Digital Commons Network^™

Ruth Houston

African American Funeral Programs

Mrs_Ruth_Houston.pdf - Death notice for Ruth Houston

Terrance Vonzell Herrington

African American Funeral Programs

Terrance_Vonzell_Herrington.pdf - Funeral program for Terrance Herrington

Woodrow Woody Houston

African American Funeral Programs

Woodrow_Woody_Houston.pdf - Death Notice for Woodrow Houston

Mentorship Across A Decade: From Early Career To Mid-Career, Jessica Immonen

The Journal of Integrative Physiology

As a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Integrative Physiology, I was asked to share my reflections on mentoring. The way I functioned as a mentor when I was a junior faculty member was strongly shaped by the mentorship I received through my training years. The way I function as a mentor in my mid-career era has brought pearls from my training mentors but it has become unique to me as a person and a professional.

Utilization Of Imidazolium Ionic Liquids For Enhanced Oil Recovery In Harsh Emirati Tight Carbonate Oil Reservoirs, Noran Hussein Mousa

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

In response to the increasing global demand for energy and the limitations of traditional chemical oil recovery methods. This study explores the potential of imidazolium-based ionic liquids (ILs) as enhanced oil recovery (EOR) agents for Emirati tight oil reservoirs. Four ILs—C10mimCl, C12mimCl, C12mimBF4, and C16mimBr—were evaluated for their effects on interfacial tension (IFT), wettability, emulsification, and rheological properties under reservoir conditions. Experiments conducted at varying temperatures (up to 110°C), IL concentrations (100–3000 ppm), and salinities demonstrated that longer alkyl chain ILs, particularly C16mimBr, effectively reduced IFT by >99% and improved wettability by lowering contact angles up to 15.37°. Statistical modeling …

Development Of A Numerical Modeling Of The Flow In An Overtopping Device With Coupled Savonius Turbine, Vinicius Heitmann Avila, Rafael Gonçalves, Jaifer Martins, Emanuel Estrada, Liércio Isoldi, Luiz Rocha, Elizaldo Dos Santos

Seatific Journal

The study of wave energy conversion (WEC) technologies has been growing, with an emphasis on the overtopping device. Its operation is based on a ramp that directs wave water into an elevated reservoir. The accumulated water flows through a low-head tur-bine, generating electricity. This study proposes to develop a complete computational model to simulate a wave channel containing an overtopping device with a Savonius-type turbine inserted in the device's outlet duct. This study deals with the computa-tional modeling of a multiphase (air and water), turbulent, incompressible flow with constant thermo-physical properties, generated by the movement of numerical ocean waves. Verification/validation …

Wrong Use Of Smcp In Marine Communication: A Review Study, Fahimeh Farjami

Seatific Journal

The Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCP) are largely used on commerce ships to ensure safe navigation and to standardize communication between ships and between ships and shorelines. Therefore, it is crucial to raise training standards among important players in the sector: institutions for maritime education and training. This review study uses a theoretical and comprehensive systematic methodology and gathers data through analyzing SMCP previous papers in the context of onboard and external communication. The main objective of this research is to examine the improper usage of the SMCP, and marine safety to determine the needs and prospects for further future …

Exploring Hindrances To Artistic Expression In The High School Art Classroom, Meagan Matticks

Art 895 Research Papers

This qualitative phenomenological research study focuses on the exploration and understanding of the experiences of students who may feel hindered in their creativity and artistic expression in the high school art classroom due to various constraints. The major objectives of this study include researching ways artistic expression and creativity are hindered, including institutional policies, time limitations, resource availability, and other potential external pressures, such as curricular mandates. Data will be gathered through classroom observations, the collection of ninth through twelfth-grade student artwork created under varying levels of constraint, and written student reflections. This study will provide potential insights that result …

Adaptive Art Teaching Strategies: Empowering Students And Paraprofessionals In The Inclusive Art Classroom, Kameran Dostal

Art 895 Research Papers

In the art room, differentiation for students with exceptional disabilities presents unique challenges. Some art educators teach in self-contained settings (e.g. adaptive art classes), other art educators teach in inclusive art room settings (where students with disabilities are integrated into the art room), and others teach a combination of both. The research on adaptive art programs and adaptive teaching practices has the potential to impact students with disabilities as a piece of advocacy to showcase the impact of the visual arts on their IEP goals and fine motor skills. The intention is that this research re-examines best practices in teaching …

Developing Anti-Racist Teaching Practices To Represent A Diverse Student Population, Naomi Brumm

Art 895 Research Papers

The issue that this case study will address is the need for an anti-racist high school art curriculum. In order to better represent today’s diverse society, educators need to incorporate anti-racist teaching practices both within their curriculum and their classroom environments. I will examine how systemic racism as a society has led to lack of diversity within the field of art education and identify what anti-racist pedagogical practices can be put into place to combat it.

The Art And Science Of Observation: Visual Journaling In A Collaborative Classroom, Jennifer Mercado

Art 895 Research Papers

This case study explores the impact of explicitly teaching observation and visual journaling skills on student retention and comprehension of scientific concepts upon a co-taught science classroom. It aims to measure the impact of collaboration between science and art teachers in ac o-taught science classroom on student outcomes and teaching practices. This research is a case study, which is a qualitative data collection method, of student science observations, analysis, and data in art/science journals. After receiving informed consent, the partnered teachers’ reflections regarding the collaborative process and outcomes will be included. This study is important as it will examine the …

Leading Like Jesus In Organizations: Assessing The Practices Of Servant Leadership, Keenan A. Siegal

M.S. in Leadership

This project explores the concept of servant leadership through examining biblical accounts of Jesus Christ’s life and teachings. This project highlights how Jesus exemplified key principles of servant leadership, including humility, empathy, self-sacrifice, and a deep commitment to serving others before himself. The project contrasts Jesus’ leadership style with modern leadership models and discusses its relevance in today’s professional settings. Overall, it aims to explore a transformational approach to leadership in which it that prioritizes compassion, integrity, and the empowerment of others over meeting the needs of the business or serving yourself as a leader.

Essential Knowledge For Serving Bilingual Youth: The Perspectives Of Adult Former English Learners, Maneka Deanna Brooks

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study, framed by dignity-focused language policy and intersectional anti-adultism, investigates how 74 adults misclassified as English learners (ELs) during U.S. K-12 education conceptualize essential knowledge for educating bilingual students. Through semi-structured interviews, participants stressed two key areas for schools that serve bilingual students: recognizing students’ nuanced linguistic histories and acknowledging students as education partners. The findings emphasize centering impacted individuals’ perspectives, advocating for eliminating racial bias in EL policy implementation, and addressing institutionalized adultism in EL policy. Implications include the need for professional learning, policy, and practices prioritizing EL youths’ perspectives.

A Movement In Process: The Effects Of Post-Dictatorship Politics On The Legalization Of Abortion In Argentina, Corinne J. Robbins

CISLA Senior Integrative Projects

Access to abortion is an inherently critical aspect of sexual and reproductive rights. That is to say that access to safe abortions is of equal importance to guaranteeing a person’s right to safety during the pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum period. This research primarily focuses on the trajectory of the legalization of abortion in Argentina after the end of the last military Dictatorship (1976-1983), the factors that impacted the movement, and how the movement is received in Argentina today. Argentina’s current administration has been unsupportive of the current abortion law, but past successes demonstrate that abortion rights activists in Argentina are …

Globalization Of The Japanese Startup Ecosystem Through Transnational Entrepreneurship, Wonkyung Lee

CISLA Senior Integrative Projects

In 2022, Former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida unveiled a “new form of capitalism,” aimed at boosting investment in startups. When people think of major Japanese firms, they often envision corporations like Honda and Sony. However, Kishida highlights that these giants were once startups founded by young entrepreneurs, and emphasized the necessity of cultivating such innovation in Japan today. Furthermore, the introduction of a startup visa in 2015 has made it easier for transnational entrepreneurs to establish businesses in Japan. However, there are significant key issues within the Japanese startup ecosystem that make it difficult for foreign entrepreneurs to launch …

Walking In Town: A Study Of Walkability And Its Impacts On Students At Eku, Emma Garland

Honors Theses

This project explores the current state of walkability in Richmond, Kentucky, with a specific focus on connectivity between Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) and essential services in the surrounding community. Utilizing the PRECEDE-PROCEED model as a planning framework, the study combines secondary demographic health data as well as

primary data collection—including student surveys and a walkability audit using a modified Delaware Walkability Assessment Tool—to assess pedestrian infrastructure, access to amenities, and safety concerns. Findings reveal a lack of continuous, safe, and accessible walking routes, limiting physical activity and contributing to broader health disparities. Based on these findings, two primary evidence-based interventions …

Southern Adventist University Commencement Program Spring 2025, Southern Adventist University

Commencement Programs

Program for Southern Adventist University Spring 2025 graduation. The commencement service took place on May 1, 2025 at 9 am and 1 pm in Iles Physical Education Center.

Navigating Transparency In The Digital Age: An In-Depth Study Of Disclosure Practices In Influencer Marketing On Social Media., Devan Klarisa Grey

Dissertations - ALL

This study examines the disclosure practices of nano and micro-influencers on TikTok, focusing on their adherence to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines and the impact on transparency in sponsored messaging and regulatory enforcement. With the increasing use of influencer marketing, sponsored content with disclosures has become a critical issue. Regulatory bodies emphasize the need for clear and concise disclosures, yet influencers' compliance varies despite existing guidelines. This inconsistency raises concerns about consumer deception and ethical issues within digital marketing. This research examines influencers' disclosure practices on TikTok through a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative content analysis. The quantitative analysis …

Evidence Of The Evolution Of Interdisciplinarity: A Study Of Boundary Objects In Information Science, Susan Berrigan Corieri

Dissertations - ALL

This research investigates interdisciplinarity within the field of information science through the lens of boundary objects, addressing the primary research question: How does an examination of academic boundary objects provide evidence of the evolution of interdisciplinarity? By analyzing four boundary objects, (1) a peer-reviewed journal, Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology (JASIS&T) (2) an academic conference, the iConference, (3) university organizational structures of U.S. iSchools, and (4) the nomenclature used to refer to U.S. iSchool academic units, the study explores how these artifacts document the collaboration and evolution of academic communities in information science. Motivated by the …

The Importance Of National Government Participation In Local Smart Cities Planning, Majid Alshehry

Dissertations - ALL

The arrival of the smart city paradigm represents a significant shift in urban planning, integrating technology and data analytics to enhance urban environments' livability, workability, and sustainability. This thesis explores the critical role that national and local governments play in planning and executing smart city initiatives across a nation state, examining the impacts of policy in such technologically advanced urban spaces. With a multiple case study research design and the use of secondary data it seeks to understand how important national policies are in supporting and influencing the endeavors of local governments in deploying smart city solutions that cater to …

“Because I Felt Like We Weren't Chained Down Anymore”: The Experiences Of Families Of Students With Intellectual Disability Who Revoke Consent For Special Education Services, Sara Jo Soldovieri

Dissertations - ALL

“Because I Felt Like We Weren’t Chained Down Anymore” investigates a rarely discussed yet profoundly consequential choice: families of students with intellectual disability who revoke consent for special education services. Drawing upon Disability Studies in Education (DSE), Disability Studies and Critical Race Theory (DisCrit), and Critical Whiteness Studies (CWS), this dissertation situates revocation of consent within a larger struggle against entrenched ableism, racism, and segregation in American schools. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, I explore the lived experiences of five families who navigated and resist the special education system, clashed with segregated placements, and ultimately decided their children would be better …

Machine Learning Course: A 15-Week Interactive Curriculum With Code And Case Studies, Pegah Khosravi

Open Educational Resources

This open-access machine learning course is a comprehensive 15-week curriculum developed and published on GitHub with full Google Colab compatibility. It combines theoretical concepts with hands-on Python coding, real-world datasets, and structured projects covering regression, classification, clustering, deep learning, transformers, and multimodal AI. The course is designed for students, educators, and researchers interested in applied machine learning, including biomedical applications. It includes explainable AI components and ethical discussions to align with modern AI standards. The course is maintained by BioMind AI Lab at CUNY.

The Rainbow Nation Goes Dark: Unjust Energy Production And Load Shedding In South Africa, Grace E. Yearwood

Student Theses 2015-Present

Numerous inequalities experienced by South Africans right now are a result of the country’s previous apartheid government. One example is South Africa’s current energy distribution, which is extremely inequitable across communities due to the structurally failing energy grid and corruption within the government. Energy distribution in South Africa encapsulates the practice of load shedding, which is essentially controlled rolling electrical blackouts. Chapter One examines quantitative data regarding energy production and distribution in South Africa, including the details of load shedding. Moreover, this chapter explores the negative relationship between energy production, load shedding, and ecosystem services. The quantitative data lays the …

Climate Change Behind Prison Walls: Environmental Justice, Prison Abolition, And Social Welfare, Mia Moody

Student Theses 2015-Present

Unbeknownst to many, human rights violations occur on a large scale behind prison walls. This paper examines some of these violations, especially those exacerbated by climate change, through an environmental lense in order to emphasize the need for social welfare-based solutions in the abolition of the prison industrial complex. It also seeks to illustrate the connection between the environmental justice movement and the prison abolition movement so that marginalized peoples may be free from shouldering disproportionate effects of environmental hazards and imprisonment. This paper is introduced with a brief overview of the human rights violations occurring in prisons. Using quantitative …

Investigating Cross-Modal Temporal Dynamics And Semantic Incongruency In Multisensory Integration, Xiaoxiao Chen

Theses - ALL

Multisensory integration is a pervasive phenomenon in daily life, where our senses (commonly visual and auditory) demonstrate a high degree of interdependence in information processing. This integration is often regarded as automatic and pre-attentional. The Mismatch Negativity (MMN) is an event-related potential (ERP) component that captures the difference between novel stimuli (deviant, unexpected trials with low frequency) and regularly occurring stimuli (standard, expected trials with high frequency). MMN can detect unexpected sensory inputs and provide information about the timing of how the brain processes information from different modalities. However, limited research has explored MMN’s application in multisensory processing, with most …

From Male Gaze To Feminist Vision: Exploration Of Women’S Roles In Film, Yuping Zeng

Theses - ALL

Every era has its own form of female consciousness awakening. As early as the 1970s, under the influence of feminist movements, a wave of outstanding female-centered films emerged. Simone de Beauvoir stated in The Second Sex: “The representation of the world, like the world itself, is the work of men; they describe it from their own point of view, which they confuse with absolute truth.” (166) Perhaps as a direct challenge to this so-called “absolute truth” created from the male perspective, female directors often crafted female characters who sharply contrasted with the popular portrayals of women in mainstream cinema. For …

An Examination Of Writing Attitudes And Writing Proficiency Throughout A Performance Feedback Writing Intervention, Sophia Victoria Alderman

Theses - ALL

Writing attitudes, defined as self-assessments of liking or disliking writing (Ekholm et al., 2017), are important motivational factors that can impact writing development. A review of the literature on writing attitudes found that attitudes positively predicted writing achievement and that writing interventions can increase writing attitudes (Ekholm et al., 2017). Existing empirical literature has primarily focused on examining writing attitudes before and after implementing writing interventions, which vary in empirical support (Boscolo et al., 2012; ; Knudson, 1991b, 1992; Seban, 2012). However, no studies have dynamically assessed writing attitudes throughout the course of an evidence-based writing intervention with emerging writers. …

Back Then, Long From Now, Joseph Henry Troxler

Theses - ALL

There is a disruption occurring in our homes, causing a dissociation from the now. Troxler examines the power of objects and spaces of our homes through his works, in the hope to create experiences that mirror a dissociative phenomenon of being pulled between past and future. Here, he provides context to his artistic process - establishing methods for his traditional painting practice, sculptures, and digital works. Through an interdisciplinary artistic practice, he asserts connections to his personal memory and experiences. Within this thesis, Troxler approaches a shared phenomenon of temporal dissociation by establishing our dwelling spaces as incubators for loaded …

Avatars In Virtual Live Streaming: Identity, Authenticity And Interaction, Yifan Wu

Theses - ALL

With the advancement and development of technology, people now have more and more choices for entertainment. Virtual live streaming, as a rapidly growing form of entertainment, is receiving increasing attention. As an intersection of emerging technology and traditional entertainment modes, virtual live streamers interact with audiences through virtual avatars, bringing a new entertainment experience while also raising many interesting research questions. This thesis focuses on virtual avatars, discussing how virtual live streamers and audiences perceive virtual avatars and how these avatars influence both streamers and the audience. More importantly, this thesis explores the role that virtual avatars play in the …

The Media Coverage Of The Israel And Gaza War: A Comparative Study Of Cnn And Al Jazeera, Fuhaid Alajmi

Theses - ALL

The Israel-Gaza War, which officially started on October 7, 2023, caused immense loss in the Middle East and attracted the international media's eyes. This study discusses the media’s framing in its reporting on the Israel-Gaza War, particularly as disseminated on two prominent global news providers’ online websites: CNN and Al Jazeera. The research explores the differences and similarities in framing the war using framing theory. The study examines how these news outlets covered these current events online in a period ranging from October 7, 2023, to April 7, 2024, using quantitative content analysis. It investigates the main framing of news …