Digital Commons Network^™

Youth Agricultural Engagement And Its Association With Dietary Diversity, Household Food Insecurity, And Nutritional Status In Southwest Nigeria, Sherif Olasoji

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Youth remain underserved in nutrition research, policy, and programming despite being an integral part of the food systems. While the nutrition-sensitive agriculture framework has been established, there is limited evidence demonstrating how youth engagement in agriculture can serve as a pathway to improve nutritional outcomes. The study assessed youth agricultural engagement and its association with household dietary diversity, household food insecurity, and nutritional status in southwest Nigeria.

Using a cross-sectional design, data on socio-demographic characteristics, agricultural engagement, dietary diversity, household food insecurity, body mass index, and skin carotenoids were collected from 143 youth aged 15 to 35 from Ekiti, Osun, …

2026 Summer Commencement Program, The University Of West Alabama

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Technological Competence And Generative Artificial Intelligence: Canadian Law Students’ Understanding And Use In Legal Education And Legal Practice, Hannah Rosborough

Reports & Public Policy Documents

This report presents results from a national survey examining Canadian JD students' and recent graduates' understanding of technological competence and their use of generative artificial intelligence in legal education and legal practice.

The survey collected responses from 631 students and recent graduates across Canadian law schools between November 2025 and January 2026, combining closed-ended questions with thematic analysis of open-ended responses. The survey addressed how students understand the duty of technological competence under the Model Code, how they use generative AI in coursework and legal workplaces, their confidence in the accuracy of these tools, the guidance and training they receive, …

Fisheries Research Report No. 365: Recreational Fishing For Marron In South-West Western Australia In 2026, Claire B. Smallwood, Karina L. Ryan, Eva Lai

Fisheries Research Reports

The smooth marron (Cherax cainii) (‘marron’) is endemic to freshwater dams and rivers of south-west Western Australia. Marron are managed as a single stock within the South-West Recreational Freshwater Resource and are highly vulnerable to overexploitation due to the biological characteristics of the species (e.g., low fecundity, localised populations) as well as environmental (e.g., habitat loss, reduction in rainfall) and human (e.g., fishing, land clearing) pressures on freshwater ecosystems.

Due to this vulnerability, this species has been the focus of research, monitoring and management since the 1970’s. Since 2000, annual phone-recall (2000 – 2021) and online-recall (2022 – 2026) surveys …

Sexual Grooming And Other Barriers To Disclosure Of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Lillian A. Steedman

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Child sexual abuse is a serious and prevalent problem in the United States and is associated with negative consequences across numerous life domains (e.g., psychological, physical, socioeconomic). Disclosure of sexually abusive experiences may facilitate victims’ abilities to obtain psychological, social, and legal support. It has been theorized that sexual grooming plays a role in decreasing the likelihood of disclosure and of disclosures being believed. Therefore, this dissertation examined associations among sexual grooming, other barriers, and disclosure decisions and timing. Participants were recruited and screened online for eligibility to participate in a survey examining details of the abuse, trauma-related shame, disclosure …

Our Honors Impact: Evidence Of Honors Student Experience And Outcomes, 01 - The Initial Evidence Review, Brian Hoey, Honors College

Publications of the Honors College at Marshall University

Our Honors Impact, 01: Evidence of Honors Student Experience and Outcomes presents an initial review of student-centered evidence collected by the Honors College at Marshall University through its developing Honors Impact Evidence Bank. Drawing on student reflections, supported-project deliverables, program assessments, profiles, and other documented experiences, the report examines how honors education is experienced in practice and what becomes possible through integrative and experiential learning, mentorship, peer connection, financial support, global engagement, and opportunities for independent inquiry. Student narratives illustrate recurring patterns of intellectual growth, confidence, belonging, professional development, and connection to Appalachia and West Virginia. As the first edition …

Teacher Experience And Perception Of Feedback Literacy In The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, Carla B. Mills

Dissertations

Writing instruction in schools remains a significant area of concern even after decades of awareness that students are not performing at proficient levels upon high-school graduation. This phenomenographic case study investigated teacher feedback literacy at the secondary level through interviews with teachers of writing-intensive International Baccalaureate Diploma Program courses and document analysis. Areas of feedback literacy strength included teacher awareness of designing positive class environments, attending to the socio-emotional needs of their learners, extensive use of both rubrics and exemplars, and frequent provision of verbal feedback. Document analysis revealed the presence of explicit instruction in written feedback, rubric use, and …

Project Care Poster, Jeff Gutierrez, Rayna Sage, Rtc: Rural

Independent Living and Community Participation

The CARE Project connects rural Centers for Independent Living (CILs) and rural libraries to improve disability services and respond to community needs together. RTC:Rural has designed a participatory curriculum development project to collaboratively create a resource to provide a roadmap to community partnerships between rural CILs and libraries.

The Impact Of Point Of Care Hepatitis C Virus Rna Testing On Diagnosis, Treatment Initiation, And Linkage To Care In Marginalized Populations, Maria Simpson

Medical Laboratory Science Independent Study Projects

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) remains a major public health concern, particularly among marginalized and high-risk populations who experience barriers to timely diagnosis, treatment initiation, and linkage to care. Traditional laboratory-based HCV testing often requires multistep workflows and follow-up visits, contributing to delayed confirmation of active infection and loss to care. This literature review examines how point-of-care HCV ribonucleic acid (RNA) testing affects time to diagnosis, treatment initiation, and linkage to care compared with standard laboratory-based testing. Evidence from systematic reviews, community-based trials, correctional settings, supervised consumption sites, diagnostic performance studies, and cost-effectiveness analyses indicates that point-of-care RNA testing shortens turnaround …

Standardized Training Methodologies For Medical Laboratory Science Students And Their Importance For Student Success, Maria Simpson

Medical Laboratory Science Independent Study Projects

Clinical education is a critical component of Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) programs, serving as the primary bridge between academic instruction and professional practice. However, traditional clinical rotation training models often struggle to keep pace with rapid advancements in laboratory technology, expanding professional responsibilities, workforce shortages, and heightened patient safety expectations. The purpose of this capstone project is to examine the key factors driving the need to update training methodologies in MLS clinical rotations and to evaluate contemporary educational approaches that better prepare students for entry-level practice. This project addresses systemic challenges faced by clinical laboratories, such as staffing constraints, heavy …

From Centralized To Decentralized Care: Assessing The Role Of Design In Cardiovascular Unit Performance, Lindsey Fay

Interiors Faculty Publications

This report presents a comprehensive pre- and post-occupancy evaluation of the University of Kentucky HealthCare Cardiovascular Unit, conducted through a collaborative effort between the College of Design, College of Communication and Information, UK HealthCare, and GBBN Architects. The study examines the transition from a centralized to a decentralized care delivery model within a newly constructed hospital environment, with the goal of understanding how spatial design influences healthcare delivery, staff performance, and patient experience.

Using a mixed-methods approach, the research integrates quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques, including behavioral mapping, communication tracking, pedometer data, acoustic measurements, and staff and user feedback. …

A Quantitative Analysis Of Sea Turtle (Chelonia Mydas, Caretta Caretta, And Lepidochelys Kempii) Suture Morphology, Adolfo Emanuel Artigas Iv

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

Sea turtle shells are formed of modified ribs, which, structurally, are sandwich composites. Sandwich structures provide both physical protection and pressure response associated with diving at depth. Carapacial sutures, tight joints between adjacent bones, connect modified ribs with collagenous fibers. Previous research on freshwater turtle shells suggests that sinuous sutures (highly convoluted) enhance compression strength. Limited research explored the form and functional significance of sutures in marine turtles. To investigate suture morphology and potential ontogenetic effects, I analyzed sutures in green (Chelonia mydas), Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), and loggerhead (Caretta caretta) sea turtles. Samples …

Different By Default: Nevada's Business Law Prioritizes Clarity & Efficiency, Krisanne S. Cunningham, Benjamin P. Edwards, Jeffrey P. Zucker

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Bridging Borders: Community College Dual Credit Policy And Latinx Student Success In The Southwest Borderland, Daniel Guerra

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Early College High School (ECHS) programs have expanded access to college coursework and accelerated degree pathways; however, less is known about how Latinx students experience the transition from these programs into four-year institutions. This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of eight Latinx students who completed ECHS and matriculated to a four-year university between 2022 and 2024 in a Southwest borderland. The location is geographically isolated along the U.S.-Mexico border with a predominantly Hispanic population. Framed through Community Cultural Wealth and Rational Choice Theory, the study examined how students relied on cultural assets and evaluated educational opportunities while navigating secondary …

Assessing The Health Impacts Of Pm2.5 And Ozone Exposure: A Study Of Hospitalizations In El Paso, Alexia Breanna Reyes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Air pollution has been widely associated with adverse cardiovascular health outcomes; however, most research in arid regions has focused on high-intensity dust events rather than routine, non-dust conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the association between non-dust air pollution and cardiovascular hospitalizations in El Paso County, Texas. A time series analysis was conducted using hospitalization data from 2010 to 2014. Daily counts on non-dust event days of cardiovascular hospitalizations, including hypertensive diseases, ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and diseases of pulmonary circulation, were examined in relation to ambient concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone. Quasi-Poisson regression models with …

Exploring Right Ventricular Function Applicability In A Prediction Model To Identify Preterm Infants With Early Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (Report – Bpd Study): A Mixed Methods Observational Cohort Feasibility Study, Wisam Muhsen

School of Nursing and Midwifery Theses

Background: Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) is one of the significant complications of prematurity with its incidence on the rise, yet there is no clinically available prediction model. Aim:To assess the feasibility of conducting a study measuring right ventricular (RV) function as a contributor to the development of an early BPD prediction model in preterm infants. Methods This PhD comprised a scoping review and a single-centre mixed-methods feasibility cohort study with three quantitative and qualitative work packages, conducted at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust. The scoping review searched Medline, CINAHL, PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, ProQuest, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, JBI Evidence-Based Practice, …

The Effects Of Education And Training On Clinical Staff’S Knowledge, Perception, And Clinical Practice Of The Medication Reconciliation Process, Stephanie A. Williams

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Medication-related harm affects approximately one in 30 patients in healthcare settings. Accurate medication reconciliation (MedRec) is essential for identifying medication discrepancies, preventing medication errors, and reducing adverse drug events. Clinical staff play a critical role in ensuring the accuracy of medication lists in primary care settings.

This evidence-based quality improvement project evaluated the effect of a structured MedRec training intervention on MedRec knowledge, perceptions, and practices among clinical staff in a primary care clinic in Southeast Texas. The project used a single-group, quantitative, quasi-experimental design. A convenience sample of 32 clinical staff members completed knowledge and perception assessments before and …

Sentinel: Evaluating Occlusion-Centered Next-Best-View Selection Using Rgb-Derived Pseudo-Geometry, Paul Nassar

Master's Theses

Three-dimensional cameras provide direct geometric measurements, but their cost, weight, power requirements, and calibration constraints can limit their use in various lightweight or large-scale sensing systems. A potential alternative is to use conventional two-dimensional RGB cameras together with geometric reconstruction models that infer a partial three-dimensional representation from images. This thesis evaluates that possibility for next-best-view (NBV) selection through Sentinel, an occlusion-centered system for static, object-centric scenes with known camera poses and intrinsics. Sentinel converts source RGB observations into pseudo-geometry using monocular depth or point-map predictions, combines those predictions with camera-ray evidence, identifies occluded unknown regions, and selects a candidate …

A Maintainable Extensible And Performant Compiler Toolchain For The Trustguard Architecture, Ethan N. Emery

Master's Theses

TrustGuard is a hardware architecture implementing a CAVO (Containment Architecture with Verified Output) model, which provides security guarantees by bootstrapping trust of a system to a hardware component known as the Sentry. Rather than verifying an entire system, TrustGuard re-executes trusted computation on the Sentry and validates the host system's execution before allowing values to pass to the outside world, thereby containing the effects of erroneous computation. Implementing this architecture in practice without hardware modifications to a host CPU requires a compiler toolchain capable of automatically generating instrumented binaries for both the untrusted host and the trusted Sentry from C …

How Recent Medicaid Defunding Has Impacted San Bernardino County Residents Access To Health Care Services, Samantha I. Rios

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background: Medicaid is a critical source of health insurance for low-income populations in the United States, providing access to essential preventative, primary, and reproductive health care services (Donohue et al., 2022). The Medicaid defunding of 2025 and policy changes that follow have raised concerns regarding increased barriers to care, particularly among low-income and vulnerable populations who rely on safety-net providers such as Planned Parenthood (Planned Parenthood, 2025). The purpose of this study was to examine how the 2025 Medicaid defunding has impacted access to general and reproductive health care services among residents of San Bernardino County, California.

Conclusion: The research …

From Margins To Center: Los Deslenguados In The Borderlands, Brissa S. Porras Villalobos

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Borderland literature is a subgenre that often includes narratives of migration, tribulations, identity development, and resilience. It foregrounds the collaboration of vulnerability, isolation, connection, and power, showing that hybridity is a source of cultural energy. Acknowledging the borderland and its culture is crucial because it challenges stereotypes, validates marginalized voices, and celebrates heritage in all its complexity. By centering these experiences, borderland literature affirms the potential of living between cultures, prioritizing the recognition of the in-between, valuing and celebrating the space where identities are continually reshaped, histories are reclaimed, and resilience is nurtured rather than neglected. Using Gloria Anzaldúa's theory …

From Genes To Streams: Mitochondrial Approaches To Population Monitoring Of The Santa Ana Sucker Catostomus Santaanae, Mariana Antonio

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study was developed to use aquatic environmental DNA (eDNA) as a tool to detect the presence of the Santa Ana sucker (Catostomus santaanae), a federally threatened fish species, across the Santa Ana River in Southern California. Environmental DNA is any genetic material that an organism sheds into the environment. We can get an idea of what aquatic species are present when sampling water at a given site. We sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of the Santa Ana sucker and designed custom DNA primers to improve eDNA detection accuracy. These primers were selected based on high genetic …

The Third Zone Of Incomplete Rights: Spatial Compartmentalization, Expendability, And The Making Of Death Worlds In Adichie's Dream Count, Ebelenna F. Nwaobi

Research Papers

Contemporary socio-political discourses on global migration often risk misrepresenting migrant experiences by framing them mainly through the language of humanitarianism, inclusion, and identity. While these frameworks foreground protection and belonging, they may inadvertently obscure the institutional and political structures that regulate, differentiate, and expose migrants to uneven forms of precarity. In this paper, therefore, I examine Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Dream Count to explore the migrant condition as one shaped by migrants’ everyday encounters with space, law, labor, and political belonging. By so doing, I argue that the novel reveals migrant vulnerability not just as the consequence of singular acts of …

Asm And A Culture Of Sharing, Caring, And Fun In Education, David J. Westenberg

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

One doesn't always equate a professional scientific society with sharing, caring, and fun, but in this age of public distrust, public engagement with science and active student learning are ways to regain trust. ASM holds a leadership position in promoting and recognizing the value of education in the future of our profession and is there to support your educational journey. From K12 outreach and public engagement, to professional development, to presenting and publishing scholarship of teaching and learning, ASM has been at the forefront of biology education. Under the leadership of visionary directors such as Amy Chang and now Irene …

Laplace Factor Models In High-Dimensional Data, Siqi Liu, Xuerong Meggie Wen, Akim Adekpedjou, Guangbao Guo

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Laplace factor models (LFMs) provide a heavy-tailed alternative to Gaussian factor models by representing high-dimensional observations through a low-rank common component and Laplace-distributed idiosyncratic errors. This paper develops an assumption-consistent finite-sample analysis of matrix concentration, covariance estimation, and Monte Carlo integration under this model. We first formulate the model with explicit dimensional, independence, covariance, and identifiability conditions. Standard matrix Laplace-transform and matrix Bernstein inequalities are then recalled with their precise applicability conditions. Because untruncated Laplace variables are neither almost surely bounded nor strongly log-concave, these standard results cannot be applied directly in the forms commonly used for bounded or Gaussian-like …

Modeling Mean And Variability Of Anxiety In Ecological Momentary Assessment Data Using Mixed-Effects Location–Scale Models, Trenzy Odero

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ecological Momentary Assessment is a method of collecting repeated measures of people in real time within natural environments. This results in hierarchical data that has a significant amount of variation at the person level. The traditional linear mixedeffects models assume that the residual variance is constant, which might not be true when the residual variance varies among individuals as well as in time. This thesis uses mixed-effects location-scale (MELS) models to model the mean and variance of an EMA outcome together. By introducing the possibility of variability in residual variance within and across individuals and with covariates, the MELS framework …

Reapplication And Credential Completion Among Non-Selected Community College Health Science Applicants: A Social Stratification Perspective, Donna G. Whitehouse

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reapplication and Credential Completion Among Non-Selected Community College Health Science Applicants: A Social Stratification Perspective by Donna Whitehouse Community colleges serve as primary access points for healthcare workforce preparation, yet thousands of qualified applicants are not selected for competitive admission health science programs each year. Research on what happens to these students following non-selection is limited, and existing studies focus almost exclusively on nursing, leaving allied health programs largely absent from the literature. This study addressed that gap by examining the reapplication behavior and credential completion outcomes among 2,604 applicants to three competitive admission health science programs, Nursing, Occupational Therapy …

Unruly Curly Hair: The Role Of Latina Hair Stylists In Disrupting Beauty Hierarchies, Katie Duarte

Latin American and Latino/a Studies: Faculty Publications

Women of color use aesthetics to challenge and reproduce racialized, classed, or gendered marginalization, yet few sociological studies have examined women of color service workers as agents who negotiate, reproduce, and resist racialized beauty norms for their clients. This study utilizes a transnational ethnography of a beauty school course and Latina-owned curly and natural hair salons, primarily serving Latinas and Afro-Latinas, in New York City and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Through its analysis, this article identifies different forms of gendered labor that stylists perform to introduce “specialized body labor,” thereby disrupting racialized beauty norms that devalue natural and Afro-textured hair. …

A Misplaced Pocket Of Air: Intramural Gastric Air Most Consistent With Gastric Emphysema, Priyanka Panwar, Lavender Otom, Subo Marsa, Gerald Odong, Steven Idet, Irene Muchiri, Hussein Abdulsamad, John Odhiambo, Christopher Opio, Amos Mwasamwaja, Saleem Abdulkarim

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background Gastric emphysema (GE), or gastric pneumatosis, is a rare, noninfectious cause of intramural gastric air that must be distinguished from emphysematous gastritis (EG), a highly lethal infectious entity. Despite similar radiographic appearances, these conditions differ substantially in etiology, clinical course, management, and prognosis.

Cases We report three hemodynamically stable patients with CT-confirmed intramural gastric air most consistent with GE. Two had associated portal venous gas. The cases occurred in distinct clinical contexts: infectious gastroenteritis with retching, transient midgut volvulus with obstructive gastric overdistension, and alcohol-related upper gastrointestinal bleeding with forceful vomiting and a Mallory–Weiss tear. Although early EG could …

Sari-Sari Stores As Community Pharmacies? A Qualitative Exploration Of Sari-Sari Stores Selling Medicines In The Philippines, Melissa Louise M. Prieto, Gamaliel P. Galigao, Ana Rica S. Navarra-Cruz, Louise Gabriel R. Jimenez, Gideon Lasco

Medical Anthropology

Background and Objective. Despite laws prohibiting the sale of pharmaceuticals outside licensed pharmacies, sari-sari stores continue to informally sell medicines, bridging access challenges especially in remote areas. The study explores the roles and perceptions of sari-sari stores as informal medicine providers. Methods. The study draws on ethnographic insights from key informant interviews with fourteen (14) sari-sari store owners or tinderas, probing into medicines sold in sari-sari stores and their perceived effectiveness. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results. Sari-sari stores serve as informal yet critical points of access to common medicines for everyday illnesses, especially in remote areas where …