Digital Commons Network^™

Cultural Humility, A Salve For Romantic Relationship Conflict, Lena Blum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Conflict communication and having a relationship consisting of differing sociocultural backgrounds (DISC Couples) have been viewed as obstacles or at best hindrances of relationship satisfaction in earlier couples’ psychology literature. More recent literature makes an argument that it is not merely conflict communication or the differences of culture within a couple, but rather how couples navigate both conflict and differences that impact relationship satisfaction. The present work aims to investigate the role of cultural humility in the association between cultural conflict communication and relationship satisfaction, as well as its relationship with the frequency of cultural conflict communication among DISC couples. …

Kimora Iyana Henry

African American Funeral Programs

No abstract provided.

William Oglesby

African American Funeral Programs

No abstract provided.

Three-Dimensional Cell And Nuclear Geometries Inform Tissue Level Fluid Mechanics During Epithelial Remodeling, Liam Joseph Russell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During epithelial remodeling, mechanical and molecular programs must coordinate to drive the cell shape changes that enable new tissue topologies. Dynamic morphogenesis requires epithelia to preferentially exhibit solid- or fluidlike properties depending on developmental and biophysical constraints. Convergent extension in the Drosophila germband epithelium is one such remodeling event, during which the lateral ectoderm lengthens by two-fold along the primary body axis while concomitantly shortening orthogonally. This process is an incredibly dynamic and attractable system for studying tissue morphogenesis mechanics in vivo.

Germband extension is driven by oriented cell intercalation through T1 transitions, where cells directionally interdigitate with one another …

Ngram Data Social Media, William Zywiak

Data and Datasets

Data set for a NSF STEM grant.

Lag Correlation Variance, William Zywiak

Data and Datasets

Data set for a NSF STEM grant.

Pushing Forward: The Dialectical Experiences Of Apida Psychologists In Predominantly White Counseling Settings, Shaun A. Fossett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans (APIDAs) are the fastest growing racial group in the United States, yet they remain significantly underrepresented in the field of psychology and notably absent from research examining the professional experiences of racial and ethnic minority clinicians. Existing scholarship has documented the prevalence of racialized organizational structures, microaggressions, and the enduring “model minority” stereotype that both obscures and exacerbates APIDA challenges in professional environments. However, no known published studies have investigated the non–client-facing experiences of APIDA psychologists working in predominantly White counseling settings. The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) study was to explore how …

Investigating Caveolar Systems: Spatiotemporal Quantification Of Caveolin-1 And The Mechanotransducive Function Of Ehd2, Jasper Stanae Farrington

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Caveolae are 50-100nm cholesterol rich flask shaped invaginations found in many differentiated cells. Namely, these structures have been seen to be abundant in endothelial cells where they are involved in many signaling contexts. However, under mechanical stress, the characteristics of caveolae alter, flattening to increase membrane compliance, while displaced proteins can shift from structural roles to mechanosensitive signaling functions. Caveolin-1 (Cav1) is the principal protein required for Caveolar formation while Eps15 Homology Domain Containing Protein 2 (EHD2) is a membrane ATPase that acts to stabilize caveolae at the surface. Despite their emerging importance, understanding the organization and dynamic regulation of …

Unmaking Crane Hall: Institutional Change And The Politics Of Exhibit Closures At The Denver Museum Of Nature And Science, Abigail Genene Duff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the June 2023 closure of the North American Indian Cultures Hall (NAICH) at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science (DMNS) as a critical moment of institutional transformation. Through a case study approach grounded in archival research, interviews, surveys, and discourse analysis of social media posts and public commentary, this project investigates how exhibit closures reflect shifting dynamics of curatorial authority, Indigenous representation, and settler colonial structures. Guided by theoretical frameworks of settler colonial theory, desire-based research, institutional critique, and museum anthropology, this study explores how internal museum politics, community opinion, and public narratives reshape accountability and …

Synergistic Reinforcement Of Lignin–Chitosan Hydrogels Using Vanillin As A Sustainable Green Crosslinker, Moses Ayitey-Adjin Jr., Mohammad Jahid Hasan, Jeremy Erb, Kishore Chand, Garry S. Crosson, Kenya Crosson, Esteban Ureña-Benavides, Erick Salvador Vasquez-Guardado

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

While bio-based hydrogels derived from lignin and chitosan are promising sustainable adsorbents, their practical application is hindered by poor mechanical stability. This study addresses this limitation by synthesizing lignin-chitosan hydrogels using vanillin as a green, bio-derived crosslinker via a facile solution-casting method. The formation of imine (Schiff base) linkages between the aldehyde groups of vanillin and the primary amines of chitosan was confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy (C = N stretching at ~ 1602 cm^− 1). SEM and TGA results demonstrated a reduction in the pore size of the crosslinked hydrogel and an enhanced residual thermal mass. Rheological and …

Growth In Discomfort, Kayla Marker

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This portfolio captures the transformation into an advanced social work practitioner, emphasizing self-reflection, social justice, and the integration of theory into practice. Through personal narrative and practical examples, the document demonstrates growth in ethical behavior, advocacy for marginalized groups, trauma-informed care, and cultural humility, particularly in rural and Indigenous contexts. This portfolio details the application of systems, social learning, and empowerment theories, and highlights the importance of bridging micro and macro practice, engaging in research and policy analysis, and assuming leadership roles. The work showcases adaptability, collaboration, and evidence-based approaches, culminating in a commitment to lifelong learning and justice-oriented leadership …

Identification, Validation, And Prediction Of Longitudinal Recovery Phenotypes In Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: Analysis Of Prospective Cohorts And A Randomised Controlled Trial, Karlo Pedro, Mohammed Ali Alvi, Christopher Lozano, Vishwathsen Karthikeyan, Alex Bak, Benjamin Davies, James Harrop, Jetan Badhiwala, Jefferson Wilson, Wendy Lou, Zihang Lu, Kevin Thorpe, Michael Fehlings

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Symptom evolution in degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is traditionally characterized by severity of neurological deficit. A recent expert consensus challenged this view, proposing that DCM fluctuates across neurological, functional and health-related quality of life measures. We examined whether joint changes across these three domains define distinct recovery patterns in a clinic-based cohort of adult patients with DCM.

METHODS: Cohorts analysed were the Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy-North America (CSM-NA, 2005-2007, N = 278), CSM-International (CSM-I, 2007-2011, N = 479) and the CSM-PROTECT Trial (2012-2017, N = 290). All participants were symptomatic adult DCM patients who underwent surgical treatment and completed at …

Examining Intimate Partner Violence After Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury, Rebecca R. Suzuki

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) is linked with social problems in peer relationships that can last into adulthood. Little is known about how social problems impact the development of intimate relationships as pediatric TBI survivors grow up. This study addressed this gap by examining risk of intimate partner violence (IPV) in a sample of 50 young adult survivors of pediatric TBI prior to age 13 (M age = 22.96, SD = 1.70, 60% women) and tested social information processing (SIP) as a potential process through which TBI influences risk for IPV. Participants were recruited via Prolific and social media …

Exploring The Association Between Hypertension And Sleep Disturbances Among Adults, Diana-Lyn Baptiste, Ruth-Alma Turkson-Ocran, Binu Koirala, Brenda Owusu, Oluwabunmi Ogungbe, Stephanie Meng Yuan, Sabianca Delva, Marion Botchway, Deandra Romain, Serina Gbaba, Faith Elise Metlock, Yvonne Commodore-Mensah, Cheryl Himmelfarb

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States (US), contributing to one in three deaths. It is estimated that more than 120 million Americans are living with at least one form of CVD, which include hypertension (HTN). HTN accounts for the highest prevalence, impacting over 50% of individuals aged ≥20 years old in the US. Suboptimal sleep also represents a notable CVD risk factor and has been identified as a contributor to various CVD-related issues. The inclusion of sleep health as one of the Life’s Essential 8 measures in 2022 reinforces its importance for …

Ja'nyah Ashani Everett

African American Funeral Programs

No abstract provided.

The Invisible Poet: Stories Of Higher Education Professional Staff Program Experiences Via Poetic Inquiry Through A Wellness Dimensions Framework, Freyja Hofler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is well documented that burnout and low levels of employee wellness have negative effects upon employees as well as the organizations that employ them (Gallup, 2019; Maurer, 2024; Wright & Bonett, 2007). This study was a program evaluation of the C2 Initiatives program via a constructivist paradigm, responsive evaluation approach, and summative outcome evaluation. The NWI’s Six Dimensions of Wellness model was utilized as the theoretical framework of the study and arts-based research was used as the conceptual framework.

Participants were given documents from the C2 Initiatives program as a text base to create blackout poetry, a type of …

Critical Policy Analysis Of Student School Board Members: From Symbolic Seats To Shared Power, Reina M. Cruz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to critically examine student voice in school boards, specifically how student representation is enacted, negotiated, or constrained in public school board meetings across multiple states. This study used a critical political analysis, multi-site, multi-year case study, as I wanted to showcase the different forms of student board memberships and the enactment of policy. In total, three school years of public regular board meetings were observed across three different school districts. The study employed a critical policy analysis to examine state statutes, district bylaws, board policies, meeting recordings, agendas, minutes, and transcripts.

I examined variations …

Field-Like- And Self-Spin-Orbit Torques In Magnetic Multilayer Films, Kyle Jeffrey Peterson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Spin-orbit torques (SOTs) have been realized as an energy efficient mechanism to manipulate and drive magnetization dynamics in magnetic multilayer films. Their damping-like and field-like components provide distinct pathways for controlling the magnetization, enabling switching, sustaining magneto-oscillations, and driving domain-wall motion with potential applications in nonvolatile memory, spin-based logic, and microwave signal generation. However, the accurate quantification and interpretation of these torques remains complicated by experimental sensitivity, the co-symmetry of the Oersted field and the effective field due to the field-like torque, and assumptions regarding the material layers from which the torques originate. The body of work set forth in …

Exploring Foundations Of Animal Host-Microbe Interactions In A Freshwater Sponge, Jacob S. Pawley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The most ancient eukaryotic immune defense mechanisms evolved in unicellular species. Multicellular eukaryotes, however, expanded these mechanisms to meet challenges unique to multicellular life, including barrier formation, long-distance cell signaling, and coordinated responses that eliminate microbial threats while minimizing damage to the host. As such, animal immune signaling pathways are exceptionally intricate and diverse. Though, most of what is understood about animal host–microbe interactions stems from a small handful of model systems. Here, I evaluate host–microbe interactions and innate immunity in sponges using the highly tractable freshwater sponge, Ephydatia muelleri. I report the discovery of an external host-derived matrix …

Protest, Police, Peace, And Violence: Understanding Variation In Police Violence At Protests, Louis Pascarella

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Why do police engage in violence at some protests but not others? Existing research highlights the importance of protest characteristics, political context, police culture, organizational incentives, and interactions between protesters and law enforcement. While these factors help explain patterns of repression, they provide limited insight into why police responses can shift rapidly from restraint to widespread violence during the course of a protest event.

This dissertation examines variation in police violence during the 2020 George Floyd Uprising through a comparative analysis of protest events in Denver, Colorado and Seattle, Washington. Drawing on original event reconstructions based on livestreams, helicopter footage, …

A Longitudinal Study Of Achilles Tendon Adaptation In Ncaa Division I Female Gymnasts: Associations With Menstrual Status, Birth Control Use, Pain, Limb Dominance, And Training Exposure, Mattie Jane Hyde

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This longitudinal study evaluated Achilles tendon (AT) thickness in 22 NCAA Division I (DI) female gymnasts across three consecutive seasons in relation to menstruation, birth control use, pain, limb dominance, training week, and year of collegiate competition. Weekly ultrasound and athlete survey data were analyzed using mixed-effects models for absolute AT thickness and change in thickness from baseline measurements. Associations were primarily characterized by interactions rather than uniform effects of individual predictors. A Pain × Limb Dominance × Week × Year interaction was associated with both thickness outcomes across season-specific and combined analyses, with relationship directions varying by limb, season …

A Policy Analysis Of Higher Education Support For Foster Youth In The Colorado Child Welfare System, Krystal Robles

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

This policy analysis examines how two Colorado laws, House Bill 22-1374 (Foster Care Success Act), and Senate Bill 22-008 (Higher Education Support for Foster Youth), aim to improve educational outcomes and long-term stability for youth who age out of the foster care system. Critical Policy Analysis (CPA) and Resilience Theory are used in this paper to examine how these policies address systemic inequities, promote resilience, and offer protective factors that support educational attainment. Using policy review, state policy comparison, stakeholder interviews, and community perspectives, I evaluated how the implementation, effectiveness, and limitations of these bills shape real-world impact. The findings …

Nurses’ Attitudes Towards Complementary And Alternative Medicine In Cancer Care – A Narrative Review, Saphir Davies, Patricia Eyres, Matt Carey, Kevin Hambridge

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Aims: This narrative review explored nurses’ attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in cancer care. Design: The study design was a qualitative narrative review with meta-aggregation. Data sources: Published studies were identified via searching the following databases: Medline, CINAHL, Pubmed and AMED.Review methods: Four papers that met the inclusion criteria were appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program Tool. The qualitative data was extracted and meta-aggregated into three synthesised findings. Results: Four papers were included exploring nurses’ attitudes towards CAM in cancer contexts in four different countries. From these papers, 20 findings were extracted and formed into eight …

Disrupted Family Ecosystems: Intergenerational Estrangement, Nonnormative Events, And Perceptions Of Established Adults – A Case Study, Seth Wyncott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The issue of intergenerational family estrangement has gained increased exposure in research and popular literature; however, significant gaps remain in understanding the lived experience of adult-children who maintain separation from their parents. Complicating matters, the family is not a solitary unit but is intertangled within a macrolevel sociocultural ecosystem. This ecosystem includes normative and nonnormative stressors which are subject to diverse interpretations depending on the historic and evolving character of the family and its members. As such, it is important to examine the dynamic character of estrangement in familial and sociocultural context.

Utilizing a case study method with semi-structured phenomenological …

Well-Being Beyond The Binary In Perinatal Healthcare: An Application Of Reproductive Justice, Orphea D. Wright

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gender diverse birthing individuals face several systemic barriers to accessing affirming and empowering perinatal healthcare. The present study utilizes the term gender diverse and the abbreviation TGE to describe those who self-identify as broadly non-cisgender, an umbrella term for people whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth. Gender identities that may be included in this definition include transgender/trans, gender expansive, non-binary, gender fluid, gender nonconforming, gender variant, gender queer/queer, and/or agender. Gender diverse individuals face unique barriers in perinatal healthcare due to the pervasiveness of cisnormativity in perinatal healthcare spaces. Research has documented the harm caused to …

An Investigation Of Pelvic Kinematics And Implications For Total Hip Arthroplasty, Kathryn Holland Colone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is one of the most commonly performed orthopaedic procedures, with approximately 500,000 surgeries performed annually in the United States alone. Although THA is widely regarded as highly successful, postoperative complications persist, highlighting the multifactorial nature of THA outcomes. Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of implant positioning and soft tissue mechanics, yet challenges remain in optimizing surgical decisions on a patient-specific basis. Recent advances in surgical planning tools have shifted the focus of preoperative planning toward optimizing patient-specific outcomes, highlighting the need to better understand how patient anatomy, surgical technique, and joint mechanics interact to influence …

The Resilient Mother: Exploring Factors That Buffer The Influence Of Early Childhood Trauma On Maternal Self-Efficacy, Brigid Magdamo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Childhood maltreatment and toxic stress pose significant risks to both individuals and communities, yielding negative outcomes that can perpetuate across generations— a phenomenon known as intergenerational trauma. Early intervention is imperative to disrupt this cycle of adversity and promote positive outcomes. One promising approach involves leveraging protective and promotive factors that cultivate resilience. Individuals with higher levels of benevolent childhood experiences (BCEs) and greater social support tend to exhibit enhanced self-efficacy, thereby potentially buffering the detrimental effects of childhood trauma. Furthermore, the perinatal period presents a critical juncture where maternal well-being significantly impacts both mother and child. The current study …

Examining The Effects Of Perceived Need, Suicidal Ideation, And Interpersonal Shame On Help-Seeking Attitudes In Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans, Kristen Jiin Park

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined relationships among suicidal ideation, perceived need for mental health services, interpersonal shame, and help-seeking attitudes in a sample of APIDA adults (N = 175). Guided by Andersen's Socio-behavioral Model of Help- Seeking Behaviors (1968) and the Interpersonal Shame Inventory framework (Wong et al., 2014), the study investigated whether interpersonal shame moderated the relationships between suicidal ideation and help-seeking attitudes, and between perceived need and help-seeking attitudes. Participants completed an online survey assessing demographic and study variables. Results indicated that perceived need and gender were associated with more favorable mental health help-seeking attitudes among APIDA adults. These findings …

And There Was Battle In Heaven: Angels, Demons And Depictions Of Good And Evil In The Avesta And 1 Enoch, Christopher Brent Ghan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Zoroastrian texts of the Avesta and the Second Temple era apocalyptic text of 1 Enoch represent two of the world’s most enduring and influential articulations of the concepts of good and evil forces in monotheistic religious contexts. This dissertation applies Bruce Lincoln’s theory of weak comparison to compare the depictions of good and evil intermediate beings – angels, fallen angels and Nephilim in 1 Enoch and yazatas and daevas in the Avesta – to explore how both of these corpuses use these beings to address questions of evil while maintaining their monotheistic natures, and to define and explore their …

Effects Of Ankle Actuation On Stability And Gait Dynamics In Oscillatory Bipedal Walking, Guillermo E. Selva Barrantes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bipedal locomotion remains one of the most challenging problems in robotics and biomechanical modeling due to its inherent instability, underactuation, and the complexity of human gait dynamics. This study presents the design and control of a planar bipedal walking model developed to analyze the role of ankle control in achieving stable and human-like walking patterns. Two configurations were investigated: a five-link point-foot model and a seven-link model that incorporates anatomically inspired feet with heel and toe contact points. Both models were formulated using Lagrangian dynamics and integrated with a compliant contact and friction model to reproduce realistic ground interaction forces. …