Digital Commons Network^™

The Psychosocial Factors Influencing Hiv Testing Among Women In Ghana, Janet Okailey Okine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

HIV testing is still an important component of HIV prevention, and disparities persist among women in Ghana. This study examines psychosocial and socio-demographic factors influencing HIV testing behavior, using data from the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey. A binary logistic regression result revealed that older, more educated, and wealthier women, and women who utilized HIV test kits, exhibit a much higher likelihood of undergoing HIV testing. Awareness of HIV stigma reduces the likelihood of women undergoing testing. Variations existed depending on the place of residence. Women in rural and northern belts were less likely to undergo testing. Marital status, …

“Your ‘Magic Dick’ Won’T Fix Us”: The Lived Experience Of Women With Vaginismus, Alisun Fiona Hughes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Genito-Pelvic Pain/Penetration Disorder, or what is commonly referred to as Vaginismus, is a pelvic floor dysfunction which causes penetration of the vagina to be painful or impossible. This qualitative study examines the lived experiences of women living with vaginismus, looking specifically at how they were socialized to perceive sex and how they navigate their condition. Grounded in theories such as Sexual Scripts Theory, Stigma Theory and Gender as Performance, this research analyzes how this condition is not just a biological trait, but also a socialized phenomenon that often causes a “spoiled identity”. Data was collected through an open-ended online survey …

Bridging The Romantic Repertoire Gap: Transcribing Nineteenth- Century Opera Arie For Oboe And String Quintet, Joshua Tyler Matthews

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This dissertation presents transcriptions of three nineteenth-century opera arie for oboe and string quintet as a means of engaging and adding to the instrument’s relatively limited Romantic-era repertoire. While the eighteenth and twentieth centuries produced substantial bodies of work for the oboe, the nineteenth-century reflects a noticeable reduction in solo and chamber compositions, influenced by factors including slower mechanical development, and aesthetic-related acoustic constraints. The study includes transcriptions of Léo Delibes’s “Air des clochettes” from Lakmé, Jacques Offenbach’s “Les oiseaux dans la charmille” from Les contes d’Hoffmann, and Vincenzo Bellini’s “Casta Diva” from Norma, selected to represent vocal styles from …

A Text Message Health Intervention For Cervical Cancer And Hpv Education And Behavioral Intentions Related To Screening And Vaccination, Carla G. Mercer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This study examined the effectiveness of a technology-based educational intervention delivered exclusively through text messaging to increase knowledge of cervical cancer and HPV infection and behavioral intentions to obtain Pap test screening and HPV vaccination. A two-arm randomized controlled trial with a pretest-posttest structure was administered to 33 enrolled college students ages 18–26 years, with 29 participants completing both assessments and included in the final analysis. Participants were randomly assigned to a treatment group, which received a one-week text message-based health intervention, or a control group, which received no intervention. Pretest and posttest surveys evaluated knowledge regarding cervical cancer and …

The Role Of Project Managers And Pmp Principles In Improving Operational Efficiency In Healthcare Organizations, Karan Thakkar

Harrisburg University Dissertations and Theses

Healthcare organizations operate in increasingly complex, regulated, and resource-constrained environments while managing a growing volume of projects tied to digital transformation, process improvement, regulatory compliance, and infrastructure development. Despite the project-intensive nature of healthcare operations, many organizations do not formally employ trained project managers or consistently apply Project Management Professional (PMP) principles; project responsibilities are frequently absorbed by clinical or administrative leaders whose primary expertise lies outside formal project management. This qualitative study examined how the project manager role and PMP principles contribute to operational efficiency in healthcare organizations. The study was conducted as a qualitative document analysis and thematic …

Measurement Discipline For Sustainable Industrial Transition: Frontier Productivity Evidence From Shandong And Jiangsu Manufacturing, 2013-2023, Shaopu Wu, Jianguang Hou, Danlin Yu

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Sustainable industrial transition requires productivity evidence that separates real efficiency improvement from scale expansion, capital deepening, and reporting change. This study develops a reproducible frontier-productivity diagnostic for provincial leading industry policy, using official 2013-2023 sector panels for 23 two-digit manufacturing sectors in Shandong Province and a matched 2019-2023 benchmark against Jiangsu. The framework combines input-oriented Banker-Charnes-Cooper (BCC) data envelopment analysis (DEA), Simar-Wilson bootstrap bias correction, Malmquist total factor productivity change (TFPCH) decomposition, producer price index (PPI) deflation diagnostics, scale-productivity classification, and targeted sensitivity tests. Bootstrap correction lowers mean BCC efficiency from 0.77 to 0.69 in Shandong and from 0.79 to …

Gnsi Decision Brief: Ours To Keep? Diego Garcia, Mauritius, The Uk, The Us And Security In The Indian Ocean, Guido Rossi

GNSI Decision Briefs

Defining Diego Garcia

Since the Pentagon does not disclose information about every US military installation, it is difficult to quantify exactly how many bases the United States has abroad. Among the currently estimated 750 “base sites” in over 80 countries, the Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia occupies a strategic location. This installation stands on the largest island of the Chagos archipelago, after which it is named. Located in the middle of the Indian Ocean, Diego Garcia is not just the only US base in the region but is positioned to support US operations in the Indo-Pacific theater, the Middle East, …

In Re: Milton Thomas

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Comparative Analysis Of Leaflet Materials, Stent Materials, And Stent Cell Density For Bileaflet Transcatheter Mitral Valve Design, Joseph Chibuike Nwokeafor, Joshua D. Hofmeister, Breandan B. Yeats, Lakshmi Prasad Dasi, Charanjit S. Rihal, Juan A. Crestanello, Leigh Griffiths, Mohamad A. Alkhouli, Hoda Hatoum

Michigan Tech Publications

Background: The biomechanical performance of bileaflet transcatheter mitral valves (TMVs) depends on complex interactions between leaflet material behavior and stent design. However, the contributions of leaflet materials and constitutive models, stent materials, and stent geometry to valve function and durability remain poorly understood. Methods: A parametric finite element study was conducted using a CAD model of a bileaflet TMV subjected to physiological pressure loading. Five leaflet material models were evaluated: 3 glutaraldehyde-fixed tissues—bovine pericardium (BP; FBP1, FBP2) and porcine pericardium (PP; FPP)—and 2 unfixed tissues—bovine (UBP) and porcine pericardium (UPP). BP was modeled as a linear elastic (FBP1) and Ogden …

To Be Known: Stories And Belonging, Jennifer Vermeer

Staff Work

"Stories not only give our kids a fresh perspective to see the world and themselves, but they also open opportunities for our kids to ask questions they might not know how to ask otherwise."

Posting about learning about ourselves through the stories of others from In All Things, an online hub that offers insight into maintaining and faithful and orthodox  Reformed Christian worldview while fearlessly engaging in  every aspect of contemporary life – until all is made new.

To Be Known

Gesture Control Reminder Device, Ian Kennar, Ryan Kiniris, Veronica Saltanov

Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses

Individuals with special needs or attention deficit disorders struggle to maintain structured daily routines independently, yet existing reminder technologies rely on visual interfaces, touchscreens, and fine motor control that make them inaccessible to this population. The Gesture-Controlled Reminder Device addresses these shortcomings through a compact, wearable assistive technology that eliminates these barriers entirely.

Teachers and caregivers can record personalized voice reminders directly onto the device, which are delivered to the user through haptic vibration and interacted with via simple hand gestures to repeat, snooze, or dismiss them. By processing all interactions on a custom PCB built around the Raspberry Pi …

Studyscape, Sanaa Ahmed, Zach Anderson, Joshua Colleran, Tiffany Doan, Andrew Pritchard

Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses

Finding suitable places to study or work on a college campus can be challenging due to fluctuating noise levels and overcrowding in shared spaces. This project, titled StudyScape, aims to help students identify optimal study environments by providing real-time information on ambient noise and room occupancy in campus buildings. The system deploys edge-based sensing nodes in selected indoor locations, each equipped with a microphone and camera. Audio signals are processed locally to estimate noise levels, while computer vision techniques are used solely for accurate occupancy counting; no video or image data is stored or transmitted, ensuring user privacy. A mobile …

The Journey From Pell Recipient To Graduate Program Candidate: A Generic Qualitative Inquiry, Stephen Richard Tomkiel

Theses and Dissertations

At a time when most economic advantages are inherited from prior generations, higher education should offer pathways through which disadvantaged students can rise above their origins. Unfortunately, low-income students are underrepresented across academia. Challenges faced by low-income high school students applying to college have been widely studied, but there is a relative lack of research exploring the experiences of low-income graduate school applicants. Prior studies show that low-income students can increase their financial well-being through advanced education. However, interactions of cost, funding, and habiti complicate their pathways to graduate school. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore …

The Impact Of Using Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials In Asphalt Binder And Mixtures, Ayyaz Fareed

Theses and Dissertations

Asphalt concrete is a widely used paving material for roadway construction; however, pavement distresses such as thermal cracking (non-load associated), fatigue cracking (load-associated), and rutting (permanent deformation) continue to challenge the performance and longevity of flexible pavements. These issues diminish ride quality, reduce service life, and contribute to increased maintenance needs. Several modifiers, including polymers and fibers, have been used to mitigate pavement deterioration, yet improving the thermal response of asphalt mixtures remains a significant concern, particularly in climates with substantial temperature fluctuations. Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials (MPCMs) have recently emerged as a promising solution due to their ability to …

Assessing Psychological Trauma And Resilience In Collegiate Ems Providers: A Quantitative Study Of Risk And Protective Factors, Maribeth Olivia Novsak

Theses and Dissertations

Collegiate Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers are routinely exposed to potentially traumatic events while simultaneously managing academic responsibilities, yet limited research has examined psychological outcomes within this population. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among trauma exposure, PTSD symptom severity, resilience, and perceived social support among collegiate EMS providers. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was employed using a self-report survey administered to collegiate EMS personnel across multiple institutions. The final sample consisted of 26 participants. Results indicated that trauma exposure was significantly positively associated with PTSD symptom severity, suggesting that increased exposure to critical incidents is linked …

Agrivoltaic Shading Reduces Soil Greenhouse Gas Fluxes In A Semi-Arid Vineyard, Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, Rafael M. Almeida, Carine Cocco, Engil Pereira

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Agrivoltaic systems are expanding in semi-arid regions, raising questions about how panel driven shading alters soil greenhouse gas exchange. We used automated chambers to measure high frequency soil CO2, N2O, and CH4 fluxes in a newly established vineyard agrivoltaic system in Texas across three shading intensities (0%, 35%, 88%) that represent the light environment beneath panels as shaped by panel tilt and solar trajectory. Shading primarily cooled the soil, reducing mean soil temperature from 35.9 °C (0%) to 32.5 °C (35%) and 30.5 °C (88%), while mean soil water content shifted modestly (0.125, 0.106, and 0.130 m3 m−3, respectively). Over …

Ai In Education And Information: Tool, Threat, Or Teammate? How Academia Is Shaping The Future Of Intelligent Work, Essraa Nawar

Library Presentations, Posters, and Audiovisual Materials

Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the future of intelligent work across education, healthcare, leadership, communication, workplace culture, and health information management. Yet while AI adoption continues accelerating, institutions and professionals are still trying to understand what this transformation actually means for people, learning, careers, ethics, trust, governance, and human judgment. This interactive and forward-thinking panel brings together voices from higher education and healthcare information management to explore how AI is reshaping classrooms, workplaces, healthcare systems, professional identity, and future workforce expectations across generations.

Rather than focusing only on technology itself, the conversation will examine the broader cultural and organizational shift …

The Technology Of Tradition And Biology Of Narrative: New Analogies For The Study Of Homer And Epic, Eunice Kim

Open Access Fund Publications

In two separate, timely books Bozzone and Christensen draw from a wide range of scientific disciplines and modern parallels to consider how Homeric language and epic stories are in some ways living and alive. For Bozzone, who analyses the various formal features of Homer’s poetic technique by incorporating cognitive and linguistic frameworks, Homeric language is ‘living’ insofar as it operates on mechanisms analogous to those a speaker uses for natural languages and other kinds of speaking performances. Christensen, on the other hand, applies a series of biological analogies to epic poetry and imagines that the narrative of Homeric epic is …

Performance Arteries: From The Street To The Salon, Zoella Lin

Comparative Literature Undergraduate Senior Theses

This thesis concerns itself with navigating what it means to build community during a time of uncertainty. Specifically, it is an analysis of Charles Baudelaire’s poetry in Les Fleurs du mal and Spleen de Paris alongside his figure of the flâneur as a way to understand the aporia of the modern world (modernity) as a way to inform how instances of connection can occur. The first chapter suggests that a close reading of Baudelaire's poetry gives us insight into what it means to live in this present moment by looking at how Baudelaire’s poet-flâneur navigated the rapidly changing world of …

Researchers Study 'Double-Edged' Nature Of Workplace Resilience, Clara Turnage

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. – From underdog stories to comeback victories, everyone loves a tale of perseverance. But a new study suggests that highlighting workplace resilience can sometimes leave observers feeling anxious instead of inspired.

The Effect Of Face Masks On The Perception Of Trustworthiness And Competence In Individuals With Autistic Traits, Farid Pazhoohi, Maryam Rostami-Aghoui, Leilani Forby, Keina Aoki, Alan Kingstone

School of Psychology

Facial expressions play a crucial role in social communication, influencing judgments of trustworthiness and competence. While previous research has examined how face masks affect trust and competence in general populations, little is known about their impact on individuals with high autistic traits, who often rely more on the mouth region for social cue interpretation. The present study investigates the effects of face masks on perceptions of trustworthiness and competence as a function of high and low autistic traits. Results show that masked faces are generally perceived as more trustworthy and competent than unmasked faces. The effect of mask wearing on …

Brain Reward Function In Young People With Cannabis Use Disorder: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study, Martine Skumlien, Lisa‐Marie Greenwood, Arush Honnedevasthana Arun, Isabella Goodwin, Anastasia Paloubis, Tribikram Thapa Rana, Marianna Quinones Valera, Eugene Mctavish, Gabrielle Abbott, Suraya Dunsford, Antonio Verdejo‐Garcia, Jessica Ramamurthy, Mark M. Schira, Nadia Solowij, Chao Suo, Valentina Lorenzetti

School of Psychology

Background and Aims: Cannabis use disorder (CUD) affects ~50 million people globally. Neuroscientific theories suggest that a blunted neural response to non-drug rewards is a hallmark of substance use disorders; however, this remains untested in CUD. The current study tested whether brain reward system responses to the anticipation and feedback of monetary rewards differed in people with CUD and controls. Design: Observational study using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Setting: Participants were recruited from universities and the community in Wollongong, Australia. Participants: Sixty-four individuals with CUD (20 female) and 28 controls (9 female), aged 18–32 years. Measurements: Participants completed a …

The Influence Of Gustav Holst's The Planets On The Music Of John Williams, Kara Lewis

Senior Honors Theses

Throughout his six-decade career in film music, John Williams has achieved incredible success. Yet, one of the most prominent criticisms of Williams’ work is that it borrows heavily from classical repertoire. It is common to read that Williams stole from composers such as Gustav Holst. This paper examines in what aspects and to what extent the music of Williams takes inspiration specifically from Holst’s The Planets. Overall style and specific excerpts will be compared to demonstrate that, while the two share some characteristics, there is not an overall sameness of style. It shall also be demonstrated that certain excerpts …

English Language Learners’ Perceptions Of Challenges To Persisting To Graduation In Higher Education, Rania Alhajjar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Volunteers' Motivation And Better Volunteer Recruitment In Nonprofit Organizations, Ashley Denise Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

When School Culture Excludes: Deficit Discourse, Microaggressions, And The Mental Health Of Marginalized Students – A Conceptual Framework With Implications For School Psychology Practice And Equity Policy, Modupe Mercy Oyewunmi

Publications

Deficit-laden language like ‘behavior problem,’ ‘not college material,’ ‘won’t fit in’, ‘not a cultural fit’, operates as a systemic form of implicit bias and microaggression in school settings. Despite decades of research on school belonging and well-being, school psychology has yet to integrate these exclusionary discursive practices into a coherent health-determinant model that also accounts for the current anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policy environment. This conceptual paper proposes a testable framework linking deficit discourse and school-based microaggressions to student identity suppression, academic impostor phenomenon, and educator moral injury, with downstream effects on school mental health outcomes. We situate these …

From Creating To Publishing: Writing An Oer With Students, Leonora Foels, Ambernicole Pfannenstiel

Teaching Online Pedagogical Repository

Writing and publishing alongside students as an active learning praxis increases student motivation, empowerment, writing skill growth, relationships, and scholarly skills. This strategy provides a framework for supporting experiences with publishing, helping faculty adopters create assignments to author alongside students and publish manuscripts through OER channels.

2026-06-09 Minutes, Morehead State University. Staff Congress.

Staff Congress Records

Staff Congress meeting minutes from June 9, 2026.

Educational Smart Ai Multi-Functional Robot, Chengxu Tang, Jiayan Wen, Bill Zhang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Senior Theses

Over the past decade, advances in embedded computing, robotics frameworks, and AI have significantly lowered the barrier to developing intelligent robotic systems. Some single board computers such as the Raspberry Pi are now capable of running operating systems like Ubuntu and frameworks such as ROS2, allowing us to build robots that can perform tasks including autonomous navigation, computer vision, sensor fusion, and speech interaction. As a result, technologies that were once limited to large research labs are becoming increasingly accessible in educational and lower level research environments.

At the same time, recent developments in AI have changed expectations for how …

Ora (Oneball Robotic Arm), Isabella Murillo, Juan Pablo Fernandez Garza, Gabriel Kotab, Catherine Epstein

Electrical and Computer Engineering Senior Theses

Confined spaces are dangerous and awkward to navigate environments, often putting those who work in them at risk. To reduce effort and human exposure to these hazards, robotic systems can be used to navigate and inspect these areas to limit, or even eliminate the need for human presence in confined spaces. This project proposes an autonomous robot that can navigate confined spaces while sending data back to the user. The robot features a spherical body that is capable of a zero rotational axis, with an external, magnetically attached head. This head contains scanners or tools that the user can remotely …