Digital Commons Network^™

Privacy As A Democratic Guardrail: A Case For Fourth Amendment Constraints On Micro-Targeted Rhetoric, Susan Tanner

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Volumetric Differences Of Thalamic Nuclei Are Associated With Posttrauma Psychopathology, Nick Steele, Ahmed Hussain, C. Lexi Baird, Courtney C. Haswell, Delin Sun, Leonel Rangel-Jimenez, Chadi G. Abdallah, Michael Angstadt, Geoffrey May, Hannah Berg, Jennifer U. Blackford, Josh M. Cisler, Judith K. Daniels, Nicholas D. Davenport, Richard J. Davidson, Maria Densmore, Seth G. Disner, Wissam El-Hage, Amit Etkin, Negar Fani, Jessie L. Frijling, Evan M. Gordon, Daniel W. Grupe, Ryan J. Herringa, Anna R. Hudson, Neda Jahanshad, Tanja Jovanovic, Anthony King, Saskia B.J. Koch, Ruth Lanius, Amit Lazarov, Gen Li

Psychiatry Faculty Publications

Background: Previous investigations of whole thalamus and thalamic nuclei volumes in posttrauma psychopathology have been sparse and limited in scope and have yielded inconsistent results. To address this, volumetric estimates of whole thalamus and thalamic nuclei were obtained from structural brain magnetic resonance imaging scans from 2058 participants across 20 worldwide sites in the ENIGMA (Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta Analysis) Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) working group. Methods: Thalamic volumes were compared in trauma-exposed participants with PTSD (n = 238), major depressive disorder (MDD) (n = 184), and comorbid PTSD+MDD (n = 618) and in trauma-exposed control participants (n …

Hunger, Hardship, And Distress In Late Life: A Moderated Mediation Analysis Of Wealth, Food Insecurity, And Psychological Distress Among Older Kenyans, James Muruthi, Gabrielle Maloney, Beatrice Oppong, Joy Ogingo, Diana Orawo, Risper Kirui

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On Female College Students' Social Emotional Development: Is Flourishing Possible?, Kaylee Kirkwood

University Honors Theses

Adverse childhood experiences are events of trauma and abuse that occur prior to age eighteen. High rates of sexual violence against girls and female undergraduate students inspired this study to explore how trauma may impact development and overall college experience. This thesis employed a small exploratory pilot study to investigate childhood trauma and social-emotional development among a small sample of female college students (ages 18-25; n = 41). Participants recruited through the Prolific Database completed an online Qualtrics survey consisting of screeners, demographic questions, measures of trauma history and emotional functioning, and optional open-ended experience-based questions. Measures were guided by …

A Twilight World Of Unspeakable Horror: Lesbian Camp And The Vampire Lovers (1970), Mirielle Lemay

University Honors Theses

From the late 1960s through the early 1970s, a wave of lesbian vampire themed exploitation films proliferated through UK, US, and Western European cinemas. In critical literature on this subgenre, camp reading is often dismissed, unacknowledged, or understood as circumscribed by authorial intent and/or intended audience. With this alternating lack of attention to and dismissal of camp, the interpretive agency of the queer spectator is constrained, their spectatorship implicitly subordinated to that of the "conventional" horror audience—the voyeuristic-sadistic male spectator. Through a reading of The Vampire Lovers, a 1970 British production from Hammer Studios, I seek to explore how …

Disability Experiences Of University Students: An Interview Study, Cece Austin

University Honors Theses

This thesis explores the experiences of college/university students with disabilities within the educational system. Using a qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with students who identify as disabled or having disabilities in order to explore impacts of disability on their lives, with a focus on experiences navigating academic environments and accessing accommodations. Findings revealed two recurring themes: 1) the importance of both registered accommodations and accessibility efforts from faculty, and 2) difficulties with accommodations, internalized ableism, and disclosure. This research contributes to broader discussions on disability, inclusion, and educational equity by highlighting the lived experiences of students with disabilities …

Applications Of Prior And Novel Computational Tools In Mental Health Treatment, And Their Potential To Uncover The Explanatory Gap, Ambika Vyas

University Honors Theses

The explanatory gap is a widely discussed concept in scientific and philosophical literature. In neuroscience, the solution to the explanatory gap is highly sought out, but the general consensus is that it is unsolvable. Numerous articles discuss the explanatory gap alongside computational tools and how these tools could aid neuroscientists in uncovering the mental health explanatory gap. However, significant developments in machine learning have been made since 2020, coinciding with the rise in Large Language Models (LLMs). This thesis is a literature review on computational methods, tools, and devices developed and utilized by researchers to improve how mental health disorders …

Ecological And Political Grief In College Students: Making Meaning In Uncertain Times, Kate Hlad

University Honors Theses

The study aims to explore grief experiences of college students in relation to world issues, namely ecological and political concerns and ways of making/finding meaning, hope, and purpose. To address a gap in research on manifestations of combined and multifaceted world grief experiences, qualitative research was conducted in the form of semi-structured interviews with 6 different college students. Common themes arose from the interviewees' grief experiences including hopelessness, overwhelm, anger, and changed future planning. Additionally, participants shared their experience finding community, engaging in creative pursuits, and taking action against oppressive systems in order to experience hope and purpose individually and …

Facilitators And Barriers That Exist For Patients Receiving Dental Care In Rural Communities, Monse Sandoval Brumbaugh

University Honors Theses

Rising healthcare costs and limited access to care have exacerbated the shortage of healthcare providers. Although multiple factors contribute to a clinician’s preference for practicing in rural areas, the imbalance created leads to rural communities with significantly reduced access to essential services, particularly dental care. The disparity between urban and rural healthcare is a well-documented global problem, but it remains a pressing issue in the United States, particularly in Oregon. The Full Time Equivalents (FTE) count of full-time practicing dentists in rural regions is significantly lower than in urban areas. Statewide, there are about 0.48 dentists per 1,000 residents. However, …

Gps Tracking Smart Dash Cam Capstone Review, Simrah Saleem

University Honors Theses

This thesis details our design, implementation, and collaborative development of an intelligent vehicle logging system built on a Raspberry Pi 5. Unlike standard consumer dash cams that act as closed "black boxes," our system uses a dual-camera stereo vision setup integrated with centimeter-level accuracy. While we successfully built a functional Proof of Concept capable of event-triggered recording, dual-monitor visualization, and smart detection and recognition, this paper focuses on our engineering journey and the real-world challenges we faced. Using an Agile framework, we split into three specialized sub-teams to handle hardware, database, and interface design in parallel. This structure created unique …

School Counseling With Indigenous Students In Rural America: The Role Of A Counselor In Supporting An Indigenous Pedagogy Based Curriculum, Donovan Greene

University Honors Theses

Indigenous students are a huge population that are not fully supported by the school psychology field. This is primarily due to cognitive imperialism and the focus on a Western monoculture in education. This has led school psychologists and counselors feeling underprepared and lacking the tools to work with Indigenous students and as a result these  students are harmed academically and in terms of their mental wellness. This essay opens with a literature review of scholarship on school counselors working with Indigenous students. To improve relations, I suggest implementing more culturally focused interventions. Unfortunately there is a lack of research on …

Challenges And Opportunities Of Mastery-Based Learning: A Student-Centered Analysis In An Upper Division Programming Languages Course, Parshana Sekhon

Master's Theses

Traditional grading structures in computer science courses reward performance on a few high-stakes assessments that may not accurately reflect a student’s mastery of concepts. Mastery-Based Learning (MBL) offers students multiple opportunities to demonstrate understanding through iterative feedback and reassessment, promoting their persistence and self-regulation. However, MBL can promote student behaviors like procrastination, “minimal effort” attempts, or de-prioritizing the course in favor of other courses with inflexible deadlines, which may undermine its effectiveness. This case study investigates how students navigated MBL in an upper-division computer science course at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. The course explores the fundamentals of programming …

Pedagogical Perspectives Of Practitioner-Turned-Instructors In Upper-Division Computer Science Courses, Sinchana Shivaprasad

Master's Theses

Computer science and software engineering are disciplines in which a substantial proportion of graduates enter software engineering careers immediately after completing their undergraduate degrees. However, research continues to highlight a persistent gap between the knowledge acquired in university settings and the practical skills necessary to succeed in industry. Faculty who bring prior industry experience may be well-positioned to help bridge this gap by integrating applied perspectives and real-world problem-solving into academic instruction. As professors with practitioner experience are being hired into computer science departments, there remains limited research exploring how their professional backgrounds influence teaching approaches and shape computing education. …

Controllable Tile-Based Level Generation For Vertical Platformers, Aiden P. Smith

Master's Theses

Procedural Content Generation (PCG) has had much research poured into it in recent years, as it is a way to more easily create content and levels for player replayability. Historically, this type of level generation has been done by algorithms with strict rules and black-and-white decision making. However, in recent years Large Language Models (LLMs) have been fine-tuned for this task in research in games such as Super Mario Bros and other 2D platformers. In this thesis, we apply a similar approach to level generation for a vertical platformer called Kid Icarus. We create a tile-based level generation system that …

Analyzing A Hot Player: A Holistic Approach To The Hot Hand, Faran Igani

Master's Theses

This paper develops a continuous-time, continuous-state framework for studying “hot hand” performance within NBA games. Rather than defining performance in terms of discrete shot outcomes or short streaks of makes and misses, it tracks a player’s contribution using John Hollinger’s Game Score continuously throughout the game. The Game Score metric aggregates multiple on-court contributions through weighted in-game statistics, evolving as play progresses. This approach allows for the construction of a single metric that indexes a player’s performance over the course of the game. To evaluate whether observed within- game surges reflect genuine “heat” rather than random variation, a simulation-based null …

Hot Hands Or Chance Happenings? A Simulation-Based Approach For Wnba Teams, Ruben Jimenez

Master's Theses

The hot hand is a polarizing topic in basketball analytics: fans, stakeholders, and even players themselves assert confidently their belief or disbelief in the idea that players who perform well will continue to do so over an extended period of time. Statistical research has been conducted since as early as 1985 to attempt to disprove or prove the existence of this phenomenon. More recent works have refuted the earliest objections to the hot hand’s existence, with conclusions aided by robust simulation techniques. In this work, we compare hypothesis tests using multiple simulation techniques to explore the hot hand at the …

Is The Hot Hand Real? Evidence From A Permutation And Hierarchical-Based Analysis, Cameron Z. An

Master's Theses

The hot-hand phenomenon, often described as the tendency for individuals to experience prolonged streaks of success that exceed what would be expected under random performance, has been widely studied across many disciplines, particularly basketball. Early studies attempted to evaluate this effect through various techniques, often concluding that the hot-hand phenomenon was largely a myth. However, recent studies have begun to revisit previous analyses using improved statistical techniques, with some claiming evidence of a discernible hot-hand effect. This study examines the presence of the hot-hand effect in the modern NBA by testing whether observed shooting patterns deviate from those simulated under …

Community Programs That Build Connection, Jihye Baek, Cal J. Halvorsen

Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging

Social connection is a fundamental human need and a critical driver of individual health and well-being. When older adults maintain stable, supportive relationships, they experience significantly better physical, mental, and cognitive health outcomes. In response to growing evidence of its public health impact, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated social connection as a global public health priority, and the U.S. Surgeon General issued an Advisory calling for action to address the loneliness epidemic.

Racialized Internationalization And College Sport: Amplifying Black Ncaa Division I International College Athlete Voices Through Critical Podcasting, Timothy Ford Bryson

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

College sports in the United States have become a key site for internationalization in higher education, with international college athletes (ICAs) comprising 13% of Division I athletes (NCAA, 2023). While ICAs pursue degrees, compete at elite levels, and navigate F-1 visa requirements, their experiences remain underexamined in international education scholarship. This omission is especially stark for Black ICAs, whose stories are often collapsed into either generalized international student scholarship or studies of Black U.S. athletes.

This dissertation addresses this gap by examining the experiences of Black NCAA Division I ICAs through the lens of Migration Infrastructure Theory and Black Diasporic …

Advancing Telehealth Pulmonary Rehabilitation For Individuals With Copd: Integrating Scoping Review, Quantitative, And Qualitative Studies To Inform A Multidomain Telewellness Framework, Pooja Arora

ETDs from 2020-2029

Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous, progressive respiratory condition and the third leading cause of death worldwide. It is associated with dyspnea, reduced exercise tolerance, significant psychological burden, and poor quality of life. Telehealth pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) has evolved as an effective approach to improve health outcomes and overcome barriers related to center based pulmonary rehabilitation. However, it is important to determine whether these programs are guided by intervention frameworks that effectively promote overall well-being in individuals with COPD. This dissertation examined current telehealth PR models and evaluated the effectiveness of a generic, comprehensive telewellness program (MENTOR: …

Contributor Bios, Editorial Board

Intertidal

No abstract provided.

Volume 41, Issue 1, Full Issue, Journal Of Rural Social Sciences

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Leadership Revisited, Allen Vean Dmd

Metro Denver Dental Society Articulator Magazine

This Reflections examines the importance of communication, collaboration and human connection in dental practice management. Dr. Allen Vean draws parallels between healthcare teams and organizational leadership models, and discusses how trust, morale and team engagement directly impact patient care and practice culture. The article also explores the evolving role of AI and technology in dentistry while emphasizing that human interaction remains essential to long-term success. The author implores dentists to foster stronger team relationships to create patient-centered practice environments.

Information Literacy Tutorials For High Enrollment Courses: An Iterative Design-Based Approach, Kimberly Casey, Rebekah Heleen

Communications in Information Literacy

The purpose of this paper is to provide academic librarians practical guidance on how to provide information literacy support to high enrollment, general education courses. It includes a detailed description and analysis of our approach and findings throughout the project, as well as reflections and lessons learned. The project team developed asynchronous information literacy tutorials for first-year students at the University of Arkansas, utilizing a flipped classroom approach, to address challenges in delivering personalized instruction to high-enrollment courses. Collaborating with program directors, the team created online tutorials embedded with feedback surveys, which collected nearly 2,000 student responses. We also surveyed …

June 2026 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Striveforpride: Online Program To Promote Sexual And Gender Minority Well-Being, Shayna R. Greenberg

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) young adults are more likely to experience anxiety, depression, and stress relative to non-SGM peers. Digitally-administered mental health interventions show potential for reducing mental health distress in the general population. However, limited reporting of SGM demographics and adherence to online interventions constrain uptake and effectiveness. The present study explored the effect of an existing evidence-informed, self-guided, online-based mental health intervention, StriveWeekly, on internalizing symptoms among SGM university students. The sample consisted of 160 SGM university students, identifying as female, women, or feminine (63.1%), bisexual (36.10%), and Non-Hispanic (77.5%). Cluster randomization was employed on the basis …

Investigating The Detection Ability Of Presumptive Bloodstain Testing Through Concealment Obstacles, Skye E. Lehr

Student Theses

Bloodstain detection can provide valuable information on the ability of presumptive tests. When perpetrators seek to alter the scene of violent crimes to interfere with investigations or flee from justice, crime scene investigation becomes more complex. In this analysis, scenarios where bloodstain evidence is attempted to be removed by household cleaners and covered up by acrylic or oil-based paint, are tested using luminol and Kastle-Meyer direct testing. These bloodstains have been altered by bleach, dish soap or all-purpose cleaner and covered under multiple layers of acrylic or oil-based paint. Evidence is documented both photographically and visually to simulate crime scene …

Bridging The Diagnostic Gap: Expanding Dementia Care Navigation For Timely Diagnosis, Lucille Carriere, Morgan Minyo, David Bass, Katherine L Possin, Rafael Samper-Ternent, Joel Salinas, Nicole Deaner

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Over half of dementia cases remain undiagnosed, with persistent disparities across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. Dementia care navigation (DCN) has demonstrated value in post-diagnosis settings. If implemented earlier, DCN could address diagnostic delays and care gaps. We define the diagnostic window as the period from initial symptom awareness through diagnosis and early care planning. Drawing on deliberations from the Alzheimer's Association Dementia Care Navigation Roundtable, we present a pre-diagnosis DCN framework organized across six domains and describe navigator roles across three phases: pre-evaluation, diagnostic assessment, and immediate post-diagnosis and transition. We address special considerations, including people without a care …

Legends, Lies, & Rewritten Lives: After The Little Bighorn: Forgotten Struggles Of Those Who Walked Away, 2nd Edition, Thomas B. Davidson

DU Textbooks

This Story surrounds an event that occurred one summer on June 25, 1876, along the banks of the Little Bighorn River in what is now the state of Montana. Seen from a 21st century perch, it is a story of a collision between two very different civilizations or empires. Both empire’s military fought in the manner of their society. This narrative will attempt to balance the believable truth of what happened in that contest between the military representatives of both societies while also trying to tell an engaging story, without drifting into naked partisanship, purple prose, or sensationalism. The narrative …

Language Attitudes And Stereotypes Condition The Processing Of Contact-Induced Linguistic Variants, Sonia Barnes, Whitney Chappell

Spanish Languages and Literatures Research and Publications

This study examines the effect of language attitudes and stereotypes on vowel perceptions by two groups of listeners from Asturias, Spain that differ in their relationship with the languages present in their communities: Spanish, the national majority language, and Asturian, the regional minority language. The responses of 165 participants from the Nalón Valley (a mining area in the region) were compared with those of 156 listeners from Gijón (the largest urban area) as they categorized words containing synthesized productions of Spanish [o] and Asturian [u] in a task that combined binary forced-choice identification and visual priming. The results of a …