Digital Commons Network^™

It's Your Voice: Why Not Use It?, Tyler Tran

Undercurrents: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Composition

Tyler is an Accounting and Finance major from Stoughton, MA. Tyler felt a personal connection to the topic of his essay as he “has always been conscious of my voice in previous writing assignments, but it wasn’t until English 101 and 102 that I purposefully used my own voice in my essays.” This made Tyler want to explore the topic of “self-censorship” of students when writing. He admits that “undergoing the writing process in a remote setting was very new, but I think it helped emphasize the importance of really writing with my own voice.” While writing this essay, Tyler …

Using A Narrative Approach To Cater To Multilingual Student Writers, Hadassa Sossou

Undercurrents: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Composition

Hadassa is a Biochemistry major from Brockton, MA. She is multilingual but does not consider herself a “multilingual student” since her primary language is English. She speaks four languages and is now learning Japanese. This semester, Hadassa met and befriended many international and ESL students at the university. She states that “after I met them, I realized that they had a lot of struggles with writing in the classroom that I never considered. So, during my research for this essay, I wanted to learn more about what could cause difficulty and how that could be resolved.” Hadassa also has learned …

Paradise Found? Orality In The Composition Process, Alexander Quadros

Undercurrents: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Composition

Alex is an undecided major from Chelmsford, MA, who is interested in International Relations, English, and Economics. Alex said this topic “thoroughly piqued my curiosity” and he “wondered whether my recurrent frustrations with procrastination of writing assignments was a symptom of ‘thinker’s block,’ or rather the usual culprit of ‘writer’s block.’ This distinction became important to him as he realized “utilizing orality could spur the composition process.” Alex is a very family-oriented person and is passionate about helping others. His ideal day would be hiking with friends while listening to the Rolling Stones and then playing basketball all night long. …

The Repurposing Of Biased Literature For Moral Development, Hannah Ortiz

Undercurrents: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Composition

Hannah Ortiz is an English major with a Professional & New Media Writing concentration, and is from Hartford, Connecticut. Because she is studying reading and writing, Hannah feels that the censorship of literature is an important topic. Hannah says “I love reading and I believe that people, especially children, should be able to read books that teach us about the world.” She states that we do not have to agree with every book we read, but that “literature can present different perspectives that can educate us about messages we don’t agree with.” Hannah believes that biased literature has been some …

The Battle Of Science And The Public: How To Make Scientific Writing Friendly, Maggie Buyuk

Undercurrents: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Composition

Maggie Buyuk is a Nursing major from Bolton, MA. She wanted to focus her essay on the scientific discourse community because she feels as though it is often unapproachable: “As a nursing major, I know that I want information to be easily accessible for both myself and my patients. Unfortunately, the scientific rhetoric is not publically friendly because of the jargon and format of the scientific paper standard.” Maggie believes that there is a middle ground where the scientific community and the public can meet in order to better understand each other. This essay is special to her because, as …

2021 Editor's Introduction, Lauren M. Bowen

Undercurrents: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Composition

No abstract provided.

Bitseat: Reimagining The Financing For Airliners Using Nonfungible Tokens (Blockchain Technology), Edwin S. Ongola

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

This essay describes how blockchain technology, particularly nonfungible tokens, can be used to raise funding for airliners. The essay begins with a brief overview on the costs, categories, and acquisition methods of airliners. After that, the essay introduces concepts on blockchain technology, tokens, and smart contracts. The essay then touches on how nonfungible tokens can be used to facilitate fractional ownership of airliners. From there, the essay discusses Bitseat, a conceptual nonfungible token for fractional ownership of airliners, covering its overall design, appeal, marketplace alternatives, and challenges. Finally, in the discussion, the essay summarizes the overall concept and outlines its …

Improving Security Policy Validation In Distributed Systems Using Attack Graph Simulations, Zaid J. Al-Araji, Balqees Talal Hasan, Fahad Ahmed Shaban, Ali Khairi Al-Toohafi, Hussein M. Farhood, Alaa Al-Dabbagh, Omar Nazar Hamdoon

Al-Bahir

Validation of security policies in distributed systems is difficult because rules are heterogeneous, interact in non-obvious ways, and static checks often overlook multi-stage attacker chains. We offer a unified framework to translate real policies, and in parallel give visibility into policy-aware attack graphs (PAAGs), then we evaluate them using deterministic as well as probabilistic simulations, with Monte Carlo (MC) included. The policies are naturally embedded in the construction; firewall semantics deny or remove exploit edges, RBAC limits privilege transitions, and IDS/IPS lower the success likelihood of edges, so the resulting graph reflects both the vulnerability surface and the enforcement posture. …

The Nine-Block Pyramid: A Structural Framework For Cultivating An Ai Adoption Mindset Culture At Enterprise Scale, Ahmad Masri

Communications of the IIMA

Enterprise artificial intelligence (AI) adoption is nearly universal in name but shallow in practice: a large majority of organizations now use AI in at least one business function, yet only a small minority have scaled it enterprise-wide, and leadership commitment rather than technology is repeatedly cited as the binding constraint. This conceptual paper argues that AI adoption is fundamentally a mindset-culture problem, not a tooling problem, and proposes a nine-block pyramid as a practical framework describing a sequencing heuristic, anchored in established organizational-behavior theory, for the cultural conditions an enterprise should build to sustain an AI adoption mindset: (1) Enterprise …

Green Assisted Synthesis Of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles: The Influence Of Plant Extract Type (Eucalyptus, Lemon, And Sidr), Ikram R. Abdal-Razaq, Farhad M. Othman, Alaa A. Abdul-Hamead

Journal of Applied Sciences and Nanotechnology

In recent years, a greener sustained approach has attracted significant attention, particularly that employs environmentally friendly nanomaterials by utilizing natural extracts. Despite the growing number of literature studies on the synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles using different plants, comparisons between extracts to assess their effect on physical and chemical properties under identical preparation conditions are almost limited. Therefore, this study aims investigate an emerging field of nanotechnology focused on creating cost-effective, environmentally friendly zinc oxide nanoparticles using various leaf extracts (Eucalyptus, Lemon, and Sidr) as reducing and stabilizing agents, with zinc chloride as the precursor. The impact of the active …

Experimental Investigation Of A Time–Delayed Multi Spark Blumlein Excitation System For Performance Enhancement Of A Tea Nitrogen Laser, Farah Jawad Kadhum, Raid A Ismail, Alwan M. Alwan, Ali H. Attallah, Doaa Sulaiman

Journal of Applied Sciences and Nanotechnology

This paper presents a multistage electrical configuration for excitation within a nanosecond transversely excited atmospheric nitrogen (TEA-N₂) laser, with variations including a one-stage Blumlein circuit (1SBC),a three-stage Blumlein circuit (3SBC), and a five-stage Blumlein circuit (5SBC). The circuit features several discharge loops controlled by spark gaps and is intended to produce great performance through a low-inductance discharge geometry. A two-electrode spark gap is temporarily changed to cause the laser channel to collapse at the maximum overvoltage. The design enables gas discharge and nitrogen molecule excitation at lower voltages, with each configuration producing a varied peak output power depending …

Thermo-Hydraulic Performance Enhancement Of Heat Sinks Using Twisted Naca 0021 Airfoil Pin Fins: A Numerical Study, Ismail H. Omran, Khaled M. Chahrour

Journal of Applied Sciences and Nanotechnology

The thermo-hydraulic performance of heat sinks is strongly influenced by pin-fin geometry; however, systematic evaluation of twisted NACA 0021 airfoil pin fins as an alternative to conventional cylindrical configurations remains limited. The current study involved numerical investigations using ANSYS Fluent 2023 in analyzing a heat sink with twisted NACA 0021 airfoil pin fins subjected to turbulent forced convection. The traditional design with cylindrical pin-fin heat sinks was used as the baseline geometry, and varying degrees of twist ranging from 0° to 60° were studied over a range of inlet velocity from 6.5 to 12 m/s (Re = 3.8 × 10 …

Ai Slop In The Generative Ai Era: Uncovering Hidden Costs For Information Quality, Trust, And Human-Centered Systems, Blenda G. Mutuma

Communications of the IIMA

The rapid proliferation of generative AI tools has fundamentally altered the volume, velocity, and perceived quality of information produced across academic and professional settings (Bommasani et al., 2021; Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence [HAI], 2025). Yet this expansion has introduced a critical and underexamined threat to sustainable information ecosystems: what this paper formally terms AI slop ; defined as AI-generated content that achieves surface-level plausibility while offering limited substantive value, accuracy, or contextual depth. At scale, AI slop degrades information quality and erodes institutional trust (Bender et al., 2021; Weidinger et al., 2021). More critically, it generates what this …

Ai-Assisted Software Development And The Change Of Organizational Rhythms, Jarl Tuxen, Morten Boesen, Sarah O'Neill

Communications of the IIMA

Based on a qualitative study of a Danish NGO collaborating with an AI-enabled software vendor, this paper examines how the speed of AI-assisted software development challenges established organizational rhythms of evaluation and governance. The preliminary analysis suggests that AI-assisted development not only accelerates software production but also destabilizes established mechanisms for evaluation, responsibility allocation, and legimitization in software development projects.

Saas As The Backbone Of Digital Transformation: How Ai Turned Cloud Software Into Intelligent Enterprise Infrastructure, Amar Fejzić

Communications of the IIMA

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) has become one of the most consequential infrastructures of digital transformation because it lowers the cost, time, and complexity of adopting enterprise capabilities. At the same time, artificial intelligence (AI), especially generative and conversational AI, is changing SaaS from a delivery model into an intelligent operating layer that automates workflows, personalizes customer interactions, and supports data-driven decisions. This paper develops a conceptual synthesis of academic literature and public organizational cases to examine how SaaS shaped digital transformation and how AI is reshaping SaaS itself. The analysis shows that SaaS enables scalable experimentation, faster deployment, and modular integration, while …

Integration Of Freshness Monitoring And Active Packaging Technologies For Aquatic Products, Maria Ali, Abdul Waheed Ghanghro, Bheem Raj Serani, Mahrukh Zakir

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Aquatic products are nutritionally valuable but highly perishable, with quality loss driven by microbial spoilage, biochemical changes, including total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), trimethylamine (TMA) and histamine, and physicochemical deterioration, including lipid oxidation, gas production and texture loss. Conventional packaging slows these processes but does not report real-time freshness. This review analyzes how active packaging (antimicrobial, antioxidant, enzyme-inhibiting, and oxygen-scavenging systems, including bio- and nanocomposites) can be combined with freshness monitoring technologies (colorimetric/pH indicators, gas sensors, biosensors, and digital tools such as radio frequency identification (RFID) and Internet of Things (IoT) systems) specifically for fish, shrimp, and mollusks. We first …

The Design Of G-Board Gamification : Chess Boards ., Djamila Hassan Djibril Professor

Defensive Publications Series

With the emergence of a novel concept of gamification in g-board games, we aim to investigate the creative design and execution of G-Board, a gamified platform designed to boost user involvement and educational results. By incorporating game elements such as points, badges, leader boards, and challenges into the conventional or productivity sphere, G-Board aspires to inspire users through both intrinsic and extrinsic incentives. In response to alterations in game design or transformations in the gaming industry triggered by shifts in user engagement, we opted to craft a fresh approach and concept for games. The aim of this new design is …

System And Method For Local Venue User-Generated Content Registration, Affinity-Sensed Curation, And Revenue-Shared Broadcast Pickup, Eric Zavesky

Defensive Publications Series

A system and method for local venue user-generated content registration, affinity-sensed curation, and revenue-shared broadcast pickup is disclosed. Patrons of local establishments capture video clips and upload them through verified paths establishing authorship and venue proximity. A registration service verifies authorship, assigns persistent content identifiers, and embeds venue provenance directly into clip files. An edge-processed, aggregate, non-biometric affinity sensor array measures audience engagement during display, generating affinity scores that inform curation and distribution decisions. A hierarchical governance engine applies positive and negative content filters with strict negative-override priority across per-clip, per-patron, and per-keyword vectors, supporting genre-aligned filter relaxation for special …

Privacy-Preserving Web3 Recovery, Panagiotis Chatzigiannis, Adithya Bhat, Duc Le, Mohammad Mohsen Minaei Bidgoli

Defensive Publications Series

A computer generates a hash value based on a commitment data. The computer signs the hash value using a private key to form a signature. The computer posts the hash value and the signature to a blockchain. The computer provides the commitment data to a receiver device. After a predetermined amount of time the commitment data is posted to the blockchain. A smart contract verifies the hash value using the commitment data.

Toxicity Ahead: Forecasting Conversational Derailment On Github, Mia Mohammad Imran, Robert Zita, Rahat Rizvi Rahman, Preetha Chatterjee, Kostadin Damevski

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Toxic interactions in Open Source Software (OSS) communities reduce contributor engagement and threaten project sustainability. Preventing such toxicity before it emerges requires a clear understanding of how harmful conversations unfold. However, most proactive moderation strategies are manual, requiring significant time and effort from community maintainers. To support more scalable approaches, we curate a dataset of 159 derailed toxic threads and 207 non-toxic threads from GitHub discussions. Our analysis reveals that toxicity can be forecast by tension triggers, sentiment shifts, and specific conversational patterns.We present a novel Large Language Model (LLM)-based framework for predicting conversational derailment on GitHub using a two-step …

People Orientation And Thing Orientation In Business Majors: Implications For Assessing The Impacts Of Cross-Functional Business Program Curricula, Todd J. Hostager, David A. Christopher, Kristy J. Lauver, Christopher Knowles

International Journal for Business Education

Background/Introduction/Purpose:  Prior research documented significant differences in people orientation and thing orientation (PTO) based on type of major and sex.  This study examines a set of measures for helping business programs to assess whether they are producing graduates equipped to consider both people and things when making decisions, regardless of their major or sex.

Methods/Design:  Students in a strategic management capstone course spent a single 75-minute session responding to a brief new venture pitch by identifying what types of additional information they would need to decide whether to invest in the business.  Three Likert-scaled options gauged the extent to participant …

Trustee's Motion To Compel Disclosure Re Internal Review Board Members

Catholic Dioceses in Bankruptcy

No abstract provided.

Wikipedia In The Classroom: From Orientation To Application, Kristen L. Hodnett

Open Educational Resources

"Wikipedia in the Classroom: From Orientation to Application" is a flexible mini-unit designed to help early-career teachers rethink how open web tools can be used in the classroom. Built for graduate teacher preparation programs, the unit breaks learning into 15- to 45-minute micro-lessons spread across a semester. This structure gives future educators low-stakes, repeated opportunities to build digital literacy without taking time away from core course content.

The curriculum walks students through a clear, three-phase framework:

• Orientation & Exploration: Students unpack how Wikipedia actually works—from talk pages to sourcing standards—while examining missing voices, bias, and who gets to create knowledge …

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Food, Mind, And Society: Psychosocial Determinants Of Dietary Behaviors Among Medical Students, Saad Ahmed Ali Jadoo, Ruwaida Abbas Ghaeb, Mustafa Ali Mustafa Al-Samarrai, Muhammed Yunus Bektay

Hilla University College Journal For Medical Science

Background: University life grants students greater independence, during which they are prone to behavioral changes, particularly the adoption of unhealthy eating patterns.
Objectives: This study aims to assess dietary habits and examine the psychological and social factors influencing eating behaviors among medical students at the University of Diyala in Iraq.
Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between September 1st and December 31st, 2025, at the College of Medicine, University of Diyala, Iraq. A universal sampling technique using a semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire was employed to collect the data. Based on healthy eating indicators a dietary habits scale (0–12) was …

Dental Caries Among Adolescent Patients In Babylon Governorate Of Iraq, Zahraa Mohammed Hussein Wais, Dhuha M. Hasan, Omaima Lateef Salman, Israa Hussein Ali

Hilla University College Journal For Medical Science

Background: Dental disease is widespread among various groups especially in children and adolescences. There were many risk factors lead to dental caries such as dental plaque, poor oral hygiene and increase consumption of carbohydrate.
Objectives: To measure the prevalence of dental caries in adolescents patient and this knowledge is the key for controlling and prevention of dental caries among adolescents.
Materials and Methods: In the present study, adolescent patients of both genders 69 male and 71 females include of approximately 140 adolescents in age between 12–16 years, adolescent patients were examined in dental clinics of University of Babylon, Dentistry College. …

Blood Eosinophil Count And Total Serum Ige As Diagnostic And Severity Biomarkers In Bronchial Asthma: A Case-Control Study From Al-Diwaniyah, Iraq, Ali Mahdi Talib, Orass Madhi Shaheed Al-Taei

Hilla University College Journal For Medical Science

Background: Chronic Bronchial Asthma belongs to the spectrum of type 2-high inflammatory diseases of airways characterized by eosinophilic inflammation and sensitization through IgE. BEC (blood eosinophil count) and total serum IgE, reflecting two independent arms of Th2-driven inflammation.
Objectives: To determine the significance of BEC and total serum IgE as biomarkers for diagnosing and stratifying severity of adult bronchial asthma and their correlation with spirometric parameters and peripheral oxygen saturation.
Materials and Methods: A case-control study was conducted at Al-Diwaniyah Teaching Hospital during the period from October 2025 to March 2026. A total number of 120 subjects participated in the …

Exploring Former Foster Parents’ Perspectives On The Resignation Process And Returning To Foster Care, David Michael Wermuth

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The foster care system faces a persistent challenge in retaining foster parents, resulting in adverse outcomes for foster children. The literature identifies multiple reasons for foster parent attrition (e.g., foster agency dissatisfaction, life changes, and lack of resources and support). This study explored former foster parents’ narratives of exiting foster care. I illuminated how foster care agencies treat foster parents who exit the system and how this affects their attitude about the foster care system. General systems theory (GST) was used to guide the analysis. The research design was basic qualitative, and purposive and snowball sampling were used to recruit …

Effective Strategies For Retaining Employees And Increasing Workplace Productivity In A Changing Healthcare Environment, Marie D. Exantus

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee turnover and declining workplace productivity remain persistent challenges for healthcare organizations operating in a rapidly evolving industry environment. Healthcare leaders are concerned about employees’ intent to leave, as it is the strongest predictor of rising turnover, directly threatening both productivity and organizational stability. Grounded in equity theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry project was to explore effective strategies healthcare leaders use to retain employees and increase workplace productivity in a changing healthcare environment. The participants were seven healthcare leaders who had implemented effective strategies to retain employees and increase workplace productivity in a changing healthcare environment. Data …

Nurture: A Heart–Head–Hands–Feet Curriculum Framework For Sustainable Food Systems And Planetary Health Education, Liza Barbour, Devinia Wainwright, Sarah Browne, Clare Pettinger, Jessica Wegener, Tracy Everitt, Liesel Carlsson

School of Health Professions

Introduction: Nutrition and dietetics professionals are vital to food systems transformation; however, the integration of sustainable food systems and planetary health curricula in tertiary education remains inadequate. This article presents the NURTURE framework, a curriculum tool designed in collaboration with an Indigenous artist to support educators in preparing future professionals to address global planetary crises.Methods: The framework organises 35 curriculum concepts previously identified by stakeholders across 27 countries as relevant for entry-level nutrition and dietetics professionals. Drawing on holistic educational models and Indigenous worldviews that emphasise the interconnected relationships between humans and nature, researchers mapped the concepts to four domains …

Socioecological Factors Associated With Advanced Primary Tumor Category At Diagnosis Among Adults With Head And Neck Cancer Residing In Pennsylvania And New Jersey, Diane Elizabeth Crawford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Disparities in head and neck cancer (HNC) diagnosis may contribute to poorer outcomes among socially and economically disadvantaged populations. This quantitative secondary data analysis examined associations between socioecological factors and advanced primary tumor category among adults with HNC residing in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Guided by the socioecological model, deidentified data (N = 350) from two Fox Chase Cancer Center research protocols were analyzed using three domain-specific multivariable logistic regression models. Primary tumor category was classified as lower (Tis–T2) or advanced (T3–T4) based on tumor size and/or local extent. Black participants had greater adjusted odds of advanced primary tumor category …