Digital Commons Network^™

Research Support Newsletter (Winter 2026), Elizabeth D'Angel

The AC's Research Support Newsletter (Formerly AISR Connections)

Sections

• New Resources & Updates 
• Research Support & Data Management
• Grants & Funding Opportunities
• Writing & Publishing Support
• Design & Presentation Tools
• Research Integrity
• Research Workshops

Winter 2026, Humayun Islam

PMI Newsletter

No abstract provided.

2025-2026 Common Data Set, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Common Data Sets

This document contains data compiled by the SWOSU Office of Institutional Research for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Abortion On The Move: Navigating The Fractured Reproductive Healthcare Landscape, Kim D. Ricardo

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

From Copper To Ashes: Violations Of The Right To A Healthy Environment And Health In Tsumeb, Namibia, Sarah Dávila A.

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Trump V. Casa, Inc. And The Future Of Nationwide Injunctions, Alberto Bernabe

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Unveiling Microplastic Removal And Characteristics In Wastewater From Two Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facilities In Indonesia, Nurul Setiadewi, Prayatni Soewondo, Cynthia Henny

Applied Environmental Research

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are considered an entrance pathways for microplastic (MP) pollution in aquatic environments. This study reveals the removal and characteristics of MPs in wastewater from two municipal WWTPs in Indonesia. The influent contained 17.1 ± 5.65 particles L-1 (WWTP A) and 15.45 ± 4.31 particles L-1 (WWTP B), whereas the effluent contained 1.41 ± 0.01 and 1.5 ± 0.16 particles L-1. The removal efficiency was 91.75% for WWTP A and 90.32% for WWTP B, with no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05). WWTP A employed advanced treatment units, whereas WWTP B used a conventional pond-based system. MPs were …

Harding Undergraduate Research Conference 2026 Program, Harding University

Harding Undergraduate Research Conference

This document contains the schedule for the 2026 Harding Undergraduate Research Conference.

A Descriptive Study Of Cancer Care Experiences And Burden Of Rural South Dakotans, Sarah Mollman, Teddi Dowling, Patricia Woolridge, Jamie Hillmer, James Odom, Marie Bakitas, Hossein Moradi Rekabdarkolaee, Brandon Varilek

Journal Articles: College of Nursing

BACKGROUND: American Indian (AI) persons with advanced cancer (PwAC) in South Dakota have seen increased rates of cancer incidence and mortality compared to national rates. These inequities are driven by social determinants of health. Providing early palliative care is highly important for rural PwAC but is sparsely available in rural South Dakota.

OBJECTIVE: To explore cancer care experiences and patient symptoms and caregiver burden among AI and rural PwAC, and their family caregivers (FCGs), to understand the barriers and opportunities for adapting an early palliative care intervention.

DESIGN: Descriptive study design reporting on the qualitative and quantitative data collected.

METHODS: …

The Association Of Social Determinants Of Health On Mortality Among Adults With End-Stage Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Prince Agyapong, Lauren Longacre, Patti Brooks, Hossein Moradi Rekabdarkolaee, Surachat Ngorsuraches, Aine O'Connor, Semhar Michael, Brandon Varilek

Journal Articles: College of Nursing

RATIONALE/OBJECTIVE:: Synthesize evidence from published studies on end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) mortality and determine associations between social determinants of health (SDOH) and ESKD mortality.

STUDY DESIGN:: This PRISMA-guided study examined all published research across four electronic databases.

STUDY POPULATIONS:: Adults with ESKD living in the United States.

SELECTION CRITERIA FOR STUDIES:: Clinical trials, observational, cross-sectional, and prospective/retrospective cohort studies were considered if one or more of the five domains of SDOH were present in the analysis.

EXTRACTION/ANALYSIS:: Extraction was performed independently by two reviewers using a standardized form that captured study purpose and design, outcomes, SDOH domain, setting, participant characteristics, …

Imperfect Guardians, Amna A. Akbar, Ryan D. Doerfler

Articles

Professor David Strauss attributes the U.S. Supreme Court’s reactionary jurisprudence to a breakdown of elite consensus. He observes that lawyers and judges disagree about the proper “victims” of our political process: Are they Black, Brown, and LGBTQ+ people or, instead, Whites, Christians, and gun owners? Strauss worries the jurisprudential approach that emerged from Carolene Products now allows for judicial intervention on behalf of groups loaded with political power. Even then, he insists on the classic liberal defense of the courts: that courts serve as an important if imperfect check against the majoritarian domination of minorities.

In this Essay, we identify …

Why Boards Should Have Rotating Contrarians, Dana Brakman Reiser, Claire A. Hill

Articles

Too often, for-profit and nonprofit boards are too passive, deferential or both. Their failures to engage their critical faculties have resulted in serious harms as diverse as Boeing planes crashing and the NRA squandering millions of dollars. This article proposes a simple mechanism to stimulate critical thinking by individual directors and improve overall board dynamics: a designated contrarian position that rotates among members of the board. During her term, the contrarian’s job would be to raise objections to the organization’s proposed actions – or inaction. After their terms, each contrarian would resume her duties as a regular board member, replaced …

Follow The Money: A Historical And Bibliometric Reflection On The Rise Of Law And Economics, 1970-2025, Scott H. Dewey

Articles

From roughly 1970 to 2010, law and economics rose from the margins to a dominant position in American legal academia, accompanied by a dramatic increase in citations to law and economics scholarship. Citation analysis is often treated as a proxy for intellectual merit, but that assumption becomes questionable when ideas are advanced through systematic, well-funded, and sustained promotion aimed at serving specific political and economic interests. This study examines the right-wing funding networks that supported the rise of law and economics and analyzes the resulting bibliometric patterns in legal scholarship. By tracing these financial and citation dynamics, the study argues …

Untangling Ai Openness, Parth Nobel, Alan Rozenshtein, Chinmayi Sharma

Articles

The debate over AI openness—whether to make components of an artificial intelligence system available for public inspection and modification—forces policymakers to balance innovation, democratized access, safety, and national security. By inviting startups and researchers into the fold, it enables independent oversight and inclusive collaboration. But technology giants can also use it to entrench their own power, while adversaries can use it to shortcut years and billions of dollars in building systems, like China’s DeepSeek, that rival our own. How we govern AI openness today will shape the future of AI and America’s role in it.

Policymakers and scholars grasp the …

Space Mining, Richard Painter

Articles

The Trump Administration and U.S. Congress are promoting new ventures to extract valuable minerals from outer space. This Article does not dismiss the idea out of hand, but explores reasons for caution, including practical problems with space mining, its environmental impact, the likelihood that the United States could violate international law, and the risk of armed conflict. These problems are exacerbated by financial conflicts of interest in our government with a handful of billionaires, who have a financial interest in space mining work. The promotion of their agenda could involve wasteful government spending on subsidies for private ventures, with a …

State-Level Variations In School Physical Activity Policies And Their Impact On Student Physical Activity In Arkansas And Oklahoma, Sydney K. Crees, Erin Howie Hickey

2026 Honors Symposium

Regular physical activity is critical for children's health and development, yet most U.S. children fall short of recommended daily activity levels. Schools represent a key opportunity to address this gap through PE and recess, though state policies governing these vary widely. This cross-sectional study compared school-based physical activity in Arkansas and Oklahoma, two states with distinct policies. Arkansas mandates 40 minutes of daily recess and 40 minutes of PE per week, while Oklahoma requires 60 minutes of weekly PE and 60 minutes of additional weekly physical activity but does not mandate recess. Surveys were distributed to principals and PE teachers …

Enhancing The Playing Field:​ Effects Of Playground Renovation On Recess Physical Activity​, Hudson M. Parsley

2026 Honors Symposium

Background: Children in recent years have become increasingly sedentary, which poses major risks to their health and overall well-being. Recess is a point of interest in the field of exercise science, as research has found increased recess time is associated with increased levels of PA, but little is known on how the quality of recess, such as playground structures, affects physical activity. Purpose: The aim of my study is to investigate if there is a significant change in physical activity habits during recess among elementary school students due to a change in playground play structures and surfaces, in the form …

Nanocomposite Mediated Delivery Of 5-Fluorouracil Using Silver Nanoparticles To Promote Wound Healing, Kamal Nath Kasi

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Chronic wounds, particularly in diabetic patients, remain a significant clinical challenge due to the complex interaction of persistent infection, chronic inflammation, and impaired cellular regeneration. Conventional drug therapies often fail to achieve effective treatment due to rapid drug degradation, poor targeting, and localized toxicity. This study explores a nanotechnology-based approach by developing and evaluating 5-FU loaded AgNP (AgNP–5FU) as a controlled drug delivery system. AgNP (AgNP) were synthesized and characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, particle size, and zeta potential analysis, while Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis suggested possible interaction between 5-FU and the …

Development And In Vitro Characterization Of 5-Fluorouracil–Loaded Plga Nanoparticles For Controlled Drug Delivery, Kavya Yandapalli

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is a progressive metabolic disorder characterized by excessive lipid accumulation in hepatocytes and chronic inflammation. Nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems offer a promising strategy to enhance therapeutic efficacy while minimizing systemic toxicity. The objective of this study is to formulate and characterize 5-FU–loaded PLGA nanoparticles and evaluate their in vitro performance. 5-FU–loaded PLGA nanoparticles were prepared using the double emulsion solvent evaporation method. The nanoparticles were characterized by particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential and SEM. Drug encapsulation efficiency, loading capacity and in vitro drug release studies were conducted. The formulated nanoparticles exhibited sizes within the …

Comparative Machine Learning Models For Disease Risk Prediction, Mercy Mawusi Agbley

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Accurate prediction of disease outcomes is crucial for improving clinical decision-making and enabling early intervention. This study compares the performance of various statistical and machine learning models for clinical risk prediction using two healthcare datasets: diabetic retinopathy and heart disease. The models assessed include Logistic Regression, LASSO, k-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Support Vector Machines (SVM), Neural Networks, Random Forests, Gradient Boosting Machines (GBM), and a stacked ensemble model. Prior to modeling, datasets were split into train and test sets. Standardization was applied to numeric features whilst categorical features were one-hot encoded. These transformations were later applied to the test set. Principal …

Hepatocyte Peroxisome Biogenesis And Phytol-Induced Metabolic Stress In Liver Disease, William Galloway

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Hepatocyte peroxisomes are required for metabolism of phytol-derived branched-chain fatty acids through the ACOX2-SCPx beta-oxidation pathway. This study tests whether hepatocyte-specific deletion of PEX16 (Pex16^Alb-Cre), which eliminates peroxisome biogenesis, sensitizes the liver to phytol-induced injury. The Pex16^Alb-Cre mice and their normal control Pex16^fl/fl mice were fed the Lieber-DeCarli liquid with or without 0.1 percent phytol for eight weeks. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and liver index were measured. Liver sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and Masson’s trichrome. Immunoblot analysis of peroxisomal enzyme expression was also performed. Phytol had no effect in Pex16^fl/fl mice as …

Anaerobic Digestion Of Variable, Heterogeneous Organic Wastes Under Changing Operational Conditions And Bioaugmentation: Impacts On Process Performance And Microbiome Dynamics, Victoria Holliday

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Expanding the adoption of anaerobic digestion (AD) is limited by system instabilities caused by feedstock composition and variability. Understanding how changes in feedstock and operational parameters influence microbiome dynamics is essential for developing biology-driven strategies to improve digester stability.

Two semi-continuous reactors, an experimental and a control, operated over 39 weeks across five phases with varying feedstocks and organic loading rates. Substrate-specific enrichment cultures were developed for bioaugmentation and implemented in select phases to assess its impact. Both reactors exhibited similar performance, transitioning through periods of stability, stress, and recovery in response to operational changes. Corresponding shifts in dominant taxa …

Fiscal Decentralization, Foreign Capital, And Economic Development In Sub-Saharan Africa, Kwadwo D. Frempong

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

Economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa has been shaped by two transformative policy shifts: widespread fiscal decentralization reforms transferring revenue and expenditure authority to subnational governments, and the pursuit of foreign direct investment to supplement domestic capital. Despite the breadth of these reforms, their effectiveness in promoting sustainable economic development remains empirically contested. This dissertation examines three interconnected questions about fiscal governance and capital flows in Sub-Saharan Africa: what determines the extent to which governments decentralize fiscal authority; how county fiscal composition and revenue autonomy shape subnational economic performance; and how foreign direct investment interacts with domestic investment and growth.

The …

Spatial Temporal Modeling Of Infectious Disease Patterns In Texas, Robert E. Lashbrook

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses

The Texas Department of State Health Services monitors numerous notifiable conditions statewide, including Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), Rabies, and West Nile virus (WNV). Given the substantial health, economic, and public health burden associated with these conditions, improving prediction is an important step toward reducing their overall impact. This study evaluated whether external demographic, social, climate, and environmental data could improve prediction of county-year disease activity across Texas. County level data was analyzed using supervised machine learning models, including linear regression, ridge regression, multilayer perceptron, random forest, XGBoost, as well as K-means clustering to identify broader …

Investigating The Viability Of Fully Online Asynchronous Physics Instruction In Formal Education, Clifton W. Massey-Noel

Physics Dissertations

In this dissertation we present results from two consecutive investigations into the fully online asynchronous modality in Physics Education. We first discuss the efficacy of a fully online asynchronous section of Modern Physics held in Fall 2024. The asynchronous section is compared with four prior partially-flipped sections of the same class, two of which were held in-person, and two of which were held synchronously online. Results suggest that all three modalities can be made to be about equally as effective. We also discuss the efficacy of a fully online asynchronous section of Calculus-Based Introductory Mechanics held in Fall 2025. The …

Equitable Siting Of Green Stormwater Infrastructure In Urban Areas For Flood Resilience In Vulnerable Communities, Elnaz Chitsazzadeh

Planning Dissertations

Cities face increasing pressure from rapid urbanization, aging gray infrastructure, intensifying rainfall, and uneven flood protection. In this context, green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) and other nature-based solutions are increasingly promoted as tools for climate adaptation, flood resilience, and environmental justice. Yet a central planning challenge remains: how to identify where GSI should be prioritized when flood-related physical burden, weak environmental protection, social vulnerability, and lower recovery capacity overlap. This dissertation addresses that challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, by examining how equitable GSI siting can support flood resilience in vulnerable urban neighborhoods.

Framed by urban resilience and environmental justice, the study …

Sexually Dimorphic Effects Of Gpnmb Modulation On Vertebral Bone Mass Regulation And Intravertebral Disc Health, Hakem Altawil, Fayez Safadi

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Osteoporosis and vertebral degeneration are major contributors to musculoskeletal morbidity, yet the molecular mechanisms regulating vertebral bone and intervertebral disc (IVD) homeostasis remain incompletely understood. GPNMB (osteoactivin) has been identified as a regulator of bone remodeling, though its role in spine health is unclear. This study evaluated the effects of GPNMB deficiency on lumbar vertebral bone microarchitecture and IVD integrity in a sex-dependent context.

Six-month-old male and female wild-type (WT) and GPNMB knockout (KO) mice were analyzed using micro–computed tomography (µCT) of lumbar vertebrae (L4–L6) and histological assessment of the L5–L6 IVD. KO males exhibited increased bone volume fraction, bone …

Conch Gone? Examining Cultural Preservation Through Bahamian Menu Analysis, Adiah J. Saunders

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Social identity theory and acculturation theory expose how cultural practices, such as cuisine, can adapt due to external pressures. In The Bahamas, external pressure from the tourism industry shapes many aspects of public life, by analyzing menus we can see how cultural identity resists or succumbs to change. This study examined how Bahamian cuisine is represented on restaurant menus in Nassau, New Providence amid a dominating tourism industry. Using a stratified random sample of 30 restaurants, 1,155 menu items were coded for cultural origin, cultural language use, promotional features, as well as pricing. The results show that international dishes appear …

Innocence Interrupted: A 25-Year Study Of Reported Filicide Incidents In The United States, 1999 To 2023, Jeffrey A. Walsh, Jessie L. Krienert, Ema Voksic

Faculty Publications - Criminal Justice Sciences

This study examines filicide, the killing of a child by a parent or parental figure, using 25 years of data (1999–2023) from the National Incident-Based Reporting System (N = 3,974). Multinomial logistic regression was used to analyze variations in offender, victim, and incident characteristics across four victim age categories: neonaticide (within 24 hr of birth), infanticide (1–364 days), child filicide (1–17 years), and adult filicide (18+ years). Results reveal significant differences in offender age, sex, race, weapon use, and victim demographics. Neonaticide is most often associated with younger female offenders and the use of personal weapons, while adult filicide …

Implementing Impact Data Collection And Program Evaluation In A Nonprofit, Jamie Devellis

OTD Capstones

This doctoral capstone highlights a gap between data collection practices and nonprofits, which impacts participation rates of children experiencing poverty. This gap is an issue for nonprofits because stakeholders and donors are more likely to fund organizations that can provide impact data about their services. This capstone addresses that gap through creating and implementing data collection and program evaluation for a grassroots nonprofit that funds enrichment programs for children experiencing poverty in southeastern Massachusetts. Data collected found that the program has a positive effect on the children and families of whom they serve that surpass their main goal of building …