Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring The Way Up: Career Paths, Challenges, And Resilience Among Women Leaders In Higher Education, Angela M. Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Women represent the majority of students and faculty in higher education students in higher education in the United States, yet they remain underrepresented in executive leadership positions. Women pursuing these roles encounter unique challenges, and institutions have increasingly recognized the value of mentoring and sponsoring women who aspire to leadership. Guided by Kumar’s CR8 resilience theory, this qualitative descriptive study explored how women leaders in higher education in the United States describe their career pathways to leadership, the challenges they encounter, and the impact of mentoring/sponsoring in developing their resilience for career progression. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 11 women …

Identifying The Barriers Bilingual Parents Face In The Special Education Process, Miranda Leah Hernandez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increasing parental involvement in the special education process means parents, teachers, and school administrators can unite to educate the children. The problem that the researcher identified was that emergent bilingual families struggle to become meaningful participants in their children’s individualized education plans. This was a qualitative case study that identified the barriers that bilingual parents face within the special education process and the recommendations from bilingual parents on how to help them become more meaningful members of their child’s individualized education plan. The population within the research included bilingual families with children in the greater Houston, Texas area who have …

A Patient-Centric Chatbot For Improving Clinical Trial Accessibility, Yumeng Yang

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Clinical trial enrollment remains a major challenge, and low accrual continues to delay study completion, increase research costs, and slow the development of new therapies. A barrier is the scale of the trial-matching problem: patients and clinicians must search through a large and growing number of studies, while each trial contains complex eligibility criteria that may overlap only partially with other trials. Although public registries such as ClinicalTrials.gov make trial information available, they do not adequately help patients identify which studies are most relevant to their clinical profile. This dissertation addresses that information problem by developing and evaluating a patient-centric …

Data Tracking And Analytics Within Inventory Management: Coffee Shop And Retail Store Optimization, Mateo J. Moyon

Senior Theses

This thesis examines the application of inventory management theory in the small and medium-sized business context, with a specific focus on the food and beverage industry. Drawing on the foundational academic literature spanning from Harris’s EOQ formula in 1913 through stochastic inventory theory, ABC analysis, and just-in-time strategy, this paper establishes the mathematical and operational bases for modern inventory management practice. Although there are proven value to these frameworks, research demonstrates that small to medium sized businesses adopt inventory management systems at lower rates citing cost and implementation as barriers. This thesis argues that the emergence of low-cost inventory and …

The Relationship Between Stress And Postpartum Depression-Related Behavior In Females And Its Potential Contribution To The Maternal Mortality Rate In The U.S., Sarah Chugh

Senior Theses

Stress, especially social stress, has been a leading cause of disruptive emotional behavior in humans, with pregnant and postpartum women being the most vulnerable to these effects. Our study aimed to investigate the effects of gestational social stress on postpartum behavioral outcomes. To accomplish this, we examined the following four key behaviors in female rats after being exposed to chronic witness stress (WS) during pregnancy: burying, freezing, rearing, and grooming. Burying behavior is used to assess a defensive response to threatening situations. Freezing responses are evaluated to show heightened fear or hypervigilance that follows stress. Rearing is measured as an …

Feeding The Mind: Dietary Consumption And Neural Aging, Bhavani Tuppale

Senior Theses

Neural aging is the process of physiological decline in the brain and increased vulnerability to neurodegenerative diseases. Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease are associated with aging and the interaction of genetics and lifestyle choices. Previous research studies have connected Alzheimer’s disease with dysfunction in the metabolic system. To combat age-associated dysfunctions in the metabolic system, research studies propose using the ketogenic diet, which utilizes ketone bodies as an energy source instead of glucose. The thesis analyzes literature on the effect of neural aging on various model organisms, how a ketogenic diet affects aging model organisms, and how aging and …

Identifying Factors Influencing Occupational Therapy Decision-Making Regarding Telehealth, In-Person, And Hybrid Care Within A Veterans Affairs Healthcare Setting In South Carolina, Christina R. Smith

Senior Theses

Telehealth has become an increasing part of healthcare service delivery, expanding client access to services across disciplines, including occupational therapy. Existing research suggests that telehealth occupational therapy can produce similar outcomes to in-person care in certain populations; however, variability in patient characteristics, technological readiness, intervention demands, and environmental contexts influences its suitability, and limited research examines how practitioners determine the appropriate service delivery model. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the factors that influence occupational therapy practitioners within a Veterans Affairs healthcare setting in South Carolina when determining the appropriateness of telehealth, in-person, or hybrid service delivery …

The Role Of Community Health Workers In Rural South Carolina, Sarah W. Haselden

Senior Theses

This paper aims to explore the role of Community Health Workers (CHWs) in rural South Carolina through a literature review as well as the data supplied from the Community Health Alignment Initiative (CHAI) and Community Health Workers Changing Outcomes in SC (CCOSC). Through reviewing the collection of materials and data, the effectiveness of CHWs can be studied. Community Health Workers (CHWs) provide a unique aspect to primary care within communities through their aid in prevention of health conditions. CCOSC and CHAI collected data throughout South Carolina to determine the needs of communities and how CHWs can work to address those …

The Effects Of Climate Change On Competition And Recovery From Disturbance In An Iconic Marine Community, Lauren Tibbits

Senior Theses

This paper explores how the recovery of populations of Semibalanus balanoides is affected by climate variation. In intertidal marine ecosystems, larval recruitment is important in shaping all ecological processes. S. balanoides is a cold-water barnacle species that is competitively dominant over Chthamalus montagui and C. stellatus, two warm-water species. This competitive interaction is well studied, though it is not understood how that competition influences the recovery of S. balanoides after a disturbance nor how this process varies over a temperature gradient. 19 sites were studied across the United Kingdom, spanning from northern Scotland to southwestern England. At each site, a …

The Impact Of Targeted Marketing On The Health Of Teenagers In America: Regulatory Safeguards And Implications, Katelyn Overbay

Senior Theses

The rise of digital marketing has transformed how companies engage with consumers, particularly those that fall within the adolescent age group. Teenagers represent a uniquely vulnerable demographic due to the developmental stage they are in, making them especially susceptible to targeted advertising strategies that leverage data analytics, social media algorithms, and behavioral tracking. The aim of this study is to examine the direct and indirect impacts of targeted marketing on the physical, mental, and social health of teenagers in the United States. Drawing on existing literature, case studies, recent lawsuits, and regulatory analysis, the research gathered explores how industries such …

Evaluating The Impact Of Social Determinants Of Health On Outcomes Of Type Ii Diabetes In South Carolina, Alexander G. Downs

Senior Theses

Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) represents a significant public health burden in South Carolina, where 13.5% of adults are affected, surpassing the national rate of 12%. This integrative literature review examines the social determinants of health most strongly associated with T2DM morbidity and mortality in South Carolina, including race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, rural or urban residence, educational attainment, healthcare access, and food insecurity. Evidence drawn from peer-reviewed studies, epidemiological reports, and state health data reveals that African American, rural, and low-income populations bear a disproportionate share of the diabetes burden in the state. These disparities arise through multilevel mechanisms …

Conservation Communication In Web 2.0: A Mixed Methods Analysis Of Alveus Sanctuary's Strategies On Twitch.Tv, Hope Denison

Senior Theses

This thesis examines how environmental creators can effectively transmit conservation messages in the evolving Web 2.0 media environment. The case of Alveus Sanctuary, a virtual sanctuary and education center on Twitch.TV, is used to explore the strategies currently used to engage audiences and raise ecological awareness online. Thematic analysis of interviews with the sanctuary’s founder revealed that Alveus combines traditional environmental education with an influencer business model to engage online audiences, leveraging parasocial behavior, interactivity, and collaboration to garner support. A quantitative content analysis of social media posts revealed that these strategies effectively induce parasocial engagement in online spaces. These …

Crystallization And Utility Of Brominated Phenylethynylene Bis-Urea Macrocycles, Paras Srivastava

Senior Theses

Macrocycles are large, cyclic molecules with central cavities that can encapsulate other molecules and that have uses in supramolecular chemistry. The Shimizu group has previously synthesized Macrocycle 1, a phenylethynylene bis-urea macrocycle that crystallizes in a columnar form, enabling its utility as a host in host-guest systems. Reactions within these systems can be used to modify stereospecificity, kinetics, and other physical properties. Previously, photodimerization reactions between coumarins and chromones have been studied in systems of Macrocycle 1, resulting in the improved specificity of photodimerization products. Herein, we apply a dynamic covalent chemistry (DCC) strategy to synthesize Macrocycle 1 and its …

America’S First Comic Role, “The Negro”: An Analysis Of Historical Caricatures And Their Influence On African American Characters And Archetypes, Skyla A. Praylow

Senior Theses

A stereotype is defined as “a set of ideas that people have about what someone or something is like, especially an idea that is wrong.”1 Even though stereotypes are understood to be harmful, “contributing to prejudice and discrimination,” they are still believed to have some “kernel of truth,” and are viewed as “overgeneralized beliefs about social groups in society.” These stereotypes are then used as propaganda to reinforce oppressive systems in the US.2 Stereotypes create the basis of opinions that are used to create caricatures. A caricature is “a picture, description, or imitation of a person in which certain striking …

The Shame Of Mass Torts, Anthony J. Sebok

Articles

No abstract provided.

Second Place Award: Cultivating Community While Reducing Food Insecurity For College Students In Clemson, Meg Davy, Keven Estrella, Gage Mcclatchey

Undergraduate Research Award

No abstract provided.

Third Place Award: Physical Activity Promotion For Older Adults With Hypertension In Rural Settings (Pacers), Blythe Bacon, Zach Skipper

Undergraduate Research Award

No abstract provided.

Navigating Cultural Biases And Self-Worth For Black Women Leaders In Higher Education, Robbin Mitchell

Interdisciplinary Leadership Dissertations

African American women leading at public universities share their thoughts and perspectives on days filled with more than just tasks; they bear silent struggles and the hidden expectation of being recognized for their work without being marginalized. While building inner strength, some find their voices amid doubt and pressure. Progress is made not through grand gestures but through small acts of care. Viewed through the lens of Black Feminist Thought (Collins, 2000), their lives reflect complex realities. Du Bois’s (1903) concept of split identities is relevant—not by choice but by context. Being Black and female reshapes their identities in leadership …

Evaluation Of Seal!Nd: School Year 2024-2025, Shawnda Schroeder, Rashid Ahmad

Indigenous Health Faculty Publications

Dr. Schroeder and Rashid worked with the team at the Oral Health Program to collect data on the clinical reach of the School-based Sealant program (SEAL!ND), the referral practices, dental sealant cost savings, and perceptions of school personnel regarding their experiences with the program. SEAL!ND continues to make a measurable difference in improving children’s oral health by increasing access to preventive care, reducing barriers for families, and supporting schools in meeting the needs of their students. The program’s impact is reflected not only in the thousands of services provided each year, but also in the strong satisfaction and gratitude expressed …

Using Artificial Intelligence Agents To Improve Identification Of Patients With Diabetic Retinopathy For Population Health Management, Mary H. Stanfill

Translational Projects (Open Access)

Population health management of patients in risk-adjusted payment plans requires new tools and techniques to control costs, enhance care, and ultimately improve patient outcomes. Effective population health management of risk-adjusted patients with complications of chronic conditions first requires identifying all the risk-adjusted patients with such complications, but common structured data sources in the electronic health record (EHR) to identify such patients are notoriously inaccurate. Thus, the mechanisms used today, based only on structured data to retrieve patients with complications of a chronic condition, are prone to problems. This makes current information retrieval (IR) approaches inadequate to support population health management …

Standardizing Anticoagulant Hold Orders In Computerized Provider Order Entry, Alicia Beebe

Translational Projects (Open Access)

Medication safety remains a persistent challenge, particularly for high-risk anticoagulants where even minor communication failures can result in catastrophic bleeding or thromboembolic events. This translational project aimed to address the systemic risks associated with temporary medication holds in the electronic health record of a 10-hospital health system. The project used a phased approach combining quantitative chart audits, qualitative clinician interviews, and workflow and cause mapping to examine anticoagulant medication hold processes. Findings revealed design limitations, fragmented workflows, and usability challenges. Additionally, baseline analysis of September 2024 data revealed a substantial safety gap: Communication hold orders had a 15.05% medication error …

Building A Monitoring And Tracking System To Optimize Radiation Quality In Clinical Trials, Andrea Molineu

Translational Projects (Open Access)

Imaging Radiation Oncology Core (IROC) is funded by a grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). One of the grant requirements is that IROC provides an annual remote independent verification of radiation output for all institutions participating in NCI-sponsored clinical trials. This involves shipping acrylic blocks that hold dosimeters to each of the institutions. Each institution is assigned a month to receive a shipment. However, mailing is often delayed. The goal of sending 100% of the shipments in the month they are scheduled has not been reached. This delays the institutions' independent dose verification. The delay is detrimental because it …

More Harm Than Good: Criminal Penalties For Wage Theft, Alia Al-Khatib

University of Richmond Law Review

“Wage theft is a crime.” Workers, their advocates, and even some policymakers have made this declaration repeatedly to emphasize the severity of violations of wage and hour laws. In recent years, this campaign has moved beyond mere rhetoric into increased criminal enforcement. Various obstacles to seeking remedies through the civil system have buoyed this expansion. This Article critiques criminal strategies to remedy wage theft. It first identifies three spheres of harm caused by wage theft: (1) to individuals laboring in low- wage industries; (2) to the workplaces where employers engage in wage theft, and (3) to communities to which impacted …

Ex Post Transparency: Shattering The One-Way Mirror, Ruifeng Song

University of Richmond Law Review

The digital world is becoming a one-way mirror: tech companies gain unprecedented knowledge of individuals who remain ignorant of how companies handle their data. Tech giants have been able to discreetly train their artificial intelligence models on vast troves of personal data, raising privacy concerns. This shows that we have yet to fully learn the lessons of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, where the infamous company misused the personal data of millions of people until the misdeeds were revealed by whistleblowers. A largely overlooked aspect of the scandal is that the law failed to enable timely detection of anomalies because data …

(Un)Celebrated Women: Three Women Authors And Their Imprint On The Gullah Geechee Literary Tradition, Raven Mariah Gadsden

Theses and Dissertations

Three women authors, Laura Middleton, Julia Peterkin, and Zora Neale Hurston, are responsible for the creation of some of the most important Gullah Geechee literary images in the 1920s and 1930s. By examining the historical moments and movements which were active while these women were writing, it is obvious why these women are at the center of this conversation. Each of these women’s writing plants the seed for a Renaissance of Gullah Geechee representation. While Middleton's work never gets published, her documentation of black life in South Carolina for the Federal Writers' Project worked as a counter narrative to texts …

Comparing Stress Levels And Experiences Between Mothers And Fathers Of Children With Angelman Syndrome, Katherine Helen Fix

Theses and Dissertations

Angelman syndrome (AS) is a neurogenetic disorder characterized by significant developmental and cognitive impairments, disruptive behaviors, and a hallmark happy demeanor. Past studies have shown that certain features of AS contribute to increased parental stress. Other studies report that in general the stress of parents of children with disabilities is influenced by stereotypical gender roles surrounding factors including daily care taking tasks, financial responsibility, and medical care involvement. This study aimed to compare perspectives among mothers and fathers of individuals with AS to identify discrepancies and themes relating to stress, specific hardships, and caregiving roles. Parents of children with AS …

Weaponized Nostalgia And The Modern Woman: Patriarchal Insecurity In A Lost Lady And The Sound And The Fury, Grace Nicole Becker

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes the patriarchal nostalgia that resulted from men’s perceived feminization in modernity and how it manifests in the narrative framing of modern women in modernist literature. Niel Herbert from Willa Cather’s A Lost Lady and Jason Compson from William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury each embody contrasting masculine responses to the feminization of white manhood. Niel exemplifies the mourning of white masculinity that does not hinge on being antithetical to femininity, a sentiment which Greg Forter similarly identifies in Cather. Jason personifies an aggressive masculinity and repudiates women, blaming them, and other minority groups, for his own …

Fuel Flexibility, Gas Turbine Combustion, Laser Diagnostics, Lean Blow-Out, Austin Thomas Shealy

Theses and Dissertations

To address increasing global energy consumption, energy industries seek to implement alternative fuels and increase energy generation efficiencies to meet energy demands. However, alternative and bioderived fuels present both chemical and physical properties significantly different from traditional hydrocarbon fuels typically used for gas turbine power generation. Consequently, they present unforeseen technical challenges. To address these challenges, ammonia has been suggested for use as a hydrogen carrier fuel in gas turbines. Ammonia presents many challenges by having a low overall reactivity as well as low energy density both by mass and volume. To address ammonia’s unique combustion characteristics, two strategies have …

From Adolescence To Adulthood: The Impact Of Parental Support, Resilience, Academic Motivation, And Mental Health In Black Women & Girls: A Multi-Manuscript Dissertation, Jessica Mikaja Barnes

Theses and Dissertations

Fatherlessness in the Black community is a growing phenomenon that has been widely studied. Although this has been widely studied, there is limited literature that focuses on Black adolescent girls and Black women in early adulthood, more specifically, high school age and college aged women. The literature that has been previously published presents an overwhelmingly negative connotation when connecting Black girls and absent fathers. This multi-manuscript dissertation consists of two studies, both of which explore the impact of fatherlessness on resilience, parental support, and academic motivation, and mental health of Black girls and women. For the first study, I employed …

A Connected Life: Functional Communication, Social Participation, And Real-World Outcomes In Chronic Post-Stroke Aphasia, Lauren Marie Hammond

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines functional communication in persons with chronic post-stroke aphasia (PWA), with a focus on how communication ability is conceptualized, measured, and related to real-world participation. While traditional aphasia assessments primarily measure impairment-level language abilities, they often fail to capture the contextual, multimodal, and interactive nature of communication as it occurs in everyday life. Addressing this gap, the present work investigates functional communication from multiple perspectives, including measurement approaches, assessment development, and real-world communication outcomes.

Aim 1 presents a scoping review of functional communication assessments used in aphasia research and clinical practice. Studies were reviewed to identify formal and …