Digital Commons Network^™

Zora Neale Hurston’S Sojourns In Tennessee, Glenda Alvin

Profiles/Papers for the Nashville Conference on African American History and Culture

No abstract provided.

Integrating Pilates Into Outpatient Occupational Therapy:A Complementary Approach To Traditional Rehabilitation, Ellie Drechsler

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

INTRODUCTION: Reformer Pilates, originally developed by Joseph Pilates as a holistic method to enhance strength, alignment, and mind–body integration, has gained increasing recognition for its therapeutic potential in rehabilitation settings. Despite evidence supporting its benefits for balance, chronic pain, functional mobility, and mental wellbeing, its use in outpatient occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) remains limited. The purpose of this quality‑improvement project aimed to bridge that gap by developing an accessible, reformer‑based educational resource for clinicians with minimal Pilates experience and by evaluating client and clinician perceptions of its therapeutic value.

METHODS: Using mixed-methods surveys, qualitative and quantitative feedback …

Creating An Effective Video Case-Based Teaching Tool To Enhance Undergraduate Clinical Skills, Tyler Kam

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

No abstract provided.

Enhancing Occupational Therapy Education In Cancer Rehabilitation​, Elizabeth A. Dorn

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

This doctoral capstone project aimed to enhance entry-level occupational therapy (OT) education by developing and evaluating evidence-based instructional materials addressing musculoskeletal and oncology rehabilitation within a doctorate curriculum. Designed as an oncology-focused experience, the project involved a two-phase approach: (1) testing educational techniques by implementation and evaluation of an elbow pathology lecture and lab, and (2) development of an asynchronous oncology rehabilitation unit informed by outcomes from the initial phase. The project was guided by the ASSURE instructional design model and emphasized active, visual, and case-based learning strategies to support clinical reasoning.

Student outcomes were assessed using pre- and post-lecture …

The Great Lakes Social Studies Journal Volume 6, Issue 1 Full Issue, Linda Doornbos Dr., Michele S. Phillips

The Great Lakes Social Studies Journal

None

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Resilience In Women’S Lacrosse: An Ecological Dynamics Approach, Annika Wozney

Undergraduate Symposium

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in women’s lacrosse arise from complex interactions involving biomechanical, anatomical, and neuromuscular factors. The aim of this project was to review current literature on ACL injury and traditional prevention strategies in women’s lacrosse. Recent perspectives highlight limitations of traditional approaches that often fail to simulate the unpredictability of game environments. An ecological dynamics approach is proposed that considers elements of the athlete, playing environment, and game tasks to guide future research and practice in reducing the incidence of ACL injury.

A Novel Lightweight Framework For Low-Light Image Enhancement Via Gaussian Denoising And Clahe, Daniel Oluwaseun Adesoji

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Low-light image enhancement is a major challenge in digital imaging, especially in medical imaging, surveillance, and autonomous vision systems. Images captured under poor illumination often appear dark, noisy, and low in contrast, which makes it hard to observe important details. Traditional enhancement methods can improve brightness but usually introduce artifacts or increase noise. Although deep learning methods have shown strong performance, they usually require large datasets, and high computational resources. This creates a need for simpler and more efficient enhancement techniques. This study proposes a lightweight framework that incorporates Gaussian denoising with Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE) to enhance …

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter, January 2026, University Of Northern Iowa. Iowa Waste Reduction Center.

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter

Contents:

--- Jim's Final Farewell
--- MSEI for Central Iowa and for All Portable Plants
--- P2 Grant Ramps up to Enhance Brewery Pollution
--- Introducing Our Newest Interns
--- IStorm 26
--- Industry News

Necessary-Law Arguments, A. C. Paseau

Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers

No abstract provided.

Development And Validation Of A Music Teacher Candidate Assessment, Phillip Hash

Faculty Publications - Music

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the Music Teacher Candidate Assessment (MTCA), a rubric-based tool for evaluating student teachers in music classrooms. Factor analyses of scores issued by university supervisors (USs), cooperating teachers (CTs), and student teachers (STs) supported construct validity, explained 53.5% of the variance, and revealed two subscales: Pedagogy (I) and Professionalism (II). Concurrent validity resulted from a strong correlation (r_s = .83) between evaluators’ rubric averages and holistic ratings of performance. Inter-factor correlation (r = .65) confirmed discriminant validity. All groups exceeded the α ≥ .80 threshold for acceptable internal …

Understanding The Impacts Of Food Insecurity On Education Outcomes In Ohio, Maria El Biri, Sreya Tummalapalli

Scholarship in Medicine - All Papers

Background: Food insecurity has been a growing concern in the United States, and prior research has shown how food insecurity in youth can correspond to negative psychosocial outcomes. Additionally, there are known disparities with access to food based on living in rural or urban counties. Objective: The goal of this study was to determine how differences in food security can impact youth educational outcomes in Ohio. Methods: Data from County Health Rankings & Roadmaps were obtained on variables such as access to healthy foods, food insecurity, high school graduation rates, average grade performance, and percentage of the population living in …

Observing Effects Of Social Isolation On Ethanol Preference In Carpenter Ants, Gregory Smith, Rivers Pope

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Alcohol consumption has been observed through humans and vertebrates for centuries to understand reward systems and behavior. Carpenter Ants, a social invertebrate model, have many similarities with humans including communication, stress-induced behavior, and structured societies. Past research has shown that Carpenter ants can have increased preference to ethanol and opioids in low concentrations. However, there has been little research on how isolation can influence ethanol preference. In this study, Carpenter Ants are separated into social and isolation groups over a five-day period and offered ethanol solutions alongside a natural sucrose diet to assess behavioral differences in preference for ethanol. It …

The Relationship Between Phone Usage, Activity Participation, And Hand Strength, Debra Gibbs, Will Best, Raegan Adams, Amanda Finke, Rachel Pierce, Salem Swallows, Alisha Yoo

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Smartphone use among university students in the United States is steadily increasing. Longer duration of smartphone use has been associated with increased risk of smartphone addiction, reduced musculoskeletal strength, and engagement in meaningful activities. While prior research has examined these variables separately, limited evidence exists on the associations between smartphone use, hand grip and pinch strength, and extracurricular and leisure activities among U.S. university students. To address this gap, a correlational study was conducted using the Spearman rank correlation to analyze the relationship between phone use, activity participation, and hand strength. A Qualtrics survey including demographic information, phone usage, and …

Ammas, Abbas And Art: Theological Reflections On Divine Nurture, Kristen Harris, Emma Morgan, Kara Roberts

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Students in this session will present their final projects from a semester-long independent study on art, motherhood, and theology; drawing on written, visual, and musical texts from 2000 years of tradition, they reflect on the ways Christian practice and language have invited contemplation on the role of mothering.

Rna-Sequence-Driven Identification Of Differentially Expressed Genes In Α-Crystallin-Deficient Zebrafish, Kehlie Hopper

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a condition that develops in infants when exposed to alcohol in utero, leading to physical impairments such as reduced eye size and disrupted retinal function. Alpha-crystallin A is a key structural protein required for proper lens development and maintenance of transparency, while Alpha-crystallin B plays a protective role against cellular stress during eye development. In this study, I compared AB wild-type (ABWT), αA-crystallin knockout (cryaa), and αB-crystallin knockout (cryaba) zebrafish to investigate how the loss of these proteins influences eye development under ethanol exposure. The cryaa mutants exhibited reduced eye size even under control conditions, …

The Impact Of An Aquatic Exercise Program On Self-Reported Balance And Confidence On Perceived Fall Risk: A Pilot Study, Antoney Labuschagne, Wesley Hopper, Bailey Watson, Alexis Ignatin, Ashtyn South, Whitney Dupree, Natalie Michaels

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Background: Each year, thousands of people experience one or more episodes of falling, that lead to a lasting impact in function and participation in daily life. Education regarding fall prevention is often focused mainly on the older adult population, but falls can happen at any age. Fear of falling and pain-related fear exists among adults at any age. The focus of this research study was to determine if participation in an aquatic exercise program that focused on balance, core body strength, and cardiopulmonary endurance could be utilized to alleviate the fear of falling and improve performance. Methods: Eight participants completed …

Murder On The Menu, Andrea Florian, Leslie Deleon, Angela Simpkins, Anamika Chhetri

SPARK Symposium Presentations

You're invited to a birthday party in Maryland! There will be many guests and even...seafood cuisine at a fancy restaurant! All is well until one of our guests comes down with a peculiar sickness. Do you think you can figure out what happened?

The Last Ball, Andrea Florian, Lili M. Wrenne, Mehrael Adly, Jia Howell

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Sixty-year old, billionaire, Walter Spencer has been found dead at his annual birthday celebration. Guests reported odd behavior before he passed with wild mood swings, speaking gibberish, and experiencing hallucinations. Close friends of Walter say his young 25-year-old wife was the last to see him. Are you able to solve his mystery?

Predicting Criminal Behavior In Major Us Cities, Madison A. Price

SPARK Symposium Presentations

In recent years, especially post pandemic, there has been a decrease in crime in the United States. Unfortunately, the country’s violent crime rates are still significantly higher compared to similar high-income countries, so what predicts crime in major American cities? There is tons of research to support the idea that demographics can offer some insight into predicting crime. There are countless online resources that seek to identify major crime centrals in the United States (Petrino, 2025). In the late 1990s, researchers noticed that crime rates in cities had a downward slope due to an important contributor: demographic change (Fox & …

Investigating The Role Of Humic Acid In The Adsorption Mechanics Of Acetaminophen On Potassium Persulfate-Aged Polyethylene Terephthalate (Pet), Andrew Littleton, Maria Danielle Garrett, Phd

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Pharmaceutical contaminants such as acetaminophen (APAP) are showing a rising presence in aquatic environments, where their interactions with microplastics (MPs) can potentially modulate natural degradation mechanisms. Concurrent presence of the two substances has been shown to potentiate increase their individual harmful effects. This study investigates whether oxidative aging and humic-acid surface modification of PET microplastics influence APAP adsorption.

In this study, UV-aging was reproduced using an iron (II)-activated potassium persulfate (Fe(II)-KPS) oxidation system. Aqueous dissolved organic matter (DOM) is simulated using multi-hour exposure to humic acid. The MPs are then removed from the solution to examine adsorption mechanisms. While most …

Acute Aortic Dissection Three Days After Starting Ciprofloxacin: A Case Of Fluoroquinolone-Associated Vascular Catastrophe, Victoria Jackson, Bryan Kharbanda, Derrick Huang

Gulf Coast Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Transforming Police Officers To Community Peace Officers: A Scholarly Personal Narrative Addressing The Mental And Moral Conflicts In Community Engagement & Law Enforcement, London S. R. Mcbride

Doctor of Education

This dissertation explores the transformation of police officers into community peace officers by examining the mental and moral conflicts inherent in community engagement and law enforcement. Using scholarly personal narrative (SPN) as my methodology, the study integrates my lived experience as a Black law enforcement officer with broader discussions on race, power, leadership, and institutional culture. Grounded in critical race theory, social justice leadership, and trauma theory, the research investigates how systemic inequities, organizational resistance, and historical trauma influence policing practices and officer identity. The literature review highlights the legacy of racialized policing, the psychological toll of law enforcement work, …

Hope Is An Act, Not A Wish: An Autoethnographic Journey Of Reimagining Disability As A Catalyst For Playing With Possibility, Creativity, And Innovation Within Liminal Spaces, Jennifer Salerno

Doctor of Education

This dissertation aimed to challenge and move beyond unjust social norms related to individual ability and independence, finding such norms based on a fictitious ideal of human capacity. Instead, an ethic of interdependence, such as encompasses the natural world, is defined and promoted in turn. People with disabilities are considered deficient and marginalized because they deviate from ableist norms (Flynn, 2020). They face significant barriers to establishing and maintaining relationships with nature as a result of ability expectations around how bodies should look and behave in the natural world (Wolbring & Lisitza, 2017). People with disabilities covet normality and the …

Town Of Richmond, New Hampshire 2025 Annual Report, Richmond Town Representatives

Richmond, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Community Outreach At Healthy Start Coalition Of Osceola County, Ben John

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Spring 2026

The Healthy Start Coalition of Osceola County (HSCOC) is a state and federally funded non-profit organization dedicated to providing comprehensive prenatal and postnatal care to mothers and families. This abstract details a professional internship focused on enhancing community outreach and systemic efficiency. HSCOC manages diverse programs, including care coordination, home visiting, risk screening, and Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (FIMR), working closely with regional OBGYN providers to identify and support at-risk participants through evidence-based interventions.

A central component of this internship involved addressing a critical gap in the local system of care: the tendency for uninsured pregnant women to utilize …

Social Media, Fitness, Gender, And Rhetoric, Emily M. Potts

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Spring 2026

The goal for this study was to find how TikTok uses rhetoric to argue about effective workout routines for males versus females and what values or ideologies does this rhetoric help to promote. People tend to take health and fitness advice from social media although it is not the most creditable place. Understanding how people on TikTok use rhetoric to argue about effective workouts for males versus females and what values and ideologies this rhetoric helps to promote is a gap, although it affects a significant amount of people in today's society.

To discover how rhetoric is used in this …

Strength Of Association Between High Blood Pressure And Dementia Mortality In Adults, Ryan J. Wells

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Spring 2026

Dementia refers to a number of conditions that lead to a decline in cognitive function, with several overlapping symptoms such as a disruptions in thinking, impairments of social abilities, and memory loss being a key indication, among many other signs. These factors may become more apparent as the aging population is at a significantly higher risk. With that being said, it remains important for dementia and its related conditions to receive the attention they deserve to promote the well-being of those affected.

The objective behind the study was to dive into the potential relationship between high blood pressure (hypertension) and …

Battling Human Trafficking: How Social Media Advertising Influences Awareness, Cami Dobson, Addyson Jones, Giovanni Gioia, Alexandra Boveil

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Spring 2026

In our Principles of Advertising class, our group analyzed an anti-human trafficking non-profit organization, The Lifeboat Project, to create an ad campaign. Specifically, we focused on how to utilize social media in order to reach a target demographic. The Lifeboat Project aims to raise awareness on human trafficking, while also supporting victims through their resources. The purpose of our project was to promote the organization's goal of visibility and prevention tools.

First, we developed our target audience, and created a target persona. We conducted research on the organization and competitors. Using this information, we constructed survey questions, and distributed them …

Musculoskeletal Stress Markers Caused By Occupational Stress And Its Relation To Sex, Madison E. Torres, Sage Rohrer

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Spring 2026

The excavation of the site of San Pedro, Belize, uncovered the skeletal human remains of 46 individuals that were naturally preserved well enough in sand to be studied. These remains belonged to ancient Maya, dating back to the Terminal Postclassic to Historic period (c. 1450–1700 CE), who had been buried under what is now the Sands Hotel. This population was part of a small fishing village. These people likely led a labor-intensive lifestyle, which would lead to the skeletal remains showing signs of Musculoskeletal Stress Markers (MSM). This stems from the theory that the males of this village would carry …

The Association Between Sedentary Behavior And Heart Disease Mortality Rates Among Florida Residents., Umed Norkulov

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Spring 2026

This research project examines the association between sedentary behavior and Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) mortality among Florida residents. As heart disease remains the leading cause of death in Florida, identifying modifiable risk factors is a public health priority. This study utilizes an ecological design to analyze age-adjusted mortality rates across Florida’s 67 counties, correlating them with the prevalence of sedentary lifestyles reported via the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).

Key findings indicate that sedentary behavior exceeding 10 hours per day is an independent risk factor for heart disease, increasing risk by 8% to 18%, regardless of other physical activity …