Digital Commons Network^™

Patterns And Continuity: Documenting African American History In Carbon County, Utah, And The Roots Of Racial Terror Lynchings In American Society, Michael L. B. Forvil

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis explores the history of African Americans in Carbon County, Utah, through the lens of racial terror lynching, community memory, and migration. Anchored in the story of Robert Marshall, a Black man lynched in Price, Utah, in 1925, the project considers how racial violence reached beyond the American South and how such acts have been neglected in public memory. Drawing on family history research, census records, historical newspapers, and the work of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), this work contextualizes Marshall’s death within broader patterns of racial terror lynchings that shaped African American migration from the South during the …

August 2025 Library & Learning Newsletter, Minnesota State University, Mankato. Library & Learning Dean’S Office Communications Team

Library & Learning Newsletters

PDF version of the August 2025 (Volume 4, Issue 1) Library & Learning Newsletter.

Mapping Sedimentary And Crustal Thicknesses In The Northern Atlantic Ocean From Public Domain Geophysical Data, Hermione Lofton

College of Arts and Sciences: Undergraduate Theses and Other Student Projects

The Northern Atlantic Ocean is a complex region that contains many inactive and active tectonic features. These features include the Jan Mayen Microcontinent, Jan Mayen Fracture Zone, Aegir Ridge, Kolbeinsey Ridge, the Greenland-Iceland-Faroe Ridge, the Voring Plateau, the Voring Spur, and the Iceland Hotspot. This project is motivated by the region’s complex geology and its highly debated tectonic history and disputed crustal affinity. This study aims to evaluate tectonic elements of the Northern Atlantic Ocean with three major objectives. The first objective is to develop a map of crustal thickness from publicly available seismic refraction data. For the second objective, …

A Guide To Sexual Intimacy Following Spinal Cord Injury, Jillian M. Olenick

Entry Level Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone Projects Class of 2025

A Guide to Sexual Intimacy Following Spinal Cord Injury is a two-part manual that was created to increase the knowledge related to how sex can be impacted following a spinal cord injury. The first manual was created as a guide for individuals with spinal cord injuries and their partners to enhance their knowledge on how their spinal cord injury may impact their sexual functioning. The second manual was created as a guide for occupational therapy practitioners to use as a resource when addressing sex with their clients following a spinal cord injury. Each manual provides information related to sexual intimacy, …

Management Approaches To Spastic Gait Disorders, Sheng Li, Tulsi Pandat, Bradley Chi, Daniel Moon, Manuel Mas

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Spastic gait presents clinically as the net mechanical consequence of neurological impairments of spasticity, weakness, and abnormal synergies and their interactions with the ground reaction force in patients with upper motor neuron syndromes and with some neuromuscular diseases. It is critical to differentiate whether the primary problem is weakness or spasticity, thus better understanding different phenotypes of spastic gait disorders. Pelvic girdle abnormality plays a pivotal role in determining the clinical presentation of gait disorders, since it determines the body vector and compensatory kinetic chain reactions in the knee and ankle joints. Knee joint abnormality can be a mechanical compensation …

Patient-Specific Preoperative Plans Can Optimize Femoral Head Coverage And Range Of Motion After Periacetabular Osteotomies, Shuyang Han, Carey A Clark, Nicholas J Dunbar, Madison Brenner, Alexis H Aboulafia, Alfred A Mansour Iii, Philip C Noble

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The goal of a periacetabular osteotomy is to increase the coverage of the femoral head, primarily in the antero-lateral region, through rotation of the acetabulum in three anatomical planes. The present study was undertaken to determine whether specific combinations of lateral rotation, anterior rotation, and anteversion of the acetabular fragment can be targeted to provide the best balance between femoral head coverage and joint motion.

Methods: Three-dimensional patient-specific hip models were reconstructed from preoperative computerized tomography scans of 15 patients diagnosed with hip dysplasia. Each model was placed in a standard coordinate system with neutral pelvic tilt and femoral …

Tracking Impact: Leveraging Pre-Existing Monitoring Tools For Assessing Indonesia’S Free Nutritious Meal (Makan Bergizi Gratis) Programme, Putu Geniki Lavinia Natih

Economics and Finance in Indonesia

Indonesia’s Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG) programme is among the largest school feeding initiatives globally, yet its rapid scale-up has outpaced the development of a robust monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) framework capable of assessing welfare-relevant outcomes. This paper examines whether pre-existing national survey instruments can be leveraged to strengthen outcome monitoring in the absence of MBG-specific microdata. Focusing on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) collected through Indonesia’s National Socio-Economic Survey (Susenas), the study first situates experiential food insecurity within Indonesia’s broader food security landscape. It then applies a propensity score matching framework using participation in the Bantuan Pangan Non-Tunai …

Retinal Vascular Dysfunction In The Mthfr(677c>T) Mouse Model Of Cerebrovascular Disease, Alaina M Reagan, Michael Maclean, Travis L Cossette, Gareth R Howell

Faculty Research 2025

INTRODUCTION: Investigations of retinal biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and AD and related dementias (ADRD), has increased significantly. We examine retinal vascular health in a mouse containing the ADRD risk variant Mthfr

METHODS: Morphology and function of retinal vasculature and neurons were assessed using in vivo imaging, immunohistochemistry, and pattern electroretinography. RNAscope and proteomics were employed to determine Mthfr gene expression and differential protein expression in mice carrying Mthfr

RESULTS: Mice show age- and sex-dependent retinal vascular deficits, displaying similarities to previously published brain data. Mthfr is widely expressed and co-localizes with vascular cell markers. Proteomics identified common molecular signatures …

Mitochondrial Complex I Deficiency Induces Alzheimer's Disease-Like Signatures That Are Reversible By Targeted Therapy., Huanyao Gao, Kate Jensen, Jarred Nesbitt, Mark Ostroot, Gregory Cary, Jesse Wiley, Sergey Trushin, Jens O Watzlawik, Wolfdieter Springer, Alexander Galkin, Priyanka Baloni, Cory Funk, Eugenia Trushina

Faculty Research 2025

INTRODUCTION: Mitochondrial dysfunction is implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD), but whether it drives AD-associated changes is unclear. We assessed transcriptomic alterations in the brains of Ndufs4

METHODS: Cortico-hippocampal tissue from Ndufs4

RESULTS: Knockout of Ndufs4-mediated mtCI deficiency disrupted mitochondrial homeostasis, energy metabolism, and synaptic gene expression, recapitulating transcriptomic signatures of AD. CP2 treatment partially reversed these changes, with female Ndufs4

DISCUSSION: Loss of mtCI activity alone is sufficient to induce AD-like molecular changes in the brain, independent of amyloid beta or phosphorylated tau. CP2-mediated rescue highlights the potential of targeting mitochondria as a therapeutic strategy for AD. Sex-specific responses suggest …

Sustained Lung Inflammation Post-Sars-Cov-2 Infection In Mice Is Associated With Increased Pulmonary T Cells., Sophie Y Guan, Patricia P Ogger, Ana Farias, Minerva Garcia Martín, Joy Nakawesi, Olivia Bedard, Candice N Baker, Nadia Rosenthal, Cecilia Johansson

Faculty Research 2025

Many SARS-CoV-2 patients experience chronic pulmonary symptoms and long-term inflammation despite viral clearance. While these clinical manifestations have been linked to the dysregulation of the adaptive immune response, the underlying immunopathology remains poorly understood due to a lack of suitable animal models. To investigate long-term pulmonary consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection, we used a genetic cross of 129 mice and C57BL/6 (B6)-K18-hACE2 transgene mice, a model previously shown to survive infection. 129xB6-K18-hACE2 mice or littermate controls were infected with a low dose (5 × 10² PFU) of ancestral SARS-CoV-2. Complete viral clearance and full recovery from weight loss …

Quicknotes August 2025, Southern Adventist University

QuickNotes – Advancement e-Newsletter

QuickNotes is an e-newsletter that comes from Advancement at Southern Adventist University. The August 2025 edition covers Southern's cocurricular collaborations and partners in prayer.

Layered Redactions: An Arts Based Research And Self Study Handbook For Art Teachers Navigating Professional Learning Communities, Audrea M. Danenhauer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This self-study contributes to the field of art education by examining the tensions and possibilities within Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) through an arts-based lens. Framed as both a love letter and a palimpsestic work, this thesis reimagines professional development as a layered, living practice, rooted in collective care and criticality. Using collage as both method and metaphor, the study interweaves Freire’s dialogic praxis, bell hooks’ radical tenderness, and the marginalia of a weathered PLC handbook—redacted, annotated, and reassembled with lived experience. Through deliberate redaction and reassembly, the research intentionally disrupts the normative invisibility of whiteness in educational structures, making visible …

Design, Modeling, Control, And Analysis Of A Modular Two-Wheeled Self-Balancing Robotic System, Mishek Jair Musa

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Two-wheeled self-balancing robots have garnered substantial attention within the realms of research and innovation in academia and industrial settings. In particular, advances in control algorithms, machine learning, reinforcement learning, and sensor technologies have played a pivotal role in their development. Although primarily recognized for their utility in personal transportation in the commercial sector, these robots possess potential applications across various domains, including search and rescue, healthcare, material handling, logistics, etc., due to their active stabilization and exceptional maneuvering capabilities. A particular area of interest lies in the creation of modular self-balancing robots designed for seamless reconfiguration and enhanced human interaction. …

The “Sweetest Sounding” Words Of Civil Rights: A Labor Origin Story Of The “Right To Work”, Thomas A. Castillo

History

This essay revisits the idea of “right to work” by offering historical context of Florida’s passage of its 1944 right to work constitutional amendment. A brief overview of the history of the term right to work and its contested nature indicates how the phrase likely led to confusion especially in the arena of political economy. A close evaluation of the amendment and its incongruent nature reveals the intent of its proponents was to deceive voters with the “sweetest sounding” words of civil rights while weakening their ability to organize labor unions. The history of safeguarding the free market entailed disciplining …

Bankruptcy, Ownership Turnover And The Fate Of U.S. Coal Mines, Sara Guffey, Shuichiro Nishioka

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

This paper examines the survival dynamics of U.S. coal mines following ownership turnover, with particular attention to the role of financial distress and bankruptcy procedures. Using mine-level data on production, employment, and ownership from the Mine Safety and Health Administration, we show that mines transferred through private workouts are substantially more likely to close within a few years. In contrast, court-supervised transfers reduce the likelihood of rapid shutdown relative to private transactions, but their survival rates remain indistinguishable from mines without ownership turnover. These results speak to the efficiency of bankruptcy institutions: private transactions, in line with White’s (1994) model, …

Uab Libraries News, 08/09 2025, Uab Libraries

UAB Libraries News

No abstract provided.

Exploring Ict Adoption In Teaching And Learning Of Science: A Case Of Senior Teachers In Kenya, David Odhiambo, Winston Edward Massam, Fredrick Mtenzi

Institute for Educational Development, East Africa

This study was conducted in Homa Bay Sub County, Kenya to explore the adoption of ICT among senior teachers, aged between 45-60 years, in teaching and learning of science. A qualitative research approach using a case study design was employed. Eight secondary school senior teachers of science, 2 females and 6 males, within Homa Bay Sub County were purposefully selected. Semi structured interviews were conducted one-on-one basis followed by classroom observation and document analysis. Analysis of the data revealed that senior teachers of science generally integrate ICTs in planning, assessment and in classroom teaching; however pedagogical preferences and teacher’s workload …

The Effect Of Multi-Modal Communication Strategies On Teacher Educators’ Adoption Of Gender Responsive Pedagogy In East Africa, Nyagwegwe Wango, Fortidas Bakuza, Jane Rarieya

Institute for Educational Development, East Africa

This study examines how multi-modal communication strategies enhance the adoption of gender-responsive pedagogy (GRP) in teacher training colleges across Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Implemented under the Foundations for Learning (F4L) project by the Aga Khan University-Institute for Educational Development, East Africa, the intervention aimed to equip college teacher educators with knowledge, attitudes, and practical tools to promote inclusive and equitable teaching. Utilising posters, brochures, flyers, social media platforms, and participatory community activities, the project fostered awareness and behavioural change toward gender inclusivity. The framework developed for this initiative emphasised “content, conversation, and connectivity,” aligning with socio-cultural, constructivist, and experiential learning …

Investigating The E74-Mediated Regulation Of A Gata Factor In Aedes Aegypti Mosquitoes, Jacklyn Marie Estrada

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The mosquito species Aedes aegypti has a significant impact on public health as a vector for multiple pathogens. Its ability to transmit deadly diseases, including Yellow Fever, Dengue Fever, and Zika, emphasizes the urgency of understanding its reproductive biology. In female mosquitoes, reproductive success hinges on obtaining a vertebrate blood meal, which triggers vitellogenesis - the synthesis of yolk protein precursors (YPPs) necessary for egg development. Without a blood meal, female Ae. aegypti remain in a state of previtellogenic arrest, where the YPP gene vitellogenin (Vg) is repressed by a type of transcriptional factor, GATAr (AaGATAr) (Attardo et al., 2003). …

Three Essays On Entrepreneurial Orientation And Competitive Repertoire, Gang Fan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

While scholars confirm the positive relationship between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and firm performance with meta-analyses, the mixed findings with widespread effect sizes imply that this critical relationship in entrepreneurship literature deserves further inspection. In this three-essay dissertation, I integrate the entrepreneurial orientation literature with the competitive repertoire literature. Specifically, in essay 1, I develop a theoretical framework of EO, competitive repertoire, and firm performance through the lens of capability theory. In the second essay, I examine the moderating role of competitive pressure on the EO-competitive repertoire relationship with a sample of all U.S.-listed firms. Finally, I articulate and examine how …

Restoring Balance: Choctaw Policy And The Environment In New Spain's Eighteenth-Century Frontier, Fior Daliso Garcia Lara

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

During the colonial period, Indigenous peoples in the Lower Mississippi Valley used their deep ecological knowledge to respond to imperial pressures. Eighteenth-century Louisiana was a contested borderland where Spain, France, and England vied for expansion through alliances, warfare, and trade with Native tribes. As European powers vied for control of the region, Native groups devised strategies to assert sovereignty over their territories and livelihoods. My dissertation examines the ecological history of the Choctaw and Spanish Louisiana from 1763 until the United States Indian Removal Act in the 1830s. It argues that imperial disputes over Indigenous lands compelled the Choctaw to …

Cellular And Noncellular Influences On Lipid Nanoparticle Tropism In The Liver, Mario Yomir Mata Corral

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is currently ranked as the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, causing more than 700,000 deaths a year. The liver is important in blood filtration and metabolism, and for this reason is a prime target for drug delivery, with lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) showing promise as carriers due to their natural hepatic tropism. However, LNP efficacy is decreased in HCC due to the limited understanding of liver physiology in cancerous environments. This project proposes to address this gap by using a tissue-clearing technique known as CLARITY along with a chemically tagged LNP for comprehensive visualization of LNPs …

Evaluation Of Salt-Free Electrodialysis Metathesis For High Recovery Inland Desalination Brine Management, Tayia Oddonetto

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Salt-Free Electrodialysis Metathesis (SF-EDM) is an emerging electro-driven membrane technology designed to minimize brine discharge while enabling selective ion separation and resource recovery. This dissertation presents an evaluation of SF-EDM, spanning bench-scale studies with synthetic brine from the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility in Alamogordo, NM, real reverse osmosis (RO) brines from the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Desalination Plant in El Paso, TX, and finally a weeklong pilot demonstration at the Yuma Desalting Plant in Yuma, AZ. Bench-scale experiments established process feasibility and performance trends, while pilot results revealed the value of pre-treatment and system configuration. SF-EDM demonstrated high hydraulic …

Aluminum Doped Tin Sulfide Thin Films For Solar Cell Applications, Gabriel Rodriguez Guijarro

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Tin sulfide (SnS) is theorized to be a suitable material for solar cells, but there are some difficulties that have not been overcome when making thin films that have the properties needed to compete with other materials. This work investigates the structural and optoelectronic properties of aluminum-doped SnS thin films, deposited via magnetron cosputtering physical vapor deposition at different temperatures. To characterize the films a variety of techniques were used: Raman spectroscopy, SEM, TEM, X-Ray Reflectivity, and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The results show that the target stoichiometry is a relevant parameter to take into account when growing SnS thin films, the …

Humboldt County, Dennis Robert Sanchez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Danny Marquez, a police sergeant for the Los Angeles Police Department, takes his family on a vacation to Seattle, Washington. On the way, they stop in Humboldt County, and Danny is captivated by the beauty and serenity of this county. He imagines moving his family to Humboldt County and leaving the troubles of big city life behind. He applied for the position of Chief Inspector for the Humboldt Police. By the time he is hired, he loses both his son to Fentanyl and his wife to suicide. He is hired for the position but finds himself alone. He considers suicide. …

A Digital Engineering Framework For Ai-Driven Trade-Off Evaluation And Predictive Component Classification, Alejandro Silva Au

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This thesis introduces a digital engineering tool designed to help engineers make smarter decisions when choosing actuators. At its core, the system brings together machine learning (specifically XGBoost) and a decision-making method called Multi-Utility Attribute Theory (MUAT). The goal is to support engineers in picking components based on what really matters for their designs, whether that's speed, cost, durability, or any other performance factor. What makes this tool stand out is its user-friendly interface that lets people interact with the system directly. It takes a set of actuator performance data, classifies each one into a relevant use category, and then …

Exploring The Landscape Of Collective Leadership Practice In Rural Nebraska: A Qualitative Sequential Multimethod Study, Haden Myles Botkin

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Rural communities across Nebraska face a myriad of complex challenges that cannot be solved by individual, heroic leaders. As such, collective leadership has begun to emerge in these communities as actors coalesce around local issues. However, little is known about collective leadership practice and development in rural contexts, resulting in a theory-to-practice gap. To that end, this qualitative sequential multimethod study sought to explore how rural community leaders and community development educators perceive, describe, and make meaning of collective leadership practices in rural Nebraska. Three phases comprise this study.

Phase I, the QUAL phase, was guided by the question, How …

Beyond The Bananas: Grief, Grace, & The Groove, Abby L. Asher

Research Papers

The term 'participatory documentary' was first coined by Bill Nichols, a documentary theorist. He describes it as a mode of documentary where the observer interacts with the observed, and the filmmaker becomes a subject of the film. What started as a little documentary about a minor league baseball team's line dance group composed of women over the age of 65, shifted when tragedy hit the 'observer'. It turned out these ladies were now in the right place at the right time to help guide the documentary maker out of her grief. What resulted was a new documentary with a participatory …

Comparative Analysis And Future Trends Of Friction And Regenerative Braking Systems, Madhukar Reddy Janga

Research Papers

The Research provides a full-scale analysis of traditional friction braked systems together with regenerative braking systems with focus on their working methods along with contemporary integration practices and forthcoming technological developments. Friction braking which has been widely used since long ago provides necessary dependable slowing abilities yet leads to substantial heat generation together with the release of harmful particles. Regenative braking systems that power electric and hybrid vehicles retrace vehicle momentum during braking to create stored electrical energy which results in better fuel economy with lower environmental effect. The research performs an in-depth analysis of braking system operational mechanics through …

Broadband Resilience By Zero Trust Community Network Policy Design, Lee W. Mcknight, Danielle Smith

The Lender Center for Social Justice

This paper proposes a Zero Trust framework for broadband policy design to enhance community network resilience. It provides a governance and policy perspective for ensuring secure, equitable broadband access.