Digital Commons Network^™

Passages: The Discovery Of A Strongly Lensed Protocluster Core Candidate At Cosmic Noon, Nicholas Foo, Kevin C. Harrington, Brenda L. Frye, Patrick S. Kamieneski, Min S. Yun, Massimo Pascale, Ilsang Yoon, Allison Noble, Rogier A. Windhorst, Seth H. Cohen, James Lowenthal, Melanie Kaasinen, Belén Alcalde Pampliega, Daizhong Liu, Olivia Cooper, Carlos Garcia Diaz, Anastasio Diaz-Sanchez, Jose Diego, Nikhil Garuda, Eric F. Jiménez-Andrade, Reagen Leimbach, Amit Vishwas, Q. Daniel Wang, Dazhi Zhou, Adi Zitrin

Astronomy: Faculty Publications

Investigating the processes by which galaxies rapidly build up their stellar mass during the peak of their star formation (z  =  2–3) is crucial to advancing our understanding of the assembly of large-scale structures. We report the discovery of one of the most gas- and dust-rich protocluster core candidates, PJ0846+15 (J0846), from the Planck All-Sky Survey to Analyze Gravitationally lensed Extreme Starbursts (PASSAGES) sample. The exceedingly high total star formation rate (SFR) uncorrected for lensing magnification ( μ) of  μSFR  yr−1 is the result of a foreground cluster lensing at least 11 dusty star-forming galaxies between z …

Employers’ Best Practices For Retaining Women Employees With Dual Responsibilities Post-Covid-19 Pandemic: A Multiple Case Study, Wenoka E. Nieves

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The challenges women face with dual responsibilities during a crisis often force them to take on additional or multiple responsibilities at home. The specific research problem is that although researchers have investigated job loss during crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the topic of how employers can retain women with dual responsibilities, caring for their family members in their household and working during crises, has not been explored. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the best practices that employers use to retain women employees with dual responsibilities who are caring for their household family members …

Artificial Intelligence And Consumer Trust, Privacy, And Protection On Digital Platforms, Alheri Gajere Adams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Academic scholars have researched the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on privacy, trust, and data governance; however, substantial gaps remain—particularly regarding how AI influences consumer trust and privacy among Texas consumers subscribed to digital platforms. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore how Texas consumers experience and perceive online platforms for personal and private use regarding online data privacy and trust, underscoring the gap in prior research on how state-level consumer protection laws, such as the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (DTPA), address concerns relative to data trust, privacy, and digital protection. The conceptual framework that guided …

Examining The Effects Of Video Modeling To Enhance Culturally Specific Social Greeting Skills In Preschoolers With Asd In Saudi Arabia, Sarah Alzahrani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A lack of social communication skills, including initiation and responding, has been a prominent characteristic of children diagnosed with ASD (Kanner, 1943; Kroeger et al., 2007). Enhancing these skills in children with ASD during early childhood is crucial to their future relationships, friendships, participation in communal activities, and overall lowering the likelihood of adverse long-term effects, giving significance to this age as a pivotal period for enhancing various skills (Hart Barnett, 2018). Failure to provide interventions to address social communication in children with ASD, specifically in cultures that value this skill, can impede their integration into that society. Thus, this …

Mind The Gap: Intergenerational Perspectives On Mental Illness Within Ghanaian American Communities, Ama Danso-Ayesu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research explores attitudes toward mental illness among Ghanaian immigrants and

first-generation Ghanaian Americans, with particular focus on factors that influence

stigma. Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model, the study utilized the

Community Attitudes Toward Mental Illness (CAMI) Scale to measure four dimensions

of stigma, including authoritarianism, benevolence, social restrictiveness, and community

mental health ideology. A comparative, cross-sectional design was employed to examine

differences between immigrant and American-born participants. The findings revealed

generational differences where Ghanaian immigrants reported higher levels of

authoritarian and socially restrictive beliefs, while first-generation Ghanaian Americans

demonstrated more benevolent and inclusive attitudes. Interpreted through the ecological

systems …

Likes For Love: Examining The Relationship Of Sociocultural Factors On Social Media Influences Of Instagram Use For Young Black Women, Cheria S. Jackson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent years there has been a push toward studying ethnic minority women related to the psychological implications of image and beauty, as historically the focus has been on the experiences of European women (Awad et al., 2015). Black women must process sexual development, attitudes, and behaviors through the lens of the sexual scripts and stereotypes of their ethnic group and must negotiate between mainstream and culture specific norms of sexuality (Daniels and Zurbriggen, 2016; Jerald et al., 2017). The presence of these scripts signifies a difference between Black women and other races about how they may internalize and react …

Counselor Perspectives On Substance Use Treatment In Pennsylvania As Medical Cannabis Laws Evolve, Renee L. Ludwig

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cannabis, once primarily regarded as a recreational or “party” drug, has undergone a significant shift in public and medical perception over the past two decades. It is now increasingly recognized as a therapeutic agent prescribed within clinical settings. While substantial research has examined the general use of medical cannabis, relatively little attention has been given to its implications for substance use counselors treating clients who use medical cannabis during treatment for substance use disorders. The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of substance use counselors regarding client use of medical cannabis and to investigate how such use …

Navigating The Digital Divide: A Quantitative Analysis Of The Digital Literacy Skills Of College Students Through The Lens Of Technological Self-Efficacy, Robert M. Spisak Jr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative dissertation addresses the digital literacy skills gap among college students and their ability to effectively use digital technologies in higher education. While many students arrive with technical skills, gaps exist in their ability to critically assess information, ethically engage with digital content, and apply these competencies across academic and professional contexts. Grounded in the framework of technological self-efficacy, which emphasizes the belief in one’s ability to perform digital tasks, this study examines both the digital literacy skills student bring from high school and their self-perceptions of those skills during college. This study was guided by the following research …

The Experience Of African American Male Counselor Educators Navigating Racial Battle Fatigue, Quincy J. Stephenson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A qualitative phenomenological approach was used in this research to explore the lived experiences of African American male counselor educators (AAMCEs) in historically or predominantly White universities who have obtained tenure and promotion. The need for equitable support, recruitment, and retention of faculty of color in counselor education has received more attention from universities in recent years. Although some advancement has occurred, AAMCEs continue to be underrepresented in academia, especially counselor education. There has been research concerning the impact of racism on and resilience of AAMCEs; however, there is a lack of research concerning how this specific population navigates racial …

Hoarding And The Hoarded Home: A Phenomenological And Psychoanalytic Study, Brianna Stich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While research on hoarding tends to isolate hoarders from the homes they hoard and in which they live, the hoard and the hoarder share a life in the home. This study explores how hoarders live with and live through their hoard at home. It combines psychoanalysis and phenomenology within a unique methodological framework to provide a hermeneutic reading of the psychological significances of the hoarded home. In this study, the contemporary conceptualization of hoarding is historically situated and critiqued from a phenomenological perspective, and the view that hoarding is a single, behaviorally-defined syndrome that is explainable by a cognitive-behavioral model …

Discovery Of The Multi-Ion Bridge Intermediate: A Computational Exploration Of The Mechanism For Azomethine Ylide Formation From N-Oxides, Martin J. Neal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Density functional theory (DFT) provides a method for calculating the ground-state energies of complex molecular systems through evaluating the electron density instead of the full wave function. When results match either experimental outcomes, calculations with DFT offer a computationally efficient method to help explain chemical phenomena. The transformation of tertiary amine N-oxides to azomethine ylides, a simple route to the precursor for 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions that result in the pyrrolidine scaffolds found in natural products, has received only minimal attention due to concerns that its mechanism includes a highly electrophilic intermediate. Utilizing DFT to model the mechanism of the conversion …

The Johnson-Křížek-Mercier Elasticity Element In Higher Dimensions, Jay Gopalakrishnan, Johnny Guzman, Jeonghun J. Lee

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Mixed methods for linear elasticity with strongly symmetric stresses of lowest order are studied in this paper. On each simplex, the stress space has piecewise linear components with respect to its Alfeld split (which connects the vertices to barycenter), generalizing the Johnson–Mercier two-dimensional element to higher dimensions. Further reductions in the stress space in the three-dimensional case (to 24 degrees of freedom per tetrahedron) are possible when the displacement space is reduced to local rigid displacements. Proofs of optimal error estimates of numerical solutions and improved error estimates via postprocessing and the duality argument are presented.

Development Of Self-Assembled Polymeric Polyplexes For Microrna Delivery: Toward Treatment Of Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease, Marjina Akter Kalpana

Theses & Dissertations

Self-assembled polymeric polyplexes have the potential to serve as an RNA interference (RNAi) delivery platform for the combined inhibition of CXCR4 and miR-155 in the treatment of alcohol-associated liver disease (AALD). A central challenge in RNA delivery is balancing the extracellular stability of polyplexes, cellular uptake, and intracellular release of RNA cargo. We developed polymeric polyplexes using the CXCR4-antagonist polymer PAMD, designed to target CXCR4 on activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and deliver therapeutic miRNA to activated Kupffer cells (KCs) in fibrotic liver. We improved the polyplexes by cholesterol modification of PAMD and by PEGylation of PAMD-Ch. The cholesterol modification …

Chapter Three: Aging, Compounded Effects, And Health, Lihua Huang, Alena Kenyon

Books and Contributions to Books

It examines ageism in the context of additional major social positions that older adults experience, such as class, sex, race/ethnicity, rurality, ability, sexual orientation and gender identity, and immigration, but also highlight the cumulative, compounded effects of multiple marginalizations on their health and lived aging experiences, from food and housing security to digital access.

Organizational Return On Investment In Nursing: A Systematic Review, Olga Yakusheva, Kathryn Lee, Alissa V. Fial, Marianne E. Weiss

Individual Open Access Articles

Background: High-quality nursing care is crucial for healthcare quality and safety, yet there’s limited understanding of the business case for investing in nursing from an organizational perspective. This study seeks to address this evidence gap by identifying and synthesizing data on the organizational return on investment in nursing human capital, considering initial investment costs and the resulting impact on production costs and revenue.

Method: We conducted a systematic review using four databases (PubMed, CINAHL, EconLit, Web of Science) to find nursing human capital studies from January 1990 to June 2024. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they examined nurses …

The Nursing Human Capital Value Model, Olga Yakusheva, Kathryn A. Lee, Marianne Weiss

Individual Open Access Articles

Nursing's economic value is presently framed within the dominant “outcomes-over-cost” value framework. Within this context, organizations employing nurses often use nursing budget reductions as a cost-minimization strategy, with the intent of retaining high quality outcomes. However, persistent issues such as nurse understaffing, burnout, and turnover threaten healthcare systems' capacity to deliver the quality, equitable, affordable patient care that the public requires. In this paper, we propose a new conceptual model and definition of nursing's economic value. The model development is guided by the convergence of three classic economic frameworks:human capital theory, production theory, and value theory. Grounded in these theories, …

A Fish & A Bird, Deanna Moorehead

Theses

As a curtain of trees opens and dawn breaks over the glistening waters of Lake Ontario, a fish and a bird spot each other through the surface and fall madly in love. They dance and sing together from their respective atmospheres, yet each time the bird soars past the water's edge and onto the beach, the fish cannot follow. Night after night, by the light of the moon, the fish trains herself to leap out of the water, hoping to breach high enough to join her beau above. Late one afternoon, the fish approaches the shore, where the bird stands …

Comparison Of Cervical Spine Injury Clinical Prediction Rules For Children After Blunt Trauma, Lois K. Lee, Fahd A. Ahmad, Lorin R. Brown, Monica Harding, Lawrence Cook, Kathleen Adelgais, Rebecca K. Burger, Alexander Rogers, Leah Tzimenatos, Lauren C. Riney, Daniel Rubalcava, Caleb E. Ward, Kenneth Yen, Julie C. Leonard

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

Dialogic Communication And Digital Fandom: The Role Of K-Pop In Shaping Global Artist–Fan Relationships, Huanchun Xu

Student Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how K-pop artists use Instagram and Weverse to communicate with fans, and how platform-specific affordances shape the relational dynamics of contemporary fandom. Using a mixed-method content analysis of four artists—Seventeen, Babymonster, Lee Sung-Kyoung, and Kim Myungsoo (L)—this study compares 2022–2024 posting patterns across both platforms. Quantitative findings show that highly curated promotional photos and videos dominate Instagram, whereas Weverse contains far more text-based, casual, and relational posts.

This study further reveals that Weverse fosters dialogic communication, personal disclosure, and multilingual fan interaction, unlike on public-facing platforms. Drawing on dialogic communication theory and computer-mediated communication (CMC) interaction frameworks, …

Data Storytelling For Reputation Management: A Multiple Case Study Of Formula 1, Patagonia & Spotify, Michael O. P. Lowsley-Williams

Student Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates data storytelling as a reputation management strategy by examining how organizations leverage data narratives to enhance brand identity, build stakeholder trust, and reshape public perception. Through analysis and comparison of three qualitative case studies of Patagonia, Formula 1, and Spotify, this research explores how these companies construct and utilize data-driven narratives to address reputational challenges across distinct industry contexts. Drawing on elements of framing, situational crisis and stakeholder theories as well as the concepts of encoding and decoding, this study analyzes narrative structures, framing devices, and audience engagement tactics within reports, campaigns, and multimedia content from 2015-2025. …

Creating A Radical Social Change Campaign To Restore Rational Thinking: A Theoretical Framework, John S. Long

Student Theses and Dissertations

Rational thinking is a skill and mindset that is under siege in modern society, becoming increasingly endangered as we devolve into increasingly hyper-partisan communities rife with echo chambers and confirmation biases. The most basic processes of analyzing issues and facts to develop clearly thought-out and defendable positions have been abandoned in favor of a zealous devotion to toe the party line, no matter the evidence or implications. What we are witnessing firsthand is the fast-approaching culmination of the post-truth era.

One might assume that an issue with such far-reaching implications across our entire society would generate a significant amount of …

Three Case Studies Of Transformative Learning In A Service-Learning Anthropology Course, Elizabeth S. Schulte

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the processes of personal transformation of three students enrolled in a service-learning based course that I taught at Brigham Young University. Informed by my observations as instructor of the course, in the analysis below I draw upon these students' weekly personal reflection essays to describe the process of individual transformation of these three students across the semester. This accounting provides insight into aspects of and contributing factors to that growth. I propose that a service-learning based course design with a framework of anthropological theory is a good way to facilitate transformational educational experiences. Aspects of service-learning such …

Understanding Asynchronous Learning For Moana Communities By Moana Educators In The Digital Vā, Theresa Pamela Onesemo-Holmes

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a dramatic shift from face-to-face learning to an online learning modality for learners globally. Moana (Pacific) communities of all ages were affected by the change due to the existing digital divide that remains an issue today. Research on culturally responsive learning pedagogy for Moana communities prior to the pandemic focused on in-person experiences. Navigating the vā (the relational space between all things) to engage with Moana communities was difficult for teachers during pandemic lockdowns. Online learning in Moana communities is an emerging field of research and has typically focused on synchronous learning. Instead, in my research …

Studia I Materiały Nr 2/2025 (43)

Studia i Materiały Wydział Zarządzania Uniwersytet Warszawski

Entire Volume Studia i Materiały 2/2025 (43)

Mechanistic Insight Of Neuropilin-2 Expression During The Progression Of Prostate Cancer, Sanika Bodas

Theses & Dissertations

Advanced prostate cancer represents a particularly aggressive and challenging form of prostate cancer (PCa) that shows resistance to both traditional therapies, such as androgen deprivation therapy, and newer treatment modalities like hormone therapies and immunotherapies. For patients diagnosed with advanced stages of PCa, treatment options are limited, and chemotherapy is often the last line of defense. Unfortunately, chemotherapy can severely diminish the quality of life, particularly in older patients, due to its harsh side effects, including fatigue, immune suppression, and overall physical decline. Despite these challenges, researchers and clinicians remain focused on developing more effective and targeted treatments for patients …

Limiting A Liberal Education: Exploring Technology Access And Equity Through Universal Design And Critical Disability Studies, Marisa R. Carlson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative improvement study investigates how classroom technology policies impact equity, access, and alignment with liberal arts values at a small Catholic liberal arts college. The study arose from concerns regarding academic accommodations, where students needed to formally request access to digital tools that were widely available. The focus is on inconsistent and sometimes restrictive technology policies that create barriers for students relying on these resources.

Interpreted through the conceptual frameworks of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Critical Disability Studies (CDS), this study was guided by the following research questions:

1. What expectations do students have regarding access to technology …

An Examination Of The Types Of Support Beginning Teachers In Public K-12 Schools Identify As Most Effective For Overcoming The Challenges They Encounter, Matthew S. Heckmann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research study examines the types of support beginning teachers in public K-12 schools identify as most effective for overcoming the challenges they encounter. Self-Efficacy Theory (Bandura, 1977) serves as the theoretical framework guiding this research, aiming to understand how various types of support and challenges encountered impact the self-efficacy of beginning teachers. Through a qualitative phenomenological approach, individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with five beginning elementary teachers in Western Pennsylvania to explore the two research questions of this study through their lived experiences:

RQ1: What challenges do beginning K-12 public school teachers encounter early in their careers?

RQ2: Which …

The Effects Of Kyphosis Angle Reduction On Balance, Fall Risk, And Quality Of Life, Karen Buckley

Doctorate in Kinesiology

Purpose: Hyperkyphosis is an abnormal sagittal plane curvature of the spine. The kyphosis angle (KA) increases as age increases, leading to fractures, falls, and potential mortality. This study aims to determine if reducing the KA improves balance, stability, and quality of life in the elderly. Methods: Thirty-one participants, including males and females, aged 63.03±9.61, participated in this study. This study used the kyphosis index (KI), which is a measurement of the distance between the occiput and the wall. Elderly individuals with an occiput wall distance (OWD) of > 4cm participated in this study. The Ferrans and Powers Quality of Life questionnaire, …

Physiological Demands Of Virtual Reality Exercise Games: An Analysis Of Energy Expenditure And Exercise Intensity, Neil Panchal

Doctorate in Kinesiology

Virtual reality (VR) technology offers potential as an exercise modality, yet comprehensive physiological assessments using gold-standard methodology remain limited. This study investigated the physiological demands of three VR fitness games, Beat Saber, Punch Fit, and RUN, by examining exercise intensity, energy expenditure, and time spent above American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) intensity thresholds. Thirty-two college students (ages 18-32, M = 23.9 ± 3.1 years) completed maximal exercise testing to establish VO₂max, followed by a VR gaming session. Physiological responses were measured using portable indirect calorimetry and heart rate monitoring. Repeated-measures ANOVAs revealed significant differences between games, with large effect …

Consciousness Studies In Community: Allan Leslie Combs’S Enduring Vision, Debby Flickinger Phd, Rebecca A. Damien Phd

Journal of Conscious Evolution

Consciousness studies can be found in many different disciplines. Allan Leslie Combs held an inclusive view of consciousness that was not limited to any one branch, and he inspired us to explore consciousness through many doorways. Together the authors share narratives about teaching and learning with Combs while reviewing key areas shaped by his legacy, including gatherings, archetypes, psychology, and synchronicity. Our shared intention is to honor Leslie’s legacy through a narrative that comes from the heart as well as the mind.

Keywords: consciousness studies, gatherings, archetypes, synchronicity, Allan Leslie Combs