthweight 1–1.8 kg in low- and middle-resource settings. New evidence from randomised clinical trials on iSSC in high-resource settings has recently become available. This systematic review aimed to evaluate evidence for immediate/early SSC, defined as initiated within 1 h after birth, versus conventional care in inborn preterm infants in high-resource settings.

Methods: Ten electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL, from 2000 until February 2026, were searched. Randomised clinical trials comparing iSSC to …

Human Resource Development Practices And Employee-Focused Voice: A Conceptual Model And Research Agenda, Hossein Ali Abadi, Andreas Wallo, Daniel Lundqvist, Alan Coetzer, Janice Redmond

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Critical theorists contend HRD has prioritized managerial interests over employee well-being. Some have advocated an ethics of care approach, emphasizing employee needs and well-being. However, there are few models to guide research on integrating care-oriented practices. We adopt a mutual gains perspective, proposing that HRD practices can enhance performance and employee well-being through employee-focused voice. HRD has overlooked voice, which is well-theorized in HRM. To address this gap, we conceptualize how key practices can foster employee-focused voice. We adapt and extend Nishii and Wright’s (2008) HR process model, integrate leadership styles, and develop propositions to guide studies on facilitating voice.

Modifiable Risk Factors And Hearing Loss: The National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2020, Yulu Zheng, Tingting Li, Zhiyuan Wu, Yahong Zhu, Zheng Guo, Xingang Li

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objective: To explore the associations between major modifiable risk factors and hearing loss.

Methods: This serial cross-sectional study was conducted within the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2020 in the United States. Associations were assessed using modified Poisson regression and within-sample population attributable fraction (PAF).

Results: Eight thousand seven hundred and seventy adults aged 40–85 years were included in the analyses, the mean (SD) age was 58.0 (11.7) years, with 4002 men (45.6%). Hearing loss was associated with low educational attainment with prevalence ratio 1.23, 95% confidence interval (1.15, 1.31); low income 1.11 (1.04, 1.19); diabetes 1.10 (1.03, 1.18); …

Music Teacher Wellbeing And Flourishing In Australian Primary Schools, Han Meng, Jason Goopy, Narelle Lemon

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Teacher wellbeing is often generalised across roles, while a nuanced understanding of specialist teachers is often overlooked. This study used the positive psychology strengths-based PERMAH model to investigate factors that support wellbeing and flourishing of primary school music teachers in Australia and opportunities for growth. As part of a larger mixed-methods research project, data for this article were generated through interviews with 14 music teachers who deliver primary school class music and were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings indicated that music teacher wellbeing was promoted by joy derived from students’ learning, passion for teaching music, and recognition and support …

Nurses' Perceptions Of Their Non-Technical Skills In Recognising And Responding To Clinical Deterioration In Hospital Settings: A Systematic Review, Darlene Archer, Amineh Rashidi, Rajbeer Kaur, Allison Roderick, Olivia Gallagher

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Aim: To understand nurses' perceptions of non-technical skills in recognising and responding to clinical deterioration in hospital settings.

Design: A mixed methods systematic review was undertaken, guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute Manual for Evidence Synthesis.

Methods: A systematic search of the primary research literature published between 2012 and October 2025 was undertaken. A convergent integrated approach to synthesis, without meta-analysis, was undertaken.

Data Sources: The MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, PsychInfo and Embase electronic databases were searched. Reference lists of full-text articles retrieved were reviewed for additional data sources.

Results: Twenty-four primary studies were included. Narrative synthesis resulted in six main …

Pain In People With Dementia Is A Significant Contributor To Increased Professional Caregiver Burden: Results Of An Observation Study, Kreshnik Hoti, Ipsit Vahia, Paola Chivers, Jeffery Hughes

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Aim: To investigate the association between the presence of neuropsychological symptoms, professional caregiver burden and pain intensity.

Methods: Eleven neuropsychiatric symptoms reportedly associated with caregiver burden which are included within the PainChek® pain assessment tool were identified: aggressiveness, inappropriate behavior, distressed, verbally offensive, confusion, restlessness, pacing and wandering, crying, screaming, altered sleep and resisting care. A caregiver burden score based on binary scoring of the presence of these indicators was calculated (summative score range from 0 to 11). Generalized estimating equations were used to evaluate the relationships between (1) pain score and sum of caregiver indicators present and (2) pain …