Digital Commons Network^™

Interpreting American Sign Language: A Literature Review Of Assistive Technologies, Natalie Louise Paradiso, Emma Grace Kochenderfer

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

American Sign Language (ASL) is a visually elaborate, spatially oriented linguistic methodology that relies on combinations of hand movements, body positioning, facial expressions, and motion/spatial perception, aspects of which make interpretation difficult for automated machine recognition. Current assistive technology approaches to ASL interpretation are generally within the categories of computer vision models (including deep learning, multi-focus image fusion, and keypoint tracking) and wearable, multimodal/sensor-based approaches (such as smart glasses and inertial-sensor gloves). Within controlled environments, computer vision models perform well. However, when applied to conditions such as non-manual signs/features, signer variability, and rapid assimilation, they falter in processing all aspects …

Raised To Hold Firm: Authoritarian Child-Rearing Values And Opposition To Political Compromise, Morgan Romine

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

This research project examines how at-home values might explain an individual's view on political compromise. Using the 2024 American National Election Studies (ANES) survey data, I study the relationship between authoritarian child-rearing preferences and support for political compromise. While existing research has linked authoritarian values to attitudes such as prejudice and support for strong leaders, less attention has been paid to how those same values shape attitudes toward political negotiation. My hypothesis is that people who prioritize obedience, respect, and good manners over independence and curiosity in children reflect broader goals toward order and stability, and that those preferences translate …

Freshman 15? Freshman 50?? The Reality Of Daily Life Habits Of A First Year College Student, Gregorio R. Salgado

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

This project presents a personal data tracking study in which I collected daily self-reported metrics over the course of the Spring semester using Excel. The variables tracked include sleep duration, caloric intake, screen time, social media usage, phone checks per day, family communication, and personal spending. The goal of this project is to identify meaningful patterns and correlations between daily habits and personal well-being.

Data was collected through a combination of manual logging and smartphone-generated daily reports. This study explores potential relationships between variables such as sleep duration and social media usage, as well as the association between family communication …

Evaluating Team Formation Strategies With Algorithms, Ethan E. Lopez, Andy Vo

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Effective teamwork is essential for collaborative learning, yet forming compatible student groups remains a persistent challenge. This study explores how algorithmic team-building methods influence students’ social and academic compatibility overtime. To support this investigation, we designed a visual survey system called “The Disco Ball." Evaluating work ethics, lifestyles, behaviors, and communication styles, students were initially assigned to project teams using one of three conditions: (1) random assignment (control), (2) a “most matches” condition maximizing similarity between students, and (3) a “diverse communication styles” condition designed to balance differing interaction preferences. After an initial collaboration period, students were given the opportunity …

Blue, Red, And Bordered, Estefania Morales Vilchis

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The paper will explore the various social and individual variables that will impact how people perceive immigration as either beneficial to society or a societal threat. Some of the primary variables that will be examined in detail are one’s political affiliation, age, and geographical location; this will address the profound "why" behind our current beliefs on newcomers. The study will particularly address the "Contact Hypothesis" versus "Group Threat Theory" through the lens of how one's personal experiences with immigrants, or lack of, will shape public opinion. The study will focus on the rising psychological issue of "demographic anxiety", specifically, fears …

L'Empire De L'Élégance: Histoire Et Marketing Du Luxe En France (The Empire Of Elegance: The History And Marketing Of Luxury In France), Kayleigh Gilbert

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

This thesis explores how France established and maintains its global leadership in the luxury sector by transforming high-end consumption from a tool of royal power into a modern economic pillar. The central research examines the historical evolution of French luxury, moving from the court of Louis XIV at Versailles to current global marketing, as well as how the strategic use of France’s national identity creates a manufactured desire that goes beyond a physical product. Within the context of luxury history and consumer economics, the project builds upon the work of scholars like William Beik and Michael Kwass to show how …

Political Villains: America’S Perception Of Corrupt Politicians, Robin Nakamura

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Online and social media sources have made political news more accessible and digestible than ever before. While beneficial, it raises questions regarding the truth and quality of political news being spread and the effects it may be having on the public. In this paper, I seek to expand on existing research regarding political corruption and online media sources. Previous research has highlighted the rise of disinformation in online news sources, noting that social media reporting does not necessarily hold government officials accountable. Using the Chapman University Survey of American Fears Wave 10 (2024), the relationship between fears of political corruption …

2026-05-06 Seattle U Japanese Student Association Hosts Sixth Annual Spring Festival, Diego Dumlao

The Spectator Online

No abstract provided.

2026-05-06 Unions Cry ‘Mayday’ At International Workers Day Rally, Tristan Scott

The Spectator Online

No abstract provided.

2026-05-06 Campus Store No More? Seattle U Shifts To Online Sales And Future Pop-Ups, Maya Deguzman

The Spectator Online

No abstract provided.

Faith, Science, And Choice: Vaccine Attitudes Among Religious University Students, Jamie Jensen

ScholarsArchive Data

These data comprise a Q-methodology study conducted at Brigham Young University among undergraduate students to determine vaccine attitudes in relation to religious and political ideologies. It includes raw sort data, templates for running Q-methodology, and interview transcripts.

Neuroarchitecture: Color Psychology And Its Impact On The Built Environment, Jean Morgan

Theses

Neuroarchitecture merges neuroscience and architecture, examining how built environments affect our emotions, behaviors, and overall well-being. One of the principles of this interdisciplinary topic focuses on Color psychology, which explores the profound influence of colors on human emotions, behaviors, and cognitive responses. In the built environment, the strategic use of color extends beyond aesthetics, shaping user experiences, functionality, and psychological well-being. This thesis explores the interplay between color psychology and architectural design, highlighting how color choices influence mood, productivity, and social interactions within spaces. The main focus will examine the relationship between colors and equal causation in psychological effects. The …

Propasafe-Hybrid: A Text-Based Hybrid Propaganda Detection Tool, Thomas Kimmeth, Avijit Roy, Vivek Sharma

Publications and Research

Propagandistic content increasingly circulates through online news and social media, where readers often encounter it with limited scrutiny, highlighting the need for reliable and fine-grained detection. This paper introduces Propasafe-Hybrid, a sentence-level system that integrates a fine-tuned transformer classifier with LLM-based technique classification to identify, label, and explain specific propaganda strategies. The pipeline generates actionable outputs, including highlighted sentences, technique assignments, and concise rationales, so users can immediately understand why a sentence was flagged and how each label was determined. To control inference cost, Propasafe-Hybrid employs a cost-aware pre-filtering stage that forwards only high-likelihood sentences to LLMs, reducing token usage …

Cross-Sectoral Collaborations And Funding And Coordination Mechanisms In One Health Zoonoses Management In Peru, Lisset Dumet Poma, Erin S. Kenzie, Julia Goodman, Veronika Merino, Vanessa Cruz, Ruth Atto, Percy Vilchez, Seth O’Neal

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

One Health (OH) is a comprehensive approach that recognizes the human-animal-environment interconnection to health and is applied to prevent and control zoonoses—diseases transmitted between animals and people. Using a multiple-method case study, we examined zoonoses networks, resource management mechanisms, and coordination strategies among policymakers and decision-makers of Peru’s human, agricultural, and environmental systems at national and sub-national levels. Social network analysis revealed collaborations between the human and agricultural systems, with limited connection with environmental systems. Only a few links were reported between national and sub-national government levels. Qualitative analysis identified structural barriers, including insufficient regulatory mechanisms for funding cross-sectoral activities. …

Stance Detection On Social Media: The Impact Of Doping On Athlete Reputation, Connor O'Neill

Theses

Doping scandals can have a lasting effect on both athletes' and organizations' reputations, causing athletes to lose money and fans to lose trust in the organizations that govern their favorite sports. This paper investigates the impact a doping scandal can have on an athlete's reputation by  conducting a case study on Jannik Sinner, one of the top tennis players in the world, who ultimately accepted a suspension after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs, despite being unintentionally exposed. Using data sourced from YouTube comments on tennis-related videos, a fine-tuned Mistral-7B-Instruct-v0.3 model with a classification head was used to carry out stance …

She Absorbs, Jamie Westermeyer

Theses

Drawing from lived experience, this thesis investigates the ways sensitivity, attentiveness, and emotional labor are cultivated over time, specifically within gendered environments that reward endurance and self-containment. The figures in this work exist within moments of tension—straining, compressing, and distorting under pressures that are often invisible yet deeply felt. This work focuses on endurance—how individuals adapt, absorb, and negotiate expectations placed upon them. My figures operate as both personal and collective bodies, embodying experiences that extend beyond being autobiographical. Moments of physical distortion and emotional discomfort coexist within the sculptures, allowing vulnerability and critique to appear simultaneously. Ultimately, the sculptures …

Interventions For Behavioral Symptoms Of Dementia, Christina Khouri, Robert Martin

Advocate GME

No abstract provided.

Library Professionals Job Satisfaction Level In Autonomous Arts And Science Colleges In Tamil Nadu: A Study, Ganapathy Kaniappan, Geetha A., Jayashree R.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study was conducted to expansively explore the job satisfaction of employees towards the career development opportunities as the main objective, followed by identifying the main factors and concluding with suggestions to conquer the dissatisfaction level of jobs of staff serving in respective libraries. The study sample consisted of 250 respondents representing all librarians, deputy librarians, assistant librarians/documentation officers, information scientists, and library assistants working in 39 district libraries in Tamil Nadu. A structured questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale was used to collect quantitative data for the study. Based on the survey findings, this study concluded that the library …

Early-Life Wnt4 Expressing Colon Stromal Cells Orchestrate Lifelong Mucosal Homeostasis Via Bmp-Driven Inkt Cell Imprinting, Xi Lin, Chloe Hyun-Jung Lee, Ting Zhang, Agne Antanaviciute, Thomas Hanley, Jonathan N Glickman, Nikhila S Bharadwaj, Vicki Rosen, Jenny E Gumperz, Matthew K Waldor, Alison Simmons, Thomas Gensollen, Richard S Blumberg

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The early-life intestinal microenvironment plays a pivotal role in shaping immune cell development. Here, we identify a colonic Wnt4-expressing stromal cell, enriched during early-life, that promotes iNKT cell proliferation via BMP-MAPK signaling. These stromal cells are spatially associated with iNKT cells and macrophages and exhibit high Bmp2 expression during the neonatal period. Depletion of BMP2 in Wnt4

The Narrative Style In Abdo Khal’S Novel “Throwing Sparks”, Saeed Hadi Saad Alqahtani

UB Journal for Humanities

This study investigates the narrative configuration of Throwing Sparks by Abdo Khal through a contemporary narratological lens, employing the analytical framework of Gérard Genette. It addresses a critical gap in Saudi novel criticism, where thematic approaches predominate at the expense of systematic analysis of narrative techniques. Adopting a qualitative narratological methodology, the study examines temporal structure (order, duration, frequency), spatial construction, characterization, focalization, and linguistic style to uncover the mechanisms through which meaning is generated. The findings reveal a complex narrative system structured around layered temporal disruptions, spatial binaries that encode social hierarchy, and sustained internal focalization through a morally …

Providing Perspective On Arsenic Risks In The Human Health Risk Evaluation Of Coal Combustion Products (Ccps), Ari Lewis

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Arsenic has been a key risk factor in the evaluations for the 2015 Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) Rule and the recent “Legacy Rule”, which addresses areas of historical CCP placement not covered by the 2015 rule. These risk assessments concluded that cancer risks from arsenic in various waste management scenarios exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) target of 1 in 100,000 excess lifetime cancer cases, forming part of the basis for national CCP regulations. However, background exposure to naturally occurring arsenic in food, water, and soil also exceeds permissible levels, complicating risk conclusions. The USEPA's recent revision of arsenic …

Impacts Of Updating Background Groundwater Statistics For Ccr Compliance, May Raad, Molly Reeves

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

In 2017, many power utilities adopted statistical methods to comply with the EPA’s Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) Rule under the Hazardous and Solid Waste Management System. By 2017–2018, most owners completed initial statistical evaluations for detection and assessment monitoring to meet CCR deadlines. Groundwater sampling and analysis requirements in Parts 257.95, 257.98, and 257.102 are critical for compliance, yet implementation is complex. Subsections 257.93(f) and (g) lack clarity on which statistical tests to apply or how to address distributions and outliers. Additionally, the Rule does not specify when or how to update background threshold values (BTVs), though EPA’s Unified Guidance …

Lessons Learned From Managing Ash Pond Closure Waters, Danny Stephens, Tom Geeza, Phil Benson, Ashwin Ranna

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

The water management issues created by ash pond closure are complex and can create technology selection and operational management challenges. Ash dewatering activities produce highly variable effluents, depending on ash composition, aging, and dewatering and stormwater management techniques. Effluent limitations can also be highly variable, depending upon the size of the receiving body and the anticipated composition of the effluent stream. The user often faces competing risks: installing an unnecessarily complex and expensive treatment plant, being limited on closure activities by limitations in water treatment capabilities, or both. This paper presents several lessons learned from assessing ash closure water management …

Transportation Logistics Panel, John Ward, Andrew Vollmer, Tracy Zea, Marci Jenks

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

As the industry shifts from freshly generated ash to harvested materials and advanced utilization, logistics is becoming one of the primary drivers of project success or failure. This moderated panel will explore how sourcing, transportation, and storage realities are changing — and what project teams most often underestimate when working with harvested coal ash. Panelists will discuss what breaks, what becomes more complex, and how logistics considerations are reshaping planning and development.

The Importance Of Evaluating Drinking Water Exposure Pathway For Assessing Risks From Ccr Sites, Ari Lewis, Ishita Shrivastava

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Potential release of constituents present in coal combustion residuals (CCR) from CCR sites can pose risks to downgradient receptors via multiple exposure pathways. For residential receptors, these pathways include ingestion of impacted groundwater (when used as drinking water), other household uses (e.g., cooking, gardening), dermal contact during activities such as showering with impacted water or swimming in affected waterbodies, and ingestion of fish from affected waterbodies. Among these, the ingestion of groundwater used as drinking water is often the primary pathway driving potential risks (as identified in the risk assessment conducted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in 2014). …

A New Age Dawns On First Street: The Supreme Court’S Use Of Loper Bright During The October 2024 Term, Ryan P. Mulvey, Michael Pepson

Liberty University Law Review

This Article analyzes the impact of the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, which overruled Chevron deference and redefined judicial review of legal questions in the administrative-law context. Specifically, the Authors explore how the Court operationalized Loper Bright throughout the October 2024 Term to emphasize the importance of independent, de novo review, as well as the robust use of traditional canons of statutory interpretation to reach the original public meaning of statutes. The Article also explores the implications of the Court’s recent use of Loper Bright for related doctrines like so-called “Skidmore deference,” the …

Balancing The Triangle: Restoring Judicial Interpretation Without Ignoring Agency Expertise After Loper Bright, William L. Burner

Liberty University Law Review

For nearly forty years, Chevron required courts to defer to an agency’s reasonable interpretation of an ambiguous statute, even when a better reading was available. This approach undermined the role of the judiciary and disrupted the separation of powers. Rather than interpreting the law, courts became second to the Executive Branch in determining what statutes meant. Congress contributed to the problem by drafting vague laws and depending on agencies to resolve the ambiguity. The result was a structural imbalance that left courts out of place and agencies in charge.

In Loper Bright, the Supreme Court ended Chevron deference and …

Traditional Handicraft Items Revival In The Carpentry Industry - Applied Research On Palestinian Household Furniture, Ehab Abu-Hannoud

Scientific Journal of King Faisal University: Humanities and Management Sciences

Despite the importance of Palestinian furniture to the local economy, there is still weak global demand for it, which hinders its export abroad and deprives manufacturers of the benefits of exporting this important product. This study aims to strengthen the competitive position of the Palestinian furniture industry in both local and international markets by emphasizing the strategic role of design, particularly by integrating traditional Palestinian craftsmanship into contemporary furniture production. The research addresses design strategies, the preservation and application of artisanal heritage, and market development, considering both domestic consumer demands and global market trends. A qualitative descriptive approach was employed, …

The Impact Of Vision 2030 On The Translation Movement In Saudi Arabia - A Qualitative Study, Saad Salem Alshamrani

Scientific Journal of King Faisal University: Humanities and Management Sciences

This study examines the impact of Saudi Vision 2030 on the translation ecosystem in Saudi Arabia. It employs a qualitative document based analytical approach to investigate the developments in the translation activity and institutional support under the Vision framework. The study indicates an expansion and diversification of the translation practices across cultural, literary, tourism related and institutional contexts. However, it also identifies that the rear persistent challenges related to training, quality assurance, coordination and professional readiness. Furthermore, the study highlights the value of integrating policy and academic perspectives to understand translation as a developing professional and cultural field in Saudi …

Promoting Digital Citizenship Among Female High School Students In The State Of Kuwait, Nouf S. A. Al-Azmi, Ebtsam A. M. Al-Oudah

Scientific Journal of King Faisal University: Humanities and Management Sciences

Digital citizenship is a part of country's educational strategy, as it is important to educate learners about their rights and rights of others when communicating virtually. This research aims to shed light on promotion of digital citizenship at secondary level in one of Kuwaiti governorates, investigate its obstacles, propose ways to enhance it. The descriptive survey method was employed, with questionnaire administered to (350) female teachers at secondary level. findings showed teachers strongly agreed with extent to which digital citizenship is promoted at secondary level, particularly regarding encouragement of female students to respect privacy of others on social networking sites …