Digital Commons Network^™

Supporting Adult Language Learners Through Interactive Routines And Trauma-Informed Engagement, Andrew J. Francis

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Francis, A. (2025) Supporting Adult Language Learners Through Interactive Routines and Trauma-Informed Engagement

This capstone project investigates the impact of trauma-informed routines on reducing anxiety and enhancing relationships within adult English language classrooms, with a particular focus on refugee learners who frequently experience elevated stress responses that can impede both their participation and cognitive processing. Drawing on neuroscientific research that illustrates how trauma affects memory, emotional regulation, and executive functioning, the research highlights the importance of an instructional approach that emphasizes psychological safety, predictability, and supportive relationships as essential components of effective language learning. Utilizing frameworks from trauma-informed education, this …

Teaching With Nature: Place-Based Learning And Outdoor Education Toward Healing In The K-2 Setting, Isaac Hart

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Outdoor education and place-based learning hold rich histories and futures. This project at large set out to explore the stories and possibilities of outdoor education and place-based learning within the K-2 landscape. The research question being addressed in this project is: How can we use meaningful place-based learning and outdoor education in the K-2 setting as a means of healing relationships with schooling and with the rest of the natural world? Through personal and professional framing, an exploratory literature review, an educator resource toolkit project, and a reflective conclusion, this work presents outdoor education and place-based learning as having myriad …

Effective Practices In Working With Academic Coaches, Tracia M. Forman, Jessica M. Sanchez

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

As online education grows, instructional teams with academic coaches have become increasingly valuable in higher education. Coaches play crucial roles in fostering student engagement, supporting active learning, and delivering timely feedback, particularly in large online courses. Recent mixed-method research examined effective coach integration into online instructional teams by analyzing faculty characteristics, behaviors, preferences, attitudes, and knowledge. The study identified successful strategies and best practices for faculty-coach collaboration, providing actionable insights for instructors. This research expands our understanding of how team-based approaches can enhance educational quality in virtual environments, contributing meaningfully to ongoing discussions about online teaching effectiveness and the strategic …

Civil Appeals Mediation Program 2024 Mediation Colloquy: 50 Years Of Building Bridges Through Appellate Mediation

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

On December 17, 2024, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and its CAMP program hosted Justice Sotomayor to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of CAMP. During the Colloquy, the 50th Anniversary CAMP documentary video was premiered.

Strengthening Connections: Downtowns & Trails In Barrington, Nh, Shannon Rogers Ph.D., Nathaniel B. Bernitz, Patricia Prescott

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

77 | Khirbat ‘Amra: A Rural Site From The Hellenistic To Early Islamic Periods In The BeʼEr Sheva‘ Valley, Itamar Taxel, Noé D. Michael

IAA Reports—Monograph Series of the Israel Antiquities Authority

This volume constitutes the final report of the large-scale salvage excavations directed by Gil Tahal on behalf of the IAA in 1993–1994 at the site of Khirbat ‘Amra, in the north-central area of the Be’er Sheva‛ Valley. The excavations revealed architectural remains and finds dated mainly to the Hellenistic until the Early Islamic periods, in addition to scantier remains or isolated finds from the Chalcolithic period, the Iron Age II and the Ottoman period. Khirbat ‘Amra is one of the largest multiperiod sites in the Be’er Sheva‛ Valley, specifically in the Byzantine and Early Islamic periods. Furthermore, Tahal’s excavations were …

A Dialetical Materialist Reading Of Language And Ideology In The Metamorphosis, Sidhanth Sethi

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

In this paper I use a dialectical materialist conception of ideology to analyze how it functions through language in Franz Kafka’s story The Metamorphosis. Beginning with Hegel’s account of consciousness as constituted through contradiction and its material reorientation in Marx and Engels, this project situates ideology within the social relations that shape human life. I then employ Evald Ilyenkov’s conception of material generation and Valentin Volosinov’s semiotic theory, arguing that signs constitute the material medium through which ideological meaning is produced and through which consciousness learns to misrecognize its own conditions. Using this framework, I interpret Gregor Samsa’s transformation as …

Student, Faculty, And Coaches’ Perceptions And Experience Of Academic Coaching In Online Courses, Jessica M. Sanchez, Harriet E. Watkins, Francisco Garcia, Claudia Vela

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

This chapter explores student, faculty, and online academic coaches' perceptions of academic coaching in large online courses at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), one of the nation's largest Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs). Our goal was to examine their experiences to gain insights into the effectiveness of academic coaching and identify areas for improvement. The results have implications for institutions looking to enhance student support services and promote student success in online learning environments.

Feasibility And Usage Of A Virtual Assistant Device In Cognitively Impaired Homebound Older Adults, Matthew Nunez, Prisha Patel, Lindsey Ulin, Leslie Kian, Martin Cominsky, Jason Burnett, Jessica L Lee

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Social technology in older adults can improve self-rated health; however, there can also be difficulties using it. Our study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and acceptance of virtual assistant device (VAD) use in cognitively impaired homebound older adults. 52 newly referred Meals on Wheels clients aged 60 and older were recruited for a three-phase study: 6 weeks of meals alone (control), followed by 6 weeks of meals+Alexa Echo Show 8 (AES8) basic usage, and lastly 6 weeks of meals+AES8 advanced usage. Technology acceptance with the AES8 was significantly higher by the end of the study and participants anecdotally enjoyed playing …

Implementation Fidelity Of A Smartphone Application For Population-Based General Movement Assessment: The Early Moves Study, Caroline F. Alexander, Sarah E. Hall, Alison Salt, Alicia J. Spittle, Catherine Morgan, Tiffany Grisbrook, Alishum Ali, Natasha Amery, Sue Anne Davidson, Ashleigh Thornton, Mary Sharp, Emily Young, Robert S. Ware, Desiree Silva, Roslyn Ward, Nadia Badawi, Samudragupta Bora, Roslyn N. Boyd, Susan Woolfenden, Catherine Elliott, Jane Valentine

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objective: To describe the infant and maternal characteristics of the Early Moves cohort and to assess representativeness to the general population, and to evaluate the implementation fidelity of an application-based collection of General Movement Assessment (GMA) videos at writhing and fidgety age. Study design: Prospective observational study. Mothers who had recently delivered or were enrolled to deliver at maternity hospitals in Perth, Western Australia, were recruited from November 2019 to December 2023. Sociodemographic and infant clinical characteristics were extracted from hospital records. Parents were invited to record GMA videos using the Baby Moves smartphone application, which were assessed for scorability …

Effects Of Exercise On Inflammation In Female Survivors Of Nonmetastatic Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Francesco Bettariga, Dennis R. Taaffe, Anita Borsati, Alice Avancini, Sara Pilotto, Stefano G. Lazzarini, Pedro Lopez, Luca Maestroni, Umberto Crainich, John P. Campbell, Timothy D. Clay, Daniel A. Galvão, Robert U. Newton

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Despite advances in breast cancer treatment, recurrence remains common and contributes to higher mortality risk. Among the potential mechanisms, inflammation plays a key role in recurrence by promoting tumor progression. Exercise provides a wide array of health benefits and may reduce inflammation, potentially reducing mortality risk. However, the effects of exercise, including mode (ie, resistance training [RT], aerobic training [AT], and combined RT and AT) and program duration, on inflammatory biomarkers in breast cancer survivors remain to be elucidated. Methods: A systematic search was undertaken in PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, SPORTDiscus, and CENTRAL in August 2024. Randomized controlled trials examining …

Explainabledetector: Exploring Transformer-Based Language Modeling Approach For Sms Spam Detection With Explainability Analysis, Mohammad Amaz Uddin, Muhammad Nazrul Islam, Leandros Maglaras, Helge Janicke, Iqbal H. Sarker

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Short Message Service (SMS) is a widely used and cost-effective communication medium that has unfortunately become a frequent target for unsolicited messages - commonly known as SMS spam. With the rapid adoption of smartphones and increased Internet connectivity, SMS spam has emerged as a prevalent threat. Spammers have recognized the critical role SMS plays in today's modern communication, making it a prime target for abuse. As cybersecurity threats continue to evolve, the volume of SMS spam has increased substantially in recent years. Moreover, the unstructured format of SMS data creates significant challenges for SMS spam detection, making it more difficult …

Dissociation Of Subjective And Objective Measures Of Trust In Vehicle Automation: A Driving Simulator Study, Samuel Petkac, Tetsuya Sato, Kun Xie, Yusuke Yamani

Psychology Faculty Publications

Trust is a crucial factor that influences human-automation interaction in surface transportation. Previous research indicates that participants tend to display higher levels of subjective trust toward lower-level automated systems compared to high-level automated systems. However, administering subjective trust measures via questionnaires can interfere with primary task performance, limiting researchers' ability to measure trust continuously in a real-world manner. In the current driving simulator study, 25 drivers using an advanced driving system (ADS) were randomly assigned to either an active (L2) or passive (L3) automated driving condition. Participants experienced eight near-miss driving scenarios with or without obstructions in a distributed driving …

Defective Mil-88b(Fe) Metal-Organic Frameworks: Peculiar Photocatalysts For Enhanced Degradation Of Organic Pollutants, Samira Sadeghi, Ahmad Najafidoust, Seyedeh Zahra Haeri, Masoumeh Zargar

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Environmental pollution, particularly water contamination from organic compounds like synthetic dyes, poses a major global challenge. In this study, defective MIL-88B(Fe) MOFs under varying solvothermal conditions (70–150 °C) for 12 and 24 h were synthesized to enhance methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) dye degradation. The MOF synthesized at 100 °C for 24 h showed the highest efficiency, achieving 97 % and 40 % degradation of MB and MO, respectively, in 60 min due to increased porosity, surface area, and optimized crystal growth along the [100] direction. A 24-h synthesis produced well-formed particles with the highest surface area and …

Woman-Centred Ethical Grid For Midwifery Education: A Content Analysis, Kate Buchanan, Darcie Bygraves, Emma Ritchie, Krystyl Toneycliffe, Sara Bayes, David Seedhouse

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Midwives across the world are required to practice in accordance with an internationally agreed set of ethical principles. Midwifery education for many students includes ethics theory content, but this does not necessarily provide them with the skills toward ethical competence in practice. Aim: To understand students' perception of ethical issues and to use these findings as foundational information with which to create an ethical deliberation tool for practice. Methods: Qualitative Content Analysis was used for this study. Purposive sampling provided twenty-one ethics-focused reflective assignments from one Western Australian university. Ethical considerations: Institutional review board approval was obtained. Findings: Three …

My Mum Sometimes Helps Me With My Writing: Parents' And Children's Perspectives Of Home-Led Writing, Bronte Kelso-Marsh, Anabela Abreu Malpique, Helen Davis

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This qualitative study aimed to explore parents' and children's perspectives of parental involvement in children's writing. Theoretical models argue for the benefits of parental involvement to supporting children's learning. Research has placed little attention in examining parental involvement in children's writing. Participants included 27 Australian Year 2 parent-child dyads, who were interviewed about their home-led writing. Results suggested parents and children valued parental involvement. Despite this, parents reported little communication from teachers about supporting their child's writing. Implications include encouraging stronger partnerships and more frequent communication between parents and schools to help support children's writing across home and school fronts.

Accelerating Precision Exercise Medicine In Cancer Patients Using Pooled Individual Patient Data: Polaris Experience, Laurien M. Buffart, Marlou Floor Kenkhuis, Robert U. Newton, Anne M. May, Daniel A. Galvão, Kerry S. Courneya

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Numerous exercise oncology trials have been completed, greatly informing exercise recommendations for patients with cancer. Exercise medicine can be administered in various types, doses, and schedules at various time points. Advancing precision exercise medicine requires understanding of how the effects of different exercise interventions vary by characteristics of individual patients. The Predicting OptimaL cAncer RehabIlitation and Supportive care (POLARIS) study provides an international infrastructure and shared database to perform pooled analyses of individual patient data (IPD) from multiple randomized controlled trials. This commentary aims to highlight the value of pooled IPD analyses, summarize key findings from published pooled IPD analyses …

University Of San Diego Magazine Fall 2025, Publications Department

University of San Diego Magazine (1992- )

Beauty, Goodness and Truth; Dear Toreros; Around Alcalá Park; At The Edge of It All; Faith In Action; Torero Spotlight; Torero Athletics; Toreros Making Waves; In Memoriam; Leading With Love

Robust Hashing For Improved Cnn Performance In Image-Based Malware Detection, Sanket Shekhar Kulkarni, Fabio Di Troia

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

This paper presents a comparative study on the impact of robust hashing in enhancing image-based malware classification. While Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have shown promise when working with image-based malware samples, their performance degrades significantly when obfuscation techniques are taken into consideration to hamper the malware classification or detection. To address this, we apply a robust hashing technique that generates invariant visual representations of malware samples, enabling improved generalization under obfuscation implemented as image salting. Using a custom obfuscation method to simulate polymorphic variants, we evaluate MobileNet, ResNet, and DenseNet architectures across five salting conditions (0% to 40%). The results …

Building Peace From Afar: Women-Led Peacekeeping From The Diaspora (Case Study: Afghanistan), Sveto Muhammad Ishoq

Kroc IPJ Research and Resources

This case study examines the challenges, tactics and tools of Afghan women activists in the UK in their peacebuilding efforts for Afghan women and girls post-Taliban takeover. It shows how operating from exile, these activists employ innovative strategies to amplify Afghan women’s voices, advocating internationally and providing support despite facing complex security, funding, and community unity issues.

Building Peace From Afar: Women-Led Peacekeeping From The Diaspora (Case Study: Burma/Myanmar), Kay Soe

Kroc IPJ Research and Resources

This case study highlights the role and strategies of Burmese/Myanmar’s women in the diaspora in the US in contributing to political transformation in their homeland. It shows how through advocacy, mobilization, women’s networks and different types of organizing, these women navigate structural and cultural challenges, leveraging their diasporic networks and unique perspectives to support democratic ideals and envision an inclusive, federal future for Burma/Myanmar.

Examining The Role Of Social Environment On Covid-19 Infections And Vaccine Uptake Among Migrants In Japan: Findings From Nationwide Surveys In 2021 And 2023, Yuanyuan Teng, Clive E Sabel, Tomoya Hanibuchi, Tomoki Nakaya

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Studies have shown that migrants and ethnic minority groups were disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, yet the role of the social environment in shaping their vulnerabilities remains underexplored in Japan. This study explored the experiences of migrants in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic and examined the association between social environmental factors (i.e., population density, neighborhood deprivation, ethnic density, and social networks) and both COVID-19 infections and vaccination uptake. Two nationwide online surveys were conducted in 2021 and 2023 to capture migrants' experiences and analyze these associations during the middle and waning stages of the pandemic. Modified Poisson regressions with …

Introducing Patient-Centered Outcomes To Preceptors In Caate-Approved Athletic Training Programs, K. Judge

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

The 2020 standards set by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) now require the incorporation of the International Classification of Function and Patient-Centered Outcomes into professional practice. These standards can be introduced initially through simulation, but to develop a competent and culturally aware professional, outcome measures should be completed during clinical experiences under the guidance of approved preceptors. As this is a relatively new standard, many preceptors did not receive this as part of their education and may be uncomfortable integrating outcomes into their practice. This lack of integration can negatively affect the learning opportunities of athletic …

Improving The Discussion Of Suicide Prevention: A Quality Improvement Project, Chelsea Reynolds, Alyssa Zeitouni, Kathryn Stephenson

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Suicide is currently the second leading cause of death among adolescents in the United States and the third leading cause of death in this age group worldwide.1,2 Suicide prevention is understandably a growing focus in pediatrics. Currently, at the Children’s Hospital Outpatient Clinic, that is staffed by pediatric resident physicians, suicidal ideation is screened for using a PHQ-9 screen. However, at the time this study was initiated and completed, the TEEN screen was utilized. After the screening is performed, regardless of type, it is up to the provider to address these findings in a safe and effective manner. The goal …

Law School Announcements 2025-2026, Law School Announcements Editors

Announcements

• Officers and Faculty
• The Law School - History
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A Holistic Inquiry Of Intelligent Speed-Assist Technology: Safety Impacts, Technology Implementation, And Challenges, Sahar Ghanipoor Machiani, Nusheen Baradaran, Arash Jahangiri

Mineta Transportation Institute

Speeding is a leading contributor to roadway fatalities in the United States, and California consistently ranks among states with the highest number of speed-related crashes. Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) technology has emerged as a solution aimed at mitigating this issue by notifying drivers of speed limits and, in some cases, intervening and lowering the speed to the posted speed limit. This work presents a comprehensive investigation into ISA system safety benefits, implementation challenges, and public perception, with a focus on California drivers. This study utilized a multi-method approach. A literature review explores the history, regulatory barriers, and international trails of …

Wildfire Emergency Response And Evacuation Framework Using Drones: Phase I, Hovannes Kulhandjian

Mineta Transportation Institute

Wildfires are escalating in frequency and severity due to climate change, posing increasing threats to human life, infrastructure,and ecosystems. Traditional wildfire management systems struggle to respond effectively to rapidly evolving fire conditions. This research presents a novel, AI-powered Wildfire Emergency Response and Evacuation Framework that integrates autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, AKA “drones”), multi-sensor data fusion, and machine learning (ML) for real-time fire detection, evacuation planning, and search and rescue (SAR) operations. Central to the system is the Dynamic Wildfire Response Algorithm (DWRA), a hybrid decision-making framework combining AI-driven techniques including reinforcement learning (RL), genetic algorithms (GA), and deep learning …

Best Practices In Marketing And Creative Outreach For New Transportation Technologies, William Riggs, Caillou Dasalla, Cayden Rooney, Vaasu Bhartia

Mineta Transportation Institute

Emerging transportation technologies—including electric vehicles (EVs), micromobility solutions, autonomous vehicles (AVs), hyperloop systems, and mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) platforms—are rapidly reshaping mobility patterns and urban environments. As these innovations gain traction, it becomes increasingly important to address concerns, communicate advantages, and foster trust across communities. This project examines marketing best practices for promoting emerging mobility solutions, synthesizing insights from scholarly research, industry standards, and case studies of successful campaigns. Emphasis is placed on the shift toward “snackable,” visually engaging content delivered through widely used social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat, which are increasingly central to reaching diverse audiences. The …

Draft Final Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Insufficiently Reclaimed Sites Remedial Action Work Plan (Rawp): Bres No. 104 (Colorado Dump) North Slope, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Digital Leadership: Secondary Education Principals’ Perceptions And Change Competencies Toward Implementing Digital Citizenship Curricula, Waylon M. Randolph

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Secondary education public schools are increasingly being confronted with student misuse of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Students are using these technologies to engage in disruptive and harmful behaviors like cyberbullying and sexting. As a result, some public school districts have responded by banning the use of ICTs in the classroom, while others have turned to teaching digital citizenship through a dedicated digital citizenship curriculum. However, effectively implementing such a curriculum remains a significant challenge. According to the literature, the best way to implement a digital citizenship curriculum is by fostering a positive school culture where stakeholders model and support …