Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of The Application Of Disability Ministry And Discipleship Within The Southern Baptist Churches Of Virginia, Minsoo Kim

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative phenomenological study examined how individuals with disabilities serving as church leaders and congregants experienced belonging within Southern Baptist churches in Virginia. The researcher framed the study using Baumeister and Leary’s (2017; 1995) need to belong theory, which posits that human beings possess an innate drive to form and maintain meaningful interpersonal relationships. The researcher examined how belonging was expressed through physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions within congregations engaged in disability ministry and contributing to fulfillment of the Great Commission. The researcher employed purposive sampling to recruit 11 participants from Southern Baptist congregations in Virginia who self-identified as individuals …

Healthy Outcomes From Positive Experiences Training And Child-Serving Providers, April Scott

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

An in-depth knowledge base of prevention frameworks with strategies to address the root causes of dysfunction is lacking for many child-serving providers as they work to prevent and mitigate Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Through learning the building blocks of Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) that prevent and buffer trauma, child-serving providers may become more effective in preventing ACEs and enhancing resiliency. Child-serving providers often focus on reducing deficits or mitigation of traumatic experiences, as opposed to building resilience to prevent traumatic experiences from occurring in the first place or strengthening the ability of children to bounce back when ACEs occur. The …

Use Of The Casper Test As An Admissions Test For Predicting Academic And Clinical Performance In Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists: A Predictive Correlational Study, Barbara A. Acord

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative, non-experimental, predictive correlational study examined the extent to which CASPer test scores predict academic and clinical performance among student registered nurse anesthetists (SRNAs). Certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) provide over 80% of anesthesia services in the United States, showing the importance of effective admissions processes to identify candidates most likely to succeed academically and clinically. Traditional admissions criteria in nurse anesthesia programs largely prioritize grades and may underrepresent non-cognitive attributes associated with student success. A convenience sample used a medium effect size, power of .8, and alpha level of .05, with G*Power calculated to be 85 participants 2nd …

Church Disaffiliation's Impact On Black Christian Millennials' Faith Development, Kevin M. Simmons

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The researcher explored the faith, ways of living, and ideologies of Black Christian millennials that unite them with others and with God, leading to what James Fowler called the “ultimate environment” (Attfield, 1994). The study employed a qualitative phenomenological research design to examine whether the faith development path of Black Christian millennials had been impacted by church disaffiliation. From their perspective, identifying factors that fuel their beliefs, religious expressions, and views on their religious identity (Thomas, 2017). Faith, in its simplest form, is defined not by creeds or their institutional practices, Fowler acknowledges. However, its foundational truth lies in the …

The Lived Experiences Of Olympic Medalists As They Describe Their Sense Of Self: A Qualitative Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Ana Barend

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Olympic medalists are characterized by their commitment to performance excellence. While research has extensively examined factors that influence athletic outcomes, comparatively less attention has been paid to how elite athletes experience and make meaning of their own identities beyond sport. Despite possessing extraordinary personal resources, many struggle with identity foreclosure during transitions and mental health challenges at rates comparable to the general population. This hermeneutic phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of Olympic medalists as they perceive and describe their sense of self. Guided by van Manen's approach to human science research and informed by Self-Determination Theory, this inquiry examined …

What Is The Relationship Between Mental Health Court Participation And Recidivism In Georgia's Juvenile Courts?, Damarius Thompson-Lewis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Juvenile Mental Health Courts (JMHCs) intend to address mental health issues that are related to youth delinquency through a therapeutic justice model rather than a punitive justice model. Still, the question of whether JMHCs decrease recidivism among young offenders in Georgia remains understudied due to limited empirical research on these programs. This quantitative, causal-comparative study addresses this gap by examining two key aspects: (1) the impact of JMHC participation on recidivism rates and (2) the predictive role of individual program components. The study included 300 juveniles (150 JMHC and 150 standard court participants) across five Georgia counties. Recidivism was operationally …

The Role Of Social Media In Shaping Romantic Relationships, Chelsea A. Fiszbajn

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative study’s purpose was to examine the role social media has in adult romantic relationships. This study focused on the impact social media has on trust, communication, and the quality of the relationship. Social media platforms have become a very integral part of today’s relationships, which in turn has added room in the relationship for more jealousy, temptation, and validation from others. This study used a survey-based methodology to collect data on individuals' personal experiences and perceptions of how social media impacts their current romantic relationships. Using quantitative measures, the research evaluated how often a partner uses social media, …

Demographic Factors And Approaches Used Impacting Emotional Regulation And Social Emotional Development Of Elementary Students In Ontario, Tatiana Tait

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A child’s education is crucial in their life and development given that it aids in the skill and knowledge development necessary for lifelong success. Schools play one of the biggest roles in their life, teaching them numerous academic skills, as well as many important life and social skills. Given the importance of schools, and the many schooling options available, evaluating how different types of schools contribute to a child’s social-emotional development and emotional regulation has potential applications within the educational realm in terms of curriculum and how teachers foster these skills in students. The present study sought to gather qualitative …

Career And Technical Education Teacher Efficacy In Embedding Disciplinary Literacy: A Predictive Correlational Study, Susan Gwin Higley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this predictive correlational nonexperimental study was to determine the relationship between high school career and technical education (CTE) teachers’ years of experience, teachers’ highest level of education, and teachers’ participation in disciplinary literacy professional development, and their relationship to teachers’ efficacy in embedding disciplinary literacy instruction into their content area teaching. The reading requirements for CTE students are very different from the curriculum taught in English Language Arts classes. Also, texts in specific disciplines of CTE vary greatly. As such, CTE teachers must embed disciplinary literacy in their daily teaching to ensure that their students develop the …

The Emotional Aspects Of Disbelief: A Study Of Negative Emotions And Their Influence On Atheists When Reasoning About God’S Existence And Christianity, Esteban Canales

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The lack of sufficient evidence has been signaled by atheists as the main reason for their disbelief, identifying arguments such as God’s silence and the problem of evil as intellectual reasons against the existing of God and the plausibility of Christianity. While Christians found in arguments from Natural Theology, Scripture, morality, and the like, reliable sources in order to recognize God’s wonders and purpose for humanity, for atheists it seems that no argument seem sufficient neither rational. But what about if these so-called intellectual reasons are the product of an underlying emotional condition, affecting negatively the way atheists reason the …

Nature’S Sovereign: Environmental Archetypes In Isaiah’S Kingship Polemic, Christopher Ryan Sandel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation examines how Isaiah employs environmental archetypes to advance a comprehensive kingship polemic that asserts Yahweh’s unrivaled sovereignty over all creation. The study addresses a gap in scholarship by offering the first systematic analysis of Isaiah’s environmental imagery within a unified rhetorical and theological framework. Drawing on historical, literary, and comparative ancient Near Eastern backgrounds, the study argues that Isaiah’s civilizational, cosmic, and terrestrial archetypes function as strategic instruments that dismantle rival claims to power and reorient the audience toward covenantal fidelity. Civilizational archetypes reveal the fragility of human empires and the futility of political trust. Entities such as …

Sacred Silence: The Unspoken Realities Of Satisfaction In Marital Intimacy Among Black Christian Women, Shonda Reneé Brooks

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Sexual intimacy is a vital component of marital satisfaction, yet many married Black Christian women, taught to abstain from sex until marriage, enter matrimony without adequate marital guidance. This qualitative phenomenological study describes the lived experiences of married Black Christian women, ages 30–60, who were taught to abstain from sex until marriage but received little to no instruction on sexual intimacy after marriage. The central research question is: How do married Black Christian women, who were taught to abstain from sex until marriage, describe their experiences with marital intimacy? Framed by feminist theory, attachment theory, and intersectionality, the study examines …

Study On The Prevalence Of Police Whistleblower Retaliation In The United States Of America, Brian Andrew Morrison

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Research indicates that two substantial problems arise as a result of retaliation against law enforcement whistleblowers. The first is that up to 10% of whistleblowers attempt suicide, with more contemplating the action (Shepard, 2021). The second problem is that, in law enforcement, the corruption of the investigative authorities involved in such cases represents a significant issue. In the last 5 years, the need for change in law enforcement has grown; one cause of this has been the rising voices of those who have witnessed corruption. Consequently, the aim of this applied quantitative study is to help unravel the problem of …

Health Behaviors Of First-Generation College Students Affected By Acculturation, Angel Camacho Castro

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative narrative ethnographic study was to understand how acculturation affects health behaviors and wellness of first-generation college students at a state university on the West Coast of the United States. The theory guiding this study was social constructivism theory, proposed by Lev Vygotsky, who claimed behaviors are constructed by social interactions around social settings. This research focused on how students navigated the changes in inherited cultural values of health behaviors and wellness practices affected by mainstream and college cultures. The dissertation investigated challenges first-generation college students faced in an environment that often conflicted with family values …

Cold Origins Limit The Establishment Of Northern Temperate Plants In The Southern Hemisphere, William H Brightly, Siri Fjellheim, Thomas Lux, Mark D Mullinger, Colin P Osborne, Jill C Preston, Simen R Sandve, Maria S Vorontsova, Luke T Dunning

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Plants with amphitropical distributions have closely related populations in both Northern and Southern Hemispheres, but are absent from the intervening tropics. They provide a unique opportunity to study the constraints shaping the distribution of temperate lineages through time. Using grasses from the ecologically diverse supertribe Melicodae, an emerging study system with species distributed throughout the temperate regions, we test the hypothesis that geography and/or environmental niche constrain which lineages successfully cross the tropics to establish in the opposite hemisphere. Biogeographic and evolutionary modelling was conducted on well resolved plastid and nuclear phylogenies constructed from whole-genome sequencing of 178 accessions of …

Optimized Bombax Ceiba/Jute Hybrid Epoxy Composites For Enhanced Thermal Insulation Performance, Shadman Ahmed Khan, Naeem Ahmmed, Md Tanvir Hossain, Abdullah Ibn Asheque, Md Ariful Islam, Md Abdul Kader, Md Sohel Rana, Sakib Masud

Michigan Tech Publications

The development of sustainable hybrid natural-fiber composites provides a practical way toward lightweight materials with tailored mechanical and thermal performance. In this study, Bombax ceiba (BC)/jute hybrid epoxy composites were fabricated using a stacked preform followed by compression molding, and the effect of fiber blending ratio on mechanical, thermal, and microstructural properties was systematically investigated. Three compositions-40/60, 50/50, and 60/40 BC/jute by weight-were evaluated. Mechanical testing showed that the J50 composite, with a balanced fiber ratio, exhibited superior flexural strength and impact resistance, indicating effective hybrid synergy and improved stress transfer between fibers and the matrix. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that …

How To Build A Successful High School Sports Program, Jacob Jude Mulligan

M.S. in Leadership

The goal of this study was to explore the most influential factors for building a successful high school sports program. Through an expansive literature review, including testimonies from Hall of Fame coaches, themes emerged around the importance of Vision, Relationships, Belief, and Identity when it comes to the question of how to build a successful high school sports program. This research was conducted with the purpose of highlighting evidence of how these four themes have led to a positive culture and success for sports programs and athletes. This study is designed to help current and future high school coaches so …

Parent Well-Being In Early Intervention: The Case For Assessing Parental Stress, Karla Michelle Chaff

Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Innovations in OT Symposium: Transforming Possibilities into Practice

Importance:

Research shows that parental stress negatively impacts child developmental outcomes, indicating caregiver well-being can directly influence intervention responses. Parental stress is a well-documented barrier to effective early intervention that remains unmeasured.

Objective:

This quality improvement project aims to assess the potential for adoption of a parent stress measure into family assessment to ensure caregiver well-being is systematically identified, documented, and addressed.

Design:

A feasibility project design was used to evaluate relevance, usability, barriers, and facilitators to introducing a standardized stress measure in practice.

Setting:

The project is based in an early intervention program.

Participants:

Key stakeholders were recruited from …

April 29, 2026 Blazer Weekly, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

Blazer Weekly (student newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Enhancing Gestational Diabetes Screening, Sataj Johnson, Daniel Ruegg

Books, Presentations, Posters, Etc.

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) screening is recommended between 24–28 weeks of gestation to allow timely diagnosis and treatment and reduce adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. The two-step glucose tolerance testing method is supported by ACOG, though completion can be delayed due to the need for multiple tests. In 2024 at Providence Milwaukie Family Medicine Clinic, incomplete GDM screening occurred in 23.1% of patients, and incomplete two-step screening occurred in 33.3%, with an average completion time of 12 days. Objective: To increase completion rates of two-step GDM screening and reduce time between abnormal 1-hour and diagnostic 3-hour glucose tolerance tests …

Acquired Amegakaryocytic Thrombocytopenia And Pure Red Cell Aplasia As Initial Presentation Of Thymoma, Nidhi Patel, Md, Natasha Edwin, Md

Books, Presentations, Posters, Etc.

Introduction: Pure Red Cell Aplasia (PRCA) is a common feature of thymomas, but it rarely presents with acquired amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia (AAMT). Here, we present a case of a 59-year-old male with fatigue found to have severe anemia and thrombocytopenia, who was eventually diagnosed with a thymoma Case Presentation: Found to have Hg of 6.1 g/dL and platelet count of 33 k/uL; Reticulocyte count was 0.0068. CT chest showed an anterior mediastinal mass measuring 4.5 x 6.6 cm. Mass biopsy showed thymoma. Bone marrow biopsy showed 50% cellularity with absence of erythroid and megakaryocyte precursors compatible with AAMT and PRCA. At …

Addition Of Gitr Agonist To A Dark Matter Cancer Vaccine And Anti-Pd-1 Increases Regulatory T Cell Numbers Without Appearing To Impact Therapeutic Efficacy, Rom S. Leidner1, Guo Hui Gan1, Christopher C. Paustian, Shawn M. Jensen

Books, Presentations, Posters, Etc.

Background: DPV-001 is an off-the-shelf cancer vaccine containing tumor associated proteins commonly overexpressed in adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. It is enriched for short-lived proteins (SLiPs) and defective ribosomal products (DRiPs), including both canonical and non-canonical (or “dark matter”) antigens —comprising over 100 identified non-canonical microproteins. These antigens are delivered in spectrin-coated microvesicles that contain 5 TLR/ NOD agonists and 15DAMPs/molecular chaperones, and target CLEC9A+ conventional dendritic cells (cDCs). Preclinical models showed enhanced antitumor responses when the murine analog of DPV-001 (DRibbles) was combined with co -stimulatory agonists. Additional studies showed enhanced antitumor responses when co-stimulatory agonists were combined with …

Acute Pancreatitis Outcomes In Native Americans In Northern Arizona, Jin Yun Do1, Afsheen Moshtaghi Do2, Hamza Khan, Md2, Hady Shahbaz Bs2, Yoshinobu Koguchi, Tarsem L. Moudgil, Noah D. Simons, Venkatesh Rajamanickam

Books, Presentations, Posters, Etc.

Background and Aims: Prior studies have shown the impact of racial and ethnic disparities in outcomes of acute pancreatitis (AP). Data remains sparse for Native American populations, who may be uniquely affected by socioeconomic and geographic factors. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the disproportionate outcomes of AP in Native Americans compared to the general population in Northern Arizona. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of hospitalized patients with AP at two community hospitals in Northern Arizona. A total of 1,113 patients between Jan and Aug 2024 were included, comprising 413 Native American patients and 700 patients of other racial backgrounds. …

Ceftriaxone-Induced Thrombocytopenia: An Atypical Presentation Of A Commonly Used Antibiotic, Matthew Moritz, Omar Pandhair

Books, Presentations, Posters, Etc.

INTRODUCTION: Drug-induced thrombocytopenia (DITP) is rare and impacts roughly ten persons per million people annually (1). Over one-hundred medications have been identified as possible offenders, with immune response occurring within one to two weeks of drug exposure (2). Here we present a case of ceftriaxone as cause of DITP, an extremely rare complication of a commonly used antibiotic. CASE PRESENTATION: A fifty-year-old male with diabetes and depression initially presented after attempted suicide by hanging. He was intubated in the field and admitted directly to the intensive care unit (ICU). He remained in the ICU due to persistent encephalopathy which was …

Supplement Risk, Allison Connor, Bs, Linh Tang Taylor, Md, Jeffrey Youker, Md

Books, Presentations, Posters, Etc.

Introduction: Increasingly, it is the case that patients are using a variety of supplements. About half of American adults use supplements. ¹. The purpose of this case report is to consider the impact of surreptitious supplement use on clinical presentation and under score the value in gathering a robust patient history. Case report: A 58-year-old man with prior history of infective endocarditis (IE) resulting in bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement (2 years prior) presented with worsening left lumbar pain and low-grade fever. He was found to have Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia with L4/5 vertebral osteomyelitis and a left psoas abscess. …

Visual Cues And Pharmacy Pathways Improve Hypertension Management In A Resident Clinic, Gage Lemunyan M.D., Cody Paiva, Do, Mari Kai, Md

Books, Presentations, Posters, Etc.

Background: Managing hypertension in ambulatory settings is becoming increasingly challenging, often competing with other visit priorities. “White coat hypertension” remains a key consideration when considering initiating or increasing anti-hypertensives. Blood pressure may be transiently elevated on initial screening and improve on recheck. Problem: In our clinic, only ~55% of patients were at goal, defined as BP < 140/90 at last office visit. • < 50% of patients received serial recheck after identifying an elevated reading. • 43% of same-day rechecks were < 140/90. Aim: Enhance hypertension management using low-cost, easy to implement interventions. Results: Process was examined iteratively, starting with a yellow card that was placed on the door to alert clinicians to the need to recheck blood pressure before discharge. This was continually refined based on staff feedback. Visual cues prompted more frequent rechecks by rooming staff, increasing the rate of those with elevated initial reading who had serial recheck from 48% to 69%, a net increase of 21%. Improvement was seen in clinic-wide blood pressure control, with the percentage of patients with a blood pressure < 140/90 at most recent office visit increasing from 55.7% to 66.6% after 1 year. This represented a net increase of 10.9%. Discussion: Visual cues in the exam room were effective at alerting clinicians for the need for serial BP recheck. These were most-effective when they were “eye catching”. PharmD visits were effective at creating a visit to focus solely on hypertension management, thereby eliminating competing interests that may dominate office visits with their primary care provider. These paired interventions were surprisingly effective at halting clinical inertia and ultimately led to more effective management of hypertension clinic-wide. Team-based EMR messaging was particularly helpful as an adjunct for coordinating timing of blood pressure rechecks. In a residency setting, this can be performed while ‘staffing’ with a faculty physician. Limitations: Current guidelines identify blood pressures >130/80 as hypertensive. This study utilizes 140/90 as a cutoff. Frequency of blood pressure rechecks highly variable based on available support staff. May place strain on support staff when short staffed. PharmD involvement may not be available in every setting

Impacts Of Biodiversity In Short Rotation Woody Crop Production Systems On Water Quality, Nyla C. Jones

Honors Theses

Mitigating agricultural nutrient runoff and improving water quality are key challenges in meeting food and energy demands. To address this challenge, short rotation woody crops (SRWC), specifically Populus deltoides (eastern cottonwood) and its genotypes, can be planted at the interface of riparian areas and agricultural production fields to alleviate fertilizer runoff into adjacent bodies of water. This research employed an experimental design to evaluate the effects of P. deltoides diversity on tree productivity and nutrient uptake, and how it mitigates agricultural runoff. Ion exchange resins were deployed 0.5 meters below the soil surface at three different sites in Mississippi, each …

The Elements Among Us: The Periodic Table Reimagined, Emily Burris

Honors Capstones

Students often view chemistry as “too difficult to understand” or “Impossible to connect with”, we believe this is because of inability to bridge the gap between the elemental world and the physical world. This capstone sought out to answer the question “How can we make the Periodic Table easier to visualize and conceptualize”. We did this using common household items that represent each of the elements therefore taking away the negative stigma placed on the subject at hand. This project brings the Periodic Table to life through a hands-on, two and three-dimensional model using everyday objects to represent the individual …

Nursing Students Sweep Top Awards At Regional Research Conference, Aaron Sanborn

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Why We Do This Work, Eric F. Spina

President's Blog: From the Heart

The University of Dayton and other American Talent Initiative institutions have opened the doors of education for more than 75,000 high-achieving, lower-income students. That’s an entire football stadium filled with talented young people.