Digital Commons Network^™

Community College Librarian Needs Assessment: Academic Status And Research Interest, Christine (Mi-Seon) Kim, Stephanie Delano Davis

Publications and Research

This pilot study explores the results of the Spring 2023, “Needs Survey for Community College Librarians” conducted by the Community and Junior College Libraries Section (CJCLS).  CJCLS is a section of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). One hundred and seventeen individuals participated in the survey. The survey asked community college librarians about their academic employment status and publication requirements, their interest in research, and the support for research available to them at their institutions. The key findings of this research show a broad range of academic status classification among …

After Alston: Collective Bargaining And The Future Of College Athlete Compensation, Chris Mackey

Student Works

No abstract provided.

School Deserts And Education Deserts: Systemic Underfunding, Spatial Inequality, And The Case For Reforming School Finance Law, Tyler Riggs

Student Works

No abstract provided.

When Probiotics Guidelines Differ: A Practical Guide For Clinicians And Researchers, Geoffrey A Preidis, Hania Szajewska, Marla Cunningham, Howard Bauchner, Daniel J Merenstein

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Many professional organizations publish clinical practice guidelines for the use of probiotics in gastrointestinal disorders. Generally, no two guidelines align perfectly, and some differ markedly. These discrepancies occur because clinical practice guidelines are not purely mechanical outputs of data synthesis. They are shaped by structured interpretation, value judgments, and predefined thresholds for uncertainty. These elements become particularly visible when effect sizes are small, heterogeneity is high, and outcomes vary in clinical relevance-as is the case with probiotic research. This article examines why discordance among probiotic guidelines is predictable and provides practical guidance for clinicians who must decide among conflicting recommendations …

Assessing Future Drought Scenarios In Rangpur, Bangladesh Using Cmip6 Climate Projections And Drought Indices, Mijanur Rahman, Hossain Al Mahbub, Mst Sanjida Alam, Janifer Alam, Nusrut Sharmin, Md Naim Molla

Student Publications [Scholarly]

Climate-induced drought has become a growing concern across South Asia as rising temperatures and monsoon variability intensify hydroclimatic stress. This study evaluates historical (1979–2014) and future (2015–2100) hydroclimatic conditions in Rangpur using observed data and CanESM5 projections for three CMIP6 scenarios (SSP1-1.9, SSP2-2.6, SSP5-8.5). Multi-scale Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) were applied to detect droughts, while Tmax and Tmin Z-scores quantified heat anomalies and compound drought–temperature events. Historical records show strong rainfall variability with no significant long-term trend, but significant warming particularly in Tmin indicating increasing evaporative demand. Future projections reveal moderate precipitation increases (+ …

Temporal What-If Evaluation Of Multi-Layer Network Changes Using A Network Digital Twin, Anonymous

Defensive Publications Series

A network digital twin evaluates a pending network change as a function of time rather than at a single instant. An operator selects a bounded interval of recorded telemetry, forecast state, or both. The twin extracts a per-service demand series from the recorded state, applies the candidate changeset to form a candidate topology, and re-routes the demand of each time step onto that topology. At every step the twin computes parameters such as power, latency, capacity, utilization and signal-to-noise ratio, and scores each against a baseline and a threshold, so the result is a trajectory across the interval rather than …

Purpose-Aware Spend Control Using Intent-Bound Virtual Payment Credentials, Arunbalaji Kumar, Danaboyina Siri Pujitha, Hariharan Arunkumar, Hari Krishna Gogineni

Defensive Publications Series

A purpose-aware spend control system includes a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to receive a spending intent defining a purpose associated with an allocation of funds. The spending intent includes authorization rules specifying at least one of an amount limit, a validity period, an allowed merchant, an allowed merchant category, an allowed geographic location, a beneficiary persona, a usage frequency, or an unused-value handling rule. The processor is configured to generate a virtual payment credential corresponding to the spending intent and associate the virtual payment credential with an intent record comprising the authorization rules. The processor is …

System And Method For Continuous Tacit Knowledge Elicitation And Contextual Injection Via Adaptive Experience Graph, Eric Zavesky, Frederick L. Oswald

Defensive Publications Series

A system and method for continuous tacit knowledge elicitation and contextual injection through a continuing relationship between an organization and its experienced practitioners. The system comprises an elicitation engine that conducts adaptive, coverage-vector-driven dialogue with contributors across asynchronous sessions; a knowledge-extraction engine that deconstructs multi-modal narrative responses into typed graph nodes with abstraction ceilings, confidence values, and provenance references; an experience graph that stores said nodes with per-node consent gating and generates bidirectional nudge prompts back to contributors; and an operational event matching and injection system that matches live organizational events against stored knowledge and presents filtered results to current …

The Borrowable Standard: Orthographic Standardization, Text Normalization, Collation And Legacy Font Encoding In Text Corpora That Serve As Critical-Apparatus Witnesses, With The Khmer Pāli Canon, Thon Ly

Defensive Publications Series

This study concerns orthographic standardisation, text normalisation and legacy character encoding as preconditions for machine-readable text corpora that must stand as witnesses in a critical apparatus. It begins from a claim it refutes: that a machine-readable corpus requires a standardised orthography. Swiss German and the Arabic dialects lack one yet support corpora and benchmarks by normalising toward a standard borrowed from a related language (Standard German, Modern Standard Arabic) or toward a convention built for the purpose (CODA). For a corpus that must be authoritative in its own language, a witness to a text rather than a corpus about a …

The Impact Of Tobacco-Free School Laws On Student And Staff Smoking Behavior, Rachana Bhatt, Peter Hinrichs

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

A number of U.S. states have enacted bans on tobacco use by students, staff, and visitors anywhere on the grounds of public elementary and secondary schools statewide. These laws are intended to reduce tobacco use, reduce exposure to secondhand smoke, reinforce anti-tobacco curricula taught in schools, and prevent children from viewing their teachers and fellow students using tobacco products. We examine the impact that the laws have on the smoking behavior of students, teachers, and other school staff by using stacked difference-in-differences estimators that exploit the time variation in adoption of the laws across states. The results presented in this …

Do Research Day Program 2026, Lincoln Memorial University, Debusk College Of Osteopathic Medicine

DO Research Day

DO Research Day was hosted by the DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine at Lincoln Memorial University. This program features abstracts from the LMU-DCOM community.

Carceral Geographies Of Disinvestment: Mapping Police Surveillance And Food Insecurity In Tennessee, Lina Habba, Ridha Nazir, Natalie E. Freeman Phd

DO Research Day

Research Aims: •Examine the association between county-level jail incarceration (a proxy for police surveillance) and food insecurity, limited access to healthy foods, and overall food environment quality across Tennessee counties.   •Determine whether this association persists after adjustment for median household income, high school completion, and racial composition.

The Grace That Settles Nothing: Sacrifice-Witness Without Discharge — Food Image Recognition With Per-Species Lifespan Facts, A Quantity-Blind Meditation Recommendation, And A No-Balance Data Schema To Prevent Moral Licensing, Thon Ly

Defensive Publications Series

We specify a mindful-eating and gratitude-meditation application in which a food-image recognition model resolves a meal photograph into its source species; each species is shown individually, at species level, with its typical farmed age at harvest and its typical natural lifespan, with uncertainty stated and no total computed. The application then recommends a walking or sitting meditation in a fixed form, issued by an automated agent and never scaled to what was eaten. The data schema holds no balance, score, streak, duration or total between consumption and practice, only an append-only log of moments, so the practice cannot function as …

Silica Wat As Hybrid Food Network With Gratitude-Economic Drivers: Religious Institutional Infrastructure For Middle-Way Restoration Of Food Systems — Monastery-Based Community Kitchens With Donated Produce, A Purchased Supply Floor, An Unweighted Non-Monetary Contribution Ledger, And Ai Caretakers Without Religious Office, Thon Ly

Defensive Publications Series

We specify a hybrid community food network rooted in religious institutions: a distributed network of monastery-based sites, each combining a farm, a kitchen and free food distribution, operated by AI and robotic caretakers that hold no ordained status or ritual authority. Supply has two layers: produce donated from participants' home gardens, which the shared kitchen turns into meals for many, and food purchased through ordinary channels that guarantees a supply floor, so that people with no land, time or skill are never excluded; over decades the intended ratio shifts toward donated produce without cutting anyone off. Contributions are not priced. …

Frozen Frontiers: 500 Years Of Mapping Antarctica Gallery Guide, Madeline C. Lowry

Virginia Garrett Lectures on the History of Cartography Gallery Guides

An Exhibition in Conjunction with the Fifteenth Biennial Virginia Garrett Lectures on the History of Cartography.

Dipl 2109 Ab Institutions Of Global Governance, Purnaka L. De Silva Phd

Diplomacy Syllabi

The focus and aim of this Course – DIPL 2109AB: Institutions of Global Governance – is to understand the concept of Global Governance from the vantage point of International Organizations.  Global governance, central to international relations, refers to the loose framework of global regulation – both institutional and normative – that constrains conduct and attempts to maintain order.

When we speak of order, we need to specify order for whom – states, peoples, groups, or individuals.  Order may denote any regular or discernible pattern of relationships that are stable over time or may additionally refer to a condition that …

Dipl 2109 Aa Institutions Of Global Governance, Purnaka L. De Silva Phd

Diplomacy Syllabi

The focus and aim of this Course – DIPL 2109AA: Institutions of Global Governance – is to understand the concept of Global Governance from the vantage point of International Organizations.  Global governance, central to international relations, refers to the loose framework of global regulation – both institutional and normative – that constrains conduct and attempts to maintain order.

When we speak of order, we need to specify order for whom – states, peoples, groups, or individuals.  Order may denote any regular or discernible pattern of relationships that are stable over time or may additionally refer to a condition that …

Little Bighorn Days 2026, Hardin, Montana, Emma Keinath-Lopez

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This study was conducted for Little Bighorn Days to provide insight into the characteristics of attendees of the 2026 Little Bighorn Days event hosted in Hardin, Montana. Seventy attendees of the event completed the survey. Results show that the majority of respondents were Montana residents, with 66% residing in Montana and 85% of Montana respondents residing in Big Horn County. Respondents from outside Big Horn County spent an average of five nights in Montana and reported a total spending of $24,994.00, with the highest expenditures occurring in hotel/motel/bed and breakfasts, restaurants/bars, retail goods/services, and gasoline/diesel. Overall, attendees reported high levels …

River City Roots Festival 2026, Missoula, Montana, Emma Keinath-Lopez

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This study was conducted to provide insight into the characteristics, spending patterns, and satisfaction levels of attendees at the 2026 River City Roots Festival in Missoula, Montana. A total of 251 attendees completed the survey. Approximately 85% of respondents were Montana residents, including 72% who resided in Missoula County. Among respondents from outside Missoula County, 74% spent at least one night away from home. Visitors spent an average of 3.9 nights in Montana and 2.9 nights in Missoula. Fifty-six respondent groups from outside of Missoula County provided expenditure information, reporting an estimated $44,397.38 in total visitor spending in Missoula. The …

Dipl 1711ac: Introduction To International Relations, Brendan J. Balestrieri Ph.D.

Diplomacy Syllabi

This course aims to familiarize students with the foundational literature and theoretical frameworks that underpin the field of International Relations. We will integrate these elements by examining contemporary issues and significant historical events through the perspective of IR theory. The course starts with a basic historical review of International Relations study, progressing to the practical use of these theories to understand and interpret major occurrences in global politics.

By the end of this course, you will have:

- Obtained a working knowledge of the “big three” theoretical approaches to international relations and their constituent theories as well as the ability …

Dipl 1711 Ad: Introduction To International Relations, Brendan J. Balestrieri Ph.D.

Diplomacy Syllabi

This course aims to familiarize students with the foundational literature and theoretical frameworks that underpin the field of International Relations. We will integrate these elements by examining contemporary issues and significant historical events through the perspective of IR theory. The course starts with a basic historical review of International Relations study, progressing to the practical use of these theories to understand and interpret major occurrences in global politics.

By the end of this course, you will have:

- Obtained a working knowledge of the “big three” theoretical approaches to international relations and their constituent theories as well as the ability …

Assessing The Co-Benefits Of Housing And Transportation Investments In Prohousing Designated Jurisdictions, Hongwei Dong

Mineta Transportation Institute

In response to California's ongoing housing affordability crisis, state and local governments have adopted a range of prohousing policies aimed at reducing barriers to housing production and promoting the integration of housing with transportation. This study examines two distinct but related dimensions of prohousing policies in California. One concerns the Prohousing Designation Program (PDP) (established by the 2019–2020 Budget Act), analyzing the adoption and implementation of prohousing policies in 56 California cities that received Prohousing Designation. The other examines recent state and local policy shifts aimed at promoting affordable housing in transit-rich areas. The study uses a mixed-methods research design, …

From Innovation To Impact: Evaluation Of The Shape Accelerator Cohort, Iryna V. Lendel, Chloe Wieber

Upjohn Institute Technical Reports

The Solutions Hub for an Alternative Packaging Ecosystem (SHAPE), a Michigan-Ohio partnership operated by the Michigan State University Research Foundation as part of a National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engine, co-funded a special cohort of the NextCycle Accelerator focused on sustainable packaging and circular economy ventures. This report evaluates how the accelerator contributed to firm-level advancement and ecosystem-level change, drawing on program data and interviews with participating companies, program facilitators, stakeholders, and SHAPE management.  Participants most consistently credited coaching, network connections, and the Pitch Showcase with meaningfully impacting their business trajectory, gaining market traction, advancing technology readiness, and gaining access …

Dipl 6000 Na/Wb Introduction To International Relations Theory And Diplomacy, Brian Muzas Ph.D.

Diplomacy Syllabi

This course introduces students to the major theoretical traditions of international relations and diplomacy, with particular attention to how these theories help us understand contemporary challenges including cyber warfare, artificial intelligence, technological disruption, and ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East, and Asia. We will begin with a critical investigation of the competing assumptions and concepts that form the heart of various theoretical approaches to the study of world politics. As a class we will grapple with the key actors, processes, and variables highlighted by each theory, and assess their relative strengths and weaknesses in explaining both traditional interstate relations …

Dipl 4185 Aa Foreign Policies Of Post-Soviet States, Margarita M. Balmaceda Ph.D.

Diplomacy Syllabi

Russia’s full scale war on Ukraine presents key challenges to the international community. It is impossible to approach these challenges without a broader view of the sources of foreign policy in the former Soviet area. This course will survey the main issues in the history of Soviet relations with the foreign world, as well as the new foreign policies of Russia, the other Soviet successor states, and (to a lesser extent) the East and Central European states. The first part of the course explores topics such as longstanding sources of Russian and Soviet policies pre-dating 1917, the tensions between the …

The Lender Center For Social Justice Bibliography 2025-2026, The Lender Center For Social Justice

The Lender Center for Social Justice

The Lender Center for Social Justice Bibliography (2025-2026) is a document containing all Lender-Center scholarship written between 2020-2026. The title references the newest entries, which were created in the 2025-2026 academic year.

Streamlining Diagnosis Of Bardet-Biedl Syndrome: New Diagnostic Algorithm With Updated Criteria., Jeremy J. Pomeroy, Jesse Richards, Brooke Sweeney, Seema Kumar, Katie E. Queen, Joshua Zaritsky, Carl H. Cramer, Elias I. Traboulsi, Brittni A. Scruggs, Erica E. Davis, Ekaterina Keifer, Emma Mcgibbon, Timothy Ogden, Bendert De Graaf, Tonia Hymers, Elizabeth Forsythe, Philip Beales

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Considerable advances have been made in our understanding of Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS), particularly in its core clinical features and molecular genetics, warranting an update to the existing diagnostic criteria framework. Using a rigorous, evidence-based, and consensus-driven process, a multidisciplinary group of international experts and patient-led organizations developed an updated diagnostic algorithm. This algorithm provides practical, updated guidance for clinicians, including a pathway for accurately incorporating genetic findings into the diagnostic process. We recommend that a clinical diagnosis requires either 4 major criteria or 3 major and 2 minor criteria. Revised major criteria are retinal dystrophy, obesity (or overweight in individuals <  2 years old), congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract or chronic kidney disease, hypogonadism/genital anomalies, neurodevelopmental/neurocognitive manifestations, and postaxial polydactyly. The diagnosis can also be established with a positive genetic testing result in patients exhibiting ≥ 1 major criterion, provided that genetic findings should be interpreted in the context of the patient's clinical presentation, age, family history, and overlap with related ciliopathies. These consensus criteria offer a simple algorithm incorporating updated definitions for major and minor criteria and genetic testing to support a timely and accurate diagnosis of patients with BBS, inform genetic counseling, and potentially facilitate earlier access to treatment. Trial Registration: CRIBBS Registry; ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02329210.

Faculty Authors & Achievers Bibliography 2026, Luke Vilelle

WRL: Faculty Authors & Achievers Bibliographies

The office of Academic Affairs and the Wyndham Robertson Library congratulate all Hollins faculty who published or presented creative or scholarly works from Fall 2024 - Fall 2026. These pages comprise a list of that work.

The Paleoceanography Of The Jurassic Western Interior Seaway, Richard Reynolds, Rhodri Jerrett, Marc Davies, Uwe Balthasar, Gregory Price

Faculty of Science and Engineering Datasets

Supplimentry material for the paper: The Paleoceanography of the Jurassic Western Interior Seaway

Paleoenvironmental Fluctuations Across The Mid-Late Jurassic, Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, Richard Reynolds, Terry Poulton, Rhodri Jerrett, Marc Davies, Gregory Price

Faculty of Science and Engineering Datasets

Supplimentry material for the paper: Paleoenvironmental fluctuations across the Mid-Late Jurassic, Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin