Digital Commons Network^™

Opensim Analysis Of The Aymara Indigenous People Performing Ancestral Tasks: Exploring Trends Of Muscle Activity With Tiwanaku Skeletal Indicators, Noah M. Taylor

Master's Theses

The Tiwanaku civilization (AD 500-1100) of the Andean highlands exhibited occupational specialization in communities, with archeological evidence suggesting the existence of labor- and residential-communities, or “taskscapes”, based on an individual’s livelihood. Prior bioarcheological studies have examined Tiwanaku skeletal remains for musculoskeletal stress markers, osteoarthritis, and cross-sectional geometry to infer activity patterns. Their descendants, the Aymara Indigenous people, currently live in the same highlands and until recently lived a lifestyle like their ancestors. Over the past 20 years, the global quinoa demand has risen, thrusting the Aymara into globalization and moving them away from the traditional tasks previously performed. This study …

2025 Central Washington University Commencement, Central Washington University

Commencement Programs

A commencement program from graduation ceremonies at Central Washington University.

Functional And Cultural Values Of Shame: A Motivator To Seek Help For Suicidal Ideation, Yu-Chin Lin

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Suicide is a global issue with rates continuing to rise despite decades of research and prevention efforts. The role of shame in the development of suicidal ideation, especially within non-Western contexts, remains underexplored. This mixed-methods study explored the relationships among shame, suicidal ideation, and help-seeking intentions in a Taiwanese sample, focusing on four culturally distinct Mandarin terms for shame—diu lian, can kui, xiu kui, and xiu chi. A total of 101 participants who has experiences of suicide-related thoughts or behaviors responded to an online survey. Quantitative analyses revealed that all shame terms were strongly correlated …

Wofford Today Summer 2025, Wofford College. Office Of Marketing And Communications

Wofford Today

No abstract provided.

June 2025, Robert Kelly

Robert Kelly Manuscripts

No abstract provided.

Unh: The Magazine Of The University Of New Hampshire, Summer 2025, Unh Magazine

UNH Magazine

No abstract provided.

Trademarking Terroir: Geographical Indications As A Form Of Cultural Property In The U.S.-Eu Trade War, Sara Evans

Chicago Journal of International Law

Geographical indications (GIs) designating wines, spirits, and agricultural products have been the subject of a trade war between the U.S. and EU for several decades. The American legal regime often denies European producers exclusive rights to use GIs in the American market because U.S. authorities consider many European terms generic. As a result, EU regulators are reluctant to protect American designations of origin in the European market. Little progress has been made toward reaching a consensus about which terms should be protected and how they should be protected in transatlantic trade.

Economics has been the dominant lens through which the …

On The Linguistic History Of The Swiss Amish In Indiana, Tobias Frick

Swiss American Historical Society Review

Between 1789 and 1914, about half a million Swiss citizens left their country to find new opportunities abroad.1 By 1880, more than 88,000 Swiss had settled in the United States of America.2 These immigrants carried not only their earthly possessions and their knowledge to the foreign lands, but also brought their Swiss German dialects i.e. their linguistic varieties with them. In most settlements, the Swiss vernaculars were replaced by the majority language of English at some point. The Swiss settlers in New Glarus, Wisconsin, for example, upheld their linguistic variety for several generations before shifting to English.3 An exception is …

Forging The Future, Kenneth Benoit

Asian Management Insights

How AI is rewriting the rules of knowledge, expertise, and practice.

Political Sociology, Talha C. Issevenler

Open Educational Resources

This open-access textbook on political sociology introduces and problematizes the classical categories and parameters of the field. It explores the main approaches to the state and governance, while conceptualizing a turn toward network power. Specific chapters address political spacetime, violence, secrecy, social movements, politicization, interdisciplinarity, media, biopolitics, and event-analysis. Multimedia pedagogical exercises accompany the conceptual exposition.

The Virgin Of Guadalupe And The Liminality Of Pregnancy, Jason Oosting

Theses

This thesis suggests that the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, during the Colonial Period, provided the diverse population of colonial New Spain (and, in particular, Mexico City/Tenochtitlán) with an image that functioned to unify even some of the most seemingly disparate belief systems, those of Christian Spaniards and Indigenous Nahuatl traditions. More specifically, this thesis argues that this unification was achieved because the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe in the 16th and 17th centuries was likely understood as representing a divine pregnant woman to many colonial viewers—a state that bound viewers, both Spanish and Indigenous alike, to shared …

Adam Smith: Social Imaginary And Religion, Jan Van Vliet

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

Introduction, John, Lord Alderdice

New England Journal of Public Policy

Introduction for Volume 37, Issue 1 of the New England Journal of Public Policy.

Solving Global Problems Requires Global Cohesion, Harvey Whitehouse, John, Lord Alderdice, Carlos Alvarado Quesada, Peter Gluckman, Hakima El Haité, Lukas Reinhardt

New England Journal of Public Policy

A growing body of evidence from evolutionary anthropology and social psychology suggests that group cohesion can be scaled up beyond the level of nations and even regional blocs and transnational religions to encompass humanity at large. This article brings together insights from globally renowned political leaders, activists, and academics by arguing that this scaling up is not only possible but necessary to address the most pressing collective action problems facing our planet today. Drawing on evidence from experiments, longitudinal studies, and multi-country surveys, along with extensive practical experience—from serving as a head of state to playing leading roles in climate …

Cuny In The News: A History Of Reporting On The Humanities At The City University Of New York, Jacqueline R. Cahill

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This project compiles newspaper articles concerning humanities at the City University of New York, placing them on a timeline to establish patterns and changes within media reporting and public perception. The archival research of this project explores four distinct eras, grouped around major events in the history of the university: 1961-1971, for the founding of the university and open admissions struggle; 1980-1990, for the response to the ‘70s fiscal crisis and introduction of the Board of Trustees; 2000-2010 for the post-open admissions era and the centralization of CUNY; and 2020-present, for COVID and a new fight for racial equity. Examining …

Vital Signs: Tibetan In The Linguistic Landscape Of Jackson Heights, Olivia Mignone

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation critically examines neoliberal discourses of diversity surrounding the neighborhood of Jackson Heights in Queens, New York through a study of Tibetan in the linguistic landscape (LL). Neoliberal discourses of diversity view linguistic and cultural pluralism through a consumerist lens, centering the market value of minoritized languages and cultures and how they can be leveraged for economic benefit. Focusing on an exploration of Tibetan (in)visibility and hybridity in public spaces, this study contributes a view of diversity that is grounded in lived experiences and reflected in the linguistic and cultural exchanges of the Tibetan refugee population with other groups …

The Reimagined Past: Investigating Generational Trauma Through Visual Semiotics And Visual Autoethnography Of Recreated Family Photographs, Josephine A. Barnett

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Family photographs, and particularly the curation of family photo albums, serve as a source of data, providing researchers with the opportunity to illustrate the role of the visual in reproducing certain social norms and ideals by dictating the depiction or representation of specific types of families and experiences. Arguably, what is left outside the frame of a photograph is more revealing about familial norms, memory, and narrative than what is deliberately captured within it (Hirsch, 1997a; Kuhn, 2002a). In other words, the hegemony and standardization of family photos shed light on the need for an alternative visual narrative that depicts …

Individual, Social, And Environmental Factors Associated With Patterns Of Parasitic Infection In Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus Imitator), Megan C. Henriquez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Parasites, and the infectious diseases they carry, are thought to have significantly impacted our evolutionary trajectory for millennia. Exploring how parasites are acquired and transmitted by their hosts in wild, natural populations is integral to understanding how similar processes may have shaped host-parasite co-evolutionary relationships over time. However, parasitological studies in humans and in non-human primates have produced inconsistent results, highlighting the dynamic, nuanced, and unique relationships individual parasites have with their hosts. These relationships are largely regulated by variation in factors at host, social, and environmental levels. Characteristics unique to the host (e.g., age and sex), factors pertaining to …

Issues Of Religious Dominance: The Temple Mount/Haram Al-Sharif And The Western Wall At The Center Of Islam, Judaism, And Failing British Mandatory Responses (1917-1931), Kyra Young

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This paper explores how religious space and symbolism became central to Arab and Jewish nationalist identities in Mandatory Palestine, focusing on the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif and the Western Wall during the transition from Ottoman to British rule. It argues that the collapse of Ottoman sovereignty, alongside British support for a Jewish national home, transformed Islamic institutions into arenas for political expression. Muslim notables, particularly the Husayni family, strategically engaged with British colonial notions of “tradition” to reassert influence, exemplified by the politicization of the Nebi Musa festival. At the same time, Zionism—both political secular and religious—began to attach renewed …

Our Relentless Objectification Of Native Americans: As Exemplified By Louise Erdrich And Cherie Dimaline, Lena Kozubek

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

Indigenous communities relentlessly challenge the normalized commodification of their culture and beliefs. One way they actively address these oppressions is through storytelling. Their accounts educate readers and encourage them to re-frame modern perspectives and how stereotypes affect Native communities. Their stories are not a simple myth; instead, they serve as an active participant to combat actions that treat Indigenous people as an anomaly. We should treat Native Americans as human beings who invariably struggle with present-day degradations, commodification, and continual displacement. Indigenous authors reclaim their narrative by using their historical context and storytelling skills to dissect the parallels between fact …

Legal Personhood For Artwork, Sergio Alberto Gramitto Ricci

UC Law Journal

Artwork is unique and irreplaceable. It is signifier and signified. The signified of a work of art is its coherent purpose. But the signified of a work of art can be altered when not protected. The ramifications of unduly altering the signified of a work of art are consequential for both living and future generations. While the law provides protection to artists and art owners, it fails to grant rights to works of art themselves. The current legal paradigm, designed around the interest of owners and artists, also falls short of protecting Indigenous art aimed at conserving traditions and cultural …

Vol. 48 No. 1 (2025): Pacific Studies Front Matter, The Jonathan Napela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Front Matter for the Vol. 48, No 1-Jun 2025 edition of the Pacific Studies Journal.

Reconciling Theology, God, And Climate Change In The Pacific Islands: The Emergence Of Syncretism And Ecotheology, Dan F. Orcherton

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

Why Study Others?, Richard Feinberg

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

Exploring Early Childhood Development Programming In Kenya’S Arid And Semi-Arid Lands, Phyllis Magoma, Amina Abubakar, Martha Kaniala, Barack Aoko, Moses Wesala, Joyce Marangu, Susan Nyamanya, Margaret Kabue, Anil Khamis, Esther Chongwo

Institute for Human Development, East Africa

Background: Promoting high-quality early childhood development (ECD) is vital for individuals’ physical and social well-being and yields significant societal returns. However, children in marginalised regions like Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) face significant barriers to accessing quality ECD services.

Aim: This study aimed to document existing ECD services in Kenya’s ASAL areas, including their availability, types and key characteristics; identify gaps in their provision and propose solutions to enhance access and quality. Setting: This qualitative study was conducted in 10 ASAL counties in Kenya.

Methods: Using purposive and snowball sampling techniques, 103 key informants, including pre-primary …

Personifying The Goddess: Contrasting Representation Of The Deified Body In Feminist Art, Kelly Lorraine Phillips

Theses

Goddess imagery, the representation of a female deity or a concept of divine feminine power through various forms, symbols, and narratives, has been used by artists to communicate a multitude of sentiments, from spiritual reverence to political ideology. This study probes the evolution of representations of the deified female body from the 1970s to the current era to reveal contrasts in how these icons of female power have transformed over time. The artwork of second-wave feminist and self-identified “Goddess artist” Mary Beth Edelson is examined as a foundation for second-wave Goddess sentiment. Edelson’s collage work, which incorporates figures from a …

Evidence Of The Complexity Of The Conversion To Christianity In Early Medieval Funerary Stone Carvings Of Pagan Cultures In Scotland And Scandinavia, Cameron Genet

Theses

This thesis focuses on stone monuments created between the late fifth to late twelfth centuries CE, specifically in Scotland and Sweden. The aim of this thesis is to interpret the symbols or images inscribed onto the stone monuments to determine what they reveal about the Christianization of these regions. The Picts in Scotland and the Norse in Sweden left behind several standing stones such as the Craw Stane from the Picts and the Ledberg Stone from the Norse which have various symbols carved into them. These stones were sometimes created in connection with a burial, allowing the interpretations of their …

Situating The Statistical Legacies Of Galton And Fisher: Multi-Layered Discussions In The Mathematics Classroom, Deborah Kent, Jemma Lorenat

The Mathematics Enthusiast

When ethics requirements are confined to courses taught by non-STEM faculty, students may erroneously conclude that such considerations are at most marginal to their professional training. Primary source readings and discussion frameworks can tangibly link data analysis to questions of values within data science, computing ethics, or statistics courses. The particular cases of Sir Francis Galton and Sir Ronald Fisher—both statisticians and eugenicists—provide a rich collection of easily accessible digitized primary source material as well as a vast number of related popular and technical publications. Galton and Fisher figured centrally in the development of statistics as it is currently practiced …

Down Syndrome In Africa: Challenges, Opportunities, And Future Directions, Eimear Mcglinchey, Salina Tewolde, Amanda He, Juan Fortea, Lingani Mbakile-Mahlanza, Ayda Tefera, Emmanuel Epenge, Jason Hassenstab, Rachel Maina, Zul Merali

Brain and Mind Institute

INTRODUCTION: As life expectancy improves for people with Down syndrome (DS) in Africa, the risk of developing DS-associated Alzheimer’s disease (DSAD) will rise. There is a pressing need to plan for this emerging challenge, particularly in the context of existing health and social disparities.

METHODS: This work emerged from a pan-African collaboration, including discussions at the Brain Ageing and Dementia in Low- and Middle-Income Countries conference held in Nairobi in 2024, where stakeholders identified regional priorities for DS and dementia care.

RESULTS: Limited epidemiological, cognitive, biomarker data, delayed diagnoses, and gaps in specialized services may impact access …

Ecological Grief Among Farmers And Pastoralists In Ethiopia And Kenya, Syed Shabab Wahid, Christine Musyimi, Benjamin Oestericher, Linda Khakali, Lauren Carruth, Emily Mendenhall, Edna Bosire

Brain and Mind Institute

Climate change is a major cause of mental distress worldwide. In many ways, climate change has become a chronic disaster, while in other ways each acute event can accumulate and present challenges within and between communities. A growing body of evidence indicates that a changing climate can precipitate a cluster of negative affective states scholars call “ecological grief.” Ecological grief reflects psychological responses to climate changes and destruction of nature, species, culturally significant or sacred spaces. Until now, ecological grief has been conceptualized as a psychological response connected primarily to the destruction of the natural environment, and has not fully …