Digital Commons Network^™

Substance Use Stigma: Examining The Role Of Social Work Education., Eboni Burton

Doctor of Social Work Capstone Projects

This study explored the extent of substance use related stigma among social work students and professionals (i.e., BSW, MSW, PHD and DSW) and its relationship to specialized education/training in substance use and professional practice with people who use drugs (PWUD)/live with a substance use disorder (PWSUD). Stigma was measured using the Opening Minds Provider Attitudes Toward Opioid Use Scale and the Medical Condition Regard Scale. The final sample size was 263. Results indicate that current enrollment in a social work program, post degree or non-curriculum related substance use related training, and personal and professional experience with substance use specifically, mitigate …

Emergency Department Boarding For Psychiatric Care: The Effect Of Pointclickcare Integration., Chris Rowan

Doctor of Social Work Capstone Projects

Emergency Department Boarding for Psychiatric Care: The Effect of PointClickCare Integration

Abstract

For many individuals in psychiatric crisis, the emergency department has become the first place to seek help, highlighting gaps in how behavioral health care is accessed and coordinated. In Massachusetts, PointClickCare's Behavioral Health Treatment and Referral Platform (BH TRP) was implemented to centralize and streamline referrals between emergency departments and inpatient psychiatric facilities. This capstone evaluates whether implementation of the BH TRP was associated with changes in psychiatric boarding time at a community hospital emergency department. Using a mixed-methods program evaluation design, this study analyzed de-identified electronic medical …

The Unexplored Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences, Burnout, And Resiliency Among Hospital Staff., Elizabeth Davis

Doctor of Social Work Capstone Projects

This study addresses the critical issue of staff turnover at Baptist Health Floyd, where rates exceed national hospital averages. While prior research connects burnout to workplace stressors, less is known about the role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and resilience among hospital staff. Understanding these relationships is essential for improving workforce stability and patient care outcomes. A cross-sectional survey design was used, with convenience sampling of hospital employees and providers (n=207). Data were collected via a Qualtrics survey using validated instruments: the Maslach Burnout Inventory (Maslach et al., 2016), the ACE questionnaire (Felitti et al., 1998), and the Brief Resilience …

Submission To The Decadal Plan For Australian Education Research Consultation Paper, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Shaping educational policy

This submission to the Decadal Plan for Australian Education Research Consultation Paper recognises a critical role for education research is to equip educators, leaders and systems with robust information, tools and practices to confidently inform decision-making about teaching, learning, and leadership. The submission highglights the importance of First Nations-led research, and an inclusion mindset for education research and AI as a tool for learning as key to justice, quality and equity for all. ACER understands that the field of education is highly interconnected and draws on evidence from multiple disciplines; it follows that collaboration in education research is the key …

The Changing Landscape Of International Development: An Introduction, Pascaline Dupas, Pinelopi Goldberg, Rohini Pande

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Since the late 1980s, extreme poverty has declined sharply, life expectancy and schooling have increased, and electoral democracy has expanded. However poverty reduction has slowed in recent years, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic, amid intensifying conflict, fragility, climate risks, democratic backsliding, and the erosion of global trends—including trade integration and geopolitical stability—that once supported growth. These dynamics raise three interrelated questions: what barriers impede further progress; where will future growth in lower-income countries come from; and how can growth be broadly shared. Taking stock of 15 chapters forthcoming in Volume 6 of the Handbook of Development Economics, we discuss how …

Menu Pricing Of Large Language Models, Dirk Bergemann

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We develop a framework for the optimal pricing and product design of LLMs in which a provider sells menus of token budgets to users who differ in their valuations across a continuum of tasks. Under a homogeneous production technology, we show that users’ high-dimensional type profiles are summarized by a scalar index, reducing the seller’s problem to one-dimensional screening. The optimal mechanism takes the form of committed-spend contracts: buyers pay for a budget that they allocate across token classes priced at marginal cost. We extend the analysis to environments with multiple differentiated models and to competition between a proprietary leader …

Thin Sets Are Not Equally Thin: Minimax Learning Of Submanifold Integrals, Xiaohong Chen, Wayne Yuan Gao

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Many economic parameters are identified by “thin sets” (submanifolds with Lebesgue measure zero) and hence difficult to recover from data in an ambient space. This paper provides a unified theory for estimation and inference of such “thin-set” identified functionals. We show that thin sets are not equally thin: their intrinsic dimensionality m matters in a precise manner. For a nonparametric regression h0 with Hölder smoothness s and d-dimensional covariates in the ambient space, we show that n^{-s/(2s+d−m)} is the minimax optimal rate of estimating linear and nonlinear (e.g., quadratic, upper contour) integrals of h0 on an m-dimensional submanifold (0 ≤ …

Screening And Segmenting: A Consumer Surplus Perspective, Dirk Bergemann, Tibor Heumann, Michael C. Wang

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We analyze consumer surplus when a monopolist can adjust both prices and prod-uct qualities across segments, engaging in second- and third-degree price discrimination simultaneously. We characterize the consumer-optimal segmentation and show that it has a striking structure: consumers with the same value receive the same quality in every segment, though prices differ. Under mild conditions, any segmentation harms consumers if and only if demand is sufficiently more elastic than supply. Hence, po-tential benefits for consumers depend critically on demand and supply elasticities. These findings have implications for regulatory policy regarding price discrimination and market segmentation.

Identifying Common Trend Determinants In Panel Data, Yoonseok Lee, Peter C.B. Phillips, Suyong Song, Donggyu Sul

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper develops a novel method for identifying observable determinants of latent common trends in nonstationary panel data, which are typically removed or controlled in two-way fixed effects regressions. By examining cross sectional dispersion processes, we assess whether panel series exhibit distributional convergence toward specific observed time series, revealing them as long run determinants of the underlying latent trend. The approach also offers a new perspective on cointegration between time series and panel data, focusing on the relative variation of the panel data with respect to the cointegration error. Applying this method to U.S. state-level crime rates demonstrates that the …

The Skill Premium In Times Of Rapid Technological Change, Tarek Hassan, Aakash Kalyani, Pascual Restrepo

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

No abstract provided.

Trade, Labor Market Concentration, And Wages, Mayara Felix

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

I estimate the effect of trade on local labor market concentration and its implications for wages using employer-employee linked data and tariff shocks from Brazil’s trade liberalization. Trade increased concentration by 7%, an effect driven by firm exit and worker flows to surviving import-competing firms. Increased concentration reduced wage take-home shares—estimated at 50 cents on the dollar pre-shock—enough to offset small wage gains from reallocation, but did not meaningfully reduce wages on net. Most of the wage declines attributed to Brazil’s trade liberalization resulted instead from reductions in the marginal revenue product of labor. Incorporating informality reveals substantial regional heterogeneity.

Subjective Earnings And Employment Dynamics, Manual Arellano, Orazio Attanasio, Margherita Borella, Mariacristina De Nardi, Gonzalo Paz-Pardo

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We develop a new approach to estimating earnings, job, and employment dynamics using subjective expectations data from the NY Fed Survey of Consumer Expectations. These data provide beliefs about future earnings offers and acceptance probabilities, offering direct information on counterfactual outcomes and enabling identification under weaker assumptions. Our framework avoids biases from selection and unobserved heterogeneity that affect models using realized outcomes. First-step fixed-effects regressions identify risk, persistence, and transition effects; second-step GMM recovers the covariance structure of unobserved heterogeneities such as ability, mobility, and match quality. We find lower risk and persistence of the individual productivity component than in …

A Critical Review Of Statistical, Signal Processing And Machine Learning Methods For Continuous And High-Frequency Water Quality Data Improvement, A.T. Badrudeen, D. Sahoo, Calvin Sawyer, Jeremy Pike, R.D. Haramel

Publications

In the digital water world, high-frequency water quality monitoring from sensors is crucial for capturing rapid changes, especially during storm events or discharge fluctuations, in which important signals can occur at sub-hourly intervals. These signals are represented in a time series and can sometimes be irregular, noisy, and prone to missing values or errors due to buried conditions, sediment interference, and signal loss. The fine resolution of reporting also increases the risk of sensor errors and data loss, necessitating effective correction methods to ensure the accuracy and usability of the data. This literature review investigates the current state of time …

Development Of Antimicrobial Food Packaging Films Based On Electrospun Polycaprolactone Nanofibers Encapsulating Thyme Oil Nanoemulsions, Mahfuzur Rahman, Abdus Sobhan, Hari Kotturi, Sarder Sadique, Morshed Khandaker

Publications

This study developed and characterized a novel antimicrobial food packaging film fabricated from electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers incorporated with thyme oil nanoemulsions (TONEs). The concentration of TONEs in the film ranged from 2.5 to 15 % (v/v). The physicochemical properties, including pH, viscosity, and water absorption of the film were evaluated, with results showing favorable values (TONEs pH ≈ 5.46, viscosity ≈ 0.26 cP, contact angle ≈ 109-127⁰ and water absorption ≈ 21.47 %). The microstructure of the film was observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which revealed the uniform dispersion of TONEs within the PCL nanofibrous matrix, with …

Prospective Validation Of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Pharmacokinetic Models For Precision Dosing In Children And Adolescents, Ethan A. Poweleit, Whitney Sparks Ms, Catherine Koertje, Addison Pritchett Ms, Gail Robertson, Lindsey Malloy-Walton, Stephani Stancil, Jeffrey R. Strawn, Alexa L. Pagano, Kathryn Kyler, Jonathan B. Wagner, Brandon Retke, Paul C. Toren, J Steven Leeder Pharmd, Phd, Laura B. Ramsey

Posters

Background: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are commonly prescribed to children and adolescents with anxiety and depression. However, their clinical use is complicated by marked interindividual variability in exposure, which contributes to differences in treatment response and side effects. Further, SSRIs are commonly dosed using a trial-and-error approach. Model-informed precision dosing could improve treatment outcomes, yet existing SSRI population pharmacokinetic (PK) models have not been prospectively validated and may not generalize to pediatric patients. This study aims to evaluate how accurately these models predict exposure for three SSRIs—escitalopram (ESC), sertraline (SRT), and fluoxetine (FLX)—and refine them to develop tools for …

Comparison Of Agar-Based Methodologies To Broth Disc Elution For The Detection Of Aztreonam Susceptibility In The Presence Of Ceftazidime-Avibactam, Teslin Sandstrom, Andra Banete, Alice Kanyua, Kevin Davis, Susan Poutanen

Pathology, East Africa

The combination of aztreonam and ceftazidime-avibactam is a proven treatment option for infections caused by metallo-beta-lactamase (MBL)-expressing gram-negative organisms. Restoration of aztreonam susceptibility in the presence of ceftazidime-avibactam can be determined using the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI)’s broth disc elution (BDE) method; however, the high manual workload and significant material footprint of this assay make it difficult to implement in a high-throughput clinical microbiology lab. This study evaluates two agar-based methods for the detection of susceptibility to the combination of aztreonam and ceftazidime-avibactam, using BDE as the comparator methodology. Resistant Enterobacterales, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, and Acinetobacter spp. …

Low-Dose Aspirin For Preventing Intrauterine Growth Restriction And Pre-Eclampsia In Sickle Cell Pregnancy, Lydia Pecker, Sophie Lanzkron

Cardeza Foundation for Hematologic Research

No abstract provided.

Dyadic Trust Congruence And Asymmetry: The Mediating Role Of Psychological Needs On Trust And Performance, Hongyin Cai

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This thesis examines how trust congruence and trust asymmetry shape leader-subordinate relationships and how these dynamics influence LTS and subordinate job performance. Trust congruence and trust asymmetry are defined by the degree of alignment between STL and SFT. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory, this study investigates these processes from the subordinate’s perspective using a mixed-method design that integrates qualitative interviews and quantitative analysis.

Results show that subordinate trust in leader (STL), subordinate felt trust (SFT) and leader trust in subordinate (LTS) are three distinct constructs. Trust asymmetry is prevalent, with subordinate often trusting more than they feel trusted. Asymmetry meaningfully shapes …

Enterprise Digital Transformation: An Analysis Of Value Creation From An Operational Perspective, Weiguo Ling

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Digital transformation has become a critical pathway for the manufacturing sector to break through growth bottlenecks and reshape its core competitiveness. However, in practice, a large number of enterprises are trapped in the transformation paradox of a “discrepancy between perceived consensus and actual outcomes”. The core issue lies in the fact that traditional investment evaluation methods struggle to effectively measure the multi-dimensional value created by digitalization. From the perspective of operational management, this study focuses on the mechanisms and evaluation methods of digital value creation in different manufacturing contexts. A four-dimensional Value Evaluation Framework is proposed, comprise of Value Identification, …

The Impact Of Service Model Innovation Of Woodworking Machinery Equipment Suppliers On Downstream Furniture Industry Enterprises' Competitiveness, Wenquan Jing

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This study examines the impact of service model innovation by woodworking machinery equipment suppliers on the competitiveness of downstream furniture enterprises, focusing on evolving competitive dynamics in equipment manufacturing within the context of service-oriented manufacturing and digital transformation. In the digital economy era, industrial competition is transitioning from traditional product-centric approaches to a value co-creation-oriented paradigm centered on customer value and service capabilities. As a typical equipment manufacturing subsector, the woodworking machinery industry has long relied on equipment sales and after-sales maintenance models that fail to meet downstream furniture enterprises" demands for flexible production, intelligent operation and maintenance, and end-to-end …

Antecedents And Consequences Of Cognitive And Affective Trust In Wealth Management: Impacts On Wealth Manager Selection And Asset Under Management (Aum) Growth, Ting Hsi Chen

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Trust is key to wealth management decision-making; there is little empirical clarity on the relationships between different dimensions of trust and client behavior at each stage of the relationship. Previous works differentiated Cognitive trust, based on perceived competence, and Affective trust, based on relational and emotional connections. Nevertheless, the mechanisms under which these trust dimensions act during the pre- and post-account-opening phases have not yet been thoroughly studied. This research addresses this gap by exploring the stage-dependent influence of Cognitive and Affective trust on the central behavioral outcomes in wealth management.

The approach is a quantitative research based on a …

Gen Z Employees’ Characteristics And Their Impacts On Work Motivation And Outcomes: A Comparative Study Of Private Firms And State-Owned Enterprises In China, Yanfang Zheng

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This study examines the characteristics of Generation Z (Gen Z) employees and investigates how these traits influence work motivation and job-related outcomes within the Chinese organizational context. Specifically, the research compares employees working in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and private firms, two dominant but structurally distinct organizational forms in China. Drawing upon self-determination theory, generational cohort theory, and organizational behavior literature, the study proposes a conceptual model in which Gen Z characteristics influence job outcomes both directly and indirectly through intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, with organizational type acting as a moderating variable. A quantitative, multi-source survey design was employed. Data were …

Boosting Agriculture Career Readiness In Stem Through A Virtual Symposium, Suzanna R. Windon, Hosung You, Christina Grozinger, Natalie Boyle, Hongmei Li-Byarlay, Torrence A. Gill, Simon Zebelo

Journal of Youth Development

This study evaluated a recorded virtual career symposium aimed at enhancing STEM in Agriculture and graduate education readiness among students from Minority-Serving Institutions.The evaluation focused on changes in participants’ perceived readiness for STEM careers and graduate education, the relationship between readiness and demographic factors, and participants’ overall experience with the event. Featuring presentations from faculty and alumni, the symposium highlighted career pathways in agriculture and entomology, essential skills, and graduate education opportunities. Participants from five institutions were invited to view the recorded sessions and complete an online survey. Of the 56 responses received, 41 were analyzed. Results indicated that most …

The Impact Of Civic Engagement On Filipino Youth During The Pandemic: The Role Of Social Networking Sites For Social Capital Building, Ma. Glenda Wui, Katrina Yuzon, Joane Denise Alliah Axibal, Gel Christian Llames, Enrique Niño P. Leviste

Journal of Youth Development

This study examined the civic engagement of Filipino youth (N=14) volunteers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Anchored in the asset-based framework of Positive Youth Development, the study discussed the critical role of civic engagement in enhancing the well-being of youth during the pandemic. It also analyzed the role of Social Networking Sites (SNS) in building social capital for civic engagement. Through in-depth interviews, the study examined the impact of the participants’ engagement on their lives, and how they confronted challenges related to civic work. Thematic analysis of the interview data yielded four themes: personal challenges during the pandemic, coping with the …

Volume 21.1, Spring 2026

Journal of Youth Development

No abstract provided.

Youth Development Opportunities Among Sexual/Gender Minoritized Youth: Who Is Left Out?, Amy L. Gower Ph.D., Ben Parchem, G. Nic Rider, Hana-May Eadeh, Ryan Watson, Samantha E. Lawrence, Stephen Russell, De'shay Thomas, Marla E. Eisenberg

Journal of Youth Development

Youth development opportunities promote health and wellbeing across adolescence. However, scholars have increasingly questioned whether these programs are relevant to and meet the needs of youth with minoritized identities. Using an intersectionality lens, 2022 Minnesota Student Survey data from 8th, 9th, and 11th graders who indicated a minoritized sexual and/or gender identity (N=24,400) were analyzed using exhaustive Chi-square automatic interaction detection to understand how youth’s racial, ethnic, sexual, and gender identities and grade contributed to engagement in youth development opportunities. Mean youth development opportunity scores were lowest among youth with multiple minoritized identities, particularly transgender and gender diverse youth of …

Improving Agent Retention By Documenting The Impact Of 4-H In Kentucky, Ken Culp, Kimberly Ragland, Tori Stanton, Katherine L. Thompson

Journal of Youth Development

The purpose of this study was to improve agent retention by documenting the positive impact that 4-H agents were making by identifying the most effective program delivery methods in Kentucky. This could help agents prioritize their time, emphasizing high-impact activities. Agents indicated that while one year of 4-H makes the greatest impact, 10 years’ membership is ideal. The most impactful delivery methods were clubs and camps. The most important life skills developed in 4-H were communication, leadership, and community service. Club programming includes all highly valued core experiences identified in this study (leadership opportunities, community service, and communication).

Community-Based Programming And Ecological Resilience In Vulnerable Youth: A Mixed Methods Study, Alicia Mcvarnock, Leanna M. Closson, Meg Ternes, Nichole L. Cole

Journal of Youth Development

This exploratory sequential mixed-methods study aimed to provide a deeper understanding regarding ecological resilience theory among adolescents and emerging adults engaged in community-based programming. Phase 1 participants were 18 Leave Out Violence Nova Scotia Youth Leaders and alumni aged 16 to 31 (M_age = 24.28, SD = 3.75; n = 10 female). Semi-structured interviews were used to examine participants’ past and present experiences with Leave Out Violence Nova Scotia, with a focus on perceptions of resilience in their lives. Results were analyzed through mixed (inductive and deductive) thematic analysis. In Phase 2, a focus group assisted in developing a …

Differences In Student Basic Need Satisfaction Across University Community Service Offerings In Vietnam, Myles Lynch, Nguyen Lam Phuong, Duong Ngoc Anh, Huy Ngoc Vu, Hoang Quang Thang

Journal of Youth Development

In 2018, the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) made experiential learning a mandatory component of general education in an effort to enhance student skills pertaining to career and professional success. Community service, as a form of experiential learning, can enable individuals to apply knowledge and skills to address societal challenges beyond classroom settings. The availability and effectiveness of structured community service-learning programs vary across Vietnamese universities. Using Basic Needs Theory (autonomy, competence, relatedness), a sub-theory of Self-Determination Theory, this study examined differences in Vietnamese student need satisfaction based on availability of community service courses, providing insights into program …

Love, Support, Good Vibes: Unconditional Positive Regard And Lgbtqia+ Youth After-School Stories, M V. Pease, Maggie Brooks, Wilson Lazo-Salmeron, Ayushi Sarkar, Halle Ho-Yee Shen, Sharon Colvin

Journal of Youth Development

LGBTQIA+ youth face high rates of identity rejection and bullying, creating an urgent need for support and affirmation within oppressive societal structures. School environments can uniquely support LGBTQIA+ youth through after-school programming designed to provide positive community experiences. Using qualitative thematic analysis of personal stories from LGBTQIA+ youth (N=94), we examined what LGBTQIA+ youth envision as ideal support within after-school programming. Our analyses, informed by humanistic psychology principles, revealed eight major themes: good vibes, compassion and empathy, non-judgment and acceptance, multidimensional human connection, safety, proxy for home/family, adults and mentors, and altruism. Results indicate the need for warmth, safety, connection, …