Digital Commons Network^™

Social Media-Based Social Comparisons Among Socially Anxious Young Adults: The Role Of Cognitive Reappraisal, Jennifer L. De Rutte

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Social media is a central context for social interaction and self-evaluation among young adults. For those with elevated social anxiety, these environments may be especially salient because they provide frequent opportunities for social comparison. Although upward social comparison on social media has been linked to poorer emotional outcomes, less is known about its experimental effects among socially anxious young adults or whether upward and downward comparison have distinct effects that extend to later socially evaluative situations. The present study examined these questions in 84 socially anxious young adults randomly assigned to view simulated Instagram feeds eliciting upward comparison, downward comparison, …

Investigating The Role Of Striatal Cholinergic Interneuron D2 Receptors In Behavioral Flexibility, Janyn J. Alfred

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Dopamine (DA) and acetylcholine (ACh) interact within the striatum to shape reward-based learning and choice behavior. DA D2 receptors on cholinergic interneurons (CIN D2Rs) were genetically knocked out to investigate their role in choice allocation using a two-lever matching paradigm. Behaviorally, both knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) mice learned the initial task equally well. When shifted to asymmetric matching schedules (VI-90 vs. VI-180), ideal matching predicts that mice should allocate exactly 67% of their total responses to the rich lever. Neither group matched as predicted by the matching law. Instead, the KO mice showed a pattern where the higher rate …

A Hip-Hop-Based Workshop Cultivates Urban Underserved Youths’ Critical Consciousness Around Food Systems, Jacob Rowell, Hannah Scherer, Kim Niewolny, Anthony Kwame Harrison, Kendrick Spencer

Journal of Youth Development

Hip hop is social commentary and critique that highlights the complexity of issues within society, including systemic inequity in the food system, which disproportionately affects urban and African American populations. After-school and non-formal programs are innovative educational opportunities to engage youth in learning about and addressing local problems through culturally-relevant program design and enactment of critical pedagogy. To meaningfully connect middle-school-aged urban youth, their lived experiences, and inequities in the food system, we designed a hip-hop-based workshop and delivered it in an established afterschool program. In this qualitative case study, we explored participants’ critical consciousness related to the food system …

Sensation And Perception V3, Todd A. Kahan

Open Educational Resources

Sensation and Perception V3 is an introductory college textbook that explores how we detect and interpret sensory information from the world around us. Covering all five major senses—vision, audition, touch, taste, and smell—the book provides a comprehensive overview of the biological and psychological processes that underlie perception. While all sensory modalities are discussed, the primary emphasis is on vision, tracing the flow of visual information from the moment light strikes the retina through the complex mechanisms that allow us to perceive objects, color, motion, and depth.

J Mich Dent Assoc Sept. 2026

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Each month, the Journal of the Michigan Dental Association delivers news, information, and features about Michigan dentistry to our state's oral health community and the MDA's 6,200-plus members. It remains the main publication reaching Michigan dentists and is available worldwide through ADA Commons.

The September 2026 (Volume 108, No. 9) issue of the Journal is published in print format to provide updates and insights for Michigan's oral health community and MDA members. Print editions occur every other month beginning with January.

This full compilation of the September 2026 Journal of the Michigan Dental Association features the deans' reports from the …

Modeling Bald Eagle Habitat Suitability In The Del Rio Springs Ecosystem Using Lidar And Spatial Analysis, Noah Morales, Hank Vincent, Ronny Schroeder

Student Works

This study expands upon prior research that utilized NDVI-based hotspot analysis from UAS and satellite imagery (Morales et al. 2026) to identify potential bald eagle nesting and foraging areas. While NDVI effectively captures vegetation density, it does not distinguish between vegetation types or landscape structural characteristics necessary for nesting. To address this limitation, this research integrates LiDAR-derived canopy height, terrain slope, and proximity to stream networks to develop a more refined habitat suitability model within the Del Rio Springs ecosystem.

Airborne LiDAR data were used to generate Digital Surface Models (DSM) and Digital Elevation Models (DEM), which were employed to …

The Effects Of Chronic Nicotine Exposure On Dopamine-Mediated Reinforcement Learning And Striatal Neurotransmission, Srishti Bose

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Tobacco is one of the most widely used substances across the United States; tobacco consumption is linked with several diseases and is one of the leading causes of preventable death in the country. Nicotine is the active substrate found in tobacco products, acting as a stimulant, which reinforces continued use. The introduction of tobacco-free options such as e-cigarettes and oral pouches has driven an increase in nicotine exposure across the population, especially in young adults. Acute nicotine use induces neuroadaptations in the mesolimbic dopaminergic system, which mediates reinforcement learning and addiction, that potentiates reward-related neurotransmission. Furthermore, there are clinical studies …

Cognitive-Affective And Somatic Depressive Symptom Domains Related To Psychological Mechanisms And Sociodemographic Factors, Danielle B. Hazeltine

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Major depressive disorder is prevalent, chronic, and heterogeneous, including cognitive- affective (e.g., maladaptive beliefs or thinking patterns and sad mood) and somatic (e.g., fatigue, appetite, or sleep changes) symptom domains. While depression domains have been long theorized, research examining psychological mechanisms underlying this distinction is limited. Preliminary research suggests cognitive-affective symptoms relate more strongly to cognitive mechanisms (cognitive bias, perseverative thought), somatic symptoms relate more strongly to behavioral mechanisms (behavioral inhibition/activation), and gender, race, and ethnicity moderate these relationships. This study examined whether cognitive-affective and somatic symptom domains differentially relate to cognitive and behavioral mechanisms, and whether these relationships are …

Legal Geographies Of The Public Trust Doctrine, Alida Cantor, John P. Casellas Connors, Elizabeth Carlino

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Public Trust Doctrine (PTD) is a legal principle that recognizes a duty of the government to hold certain natural resources in trust for public benefit. The doctrine has been extended within the United States to address issues of water, coastal access, wildlife conservation, and climate change. Its implementation is spatially uneven and subjective, however, raising geographic questions around scale, power, and political economy. This article uses a legal geographic approach to understand the PTD. Focusing on water, wildlife, and atmospheric resources, we analyze themes of scale and jurisdiction, property and commons, and legal and environmental subjectivity. We argue that …

Pornography And Men's Violence Against Women And Children: From Production To Consumption, Gail Dines Phd., Mandy Sanchez Phd

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

The average age of first viewing mainstream pornography for boys is around ten to twelve years old. The pornography they encounter is largely from “tube sites,” named after YouTube, which are popular because they require no registration, no payment, and no subscription. For the most part, an adolescent only needs access to a digital device to view hundreds of thousands of free videos. As we discuss in this article, the weight of the scientific evidence shows that viewing pornography is associated with multiple social, emotional, sexual, and cognitive harms. However, none of these studies provide a detailed analysis of …

The Role Of Temperament In Criminal Trajectories: Development, Stability, And Predictive Power Across The Life Course, Joshua A. Lang

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Temperament, an individual's largely innate tendency to experience and regulate responses to their environment, has long been studied but was only recently introduced as a primary predictor of criminal behavior (DeLisi & Vaughn, 2014). While prior criminological theories have incorporated temperament-related constructs, such as negative affect (Agnew, 1992; Moffitt, 1993) and self-control (Gottfredson & Hirschi, 1990), no other theory has explicitly positioned temperament as the central factor in offending. DeLisi and Vaughn’s temperament-based theory of antisocial behavior posits that individuals with low effortful control and high negative emotionality—features of a difficult temperament—are more likely to engage in criminal behavior. Despite …

‘A Sense Of The Sea’: Grassroots Culture, Care, And Endurance In Swansea, Cymru, Katy Clark

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis argues that under present conditions, everyday political-aesthetic life is not only about resistance or reproduction but about holding: the work of keeping people, practices, and attachment present and oriented as conditions change. Holding takes the form of care and maintenance; as practices of making, assembling, and imagining; and as the work that keeps open the possibility of renewed attachment to public things and to each other. In the field, this was named as ‘a sense of the sea’, an affective register characterized by wariness, attunement, attentiveness, orientation, and endurance. I am calling this a fragile infrastructure of …

Nonverbal Communication In New York Fashion Week, Lianna Cruz, Maia Coyle

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

Nonverbal communication research has largely explored materiality and performance independently, leaving their joint role in meaning-making underexamined. The authors applied Langerian aesthetic theory and examined how three key kinesic variables intersect with clothing to create significance and symbolism by asking, “How do rhythm, body movement, and dance build meaning in New York Fashion Week?” Following Langer and Edward T. Hall, we conducted close visual analyses of three Spring and Fall 2025 New York Fashion Week shows: Coach, Off-White, and Thom Browne. Findings indicate that these variables build meaning by creating degrees of professionalism, reinforcing meanings through clothes, and renegotiating meanings …

Investigating How Personal Values Shape Tourism Experiences: A Case Study Of The Irish National Stud And Gardens, Amy Monahan, Ann T. Conway

International Journal of Tour Guiding and Visitor Attraction Research

This Paper explores the relationship between personal values and tourism experiences  that are  satisfying. A case study of the Irish National Stud and Gardens was undertaken in order to explore this concept. Interviews were conducted to investigate how qualities of the attraction appealed to the visitors’ personal values, thereby enhancing the overall visitor experience. A set of personal values were identified which were specific to the destination. The research demonstrated how an understanding of personal values can assist attractions with various aspects of their operations, with context specific recommendations provided at the end. This approach was taken was taken to …

Volume 9 (2026) Climate And Responsibility

International Journal on Responsibility

This issue focuses on the various ways responsibility affects environmental justice. Specifically, this volume urges us to think about how societal and individual (in)action influences ecological crises and what informs this behavior, with a specific focus on religious and Indigenous beliefs and values.

Illinois Model Programs Of Study: Overview Guide (Draft For Public Comment), Education Systems Center

Practitioner Toolkits and Resources

This draft was available for public comment through September 30, 2026. A final version will be released in October 2026.

Environmental Perspective For System Dynamics Modeling Of Stunting Mitigation To Achieve The Sustainable Development Goals In West Sumatra, Indonesia, Elsa Yuniarti, Nabila Azzahra, Yulhendri Yulhendri, Heldi Heldi, Mery Delvina, Saskia Putri Azeli

Kesmas

This study developed a system dynamics model to simulate stunting reduction in West Sumatra Province, Indonesia, by integrating infant and toddler health, maternal health, and environmental determinants. Secondary data from 2020–2024 on low birth weight, immunization, malnutrition, exclusive breastfeeding, maternal chronic energy deficiency, iron and folic acid supplement distribution, sanitation, and safe drinking water access were compiled from West Sumatra Provincial Health Office and Statistics Indonesia, and validated through consultation with five stakeholder institutions. Causal Loop Diagrams mapped feedback relationships among determinants and were translated into Stock Flow Diagrams using Powersim Studio 10. The model was validated through structural verification, …

How Do Governments Combat Jihad Online?, Noah Cook

Honors College Theses

Since the September 11th, 2001 attacks, jihadist groups like ISIS, al-Qaeda, and al-Shabaab have used the internet as a tool for recruitment, radicalization, and propaganda dissemination. Since then, governments, non-governmental organizations, and private companies have developed strategies to combat jihadism on the internet. This paper examines how these actors have worked to mitigate the digital jihadist footprint and its effects by analyzing three main approaches to countering violent Islamist extremism on the internet: counter narrative initiatives, awareness-raising programs, and content removals. This paper finds that each of these methods has its own strengths and weaknesses. Counter narrative campaigns show the …

The Nature Of Things: An Investigation Into A Viking Age Assembly Site, Tyler L. Perkins

Graduate Masters Theses

Icelandic sagas and archaeological research suggest that Viking Age Icelandic assembly sites or things (þing) were generally occupied for brief periods of time during annual gatherings. One of the archaeological manifestations of repeated temporary occupation around assembly sites is small booths. At Hegranesþing in North Iceland, besides multiple booths that cover the site, there is also evidence of long-term occupation and farming. The Skagafjörður Church and Settlement Survey conducted geophysical and coring surveys, excavated three test pits into middens from different periods of occupation, and excavated one test trench into the homefield enclosure (tún) wall. The results suggest Hegranesþing, besides …

The Furry Community As A Case Study In Identity-Related Conflict, Patrick Hampton

Graduate Masters Theses

The “furry” community has gained notoriety both on the internet and in physical spaces for the dramatic portrayal of animal-based personas referred to as “fursonas.” This group has become the subject of ridicule and moral concern due to the occasionally controversial nature of the content produced by some members of the community. However, there are many different interpretations both within and outside of the community around what the community entails. In this thesis, I examine how the furry community and the identity of its members is shaped by external pressure or social stigmatization? I answer this through the following three …

Comfort In Cases Of Sickness: Health And Colonialism At The Eastern Pequot Reservation, 1800-1850, Katherine N. Brauckmann

Graduate Masters Theses

Health and sickness were major concerns for the Eastern Pequot community in the first half of the 19th century. At this time, the Eastern Pequot’s collective finances were controlled by a court-appointed overseer who rented reservation land to non-Pequot individuals and used the generated funds to purchase goods and services for those on the reservation. In an 1841 petition to remove an overseer for failing in his duties, issues of health were brought up twice among their grievances: that they received little support “in Sickness or in health” and that “our Land if family rented […] would add much to …

Introduction To Film, Teresa A. Fisher

Open Educational Resources

An introduction to the filmmaking process including film history, narrative, mise-en-scene, editing, cinematography, sound, and acting. Includes a chapter on documentary film, experimental film, and animation.

Governing Climate Change For Sustainable Food Security In The Busoga Region Of Uganda, James Kintu

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Busoga, Uganda's most sugarcane-intensive sub-region, hosts seven mills and an expanding outgrower economy, yet remains among Uganda's most food-insecure areas, with over half of its households food-insecure. This study examined how governance of climate change and sugarcane expansion shapes capabilities for food access, land tenure, and decision-making among women, youth, and land-poor households in Jinja and Buyende.

The study developed an integrated CA-CEP-RFS framework, combining the Capability Approach, Comparative Environmental Politics, and the Resilient Food Systems framework, with Sen's Entitlement Framework bridging capabilities to production, trade, own-labor, and transfer entitlements. A qualitative case study drew on a documentary review, 27 …

Process And Change In The Global Governance Of Sustainable Development, S. Beth Fascitelli

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

In 2015, to euphoric acclaim, the world adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. But with less than five years to deliver its seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Agenda’s “transformational vision” remains unrealized. To understand why, this dissertation looks not to the Agenda’s implementation but to its birth, asking how the three-year process that produced it was designed, implemented, and experienced, and whether its mechanisms reinforced or challenged the structures that shape global sustainability governance. The premise is simple: how global agreements are negotiated matters as much as their substance. The study thus pushes back against a celebratory view …

Shaping Disease: Colonial Stigma And The Politics Of Health In Banyuwangi, The Early Twentieth Century, Rifa'i Shodiq Fathoni, Skriptyan Noor Hidayatullah Syuhri, Vini’Matu Hikmah, Ardhita Zahra Namira

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

This article examines the colonial stigma attached to Banyuwangi as an “unhealthy region” in the early 20th century, a label used to justify massive exploitation of its natural resources. Using a historical method, this research analyzes how this stigma not only served as a tool for colonial legitimation but also causatively created conditions that triggered ecological disasters and a public health crisis in a previously isolated area. Through an analysis of primary sources such as colonial reports, health journals, and newspapers, this article traces how large-scale plantation exploitation, enabled by the stigma, led to deforestation, uncontrolled labor migration, and poor …

Impact Of Environmental, Social, And Governance (Esg) Practices On The Stability And Profitability Of Financial Institutions In Malaysia, Sharifah Najihah Syed Ishar, Sharifah Fairuz Syed Mohamad, Nurul Sima Mohamad Shariff, Mazlynda Md Yusuf

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

This study examines how Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) activities affect the stability and profitability of Malaysian financial institutions, in light of the country's growing emphasis on sustainable finance. Using annual data from 2014 to 2024, the study focuses on three main objectives: assessing whether stronger ESG practices enhance financial stability, identifying the most influential ESG pillar among environmental, social, and governance components, and evaluating whether ESG performance affects profitability. This study employs random-effects panel regression with robust standard errors, yielding empirical evidence relevant to Malaysia’s dual banking landscape. The results show that stronger ESG performance raises the stability of …

From Visual Forms To Character Values: A Conceptual Model Of Visual Meaning-Making For Character Education, Muhammad Gufran, Irsan Kadir, Lukman Ismail, Meisar Ashari

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

Illustrated children's storybooks play a significant role in character education by communicating moral messages through visual narratives. Although previous studies have examined visual literacy, multimodal storytelling, and character education, limited attention has been devoted to explaining how visual forms construct visual meanings that support moral interpretation and represent character values within an integrated framework. Addressing this gap, this study investigates how visual forms in the Indonesian children's storybook Aku Bisa Lebih Baik construct visual meanings, inform moral interpretation, and represent character values. A qualitative visual content analysis was conducted on seven purposively selected illustrations using Wong's (1993) Visual Form Theory …

Visual Aesthetic Structure In East Java Temple Reliefs: A Study Of Line, Plane, Proportion, And Rhythm, Marina Wardaya

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

The temple reliefs of East Java constitute one of the main categories of the material tradition that reflects not only the aesthetic taste of Javanese culture, but also its spiritual viewpoint and the socio-cultural milieu that characterized early Javanese society. In addition to being abstract visual texts, these reliefs also embody and represent cultural identity and values. The proposed research will analyze the visual structure of temple reliefs using a visual language (Bahasa Rupa) approach and visual design theory by examining the four principal visual components (line, plane, proportion, and visual rhythm) that together form the formal structure of these …

Metaphors And Socio-Cultural Values In China's Press Statement Translation, Adinda Natassa Valentine Hutabarat

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

In real practice, political text translations are in line with a country’s main foreign policies. Thus, an in-depth understanding on communicative strategies employed in translating political texts, e.g. press statements, is essential. The paper analyses the translation of press statements from the Source Text (Mandarin Chinese) into the Target Texts (English and Indonesian). To elaborate, this study uses van Dijk’s Political Discourse Analysis at the macro (contexts) and micro (texts) levels. By considering Newmark’s equivalent translation concept, as well as metaphor and annotated translations, the analysis reveals that the translation from China’s perspective uses metaphors and China’s socio-cultural values within …

Bridging The Abyss: Reclaiming Spirituality In Academic Knowledge Production, Neil Boland

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education

Over recent decades, Western academia has shown a growing interest in spirituality, accompanied by methodological innovations and epistemological expansion. Nevertheless, spiritual inquiry continues to be subtly subordinated to scientific rationalism, with Western science often presiding as gatekeeper over what is considered legitimate knowledge. Drawing on Boaventura de Sousa Santos’ concept of abyssal thinking, this article argues that spiritual and experiential forms of knowing remain largely relegated to the far side of an epistemic divide, valued only insofar as they can be reframed within scientific norms. Despite increasing institutional recognition of spirituality in fields such as education, psychology, and medicine, …