Digital Commons Network^™

A Comparison Of Museums From The U.S. And Mexico Within National History, Leticia M. De León

Museum Studies Theses

With the creation of nation-states, the implementation of museums within a society is used to propagate a national agenda. A Comparison of Museums From the U.S. and Mexico Within National History will discuss the social and historical contexts of public museums in the modern nations of Mexico and the United States of America. Using Benedict Anderson’s definition of a nation, this thesis will conduct a comparison between the two countries in how their museums uphold their chosen national identities. The topics of religion, politics, colonization, race relations, and more will be explored in a discussion of how these phenomena play …

Determining Diagnostic Criteria To Define Infant Swallowing Through Dyad Interviews With Experts, Evon Youkhana

Speech and Hearing Sciences ETDs

INTRODUCTION: With the increasing incidence of pediatric dysphagia, understanding what constitutes normal swallowing is essential to identifying aberrant swallowing. The purpose of this investigation is to understand how expert clinicians define swallowing disorders in infants and young children through a qualitative analysis of clinical decision-making processes.

METHODS: Data collection occurred in two phases. Phase I consisted of an online survey, which gathered demographic information and expert opinions on pediatric feeding and swallowing assessments. Phase II consisted of two dyad interviews to discuss key clinical and instrumental components important in determining the presence or absence of swallowing problems in infants and …

7 Gateways In The Milky Way, Reina Alvarez

CGU MFA Theses

In a world saturated with digital distractions, 7 Gateways in the Milky Way offers an invitation to slow down, step inside a moment, and contemplate the unseen. This body of work reframes time and perception through a series of conceptual cosmic creations—immersive installations meant to be occupied, not just observed.

The series incorporates geometric abstraction, conceptual sculpture, and contemplative environments composed of textiles, wood, sand, sound, light, redefined found objects, and ram’s horns. Inspired by the mysticism of the number seven—often symbolizing completion or cycle—each piece acts as a portal, shifting the viewer’s sense of space and time.

These site-responsive …

Between Two Countries: The Impact Of Globalization And Deglobalization On Generation 1.5 Chinese International Students In The U.S., Meiyi Jin

Communication ETDs

This study examines how Generation 1.5 Chinese international students, those who moved to the U.S. as teenagers and completed secondary education there, construct their identities amid globalization and the growing trend of deglobalization. Through in-depth interviews with 10 participants, it explores how they navigate their transnational experiences, negotiate belonging, and respond to shifting cultural expectations and perceptions from both China and the U.S. Using critical thematic analysis, the study goes beyond identifying recurring themes by analyzing the power relations, discourses, and sociopolitical dynamics that shape participants’ experiences. Findings reveal that geopolitical tensions, restrictive policies, and evolving public discourse in both …

Challenging $\Lambda$Cdm: Unraveling Cosmic Distances, Dark Sector Phenomenology, And Alternative Primordial B-Mode Sources, Kylar L. Greene

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

The dominant Lambda Cold Dark Matter (LCDM) cosmological model, while remarkably successful, increasingly shows signs that it may not fully describe our Universe, as persistent tensions in expansion rates and structure formation remain unresolved. In this thesis, I challenge the LCDM paradigm using novel theoretical frameworks combined with rigorous numerical analyses. I demonstrate that the expansion-rate tension fundamentally reflects underlying distance disagreements, and that the Thomson scattering rate strongly restricts higher pre-recombination expansion rates without additional physics. Further, I present a novel cosmological model using a mirror dark sector and varying fundamental constants, revealing an observational degeneracy allowing significantly higher …

Commencement 2025

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Crf1 Antagonism On Spatial Navigation And Long-Term Potentiation In The Tgf344-Ad Model Of Alzheimer’S Disease, Nicole C. Reyna

Psychology ETDs

Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by neurobiological deterioration and cognitive impairment that is irreversible. Alzheimer’s disease patients exhibit increased stress system abnormalities including upregulation of the corticotropin releasing factor type 1 receptor (CRF1) and elevated levels of cortisol. People experiencing increased psychological distress in life are more likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and experience faster rates of neurocognitive decline. Therefore, the current dissertation aimed to examine the underlying systems involved in Alzheimer’s disease neuropathology and stress. Administration of the CRF1 antagonist, Antalarmin, reduces AD pathogenesis and anxiety-like behavior in models of Alzheimer’s disease. Thus, the current project used the …

Using Natural Materials In Art Therapy To Address Accessibility And Well-Being In Low-Income Older Adults, Ahlyana J. Richardson

Expressive Therapies Theses

This study investigated the implementation of natural materials during the artmaking processes in an older adult art therapy group (eco-art therapy), and its effects on their well-being and the role of accessibility in their lives. An open-studio approach was applied to emphasize the artmaking process being driven by the participants independently, while also sharing a collaborative space and creating community with each other. There was an exception to this condition in this study, being that the participants were encouraged to ask for assistance in using unconventional materials in their artwork if they felt they needed it. The participants were older …

Literature Review: Drama Therapy As A School-Based Intervention For Military-Connected Adolescents, Katherine E. Dooley

Expressive Therapies Theses

The following literature review will review current research surrounding military-connected adolescents mental health and the viability of utilizing drama therapy as a school-based intervention to improve their mental health. Military-connected adolescents are an invisible minority who experience a unique set of stressors. This population experiences frequent relocation, parental deployment, and the impact living this way can have on the entire family. The current research shows that military-connected adolescents are more likely than their civilian peers to experience mental health challenges, including depression and anxiety. School-based therapeutic interventions have been shown to help decrease symptoms. School-based interventions allow for the therapist …

Gnsi Decision Brief: Policy Options For Securing U.S. Interests In Afghanistan, Jonathan Schroden

GNSI Decision Briefs

Since the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan in August 2021, the U.S. has faced the challenge of formulating policies that safeguard its interests there while navigating the complex security, humanitarian, and diplomatic landscape of the South and Central Asian regions. After the withdrawal, the Biden administration implemented a policy of counterterrorism operations, limited diplomatic engagement with the Taliban, humanitarian assistance delivered indirectly through non-governmental organizations, and the maintenance of targeted economic sanctions against the Taliban government and specific Taliban leaders. With President Donald Trump's return to office in January 2025, these approaches are subject to review and modification in …

Examining Factors That Shape The Perspectives Of Afro-Caribbean Parents On The American Special Education System, Eldine Beaubrun Montauban

Educational Studies Dissertations

Cultural beliefs of disabilities and education can impact parents’ perspectives of special education. There are pertinent concerns over the cultural factors shaping the perspectives of Afro-Caribbean parents on the American special education system. This qualitative case study explored the perceptions of six parents of children with special needs who identify as Afro-Caribbean living in Massachusetts. Applying a theoretical/conceptual framework that includes acculturation, assimilation, social identity, and school family partnership, this study reveals challenges Afro-Caribbean parents and their children encounter in the U.S. special education system. The analysis of the data yielded seven findings. The findings detail parents’ negotiations of their …

Meshlet Rendering Using D3d12 Mesh Shading Pipeline, Anishva Bardhan

Programming Theses and Dissertations

Modern video games must render scenes with increasingly complex geometry. Technologies like Nanite in Unreal Engine 5 enable the handling of scenes with significantly higher object and triangle counts than ever before. This project draws inspiration from Nanite by operating on triangle clusters, allowing artists to focus solely on creating high-poly meshes. The primary objective is to implement fine-grained culling techniques on meshlets, combined with efficient meshlet instancing, to reduce render time and memory usage.

Meshlet instancing plays a crucial role in optimizing rendering performance by allowing multiple objects sharing the same geometry to be rendered efficiently. Instead of duplicating …

Quixotes, Quacks, And Laughing Philosophers: Humor And Intellectual Authority In The Long Eighteenth Century, Macklin Fanning

English Theses and Dissertations

Quixotes, Quacks, and Laughing Philosophers: Humor and Intellectual Authority in the Long Eighteenth Century recovers the fascinating and forgotten story of John Elliot (1747–1787), a novelist, physician, mad scientist, pioneering optical theorist, criminal lunatic, and Gothic antihero whose life and work illuminate a strange new history of science, medicine, law, and literature in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

3d Multi-Threaded Ai Navigation With Pathfinding And Obstacle Avoidance, Jabari Belgrave

Programming Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, I developed a 3D multi-threaded AI navigation system using my own custom-built C++ game engine. The system combines triangle-based A* pathfinding with real-time obstacle avoidance using a set of velocity-obstacle algorithms. It is designed to support large numbers of agents navigating complex environments while avoiding collisions. I created two main simulation modes: Navigation Mode, which integrates A* with ORCA to handle large-scale pathfinding and movement, and Obstacle Avoidance Mode, which allows direct comparison between VO, RVO, HRVO, and ORCA in a controlled test setting.

The terrain is procedurally generated using Perlin noise, and this terrain data is …

Why Do People Move?: An Upper Elementary Oral History Unit On The History Of Migration In Alaska, Alice Ester Anthony

Education

It has become apparent that social studies is largely absent as a topic of study in our nation's elementary schools. This is a great disservice to our children and their ability to become productive and caring global citizens. This paper outlines the process of creating a manageable and engaging social studies unit for upper elementary classrooms. The curriculum that was created focuses on the history of migration in the state of Alaska with an emphasis on primary sources from the Kenai Peninsula. The curriculum requires two lessons per week for the duration of a quarter. Lesson plans are clearly outlined …

Montana Environmental Information Center V. Montana Department Of Environmental Quality, Alexis Karbowicz

Public Land & Resources Law Review

No abstract provided.

Examining Working And Episodic Memory In Young Adults With Anhedonia, Sofia Uribe

Psychology Theses and Dissertations

Depression is associated with impairments in memory processes. Evidence suggests there is poor recognition of positive information and quicker disengagement with positive information from working memory in depression compared to healthy controls. The working memory differences are hypothesized to be downstream effects of taxed working memory from rumination processes that impair reward learning. Furthermore, episodic memory impairments for positive information are hypothesized to be downstream effects of dopamine dysregulation from anhedonia in memory formation processes. The current study utilized the Diffusion Drift Model to examine whether anhedonia severity predicted differences in evidence accumulation using an index called drift rates in …

A Novel Approach To Model The Pion Structure Using Advanced Polynomial Functions, Lucas Kotz

Physics Theses and Dissertations

In the coming years, new experiments at the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will provide unprecedented insight into the building blocks of matter. To make the most of these opportunities, scientists must reduce uncertainties in the theoretical models that connect what we observe in experiments to what is happening inside particles like protons and pions. A critical part of these models involves describing how a particles momentum is shared among its internal components – quarks and gluons.

This work focuses on improving how we model the internal structure of the pion. We propose a new approach …

Physiological Regulation And Paths To Social Status In Chimpanzees, Megan F. Cole

Anthropology ETDs

In this dissertation, I leverage longitudinal comparative data from naturalistic chimpanzee populations to examine the evolutionary context for healthy aging and cooperative leadership. First, I use health data from semi-free-ranging chimpanzees living at African sanctuaries (2012-2023) to demonstrate that the effects of diet and exercise that promote healthy aging in humans are shared with chimpanzees. Semi-free-ranging chimpanzees exhibit a slower pace of biological aging compared to sedentary laboratory chimpanzees (Chapter 2). Sanctuary chimpanzees also have healthier inflammatory profiles, with no evidence of chronic inflammaging (Chapter 3). Second, I use hormonal and behavioral data from wild chimpanzees at Kanyawara (2005-2019) to …

The Theology Of Home: Cultivating Faith And Belonging Through Community And Hospitality As A Reflection Of God’S Presence In The Community And Church, Carrie C. Teller

Doctor of Ministry Projects and Theses

This dissertation examines the essential human need for belonging and its theological significance in shaping faith, identity, and community. Drawing on biblical texts, historical theological perspectives, and contemporary ecclesiological discourse, this study explores the church as a spiritual home—a sacred space of belonging where relationships foster deeper engagement with God and one another. This study contends that the modern church is in decline, and to revitalize it, we must reclaim the ecclesial essence of home. Rather than relying on institutional structures or programming strategies, churches must prioritize relational engagement and radical hospitality and cultivate authentic communities. Organizations like Mission Waco …

The Nexus Between Green Human Resource Management Practices And Environmental Sustainability Of Tanzanian Manufacturing Firms: An Integrative Framework, Zakaria Mwakila, Severine Kessy

Business Management Review

The study aimed to examine the influence of GHRM practices on environmental sustainability. The study used the Ability-Motivation-Opportunity (AMO) theoretical framework to achieve this objective. The study adopted a quantitative approach for data collection and analysis, whereby 250 self-administered questionnaires were distributed to human resource managers of manufacturing firms. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the field data. Interestingly, the results of the study revealed that environmental sustainability is significantly and positively influenced by all of the selected GHRM practices, including green hiring, green training, and green performance management. This study contributes to the scientific …

Simulating 3d Humanoid Ragdoll Physics Using Velocity Verlet Integration, Pin Constraints, And Rigid Body Collision Systems, Son D. Nguyen

Programming Theses and Dissertations

Ragdoll physics simulates realistic character collapse with physical realism by responding to environmental forces rather than using predefined animations.

A Real-Time Animation Toolkit With Blending, Root Motion Control, Interruption, Events, And Layering, Lechen Gong

Programming Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a real-time animation toolkit designed for interactive 3D applications, with a focus on games. The toolkit integrates advanced features including animation blending, root motion control, interruption handling, event systems, and layering to achieve fluid and responsive character movement. Built around a quaternion-based math library, the system ensures smooth transitions between animations, eliminates joint snapping, and avoids gimbal lock. Root motion extraction and application enable physics-accurate movement driven by animations. The artifact—a third-person action game—demonstrates the toolkit's efficacy, showcasing seamless animation transitions, efficient GPU-based vertex updates, and good performance (0.56–1.25ms per frame). Results confirm the system's ability to …

Procedural Terrain Generation With Biome Ecosystem And Dynamic Weather, Yanyan Zhou

Programming Theses and Dissertations

This thesis introduces a procedural terrain generation tool, inspired by immersive game environments such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Ghost of Tsushima. It combines procedural terrain and biome generation algorithms with dynamic weather transitions, allowing user customization through editing and importing heightmaps and biome maps. The system employs procedural functions like Perlin and fractal noise to generate realistic, varied landscapes and ecosystems, with vegetation distributed according to biome-specific parameters. Terrain mesh creation leverages detailed heightmap information, enhanced by advanced rendering techniques including normal mapping via central difference calculations, mip-mapping, and anisotropic filtering. Additionally, the tool features GPU-based …

Molecular Dynamics Study Of Phase Change And Interfacial Behavior In Nanoconfined Argon, Ying-Chu Chen

Mechanical Engineering Research Theses and Dissertations

As electronic devices continue to reduce in size, effective thermal management becomes increasingly critical. Thin-film evaporation offers a promising solution due to its high heat flux capacity and passive nature. However, the applicability of continuum theory to thin-film evaporation becomes uncertain at the nanoscale. This work presents a two-phase Molecular Dynamics(MD) study of liquid argon confined within two parallel platinum walls, focusing on both equilibrium and non-equilibrium phase change behavior under nanoscale confinement.

In the first phase, Equilibrium Molecular Dynamics (EMD) simulations investigate the influence of channel height (4, 8, and 16 nm) and wall-fluid interaction strength on bulk and …

Antioxidant Capacity Of Benalu Duku Leaves Alcoholic Extract On Sod Level And Pancreatic Cytology In Induced Diabetic Rats, Anggun Syafitri, Yuandani, Tri Widiyawati, Dwi Rita Anggraini, Syukur Berkat Waruwu

Baghdad Science Journal

Diabetes mellitus causes damage to pancreatic β cells and oxidative stress due to an imbalance of oxidants and antioxidants in the body. Controlling hyperglycemia by administering conventional drugs and with long-term use carries the risk of side effects, so traditional treatment is recommended. Benalu Duku (Dendophthoe pentandra (L.) Miq) is a plant considered a parasite. However, it has the potential to be developed as a diabetes drug because it contains metabolites that can be used as drugs that come from nature. This study aims to test phytochemicals and examine the effect of ethanol extract of Benalu Duku leaves (EEBD) …

A Floristic Study Of The Vascular Flora Of The Brokeoff Mountains, Southcentral New Mexico, Bryana L. Olmeda, Harpo Faust, Hannah E. Marx

Biology ETDs

The vascular flora detailed here describes 438 km² (169 mi²) of the Brokeoff Mountains of southeastern New Mexico. The Brokeoffs are part of the northern extent of the Chihuahuan Desert, the largest desert in North America and one of the ecoregions least represented in botanical collections. Prior to 2023, only 254 plant collections were known from the study site, representing roughly 1.5 collections per 2.59 km² (1 mi²), despite strong research interest in its neighboring Guadalupe Mountains. Over two field seasons, 1920 plant collections were made, over 81 days of field work conducted, in …

Migrant Women Along The Us-Mexico Border: Femicide And Gender Based Violence, Rylee Bondeson

Senior Theses

This paper examines the social and political factors that affect the rates of gender based violence against migrant women in areas around the US-Mexico border.

Beyond Borders: The Lubomirski Dürers And The Global Debate On The Ethics Of Art Restitution, Gabriela Bloch

Senior Theses

Despite the validity of national heritage claims and the legal principles governing ownership, the most ethical resolution to the restitution of the Lubomirski Dürers lies in a global collectivist approach. By prioritizing accessibility to the largest possible audience while acknowledging historical injustices, universal museums can serve as platforms for education and cultural exchange. This approach not only mitigates the exclusivity inherent in nationalist or legalistic solution, but also advances a shared human heritage that fosters global understanding and reconciliation.

Towards Inclusive Advocacy: Addressing Colonial Legacies, Evangelical Influence, And Nationalism In Uganda’S Lgbtqi+ Rights Movement, Rodrigo Pedraza Calleja

Senior Theses

This thesis explores Uganda’s homophobic legislation and attitudes, rooted in colonial morality codes and reinforced by U.S. evangelical campaigns. It critiques Western advocacy approaches and emphasizes grassroots efforts rooted in Uganda’s indigenous values. The research offers a framework for advancing LGBTQ+ rights that balances cultural sensitivity with universal human rights.