Digital Commons Network^™

American History And Immigration: Creating A Comprehensive Immigration Unit For An American History Class, Hawkens Bory-Baar

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone addresses a deficit in social studies curricula which overemphasizes factual recitation of a narrow selection of history. Understanding that ethnic studies is another social studies topic which provides the lacking elements from mainstream history teaching, this project attempts to design an American history unit that is informed by the principles of ethnic studies and culturally relevant pedagogy. The research question being asked is: how can we best design an immigration unit for Minnesota studies or American history that effectively integrates ethnic studies into a mainstream curriculum? To achieve this goal, a unit has been designed that focuses on …

Decolonizing Minnesota Mathematics: Incorporating Indigeneity Into Middle School Mathematics, Tia Ahmed

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The invisibility of Native Americans in mainstream mathematics education has contributed to the academic underachievement and cultural disconnect experienced by Native American youth. Grounded in the frameworks of Tribal Critical Race Theory (TribalCrit), culturally relevant teaching, and ethnomathematics, this project investigates: How can the historical and current cultural contexts, mathematical understandings, perspectives, and issues relating to Dakota, Anishinaabe, and Urban Indigenous communities be incorporated into Minnesota middle school math curriculum in a way that fosters strong math identities among Native American students and supports the needs of Minnesota’s American Indian tribes and communities? Along with research on the intersectionality of …

Enhancing Second Language Acquisition Through Hands-On Learning In French Immersion Schools, Vanessa Hendrikson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Learning a second language at school is a valuable experience. However, the journey toward fluency can sometimes be long and challenging for both students and educators. This capstone explores how hands-on learning activities can support second language learning by providing students with meaningful and engaging experiences. It is guided by the research question: How can hands-on learning activities support second language acquisition among students in French immersion schools? Grounded in research on second language acquisition and experiential learning, the project examines how games, manipulatives, and other hands-on activities can help students build their language skills while providing opportunities for authentic …

The Contested Contingent Constitution: Plutocrats, Right-Wing Populists, And Labor Rights In The U.S., Kate Andrias

Faculty Scholarship

Constitutional labor rights have long been negligible in the United States. Now, with the ascendance of Donald Trump’s right-wing authoritarianism, even statutory labor rights are under threat. Yet there is an apparent paradox: While the Trump Administration seeks to declare the NLRB unconstitutional and has decimated federal workers’ rights, Trump’s “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement rose to power in part by invoking the plight of the American worker. The more populist wing of the American Right does not expressly challenge the constitutionality of labor law. Indeed, some right-wing populists urge an expansion of labor rights, emphasizing such goals as …

Analysis Of Physicians Who Trained And Remain At Lehigh Valley Healthnetwork, Partof Jefferson Health: Factors Influencing Satisfaction And Retention, Michela Biondi, Terri Vian, Joseph E. Patruno Md

Research Scholars

No abstract provided.

Multi-Parameter Assessment Of Land Degradation Vulnerability In Ranya And Pshdar Regions Using Geospatial Techniques, Kaifi Chomani

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

Land degradation poses a significant threat to the stability of the ecological and socio-environmental characteristics of the Ranya and Pshdar (RP) region in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). The fragile environmental and physical dynamics of the RP regions make it considerably vulnerable to land degradation. This study integrates remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to address this issue, as these techniques provide a robust framework for mapping land degradation vulnerability in the RP regions of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). Ten critical environmental and physical parameters were analyzed and considered to model …

The Impacts Of Urbanisation On Housing And Infrastructure In Nigeria: Implications For Environmental Sustainability, Nathan Udoinyang, Reuben Daniel, Johnson Aborivwighre Iteku, Edna Abibetu Abidde, Salami Hope E, Violet Abieyuwa Imariagbontua, Okose Faith Nneka

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

This study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative methods to collect and analyse data on urbanisation and its impact on housing and infrastructure in Nigeria. A survey of 400 households in urban areas of Nigeria was conducted, and in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, including government officials, urban planners, and community leaders, were held. Secondary data were also obtained from existing sources, such as the National Bureau of Statistics and the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing. The study found that urbanisation has led to a housing shortage, increased housing costs, and inadequate infrastructure development in Nigeria. It also …

Metaphysics Of Parallel Heritage In The Formulation Of The Contemporary Cityscape, Ban Mohammed Sultan, Abbas Ali Hamza Al Greiza

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

In the contemporary globalized world, the metaphysical texts of parallel heritage play a vital role in preserving the identity and privacy of cities with historical cores by conveying both the authenticity of the past and the spirit of the age in architectural production. The research problem addresses a cognitive deficiency in reading the metaphysics of parallel heritage within the urban landscape of Haifa Street, proposing it as a text that mediates between heritage and contemporaneity. The research hypothesizes that these metaphysical texts contain a creative core that functions as a future-oriented cognitive model. Using a descriptive–analytical approach, the study analyzes …

Geospatial Assessment Of Urban Expansion And Green Area Decline In Karbala Using Machine Learning: Supporting The Achievement Of Sdgs, Doaa Taha Yaseen, Oday Zakariya Jasim

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

Urban sprawl is a major challenge to sustainable development. This research examines geospatial patterns of urban growth and vegetation cover reduction in the Karbala District between 2017 and 2024. Sentinel-2 satellite imagery classification using a Support Vector Machine (SVM) model was evaluated, and accuracy was assessed using confusion matrices and a comparative evaluation against the Esri Sentinel Land Cover dataset. The SVM approach provided better classification precision. The change-detection analysis shows that the conversion of green and cultivated lands into built-up areas is significant. Although there has been an expansion of pivot-irrigated areas in other districts of the Karbala Governorate, …

Urban Stigmergy: A Traceability Approach Towards The Development Of Baghdad, Nada Abdulmueen Hasan, Shireen K. Zedan

Iraqi Journal of Architecture and Planning

Interdisciplinary urban research has pointed to finite attempts to the fact apply and develop stigmergic approaches the concept has not gained widespread acceptance in the field of urban design despite paving the way for significant opportunities and possibilities for city development, thus the research framework represent the concept of stigmergy within a specific approach to traceability impact which stimulates stigmergic behavior in the urban environment, and results in the generation of a set of urban development mechanisms the research objective focuses on exploring the mechanisms of the traceability approach within urban stigmergy scenarios and their role in the development of …

Characterization Of River Cane Morphology, Density And Biomass In Sun And Shade In Stream Riparian Zones In Northwest Arkansas, Emily Shy-Anne Carter

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

River cane, or Arundinaria gigantea Walter (Muhl.), ecosystems serve as ecological and cultural keystones, offering wildlife habitat, streambank stabilization, and construction/craft material for Native groups who utilize river cane. However, these ecosystems have declined substantially because of overgrazing, land conversion, and fire suppression, resulting in reduced patch size and culm morphology. Historically widespread across floodplains and riparian zones, canebrakes, or monotypic forests of river cane, have been restricted to small fragments. This study evaluated how canopy cover influences light availability, culm morphology, density, and biomass of river cane across eight riparian sites in Northwest Arkansas to inform restoration efforts. Light …

Comparative Evaluation Of Similarity Metrics For Multi-Vendor Origin–Destination Matrix Comparison: A Case Study Using Data From Three Probe Data Vendors In Arkansas, Sagar Silwal

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The proliferation of commercial probe data vendors has posed both opportunities and challenges for transportation agencies regarding the choice of reliable vehicle probe data for decision making purposes. Probe data is a form of passive mobility data representing a small fraction of the traveling population. Vendors aggregate mobility data from different sources including GPS enabled smartphones, telematics systems, and connected vehicles. They possess unique data collection methodologies, sampling mechanisms, and expansion algorithms which introduce variability in derived traffic performance measures like speed and volume. The overall objective of this work is to assess similarities and differences among probe data vendors …

An Epilepsy Community Collective Towards Occupational Justice And Empowerment, Tyler Debuty

Occupational Therapy Student Capstones

Underutilization of epilepsy-specific resource programs, lack of public awareness about epilepsy, limitations in community belonging, and implications for self-management programs aimed towards improving quality of life and reducing the burden of care during the transition into adulthood and throughout the lifespan for people with epilepsy.

Production Country Origin Impact On Soybean Oil Quality, Huazhen Liu, Micah Pope, Todd Doehring, Pradeep Kachroo, David Hildebrand

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Previous studies have suggested variability in soybean oil quality depending on geographic origin of the soybeans. In this study, 1035 crude degummed soybean oil (raw oil unrefined except for degumming) samples collected from vessels and crushers over five harvest years (2020–2024) were analyzed for 11 key quality attributes. Soybean oil samples were sourced from soybeans that originated from the United States, Brazil, and Argentina. The results indicate that US-grown soybeans consistently produce the highest-quality oil, characterized by the lowest free fatty acid (FFA) levels and lowest neutral oil loss (NOL). Oils from US soybeans also exhibited the highest iodine values. …

Oil Price Shocks, The Peso, And Inflation In The Philippines, Jan Marie Claire Edra, Junette Perez, Edwin Valeroso

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

No abstract provided.

Understanding The Forest School Experience: A Conceptual Exploration Of Benefits And Barriers, Ziad F. Dabaja

Journal of Educational and Psychological Studies

Forest School, a form of outdoor nature-based education, has increasingly gained international attention, particularly, its educational and developmental benefits are well documented. While existing literature highlights positive outcomes for children, families, and educators, it also identifies a range of challenges that can hinder effective implementation. This paper adopts a conceptual study design and synthesizes findings from three peer-reviewed literature reviews, collectively examining 40 international studies, to develop an integrative concept map of the Forest School experience. Using a thematic synthesis, evidence from the reviewed studies was analyzed to identify overlapping and complementary themes, which were categorized into benefits, implementation challenges, …

The Degree Of Inclusion Of 21st Century Skills In The 12th Grade Geography Curriculum From The Perspective Of Teachers In The State Of Kuwait And Its Relationship To Their Teaching Performance, Huda Salem Alazmi

Journal of Educational and Psychological Studies

The present study aimed to identify the degree of inclusion of 21st-century skills in the 12th-grade geography curriculum from the perspective of teachers in public education in the State of Kuwait, and to examine its relationship to their teaching performance. The study adopted a descriptive correlational approach. A questionnaire was used to identify the degree of inclusion of 21st-century skills in the geography curriculum, while an observation checklist was employed to assess teachers› teaching performance. The questionnaire was administered to a random sample of 327 geography teachers in secondary public schools in Kuwait. Additionally, 38 observation checklists were applied to …

Life After Divorce: Effects Of Joint Custody On Parents And Children, Stella Canessa, Gordon B. Dahl, Anna Hasselqvist, Costas Meghir, Susan Niknami, Mårten Palme, Helmut Rainer, Olof Rosenqvist, Pengpeng Xiao

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Divorce reshapes family life, yet little is known about one of its most consequential features: the allocation of child custody. We study the impact of joint versus sole custody on both parents and children using rich administrative data from Sweden linked to over 25 years of newly-collected court custody rulings. To address selection concerns, we exploit random assignment of custody disputes to judges who differ sharply in their propensity to grant joint custody. For fathers, joint custody substantially raises earnings and improves mental health, consistent with sustained paternal involvement enhancing labor market attachment and psychological well-being. In contrast, there are …

Modernizing Civic Building Design For Emergency Shelter Operations: An Architectural Framework With Proposed Design Guidelines For 21st-Century Shelter Readiness, Enrique M. Peralta

Theses

The frequency and severity of climate-related disasters are rising globally, resulting in the displacement of millions of individuals each year. Although this is a worldwide issue, the present research concentrates on the New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut tri-state region, where severe storms, flooding, prolonged power outages, and other natural hazards frequently necessitate the activation of emergency shelters. While schools, community centers, and other civic buildings are commonly designated for emergency shelter operations, these facilities were not originally designed to accommodate displaced groups during such events. This study focuses on the immediate sheltering period following a disaster, defined as the …

Institutional Barriers To Agro-Food Export Upgrading: Evidence From Indonesia’S Modified Cassava Flour Sector, Arie Kusuma Paksi, Fiya Ainur Rohmatika, Melvin Jabar

DLSU Business & Economics Review

The growing global demand for functional and sustainable foods has prompted developing countries to explore alternative exports, including Indonesia’s modified cassava flour (MOCAF). Despite its environmental benefits and gluten-free properties, MOCAF’s penetration into European markets remains limited. This study examines institutional barriers constraining MOCAF exports using Scott’s framework of regulative, normative, and cognitive institutions. A qualitative approach combined in- depth interviews, town hall meetings, and secondary data from governmental and international sources. Findings show that institutional constraints, rather than product quality alone, hinder European Union market entry and reduce competitiveness. Regulative barriers include fragmented logistics and high certification costs. Normative …

A Long Loop, Dan Wessner

GHEA21 Publications

No abstract provided.

Current Trends In Remote Sensing-Based Harmful Algal Bloom Research: A Bibliometric Analysis, Joshua T. Ruiz

Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Spirals Of Light: A Healing Journey Through Somatics, Dance, And Pedagogy, Jessica Batha

MFA in Dance Theses

This thesis investigates dance as an embodied practice of healing, attunement, and belonging through phenomenology, somatics, and environmental engagement. Grounded in Sondra Fraleigh’s eco-phenomenological framework, the research weaves personal narrative, artistic inquiry, and interdisciplinary scholarship to examine how thresholds of birth, injury, and recovery shape sensory orientation across the lifespan. Drawing from lived experiences as a dancer, mother, educator, and researcher, the study explores tone, breath, light, and movement as formative forces in identity and resilience. Central to the inquiry is a knee injury and subsequent surgical recovery, which catalyzed a somatic practice aligned with circadian rhythms, sunrise ritual, and …

Colonization To Commodification To Codification: The Salimpour Method, Suhaila Salimpour

MFA in Dance Theses

This thesis examines how colonization and commodification have shaped the codification of belly dance though the Salimpour Method. Codification here refers to the process of naming, categorizing, and organizing of movement into a teachable system. While codification inevitably transforms tradition, it also serves as a method of preservation. As the inheritor of the Salimpour lineage, I trace how my mother, Jamila Salimpour, first codified belly dance and how I built on her work to create a comprehensive pedagogical system that situates belly dance within artistic and academic contexts. This study argues that the Salimpour Method is a strategy of preserving, …

Under Open Skies: Black, Queer, And Ascending, Skyler Zakaar

MFA in Dance Theses

This thesis explores personal healing and community building through dance, rooted in my lived experience as a Black Queer man in America. Stemming from research in Phenomenology, Critical Dance Pedagogy, and Dance & Social Justice, I interrogate the impact of white supremacy and systemic racism both within and beyond the queer community. My choreographic process centers intersectionality and collective agency, seeking to resist the fragmentation of identity and to affirm the wholeness of self. Through performance and comprehensive study, my intentions are to foster empathy, connection, and belonging, while advocating for equity and transformation within dance and broader cultural discourse. …

Southeastern Librarian 74(2) Summer 2026 (Full Issue)

The Southeastern Librarian

Complete issue of the Southeastern Librarian, Volume 74 Number 2, Summer 2026

Second Acts In Academic Librarianship: Trends, Impacts, And Implications, Tiffany Davis Norris, Phill Johnson

The Southeastern Librarian

This study investigates the increasingly common phenomenon of academic librarianship as a second career. Survey data from more than 500 academic librarians found that nearly 70 percent of respondents did not begin their professional lives in the library field. These findings challenge the long-held perception of librarianship as an early or primary career choice and highlight significant trends with implications for library education, recruitment, leadership development, and burnout prevention. The study explores patterns in first careers and examines demographic trends, age distributions, and correlations between career background and current leadership roles. By framing librarianship as a deliberate career pivot rather …

Sustainable Rural Development Under Ecological Civilization: Two Mountains Theory, “Green Rural Revival”, And Post-Productivist Transition In Zhejiang, Qian Forrest Zhang, Jianzhang Luo, Li Zhou

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Existing studies of China’s overarching ideological framework for national development, “Ecological Civilization”, have focused narrowly on environmental governance; how it reshapes sustainable rural development remains underexplored. This paper pursues two analytically distinct tasks. First, it reconstructs the policy history of how President Xi Jinping’s “Two Mountains” theory was incorporated into the Eco-civilization framework and how Zhejiang Province’s “Green Rural Revival” (GRR) program, as a lived example of Eco-civilization, was elevated as the national template for rural development in 2024. Second, drawing on three cases from a sample of 21 villages in Zhejiang, it identifies three core practices of GRR and …

Deconstructing Systemic Sclerosis Heterogeneity: From Patient Subtypes To Pathogenic Fibroblasts, Rezvan Parvizi

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

This thesis advances heterogeneity as the central barrier both to interpreting therapeutic response and to identifying the molecular regulators that drive fibrosis in systemic sclerosis (SSc). In SSc, heterogeneity is manifest at every level at which the disease can be measured: clinically, in the variable extent of skin and organ involvement; molecularly, in the distinct gene-expression programs that distinguish otherwise comparable patients; and cellularly, in the diverse fibroblast populations from which the fibrotic signal ultimately arises.

Leveraging longitudinal skin transcriptomics from a large cohort treated with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), the first study demonstrates that intrinsic molecular subtypes are dynamic rather …

Univariate And Bivariate Binary Spatial Regression Models With Application To Plant Abundance Data, Amir Hamza Akash

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Analyzing species distributions is of prime interest in ecological research. Prevalence of a species usually depends on several environmental and topographic features not all of which can be quantified or measured. Spatial random effects play an important role as a surrogate for missing features that can explain similarity in species prevalence patterns between neighboring locations. In this thesis, we focus on a dataset on abundance of plants in the southern part of South Africa. First, we build a hierarchical Bayesian model for binary regression, using the probit link, on presence/ absence of a species based on available covariates. Since the …