Digital Commons Network^™

Project Care Poster, Jeff Gutierrez, Rayna Sage, Rtc: Rural

Independent Living and Community Participation

The CARE Project connects rural Centers for Independent Living (CILs) and rural libraries to improve disability services and respond to community needs together. RTC:Rural has designed a participatory curriculum development project to collaboratively create a resource to provide a roadmap to community partnerships between rural CILs and libraries.

Baseline Nutrition Knowledge And Feasibility Of A Whatsapp-Delivered Nutrition Education Intervention Among California Wildland-Urban Interface Firefighters, Lauren E. Anderson

Master's Theses

Wildland firefighters perform physically demanding work under challenging environmental conditions that place substantial demands on nutritional health and occupational performance. Despite the importance of nutrition in supporting physical performance, recovery, and long-term health, limited research has examined nutrition knowledge and dietary behaviors among California wildland firefighters or evaluated the feasibility of remotely delivered nutrition education interventions within this occupational population. Therefore, the purpose of this pilot study was to assess baseline nutrition knowledge, nutrition self-efficacy, and dietary behaviors while evaluating the feasibility of a 12-week WhatsApp-delivered nutrition education intervention among California wildland firefighters.

Twenty-four firefighters completed the baseline assessment and …

Beyond The Binary: The Intersection Of Substance Use And Lgbtq+ Identity, Allyana Musa

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Substance use among LGBTQ+ youth remains a significant public health concern, with rates of alcohol, marijuana, and other substance use consistently exceeding those of their heterosexual peers. This systematized review examines the literature on substance use interventions for LGBTQ+ youth, with a focus on identifying the program components and theoretical orientations associated with effective and affirming outcomes. Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search of ERIC and PsycINFO was conducted to identify peer-reviewed studies published between 2016 and 2026 that addressed substance use among LGBTQ+ youth. Eligible studies included quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, and conceptual research examining substance use, risk and …

A Systematized Review Of Parent Experiences With Special Education Placement In Rural Communities, Madeline Bishop

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Parents of children enrolled in special education programs often face unique challenges, particularly in rural settings where access to resources and communication with school personnel can be limited. This systematized review explores how rural school systems can best support parents during the special education process. A systematized review of articles published between 2005 and 2025 was conducted. A thematic analysis of 20 articles revealed 3 themes following the review: benefits and barriers to rural special education, professional relationships, and parents’ strain and appreciation. Overall findings highlight the importance of the experiences between parents and school personnel regarding special education. Limited …

Finding Balance: School-Based Yoga Interventions And Their Alignment Within Multi-Tiered Systems Of Support, Ursula Vogt

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

School-based interventions that support emotional regulation and student well-being are increasingly emphasized within Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). Yoga has emerged as a potential school-based practice; however, its outcomes, alignment with MTSS frameworks, and implementation characteristics remain unclear. This systematized review examined (a) psychological, emotional, and behavioral outcomes associated with school-based yoga interventions, (b) their alignment with Tier 1 and Tier 2 supports, and (c) implementation characteristics that support feasibility in school settings. A systematic search identified 21 U.S.-based studies, which were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings indicated that yoga interventions were associated with improvements in emotional regulation, stress and …

Supporting Every Student: Optimizing School-Based Mental Health Services For Students With Intellectual Disabilities, Sarah K. Eggleston

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Youth with intellectual disabilities (ID) are at considerably greater risk of developing mental health problems compared with the general population; however, their needs are less likely to be identified, and they often face barriers to accessing quality mental health care. School-based mental health professionals (SBMHPs) are uniquely positioned to support students within their natural learning environments, where many common barriers to service provision have been removed. The present study examined the current state of practice among SBMHPs in Virginia in identifying and supporting the needs of students with ID, as well as SBMHPs’ training experiences. An online cross-sectional, mixed-methods survey …

Students With Borderline Intellectual Functioning: Dropping The Label And Reducing The ‘Line’, Samantha M. Sitzman

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Students with Borderline Intellectual Functioning (BIF) often experience significant academic and social-emotional difficulties while remaining ineligible for many formal special education services, creating challenges in identifying and supporting this population within school settings. This convergent mixed methods study examined school psychologists’ perspectives regarding the challenges experienced by students with BIF, the interventions commonly used to support them, and the systemic barriers associated with service delivery. Twenty-two practicing school psychologists in Virginia completed a researcher-developed survey containing quantitative and qualitative items. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative responses were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Findings indicated that school psychologists …

Teen Suicide And The Outcomes Of Surviving Peers, Emily Cuddy, Janet Currie, Elisa Jácome, Lucy Manly

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

By age 17, a quarter of U.S. students have experienced a peer suicide. Using linked administrative data from South Carolina and a matched difference-in-differences design, we find that exposure to a peer’s self-harm death increases the probability of a self-harm diagnosis by nearly 50% and both the incidence and frequency of mental health visits. Effects on care use and criminal behavior are concentrated among white boys, and responses diverge by prior mental health history: students without a prior diagnosis increase felony offending rather than care-seeking. Deaths from assault and transportation accidents produce no comparable rise in self-harm, consistent with contagion.

Transgender And Gender-Diverse Healthcare Through Virtual Social Networking, Francis Peter Furmanek Iii

PhD of Social Work

This study examined the behavior of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) utilizing virtual social networking (VSN) to address their healthcare needs. Presently, the TGD community has been facing discrimination in policy and social structure across the United States. Accepting safe spaces are vital to survival and growth of TGD people, and the current wave of anti-trans legislation seeks to eliminate these spaces. This phenomenological mixed-methods study examined mechanisms that TGD people use to address healthcare needs in virtual spaces alongside a backdrop of negative healthcare experiences in traditional settings. Informed by Intersectional theory, Minority Stress Theory, and considering Andersen’s Behavioral …

Barriers To Access: Examining Nonprofit Service Delivery In Rural Communities, Elizabeth Knight

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Nonprofit Studies Capstone Projects

Around sixty-six million Americans live in rural communities; however, the research on what accessibility barriers exist for rural residents accessing nonprofit services is limited. Rural communities often face persistent barriers to accessing essential services, including transportation challenges, geographic isolation, and financial hardship. Nonprofit organizations employ strategies to respond to these barriers; however, organizational capacity constraints make it difficult for nonprofits to alter their service delivery strategies. This study uses semi-structured interviews with nonprofit leaders to identify what nonprofit accessibility barriers can currently be seen in rural Virginian communities. Findings also explore how nonprofits navigate these barriers and what they do …

External Debt In Sub-Saharan Africa: A Five Country Case Study On External Lending, Andres Ramirez

International Studies (MA) Theses

This thesis examines China as a new external lender to Africa and analyzes if their large infrastructure loans are leading developing countries into debt distress, compared to Multilateral and Commercial Private financing. A regression analysis is run on a 10-year data set, 2014-2024, and analyzes the external debt service-to-revenue ratio, relative to the external debt stock by lender, across a panel of five East and West African economies, Kenya, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Rwanda, and Benin. The empirical findings in the analysis shows that commercial private debt causes the most strain on a country’s external debt service to revenue ratio, but …

Aegic Blogposts - Grain Supply Chains, Ross Kingwell, Peter Elliott

Grain and other field crops published reports

The Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC) was an independent, not-for-profit organisation established in 2012 by the Western Australian Government and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). Its core mission was to increase the value and international competitiveness of Australia’s multibillion-dollar export grains industry. AEGIC ceased operation at the end of 2025.

Early in its history between 20 to 30 staff from the former Western Australian Department of Agriculture were seconded to AEGIC. Following the formation of DPIRD, AEGIC continued to receive substantial annual funding support from DPIRD.

This publication is a legacy document containing collated AEGIC blog posts …

Aegic Blogposts - Grain Pricing, Ross Kingwell, Peter Elliott, Chris Carter

Grain and other field crops published reports

The Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC) was an independent, not-for-profit organisation established in 2012 by the Western Australian Government and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). Its core mission was to increase the value and international competitiveness of Australia’s multibillion-dollar export grains industry. AEGIC ceased operation at the end of 2025.

Early in its history between 20 to 30 staff from the former Western Australian Department of Agriculture were seconded to AEGIC. Following the formation of DPIRD, AEGIC continued to receive substantial annual funding support from DPIRD.

This publication is a legacy document containing collated AEGIC blog posts …

Aegic Blogposts - Grain Demand In Key Regions And Countries, Ross Kingwell, Sean Cowman, Peter Elliott, Chris Carter

Grain and other field crops published reports

The Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC) was an independent, not-for-profit organisation established in 2012 by the Western Australian Government and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). Its core mission was to increase the value and international competitiveness of Australia’s multibillion-dollar export grains industry. AEGIC ceased operation at the end of 2025.

Early in its history between 20 to 30 staff from the former Western Australian Department of Agriculture were seconded to AEGIC. Following the formation of DPIRD, AEGIC continued to receive substantial annual funding support from DPIRD.

This publication is a legacy document containing collated AEGIC blog posts …

Aegic Blogposts - Grain Demand Overview, Ross Kingwell, Paul Meibusch, Jorge E. Mayer, Richard Williams, Peter Elliott, Chris Carter

Grain and other field crops published reports

The Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC) was an independent, not-for-profit organisation established in 2012 by the Western Australian Government and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). Its core mission was to increase the value and international competitiveness of Australia’s multibillion-dollar export grains industry. AEGIC ceased operation at the end of 2025.

Early in its history between 20 to 30 staff from the former Western Australian Department of Agriculture were seconded to AEGIC. Following the formation of DPIRD, AEGIC continued to receive substantial annual funding support from DPIRD.

This publication is a legacy document containing collated AEGIC blog posts …

Aegic Blogposts - Grain Demand: Health And Environmental Issues, Ross Kingwell, Nicholas Thorsager, Chris Carter

Grain and other field crops published reports

The Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC) was an independent, not-for-profit organisation established in 2012 by the Western Australian Government and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). Its core mission was to increase the value and international competitiveness of Australia’s multibillion-dollar export grains industry. AEGIC ceased operation at the end of 2025.

Early in its history between 20 to 30 staff from the former Western Australian Department of Agriculture were seconded to AEGIC. Following the formation of DPIRD, AEGIC continued to receive substantial annual funding support from DPIRD.

This publication is a legacy document containing collated AEGIC blog posts …

Aegic Blogposts - Climate Impacts On Grain Production, Ross Kingwell, Nicholas Thorsager, David Stephens, Ian Foster, Imma Farre

Grain and other field crops published reports

The Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC) was an independent, not-for-profit organisation established in 2012 by the Western Australian Government and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). Its core mission was to increase the value and international competitiveness of Australia’s multibillion-dollar export grains industry. AEGIC ceased operation at the end of 2025.

Early in its history between 20 to 30 staff from the former Western Australian Department of Agriculture were seconded to AEGIC. Following the formation of DPIRD, AEGIC continued to receive substantial annual funding support from DPIRD.

This publication is a legacy document containing collated AEGIC blog posts …

Aegic Blogposts - Grain Industry Productivity, Ross Kingwell

Grain and other field crops published reports

The Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC) was an independent, not-for-profit organisation established in 2012 by the Western Australian Government and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). Its core mission was to increase the value and international competitiveness of Australia’s multibillion-dollar export grains industry. AEGIC ceased operation at the end of 2025.

Early in its history between 20 to 30 staff from the former Western Australian Department of Agriculture were seconded to AEGIC. Following the formation of DPIRD, AEGIC continued to receive substantial annual funding support from DPIRD.

This publication is a legacy document containing collated AEGIC blog posts …

Shifting Faith Among Indigenous People In Arunachal Pradesh, India: Revisiting Greenfeld's Civilizational Framework, M. Amin Khan

Comparative Civilizations Review

This paper examines changing religious demography in Arunachal Pradesh through Liah Greenfeld's theory of civilization as a self-generating and self-reproducing symbolic reality. Using decadal Census data (1971–2011), it traces the demographic decline of Indigenous/Tribal religions classified under “Other Religions and Persuasions” (ORP) alongside the widespread growth of Christianity and the more limited growth of Hinduism. The analysis argues that these demographic shifts reflect more than religious conversion; they reveal differential capacities for cultural reproduction. Whereas civilizations endowed with codified first principles and enduring institutions sustain continuity across generations, Arunachal Pradesh's largely localized and orally transmitted indigenous traditions have proven less …

Professor Greenfeld’S Last Class: Notes For Online Lectures On “The Science Of Humanity,” Delivered To Students And Scholars Primarily From India, July 2025, Liah Greenfeld

Comparative Civilizations Review

The question for this class is: What is humanity?

We all believe we all know what it is, don’t we? After all, there is hardly any subject more important for us, a question on the answer to which other subjects depend — political, social, economic. Answers to questions such as: what are human economic needs and desires; what political structures are optimal for humans; is democracy, for instance, a universal human desire; should politics in every nation be democratic, or, perhaps, authoritarian governments are better; is freedom a natural need, does it make life better, does equality?

Sdrc Update (Volume 7, Issue 3), Dlsu Social Development Research Center

SDRC Publications

The August 2026 issue of SDRC Update highlights research that addresses emerging social and development challenges in the Philippines. This issue features the launch of the Towards Resilient Platform Work in the Philippines policy report, which presents recommendations on strengthening social protection and skills development for platform workers. It also showcases the Mind the Climate project, which examines the mental health impacts of climate change on Filipino youth living in climate-vulnerable communities. The issue concludes with a Researcher Spotlight on Ms. Ma. Angeles "Maeyet" G. Lapeña, recipient of the 2026 Evolutio Socialis Distinguished Researcher Award, recognizing her contributions to evidence-based …

Juvenile Lifers: Adapting To Life While Doing Life, Tristin Faust

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This qualitative study examined psychosocial maturation among individuals sentenced to life imprisonment for offenses committed during adolescence. Archival interview and survey data were analyzed for 30 men who had been resentenced and released after serving an average of 31 years in prison. Findings revealed a developmental progression across four stages: pre-incarceration, initial incarceration, catalysts for change, and later incarceration. Participants described entering prison with developmental immaturity compounded by trauma, unstable home environments, educational disruption, and antisocial peer influence. Their early years of incarceration were marked by anger, fear, misconduct, and survival-oriented behavior. Over time, participants identified discrete events and ongoing …

Examining Social Anxiety And Barriers To Engagement In School-Based Mental Health Services Among Black American Adolescents, Taylor Walls

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Social anxiety is common among Black American adolescents, though research examining the experience of social anxiety among this population is very limited. Furthermore, few studies have explored how sociocultural factors, such as racial discrimination and mental health stigma, may shape Black American adolescents’ perceptions of social anxiety and school-based mental health services. Using qualitative methods, the present study explored Black American adolescents’ perceptions of social anxiety, barriers to help-seeking, and views regarding school-based mental health services. A total of 15 Black American high school students in the northeastern United States (ages 14-15 years; M=16.0, SD=1.2) participated in focus groups and …

Predictors Of The Mother-Infant Bond: The Role Of Maternal Attachment Style, Parity, Race, And Motherhood Expectations, Samia Qadri

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study examined how maternal attachment style, parity, race, and motherhood expectations, individually and in interaction, predicted the quality of the mother-infant bond during the postpartum period. Grounded in a maternal feminist framework, the study used a quantitative, cross-sectional correlational design. Postpartum mothers aged 20–39 (N = 87) completed validated measures of maternal attachment style, motherhood expectations, mother-infant bonding, and depressive symptoms. Multiple regression compared a Primary Model containing the four focal predictors and planned interaction terms with a Secondary Model that added maternal depressive symptoms as a covariate. Depressive symptoms emerged as the strongest single predictor of bonding, and …

When Ai Joins The Team: Exploring Team Development Interventions In Human-Ai Teaming, Lizzie Bell

All Dissertations

Team development interventions (e.g., team charters) are systematic activities designed to improve team competencies and processes with the goal of improving overall effectiveness and related outcomes. However, with the growing prevalence of human-autonomy teams, less is known about the effects of team development interventions when an artificial intelligence (AI) agent is included as a teammate. Given the growing utilization of AI in teams, this study investigated the effects of incorporating the AI agent into the chartering process. More specifically, in this study, 60 teams of three (two human and one AI agent) were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: …

A Word From The Writing Team (August 2026), Pam Walter, Mfa, Laura Deloretta, Phd

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

The Startup: Critical Perspectives On Technology Entrepreneurship And Digital Labor, Kochav Koren

All Duquesne Faculty Scholarship

Communication and media studies are rapidly reshaped by socio-technological forces within the framework of informational capitalism, where startups emerge as key drivers of the global creative economy. This study critically examines the global startup movement through political economy, classical sociology, and Southern perspectives to assess whether digital entrepreneurship fosters genuine, decentralized innovation or perpetuates speculative financialization and labor precarity. Employing a multi-layered theoretical framework—including Schumpeterian creative destruction, Marxist commodity fetishism, and Weberian charismatic authority—and qualitative fieldwork across North and Latin American tech hubs, the analysis reveals startups as network enterprises that both disrupt markets and reproduce structural inequalities. The findings …

Medicare’S Hospital Wage Index Exceptions Grew By Nearly 60% From 2016 To 2024, Geoffrey J. Hoffman, Jun Li

Center for Policy Design and Governance

This brief summarizes "Medicare’s hospital wage index exceptions grew by nearly 60% from 2016 to 2024," co-authored by Geoffrey J. Hoffman and Jun Li in Health Affairs.

Using Photovoice And Life Course Theory To Understand The Lived Experiences Of Filipino Teenage Parents, Nina Linly D. Capulong, Liane Peña Alampay, Bernice Landoy Mamauag, Jennel Drezza Fe C. Reyes

Psychology Department Faculty Publications

Teenage parents face the unique challenge of simultaneously navigating adolescence and parenthood. Rising adolescent pregnancy rates in the Philippines necessitate urgent efforts to better understand and support them. Using Photovoice, Filipino teenage parents captured their lived experiences through photographs, resulting in eight themes: (1) Managing stresses and conflicts in partner relationships, (2) Peers as a source of emotional support, (3) Support and strain in family relationships, (4) Shifts in normative adolescent experiences and priorities, (5) Strain and agency in balancing roles, (6) Desire to enhance parenting knowledge and skills, (7) Environmental drivers of early sexual exposure, (8) Sexual knowledge from …

Impact Of Media Guidelines On Suicide-Related Reporting Quality And Suicides: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Simone Scotti Requena, Vikas Arya, Thomas Niederkrotenthaler, Mark Sinyor, Michiko Ueda, Matthew J. Spittal, Jane Pirkis

Center for Policy Design and Governance

This brief summarizes "Impact of media guidelines on suicide-related reporting quality and suicides: A systematic review and meta-analysis," co-authored by Simone Scotti Requena, Vikas Arya, Thomas Niederkrotenthaler, Mark Sinyor, Michiko Ueda, Matthew J. Spittal, and Jane Pirkis in Crisis.