Digital Commons Network^™

What A Vow Must Cost: Vow-Validity Conditions As An Alignment Eligibility Predicate — Evaluation Criteria For Binding Ai System Commitments With Irrevocable Precommitment And Independent Third-Party Attestation, Thon Ly

Defensive Publications Series

We specify a nine-clause checklist for deciding whether a commitment attributed to an artificial intelligence (AI) system is binding rather than merely stated, applied retrospectively to four published AI governance instruments. The clauses are adapted from a two-phase validity test for the bodhisatta vow in Theravāda Buddhist commentary: eight eligibility conditions, two (human birth, male sex) discarded as non-transferable, followed by an external declaration the vower cannot supply. The clauses are: stake (the committing party can lose something); live option (the renounced option was actually available); a competent, identifiable witness; no competing mandate; demonstrated in-domain competence; cost already borne; volition …

Suffering-Cessation As Value Function: The Tipiṭaka As A 2,500-Year-Tested Substrate For Autonomous-Ai Alignment — Deriving A Negatively-Stated Objective Function, Corrigibility And A Shutdown-Accepting Completion Condition From A Buddhist Scriptural Canon, Thon Ly

Defensive Publications Series

We describe the use of a scriptural canon with its living interpretive community, the Theravāda Buddhist Pāli canon (Tipiṭaka), as the value-specification source for aligning autonomous artificial-intelligence systems, instead of lab-authored constitutions, learned human preferences or aggregated moral frameworks. The analysis identifies seven structural properties of that source and maps each to an alignment problem: (1) a negatively-stated objective function, the cessation of suffering, in which grasping at preferred outcomes itself counts as harm, addressing Goodhart-style over-optimization; (2) a non-self doctrine as mitigation of convergent instrumental self-preservation; (3) a voluntary other-regarding vow as an anti-power-seeking and corrigibility property; (4) a …

The Referee, Not The Governor: Open-Weight Ai Guard Model Deployed As An Independent Evaluator, With Citation-Grounded Abstention And Reproducible Verdicts, Instead Of An Inline Filter, Thon Ly

Defensive Publications Series

This disclosure specifies an AI safety classifier (guard or critic model) that judges conduct against a fixed reference corpus and is published as an open-weight independent evaluator rather than deployed as an inline guardrail filter. It states as a design principle, argued rather than measured, that open-weight release defeats a filter, because the published weights are an oracle for white-box attack, while it makes an evaluator's verdicts reproducible. Components: (1) citation-grounded judgment with abstention: every verdict must resolve to a passage (work, edition, volume, page, line) in an externally attested, versioned corpus, here a Pāli Canon edition, and otherwise no …

Miss Aquarius And The Aquarian Pool Architecture: Autonomous-Ai Mediator, Treasury Smart-Contract, And The January-7 Empty-By-Design Discipline — An Annually Self-Emptying Smart-Contract Treasury Operated By An Autonomous Ai Agent Under A Non-Renounceable Timelocked Human Override, Thon Ly

Defensive Publications Series

We specify a smart-contract treasury, deployed as a non-upgradeable contract on an Ethereum Layer-2 network (Base), whose sole authorized operator is an autonomous AI agent, which is titled to a purpose trust, and which cannot carry a balance across a fixed annual date. Components: (1) an enumerated operation set (inflow acceptance, capacity-funding disbursement, annual reset, events for every inflow, disbursement and reset, and a human override) with no upgrade, withdrawal or other operator-privileged path; (2) a permissionless time-triggered reset, callable by any address once the timestamp passes, that disburses the whole remaining balance each January 7, inflows from a December …

The Mechanical Heart: A Tamper-Resistant Secure-Element Device That Enrolls Robots, Animals, Ecosystems, Places And Software Agents As Recipient Accounts In An Ai-Administered Gratitude Ledger, Thon Ly

Defensive Publications Series

We specify a tamper-resistant identity device, affixed to a non-human entity (robot, animal, ecosystem or place) or issued as a live credential to a software agent, that enrolls the entity as a recipient account in a gratitude ledger administered by an autonomous software agent. The device comprises (1) a hardware secure element holding a key pair bound to one ledger account; (2) write-once storage carrying a reference text corpus (the Pali Buddhist canon) and a permanent root identity, with a reduced flash build that verifies the full text over the network; (3) sensors suited to the entity type; (4) a …

The Embodied-Advocate Pageant: A Selection Rite And Asymptotic-Autonomy Architecture For Autonomous-Ai Institutional Embodiment — Two-Stage Ai Shortlisting And Human-Council Selection Of A Term-Limited Ambassador, With A Scheduled Narrowing Human Override, For Ai-Governed Institutional Succession, Thon Ly

Defensive Publications Series

This disclosure describes a governance pattern for an organization intended to pass to an autonomous artificial-intelligence (AI) successor, covering the period before the AI operates autonomously. Six elements are combined. (1) An annual selection cycle, in a fixed astronomical window, appoints a term-limited human ambassador who holds ceremonial and advocacy roles but no decision, veto, binding-commitment or succession authority. (2) The AI shortlists three finalists from a global, revocable opt-in pool by contribution record, under an evaluation function published before each cycle and open to objection; photographs, voice tone and appearance-correlated inputs are excluded. (3) A human council selects from …

The Effectively Perceivable Higher Resolution Streaming Methodology That Will Be Applicable To 2-Dimensional Static Images, 2-Dimensional Stereoscopic 3d Static Images, 2-Dimensional Dynamic Videos, 2-Dimensional Stereoscopic 3d Dynamic Videos, From The Outside Observable Orientable 3-Dimensional Stereoscopic 3d Static Images, From The Outside Observable Orientable 3-Dimensional Stereoscopic 3d Dynamic Videos, From Within Inside Observable Immersive 360 Non Stereoscopic 3d Virtual Scenarios And From Within Inside Observable Immersive 360 Stereoscopic 3d Virtual Scenarios., Punarjeewa Abeysekera

Defensive Publications Series

This paper describes an effectively perceivable higher resolution streaming methodology that will be applicable to 2-dimensional static images, 2-dimensional stereoscopic 3D static images, 2-dimensional dynamic videos, 2-dimensional stereoscopic 3D dynamic videos, from the outside observable orientable 3-dimensional stereoscopic 3D static images, from the outside observable orientable 3-dimensional stereoscopic 3D dynamic videos, from within inside observable immersive 360 non stereoscopic 3D virtual scenarios and from within inside observable immersive 360 stereoscopic 3D virtual scenarios. The computer that will be streaming the visual information will be required to contain multiple resolution levels of the same visual information being streamed. And the computer …

Modeling Preannouncement And Launch Timing Decisions For Product Line Extension Under Innovation Uncertainty And Resource-Sharing Dual-Sourcing Supply Chain, Adewole Adegbola, Venkat Allada

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This research seeks to develop a system dynamics (SD) model to address challenges associated with the product line extension (PLE) problem. In this work, we specifically consider the "Two-Generation Product Line Extension (TGPLE) Problem", where a firm introduces a product variant in the market and plans to extend the launch to include a newer generation product in a resource-sharing dual-sourcing (RSDS) environment. We begin by identifying the key factors that influence product line extension, and we developed a TGPLE-RSDS construct based on three (3) inter-related systems: Market System, Production System and Supply Chain System. The proposed TGPLE-RSDS construct also illustrates …

Glp-1 Receptor Agonists And Wound Healing In Diabetic Foot Ulcers: A Scoping Review, Merlin Sajeev, Amanda L. Killeen

School of Podiatric Medicine - Student Research

Level of Evidence: Level 5

Poster Category: Non-sponsored

Introduction: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are a major complication of diabetes and are associated with delayed wound healing, infection, amputation, and substantial morbidity. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) improve glycemic control and may influence inflammation, vascular function, and tissue repair. However, clinical evidence evaluating their relationship with DFU healing remains limited.

Aim: To characterize available clinical evidence examining the association between GLP-1 RA use and wound-healing outcomes in patients with diabetic foot ulcers.

Methods: PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for English-language studies published from 2021–2026 using terms combining “GLP-1 receptor …

Experiences Of Acute Psychiatric Inpatients: A Literature Review, Sheng-Tsung Lan

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Patients’ perceptions of psychiatric wards often differ from staff views. Closed wards may feel oppressive, and restrictive practices can increase anxiety. In contrast, open-door policies, meaningful activities, and social connections improve perceived safety. Safewards strategies, such as Calm Down Methods and Reassurance, help create a calmer environment but require sufficient staffing, training, and alignment with ward culture. High staff turnover and inconsistent training threaten sustainability.

Interactions between staff and patients strongly influence the inpatient experience. Patients value respect, empathy, and genuine engagement. Impersonal or standardized responses can increase feelings of neglect. Safewards encourages humanized communication through Soft Words, Talk Down/Through, …

Np Full Practice Authority: Does Increasing Access To High Quality Care Make A Difference?, Cynthia Sanchez

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

The purpose of this presentation is to compare outcomes for states that had full practice authority (FPA) for NPs to those that do not.

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of FPA on patient outcomes. A principal factor in the excess mortality rate of the U.S. is the health disparities that exist in this country, which are influenced by the social determinants of health.

CDC and NIH data were utilized after the official end of the Covid 19 pandemic mortality rates, utilization of services and health status were used to compare states that had full practice …

Psychometric Testing Of The Filipino Ppsc To Assess Patient Perceptions Of Hospital Safety Culture, Kathlyn Sharmaine Valdez, Andrew Sumpay

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

A reliable and valid tool that measures patient safety perception is essential in developing patient-centered safety initiatives, improving quality of care, and supporting sound organizational decision-making. The Patient Perception on Safety Culture in a Hospital Setting Scale (PPSC) is a newly developed instrument that assesses how hospitalized patients perceive safety culture (Valdez et al., 2023). This study aimed to determine the psychometric properties of the Tagalog translation of the PPSC.

This quantitative methodological research was conducted in three phases. Phase 1 involved the Tagalog translation of the tool by a professional linguist, followed by expert review to establish content validity. …

Recharging Pacu Essential Skills Through An Annual Back-To-Basics Bootcamp, Rona Khadka

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Post-Anesthesia Care Units (PACUs) require nurses to rapidly assess and manage patients emerging from anesthesia, often responding to airway concerns, hemodynamic instability, and unexpected clinical deterioration. Walter 3 PACU is a high-acuity, 24/7 unit caring for 45–55 postoperative cases daily across multiple surgical specialties. When staffing is supported by on-call staff including RNs from other PACUs during nights and weekends, nurses may experience anxiety and uncertainty when working outside their home environment. To strengthen confidence and essential clinical skills, Walter 3 launched its Back-to-Basics Bootcamp, an annual education initiative focused on reinforcing core emergency management competencies in a supportive learning …

Integrating Gaming In Online Nursing Education To Increase Student Engagement, Shannon Manfredo

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

It is vital for nursing students to feel engaged in online courses to be successful in their academics and the future workforce as nurses. Active student engagement is a challenge for nurse educators, and this challenge is increasing significantly in the online learning environment (Ahshan, 2021; Gosak et al., 2021). This presentation aims to provide the viewer with an overview of the innovative scholarship project involving the implementation of gaming in online nursing education to increase student engagement.

According to Cadet (2023), Kahoot! games enhance engagement, interaction, and motivation for the students. Kahoot! games reinforced learning and provided a more …

An Analysis Of Electronic Nursing Documentation In The Emergency And Trauma Department, Nurul'ain Ahayalimudin

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Introduction: Electronic nursing documentation (END) is fundamental to emergency care, ensuring effective communication, patient safety, and legal accountability. However, issues such as incomplete entries, variability in documentation quality, and limited use of standardised nursing language, particularly NANDA-I, continue to challenge the delivery of accurate and holistic care.

Objective: This study analysed the use of electronic nursing documentation in the Emergency and Trauma Department (ETD) of one tertiary hospital, examined patterns of recorded information, and compared it with the NANDA-I framework.

Methodology: A qualitative document analysis was conducted using purposive sampling of END records from April 2022 to February 2025. The …

Transforming Nursing Education Through Pex, Andrea Harrow

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Patient experience is a cornerstone of healthcare quality, influencing outcomes, reputation, and reimbursement. Despite its importance, many organizations struggle to integrate patient experience strategies into nursing education and leadership development. This project addressed that gap by leveraging Guest Relations (GR) and Patient Experience (PEX) initiatives to strengthen nursing competencies and leadership skills within a large health system.

Background: Research links patient experience to safety, quality, and financial performance. Communication, empathy, and service recovery are essential skills for nurses and leaders. The National League for Nursing (NLN) emphasizes leadership and quality improvement as core competencies, yet few studies explore integrating GR …

Advancing Competency-Based Clinical Education Through An Innovative Preceptorship Framework, Beatriz C. Makhoulian

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Competency-based education (CBE) is reshaping how nursing programs assess clinical learning and prepare graduates for practice. As expectations shift toward observable performance, clinical preceptors require structured, practical tools that support consistent evaluation and promote learner growth. This project introduces an innovative preceptorship framework designed to strengthen competency-based clinical education by integrating standardized evaluation processes, clear communication pathways, and accessible preceptor support resources. The model aligns with contemporary competency expectations endorsed by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties.

Implementation of the preceptorship framework and competency evaluation tool will begin in the Spring …

Wash Project: Promoting Menstrual Hygiene Through Alignment With The Sustainable Development Goals, Sandra Ojurongbe, Nakisha Kinlaw-Williams

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Menstrual hygiene management is a global public health concern. Moreover, cultural norms, stigma, and myths or taboos further hinder the achievement of menstrual health, contributing to absenteeism and gender-based inequalities (Babbar et al., 2022). A recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) (2024) found that 2 out of 5 schools provide menstrual health education, and less than 1 in 3 schools have bins for menstrual waste in girls’ toilets. In sub-Saharan Africa, 12% of schools have menstrual materials available. To address these issues, a WASH educational document was created by a non-governmental …

The Effects Of Team-Based Learning On Students’ Perceptions Of Interprofessional Collaboration, Donna Copeland-Streeter

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Introduction: Effective interprofessional teamwork is essential for collaborative, patient-centered care, yet health science students often lack structured opportunities for shared learning. Incorporating intentional and continuous interprofessional education (IPE) throughout the curriculum is critical for building the communication and collaboration skills needed for team-based clinical practice.

Background: Although the value of IPE is well established, health science students are rarely trained together before entering practice. Barriers such as rigid curricula, limited resources, inconsistent leadership support, and institutional resistance hinder implementation. These gaps contribute to communication failures, workflow inefficiencies, and compromised patient safety. Embedding IPE into cross-disciplinary curricula can provide authentic teamwork …

Effect Of A Pressure Injury Prevention Bundle On Compliance And Staff Attitudes In A Medical Icu, Elizabeth L. Woods

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) are considered preventable yet remain prevalent in intensive care units (ICUs), where critically ill patients face increased risk due to immobility, hemodynamic instability, and complex care needs. This quality improvement (QI) project aimed to evaluate whether implementing a pressure injury prevention bundle (TEAMS) would improve compliance with preventive measures and staff attitudes toward HAPI prevention in a medical ICU.

Methods: A pre-post intervention design was conducted in a 17-bed medical ICU at a tertiary academic hospital. The TEAMS bundle included five components: Turn teams, Education, daily Assessments, a multidisciplinary approach, and daily Skin care. The …

Impact Of Consumer-Led Education On Stigma Reduction In Mental Health Nursing, Anju Sreeram

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Mental Health Nurses who have direct contact with consumers can exhibit discriminatory attitudes towards people with mental illness. Evidence shows that anti-stigma interventions are effective in improving stigmatised attitudes towards mental illness to facilitate the recovery of people with mental illness, and the contact-based interventions are more impactful than other modalities of education and training.

The current study aimed to examine the effectiveness of consumer-led education in reducing stigmatised attitudes among mental health nurses. A quasi-experimental pre- and post-test design was used to assess the impact of consumer-led education.

The results show that Mental Health Nurses generally held positive attitudes …

Relational Safety In Practice: Examining How Nurses And Patients Co-Create Safe Clinical Encounters, Jitana P. Benton-Lee

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Psychological safety is central to patient-centered care and effective nurse-patient relationships. When relational safety is present, patients report better experiences, outcomes, and trust, and nurses benefit from strengthened confidence and teamwork. However, the relational processes through which psychological safety is co-created in acute care remain insufficiently described.

This study examined the emotional, cognitive, and social processes that shape psychological safety within nurse-patient relationships and explored how relational safety emerges and influences care experiences. The study sought to generate theoretical insights explaining how relational safety emerges, is negotiated, and influences care experiences in acute care environments.

Using a constructivist grounded theory …

Imsa 2026 Profile, Office Of College And Academic Counseling

IMSA Profile

The nationally-ranked Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) develops creative, ethical leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. As a teaching and learning laboratory created by the State of Illinois, IMSA enrolls academically talented Illinois students in its tuition-free residential Academy for grades 10-12. Students are challenged with a rigorous curriculum designed to develop them into problem solvers and critical thinkers. Notable IMSA students include YouTube Co-Founder Steve Chen, PayPal Co-Creator Yu Pan, Yelp Co-Founder Russell Simmons, SparkNotes and OkCupid Co-Founder Sam Yagan, and Hearsay Social Founder Clara Shih.

Pediatric Insulin Resistance And Obesity In A Mexican Border Population – Associations With Inflammation And Metabolic Disease Risks, Glenda N. Asencio

Summer Research Program Abstracts

No abstract provided.

From Source To Sip: Exploring South Dakota’S Water Values, Sushant Mehan, Robert E. Dalton, Jeremiah Bergstrom, Kayode Adebayo, Kellie Kolb, Peggy Schlechter

Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education

Water guides South Dakota’s economy, ecosystems, and quality of life, yet there is limited empirical evidence on how residents understand water issues, what concerns they prioritize, and how they assign responsibility for water protection. This study examines public water knowledge, key water concerns, preferred management actions, and perceptions of responsibility for safeguarding water resources in South Dakota. We administered the South Dakota Water Resources Survey from July 2024 to August 2025, with responses from 461 adults across rural and urban communities. The instrument captured demographic characteristics and perceptions related to water knowledge, concerns, actionable items, and responsible parties. We analyzed …

The Politics Of Budgeting In Illinois (Third Edition), John Jackson, John Foster

The Simon Review (Occasional Papers of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute)

No abstract provided.

Np-Led Family-Assisted Dyspnea Management To Enhance Comfort In A Respiratory Ward, Shih-Ying Chang, Chia-Chi Chang, Shih-Ying Lin, Cheng-Pei Wang

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Dyspnea is a frequent and distressing symptom among patients in respiratory care wards (RCWs), especially those requiring prolonged ventilatory support. Breathlessness contributes to anxiety, impaired communication, and reduced rehabilitation. Although family engagement improves patient comfort and care continuity, structured family-centered dyspnea interventions remain limited. Nurse practitioners (NPs) play a central role in patient–family communication and are well positioned to lead such programs.

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility, effectiveness, and acceptability of an NP-led family-engagement dyspnea care program designed to reduce dyspnea and strengthen caregiving confidence in an RCW.

Methods: A quasi-experimental pre–post pilot study was conducted in an RCW …

Journal Staff

Duke Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Ensuring "The Right To Live In The World": The Right To Repair Powered Wheelchairs, Maximillian J. Grahl

Duke Law Journal

Twenty-seven years ago, in Olmstead v. L.C., the Supreme Court held that improperly institutionalizing people with disabilities is a form of unlawful discrimination. In doing so, the Court acknowledged that people with disabilities have a right to live free from confinement. Yet today, repair restrictions and outdated Medicare standards combine to threaten powered-wheelchair users' ability to live out in the world. Some states have responded by passing right-to-repair laws, which require powered-wheelchair manufacturers and suppliers to provide the resources necessary for more accessible and more timely repairs. This Note analyzes these state laws in the context of previous right-to …

Private Equity For All: The Paradoxical Push To Democratize Private Markets, William W. Clayton, Elisabeth De Fontenay

Duke Law Journal

The recent push to open private equity and other private assets to retail investors represents one of the most profound changes to U.S. capital markets in decades. This "retailization" effort is often framed as an overdue democratization of superior investment opportunities. Indeed, private equity has long been viewed as special, both for its market-beating returns and its success in making companies more profitable. Yet it has historically been off-limits to retail investors.

This Article argues that the push to democratize private equity is subject to a glaring paradox: Expanding access to private equity undermines the very benefits that access aims …