Digital Commons Network^™

Beyond Trends: The Potential Influence Of The Ela Teachers Of Tiktok, Heather Lynn Wright, Lauren May

Virginia English Journal

This paper describes a study on content from secondary English Language Arts (ELA) teachers of TikTok and their potential influence on future teachers. There were two research questions: (1) What information is being dispersed through TikTok specifically for secondary ELA teachers?; (2) What connotations about secondary ELA teaching are implied implicitly or explicitly through the tone of the TikTok creator? TikToks were examined through a three-part framework, considering the constructs of performances (Goffman, 1956), stickiness (Zott et al., 2000), and affinity spaces (Gee, 2004). Using a systematic approach, 50 secondary ELA TikTok accounts were identified and the top 20 …

Thinking Narratively About Science Of Reading Forces, Moral Injury, And Teacherhood, Kyle C. Arlington

Occasional Paper Series

Stories of teachers’ classroom lives shape the public imagination of what it means to be a “good teacher,” yet these narratives are always partial, contextual, and entangled with broader cultural and institutional forces. This research essay narratively explores the experiences of Lisa, a veteran literacy teacher navigating Science of Reading (SoR) mandates in her elementary classroom. It examines how her identities, values, and visions for literacy teaching intersect with the discursive, material, and affective dynamics that shape how SoR unfolds in the context of Lisa’s classroom life. (Re)storying her experiences draws attention to the emotional toll and moral dissonance teachers …

When The Metamorphosis Turns White: Kafka Reimagined In Igoni Barrett’S Blackass, Bisola J. Ajibade

Vernacular: New Connections in Language, Literature, & Culture

Igoni Barrett’s Blackass (2015) has frequently been described as a “race-rewrite” of Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis (1915). This framing has shaped much of the critical conversation surrounding the two texts. While these approaches productively illuminate questions of identity and biopolitics, less attention has been paid to situating both texts across the intersecting contexts of German modernism and Nigerian postcolonial literature. This article provides a close comparative reading of Kafka’s The Metamorphosis and Igoni Barrett’s Blackass in order to examine how Kafkaesque elements are reconfigured within a contemporary postcolonial Nigerian context. Drawing on Deleuze and Guattari’s theory of minor literature, alongside …

Developing Strategies For Pce Outreach, Mariah Blankenbaker, Gordon Carlson, Daniel Adesoji, Levi Eck

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

In collaboration with Professional and Continuing Education (PCE), we produced projects to automate their internal tasks, as well as to promote their services. By taking advantage of software techniques, we bridged live-action footage with 2D and 3D computer visuals for promotional material. In addition, we researched the capabilities of creating a custom Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) and trained it to analyze and interact with thousands of industry datapoints.

Fourier Analysis Of Electronic Synthesizer Waveforms, Jiayan Ling, Jack W. Maseberg

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

We compute Fourier series coefficients for some standard electronic synthesizer waveforms and provide plots of our results.

Woven Color: Historical Uses Of Color Theory Woven Into Fiber Art Practice, Mary K. Greenwood

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This semester-long project, created in Material Exploration, examines the use of historical color theory within contemporary fiber art to evoke emotion and narrative. Drawing from established color systems, artistic movements, and artist inspirations, the work explores how color relationships, such as harmony, contrast, and saturation, can communicate mood and meaning. Through experimentation with textile materials and processes, each piece integrates intentional color schemes to enhance storytelling through both visual and tactile elements. Ultimately, the project highlights how applying historical color theory within fiber art can deepen emotional resonance and connect traditional practices with contemporary expression.

The Effect Of Water Pollution In Kansas, Chaejun Park Chaejun Park, Jeanne Sumrall

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Groundwater in Kansas shows significant nitrate contamination, with about 20% of samples exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) safe drinking water limit of 10 mg/L. This indicates that a considerable portion of groundwater sources are affected by pollution levels high enough to pose potential risks to human health and environmental quality. High nitrate concentrations are strongly associated with agricultural activity and land-use patterns, particularly areas with intensive fertilizer application, irrigation, and livestock operations. In addition, more than half of all monitored wells show evidence of human influence, reinforcing the idea that nitrate contamination is largely driven by anthropogenic rather than …

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda April 13, 2026, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• 3:00 Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes - March 16, 2026
• 3:05 University Business
• 3:20 Faculty Senate Business
• 3:35 Reports
• Strategic Enrollment Management Annual Report
• Student Success Annual Report
• Committee on Committees Annual Report
• Calendar Committee Annual Report
• 4:00 Information
• EPC Report - April 2, 2026
• 4:15 Additional Business
• President-Elect
• Adjourn: 4:30 pm

A Heavy Burden: Linking Body Mass, Locomotion, And Osteopathology In Aphelops And Teleoceras, Kaden W. Moses, Amanda Peng

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

The Miocene of North America was characterized by a transition from C3 woodlands to more open C4 grasslands. This transition drove sympatric rhinoceroses of the Ogallala Group, Aphelops and Teleoceras, to adapt in different ways. With the two responding differently, their osteological morphology should reflect this. An animal’s mass and locomotor habit are reflected by their skeleton as is the record of injury, stress, and disease. Twenty-two unassociated specimens (10 Teleoceras humeri, 10 Teleoceras femurs, and 2 Aphelops humeri), from the Fort Hays Sternberg Museum paleontology collection were analyzed. To study this relationship, the femur and humerus were selected …

Editorial Introduction To The Inaugural Issue, David Stone

Research Development Review: The NORDP Journal

On behalf of the Editorial Board, welcome to the inaugural issue of Research Development Review. Writing this statement fills me with joy and a deep sense of collective accomplishment.

The Honors Beacon, Issue 24, 2025-2026, Honors Program At Minnesota State University, Mankato

Honors Beacon

2025-2026 newsletter of the Honors Program at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Comparative Physicochemical Characterization Of Porcine, Fish, And Bovine Gelatin In Gummy Candies: Toward Halal Nutraceutical Development, Marlyn Dian Laksitorini, Cici Darsih, Nunung Yuniarti, Rumiyati Rumiyati, Mohammad Zainal Abidin

Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research

Gummy candies have emerged as one of the most popular dosage forms for multivitamins and nutraceutical supplements, including those for brain health. Gelatin is the primary gelling agent used to achieve the gummy texture; however, the influence of different gelatin sources on the physicochemical properties of gummies has not been systematically examined. This study investigated the physicochemical characteristics of gummies prepared with porcine, bovine, and fish gelatin. The gummies were evaluated for mechanical properties (gumminess, hardness, cohesiveness, springiness, adhesiveness, and stringiness), color, water activity, antioxidant activity, and protein content. Additionally, the effects of intentional adulteration—specifically the addition of porcine gelatin …

Mental Models Of Autonomy And Sentience Shape Reactions To Ai, Janet V.T. Pauketat, Daniel Burton Shank, Aikaterina Manoli, Jacy Reese Anthis

Psychological Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Narratives about artificial intelligence (AI) entangle autonomy, the capacity to self-govern, with sentience, the capacity to sense and feel. AI agents that perform tasks autonomously and companions that recognize and express emotions may activate mental models of autonomy and sentience, respectively, provoking distinct reactions. To examine this possibility, we conducted three pilot studies (N = 374) and four preregistered vignette experiments describing an AI as autonomous, sentient, both, or neither (N = 2,702). Activating a mental model of sentience increased general mind perception (cognition and emotion) and moral consideration more than autonomy, but autonomy increased perceived threat more than sentience. …

Creating Disability Story Videos With Generative Ai: Motivation, Expression, And Sharing, Shuo Niu, Dylan Clements, Hyungsin Kim

Computer Science

Generative AI (GenAI) is both promising and challenging in supporting people with disabilities (PwDs) in creating stories about disability. GenAI can reduce barriers to media production and inspire the creativity of PwDs, but it may also introduce biases and imperfections that hinder its adoption for personal expression. In this research, we examine how nine PwD from a disability advocacy group used GenAI to create videos sharing their disability experiences. Grounded in digital storytelling theory, we explore the motivations, expression, and sharing of PwD-created GenAI story videos. We conclude with a framework of momentous depiction, which highlights four core affordances of …

When Generative Ai Is Intimate, Sexy, And Violent: Examining Not-Safe-For-Work (Nsfw) Chatbots On Flowgpt, Xian Li, Yuanning Han, Di Liu, Pengcheng An, Shuo Niu

Computer Science

Content Warning: This paper contains sexually explicit and violent images and text. User-created chatbots powered by generative AI offer new ways to share and interact with Not-Safe-For-Work (NSFW) content. However, little is known about the characteristics of these GenAI-based chatbots and their user interactions. Drawing on the functional theory of NSFW on social media, this study analyzes 376 NSFW chatbots and 307 public conversation sessions on FlowGPT. Findings identify four chatbot types: roleplay characters, story generators, image generators, and do-anything-now bots. AI Characters portraying fantasy personas and enabling hangout-style interactions are most common, often using explicit avatar images to invite …

Three-Dimensional Imaging Of Neuronal Activation Patterns In Chronic Neuropathic Pain And Opioid Pharmacology, Madeline Martinez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chronic neuropathic pain severely diminishes quality of life, yet the supraspinal neural circuits that sustain pain perception and mediate analgesic relief remain incompletely characterized. While peripheral and spinal pain pathways are well established, relatively few studies have mapped pain- or opioid-related neuronal activation across the entire brain. This dissertation employed activity-dependent genetic labeling (TRAP2/Ai9), whole-brain tissue clearing, light sheet microscopy, and graph-theoretic network analysis to characterize brain-wide activation patterns across chronic pain and analgesic conditions in mice.

In Chapter 1, we mapped supraspinal neuronal activation in a bilateral spared nerve injury model of chronic neuropathic pain. Although no individual region …

The Rider (2026-04-13), Daniela Chapa-Reyes

The Rider Archives

Vol. 11, No. 26

On Becoming A Lawyer: Authentic Professional Identity Formation And The Future Of Legal Education, Colin Black

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

No abstract provided.

Engineering Of Genetically Encoded Programmable Calcium Channel Inhibitory Binders, Xiaoxuan Liu, Sher Ali, Tien-Hung Lan, Decheng Wang, Brendan Mckee, Tatsuki Nonomura, Siyao Liu, Feng Zhao, Michael X Zhu, Yun Huang, Qing Deng, Guolin Ma, Yubin Zhou

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Store-operated Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channels, composed of STIM and ORAI, are essential for immune and developmental processes, and their dysregulation underlies channelopathies such as Stormorken syndrome. Here, we report the engineering of genetically encoded CRAC channel inhibitory binders (CRABs) derived from the ORAI C-terminal tail. Guided by deep mutational scanning, we optimize a membrane-anchored CRAB variant that potently inhibits Ca2+ influx and NFAT signaling, and rescues thrombocytopenia-like phenotypes in a zebrafish model of Stormorken syndrome. To enable tunable inhibition, we further design oligomeric, optogenetic (Opto-CRAB), and chemogenetic (Chemo-CRAB) variants, providing graded and real-time control of CRAC activity. Chemo-CRAB further …

Evaluating The Geographic Patterns In Isotopic Composition For Nesting Hawksbill Sea Turtles In The Wider Caribbean By Coupling Satellite Telemetry And Stable Isotopes, Anna Kreiger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Combining satellite telemetry and stable isotope analysis offers a framework for inferring sea turtle foraging habitats when spatial isotopic gradients exist. We evaluated this combined approach using carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ1⁵N) isotope values from critically endangered hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) nesting at Buck Island Reef National Monument, U.S. Virgin Islands (N=31), and Long Island (Jumby Bay), Antigua (N = 31). Nesting females were satellite-tracked to identify foraging areas and sampled for skin tissue, and Empirical Bayesian Kriging was used to generate basin-scale δ13C and δ1⁵N isoscapes. Tracked turtles foraged widely across the Caribbean Basin, including the Greater …

“Indelible Always”: Recollecting May Swenson, Sylvia Sukop

Neureuther Book Collection Essay Competition

Graduate winner: 2nd place, 2026, 39th Annual Carl Neureuther Student Book Collection Competition

Residents Vs. Tourists: Understanding The Role Of Coastal Tourism Experience In Conservation Behaviours, Qian Chen, Rong Huang, Jinhua Zhang, Thatsanawalai Imong

Plymouth Business School

This study examines the factors influencing coastal conservation behaviours by integrating the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) with coastal tourism experiences. Conducted in Plymouth, UK, the research assesses how attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control (PBC), and tourism experiences shape conservation intentions and engagement among residents and tourists. The findings reveal that PBC is the most influential factor associated with conservation intentions in the overall model, while coastal tourism experiences significantly influence engagement, particularly among tourists. Residents' conservation intentions are more influenced by attitudes, whereas tourists are driven by their tourism experiences. These findings highlight the need for tailored conservation …

Feeding Strategies And Milking Behavior In Robotic Milking Systems, Katherine M. Kennedy, Elizabeth French, Porter D. Ricks, Emma K. Lundgreen

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Adoption of automatic milking systems (AMS) in the US are expected to increase rapidly in the coming years driven primarily by a desire to improve labor efficiency and flexibility and decrease reliance on hired labor. As such, feeding and milking strategies to best optimize milk production and economic gains tailored to US dairy production systems are needed. Initially introduced as a method to encourage the cow to visit the AMS more frequently, offered feeds through the AMS provide an opportunity to individualize nutrient needs. Often, a pelleted concentrate is offered through the AMS due to its uniformity and customizable nature. …

Understanding Parents' Perspectives On Responsible Ai For Children's Self-Directed Learning, Jingyi Xie, Chuhao Wu, Ge Wang, Rui Yu, He Zhang, Ronald Metoyer, Si Chen

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Generative AI is increasingly present in children's learning environments, yet little is known about how families navigate this technology in middle childhood (ages 7-13), when parental guidance remains strong but children seek independence. Drawing on self-directed learning (SDL), we explore how parents in our exploratory sample perceived children's emerging self-directness and agency. Through focus groups with 13 parent-child pairs, we examine parents' views on children's AI literacy development, readiness factors, and mediation strategies. Parents described emergent pathways shaped by screen time, self-directness, and knowledge growth. They often confined AI to learning-only contexts, positioning it as a tutor while overlooking non-learning …

Enhancing Students' 21st Century Competencies: The Impact Of Targeted Training On The Development Of Essential Soft And Hard Skills

Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora

This study investigated the effectiveness of short training in improving students' 21st-century skills, including soft skills, hard skills, and competitiveness. Using a quasi-experimental design without a pre-test, 50 students were divided into two groups: one attended the short training and one did not. Data were collected through self-assessment using the SurveyMonkey application. The results show that students who attended the training obtained significantly higher 21st-century skill scores than those who did not attend. The study concludes that short training is effective for improving soft skills, hard skills, and competitiveness, and recommends such training for final-year students as preparation for entering …

Mandibular Ecomorphology Of Tylosaurus (Reptilia: Mosasauridae), Andrew I. Price, Amanda Peng

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

The large mosasaur Tylosaurus is known to have been a predator of large marine animals. Performing beam theory analysis, a computational technique that uses linear dimensions of a structure to calculate its resistance to bending, on the mandibles of six Tylosaurus specimens from the Smoky Hill Chalk of Kansas indicates dorsoventral and mediolateral bending strength both increase posteriorly along the mandible. Comparisons with Varanus komodoensis indicate relatively greater mediolateral bending strength mid-dentary in Tylosaurus, suggesting that resisting torsional forces of struggling prey was more important at this landmark in Tylosaurus and that more of its jaw length was used …

Analysis Of Automatic Regulation Based On The Dynamic Indicators Of The Working Body For Cleaning Channels And Ditches, Nasiba Siraj Amirbayova

Technical science and innovation

Today, the comprehensive development of road infrastructure and agriculture directly requires the reconstruction and effective use of systems intended for irrigation and protection of road surfaces. The goal of agricultural development has made it necessary to increase attention to this area. This also reveals the correct use and operation of existing melioration irrigation systems as an important problem. This is mainly one of the issues of correct operation of road infrastructure. It is known that the majority of agricultural products are produced in areas where irrigation systems are widely developed. On the other hand, the use of collector-drainage networks, cleaning …

Continuous Light And Pinealectomy: Two Models Of Melatonin Deficiency Revealing Distinct Interactions With Vitamin D Deficiency On Blood Parameters, Rebaz Sedeeq Shekh, Ismail Mustafa Maulood

Polytechnic Journal

Modern lifestyles reduce sunlight exposure and increase artificial light at night, potentially promoting vitamin D deficiency (VDD) and melatonin (MEL) suppression. The two hormones regulate immunity, erythropoiesis, and platelet (PLT) indices, but their combined hematological effects are not well characterized. We investigated the independent and combined effects of VDD and MEL deficiency on leukocyte profiles, erythrocyte indices, and PLT parameters in albino rats using two 12-week models (n = 8/group): continuous light (CL)-induced MEL suppression (Control, CL, VDD, and CL + VDD) and pinealectomy (Px)-induced MEL deficiency (Sham. Px, VDD, Px + VDD). Complete blood counts (CBCs) and inflammation-related ratios …

Do You Think You Own That Game You Just Bought? Think Again: The Degradation Of Ownership Rights In The Digital Age, Evan Schoop

Texas A&M Journal of Property Law

The digital age has redefined ownership, particularly within the video game industry, where End User License Agreements (“EULAs”) and licensing models have eroded traditional consumer rights. This Comment examines how U.S. courts’ broad enforcement of clickwrap and shrinkwrap agreements, combined with evolving monetization models and unilateral contract modification practices, has shifted bargaining power decisively toward game publishers. Using Activision Blizzard’s 2024 EULA as a case study, the Comment illustrates how licensing terms can restrict access, limit legal recourse, and undermine reasonable consumer expectations despite substantial upfront purchases. The Comment then situates these practices within existing consumer protection frameworks and evaluates …

You Shall Not Pass: Historical Origins And Modern Solutions To Public-Private Land-Use Conflict, Alexander Dye

Texas A&M Journal of Property Law

As increasing populations and competing interests have exacerbated the historic conflict between public and private interests in land, cooperation, as well as a potential shift in public policy, may need to be considered. But for these shifts to occur, any predicate that private property rights should be somehow stronger or more easily enforced than that of the public to access land owned by a state or the federal government should be challenged. This Comment will analyze the historical events that led to a significant shift in land ownership and use conflicts in the American West. The historical element will focus …