Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Progress, Poetry, And Peace: Romantic Ideals And The Present Day, Kristen Dawn Morgan Hess

Masters Theses

In the busy, technologized, and mechanized life that most people live today, it can be difficult to find true rest, comfort, and peace because the very technology and machinery that is marketed as providing these 21st-century amenities often fall short in their delivery. Taking a look backward at the Romantic era ideals presented in the poetry of William Wordsworth can offer people today the chance to gradually improve their mental, physical, and emotional health by slowing down, minimalizing, and moderating their lifestyles. This thesis talks about the historical background of three of Wordsworth’s poems— “Lines Written in Early Spring,” “The …

Lower Extremity Muscle Activation In Elite Female Field Hockey Players With And Without Low Back Pain During A Prone Hip Extension, Madison S. Cornell

Masters Theses

Context: Low back pain (LBP) is a common chronic injury seen in field hockey players and more prominent in females than males. The purpose of this study was to identify if bilateral muscle activation differences exist in erector spinae (ES), gluteus maximus (Gmax), and biceps femoris (BF) in collegiate female field hockey players with and without LBP during a prone hip extension (PHE). It was hypothesized that individuals in the LBP group would have decreased Gmax and increased BF activation. Methods: A cohort design was utilized through a convenience sample to analyze variations in the dependent variables (muscle activation, flexibility, …

Foveate, Dahlia Aggarwal

Masters Theses

This thesis investigates how textiles can unsettle visual assumptions, encouraging a perceptual shift. Through weaving, upholstery, and spatial installation, the work stages a tension between what a surface appears to be and how it is encountered by the body. Through woven pattern, tactile texture, and trompe l’oeil textile surfaces, perception is something negotiated rather than fixed: the eye anticipates one reality while the hand discovers another.

Drawing on a range of sensations gathered from observing landscape formations and textures, it translates enduring scale and material qualities into an interior landscape of woven surfaces and textile-based furniture. Rather than serving as …

Deep Cuts: Bearing Witness To The Erosion Of Evidence, Maya Lakshmi Srinivasan Md

Masters Theses

In my Master of Fine Arts thesis in Printmaking at the Rhode Island School of Design, I examine the intersection of my dual practices as a general surgery resident and artist. Both disciplines require precision, incision, and tactility to navigate the human condition. My art practice is a method of processing the emotional toll of surgical training and the simultaneous societal erosion of scientific authority. My thesis work focuses on challenging the rise of medical pseudoscience and anti-intellectualism. The focal piece in this installation, In Tallow We Trust, consists of three woodblock relief prints at the scale of an …

Floaters, Kyle Gyumin Dong

Masters Theses

The eye is often regarded as the primary sensory organ of the human body, and the ocular system as our most reliable means of perceiving the world.

With vision, we travel across vast distances through telescopes to expand our knowledge of the observable universe and peer into the hidden world of atoms through microscopes. At the same time, we seek divinity from apparitions in the clouds, broaden the range of colors visible under closed eyelids, and catch a brief glimpse of the future in clairvoyant dreams.

My photographic practice oscillates across this spectrum. Between reason and intuition, between the measurable …

Waterway: A Steam-Based Therapeutic Device System, Mingyuan Dong

Masters Theses

Across history and global cultures, water has played a central and often spiritual role in practices of care, from cleansing rituals to saunas and steam therapies. Yet, within contemporary product design, water is typically treated as a utility rather than as an experiential material capable of shaping perception, attention, and well-being. This thesis, Waterway, investigates how water, specifically in its steam state, can be designed as both a therapeutic medium and a ritualized experience that engages the body and mind.

Waterway proposes a steam-based wellness system that addresses physical pain and somatic discomfort while cultivating slower, more attentive interaction. Rather …

Somatic Prosthetics For Planetary Resonance, Disha Dharesh Kumar R

Masters Theses

This thesis investigates how industrial design can transcend extractive technological paradigms in favor of relational interfaces that foster planetary attunement. Framing the climate crisis as a 'crisis of imagination', the research challenges the Western bifurcation of nature and culture by drawing on Indic cosmologies- which recognize stones, plants, and ecosystems as conscious at different levels and participants in a shared cosmic field. By synthesizing research in Biosemiotics, Quantum Information Pansycishm, and Neuroscience, the project redefines intelligence as a distributed, more-than-human phenomenon.

The research materializes as a speculative design artifact: a device that functions as a somatic prosthetic for planetary resonance. …

Predictive Models Of Student Mental Health: The Correlation Between Academic Burnout And Depression In The Higher Education Environment, Hyejoon Song

Masters Theses

Importance: Over 80% of U.S. college students report significant emotional difficulties, and 58% endorse academic burnout as a persistent concern, yet institution-specific data at faith-integrated universities such as Liberty University remain scarce, limiting evidence-based programmatic response.

Objective: To examine the correlation between academic burnout and depressive symptomatology at Liberty University, identify the most predictive individual burnout item via Random Forest machine learning, and characterize distinct student risk profiles via KMeans clustering. Design, Setting, Participants: Cross-sectional survey (IRB-FY24-25-1491, Exempt) of 236 Liberty University students (mean age 36.9 ± 14.3 years; 84.0% female; 61.0% graduate-level), 2025–2026 academic year.

Main Outcome and Measures: …

Factors Associated With Vaping Frequency Among University Students, Oluwatosin Marylyn Oduneye

Masters Theses

Electronic cigarette use among university students is a growing public health concern, with approximately 20-25% reporting current use. Despite extensive research on vaping initiation, factors associated with vaping frequency among established users remain understudied. This study examined stress-coping mechanisms, peer influence, and health risk perceptions as predictors of vaping frequency, guided by Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). A quantitative cross-sectional survey was administered via Microsoft Forms to 399 university students aged 21-25 with recent vaping experience, recruited nationally through campus flyers and online platforms. Multiple linear regression was conducted in SAS OnDemand for Academics, with stress-coping, peer influence, and health …

Glp-1 Receptor Agonists And Disordered Eating: Clinical Indicators And Patient Narratives, Samantha E. Schulz

Masters Theses

Introduction: The use of the medication, GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA), for weight loss has increased exponentially in the United States over the past decade. The continuing rise in demand for the use of GLP-1 RAs for weight loss justifies the need to better understand the physical and psychological effects that can occur with significant weight loss. By combining a standardized screening tool for eating disorder (ED) risk with narratives from patients undergoing GLP-1 RA treatment for weight loss, this study examines associations between GLP-1 RA use patterns and risk of ED and explores patient experiences, including the role of …

Comparative Behavioral Impacts Of Neuroactive Pharmaceuticals On Crayfish Locomotion, Grace Elizabeth Smith

Masters Theses

Pharmaceuticals are increasingly recognized as contaminants of concern in aquatic ecosystems, often entering waterways due to incomplete removal by wastewater treatment plants. Despite frequent detection, the effects of these compounds on non-target, neurochemically sensitive organisms such as crayfish remains underexplored. Gabapentin, an anticonvulsant that binds to presynaptic voltage-gated calcium channels and reduces excitatory neurotransmitter release, is one such emerging contaminant. Given crayfish’s ecological importance and sensitivity to neuroactive substances, exposure to gabapentin may disrupt key behaviors such as locomotion. To place gabapentin’s effects in context, we also examined escitalopram (Lexapro), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor that elevates synaptic 5-HT, and …

Metabolic And Replicative Constraints On Pathogen Virulence: Isoleucine Catabolism In Shigella And Comparative Tanapoxvirus Replication In Cell Cultures, Benecia Angelica

Masters Theses

Pathogens survive by balancing metabolic demands with environmental challenges that shape their virulence and adaptability. Shigella flexneri, a highly infectious human pathogen responsible for severe diarrheal disease worldwide, utilizes branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) metabolism to withstand stress conditions encountered within the host environment. In this study, we explored the Shigella isoleucine catabolism pathway by knocking out four genes in the S. flexneri isoleucine catabolic pathway (ilvE, fadA, fadD, and acnB) and examining their metabolism and virulence. We found that the ilvE and acnB mutants displayed reduced metabolic activity and smaller plaque size, while the fadD mutant showed decreased invasion. In …

Factors Influencing Sugary Drink Consumption Among Residential Students At Liberty University, Chinonso Felistas Eziechi

Masters Theses

Introduction/Background: Sugary drink consumption among college students remains a public health concern due to its association with obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Despite high awareness of health risks, consumption among emerging adults remains elevated. Guided by the Social Cognitive Theory, this study examined the psychosocial, behavioral, and environmental determinants of sugary drink consumption among residential students at Liberty University. Objective: To identify key predictors of sugary drink consumption and evaluate how expectations, self-regulation, and environmental factors shape beverage behaviors. Design, Setting, Participants: This cross-sectional study used an anonymous Qualtrics survey distributed on campus. Of approximately 745 eligible residential students, 473 …

The Impact Of Awareness Of Campus Health Services On Utilization Of Medical Care Among Residential Students At Liberty University, Catherine Pandagade

Masters Theses

College students represent the most prominent group of individuals when considering their lifestyles throughout aging. Therefore, this age group serves as a good opportunity for health education that could build positive health behaviors for life. Existing literature have said that the 18-25 year olds tend to have fewer resources and be often uninsured and have the highest rates of preventable diseases.2 Objective: The aim of this research is to investigate the impact of awareness and its subsequent effect on utilization of available health resources on campus among the student population of Liberty University. Additionally, the purpose of the research through …

The Role Of Isotocin In Female Zebrafish (Danio Rerio) Reproductive Behavior And Its Implication For Intranasal Oxytocin Therapy In Humans, Katelynn M. Benge

Masters Theses

In the past several decades, oxytocin has been colloquially termed the “cuddle hormone,” due to its role in pair-bonding and monogamy (Carter et al., 1992). In addition to being used experimentally for psychological disorder, it has also been used in couple’s counseling settings (Anagnostou et al., 2014; Domes et al., 2016). The outcomes of this research reveal mixed results, creating a need for further research in the topic to understand the exact mechanisms by which oxytocin works in the brain to induce this prosocial response. This study sought to address this deficit through the zebrafish animal model. The zebrafish serves …

Evaluating Psychosocial Stressors And Mental Well-Being Of Construction Professionals From The Management Standpoint: An Exploratory Study, Md Tauhidul Karim

Masters Theses

Construction professionals face persistent workplace stressors that undermine their mental well-being outcomes. Despite progress in general job-related stressors, social and interpersonal aspects of psychosocial stressors traditionally remain underexplored in the construction management research. The present study examines how social and interpersonal factors influence construction workers’ mental well-being and how management’s awareness, responsiveness, and strategic roles evolved in the transition of the COVID-19 pandemic at the organizational level. An integrative mixed-methods approach was employed, combining a systematic literature review, a bibliometric analysis, and an exploratory case study to capture the current landscape of mental well-being and management standpoints in the US …

The Effect Of Shared Decisions On Intertemporal Choice, Rosemarie M. Davidson

Masters Theses

Substance use disorders are a significant public health concern, and improving treatment outcomes requires a better understanding of the behavioral processes that influence drug consumption. Delay discounting, or the tendency to overvalue immediate reinforcers, is reliably more severe among individuals with substance use disorders. Recent work suggests that shared decision-making may increase tolerance for delayed rewards; however, prior studies used procedures that confounded delay to token delivery with delay to token exchange, limiting conclusions. The present study evaluates delay discounting across individual and social decision-making contexts using a traditional delay discounting paradigm.

Ten undergraduate participants completed sessions involving choices between …

Examining Factors Influencing Ultra- Processed Food Consumption Among Liberty University Students Aged 18 And Older, Ginika Rosemary Muomah

Masters Theses

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are widely consumed among college students and are linked to adverse health outcomes including obesity, poor mental health, and cardiometabolic disease. Despite their rising prevalence, limited research has examined psychosocial and behavioral factors influencing UPF intake within Christian university settings. This study investigated demographic, behavioral, and psychosocial predictors of UPF consumption among Liberty University students, guided by the Health Belief Model (HBM). A cross-sectional survey of students aged 18 and older (N = 337) was conducted. After excluding incomplete or invalid responses, 276 cases remained. The 25-item survey assessed UPF intake, HBM constructs, and demographics. Descriptive statistics …

Empowering Youth Tackle Football Athletes: A Content Analysis Of Nonlinear Pedagogy’S Influence On Autonomy And Practical Applications In Youth Tackle Football, Benjamin Jay Andelman

Masters Theses

Youth tackle football offers an environment that promotes both positive mental and physical benefits for young athletes. Despite the positive benefits associated with sports, participation is on the decline. The content analysis found connections between the prevailing prescriptive coaching methods in youth tackle football and the adverse mental effects on young athletes. This study, utilizing a qualitative content analysis of existing academic literature, proposes a practical application of Nonlinear Pedagogical principles in the youth tackle football practice context to develop a coaching model that promotes athlete autonomy, thereby increasing positive mental benefits for the youth athlete. Leveraging Ecological Dynamics, Constraints-Led …

Resonance, Jess D. Skyleson

Masters Theses

Resonance is a digital media installation intended to facilitate a deeper understanding of inter-connection within and between ourselves and others, and to depict how our voices live both within and beyond us. The exhibit is divided into two intertwining halves:

Externally, the piece involves creative communication between people, art mediums, and life experiences. This aspect includes the contributions of thirty patients, doctors, and caregivers who responded to one another’s artwork in a series of workshops led by the artist. Starting with the creative writing of patients, this was provided to a group of unrelated medical providers, who responded with visual …

Gust, Stroll, Veil, Jungeun Park

Masters Theses

I witness the unsettling and chaotic moments of everyday life:

blood clots in fried eggs, a dead rat on my porch, mites crawling on our skin . . .

These quiet tragedies exist with almost brutal indifference!

We eat, digest, excrete. We menstruate. We parasitize. We coexist.

I seek the intersection of repulsion and wonder in my daily experience and body sensations, visualizing unseen stimuli. I employ veil as a strategy. It conceals yet reveals. Sometimes, it acts as a transparent layer, sharpening what lies beneath. Other times, it blurs colors and forms, rendering them ambiguous. Veil transforms, entices, and …

From Industrial Building To Affordable Senior Housing: An Idea Book Beyond Code, Weiyi Ma

Masters Theses

This thesis envisions a proposal to adaptively re-purpose Rhode Island’s extant industrial building stock into affordable housing tailored to the needs of its older and more vulnerable citizens. Architectural dignity, in terms of older citizens amidst this housing crisis, is the creation of living environments that honor their autonomy, comfort, and identity through design interventions that provide accessible, luminous, breathable, and socially enriching spaces, reaffirming their rightful place within the community. With humanistic care and logical rigor, it establishes a mathematical framework for assessment and execution, anchored in five criteria: light, air, space, accessibility, and livability, and presents itself in …

Of Dolls And Jewels : Keeping As A Strategy Of Care And Belonging, Yuqi Fan

Masters Theses

In this thesis, I will discuss the psychology behind object attachment in the doll-keeping subculture by integrating doll language into contemporary jewelry. I researched the Chinese term “Pi” as an accurate way of explaining how doll-keepers are attached to their dolls. In this 21st century, the widespread use of social media and AI technologies have deepened people's reliance on virtual spaces, leading to emotional detachment in our society. Adopting the concept of “Pi” into contemporary jewelry, which encourages a shift in focus towards external objects, the practice of doll-keeping becomes a form of self-care that compensates for our current loneliness …

Prosthesis, Alexander A. Grosek

Masters Theses

This thesis explores the hospital as a prosthetic—a structural and spatial support for the human body in moments of vulnerability. Like a crutch or cast, the hospital temporarily supports patients in their transition from horizontal (infirm) to vertical (mobile), yet its architecture often fails to contribute meaningfully to that healing process. While clinical treatment is prioritized, the spatial, emotional, and sensory dimensions of care are neglected. What supports what becomes a central question: the building holds the body, but the body also gives meaning to the building. Their relationship is reciprocal.

Rather than proving that good design improves health—an idea …

Gradiance: A Mindfulness Intervention, Kip Geddes

Masters Theses

People in cities live life at a fast paced forward march that results in a mental state called ‘hurry sickness’. This prevents them from living in the moment, which often leads to a disconnection to those around them. Mindfulness techniques have been proven to increase people’s levels of happiness and openness to the people around them. However, many people are too busy to practice these methods. My thesis looks at ways for mindfulness to intervene into their established routines. Illumination has been shown to promote mental well-being, either in therapy lamps, or circadian rhythm based lighting; the liminal spaces that …

Field Journal: The Excluded Middle, Carrie E. Kouts

Masters Theses

What does it look like to engage with organisms and landscapes at the periphery of anthropocentric value structures? How does one break the internalized myth that the “built” environment is excluded from the natural world? When does a hyper-mobile and hyper-commodified society confront the exponential crisis of animal death? Within this series of journal entries, field notes, collection observations, weird prose, and sensory musings, one will find questions on the nature of being human and the complex narratives of care we encounter in a world shared with more-than-humans. Each handwritten vignette and photograph from daily life weaves a non-linear and …

The Portals: Jewelry As A Site Of Escape And Solace, Jung Ki Min

Masters Theses

This thesis investigates jewelry as a medium for emotional escape and psychological refuge, offering multisensory alternative forms of escapism. Rooted in personal experiences of continuous change and instability, the work explores how imagined spaces—constructed through AI-generated and digitally assisted visuals and layered material processes—can serve as intimate sanctuaries. Drawing from psychological theories, surrealism, and escapism, the study positions jewelry as a portable interface that enables temporary retreat without full detachment from reality. The series of work, which integrates transparent acrylic, visual layering, and subtle dimensionality, materializes these imagined spaces into wearable forms. These pieces invite reflective engagement, allowing wearers to …

The Dialectic Of Airless Space, Ophelia Arc

Masters Theses

The Dialectic of Airless Space is a cumulative, cross-disciplinary research project that explores ‘airless space’ as a somatic and psychological condition shaped by institutional environments. Unfolding over time through five interrelated books, the project weaves together writing, ephemera, textile sculpture, and drawing to archive the invisible architectures of bodily and mental experience.

The Relationship Between The Jiu Jitsu Anaerobic Performance Test And Physiological Markers In Trained Jiu Jitsu Practitioners, Renee K. Peveler

Masters Theses

Jiu Jitsu relies on aerobic and anaerobic energy systems. A relationship has been demonstrated between the Jiu Jitsu Anaerobic Performance Test (JJAPT) and anaerobic performance. The relationship between the JJAPT and aerobic performance has yet to be quantitatively defined. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between the JJAPT and maximum oxygen uptake and ventilatory threshold (VT). Twenty-five Jiu Jitsu subjects participated in two test sessions a minimum of 48 hours apart. During one test session, descriptive statistics were collected, a self-guided treadmill warm-up was completed, followed by the Bruce graded exercise protocol. Ventilatory …

Explaining Patient Data Towards Improving Patient Understanding And Medical Efficiency, Lupe K. Hernandez Jr.

Masters Theses

Patients frequently access medical test results through electronic health record (EHR) portals, often before receiving input from healthcare providers. These results typically lack interpretation or are presented with complex clinical terminology, leading to confusion, anxiety, and misinformed decision-making. This thesis examines using large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, to generate test result summaries in detailed and simplified formats automatically. A Python-based middleware was developed to interface between OpenEMR and OpenAI’s API, enabling automated summary generation. Summaries included a clinically detailed version and a simplified version written at a third-grade reading level. Two surveys were conducted: one with undergraduate and …