Digital Commons Network^™

Brute Force Branding: Variations & Repetitions Of The Almighty Dollar Banknote, Rui-Long Monico

Artl@s Bulletin

Abstract: This paper examines the U.S. dollar as a global brand and mythic icon, revealing how its stable aesthetic asserts dominance and infiltrates daily life. Through visual analysis and global comparison, it shows how banknotes are battlegrounds where art, identity, and geopolitics collide—currency as a weapon of soft power and cultural hegemony. The dollar’s visual inertia—ritualized, repeated, reappropriated—cements its supremacy as a symbolic force, where repetition enforces authority and variation sparks both resistance and conformity. Banknotes emerge as tools of statecraft and vessels of collective memory, as reflected in the author’s bespoke creation accompanying this study.

Résumé: Cet article analyse …

Social Workers' Perspectives Of Using Teletherapy To Foster Resilience Among Middle-Class Single Black Mothers, Yvonne Judge

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Inadequate mental health support, particularly from social workers, disproportionately affects middle-class single Black mothers. Prior studies have examined low-income single mothers’ access to mental health care and the potential of teletherapy as a tool for improving access; however, few have explored how middle-class single Black mothers navigate mental health challenges. Further, there is a lack of research on social workers’ perspectives of using teletherapy to foster resilience among middle-class single Black mothers. This is a critical gap, as social workers play a key role in tailoring mental health interventions. The purpose of this study was to explore social workers’ perspectives …

From Miso To Tray-C: The Impact Of Hedonic And Utilitarian Name Preference On Non-Humanoid Service Robots In Restaurants, Fatmah Almeer, Amit Sharma

ICHRIE Research Reports

Service robots are become common in the restaurant industry. Robot suppliers recommend business name such robots to increase the likelihood of their acceptance by employees and consumers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the preferences of robot names representing "Utilitarian" and "Hedonic" attributes. Our findings show that study respondents had a significantly stronger preference for hedonic names compared to utilitarian names. Names with hedonic attributes were perceived positively and were considered more trustworthy. The name identified through this study was adopted for the service robot at a hospitality management program in the United States. This report also provides …

Simulated Intimacy, But Real Connection: Perceived Reciprocity And Romantic Closeness Make Otome Fun To Play, Nicholas Bowman, Elena Yifei Zhao

Media Studies - All Scholarship

Otome games offer players the opportunity to form romantic relationships with NPCs. Drawing on Social Exchange Theory, we proposed that, in the context of otome game, reciprocity enhances the sense of romantic closeness with NPCs, which in turn lead to greater enjoyment and appreciation. Survey data from 293 Chinese otome players supported the model, suggesting that at least one of the reasons that otome gaming is so entertaining is that they provide players with relationships that those players engage as if they were authentically social. Descriptive results revealed high reciprocity scores and strong romantic connection with NPCs, which players feeling …

An Eye For An Eye And A Smile For A Smile: Examining Aggressive And Supportive Behavioral Alignment Among Taiwanese Adolescence Who Play Video Games, Nicholas Bowman, Chrissy Cook, Chingching Chang

Media Studies - All Scholarship

The social dynamics of video games, especially those played online, are one of the primary motivators for gaming. Unfortunately, while there are numerous benefits to online gaming, there is also potentially harmful toxic and aggressive behavior. Prior research has investigated toxicity, but most studies rely on convenience samples, typically from WEIRD populations. The current study extends this scholarship with a nationally representative sample of Taiwanese adolescents who are frequent gamers, (a) quantifying their experiences with aggressive and supportive behaviors in games and (b) investigating personological-level variables that might explain reciprocating (referred to as “behavioral alignment”). Key findings were (1) aggressive …

Community Engagement And Experiential Learning To Understand Food Insecurity In Georgia’S Urban Environments, Gregory Gullette, Jenna Andrews-Swann, Nicole Villamil, Christin Cain

Southern Anthropologist

No abstract provided.

Wei Xiqin’S Evolutionary Plan For Modern China, Nianhong Qiu

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

This study examines the thinking, practices, and significance of Wei Xiqin (1882- 1952). Born in Germany and educated in various European countries, Wei was a musician and educator who played an active role in the educational reform of the Republic of China. Wei was equipped with modern European thoughts but held deep reverence for Confucianism and other traditional Chinese classics. Examining this contentious figure in the wake of “Chinese Evolutionism” trend, this study investigates the differences between Wei’s evolution theory and the dominant evolution theory during early 20th-century China. Wei’s evolutionism, which I call a type of “Cyclic Evolution,” implies …

The Black Mother-Daughter Developmental Model: A Life Course Framework For Understanding Matrescence, Identity, And Attachment In Black Family Systems, Brianna A. Baker

Publications and Research

This study introduces the Black Mother-Daughter Developmental Model (BMDDM), a life course framework that theorizes the evolving relational, psychological, and cultural dynamics of Black mother-daughter relationships across generations. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 18 Black women aged 18 to 65 and analyzed to examine patterns of attachment, identity development, rupture, and relational repair over time. Findings yielded a five-stage developmental model: (1) Black Matrescence and Prenatal Conditions, (2) Initial Attachment, (3) Separation and Detachment, (4) Negotiation and Reattachment, and (5) Matrescence Redux and Grandmatrescence. Across stages, participants described how gendered racial socialization, maternal …

Reviewing Crowdsourcing And Community Engagement In Museums, Paul Longley Arthur, Lydia Hearn, Isabel Smith

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Over the past two decades, museums have increasingly experimented with digital technologies to connect with broader contemporary culture. This review article investigates the role crowdsourcing can play in transforming museums into more engaged environments, raising visibility and inclusivity, and involving diverse voices and populations in knowledge-creation processes. Its contribution is to provide an overview of the history, definitions and concepts of crowdsourcing, and examples of crowdsourcing policies and practices that have been adopted by museums. Participation in crowdsourcing has been influenced by gender, education, and socio-economic and cultural background. In the past, historical structures and traditions and infrastructural complexities have …

Interpreting Novel Metaphors - A Test Of The Perspective Identification View Of Metaphor Comprehension, Symmetra J. Roane

Theses and Dissertations

This study provides initial evidence for the Perspective Identification View of Metaphor. It proposes metaphor comprehension involves reliance on vehicle properties to shift the perspective of how the topic is conveyed. This is especially true when the perspective shift relies on a property the vehicle has a principled connection to.

Psychotherapy Technique And Emotional Communication: The Relationship Between Technique Use In Psychotherapy And Patient Speech Styles Associated With The Referential Process, Sorrel Johnson M.S.

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

Linguistic analysis is a growing field within psychotherapy process research. Computerized measures have been developed to quantify qualities of speech associated with the Referential Process (RP), a construct describing the way in which people communicate emotional experience by cycling through different language styles (Bucci, 2021c). The three phases of RP are arousal, referential activity (RA), and reflection/reorganizing (R/R). Examining the latter two, the current study aimed to determine if therapists’ use of techniques was associated with immediate levels of patient RA and R/R in a sample of three archival psychotherapy sessions. Sessions were coded moment-by-moment (N=263 therapist speech turns) for …

Scoring Equitable Transit: A Data-Driven Framework For Affordable Transit-Oriented Development In California, Ahoura Zandiatashbar, Anton Rozhkov, Stephanie Nemet, Atticus Washington, Mounashree Prasanna

Mineta Transportation Institute

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is a cornerstone of California’s climate and land use policy, promising walkable, compact neighborhoods near high-quality transit. However, these benefits are not always distributed equitably. This study introduces a scalable framework for identifying and scoring Affordable Transit-Oriented Development (A-TOD) across the state’s High-Quality Transit Areas (HQTAs). The goal is to equip policymakers, planners, and housing agencies with tools to evaluate station areas based on their physical form, affordability, and equity outcomes. Using a 1.5-mile network-based pedestrian buffer around over 66,000 transit stations, the research team developed a three-stage clustering and scoring system. Station areas were classified by …

“America Is For Americans Only”: Journalistic Professionalism, Populism, And Latino Ethnic Media In The 2024 U.S. Presidential Election, Maria Villarroel

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines how journalistic professionalism shaped news coverage of Latino-related issues during the 2024 U.S. presidential election across mainstream and Latino ethnic media outlets. In a polarized political environment, immigration and the “Latino vote” were not only central campaign issues but also sites of radicalized rhetoric that frequently targeted Latino communities and journalists. In this context, journalists were tasked with reporting on highly contentious, hostile narratives while adhering to professional norms. This study argues that these norms influenced how journalists selected, framed, and contextualized political rhetoric, and how media coverage further elevated immigration and Latino communities as key electoral …

Use Of Generative Ai In Scholarly Research: Challenges And Opportunities, Marco Marabelli, Robert M. Davison, Giovanni Gatti, Ankita Srivastava, Monideepa Tarafdar

Computer Information Systems Faculty Publications

The focus of this panel report is to present evidence of a panel discussion that took place in October 2025 on the use of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) in academic research and publishing. The panel included publishers (Elsevier, Emerald, Gailot Press, MIT Press, Nature/Springer, Wiley) and editors in chief (representing the Information Systems Journal, Journal of the AIS, Journal of Data Science and ICES Journal of Marine Science). Key outcomes of the panel are the following: 1) publishers and editors have some disagreements regarding GAI use; 2) besides disagreements, all recognize that GAI is here to stay, therefore outstanding issues …

Environmental Degradation And Food Systems In Ghana: Gold Mining And Synthetic Pesticides, Da'mirah Vinson

Honors Theses

This research examines the relationship between environmental degradation and food systems in Ghana. Although sociological research has explored how extractive practices like gold mining dispossesses farmers of land (Gilbert and Albert 2016; Agariga 2021; Kwang and Blagogie 2025), the consequences for food sovereignty and security remain understudied. Research that considers food and land from a sociocultural perspective is even more limited. My research addresses these gaps by asking: How do environmental degradation practices—specifically gold mining and chemical use—affect food production, distribution, and security in Ghana? And how does the decline of arable land reshape cultural food identity? To explore these …

From Progressive Politics To Media Censorship: Analyzing The Trajectory Of Lgbt Rights In Taiwan And China, Sabrina Malec

CISLA Senior Integrative Projects

No abstract provided.

“Durable Solutions” Revisited: Italy’S Train-To-Hire Pathway Under The Cutro Decree As Alternative Refugee Protection, Tim Streit

Human Rights Brief

I. Introduction

If the average person were asked to imagine a refugee, they might conjure the image of a migrant fleeing war or persecution, showing up at the border of a new country with a few belongings in hand, and asking not to be sent back to the dangerous place from which they came. In fact, it is not only the hypothetical “average person” who pictures this scenario. The international refugee protection system, developed after World War II through the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (Refugee Convention) and its 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees …

Deconstructing Shifting Narratives: Critical Discourse Analysis Of Terminology Trends In Unfpa’S State Of World Population Reports (1978-2024), Naqib A. Noory

Theses and Dissertations

Rooted in both scholarly inquiry and lived experience in global development, this study explored how language shapes power, inclusion, and representation. It analyzed the evolution of population and development discourse in UNFPA’s State of World Population reports (1978–2024) using Fairclough’s Level 1 Critical Discourse Analysis framework. Giddens’ Structuration Theory provided a broader lens linking linguistic change to the interaction between institutional structures and human agency. A theory-based coding framework, drawing on Malthusian, Senian, Spivakian, and MDG/SDG paradigms, guided the analysis of evolving discourse. Findings revealed a layered narrative: earlier scarcity framings persisted beneath newer development language; rights and empowerment rhetoric …

Confessions Of A Beginning Dutch Learner, Kristin Lems

Faculty Publications

I have studied, taught about, and learned new languages throughout my lifespan. In fact, it has been the very core of my teaching career.  Now, I have the humbling experience of testing those truths against a new enterprise:  learning Dutch.  I spent last summer in the Netherlands, pursuing family roots and acquiring what Dutch I could.  I took no formal classes but did attend a free dropin class at the local library, where - believe me - I was the lowest learner in the lowest group! Here are some of my insights, from notes taken during that summer:

Comparing The Evolution Of The Advanced Practice Nurse Role: Insights From Switzerland And Kenya, Carole Mackavey, Sara Kohler, Eunice Ndirangu, Rachel Kimani, Constance Shumba, Bernard Mutwiri, Colette Henderson, Anna Jones

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

The article explores the evolution of Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) roles in Switzerland and Kenya, highlighting their development, challenges, and influence on healthcare delivery. Despite notable differences in income levels and healthcare infrastructure, both countries are committed to strengthening primary care through the deployment of APNs. Switzerland uses APNs to address provider shortages and improve chronic disease management, whereas Kenya uses them to increase access in underserved areas. A comparative analysis explores how regulatory frameworks, educational models, scope of practice, and health system priorities influence the adoption of advanced practice nursing (APN). Switzerland’s established healthcare system supports the integration of …

Exploring The Feasibility And Acceptability Of The Calm Kitty Curriculum For Promoting Emotional Regulation In Preschoolers, Tabitha A. Irizarry

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This exploratory mixed-methods study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and perceived usefulness of the Calm Kitty Curriculum, a classroom-based emotional regulation program for preschool-aged children ages 3–5, delivered through a teacher-facing orientation. Emotional regulation in early childhood is an important foundation for school readiness, social competence, and later academic outcomes. Because children from historically marginalized communities are disproportionately affected by emotional dysregulation and exclusionary disciplinary practices, accessible and developmentally appropriate classroom-based supports are needed. This study represented an initial phase of curriculum development and focused on implementation readiness rather than child-level effectiveness. A secondary data analysis was conducted using previously collected, …

Impact Of Social Media On Self Esteem And Body Image, Sunayana Sri Acharya Goribidnur Sudheendra

Selected Full-Text Master Theses 2021-

This study examined how idealized self-presentation on social media relates to self-esteem and body image in young adults, and whether body dissatisfaction, general distress, or symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress help explain that relationship. Ninety-eight undergraduate students from two universities completed an online survey measuring idealized online self-presentation (Presentation of Online Self Scale), self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale), body esteem (Body Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults), general distress (Distress Questionnaire-5), and depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms (DASS-21). Contrary to expectations, greater idealized self-presentation was associated with higher, not lower, self-esteem. Idealized self-presentation was not significantly related to body esteem, …

Experiences Of Marginalization At The Intersection Of Race, Ethnicity, And Disability In Higher Education, Nora L. Portillo

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Black and Latine college students with disabilities navigate higher education at the intersection of racism and ableism, yet their experiences remain underexamined. Autism and ADHD are particularly underrepresented in research and public discourse; moreover, unlike other disability categories in which students of color are overrepresented, Black and Latine children are less likely than white children to be accurately identified, and both disabilities are often framed around white prototypes. Guided by Disability Critical Race Theory, the present exploratory qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with ten undergraduates identifying as Black and/or Latine and with ADHD and/or on the autism spectrum attending a …

The Path To Information Literacy: From Finding A Topic To Writing An Annotated Bibliography, Robyn Hartman, Claire Nickerson, Heather P. Vandyne

All Open Educational Resources

This book is an adaptation of Ohio State University's Choosing & Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research. It has been revised with a new introduction and learning objectives and section summaries. It also includes sections on common research assignments such as research plans, research logs, note-taking, and annotated bibliographies. The sections on evaluating resources have been expanded to include lateral reading with SIFT (Stop, Investigate the source, Find better coverage, Trace sources) and evaluation with CRAAP (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose), the 5Ws (Who What When Where Why), and BEAM (Background, Exhibit, Argument, Method). Sections on generative AI have …

Expanding Access To Urban Nature: Floating Gardens As Equitable And Inclusive Blue-Green Infrastructure In The Chicago River, Michael Hendricks, Alec Foster, Noha Shawki, Mariela Fernandez, Sage Rossman, Sierra Mack-Erb, Eric Peterson

Faculty Publications – Politics and Government

This study examines the social dimensions of Urban Rivers’ Free Kayak Days at the Bubbly Creek Floating Gardens in Chicago, Illinois. Floating gardens are a form of blue-green infrastructure that provide ecological benefits, including nutrient removal, habitat creation, and shoreline stabilization, while also offering recreational and educational opportunities. Guided by environmental justice scholarship, our interdisciplinary team conducted participant observation to evaluate whether Urban Rivers’ Freek Kayak Days effectively engaged residents from surrounding marginalized communities. Four themes emerged: (1) access and inclusion, highlighting reduced financial barriers but ongoing challenges related to safety perceptions, cultural relevance, and physical accessibility; (2) community engagement …

Children Past Curfew: Surveillance, Resistance, And Childhood In Philippine Martial Law Children's Literature, Krisna Marie T. Balolong

Children's Literature (MA) Theses

This paper examines how two Philippine children's books depict state surveillance and its effects on a child's perspective of family, authority figures, and childhood. Through analysis of Augie Rivera's Isang Harding Papel and Sandra Nicole Roldan's At the School Gate, this project makes a connection between children's literature and surveillance studies, offering new framework to engage with children’s literature depicting authoritarian regimes and state violence, especially in cases where children were targets of their governments. Each book is examined by their representations of state surveillance during the Martial Law era of the Philippines, as well as each characters’ individual …

An Autoethnographic Study Of A Technical Services Librarian’S Teaching Journey During The Tenure Track: “Define Myself For Myself To Both Survive And Thrive”, Junli Diao

Publications and Research

This autoethnographic study explores the disorienting dilemma that a technical services librarian experienced while alternating between working behind the scenes to fulfill professional responsibilities and teaching in the library to meet organizational expectations as a faculty member. The analysis of personal data accumulated during the tenure track period reveals three themes: teaching as learning to become, teaching as learning to challenge the system, and teaching as learning to research. Reflection focuses on three themes interconnected by the concept and practice of mindful learning. With the acknowledgement of limitations, this autoethnography concludes it was the self-reflective lifelong learning mindset that helped …

Bodies, Bottles, And Emotions: Emotional–Material Tensions In Exclusive Pumping, Jessica M. Rick

Faculty Publications - Communications

Exclusive pumping (i.e., providing breast milk solely via pumping) is increasingly common in the United States, yet remains largely invisible in public discourse. This study uses photo-elicitation interviews to examine how exclusive pumping mothers narrate the emotional and material tensions of their feeding journeys. Participants’ photographs revealed profound pride in sustaining breast milk for their children, alongside frustration at not nursing “naturally.” Participants also documented the substantial responsibilities, financial costs, and emotional labor inherent in exclusive pumping. Despite these challenges, mothers framed their experiences through cultural narratives of intensive and total motherhood, positioning exclusive pumping as a morally and socially …

Community Narratives On Addressing Gender And Power-Based Violence: Asian/Pacific Islander Voices From Dc, Maryland, And Virginia; An Oral History Of The Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project (Dvrp), Linda Kuo

Social Work Theses - Archive

Between 16% and 55% of A/PI women and 8.4% of men report experiencing intimate partner violence in their lifetime (API GBV, 2020). The DC, Maryland, and Virginia tri-state region is home to a growing Asian/Pacific Islander (A/PI) population and calls for further learning about their culturally relevant social services. The Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project (DVRP) is the only pan-A/PI specific anti-violence organization in this area. Grounded in intersectionality and collective memory theory, the current study employs oral history methodology to interview 14 individuals involved in supporting A/PI survivors, who are and have been part of the DVRP community. …

Reflections Of A Queer Latvia: How The Past Has Shaped Contemporary Activism, Gray Ruffer

Slavic Studies Honors Papers

This thesis aims to create a transhistorical map of queer Riga through the tolerance, treatment, and activist moments in Latvia from the early twentieth century to 2025, with special focus on the divided legal and social attitudes toward LGBT identities in different pockets of Riga. By tracing the role the Russo-Soviet occupations on Latvian soil from 1914-1991 had on the structure of governmental organizations, the treatment of the Latvian language and culture, and the social atmosphere in the capital of Riga, this thesis establishes a Latvian national historical memory through memory narratives that focus themselves in authentic Latvian traditionality, as …