Digital Commons Network^™

Speculative Filmmaking With Children: Envisioning The Future Of Humans, Machines, And Nature, Sumit Sharma, Behnaz Norouzi, Leena Ventä-Olkkonen, Marianne Kinnula, Tommi Nevala, Charu Monga, Tuure Haarjärvi

IASDR Conference Series

With children’s increasingly entangled relationships with technology, it is imperative for them to critically explore, reflect on, and envision how technology impacts them and society at large, now and in the future. We conducted a speculative filmmaking workshop with 9-10-year-old school children where participants worked in groups to envision the future of human-machine relationships, creating stop-motion animations showcasing their imagined futures. Analysis of the films highlights unexpected explorations of conflicts involving nature, alongside anticipated human-machine dynamics. These reveal children’s expectations for humans and machines and their roles and responsibilities. Our work showcases how speculative filmmaking with children scaffolds critical explorations …

Blurring Boundaries: A Speculative And Generative Exhibition Exploring Hospital In The Home, Troy Mcgee, Amy Killen, Rowan Page

IASDR Conference Series

This pictorial presents Blurring Boundaries, a speculative exhibition and workshop series staged during Melbourne Design Week 2025, that explores the shifting landscape of Hospital in the Home (HITH) care. As healthcare moves from clinical to domestic settings, design plays a critical role in navigating the tensions, values, and lived experiences this transition provokes. Over five days, more than 80 designers, architects, clinicians, patient advocates, and students co-created artefacts that were progressively integrated into the gallery, transforming the space into a dynamic, participatory installation. Framed in three acts — Surfacing, Envisioning, and Together ing — the exhibition scaffolded collective futuring through …

Design Asset Formation Through Ai-Driven Interpretation Of Text And Visual Data, Yu Syuan Guo, Wan Ting Jiang, Cheng Yuan Wu, Shyhnan Liou

IASDR Conference Series

including Yu-Syuan Guo, Wan-Ting Jiang, and Cheng-Yuan Wu, Researchers, and Shyhnan Liou, Director of R&D, for their invaluable support and collaboration throughout this project. This study aims to explore the evolution of in-house design processes through AI technology. Historically, design projects lacked standardization, result- ing in inconsistent deliverables, costs, and quality, especially in cross-disciplinary projects. To address this, this research developed two AI design think- ing tool prototypes. The goal is to leverage generative AI's strength in organizing nonlinear data to assist enterprises with varying design application ex- periences. This includes structuring first-hand research data using natural language, enhancing asset …

Imagining Sonic Being: Participatory Workshop For Envisioning Sound As An Independent Entity, Jongik Jeon, Chang Hee Lee

IASDR Conference Series

While sound has primarily been employed as a medium or source for auditory experiences or information, recent attempts have emerged to redefine sound as an independent agent through the lens of posthumanist theory. Building upon this discourse and understanding, we conducted a participatory workshop to explore people’s imaginations and thoughts regarding our newly conceptualized independent sonic presence, named “Sonic Being.” Through the workshop, we identified collective expectations of sound as an autonomous, affective, and interactive entity beyond an anthropocentric perspective. We summarized these expectations and imagined qualities into four key themes: Abstract Ghost, My Little Weirdo, Dynamic Initiator, and Emotional …

Three Locks: Reconstructing Multi-Perspective Narratives With Mr–Vr Hybrid Interactions, Liang Xiao, Wanqi Fu

IASDR Conference Series

This study presents Three Locks, an immersive narrative system that integrates Mixed Reality (MR) and Virtual Reality (VR) to investigate multi-perspective storytelling within nonlinear interactive environments. Players manipulate miniature figurines representing gold prospectors with distinct motivations. The MR stage facilitates structural guidance and expectation-building through physical interaction, whilethe VR stage delivers emotionally immersive, first-person narrative fragments. The system adopts a layered temporal structure—structural guidance (MR), emotional immersion (VR), andmulti-linerecomposition (MR)—to support narrative coherence and experiential depth. Amixed- method user study combining questionnaires and interviews was conducted to assess its effectiveness in narrative comprehension, emotional engagement, and character identification. Results demonstrate …

Community-Based Co-Creation In Social Vr: Insights From A Multi-Filmmaker Project In Vrchat, Jhao-Yun Lee

IASDR Conference Series

Social virtual reality (social VR) has emerged as a platform for HCI and CSCW research in recent years. While previous research has highlighted self-concept exploration and everyday social and community activities in social VR through interviews, less attention has been given to collaborative creative practices. In this paper, we explore how collaborative creativity unfolds in social VR through the development of a multi-filmmaker project using meta-design and mass collaboration. The project resulted in 59 social VR users working across diverse roles and time zones. We identify key strategies and outline methodological considerations for designing and supporting community-based co-creation in immersive …

An Illustrated Guide To Edible Flora In The Neo-Plasticene: From Empirical Research To Sensory Speculation Through Design, Hsiu-Fang Cheng, Rung-Huei Liang

IASDR Conference Series

As micro plastics gradually infiltrate the physiological structures and sensory characteristics of edible plants, this study combines empirical research and speculative design to construct an illustrated guide of edible flora in the “New Plastic Age”, which we herein conceptualize as the Neo-Plasticene. Through AI-assisted narrative and visual generation, the guide simulates potential morphological and sensory mutations in plants subjected to pollution stress—articulating intermediary species positioned between nature and artificiality, defined by their latent transformation and persistent edibility. This project addresses the perceptual challenge of slow ecological mutation by proposing the guidebook as a design medium for future food narratives and …

Designing A 4d Digital Archive For Ikebana: Toward Scalable And Interpretable Interactive Archiving Of Cultural Performance, Anna Yokokubo, Yoshio Ishiguro, Kazuma Taketani, Chisaki Hori, Jun Rekimoto, Noboru Koshizuka

IASDR Conference Series

We proposed the design of a 4D digital viewing system for archiving the embodied creation process of Ikebana. Using twenty-two synchronized fixed cameras and a grasses type eye tracker, our system captures full-body motion, the evolving flower arrangements, and gaze behavior. Camera poses are estimated with COLMAP, and each video frame is independently reconstructed using 3D Gaussian Splatting, resulting in a space-time sequence that can be interactively viewed from arbitrary angles. This frame-wise reconstruction strategy lowers computational load and avoids temporal drift, enabling long-duration recordings on moderate hardware while maintaining spatial coherence. The resulting archive integrates body kinematics, spatial composition, …

Investigating The Usage Of Generative Ai In Design Education: Bridging University Policies And Student Practices, Lujin Mao, Ziyue Tang, Mengyao Qi, Jeffrey C. F. Ho, Gerhard Bruyns, Kun-Pyo Lee, Zhibin Zhou

IASDR Conference Series

Generative AI (GenAI) is reshaping design education, leading to the emergence of new university policies and evolving student practices. This study offers a comparative review of 17 institutional policies and 38 empirical studies on design students’ engagement with GenAI. Using inductive analysis, we developed a synthesized set of themes that capture both regulatory guidance and practical usage. Our findings indicate that while institutional policies emphasize responsible use, general-purpose recommendations, and abstract competency aims, student practices are characterized by situated judgment, iterative workflows, and profession-oriented skill development. These contrasts point to areas where institutional frameworks may fall short in addressing the …

Empathy In The Headset: Exploring Affective Computing Through Ai In Virtual Reality, Po-Wei Chiu, Tiburcio Schöniger, Chris Wu

IASDR Conference Series

Advancements in affective computing highlight the growing potential of virtual reality (VR)–based conversational agents to provide emotional support during distressing experiences. This pilot study employed a convergent mixed-methods design to examine how a VR-based empathetic agent influences users’ emotional states, perceived empathy, and trust after recalling negative personal memories. Five participants completed an emotion-induction task followed by a 15-minute supportive dialogue with an AI agent in an immersive VR environment. Quantitative measures indicated general mood improvement with a slight rise in tension, likely reflecting residual arousal rather than discomfort with the agent. Qualitative analysis identified three key themes: technical friction …

Kawaii As Interface Grammar: Reframing Emotional Design In Post-Usability Cultures, Haopeng Wu, Mia Tanio, Wonseok Yang

IASDR Conference Series

In the context of post-usability cultures, where users increasingly seek emotional resonance over mere functionality, this study explores the potential of kawaii as a communicative grammar in interface icon design. Adopting a three-phase methodology— (1) UI audit of 31 mobile applications, (2) metaphor extraction across 101 apps to identify dominant icon types, and (3) an evaluation experiment involving 21 participants rating 12 heart-shaped icon stimuli—this research investigates how subtle visual modifications along three design axes (stroke thickness, curvature and fullness, spatial balance) influence users’ kawaii perception. Statistical analysis (ANOVA) revealed that moderately thick, rounded, and slightly imbalanced forms tend to …

Companion Practice In Between Dogs And Owners; Co-Designing Urine Marking In Urban Space, Oh Hirano, Hinako Makita, Nanako Okusa, Hiroya Tanaka

IASDR Conference Series

Dog marking behavior in urban spaces is problematized as a factor causing corrosion of public property and soil damage. Conventionally, various solutions have been considered for this problem, including the application of repellents and water-flushable toilets for dogs, but all have remained human- centered approaches, consequently reducing dogs' place in urban space. Through four phases of prototyping, this study developed the "Dog-Pee Spot" a product that attracts and aggregates dog marking behavior. The prototyping process revealed complex dog agency where social behavioral patterns of dogs in outdoor spaces intersect with becoming-with owners connected through leashes. Furthermore, in Co-Design practice that …

Innovating The Electoral Experience: A Public Service Design Study Of Taiwan's Electoral System, Mu-En Lin, Li-Ning Huang, Chih-Lu Lin, Junyu Chen, Nai-Wen Fan, Shu-Ting Ai, Chi-Yi Chang

IASDR Conference Series

This study adopts a public service design perspective to address the lack of professional design involvement in Taiwan’s election system. Within the constraints of existing laws and administrative procedures, the research proposes feasible, immediately applicable optimization strategies. Through cross-sector collaboration with the Central Election Commission, the study focuses on key voter-facing elements—such as election bulletins, polling station signage, and voting booths—introducing standardized, templated, and modular designs to resolve systemic issues like visual clutter and operational inefficiency. Using methods including user journey analysis, institutional research, and prototype testing, the project combines SOP guidelines and digital tools to improve information clarity and …

Avian Experience In Urban Grotto: Ecological Soundscapes As A Biosemiotic Methodology In Multispecies Ethnographic Research And More-Than-Human Communication, Qingyu Zhang, Francesca Valsecchi

IASDR Conference Series

Ecological soundscapes, once primarily regarded as carriers of environmental information, are increasingly understood as immersive, embodied experiences that offer experiential and ontological access to more-than-human worlds. Situated within the framework of more-than-human design, this research challenges anthropocentric paradigms by foregrounding ecological soundscapes as dynamic, sentient agencies that convey environmental meaning and social structures among non-human species. Through field-based, autoethnographic inquiry on crow vocal is ation in Vienna, the project 1) articulates a hybrid methodological approach combining deep listening, soundscape walks, and bio acoustic analysis; and 2) establishes a sonification process that translates the data from the multispecies ethnographic research into …

The Choreography Of Sympoiesis: A Speculative Design To Reshape Modern Equestrian Concepts, Heyu Shao

IASDR Conference Series

This study explores the interactive relationship between humans and horses in equestrian practice, proposing that through long-term coexistence and riding, humans are not only tamers but are also shaped by horses. Using speculative design, the author created two new equestrian devices—the “Sym- Bridle” and the “WaveSync Saddle”—to visualize and amplify the subtle flows of force and sensory feedback between rider and horse. These works challenge the notion of one-way control, reframing riding as a process of mutual adjustment and embodied dialogue. Building on this, the author introduces the post-human figure “Equiarch”, imagining the bodily, behavioral, and cognitive transformations emerging from …

Climate Change Influence On The Distribution Of Four Plant Medicinal Species From The Sierra Norte Of Oaxaca, Mexico, Irene Bautista Juárez, José Luis Villaseñor, Monserrat Vázquez-Sánchez, Wenceslao Santiago-García, Faustino Ruiz-Aquino, Mario Ernesto Suárez-Mota

Neotropical Biodiversity

The Sierra Norte of Oaxaca, México, because of its high biodiversity, is a good candidate for studying the possible effects of climate change on its flora distribution. Currently, several modelling tools have been developed to facilitate the prediction of present and future species distribution. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of climate change on the distribution of four locally important medicinal plant species from the Asteraceae family (Heterotheca inuloides, Laennecia filaginoides, Pinaropappus roseus, and Tagetes lucida). The analysis was done using the maximum entropy algorithm under three different time periods: the present, 2050, and …

Ai Companions And The Lessons Of Family Law, Clare Huntington

Minnesota Law Review Vols. 106:2 onward (2021-present)

Virtual friends and lovers powered by artificial intelligence are rapidly moving to the center of our emotional and social lives. Millions of people turn to AI companions every day for conversation, romance, sexual intimacy, therapy, and education. AI companionship holds promise, potentially reducing loneliness, supporting people without access to mental health treatment, helping students learn, and offering a judgment-free space for sensitive conversations. But AI companionship also raises significant concerns. The technology’s addictiveness may exacerbate loneliness and can undermine human relationships. Therapy bots may prove more harmful than helpful. AI companions can be emotionally abusive. And their access to the …

Dairy And Food Science Student Newsletter, December 2, 2025, Department Of Dairy And Food Science

Dairy and Food Science Student Newsletter

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Diet-Derived Thiaminase On Survival, Growth, And Liver Transketolase Activity In Two Strains Of Lake Trout (Salvelinus Namaycush), Christian A. Therrien, Peter M. Baker, Shawn R. Garner, Patricia C. Wolfe, Sarah Matesic, Katie A. Edwards, Chris C. Wilson, Heidi K. Swanson, Bryan D. Neff

Pharmacy Faculty Scholarship

The consumption of invasive, high-thiaminase prey fishes can cause thiamine deficiency, which has been hypothesized to be a major barrier for lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) restoration in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Here, we compared the effects of diet-derived thiaminase on survival and performance-related traits between two strains of lake trout that differ in historical exposure to thiaminase. Juvenile lake trout from the Seneca Lake (higher historical exposure to thiaminase) and Slate Islands (lower historical exposure) strains were reared in a common garden environment and received either an experimental diet containing bacterial derived-thiaminase or a control diet. Six months after the …

Hogfish (Lachnolaimus Maximus) Neurocranium, Nate B. Nutting-Hartman, Naya H. Mondrosch, David W. Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

No abstract provided.

December 2025 Faculty Senate Packet, University Of Nebraska At Kearney Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Packets

No abstract provided.

Pensar Desde Los Márgenes: Travesías Teológicas Desde Cuerpos, Fronteras Y Disidencias En La Obra De Hugo Córdova Quero, Anderson Fabián Santos Meza

Conexión Queer: Revista Latinoamericana y Caribeña de Teologías Queer

This essay offers an interpretive reading of Hugo Córdova Quero’s theological work from a third-person perspective, avoiding a laudatory or autobiographical tone. Based on queer and decolonial Trinitarian theology, the text traces a path that articulates biblical hermeneutics, migration studies, popular culture, queer theory, and pastoral praxis. The work is read as a relational and pilgrimage project. In this difference, displacement, and violated bodies do not constitute a theological problem, but rather an epistemic place from which to rethink the sacred, community, and justice.

Cartografías Del Que(R)Er: Subjetividades En Tránsito Y Creación, Dan González-Ortega

Conexión Queer: Revista Latinoamericana y Caribeña de Teologías Queer

I propose insights into a theology in motion that maps «Wanting» [que(r)er]—love, desire, and the search for a whole life—amid multiple transitions: forced migrations, the climate crisis, queer and digital (epochal) subjectivities. From a territorial and incarnate biblical hermeneutic, I reread Scripture from the perspective of marginalized bodies and territories. I integrate feminist, postcolonial, and posthumanist contributions to think of creation as living territoriality and subjectivity of revelation. Human mobility and the wounded Earth are understood as intertwined cries that challenge the world. I present a potential open spiral of communion, in which all subjectivity—human and more-than-human—is welcomed …

Longitudinal Pharmacokinetic And Safety Studies Of An Antibody-Erythropoietin Fusion Protein For Alzheimer's Disease, Rudy Chang, Devaraj Venkatapura Chandrashekar, G. Chuli Roules, Nataraj Jagadeesan, Emi Iwasaki, Adenike Oyegbesan, Hayk Davtyan, Rachita K. Sumbria

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Erythropoietin (EPO) shows promise for Alzheimer's disease (AD) but has poor brain penetration, necessitating high doses that cause hematopoietic side effects. To improve brain delivery, EPO was fused to a transferrin receptor monoclonal antibody (TfRMAb), and this study evaluated the pharmacokinetics (PK), safety, and efficacy of repeated TfRMAb-EPO dosing in mice to further its preclinical development. C57BL/6J male mice (10 weeks old, n = 4–5/dose) received subcutaneous (SQ) low (1 mg/kg), mid (3 and 6 mg/kg), or high (20 mg/kg) TfRMAb-EPO doses for 4 weeks. The 1 mg/kg dose showed no adverse effects and resulted in sustained brain and plasma …

Redefining Resistance: Las Madres De La Plaza De Mayo, Echoes Of Trauma And Memory In Argentina, Elizabeth J. Kaye

Honors Theses

Argentina's "Dirty War" (1976–1983) stands as one of the darkest and most painful periods in the nation’s history. During these years, the military dictatorship, known as the "Proceso de Reorganización Nacional," implemented a systematic campaign of state terrorism, targeting suspected political protesters, activists, intellectuals, and ordinary citizens. Widespread kidnappings, illegal detentions, and forced disappearances became routine, with an estimated 30,000 people vanishing without a trace. Families were left in despair, searching for answers that the government refused to provide. In response, a group of determined mothers, known as “Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo”, formed a powerful movement demanding …

Edna Surveys For The Critically Endangered Caribbean Staghorn Coral, Acropora Cervicornis (Lamarck, 1816), Pari Elaine Cribbins

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Historically, Acropora cervicornis was a dominant coral on Caribbean reef systems, but an outbreak of white band disease in the late 1970s marked the beginning of devastating, multi-decadal population declines that led to the coral being listed as “critically endangered” on the IUCN Red List in 2022. Today, after a record-setting marine heat wave in 2023 triggered a mass bleaching event on Florida’s Coral Reef (FCR), A. cervicornis is considered functionally extinct on the FCR. While individuals of A. cervicornis do remain on the FCR, the small population size of the coral makes in situ surveys difficult. However, surveys using …

A Burlesque: The Shimmering Body Of Revealing, Lola Montgomery

Staff Scholarship - Australia & Dubai

A Burlesque: The Shimmer Manuscript is a hybrid critical–creative work that examines burlesque as an embodied methodology and a mode of knowledge production. Drawing from my two decades as a performer–scholar, the work reframes glamour, desire, and adornment as epistemological practices rather than theatrical ornamentation. The project is significant in that it expands understandings of performance studies, autotheory, and feminist aesthetics by foregrounding the performer’s body as an intelligent, sensing, world-making apparatus.

The methodology is creative practice research and archive-driven, integrating backstage documentation, AI-assisted photomontage, and theoretical reflection. The work draws from poststructuralist and feminist frameworks (Irigaray, Deleuze & Guattari, …

What Is A Nativity Set?, Bridget Retzloff

Marian Library Blog Archive

Learn about a tradition that helps people to imagine the birth of Christ.

Activation Of Pro-Regenerative Gene Programs In The Mature Central Nervous System, Elizabeth Carlisle Batsel

Dissertations (1934 -)

Spinal cord injury (SCI) affects millions of people worldwide. Damage to the spinal cord disrupts the long-distance axon tracts of central nervous system (CNS) neurons. These axons fail to regenerate, leading to permanent dysfunction. Past work has shown that CNS neurons lose the capacity to elongate their axons as they mature. Conversely, after injury, embryonic and peripheral nervous system (PNS) neurons can elongate axons towards target cells, driven by the growth cone at the growing tip of the axon. Previous research has identified transcription factor (TF) families, such as the SoxC family, that contribute to embryonic and peripheral neurons’ high …

Teacher Candidates’ Attempts To Implement Anti-Ableist Pedagogy And The Constraints Therein, Benjamin Barnett-Perry

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

In this qualitative study, I interviewed four special education teacher candidates with a stated interest in enacting anti-ableist pedagogy in their student teaching placements. I drew on Holland et al.’s (1998) figured worlds to examine their attempts to enact anti-ableist pedagogy in their classrooms and their navigation of the hierarchy within their placements. Participants entered their student teaching eager to implement anti-ableist pedagogy. However, their attempts at implementation were often met with pushback from a variety of sources and a new understanding of how much they could actually accomplish from their place at the bottom of the school hierarchy. Findings …