Digital Commons Network^™

Fractured Focus: Understanding Stress In Second-Year Radiologic Science Students Across Alabama, Kelsi Clotfelter

Honors Theses

Higher education is a period of rapid transition and growing responsibility, where stress often becomes a routine part of students’ lives. In health professional programs, the combined demands of intensive coursework and clinical training can intensify emotional strain and negatively affect overall well-being. Radiography students experience uniquely high levels of academic, clinical, and emotional stress due to the simultaneous demands of didactic coursework, competency-based clinical training, and high-stakes professional expectations. A cross-sectional mixed-methods study was employed to evaluate the prevalence, sources, and perceived impact of stress among second-year radiography students across multiple Alabama institutions with the goal of identifying strategies …

Influence Of Stormwater Flooding Events On The Mobile County School District Student Population, Kadence Kali Johnston

Honors Theses

Mobile County, Alabama, receives among the highest annual rainfall totals in the United States resulting in frequent stormwater flooding that intersects with existing socioeconomic vulnerabilities. Within the Mobile County Public School System (MCPSS), 77% of students are economically disadvantaged and over 10% experience homelessness, creating heightened risk for educational disruption during flood events. This study investigates how stormwater flooding influences school attendance, closures, and academic performance across MCPSS, providing insight into how climate-driven hazards exacerbate educational inequities. The research integrates flood frequency, school performance metrics, and GIS flood-zone mapping and teacher perceptions to understand how flooding affects student learning opportunities. …

Scroll Control: Reducing The Influence Of Social Media Trends On Adolescent Risk-Taking, Camilla Vitola-Franchi

Psychology

Adolescents tend to take more risks than other age groups due to a combination of sensitive reward systems, lower impulse control, and stronger susceptibility to peer influences. These days, many adolescents spend a substantial amount of time on social media, which can further influence their decision-making. Although risk-taking plays an important role in adolescent development, social media can increase exposure to unhealthy and potentially dangerous forms of risk. Dangerous online trends and the addictive nature of social media algorithms contribute to the normalization of risky behavior and expose adolescents to social pressures, leading them to be more likely to take …

Religiosity And Female Autonomy In Indonesia, Milda Irhamni

Economics and Finance in Indonesia

This study estimates the effect of religiosity on married women’s autonomy within households in Indonesia using panel data from the 2007 and 2014 rounds of the Indonesia Family Life Survey (IFLS4 and IFLS5). Women’s autonomy is measured by the wife’s decision-making power relative to her husband across eighteen household decisions, complemented by indirect proxies such as asset ownership and contraceptive use. Applying household fixed-effect and IV estimation to control for endogeneity, the analysis finds little robust evidence that religiosity systematically reduces female autonomy, suggesting that any negative association is weak and sensitive to specification.

Reducing Missed Opportunities For Crc Screening Via Provider Reminder System In A Primary Care Setting, Komfort Cofield

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Although highly preventable with screening, colorectal cancer (CRC) continues to be a major source of illness and mortality in the United States. Healthcare providers at the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project site inconsistently ordered CRC screening for eligible patients due to deficiencies in the point-of-care reminder system. These system failures created missed opportunities for CRC prevention and reduced compliance with established practice guidelines.

Purpose: This DNP project aimed to implement and evaluate a CRC screening checklist given to patients at appointment check-in, serving as a reminder for providers to order appropriate screening tests.

Project Design: Using the National …

Addressing Hypertension Medication Non-Adherence Through The Use Of Reminders And Morisky Medication Adherence Scale In Adults Diagnosed Within The Past Year In A Rural Primary Care Clinic, Amanda M. Weaver

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Adherence to antihypertensive medications is essential for decreasing long-term consequences of uncontrolled hypertension, including stroke, kidney failure, and cardiovascular diseases. However, nonadherence is a widespread problem among patients diagnosed with hypertension. In patients who have been diagnosed with hypertension in the past year, more than half stop taking their medications. Mobile health interventions, such as text message or telephone reminders, are a low-cost way to improve medication adherence.

Purpose: The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice project is to examine how a weekly text message or telephone reminder impacts medication adherence among patients taking antihypertensives in a rural …

Reducing Asthma-Associated Absenteeism At A School-Based Health Center Using Asthma Control Test (Act) Scoring, Concetta Terry

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Asthma is a common chronic condition that can lead to increased school absences and lower academic performance. A needs assessment at a rural school-based health clinic identified gaps in care for students with asthma and high absenteeism rates.

Purpose: This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) quality improvement project aimed to reduce asthma-related absences by personalizing care using Asthma Control Test (ACT) scoring.

Project Design: Using a pre- and post-intervention design, this DNP quality improvement project followed the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework to evaluate the impact of implementing the ACT on asthma-related absenteeism in a rural school-based health center. The project …

Reducing Missed Appointments In An Ambulatory Infusion Center, Jacqueline G. Jones

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Missed appointments at ambulatory infusion centers (AIC) continue to be a problem, even with improved scheduling systems and care coordination efforts. Nationally, missed appointment rates average 10%–12%, and in Central Alabama, the rate is 11.7%. However, one local AIC has a much higher missed-appointment rate of 17.8%. Missed appointments lead to wasted facility resources, increased healthcare costs, and interruptions in infusion therapies.

Purpose: This Doctor of Nursing Practice project used live reminder calls to help lower missed appointments in an AIC. The goal was to improve attendance, reduce missed appointments, and maintain consistent care.

Project Design: Over ten weeks, …

Purpose In Practice: A Master Of Social Work Professional Portfolio, Lexi M. Laird

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Gender Differences In The Prevalence Of Anxiety And Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder And Associated Factors Among Adults In Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Basil Masinza, Amina Abubakar, Joy Mukubuyi, Patrick Mwangala

Institute for Human Development, East Africa

Background: Sex and gender equity in research has a growing focus, but there are gaps in fully integrating it in mental health research, limiting adoption of sex and gender-sensitive interventions. This review adopted a gendered perspective to synthesize prevalence and associated factors contributing to differences in anxiety and PTSD in SSA.

Methodology: Electronic search was conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science databases. Empirical studies conducted in SSA, targeting adults >18 years and having gender-disaggregated anxiety and PTSD prevalence and factors were included. Meta-analysis of proportions stratified by sex was done, and narrative synthesis of the …

Praying For The Past—A Jewish Response: From Metaphysics To Ethics, Noam Oren

Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers

No abstract provided.

Karmic Theodicies, Justin Mooney

Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers

No abstract provided.

The Gravity Of The Ukraine War: Measuring Conflict Impacts On European Grain Trade, Stefan Bonchis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the heterogeneous structural disruptions caused by the war in Ukraine on the European Union’s agricultural trade architecture, focusing on three critical commodities: wheat, maize, and sunflower seeds. Employing a structural gravity model framework across all 27 EU Member States, the study evaluates two conflict episodes, the 2014 Crimea annexation and the 2022 full-scale invasion, to identify the net beneficiaries and heavily impacted nations within the EU agricultural trade network. The empirical strategy utilizes a dual-test design to capture the full scope of the disruption. Test A (Ukraine towards the EU trade) reveals a distinct geographic logic in …

2026 Summer - Veterans Upward Bound Newsletter, Veterans Upward Bound, East Tennessee State University

Veterans Upward Bound Newsletters

No abstract provided.

The Anchored: Issue 4, Summer 2026, Writer's Club Of The Hope-Western Prison Education Program

The Anchored

The Anchored is a quarterly publication of the Writer’s Club of the Hope-Western Prison Education Program.

Mapping Dna Methylation Signatures To Identify Epigenetic Variation Across Subcortical Regions Of The Human Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Brain, Hongyu Li, Yujing Liu, Yiming Shi, Jiawei Wang, Tuan P Nguyen, Yuhan Xie, Wangjie Zheng, Youshu Cheng, Dianne A Cruz, Jennifer L Modliszewski, Rosemarie Terwilliger, Alexa-Nicole Sliby, José Jaime Martínez-Magaña, Janitza L Montalvo-Ortiz, John D Roache, Lynnette A Averill, Stacey Young-Mccaughan, Paulo R Shiroma, Bertrand R Huber, David A Lewis, Jill Glausier, Paul Holtzheimer, Matthew J Friedman, Jing Zhang, Alan L Peterson, Chadi G Abdallah, Amir Valizadeh, Xinyu Zhang, Ke Xu, John H Krystal, Ronald S Duman, Hongyu Zhao, David L Corcoran, Douglas E Williamson, Matthew J Girgenti

Staff and Researcher Publications

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that may occur in the aftermath of severe psychological trauma. Epigenetic changes in the brain may play a critical role in understanding the neurobiology of PTSD by linking environmental traumatic stress exposure to lasting alterations in gene expression that shape neuronal function.

Methods: We examined 1,065,750 DNA methylation (DNAm) sites from 171 donors including neurotypical controls and PTSD and major depressive disorder (MDD) cases across 6 regions implicated in the fear circuitry of the brain. We performed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to examine changes in gene expression and linked these changes to …

Understanding The Experiences Of Faculty Members Who Teach Case Conceptualization, Asianna Harris

Dissertations (1934 -)

Competence in case conceptualization (CC) is a core skill in clinical training. However, many graduate programs lack a structured process for teaching this complex and dynamic clinical skill. While most research focuses on students’ perspectives on learning CC, there is a distinct gap in research on faculty experiences, successful teaching methods, and the assessment of teaching practices. Therefore, this study addressed the gap in extant literature by exploring how doctoral programs’ faculty taught transtheoretical CC and how they evaluated the effectiveness of their instruction. A Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) design was employed to deeply examine the experiences of 13 faculty …

How Wounded Healer Trainees Develop Self-Awareness Of Their Wounds And Use This Self-Awareness In Clinical Work, Nishi Ravi

Dissertations (1934 -)

The wounded healer, a concept originally introduced by Carl Jung (1951), characterizes individuals who, having undergone personal struggles or ‘wounding,’ feel inclined to alleviate the suffering of others. Extant literature attests to the prevalence of woundedness among counseling professionals and to the potential benefits and risks their wounds pose in clinical practice. Despite its widespread use across the literature, the wounded healer concept has yet to be formally and empirically operationalized, and this study addresses that gap by offering a concrete, empirically grounded definition of the construct. Yet, while wounded healers are increasingly recognized across counseling training contexts, little research …

Latina Representation In Children’S Literature: A Content Analysis Approach., Vanessa Varela

Dissertations (1934 -)

This quantitative content analysis investigates the representation of Latina girls and women in children’s books across two distinct publishing periods. Drawing on foundational scholarship in gender and racial representation in children’s literature (Casey, 2021; Hamilton et al., 2006; Leslie, 2021; Pérez Huber, 2018; Paynter, 2011; Weitzman et al., 1972), and informed by the emergence of multiracial feminism in the 1990s, the study examines a total of forty books, using the book as the unit of analysis (20 published in 1995 and 20 in 2025). A comprehensive 60-item coding instrument was used to generate descriptive statistics, conduct inferential testing, and support …

Coping With Uncertainty In Everyday Situations (Cues©): The U.S. Pilot Study, Sarah Lehman

Dissertations (1934 -)

Autistic youth experience anxiety at an increased rate compared to their neurotypical counterparts. The presence of anxiety often amplifies the social and functional difficulties faced by autistic youth, which can exacerbate poor outcomes. Intolerance of uncertainty (IU), defined as negative beliefs and reactions to unpredictable or ambiguous situations, has been identified as a key factor to the manifestation of anxiety in autistic populations. The current study aimed to replicate the protocol and results from Rodgers et al. (2023) by conducting the first U.S. pilot study examining the feasibility and efficacy of Coping with Uncertainty in Everyday Situations (CUES©); an 8-week …

The Power And Peril Of Awe In Leadership: Transforming Follower Identity And Behavior, Jack Mcguire, Daniel Mcallister, Jochen Menges, David De Cremer

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Awe is a profound emotion that has captured significant attention within psychological research. While the potential for leaders to inspire awe in followers has received some recognition, systematic research on the nature and effects of awe in leadership—and within organizational contexts more broadly—remains limited. In this article, we offer a conceptual framework that explains the multifaceted and transformative nature of leadership through the power of awe. Specifically, we identify four leader behaviors—charismatic leadership tactics, exceptional performance, problem reframing, and self-sacrificial behavior—that elicit awe among followers. We further propose three variants of awe-inspiring leaders, describing how variation in a leader’s self-construal …

Color Shift: A Graphic Design Process Book Exploring How Color And Motion Influence Emotional Perception And Brand Connection In Affordable Women's Fashion Jewelry, Elizabeth Voight

Theses

This study examines how manipulating color and motion within a single brand identity system influences consumer emotional response and brand consistency. Using a fictional modern jewelry brand, Quanta & Co., the research isolates color as the primary variable by applying nine distinct mid-range color palettes to identical layouts, logos, and structures across both print and digital touchpoints. These collateral assets include jewelry packaging, vehicle wraps, digital advertisements, and an animated logo. A quantitative survey was executed to capture real-time audience impressions regarding brand traits, perceived quality, and the overall alignment of each color variation with the brand's identity.

The findings …

Assessing Natural Lighting In Historic School Buildings In Algeria: A Simulation-Based Design Perspective, Nesma Fercha, Akila Benbouaziz, Djamel Alkama

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

This study evaluates daylighting performance in a primary school classroom in Ain M'lila, Algeria, combining field measurements with advanced simulation. A representative classroom was modeled in DIVA-for-Rhino using accurate geometric, material, and climatic data. Illuminance measurements were taken on 28 March 2022 at 09:30, 11:30, and 14:30, and the results were compared with simulation results. The comparison showed good agreement, with minor discrepancies in shaded areas, confirming model reliability through mean squared error (MSE) and root mean squared error (RMSE) analyses. Five design scenarios were tested to enhance daylight performance by varying glazing type, louvre geometry, and surface reflectance. Spatial …

Metaphysics Of Parallel Heritage In The Formulation Of The Contemporary Cityscape, Ban Mohammed Sultan, Abbas Ali Hamza Al Greiza

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

In the contemporary globalized world, the metaphysical texts of parallel heritage play a vital role in preserving the identity and privacy of cities with historical cores by conveying both the authenticity of the past and the spirit of the age in architectural production. The research problem addresses a cognitive deficiency in reading the metaphysics of parallel heritage within the urban landscape of Haifa Street, proposing it as a text that mediates between heritage and contemporaneity. The research hypothesizes that these metaphysical texts contain a creative core that functions as a future-oriented cognitive model. Using a descriptive–analytical approach, the study analyzes …

Spatial Integration, Human Density, And Land-Use Dynamics In Traditional Urban Areas: A Space Syntax Analysis Of Old Rusafa, Baghdad, Aya F. Alobaydi, Dhirgham Alobaydi, Sally F. Abdullah

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

Urban morphology is a key aspect in the development of socially sustainable environments, especially in traditional areas, whereby it is directly related to cultural identity. `Old Rusafa' is a traditional area where this investigation will be implemented. It addresses issues of population density and land-use transformation. The research aims to address a research gap by quantitatively evaluating the interrelationships among spatial configuration, human density, and land-use heterogeneity in heritage-based settings. The study is methodologically based on the application of Space Syntax (DepthmapX and QGIS) and statistical analysis using SPSS. Integrated values were calculated at the global (R = n) and …

Budget Fy 2026 - 2027, Swosu Administration

SWOSU Fiscal Year Budgets

No abstract provided.

Exploring Primary Care Providers’ Compassionate Care And Their Evidence-Based Practice With Death, Grief, And Loss: Patient Experience And Perspective, Kathryn Krzykala

Dissertations

Research on primary care providers’ (PCPs) education regarding Death, Grief, and Loss (DGL) remains limited. Specifically, data is lacking regarding patients' perceptions and opinions on what they need and expect from their PCPs regarding grief and loss. This exploratory mixed-method study comprised 146 participants who had experienced death and non-death loss. It examined participants' perceptions of 1) PCP compassion, 2) PCP utilization of evidence-based grief and loss practices, 3) their own level of comfort discussing DGL with their PCPs during medical visits, and 4) their personal grief and loss experiences. The findings revealed that PCPs' grief-informed evidence-based treatment, as reflected …

When Neighborhoods Change, So Do Schools: Gentrification’S Influence On Public Education, Diego Ramirez

Theses and Dissertations from DePaul University

Neighborhood change is a common feature in urban life; however, gentrification is a distinct form of urban transformation characterized by rising property values, reinvestment, and shifts in neighborhood socioeconomic makeup. This literature review investigates the mechanisms through which gentrification reshapes public education and argues that gentrification has a direct impact on public schools, as these institutions reflect the socioeconomic communities around them. As neighborhoods gentrify and class demographics shift, education systems struggle to meet the demands of changing student populations, leading to unequal educational experiences. Specifically, this literature review demonstrates how gentrification reshapes public education through changes in school enrollment, …

Towards Understanding Users' Theory Of Recommender Systems, Mohammed Muheeb Faizan Ghori

Theses and Dissertations from DePaul University

Recommender systems have become deeply embedded in digital platforms such as streaming services, social media, and e-commerce applications, shaping how users discover information, consume content, and interact with online environments. Despite their widespread adoption, these systems are frequently perceived as opaque ‘black boxes’, leaving users uncertain about how recommendations are generated, why certain content is prioritized, and whether their interactions meaningfully influence recommendation outcomes. Existing research at the intersection of recommender systems and human–computer interaction has largely focused on improving transparency, explainability, and recommendation quality from a system-centered perspective. However, limited research has examined how users conceptualize recommender systems and …

Nietzsche’S Greek Soul: Traces Of Aristotle’S Psuchē In The Early Nietzsche, Laura G. Campos

Theses and Dissertations from DePaul University

This dissertation proposes an examination of the concept of the soul (Seele) as it appears in the works of Friedrich Nietzsche, in conversation with the concept of the soul in Aristotle. I propose bringing these two historically and theoretically disparate thinkers into dialogue insofar as they each represent a pivotal moment in the history of Western subjectivity, drawing on Martin Heidegger’s positioning of Aristotle and Nietzsche as the inaugural and final thinkers of Western metaphysics, respectively. Yet, following recent Continental interpretations of both thinkers, I read both Aristotle and Nietzsche as proto-phenomenologists concerned with the problem of how to thematize …