Digital Commons Network^™

Deltoid Intramuscular Injections: A State-Of-The-Art Review Of The Evidence On Landmarking, Mary Lou Batty, Lily Glazier, Marilyn J. Hodgins

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

During this time of rapid and significant advancements in our knowledge base and practice, it is easy to overlook that which is viewed as fundamental, such as the procedure for administering a deltoid intramuscular (IM) injection. Most fundamental nursing textbooks include a section outlining this procedure; a section which has remained largely unchanged over time. The knowledge base underpinning this procedure warrants re-examination due to increasing use of the deltoid for administration of medications to prevent and manage chronic diseases as well as increasing reports of debilitation and long-lasting physical and functional impairment following injury to underlying anatomical structures (MacKenzie …

Knowledge, Burden, And Experiences Of Peg Caregivers In Türkiye: A Mixed-Methods Study, Hande Nur Arslan, Sevilay Senol Celik

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

This study examined knowledge levels, caregiving burden, and lived experiences of family caregivers providing percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) care in Türkiye using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design. Family caregivers play a critical role in PEG management; however, limited formal home-care infrastructure and strong familial norms intensify their responsibilities and increasing burden. Twenty-eight caregivers from a university hospital (March–June 2025) completed the PEG Care Knowledge Assessment and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative results showed a mean knowledge score of 15.50±5.64 (55.3% accuracy), with 46.4% demonstrating low knowledge. The average burden was 49.18±15.43, which means it was moderate to severe. Stepwise regression (p< 0.001) identified PEG knowledge, caregiver age, weekly care hours, relationship closeness, household size, patient age, and comorbidities as significant predictors.

Qualitative …

Cells And Networks In Flux: Rethinking Ontogenesis And Pathogenesis, Mark L. Tykocinski

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Organ and tissue functions emerge from the coordinated activity of cell networks. Therapeutics that act on pathogenic cell networks, modulating their cellular interplay, follow naturally. Over several decades, our laboratory has developed a series of approaches for rewiring cell networks, culminating in a class of cell surface-directed signal converter proteins (SCPs) that do so by modulating juxtacrine and autocrine signaling in and among their nodal cells. A first such SCP has now produced encouraging clinical data for cancer immunotherapy. Yet, these early network-directed fusion proteins rest on a deliberately simplified picture: discrete end-cell types plugged into graphically tractable networks. That …

Teacher-Student Relationships In Maryland Community Schools: An Embedded Multiple-Case Study, Michele Lyn Gill

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this embedded multiple-case study was to describe how middle school teachers in two community schools in a large western Maryland district fostered and sustained positive relationships with their students. The theory guiding this study was Ryan and Deci’s basic psychological needs theory (BPNT), a sub-theory of self-determination theory. Through BPNT, Ryan and Deci claim that relatedness, autonomy, and competence are the three required ingredients for motivation. Teachers can provide or withhold those basic psychological needs, uniquely positioning them to impact student motivation through their relationships with students. Positive teacher-student relationships are central to student and school success; …

A Qualitative Descriptive Study Of Secular And Christian-Based Correctional Operations: Exploring The Impact On Recidivism, Reintegration, And Spiritual Transformation, Cullen B. Burch

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative descriptive study examines the effectiveness of secular versus Christian-based correctional programs in reducing recidivism among offenders and enhancing reintegration outcomes. The primary purpose is to explore perceived limitations of secular correctional methodologies, given observed challenges such as rising recidivism and limited offender transformation. In contrast, Christian-based programs, grounded in biblical principles and spiritual transformation, are posited to foster meaningful change among offenders. The study focuses on the perspectives of formerly incarcerated individuals who participated in secular and faith-based initiatives while incarcerated in Texas. Data collection is exclusively qualitative, involving semi-structured interviews with these formerly incarcerated individuals and a …

Building And Sustaining Foundations That Ground The Faithful: Helping Young Adults Stay Connected To Faith And The Church, Abe Thompson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Today’s prevailing cultural philosophy is lost in a malaise of confusion and deception. Children and young adults from Christian homes and churches are being lured by these deceptions. Even churched students and graduates from Christian schools (like Colorado Springs Christian School) are hemorrhaging from the body of Christ at unacceptable levels. This DMin thesis project report demonstrates that, on a continuum of touchpoints in the spiritual formation journey, Camp Elim staff and Gap Year programs are an effective model for those seeking to restore young adults, ages eighteen to twenty-nine, to fulfilling, rich, and committed involvement in the body of …

Mobilizing The Church For Whole-Person Transformation In Addiction And Mental Health Recovery, Jacqueline A. Gillespie

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Individuals experiencing chronic addiction or mental health conditions are often separated from the broader church community and placed into isolated treatment programs, creating a disconnect between recovery efforts and long-term spiritual formation (Amos, 2023). Many churches that emphasize deliverance struggle to provide sustained discipleship, while congregations grounded in spiritual growth frequently lack the skills and structures needed to serve highly vulnerable populations. This mixed–methods study will explore how the local church can be mobilized to offer whole-person transformation for individuals affected by addiction and mental health challenges. Guided by the biblical vision of ongoing spiritual renewal—“being transformed into the same …

Exploring Resilience And Religion’S Influence On Addiction Recovery: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Nicole Mason-Dye

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Substance use disorder (SUD) continues to be a pressing public health crisis in the United States, marked by complex mental, physical, and spiritual consequences. While evidence-based treatments are well developed, relapse rates remain high, highlighting the need for integrative models that incorporate spiritual and psychological resilience. This qualitative transcendental phenomenological study described individuals recovering from SUDs’ experiences sustaining long-term sobriety in the Southeastern United States within a 100-mile radius of a metropolitan city as well as understand how spirituality and resilience interact to sustain sobriety and encourage personal transformation. Guided by resilience theory and framed within a constructivist-phenomenological paradigm, the …

Exploring The Interventions Middle School Teachers Implement To Decrease Student Behaviors In Students With Disabilities: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Jessica Collins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study is to understand the lived experiences and perceptions of middle school teachers whose students exhibit negative behaviors in the classroom at an urban middle school in a MidAmerican state. At this stage in the research, negative student behaviors in the classroom were defined as disruptions in the classroom impeding the students’ social, emotional, behavioral, and academic performance. The theory guiding this study is B. F. Skinner’s behavioral learning theory because it focuses on reinforcing positive behavior and minimizing negative student behavior. Next came the Central Research Question: What are the experiences of urban …

A Qualitative Study Of Social Presence Theory In Organizational Communication With Online Adjunct Sense Of Belonging, Sheri Lemon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study addressed the challenges of geographically dispersed online adjunct faculty feelings of isolation and sense of belonging. The purpose of this qualitative was to explore how online adjunct faculty experience a sense of belonging within their institutions and how organizational leadership communication practices, interpreted through social presence theory, shape those experiences. Guided by Short, Williams, and Christie's (1976) social presence theory and Craig’s (1999) sociopsychological tradition, this research explored the lived experiences of online instructors and the specific communicative behaviors that influence their connection to their institutions. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with twenty online adjunct faculty …

Student Veterans’ Lived Experiences With Military Sexual Trauma In Higher Education: A Heuristic Study, Matthew W. Durkee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This heuristic study examined the lived experiences of veterans with sexual trauma, focusing on their resilience in earning a college degree. Although researchers have studied military sexual trauma (MST) extensively, few have investigated how student veterans (SVs) build resilience and achieve academic success after trauma. Using a qualitative, phenomenological design, data were collected through semi-structured, open-ended interviews and focus groups. The researcher and ten co-researchers (participants) were student veterans with lived experience in higher education. Data analysis incorporated heuristic inquiry and NVivo software to support thematic development. An external expert, a former student married to an active-duty service member, contributed …

Cultural Fidelity: An Exploration Of Oral Tradition And Its Role In Preserving Cultural Identity In Nigerians Of The Diaspora, Veronica L. Graham

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Oral tradition is a dynamic communicative practice through which diasporic individuals construct meaning, transmit memory, and sustain intergenerational belonging. Against the backdrop of cultural displacement, linguistic adaptation, and identity negotiation, this study examined the role of oral tradition in preserving cultural identity amongst Nigerians of the diaspora. It also interrogated how oral practices—often considered antiquated or informal within Western paradigms—function as enduring technologies of cultural continuity. Guided by multi-generational voices that reflect the evolving nature of oral expression across diasporic contexts, the findings of this study indicate that oral tradition remains a powerful mechanism through which diasporic Nigerians preserve cultural …

Sovereign Borders: John’S Deuteronomic Framework For Israel And The Nations In The Apokalypsis, Kevin W. Mullen

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation concludes that John’s imagery of Israel and the nations in the Apokalypsis is distinctly shaped by his interpretation and incorporation of Deuteronomic theology. It employs a canonical and intertextual approach to inductively argue that Deuteronomy presents three pillars, or roles, for biblical nationhood: (1) objects of and instruments for divine judgment, (2) custodians to restrain evil, and (3) revelations of God’s sovereignty. These three Deuteronomic pillars establish the foundation for biblical nationhood and are expressed by John throughout his Apokalypsis. Moreover, this dissertation concludes that John’s imagery for the nations is due to his reliance upon the Deuteronomic …

Tracing God’S Plan To Restore Eden In Biblical Theology: The Edenic Restoration Of Man And The Land, Jared Crossno

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study is characterized by the assertion that the restoration of the earth is inextricably linked to the restoration of humanity and that the biblical narrative consistently portrays these realities as interdependent. By defining the restoration of Eden as both an eschatological hope and a present process, biblical theology is advanced in three ways. First, there will be a clarification of the canonical trajectory from Eden to the new creation. Second, soteriology will be reframed to a holistic perspective, rather than an anthropocentric one. Finally, there will be an emphasis on the ethical implications of God's mission to renew humanity …

Perspectives On Community Services Board Telehealth Interventions For Suicidal Ideation: An Intrinsic Case Studysalaam, Dwane B. Salaam

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The expressed purpose of this intrinsic case study was to understand and describe the personal perspectives of those individuals who facilitate telehealth interventions for suicidal ideation and behaviors, as it relates to quality of care delivered via remote modalities at a local CSB (Community Services Board) in Virginia. Cases were selected from multiple modalities and examples of remote interventions for suicidal ideation (SI), as well as in-depth interviews, reports, and documents. The theory that guided this study was Lev Vygotsky’s social constructivist theory, which emphasizes that knowledge construction and learning are deeply embedded in social, cultural, and collaborative interactions that …

School Counselor Morale: A Phenomenological Study On School Counselor Morale In The Post-Pandemic Era, Courtney J. Spradlin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to understand the patterns of school counselors morale for K-12 public school counselors in Metro Atlanta. The theory guiding this study is phenomenological theory founded by Edmund Hesserl as it explains the philosophy behind lived experiences of people. These lived experiences can include: day to day experiences, trauma, life-changing events. Specifically, for this study this theory supports studying the lived experiences of school counselors in their day to day roles. The following questions are addressed in this study: How has school counseling changed since the pandemic? What is the current level of job …

Interstellar Faith: A Phenomenological Exploration Of Christian Reconciliation With Uaps And Nonhuman Intelligence, Christian Pedersen

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The researcher examined how Christian leaders interpret, respond to, and navigate questions surrounding Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) and nonhuman intelligence (NHI) within their theological and ministerial contexts. Despite growing cultural and governmental attention to these phenomena, little empirical research has explored how Christian leaders engage these questions pastorally or theologically. Using a transcendental phenomenological design informed by Moustakas (1994), the researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with twelve Christian leaders across multiple traditions. Analysis produced ten major themes organized around three research questions addressing theological interpretation, pastoral ministry, and lived experience. Findings revealed a participant group marked by intellectual humility, theological seriousness, …

Understanding Relapse And The Correlation With Group Counseling Accountability, Attendance, And Attitudes, Willie Sanders

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Substance abuse continues to create significant personal, family, and legal challenges, yet limited research exists on mandated clients receiving counseling within rural municipal court systems. Studying factors associated with relapse allows counselors and counselor educators to develop interventions to prevent relapse and improve treatment outcomes. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the relationship between group counseling attributes of attendance, accountability, attitudes and the level of relapse rates among rural municipal court clients in Columbus, Mississippi, as measured by the DEF, Subtle, Face Valid Alcohol, Face Valid Other Drugs, and the OAT Scales of the SASSI-4 Assessment. Theoretical …

The Incarnational And Christological Link Of The Servant In Isaiah 52:13–53:12 And Philippians 2:5–11, Heather Green

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is much written about the Suffering Servant passage in Isaiah and the Christ Hymn in Philippians. This dissertation examines the incarnational and Christological relationship between the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 52:13–53:12 and the Christ Hymn of Philippians 2:5–11. The common themes in both passages are incarnation, humiliation, obedient suffering, substitutionary atonement, exaltation, and divine vindication. This study also evaluates major scholarly interpretations regarding the identity of the Servant in Isaiah and the extent to which Paul intentionally appropriates Isaianic servant imagery in Philippians 2. While acknowledging the influence of Isaiah 45:23 on Philippians 2:9–11, this dissertation argues that Isaiah …

Physics-Informed Neural Networks For Early-Warning Fatigue Damage Detection And Localization In A Steel Railway Bridge Using Sparse Ambient Monitoring Data, Arslan Qayyum Khan, Ali Raza, Amorn Pimanmas

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Aging steel railway bridges accumulate fatigue damage at locations that periodic inspection rarely reaches and that conventional vibration monitoring detects only after severe stiffness loss. Existing physics-informed learning methods for structural health monitoring are mostly validated on synthetic data and single snapshots, leaving their performance on continuous field data with verified damage untested. This study develops a strain-based monitoring approach, supported by a physics-informed neural network (PINN), for early detection of fatigue damage in a steel railway bridge. The measured strain is compensated for temperature using a model calibrated on healthy-state data, the resulting anomaly is tracked through a statistical …

Explainable Ai Framework For Stage-Specific Drug Doses Prediction In Chronic Kidney Disease: A Multi-Algorithm Comparison With Adverse Event Prediction, Saeful Amri, Satriya Pranata, Dwi Purnomo Putro, Wawan Kurniawan

Polytechnic Journal

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) affects medication dose safety due to altered pharmacokinetics. Current clinical decision support systems lack stage-specific personalization and explainability. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the appropriate medications and doses for chronic kidney disease using machine learning algorithms by comparing the methods. This study is divided into two phases. Phase 1 involves a literature review that compares four classification techniques for predicting drug prescriptions for individuals with kidney disease. After a screening and evidence evaluation process, 12 papers were selected for analysis. From the 12 studies, the types of analysis methods obtained were Decision Tree, K-Nearest Neighbour …

Quantification Of Uncertainty Propagation For Transient Heat Transfer In A Hollow Sphere, Rama Subba Reddy Gorla, Lochlan Joyce, Elie John Barbari

Faculty Publications

Uncertainty propagation and transient heat transfer for a hollow sphere are analyzed. The stochastic Biot number, stochastic linear non-dimensional initial conditions, and various boundary conditions are introduced to define uncertainty propagation influencing the temperature distribution throughout the hollow sphere. The resulting uncertainty amplitude was observed to have transient evolution in time. The uncertainty can either increase or decrease depending on the stochastic parameters. Results are presented for the variation in temperature due to uncertainties in the initial conditions and particular boundary conditions.

The Minutes Of The Marshall University Staff Council Meeting, August 2026, Marshall University Staff Council

Staff Council Minutes

No abstract provided.

Website: Home, Zhiqu Lu, Likun Zhang, Lei Cao

Gulf Research Program Data Sets

No abstract provided.

Website: Latest Results, Zhiqu Lu, Likun Zhang, Lei Cao

Gulf Research Program Data Sets

No abstract provided.

Website: News And Events, Zhiqu Lu, Likun Zhang, Lei Cao

Gulf Research Program Data Sets

No abstract provided.

Digital Presence In Live Hybrid Performance, Luke Cargill

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

This thesis examines how digital presence, the sense that a digital performer is socially and performatively "there," is designed and tested in live hybrid performance. Drawing on four practice-based projects (Vicarious, Voltage, Vicarious: Encore Edition, and SUPER BLOOM), the first phase identifies a recurring but empirically untested claim: that digital presence depends on interactivity and co-presence with live performers, though these factors were always entangled in practice.

The second phase tests this claim directly. A new mini-performance, featuring the first fully AI-driven digital character in this line of work, was produced for controlled comparison. Using a 3 (intro type: AI-driven, …

Locker Room To The Classroom, Bert Wicks

Masters Theses

This thesis sought to explore the feasibility of using graduated collegiate athletes to supplement teaching populations to mitigate the teaching shortage in America. The researcher interviewed five professionals in education and five current college athletes to assist in answering two research questions. What are the perceptions of school administrators regarding the employment of former collegiate athletes as public-school teachers, in comparison to educators with formal academic training in education, and what are the attitudes of current and former collegiate athletes on the prospects of pursuing careers in public school teaching relative to employment opportunities aligned with their academic major were …

Staff Education To Enhance Nurse Knowledge Of Standardized Sud Screening Using The Dast-10 In An Outpatient Psychiatric Setting, Peters Olugbemiga Adu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The utilization of substance use disorder (SUD) screening tools at the practice site was inconsistent, contributing to limited identification and diagnosis of SUDs. The project was conducted at a psychiatric outpatient clinic in an urban region of Maryland that serves many patients with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. The purpose of the project was to develop, implement, and evaluate a staff education program focused on the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10). The primary goal was to improve staff knowledge and understanding of the DAST-10 screening tool. A 14-item multiple-choice questionnaire was administered before and after the educational intervention …

Licensed Counselors’ Meaning-Making Of Debriefing Experiences Following Client Crises In Community Mental Health Centers, Donna Howard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Licensed professional counselors working in community mental health centers (CMHCs) frequently respond to client crises; however, little was known about how they understand and make meaning of debriefing following those events. The purpose of this qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study was to explore counselors’ meaning-making of debriefing following client crises in CMHCs. Guided by IPA and grounded in phenomenology and hermeneutics, data were collected through semistructured interviews with five licensed professional counselors who had at least 5 years of CMHC experience, participated in postcrisis debriefing, and graduated from programs accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and …