Digital Commons Network^™

Diabetes Care For People Experiencing Homelessness: A Uk National Survey & Integrated Care Model, Daniela Oehring, Martha Paisi, Mona Nasser, Theo Jackson, Ryan Young, Lynne Wooff, Helen Partridge, Samantha Dorney-Smith

School of Health Professions

Background: People experiencing homelessness (PEH) face unique barriers to diabetes management including unstable housing, food insecurity, and fragmented services. This study aimed to understand frontline professionals' perspectives on diabetes care for PEH and develop an evidence-based integrated care model.Methods: We conducted a mixed-methods cross-sectional survey (January-April 2024) of UK healthcare and voluntary sector professionals managing diabetes in PEH. The survey assessed perceived diabetes prevalence, complications, care quality, and management strategies. Quantitative data (n=104) were analyzed using ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and ordinal logistic regression. Qualitative responses underwent thematic analysis. Findings were triangulated to develop the Integrated Holistic Diabetes Care Model for …

Ecological And Nutritional Drivers Of Floral Fidelity In Wild Pollinators, Adelaide Elise Ergastolo

Master's Theses

Plants must receive pollen from the same species in order to successfully reproduce. For most flowering plants, the transfer of pollen occurs via animal pollinators while they forage on plants to obtain food. Therefore, the fidelity of pollinators to individual plant species during foraging trips is directly related to the amount of conspecific pollen plants receive. Low floral fidelity of pollinators can reduce plant reproductive success, which in turn has the potential to lower food resources for pollinators in the future. While many factors can potentially influence pollinator floral fidelity, several important ones may be the nutritional resources provided by …

Vietnamese American Anti-Imperialism: South Vietnamese History And Analysis Of Publications Pre-1975, Jeannie Nguyen

Master's Theses

During the Vietnam War, citizens contested US imperialism at multiple levels. In South Vietnam, citizens published newspapers and magazines to challenge their government and expose the depth of US aggression in South Vietnamese society and culture. Inside the imperial core, Black, Chicano, and Asian American activists formed solidarities to resist the war and challenge racial inequality. At the intersection of imperialism inside and outside its borders, lies a group of South Vietnamese students and scholars who became American, migrating during the war via state-structured projects. However, in response to the heightening of war and drawing inspiration from their ‘Third World’ …

Vegetated Canopy Heterogeneity Footprints In The Roughness Sublayer, Giulia Salmaso, Raul Bayoan Cal, Marc Calaf

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Turbulent flows over horizontally homogeneous rough surfaces are categorized as rough‐wall boundary layer flows, while flows over homogeneous vegetated canopies are better described through a mixing‐layer analogy. At present, numerous studies have investigated canopy density as a transition mechanism between rough‐wall and mixing‐layer‐type flows. Yet, most considered canopies have been spatially homogeneous, with few exceptions investigating agricultural arrangements. However, most vegetated canopies are not homogeneously distributed, but instead contain gaps and spatial heterogeneities of different scales. In these cases, it remains unclear which are the dominant flow traits, and how spatial heterogeneity affects them. To help overcome these knowledge gaps, …

From Lived Experience To Essential Understanding: A Phenomenological Study Of Instructional Coaches’ Lived Experiences, Lindsey Reynolds

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Instructional coaching is frequently positioned as a central strategy for improving teaching and learning. While existing research has examined the structural ambiguity and relational complexity of the role, less attention has been given to how instructional coaches experience the emotional demands embedded within their work. This interpretive phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of three public school instructional coaches in a single district to better understand how emotional labor operates within instructional coaching. Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews and hermeneutic analysis, the study examined how participants described and made meaning of the emotional dimensions of their role.

Findings indicate that emotional …

An Evaluation Of Artificial Intelligence Chatbots As Alternatives To Specialized Software In Teaching Bayesian Pharmacokinetic Analysis, Reza Mehvar

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Objective

Methods

Microvascular Endothelial Scavenger Receptor Class B Type I Protects Against Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction By Inhibiting T-Cell Cardiotropism, Yufei Wu, Xiaomei Yang, Yu Bai, Chenze Li, Peng Wang, Qing Xu, Hui Li, Xiaoli Rao, Yangkai Xu, Jie Chen, Huanhuan Cao, Qi Zhang, Mingming Zhao, Rui Zhan, Xue Fan, Yuedong Hou, Jie Liu, Hong S. Lu, Tianyun Wang, Wei Dong Gao, Linzhang Huang, Han Xiao, Lingyun Zu, Alan Daugherty, Mingguo Xu, Lemin Zheng

Physiology Faculty Publications

Cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs) dysfunction is a well-recognized mediator of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here we find that scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-B1) is predominantly expressed in CMECs and decreased significantly in HFpEF. Endothelial-specific SR-B1 deficiency exacerbates cardiac pathological remodeling and diastolic dysfunction in HFpEF, which can be prevented by endothelial SR-B1 reconstitution through adeno-associated virus serotype 1 (AAV1)-mediated delivery in endothelial-specific SR-B1-deficient mice. Single-cardiac-endothelial-cell transcriptomics and lineage-tracing system reveal that inflammatory CMECs subcluster activation is responsible for the deteriorating HFpEF progression induced by endothelial SR-B1 loss, rather …

Acoustic To Electronic: Multidimensional Musical Explorations, Kanenar Wen

Student Theses

The music of the film was once thought to affect the emotions of the audience without their knowledge (Gorbman, 1987). But in some new partnerships on film projects from students, the lines between music, sound, and silence should be erased. Music could be more of a texture. The sound effects may also have the characteristics of the music. Silence could communicate information. In the usual definition of music, it highlights the phrases, timbre, and harmonic composition. When it is altered, the sound is not only “music,” but it is also in combination with the image, time, and narrative; it becomes …

The Community Era: Developing Artistic Resource Sharing And Local Collaboration In California's Central Valley, Sine Chan-Golston

Student Theses

This work explores possibilities for artistic resource sharing and collaboration to address the needs of local arts communities. With the artistic programming researched and outlined (Arts Database, Space Sharing, Community Collaborations), the goal is to create an arts environment in California's Central Valley where local opportunities are abundant, accessible, and sustainable.

Enhanced And Confused: The High Price Of Partnership In American Theater, Brandan Walsh

Student Theses

Broadway’s contemporary development ecosystem relies on a complex and increasingly fragile relationship between nonprofit regional theaters, Equity workshop models in New York City, and a small number of fully commercial out-of-town tryouts. In recent decades, nonprofit regional theaters have become central to the commercial development process, hosting fully staged productions of Broadway-bound work under a banner of artistic partnership. These institutions provide infrastructure, audiences, labor, and institutional credibility, absorbing reputational risk in hopes of high rewards and financial gain from donors. In return, they receive limited financial participation in downstream commercial success and operate under strict ethical and legal constraints …

Performatic Learning In Informal Education: A Mixed Methods Study Of Zine-Making As A Catalyst For Intentional Epistemic Claiming, Experiential Knowing, And Cultural Mediation In A Museum-Based Learning Environment, April Ursula Fox

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Informal learning environments are powerful sites of meaning-making when learners are invited to move from observer to author. This study positions zine-making as an effective educational tool capable of promoting that transformation. The study advances a new framework—Performatic Learning—to articulate how creative, multimodal practices can support learning as becoming. Developed through foundational pilot studies and an in-depth mixed-methods investigation in a natural history museum, the framework integrates five constructs: Intentional Epistemic Claiming, Experiential Knowing, Cultural Mediation, Performatic Space, and Learning as Becoming. Across cases, zine-making emerged as a generative learning space in which participants authored knowledge, navigated uncertainty, drew on …

Realizing Reality — C.S. Lewis And The Hierarchical Model Of Christian Neo-Platonism, Jordan Spina

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Spina, Jordan, H. “Realizing Reality: C.S. Lewis and the Hierarchical Model of Christian Neo-Platonism.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2025. 253.

In recent years there has been a growing interest in C.S. Lewis’ intellectual relationship to the Medieval cosmological model. Scholars have demonstrated that, for Lewis, the Medieval cosmological model represented more than a scientific picture of earth in relation to other heavenly bodies. Its significance was not dependent upon the number of planets or the order in which they were positioned. Instead, it represented a philosophically robust view of reality

However, what has yet to be demonstrated is the roadmap …

Losing The Body: Tracing Corporeality As A Component Of The Imago Dei Through Early Christian Exegesis, Andrew Kneeland

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Kneeland, Andrew R. “Losing the Body: Tracing Corporeality as a Component of the Imago Dei Through Early Christian Exegesis.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2025. 252pp.

This dissertation examines the interpretation of imago Dei in Gen. 1:26 across early Christian history, revealing both a robust tradition of corporeal emphasis and a shift toward a spiritual consensus that was driven not by immediate, unanimous consensus but a variety of pastoral and polemical factors. Far from a fleeting, anthropomorphic error, a bodily understanding of the image of God spans diverse provenances and contexts. Organized diachronically and topically, the study begins with textual exegesis …

Multiple Interest Holder Perspectives Of The True Grit Sci Residential Program: A Mixed Methods Program Evaluation, Keara Mcnair

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Young adults with spinal cord injury (SCI) face significant challenges during the transition to adulthood, including barriers to independence, community participation, and psychosocial adjustment (Ingimarsdóttir et al., 2023; Zebracki et al., 2010). Current rehabilitation models in the United States prioritize short-term physical recovery and offer limited support for the developmental and contextual needs that shape long-term outcomes after SCI, particularly during transitions from inpatient rehabilitation to the community (Anderson et al., 2024; Bryden & Gran, 2024). Community-based programs may help address these gaps, though few have been rigorously evaluated using implementation science frameworks that attend to health equity, contextual influences, …

Tell Thy Story: The Jew As Other In "Pericles", Dov B. Rabinowitz

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This paper attempts to address a perceived blind spot in criticism of early modern literature, namely, the lack of critical race readings centering the othering of Jews in early modern drama. Shakespeare’s Pericles is used as an example of characters being othered, or Judaized, as they pass through city to city. Historical data, such as the history of the Domus Conversorum in England where converted Jews were kept, is used to bolster this argument, with Thaisa being read as othered in a Judaized way by being kept in a religious institution and never truly accepted by the people of Ephesus. …

Optical Performance Of Wall-Mounted Inverted Absorber Asymmetric Compound Parabolic Concentrators For Air Heating Solar Collectors, F. S. Guerreiro, M. Mckeever, D. Kennedy, B. Norton

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

The optical performance of inverted absorber asymmetric compound parabolic concentrators (IACPCs) for solar air heating applications is analysed. An inverted absorber concentrates incident solar energy on to a downward-facing transpired surface from which convective and radiative heat losses can be minimised. Three-dimensional ray tracing is used to model optical behaviour, simulating solar radiation pathways and interactions with reflective surfaces. The variations of optical efficiency and effective concentration ratio with reflector geometry, truncation and collector length are analysed. Findings indicate that smaller, elongated concentrators maximise optical performance and reduce material requirements when integrated over a fixed façade area. Design configurations that …

Evaluating Computer-Based Instruction To Improve Teacher Competence In Function-Based Antecedent Strategy Implementation, Valentina Arias

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Teachers often manage challenging student behaviors without formal training in behavior analysis, which can increase stress and reduce instructional time. This study evaluated whether computer-based instruction (CBI) is an effective and cost-effective way to train early education teachers to understand why challenging behaviors occur and how to prevent them, using antecedent strategies. Ten general education teachers working in a private, neurodiverse-inclusive school participated. They completed a brief training delivered through computer modules developed in PowerPoint that taught them how to identify functions of behavior and select functionally equivalent antecedent strategies to decrease challenging behaviors. Learning was measured using pre/post tests …

Feasibility Of A Functional Reach Tool For Individuals With Lower Extremity Amputations, Neil Bongolan, Dustin Hoy, Ashlyn Strange

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Purpose: Patients with lower extremity amputations are at increased risk of falls due to decreased balance ability between amputated and sound side. The purpose of this study was to examine the usefulness of a reaching tool for practitioners to assess balance in an inpatient rehab facility. It was anticipated that clinicians will find the reaching device useful when administering the Functional Reach Test (FRT) in a clinical setting, given the frequent use of these assessments and the device’s demonstrated reliability.

Participants: Physical Therapists and patients at an Inpatient Rehab Facility in Henderson, Nevada

Materials/Methods: A prototype reaching tool was provided …

Relativistic Transients From Compact Objects: Radiation Processes And Geometric Effects, Connery Chen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Relativistic transients from compact objects probe the most extreme regimes of physics, where strong gravity, ultra-relativistic outflows, and high-energy radiation operate simultaneously; understanding the underlying radiation mechanisms and extrinsic geometric and relativistic effects is essential for interpreting observations and constraining source properties. I develop theoretical and computational frameworks to quantify how geometry and relativistic motion shape observed emission from fast radio bursts, gamma-ray bursts, and neutron star mergers. I analyze fast radio bursts from the Galactic magnetar SGR J1935+2154 and show that emission geometry strongly governs burst energetics and detection probability, and influences the link between radio and X-ray emission. …

Student-Athlete Flourishing In Intercollegiate Athletics: A Mixed Methods Study, James Hines

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Comprehending the complexities associated with student-athlete well-being while competing on campus is important for both institutions of higher education and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Studies relating to student-athlete well-being have researched many different areas such as suicide prevention (Gross et al., 2020), mental health treatments (Ryan et al.,2018), and injury recovery (Martin et al., 2021). Few studies have examined student-athlete flourishing which focuses on helping individuals thrive and reach their greatest potential. This study employs an explanatory sequential mixed method design to examine student-athlete flourishing along with factors associated with student-athlete flourishing. Survey data (N=89) provided insight on …

Developing A Health Education Program For Adults Reentering The Community After Incarceration, Tiffany Ayame Kinugawa-Larsen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Justice-impacted adults often experience challenges in confidently managing their health due to limited autonomy, disrupted health routines, and limited access to health education during incarceration. Studies have shown that incarcerated adults have a higher likelihood of developing chronic health issues, yet have limited access to resources that promote health and well-being after release from incarceration. Given that health management falls within the scope of occupational therapy (OT), the profession is positioned to promote health and well-being by applying OT principles that emphasize individualized, holistic care tailored to a justice-impacted population during community reintegration. A 5-week health education program grounded in …

The Contribution Of Psychophysiological Stress Factors On Muscle Cramp Susceptibility, Lauren D. Levine

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Exercise-associated muscle cramps (EAMCs) are painful phenomenon that involves involuntary muscle spasms occurring during physical activity or directly after. 1 The landscape of the research on EAMC etiology has expanded from focusing on a single prevailing cause (e.g., hydration status) to a more holistic approach of how numerous factors contribute to the onset of neuromuscular fatigue, and the significance of each factor in those who suffer from EAMC. Following the multifactorial theory of cramp pathophysiology, this research sought to advance the knowledge of cramp susceptibility by investigating if there is a relationship between common psychophysiological factors like high anxiety, sleep …

Shaping Narratives By Defying Math: How Black Congressional Candidates Frame Economic Issues From 2018–2022, Dante Allen Miller

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation moves the discussion of Black candidates economic policies beyond race to understand how Black candidates participate in racial capitalism. Using a mixed-methods approach, including textual analysis, and multinomial logistic regressions, I interrogate how 374 Black candidates navigate economic framing. Candidates use four distinct economic frames, three of which are rooted in neoliberalism, traditional, welfare state, progressive, and vague values. I present the findings in three papers which examine framing via textual analysis, the intra-categorical differences, and differences by congressional district demographics. In the first paper I show that Black candidates framing of economic issues reinforces racial capitalism even …

Exact Solution Of Steady Seepage In An Asymmetrical Domain Underneath A Cofferdam, Tan Nguyen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

For decades, the evaluation of steady state seepage beneath asymmetrical cofferdams has relied on numerical methods, such as Finite Element Methods (FEM), Finite Difference Method (FDM), Finite Volume Method (FVM), Mesh Reduction Method (MRM), Meshless Method (MM), Boundary Element Method (BEM), or geometric idealizations, most notably Griffiths' vertical Method of Fragments assumption. While exact closed form solutions via Schwarz-Christoffel (SC) conformal mapping have been well established for symmetrical geometries (Banerjee and Muleshkov), the generalized asymmetrical case has historically remained an intractable mathematical frontier. The primary barrier to an exact analytical solution has been the "crowding problem," a numerical phenomenon where …

“I Just Kept Showing Up”: On Institutional Actors’ Motivations, Change Work, And Homeplaces At Desert Rose University In Support Of Undocumented Students, Vanessa Núñez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

My dissertation examines the roles that faculty and staff play in (re)shaping institutional policies and procedures to support undocumented students. While access to higher education has been examined through various lenses, we know very little about the “institutional activists” who advocate for undocumented student support in a bounded system like a college campus. The extant literature on faculty support of undocumented students focuses on the ways they create a sense of belonging and validation through mentorship and encouragement (Pérez-Huber, 2010; Gámez, Lopez, and Overton, 2017). My research suggests that while undocu student activists are the driving force behind change at …

Psychological Impact Of Nexus Program On Persons Living With Mild Dementia, Kaleigh Gailynn Quinlan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Objective: Dementia is a global health concern due to the rapidly growing aging population (WHO, 2023). A wealth of evidence exists to support the notion that lifestyle interventions not only slow cognitive decline but improve cognition (Ngandu et al., 2015; Rosenberg et al.., 2018; Meng et al., 2022). However, there is a distinct lack of qualitative evidence examining the experience of being in a lifestyle redesign program. Lifestyle interventions require a large overhaul of an individual’s habits and performance patterns, and as such, there must be a subjective experience attached. Methodology: Through convenience sampling of the residents participating in the …

Who Am I As An Elementary Cs Teacher? The Identity Development And Struggles Of Elementary Teachers As Computer Science Teachers, Burak Sahin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study investigates how elementary teachers develop and negotiate their identities as computer science (CS) teachers within the expanding presence of CS in early K–12 education. As CS is increasingly integrated into early grades, many teachers are expected to teach it without formal preparation. It positions them to simultaneously learn, teach, and construct a professional identity in an unfamiliar domain. Using an interpretive phenomenological approach, this study examines teachers’ lived experiences of identity development by drawing on identity theory (Gee, 2000) and the performance, recognition, and competence framework (Carlone & Johnson,2007) to understand how identity is shaped through practice, institutional …

Digital Society: Media And Mental Health, James P. Sims

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis examines how contemporary media environments especially algorithmic, mobile, and socially interactive platforms are shaping attention, identity, emotional regulation, and mental health in a mediatized society. While research has documented rising levels of anxiety, depression, social comparison, compulsive media use, and fragmented communication patterns, much of the existing scholarship is quantitative and clinical, leaving a gap in how individuals experience these effects subjectively. This project combines literature grounded in media effects theory with a qualitative documentary film featuring lived-experience narratives from media users, clinicians, and scholars. The thesis argues that the psychological, social, and behavioral outcomes associated with digital …

Application Of Occupational Therapy Task-Oriented For Chronic Post-Stroke Rehabilitation: A Case Study, Gia Nghi Vu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Stroke remains the leading cause of long-term disability, with persistent upper extremity (UE) impairment limiting engagement in daily tasks, reducing quality of life and contributing to learned non-use in the chronic stage among stroke survivors. The Occupational Therapy Task Oriented (OTTO) approach is proposed to optimize occupational performance through the use of meaningful, functional and highly individualized tasks that enable clients to fulfill their valued roles and participate in desired daily activities. The purpose of this capstone project was to advance clinical skills by applying the OTTO approach to examine its effect on occupational performance and UE motor function in …

Addressing Sexual Health For Older Veterans By Healthcare Providers: A Mixed Method Study, Andrew James White

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background: Older adults remain sexually active, yet sexual health is frequently under-discussed in healthcare settings, particularly within veteran populations. Sexual health is essential to overall quality of life, and prior studies have shown that older patients value these conversations. However, veterans often face unique factors such as military-related trauma, including military combat exposure and post-traumatic stress disorder, in addition to compounded stigma from these topics in regards to open discussions about sensitive health issues to their healthcare providers. This study is significant in its potential to uncover systemic, cultural, and interpersonal influences that shape these dynamics, with a particular emphasis …