Digital Commons Network^™

First-Hand Perspectives Of Autistic And Neurodiverse Individuals In Social And Extracurricular Settings, Stephen M. Hinkle

Education (PhD) Dissertations

This dissertation explores the firsthand experiences of autistic and neurodiverse individuals in social and extracurricular settings. Grounded in symbolic interactionism and disability studies, this study leveraged qualitative interviews to provide greater insight into the extracurricular lives of autistic persons and the quality of preparation and education provided to said participants to successfully navigate those experiences. Due to the limited number of studies on this topic, and the tendency of programs to focus on general skill development for this population, significant attention was also given to investigating the activity-specific skills needed for various social and extracurricular activities.

Understanding the intricacies in …

Occupation Based Program Development For Indigenous American Populations, Abby P. Glenn

Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstones

Indigenous peoples in the United States face environmental, socioeconomic, and educational disparities that contribute to the high prevalence and disproportionately higher risks of chronic diseases compared to the average American. Recent literature recognizes knowledge gaps among providers in delivering culturally competent care, and occupational therapy’s (OT) emerging role in primary care shows promising potential for addressing barriers in chronic disease management. However, existing studies have not established a clear framework for how therapists can use OT’s client-centered philosophy to help Indigenous populations address health management in primary care. This project addressed the limited literature by piloting a culturally relevant health …

Pathways To Progress: Understanding Gender Gaps Across Life Stages In The Asean Region, Debbie Wong, Jacqueline Cheng, Elizabeth Cassity, Jeaniene Spink, Payal Goundar, Jeffery H. Marshall

International Education Research

The ASEAN region continues to grapple with some of the world’s most pronounced disparities in educational outcomes. Addressing foundational learning gaps and promoting equity and inclusion for girls, women and marginalised groups remains a central priority in both educational improvement and labour market reform agendas regionally and internationally. This report presents new insights into the factors shaping human development outcomes for girls, women and marginalised groups in the ASEAN region. It supports the priorities under the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI), which aims to reduce development disparities among ASEAN member states. Grounded in case studies from the newer ASEAN member …

Can Easing Financial Constraints Reduce Carbon Emissions? Evidence From A Large Sample Of French Companies, Mattia Guerini, Giovanni Marin, Francesco Vona

Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Working Papers

We study how monetary policy shapes firm level carbon emissions. Our identification strategy exploits the European Central Bank’s July 2012 move to the zero lower bound as a plausibly exogenous easing of credit supply, combined with rich administrative and survey data on French manufacturing firms from 2000–2019. Using a difference-in-differences design with debt-to-asset ratios as exposure, we find that financially constrained firms cut emissions by about 9.4% more than unconstrained ones. This effect primarily stems from improvements in energy efficiency, lower carbon intensity of energy, and general productivity improvements associated with capital deepening that outweighed modest scale effects. Small and …

Keeping The Beat: A Case On The Effects Of Communication In Musical Teams During Performances, Shane Christie

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This case study examined whether the effects of positive team affect and team communication quality on the performance quality, or taskwork quality, of teams comprised of musicians, and if team communication quality could further improve the taskwork quality of a group of musicians. It was believed that participants with higher positive team affect scores would perform at a higher taskwork quality than those with lower positive team affect scores. In addition, it was believed that participants that engaged in higher-quality team communication during performances would strengthen this relationship, further increasing taskwork quality. The participants were divided into teams, and the …

The High Cost Of Law School Casebooks, Jeffrey Bellin

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

Commentators have forecasted the demise of high-priced commercial casebooks for two decades. Yet little has changed. This Symposium Essay explores the headwinds facing free and low-cost books in the law school casebook market. It suggests that the biggest problem is “casebook selection inertia.” Given the centrality of the assigned casebook to a typical law school course, professors face strong incentives to make a safe choice from among the leading casebooks—typically those published by the handful of established academic presses who set the highest prices. These choices stick, not only determining the book that will be used for that professor’s future …

Post-Discharge Transitions Of Care Pharmacists Follow-Up Impact On Patient Care, Lesly Rapado, Sara Panella, Elaina Rosario, Emilie Collongette, Faaria Quadri, Beatriz Jimenez-Cadilla, Amanda Gronniger

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

Introduction: This quality improvement project assessed the impact of a newly implemented transitions of care (TOC) pharmacist service at a large health system. The service involves a comprehensive review of recently discharged value-based care individuals, including chart review and, when necessary, telephonic follow-up by the pharmacist 3-6 days post-discharge.

Methods: This retrospective evaluation compared two groups: pre-implementation (September 1st, 2023 - January 30th, 2024) and post- implementation (March 1st, 2024 - July 30th, 2024) of TOC pharmacist service, focused on patient evaluations 3-6 days post-discharge. The primary outcome was a composite of 30-day re-hospitalization rates including urgent care, emergency department, …

Exiting Commercial Sexual Exploitation, Jeanne L. Allert, Sherri L. Wyatt

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

This study presents one of the largest qualitative samples of exited female survivors of commercial sexual exploitation in the United States to date. One hundred and eighty-nine female survivors participated in a national survey. The participants described their motivations for exiting commercial sexual exploitation, the pathways they followed, the forces that hindered their exit and increased their recidivism, and the assistance they received that ensured a permanent exit. Some of the findings challenge popular narratives on recidivism rates and what keeps women in exploitation, revealing complex relational, behavioral, economic, and systemic influences. Participants spoke about the unanticipated value of incarceration, …

Educators’ Perspectives, Practices, And Implications Of Ai In Education For A Title I Middle School, Melanie N. Garland

Dissertations

This study examines educators’ perspectives, instructional practices, and the perceived implications of artificial intelligence (AI) integration within a Title I school context. As AI technologies become more embedded in educational settings, it is essential to understand how teachers in under resourced environments engage with these tools. The research explores how educators perceive the benefits and challenges of AI, the extent of its integration into their pedagogy, and the broader implications for access, particularly for subgroups such as students with disabilities (SWD) and English language learners (ELLs), as well as student engagement and instructional effectiveness. A qualitative case study methodology was …

Elected Prosecutors And Discretionary Dissonance In The Pursuit Of Racial Justice, Leo Gabriel Tucker

University of Baltimore Law Review

No abstract provided.

The "Case" To Increase Access To Justice In Copyright Law: A Closer Look At The Copyright Claims Board, Anne Clevenger

University of Baltimore Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Right To Be Born?: What Dobbs Could Mean For Artificial Reproductive Technologies, Stewart Chang

University of Baltimore Law Review

No abstract provided.

Over The Legal Limit: One State’S Attempt To Control Abortion Healthcare Access Outside Its Borders, Wendy Heipt, William Mitchell, Kelly O’Neill

University of Baltimore Law Review

No abstract provided.

Elections Don’T Have Consequences—How Over 57% Of Florida Voters Supported Abortion Rights And Still Lost, Mark Dorosin

University of Baltimore Law Review

No abstract provided.

Miscarriage Of Democracy: What Happened In Arkansas, Florida, Nebraska, And South Dakota To Defeat Abortion-Related Ballot Measures In 2024, Deborah Machalow

University of Baltimore Law Review

No abstract provided.

Exploring Generative Artificial Intelligence (Genai) And Developing Ai Competencies Through Joint Media Engagement In Family Settings, Tolulope Famaye

All Dissertations

As generative AI (GenAI) becomes increasingly prevalent, institutions seek to understand how students can explore AI in classrooms and develop AI literacy. However, little is known about how, families use these Large Language Models (LLMs) at home and how such engagement supports the development of foundational AI literacy skills. This study examines family engagement with generative AI to understand how AI competencies develops outside formal classrooms and to provide insights for designing contextually relevant AI learning experiences in schools. The study employs a single case study design, integrating quantitative analysis, thematic analysis, and quantitative ethnography to examine and analyze data …

Ai-Optimized Resource Management In Next-Gen Wireless Networks, Fatemeh Lotfi

All Dissertations

Next-generation wireless networks must deliver highly adaptive, scalable, and intelligent connectivity to satisfy the heterogeneous demands of emerging services, including enhanced mobile broadband, massive machine-type communications, and ultra reliable low latency applications. The Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) paradigm has emerged as a key enabler of this vision, introducing openness, virtualization, and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven control into the RAN ecosystem. O-RAN’s disaggregated architecture facilitates multi-vendor interoperability and empowers intelligent management through the RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC). However, achieving real-time, autonomous, and generalized optimization in such a dynamic environment remains a significant challenge due to its distributed nature, non-stationary traffic, and …

Wacsaw: An Adaptive, Statistical Method To Classify Movement Into Sleep And Wakefulness States, Austin Vandegriffe, V. A. Samaranayake, Matthew S. Thimgan

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Wearable actimeters can improve our understanding of sleep in the natural environments. Current algorithms may produce inaccuracies in specific individuals and circumstances, such as quiet wakefulness. New hardware allows data collection at higher frequencies enabling sophisticated analytical methods. We have developed a novel statistical algorithm, the Wasserstein Algorithm for Classifying Sleep and Wakefulness (WACSAW), to identify behavioral states from recordings of everyday movement. WACSAW employs optimal transport techniques to identify segments with differing activity variability. Functions characterizing the segments' movement distributions were clustered into two groups using a k-nearest neighbors and labeled as sleep or wake based on their proximity …

Child Development: A Developmentally Appropriate Practices Approach, Second Edition, D.R. Meece

Open Textbooks

The book follows a topical approach and covers children from prenatal to late childhood/early adolescence. The book follows a Developmentally Appropriate Practices approach, emphasizing that development results from the interaction of age-related expectations, culture and context, and individual child characteristics. The text is written for education majors, as well as others who will work with children and families in a variety of fields, including psychology, social work, nursing, and others.

Adaptive Deep Learning In Physical Layer Applications, Ali Owfi

All Dissertations

Traditionally, signal processing models in communication systems have been designed based on solid foundations in statistics and information theory, often assuming linearity and optimizing for simplified models. However, real-world communication systems exhibit numerous imperfections and non-linearities that traditional linear models struggle to capture accurately. Deep Learning (DL)-based approaches, unconstrained by rigid mathematical models, have shown promise in optimizing system performance by accommodating specific hardware configurations and dynamic channel conditions as an alternative to the traditional methods. Despite all the recent research efforts on DL-based methods for physical layer applications, DL models have still not been widely applied to physical layer …

Interview With Orca Award Winner Karen Kunc, Unl Art; Abstract Print Artist, Mark Griep, Karen Kunc

UNL ORCA Interview Series

Emeritus Prof. Karen Kunc the Outstanding Research and Creative Activities Award in 1998. She was born in Ralston, Nebraska, in the Omaha Metro Area. Something in her youth must have sparked an interest in art because she earned her bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1975. Next, she ventured 800 miles east to Ohio State University in Columbus, where she earned a master of fine arts. For the next six years, she enhanced her teaching credentials as a printmaking instructor at the Columbus College of Art & Design. From there, she joined the University of …

How Do Server-Based Architectures Compare To Serverless Architectures In Terms Of Development, Deployment Process, Scalability, And Cost-Effectiveness?, Natalio Fernandes Gomes

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Applications are tested in developers’ machines before deployment, since this is the standard practice that ensures the software is functioning as it should before deploying it to a standard practice that ensures the software is functioning as it should before deploying it to a specific environment. The deployment process consists of setting up the environmental requirements, infrastructure configuration on cloud or on-premises servers. Consequently, developers often run into the infamous "It works on my machine" problem. This issue is defined by the fact that applications function correctly in development environments but fail during deployment to production. Furthermore, scalability concerns and …

Using Noninvasive Calibrated Cuff Plethysmography To Observe The Effects Of Lifestyle Habits On Arterial Compliance, Joshua M. Whitaker

Master's Theses

Cardiovascular disease remains as a leading cause of death for both sexes and across all racial backgrounds. Continuing to research causes, early predictors, and preventative actions are paramount to ensuring that cardiovascular disease starts to decrease in its activity. Endothelial dysfunction is the earliest known predictor of cardiovascular disease, therefore investigating early detection methods of endothelial dysfunction can improve health outcomes. This study revolves around a non-invasive calibrated cuff device that uses the principles of segmental plethysmography and oscilliometry to measure arterial compliance of baseline and induced hyperemic conditions in human subjects to determine how well arteries vasodilate in response …

Is Aboriginal Title To Submerged Land “Cognizable” To The Canadian Common Law? Lessons From Sea Country Litigation In Australia, Leila Nasr

UBC Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Grading Equity Professional Development On Student Outcomes, Sarah R. Morris, Sarah Mckenzie, Jonathan Wai, Robert A. Maranto

Journal of Global Education and Research

This study examines the impact of a 6-hour professional development (PD) program on grading equity and student outcomes. The PD aimed to enhance teachers’ grading practices to foster fairness and inclusivity, based on the growing advocacy for reform to address systemic inequities in traditional grading systems. Utilizing a randomized control trial, the study compared student perceptions of grading equity, academic achievement, and psychosocial outcomes between groups whose teachers either received or did not receive the training. Results indicated no significant improvements in student outcomes post-PD, suggesting the duration of the intervention may be insufficient for substantial changes in grading practices. …

Examining The Contextual Factors Influencing Self-Efficacy Of The 21st Century School Principal: A Phenomenological Study, Jessica J. M. English

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the contextual influences contributing to principals’ sense of self-efficacy. This research study addressed the research questions, "What contextual conditions currently influence principal self-efficacy?” and “Do contemporary challenges impact principal self-efficacy?” The themes that emerged from the research could help stakeholders such as school districts, policymakers, and principal preparation programs create programs, policies, resources, and support to enhance the development of principal self-efficacy. The study participants were all current public-school principals with five or more years of experience as a principal. The study participants served in school districts across the United States, with …

(R2125) Impact Of Convective Condition And Inclined Magnetic Field On Casson Nanofluid With Bioconvection In Porous Medium, Touseef Fayaz, O. Otegbeye, Md. Sharifuddin Ansari

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

This paper presents an analysis on steady magnetohydrodynamic boundary layer flow of Casson nanofluid with microorganisms near an expandable boundary in a porous medium. The flow behaviour is analysed by incorporating impacts of magnetic field applied in a direction which makes an angle α∗ with the boundary and convective conditions in temperature, nanoparticle concentration and microorganism density at boundary. Non-dimensionalised nonlinear and coupled system of ordinary differential equations are solved by exercising a numerical algorithm termed as spectral local-linearization method. The considered numerical algorithm is found to be convergent and capable of yielding accurate results. Graphical sketches of solutions obtained …

Habit Pals: A Habit Awareness App, Sophia R. Huber

Graphic Communication

Habit Pals is a gamified mobile app prototype that helps users reduce skin-picking and nail-biting through positive reinforcement, reflection, and taking care of a virtual pet. Informed by survey results and behavior change research, the design replaces pressure based streak systems with gentle encouragement, small rewards, and calming visuals. The prototype demonstrates how supportive, low pressure UX can promote self-awareness and healthier habits.

Chapter 1 Slides: Introduction To Experiential Learning, Lisa Dunkley

Internship, Practicum, and Capstone: A Guide for Health Sciences

To request exams (including quizzes and answer keys), please email [email protected] from your institutional account (e.g., university or college) and include a link that verifies your status as an instructor. Once your instructor status is confirmed, the files will be provided.

Chapter 3 Slides: Foundations Of Professionalism In Rehabilitation Settings, Lisa Dunkley

Internship, Practicum, and Capstone: A Guide for Health Sciences

No abstract provided.