Just City And Racialized Media: How A Non-Profit Provokes Policy And Fights Criminal Injustices, Isabella L. Wollfarth

LSU Master's Theses

This study explored the intersection of racialized media narratives, nonprofits, and penal policy through a case study of Just City, a nonprofit criminal justice organization located in Shelby County, Tennessee. Through the lens of Just City, this study explored how nonprofits resist racialized media narratives regarding crime and how in turn this contributes to penal policy reforms. This is accomplished using a thematic analysis to draw larger conclusions from coding Just City’s Instagram and through extensive interviews with Just City staff and local Shelby County and Tennessee politicians. These methods are guided by framing theory, an ideological framework that explains …

Merger Waves In A Small Open Economy: Industry Shocks, Behavioral Variables, Mergers And Acquisitions In Singapore, Eng Sian Quek

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As an open economy, Singapore has experienced substantial transformations in its mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market over the past several decades, alongside evolving regulatory frameworks designed to maintain its position as a competitive international hub for corporate restructuring. Over the 20 years from 1990 to 2009, Singapore was exposed to a series of major economic shocks, including financial crises, geopolitical conflicts, terrorism, sectoral downturns, oil price shocks, and public health epidemics, all of which were accompanied by pronounced fluctuations in interest rates and equity market conditions. Against this backdrop, this dissertation examines the determinants of M&A waves in Singapore by …

The Munster Statement On The Principles Of Research Ethics And Research Integrity, Seán Lacey, Tom Farrelly, Vasiliki Petousi, Aristotle Popescu, Ziad Mahayni, Áine De Róiste, Andrea S. Pitasi, Susana Irene Díaz, Niina Ervaala, Oskar Macgregor

Dissemination

In response to the growing need for consistent research ethics (RE) and research integrity (RI) practices, the INGENIUM European University has developed The Munster Statement on the Principles of Research Ethics and Research Integrity. This forward-looking commitment, led by the MARIE - Multidisciplinary Approach to Research Integrity and Ethics - project, involved a multi-jurisdictional team from ten European countries.

The Munster Statement outlines core interconnected principles of RE (Beneficence, Justice, Non-maleficence, Research Merit) and RI (Accountability, Honesty, Reliability, Respect), in a unified and accessible format. Developed through a collaborative, structured, multilingual, and dialogic process, it synthesises local, national, and …

Quantifying Provider Relief Fund Allocation Trends: A Descriptive Analysis Of Rural And Urban Hospitals, 2014-2023, Wendell C. Mcclurg

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Rural hospitals operate on thin margins, have limited access to capital, and face a heightened risk of closure. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) distributed more than $170 billion to health care providers to offset revenue losses and preserve access to care. Most evaluations of PRF have focused on profitability, which may overstate financial resilience by overlooking liquidity. Using Hospital Cost Reports for hospitals from 2014-2023, we examined trends in Days Cash on Hand (DCOH), operating margin, total margin, and PRF funding intensity by rurality and ownership. Liquidity rose sharply during 2020-2021, coinciding with the peak of …

An Assessment Of Historical Planning Processes And Greenspace Distribution (1975–2024): A Case Study Of Portland, Oregon, Usa, Quadri Olatunbosun Taiwo, Vivek Shandas, Damilola Emmanuel Oluyege

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Portland study examined past planning regulations and greenspace distribution over the period of fifty years, with particular attention given to neighborhood differences between invested and non-invested neighborhoods. This exploratory study examined spatial greenspace using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) imagery. We tested the study hypothesis using the GIS Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression test to predict how key sociodemographic characteristics affect the provision of greenspace in non-white disinvested neighborhoods. The key findings suggested a consistent pattern of greenspace inequality, heavily shaped by historically disadvantaged ethnic status. Areas with higher non-white populations may have significant less greenspace (p < 0.001). Although median household income had a minimal negative impact, educational attainment showed a slight positive correlation. We employed multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks such as historical institutionalism, urban political ecology, and environmental justice. The study illustrated how historical decisions may have established path dependencies that are currently perpetuating greenspace inequalities. Policy solutions advocate for integrating restorative justice principles and rigid enforcement of 3-30-300 greenspace equity legislation to offset these long-term disparities.

Transitions Of Growth And Partner Responsiveness In Late Adolescent Marriage, Terrell Ka-Seem Pugh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

During the stage of late adolescence, marriage presents unique challenges, with partners navigating several developmental tasks in tandem with forming and maintaining marital relationships. Partner responsiveness has been consistently identified as a key factor for personal wellbeing and relationship satisfaction. Limited research has explored how late adolescent married individuals describe this dynamic. The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to explore lived experiences of late adolescent married individuals between 18 and 20 who described their experiences with partner responsiveness during this transitional period. This study was grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory in order to explore how relational …

Prosecutorial Philosophy And Racial Disparities In Arrest Rates, Carl L. Reeds

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The prominent issue of racial disparities in arrest in the criminal justice system is well documented. One proposed mechanism for addressing these disparities in the criminal justice system is the emergence of progressive prosecutors. Progressive prosecutors are vastly different than traditional prosecution through the approach to their roles in the criminal justice system. Traditional prosecutors prioritize convictions and punishment, often seeking maximum sentences for defendants and relying on the traditional model of tough-on-crime policies. Progressive prosecutors pledge to reform the criminal justice system by declining to prosecute certain low-level offenses, expanding diversion programs, and explicitly addressing racial and socioeconomic disparities. …

Measuring Indigenous Cultural Strengths: A Systematic Review Of A Decade Of Approaches., Melissa L. Walls, Danica Love Brown, Victoria M. O'Keefe, Evan J. White, Miigis Gonzalez, Ivy Blackmore, Tara L. Maudrie, Meenakshi Richardson, Timothy R. Werwie, Hariata G Tai Rakena, Multiple Additional Authors

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Indigenous Peoples experience severe health inequities rooted in experiences of colonization. Calls for strengths-based, culturally grounded research and practice to redress these harms continue to grow. This systematic review assesses how Indigenous "culture" has been quantified in research across the globe over a 10-year span. Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched four databases (2013-2023) for peer-reviewed, English-language articles featuring quantitative measures of Indigenous culture as a positive/protective factor. Data were extracted via a double coding system to assess cultural domains, operationalization strategies, and sociodemographic characteristics of reviewed studies. We reviewed 279 records and identified 461 measures, 289 of which were unique. …

Analyzing The Utilisation Of Chatgpt For Academic Purpose: Exploring Student Motivations, Dr. Sankar P, Nandakumar K

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

While praising ChatGPT for its ability to produce complex and human-like text, it was hailed as the best AI chatbot ever released to the public. It was also noted that the output was on par with what a competent student could do, suggesting that teachers would have significant challenges down the road. The purpose of this study was to investigate what drives students to use ChatGPT for schoolwork. This study used a descriptive research approach to describe the opinions of Arts and Science College students in the Coimbatore District. The study used a questionnaire to get data from the students' …

The Living Archive: Photography, Social Media, And The New Frontier Of Activism, Lundyn C. Herring

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis seeks to analyze the discursive field and technology of photography and its multi-faceted role in the oppression of colonized people under Western imperialism. Among the main collection highlights of many established state-run archival institutions are photographic records consisting of surveillance images, mugshots, and other visual media as representations of the political hegemony that is exerted over governed peoples. From the mid-19th century to 2026, much has shifted in the realm of photography with the introduction of smartphones, accessible technology, and social media platforms during the beginning of the twenty-first century. As states and powerholders apply the technology of …

The Power Of Beliefs: Cognitive Pathways Linking Mental Health Literacy To Psychological Distress, Katherine Elise Kirsch

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Mental health disorders are prevalent in children and adolescents, and they are accompanied by challenges throughout the lifespan. Mental health literacy (MHL) provides a flexible framework to address child and adolescent mental health. Identifying significant relationships between MHL and mental health outcomes has the potential to inform successful interventions. This study uses a secondary analysis of data gathered for the Study on Attitudes of Adolescents and Young Adults Toward Relevant Health Issues to isolate MHL belief domains that significantly effect psychological distress levels in adolescents.

The Swiss Youth Mental Health Literacy and Stigma Survey was used to assess the MHL, …

Examining Factors Influencing Customer Loyalty In Omnichannel Retailing: The Mediating Role Of Customer Experience, Min Xiuxia

Student Works (2020-2029)

Research aims: This study aims to investigate factors that influence customer loyalty in omnichannel retailing and mediating role of customer experience. It also examining an impact of customer engagement on customer loyalty within the omnichannel context. Design/Methodology/Approach: A quantitative research design was employed using a structured online questionnaire distributed to consumers in Malaysia who had purchased from the same retail brand through both online and offline channels. Data were analysed using Smart PLS (Partial Least Squares) Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to test the hypothesised relationships among omnichannel characteristics, individual characteristics, customer experience, customer engagement and customer loyalty. Research findings: The …

Changes In Land, Ocean, Atmospheric Parameters Associated With The 2025 Myanmar (Mw 7.7) Earthquake, Feng Jing, Akshansa Chauhan, Ashwani Raju, Ramesh P. Singh

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Multiple parameters associated with the land, atmosphere, and ocean were analyzed to study short-term and immediate pre-earthquake changes associated with the 28 March 2025 Myanmar earthquake (Mw 7.7). Anomalous clear-sky outgoing longwave radiation (ClrOLR) and trace gases (CH₄, CO, and O₃) were detected within two months prior to the mainshock. Vertical changes at different pressure levels suggest a possible underground source. High-temporal-resolution observations of the infrared brightness temperature and surface air pressure revealed short-lived fluctuations shortly before the earthquake, which may reflect localized stress adjustments and surface latent heat flux release during the final stage of earthquake preparation. In the …

Decreasing Wound Healing Times By Decreasing Stress Levels, Bayleigh S. Kraus, Colson Burnett, Kelsey Spann

Scholars Week

The relationship between stress levels and delayed wound healing needs to be further investigated, particularly in hospitalized and chronically ill patients. Research shows that psychological stress can impair immune function, reduce tissue regeneration, and prolong inflammation, all of which slow the healing process. It is important to explore how both acute and chronic stress affect different types of wounds, such as surgical incisions, pressure injuries, and diabetic ulcers. Additionally, identifying which stress-reduction interventions are most effective in improving healing outcomes is essential. Understanding these factors can help nurses implement targeted, evidence-based interventions to promote faster recovery.

Oliver, Sarah Rush

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

In my audio piece, Oliver, I wanted to tell the story of adopting my dog in a way that felt personal but still relatable. Soundwriting is an approach to writing that treats audio as a form of research, storytelling, and communication. It encourages writers to think about how sound shapes narrative, how voice carries meaning, and how small production choices affect the way listeners engage with a piece. This approach let me do something writing alone can’t always achieve: create a more immersive experience, where tone, pacing, and the natural qualities of voice help listeners feel present in the story.

Influence Of Serve Type And Speed On Passing Success In Elite Czech Men's Volleyball, Miroslav Krajcigr, Petr Bahenský, David Marko, Sára Šestáková, Ladislav Čepička

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Background: Serve effectiveness plays a critical role in volleyball, influencing the opponent’s reception and subsequent attack. While smash serves are powerful, float serves may disrupt the opponent through unpredictable flight patterns. This study examined how serve type and speed affect reception quality in elite men’s volleyball. Methods: A total of 543 serves (254 float, 289 smash) from one Czech Extraliga team across seven home matches were analyzed using video recordings and radar measurements. Serve speeds were grouped into predefined categories. Effectiveness was defined as the sum of effective receptions and aces; error serves were excluded. Reception outcomes were classified as …

An Examination Of Resilience And Food And Alcohol Disturbance: How Black & White Women Measure Up, Jaye I. Brayboy, Alicia M. Moulder, Audrey L. Bell, Melissa N. Manning, Cathy L. Lau-Barraco

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

Food and alcohol disturbance (FAD) combines dieting behaviors and alcohol use for alcohol enhancement (AE-FAD) or calorie compensation (CC-FAD). Though unclear whether racial differences exist in FAD engagement, research suggests strong ethnic identity protects Black Americans from FAD while strengthening risk in White Americans. Resilience (i.e., the ability to recover from adversity) is positively associated with body image amongst Black women; however, resilience has not been examined in relation to FAD. This study evaluated whether associations between resilience and FAD differed by race amongst college women, hypothesizing that resilience would be negatively associated with AE-FAD and CC-FAD for Black and …

Domains That Influence Underrepresented Community Wellbeing And Engagement: A Literature Review, Nicole Sung, Mei Lin Chen-Lim, Phd, Rn, Ccrc, Aunja Richards, Bis, Florence Ling, Phd

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

Introduction

Inner-city neighborhoods, such as those in Philadelphia, vary in demographics, resources, access, safety, and overall health. Local non-profits that serve these communities require more understanding of the areas they serve to efficiently align resources and meet the local community needs. Community partnerships, including youth in the community, are key informants as they share lived experiences, navigate neighborhood conditions, and identify barriers and priorities.

Victimization Pathways Among Homeless Youth: How Trauma, Survival Strategies, And System Failures Intersect, Makynna S. Deland

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Homeless youth often carry deep layers of trauma, and those experiences shape how they cope and survive. Many of the behaviors we see are responses to early harm, leaving young people more vulnerable to exploitation and further system involvement. Without safety, support, or stable adults, they face heightened risks of violence, property victimization, and survival sex.

The Waldo Dataset, Mary E. Koone, Rosie Kallie, Vassilis Athisos, Laurel S. Stvan

Computer Science and Engineering Datasets - Archive

Distinct from the task of predicting the author of a document (authorship attribution), we focus on addressing the issue of how to estimate the similarity between the written language styles of authors. To do so, we present a dataset of metadata derived by asking human annotators, who were presented with three documents, to identify which two were written by the same author and which was written by a different author. The dataset has over 400 such annotations, creating a companion to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) customer review dataset, laying the groundwork for crowdsourcing applications to other natural language processing …

Psy312 - Psychology Of Memory, Sandra Campeanu

Open Educational Resources

Theoretical issues, established findings, empirical research, and contemporary controversies in the study of memory. Analysis of the processes of encoding, storage and retrieval, including models, developmental changes, neurophysiology, and memory distortions. Consideration of the ways memory influences behavior, problem solving, and sense of self.

This document is a revised syllabus for Professor Campeanu's PSY312 - Psychology of Memory course at Lehman College.

Decision Making Processes Of Adolescent Women About Entering Intimate, Long-Term Romantic Relationships, Jeannie Miller

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a high rate of women in their late 20s and early 30s that are in destructive relationships, many because of decisions that were made during adolescence . Little research has focused on understanding the decision making process of entering intimate, long-term romantic relationships from the viewpoint of adult women in their late 20s through 30s who made that decision during adolescence. This phenomenological study allowed for a greater understanding of adolescent decision making, specifically about entering intimate, long-term romantic relationships. The research questions were (a) What are the lived experiences of young women as they enter intimate, long-term …

Retrieval Interference In The Processing Of Relative Clauses: Evidence From The Visual-World Paradigm, Matthew W. Lowder, Gwynna Ryan

Psychology Faculty Publications

Although object-extracted relative clauses (ORCs) are more difficult to process than subject-extracted relative clauses (SRCs), there is still substantial disagreement regarding the cognitive mechanisms underlying these effects. The current visual-world eyetracking experiment took a novel approach to this problem by examining whether ORC-SRC differences would emerge at the matrix verb during the processing of spoken sentences containing these structures. Fixation patterns at the onset of the matrix verb revealed a tendency for participants to fixate the picture representing the subject of the sentence in both ORCs and SRCs. Crucially, participants considered the picture corresponding to a competing noun more while …

“We're Human. We Are Just Human”: Experiences Of Trans And Two-Spirit Individuals In The Midwest, Gwen Avery Donner

Honors Thesis

In the United States today, gender can be a hot button topic, seemingly controversial and assigned as political, and within conservative regions the topic of gender becomes more taboo. Unfortunately, this view can lead to the stigmatization and discrimination of individuals who fall outside of the socially constructed gender binary. In order to explore how living in the conservative landscape of the Midwest impacts individuals who reside outside of the gender binary, 11 semi-structured, qualitative interviews with Trans and/or Two-Spirit individuals were conducted in which they were asked about their lived experiences. The findings of the interviews revolved around two …

Pdxscholar Annual Report 2025, Julia Stone, Bertrand Robinson, Stacey Schlatter, Carolee Harrison

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

This PDXScholar Annual Report covers the period between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025. This report demonstrates PDXScholar’s continued impact through readership data, new and growing collections, and comments and feedback from our users.

From Marginalization To Prime Consideration: Nuclear Energy In Fragmented Climate Governance, Polarization, And The Age Of Ai, Abdullah Al Jaberi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, nuclear energy has remained sidelined in global climate discussions despite being the world’s second-largest source of low-carbon electricity. This dissertation examined why nuclear energy should be the global priority decarbonization strategy, based on an evaluation of its unique position across the following three dimensions: fragmented international climate governance, political polarization in democratic countries, and unprecedented baseload electricity demands created by artificial intelligence infrastructure. This study does not argue causal linkages among these dimensions; rather, it demonstrates that nuclear energy succeeds concurrently across all three. A mixed-methods approach was employed, including document analysis of bilateral agreements and official …

Challenging The Deliberative Consensus: Participatory Strategies, Transparency And Citizen Trust Across Municipal Contexts, Fadel Al-Marsoumi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the relationships between participatory governance strategies and multidimensional citizen trust in municipal contexts. Although local governments have implemented deliberative forums, digital platforms and hybrid participation approaches to restore declining public confidence, inconsistencies between theoretical predictions and empirical outcomes have raised questions about participatory governance effectiveness. Motivated by this gap between deliberative democracy theory's optimistic predictions and limited empirical support, the study investigates the psychological, political and contextual mechanisms that shape trust formation through civic engagement. Drawing on an integrated framework combining organizational trust theory and deliberative democracy frameworks, the research conceptualizes trust as a multidimensional construct involving …

A New Great Game?: Great Powers Content Re-Sharing And Media Influence In The South Caucasus, Emma A. Lowery

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the new digital era of geopolitics, competing great powers support internationally oriented state-sponsored media as integral parts of public diplomacy, seeking to reach foreign publics in an increasingly digital age of information sharing. Leveraging local outlets provides an avenue to influence local publics through pre-approved news. Targeted foreign news outlets actively engage with and re-share content from said media. This research focuses on foreign-originated content from the world’s great powers - the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, and the United States of America. The purpose of this project is to provide insight into how the great powers …

Evaluating U.S. Health Policy Levers Using Difference-In-Differences: Hospital Acquisitions, Global Budgets, And Income Policies, Kola Adegoke

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Background: U.S. health policy relies on multiple levers to influence system performance, financial stability, and population health. This dissertation uses a three-paper portfolio to evaluate organizational change (hospital acquisitions), payment reform (Maryland all-payer global budgets), and income-related state policies, applying difference-in-differences (DiD) designs with prespecified diagnostics to support causal interpretation.

Methods: Study 1 examined hospital change-of-ownership (CHOW) acquisitions using a national hospital-year panel from RAND HCRIS (2014–2023), linked to CHOW timing data from 2016–2023. Effects on revenue outcomes were estimated using a staggered difference-in-differences design implemented with the Callaway and Sant’Anna estimator, using doubly robust inverse probability weighting, hospital-level …

Discourses Of “Charades” Amid Conceptions Of Authentic Partnership: How Mathare Residents Evaluate Health Ngo Navigation, Nathaniel Oketch Lubanga

Dissertations (1934 -)

Health NGOs provide most healthcare in informal settlements. That is the reality on the ground. However, here is a puzzle: many of these organizations possess solid technical skills, yet they struggle to establish partnerships that endure. Why? Understanding how communities view these relationships might tell us something important about what makes partnerships successful or fall apart. The problem is that most research treats residents as passive recipients rather than active participants who shape these relationships through their everyday conversations. Moreover, studies tend to treat power, culture, and participation as separate issues when, in practice, they are intertwined. This qualitative study …