Digital Commons Network^™

Collective Karma: From The Yogasūtra To Taylor Swift, Zoë Slatoff

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

The Indian knowledge traditions speak at length about karma, which is divided into three categories—accumulated (saṃcita), ripe (prārabdha), and future (kriyamāṇa). While much is said about our individual karma and how it affects our repeated reincarnation in cyclic existence, how does this affect others and how do others affect us? In other words, as this paper explores, what is our reciprocal and collective karma?

Painting Liberation: A Visual Ontology Of The Interplay Of Mind And Consciousness In Book Four Of The Yoga Sūtras, Melissa Townsend

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

This presentation explores how artistic practice can illuminate philosophical questions about the nature of mind, consciousness, and liberation as articulated in Book Four of the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali. Through a series of paintings that visually translate these sūtras, I propose that art offers a unique, experiential means of engaging with the complex relationship between citta (mind) and puruṣa (consciousness).

The paintings function as a form of “visual ontology,” inviting viewers to engage with abstract philosophical concepts in a sensory, tangible way. By depicting the interplay between the mutable processes of the mind and the unchanging awareness of consciousness, these …

Information Literacy & Library Research Skills: What Faculty Think Fy Students Know - A Pilot Study, Julia Warga

2025 Faculty Bibliography

No abstract provided.

From Guns To Mental Health And Accountability: Decoding Media Narratives And Audience Reactions In Public Mass Shootings, Maurice Emelu, Brent Brossmann

2025 Faculty Bibliography

Public mass shootings pose a critical safety challenge in the U.S. This study investigates how media framing relates to public online engagement, focusing on gun regulation, mental health, and individual and political accountability across five major TV networks: ABC, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and NBC. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research analyzes 678 news reports and 7605 audience comments. Findings reveal significant differences in audience engagement based on framing, and in key variables show audiences taking opposite positions to their news network’s narratives. ABC, CNN, and NBC’s thematic framing, highlighting systemic failures, elicits more balanced responses, whereas Fox News and …

Gen Z And Gen Alpha: Designing Theology Courses For A Digital And Ai Generation, Maurice Emelu

2025 Faculty Bibliography

This exploratory article examines strategies for teaching theology to Generations Z and Alpha, emphasizing their digital-native traits and unique learning preferences. It argues that theology education thrives when students engage with reflective, creative, and relevant content. Drawing from experiences at a Jesuit college and education research, it introduces the OAEPA strategy—Observation, Analysis, Evaluation, Production, and Assessment—as a framework for designing theology courses. The approach encourages active participation, critical thinking, creativity, and personal relevance, aligning with Jesuit traditions of reflection and discovery. The article uses examples such as a theme in sacramental theology to show how theological ideas can be meaningful …

Engaging African American Families: Suggestions To Improve Treatment Utilization For Opioid Use Disorders, Martina S. Moore, Tanya J. Middleton

2025 Faculty Bibliography

Substance use disorders have been considered a “family disease,” and the impact of opioid use in African American communities is evident. African American overdose-related deaths now exceed that of White Americans in the United States. Despite the need, they engage in treatment at lower rates than White Americans. Research has called for more culturally responsive approaches to improve treatment outcomes. However, efforts to consider family and the community are not robust. This article reviews the impact of opioid use in the African American community while offering suggestions for counselors and therapists working with families to improve engagement.

Effect Of Creatine Monohydrate On Spatialworking Memory, Body Weight, And Food Intake In Male And Female Rats, Cyrilla H. Wideman, Alexandria Iemma, Olivia Janolo, Anastasiya Kalinina, Helen M. Murphy

2025 Faculty Bibliography

Background/Objectives: Creatine monohydrate supplementation has gained popularity in the fitness industry due to its ability to enhance athletic performance and has sparked curiosity about other possible effects of the supplement. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of creatine supplementation on spatial working memory, body weight, and food intake in male and female rats.

Methods: Experimental rats, six male and six female, were administered creatine while six male and six female rats served as controls. The Morris water maze (MWM) was employed to assess spatial working memory. Body weight and food intake were measured daily.

Results: Neither …

Functional Trait Responses Of Invasive Ludwigia Species Tocontrasting Hydrological Conditions, Rebecca E. Drenovsky, Rebecca Reicholf, Caryn Futrell, Blanca Gallego‐Tévar, Brenda J. Grewell

2025 Faculty Bibliography

Premise: Hydrological regime influences wetland plant species distribution andperformance. Global warming and extreme weather events are magnifying floodingpatterns, and understanding how invasive taxa respond across life stages (establish-ment vs. established phase) is important for predicting and managing their coloni-zation and spread. Our objective was to measure flood trait responses at contrastinglife stages in closely related congeners (Ludwigia peploides, diploid; L. hexapetala,decaploid; Onagraceae) differing in their invasiveness in the field.

Methods: In the field, we assessed phenological responses to seasonal hydrological changes,and in mesocosms, we assessed flood stress responses of establishing shoot fragments underdeep‐flooded, shallow‐flooded, and gradual drawdown hydrological …

Broaching For Culturally Responsive Suicide Risk Assessment, Mykka L. Gabriel, Laura Caputo, Jenny L. Cureton

2025 Faculty Bibliography

Despite rising suicide rates and disparities in minoritized communities as well as calls from experts and community leaders to address cultural factors, most suicide risk assessment (SRA) approaches remain acultural. Counselors who use acultural SRA can cause harm by neglecting to address crucial factors that may heighten or protect clients from suicide risk. This article provides guidance for proactive and responsive broaching in SRA using the four dimensions of the Multidimensional Model of Broaching Behavior (DayVines et al., 2020). The model provides an overview of key concepts, explicit recommendations for counselors in diverse settings, and an illustrative case example. Concerns, …

Functional Trait Responses Of Emergent And Free-Floating Alternanthera Philoxeroides To Increasing Salinity With Sea Level Rise: Stress Tolerance, Avoidance, And Escape Strategies, Brenda J. Grewell, Blanca Gallego-Tevar, Jesus M. Castillo, Caryn J. Futrell, Rebecca E. Drenovsky, Nathan E. Harms, Paul D. Pratt

2025 Faculty Bibliography

ea level rise is having major impacts on estuaries due to salinity intrusion. These changes in stress profiles have ripple effects in ecosystems, including altering the invasibility of these wetlands depending on the salt tolerance of the invading species. Alternanthera philoxeroides Mart. (Griseb.) (alligator weed), native to South America and long recognized as one of the world’s worst freshwater aquatic weeds, recently invaded tidal wetlands in California’s San Francisco Bay–Delta Estuary. Generally considered a freshwater-limited glycophyte, observations suggested this invasive macrophyte may have some degree of salinity tolerance, though its degree of tolerance and capacity to spread with increased salinity …

Investigating Chronic Calcium Leak In The Aging Brain, Elizabeth K. Woo

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating, progressive neurodegenerative disease, characterized by amyloid plaques and tau tangles, with synapse loss, calcium dysregulation, and accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). These pathologies develop in a region-specific manner, targeting regions responsible for higher-order integrative processing, such as the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and entorhinal cortex. Calcium signaling, through cAMP-PKA-calcium signaling, is critical to support the persistent firing needed for working memory. However, under various conditions, e.g., aging, inflammation, chronic stress, these circuits lose regulation of cAMP-PKA-calcium signaling, leading to calcium leak from the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) and chronically elevated levels of cytosolic …

Fp-25-05 First Marriage Rate By Age And Race/Ethnicity, Natalie Bankey

National Center for Family and Marriage Research Family Profiles

No abstract provided.

Fp-25-06 First Divorce Rate By Age And Race/Ethnicity, Natalie Bankey

National Center for Family and Marriage Research Family Profiles

No abstract provided.

Fp-25-10 Forty Years Of Change In Adulthood Milestones Among 30-34 Year Olds, Wendy D. Manning, Krista K. Westrick-Payne

National Center for Family and Marriage Research Family Profiles

No abstract provided.

Fp-25-12 Functional Limitations In Relationship Quality Among Adults In Midlife, Natalie E. Bankey, Francesca A. Marino

National Center for Family and Marriage Research Family Profiles

No abstract provided.

Fp-25-15 Union And Childbearing Characteristics Of Women 40-44, 2000-2024, Karen Benjamin Guzzo, Krista K. Westrick-Payne

National Center for Family and Marriage Research Family Profiles

No abstract provided.

Fp-25-22 Duration Of Marriage At First Divorce, 2023, Natalie E. Bankey

National Center for Family and Marriage Research Family Profiles

No abstract provided.

Fp-25-25 Trends In Cohabitation Prior To Marriage, Wendy D. Manning, Krista K. Westrick-Payne

National Center for Family and Marriage Research Family Profiles

No abstract provided.

Fp-25-27 Married And Living Apart Together, Natalie Bankey

National Center for Family and Marriage Research Family Profiles

No abstract provided.

Fp-25-29 Mean Age Of Mother At First Birth, 2023, Krista K. Westrick-Payne, Wendy D. Manning

National Center for Family and Marriage Research Family Profiles

No abstract provided.

A Decade Of Pediatric Intubation Experience By An Advanced Prehospital Unit, Conor Mclaughlin Do, Zachary Matuzsan Do, Mark Walck Fp-C, Nrp, Mark A. Diubaldo Rn, Jeffrey M. Kuklinski Do, Matthew B. Ferdock, Bryan D. Nelson Mba, Cphq, Nrp, Christopher Connell Do, Keith D. Micucci Rn Bsn Phrn Cen, Duy P. Tran Do, Jeanne L. Jacoby Md, Susan K. Yaeger Md

Department of Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

Family Narratives Of Immigration And Identity, Miranda Victoria Brunn

All ETDs from UAB

This study investigates themes and lessons present in diverse intergenerational family stories of immigration. Effects of participant perceptions of lesson valence on resilience and relational closeness were observed in an emerging adult sample (N = 42), using the lens of Communicated Narrative Sensemaking Theory (CNSM). Additionally, participant perception of lesson utility was observed in relation to emerging adults’ prior thought and intent to share their family stories. Lastly, with whom emerging adults share their family stories was considered. A mixed methods approach was employed, utilizing an online survey with scales and open-ended text boxes. Findings revealed thirty-three distinct themes and …

Rural Adolescent Girls' Experiences With Female Antiheroes: A Phenomenological Study Of Literature Discussions And Mentorship, Candice Kennedy Byers

All ETDs from UAB

This phenomenological research study focused on the experiences of rural adolescent girls reading female led multicultural young adult literature with the guidance of a female mentor teacher. Using two multicultural young adult novels one with a strong female protagonist and one with a female antihero protagonist, this five-week study sought to explore the lived experiences of 14 adolescent girls in the rural Southeast. The theoretical frameworks of Radical Feminism (Lawford-Smith, 2022; hooks, 2015; Kreps 1972; Rhodes, 2005), Critical Race Theory (Crenshaw, 1988; Ladson-Billings. 2003; Delgado, 1989; Harris 1993), and Multicultural Young Adult Literature (Nieto, 2002; Fox & Short, 2003; Boyd …

Evaluation Of The Niosh Sound Level Meter App In Real Work Settings, Maxwell Scott Costlow

All ETDs from UAB

With the significant presence of occupational noise exposure, the development of mobile sound measurement applications has been reported. These apps have the potential to help reduce purchasing costs of sampling equipment for small businesses. One of the most promising apps is the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Sound Level Meter (SLM), but most studies on the accuracy of the app have been conducted in controlled labs. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences between the NIOSH SLM and type 2 noise measuring instruments in real work settings. Both short-term and long-term noise sampling was …

Effects Of Single-Cell Dietary Protein Sources On Feeding, Growth, And Resource Allocation In The Juvenile Sea Urchin Lytechinus Variegatus, Darrien Jamila De Jesus

All ETDs from UAB

An understanding of nutrition can improve culture of sea urchins, whether as a research model or in the production of seafood products. Macronutrients, including dietary protein sources, can affect growth and reproductive profiles and alter resource allocation to somatic and gametic tissues. Although sea urchins in culture can be fed natural products, diet formulations using various ingredients can be developed to reliably produce desired outcomes. Single-cell protein sources represent a potential alternative to current industry standards of animal-derived protein sources such as fish and squid meal, which are becoming increasingly overfished and expensive. In the present study, we evaluated the …

Optimizing Recruitment Strategies, Outcome Measures, And Intervention In Clinical Research With Adults With Multiple Sclerosis: Insights From The Tele-Exercise And Multiple Sclerosis (Teams) Study, Tracy Flemming Tracy

All ETDs from UAB

Background: Recruiting people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) into research can be a significant challenge. This is often due to limited awareness of the research objectives, lack of accessibility, and restrictive inclusion criteria. In addition to a general reluctance to participate, assessing multiple sclerosis (MS) and assigning appropriate interventions can be challenging due to the heterogeneity of symptoms. Identifying outcome measures that accurately reflect a participant’s perception and functional performance, while remaining sensitive to change across different levels of disability, poses a challenge. Methods: Data from the Tele-Exercise and Multiple Sclerosis (TEAMS) trial was analyzed to identify effective recruitment strategies (Study …

Effect Of Pre-Treatment Lab-Based Comorbidities On Treatment Related Outcomes Among Patients With Cancer, Jeffrey Alan Franks

All ETDs from UAB

Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in the United States. In addition to their cancer, nearly 50% of individuals have a comorbid condition. This adds complexity to the treatment of these patients as it may delay cancer diagnosis or treatment or prevent treatment all together. Lab-values are an important tool to measure comorbidities and end-organ damage as they are routinely captured as part of standard of care and the basis of clinician decision making. However, despite the widespread multimorbidity and how crucial they are to decision making, few studies assess the association of lab abnormalities …

Targeting The Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone Receptor (Tshr) In Thyroid Cancer, Grayson Robert Gimblet

All ETDs from UAB

Radioactive iodine (RAI) has been effective in the treatment of thyroid cancer, the most common endocrine neoplasia, since its introduction into clinical use over eighty years ago. However, not all patients benefit from RAI. Up to 20% of patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancer (WDTC) become radioactive iodine refractory (RAI-R). These RAI-R patients have 5-year survival rates of 50% and 10-year survival rates of 10%. In addition, more aggressive subtypes including oncocytic thyroid carcinoma (OC), poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma (PDTC), and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) are less responsive to RAI therapy. Despite accounting for less than 5% of annual thyroid cancer …

Electrophysiological Integration Of Engineered Tissue Graft With The Host Swine Myocardium, Bijay Guragain

All ETDs from UAB

The adult mammalian heart lacks regenerative capacity to replenish cardiomyocytes (CMs) lost due to myocardial infarction (MI). Instead, the damaged heart undergoes extensive remodeling that significantly impairs normal cardiac function and may eventually lead to heart failure. Recent therapies that implant engineered tissues fabricated from human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) have shown promising results with improved cardiac function and structural integration. However, the extent of electrophysiological coupling between engineered and host tissue remains unclear. This is a critical factor for functional integration of the implant as well as for arrhythmia risk arising from the implant. Our study aims …

Development Of A Resistive Force Paradigm For The Treatment Of Hemiparesis, Jonathan Daniel Hill

All ETDs from UAB

Hemiparesis is weakening of one side of the body as a result of a stroke that contributes to a decrease in propelling forces (i.e. propulsion) while walking. Existing research to improve propulsion of individuals post-stroke has implemented single-belt and split-belt treadmills, various walking speeds, asynchronous belt speeds (on split-belt treadmills), and a variety of methods for inducing resistive force upon a paretic limb in an attempt to strengthen the paretic limb and improve overall gait symmetry. However, despite this concerted effort of clinicians and scientists, gait deficits remain. Novel methods are required to improve reduced propulsion of individuals post-stroke. Recently, …