Digital Commons Network^™

Tolkien’S Exceptional Visit To Holland, Revisited: An Acquaintance With Maartje Draak, Bart Jaski, Kris Swank

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

This note revisits J.R.R. Tolkien’s trip to the Netherlands, March 28-31, 1958, including his attendance at the Rotterdam Hobbit-maaltijd (“Hobbit Meal” or “Hobbit Dinner”), and afterwards. It focuses specifically on his interactions with Prof. Dr. Maartje Draak, a prominent Dutch Celticist. Although Prof. Draak is not mentioned in René van Rossenberg’s paper, “Tolkien’s Exceptional Visit to Holland: A Reconstruction” (Mythlore 1996), items from Prof. Draak’s archives at Utrecht University and an offprint paper she sent to Tolkien in 1959 allow us to recover Tolkien’s acquaintance with this important Dutch scholar, to enhance our picture of the famous Hobbit Dinner, …

Unknowing In Tolkien's Legendarium And The Agnosia Of The Elvish Tradition, Benjamin Blakeslee-Drain

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

The many layers of Unknowing in Tolkien’s legendarium make some of the most profound statements in his work. Unknowing creates space for the reader to have a more active and intimate experience with the text, and supports the central Christian moral message in The Lord of the Rings. The theme of Unknowing ties the legendarium to a larger set of scriptural and Christian writings, including the Book of Job, Mystical Theology, and The Cloud of Unknowing. Finally, Unknowing is shown to be a function of the legendarium reflecting a dominantly Elvish perspective. By dismissing the assumed authority of that perspective, …

A Vision With A Business: Kerista Commune’S Utopian Capitalism, Annelise Vought

Communal Societies

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents

Communal Societies

No abstract provided.

Far Out West: A Utopian Comic Adventure, Cheryl Coulthard

Communal Societies

No abstract provided.

Review Of Gentle Words: The Meaning And Message Of Shaker Music, Carol Medlicott

Communal Societies

No abstract provided.

International Herb: The Career Of Shaker Herbalist Elisha Myrick, Christian Goodwillie

Communal Societies

No abstract provided.

Contact Tracing: Reflections On “Shaker Fever” Amid Pandemic Lockdowns, Carol Medlicott

Communal Societies

No abstract provided.

Types Of Burns And Burn Care, Frances Hagberg

The Kabod

Burn treatment focuses on minimizing tissue damage, preventing infection, managing pain, and promoting optimal healing. The severity of burns—classified as first, second, or third degree—determines the appropriate therapeutic approach, which may include wound cleaning, topical antibiotics, dressings, fluid resuscitation, and surgical interventions such as debridement or grafting. Effective treatment requires careful monitoring and support through each healing stage to reduce complications and improve functional and cosmetic outcomes.

America’S Best Idea: The Separation Of Church And State, A Review, Michael A. Smith

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

This article critically assesses Randall Balmer’s America’s Best Idea, a historical and legal examination of the Jeffersonian principle of church-state separation. Drawing on Jefferson’s 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptists and Roger Williams’ earlier theological insights, Balmer frames the metaphorical “wall” as both a constitutional safeguard and cultural cornerstone. The review analyzes the book’s treatment of evolving Supreme Court jurisprudence, particularly the shift from strict separationism to accommodationism in recent decisions. It contextualizes this legal transformation within the broader rise of Christian Nationalism, examining the ideological and institutional pressures reshaping civic discourse. While affirming Balmer’s historical rigor and rhetorical …

The Architects Of Consensus: Propaganda, Patriotism, And The Owi’S Battle For The American Mind, Ryan G. Fix

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

During World War II, the Office of War Information (OWI) became the United States' most sophisticated domestic propaganda agency, charged with forging national unity in the face of global conflict. This paper explores how the OWI fused federal authority with private-sector cooperation to influence public sentiment through film, advertising, journalism, and rumor control. Rather than resorting to direct censorship, the agency relied on voluntary collaboration, emotional appeal, and strategic framing to shape a coherent narrative that blurred the line between democratic persuasion and ideological management. Drawing on an extensive range of primary sources, including internal memos, field reports, and public …

High-Quality Language Adherence Evaluation Using A Large Language Model With Ground-Truth Language Annotations, Hongbin Liu, Mingqing Chen, Lun Wang

Defensive Publications Series

Language adherence is a metric that measures whether the responses of an artificial intelligence (AI) model adhere to the user’s desired language(s). Language adherence can be a nuanced aspect of AI-human interaction because the expected language of the model’s response need not be the same as the language used in the user’s prompt. This disclosure describes techniques that enable a general-purpose large language model (LLM) to operate as an accurate, context-aware, and specialized auto-rater. The auto-rater, which notably does not need model retraining, evaluates language adherence. The techniques include a framework for automated language evaluation based on a pipeline with …

Autonomous Agent For End-To-End Cloud Control Testing And Troubleshooting, Varun Bhardwaj, Kunwar Vikas, Nitin Garg, Mudit Jain

Defensive Publications Series

Cloud controls are vital components within compliance frameworks that ensure that organizations meet specific security and regulatory standards in their cloud environments. Current techniques for testing cloud controls are characterized by a lack of automation, substantial manual labor, and an inability to adapt to the growing complexity and volume of compliance requirements. This disclosure describes an autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) agent (referred to as a cloud-control agent) to streamline and accelerate the creation, deployment, and testing procedures for infrastructure-as-code (IaC) cloud controls. Functional correctness of IaC cloud controls is ensured against specified compliant and non-compliant test scenarios without direct human …

The Onshoring Opportunity Framework & National Reshoring Blueprint 2025, Joseph Jm Walker

Defensive Publications Series

This document bundle comprises the Onshoring Opportunity Framework (May 2025) and its clarifying successor, the National Reshoring Blueprint 2025 (August 2025). Originally submitted to U.S. federal departments as an urgent, data-driven strategy to secure critical supply chains, these works are now publicly released due to over ∼6 months of institutional non-response.

Presented as public prior art, this comprehensive resource empowers individuals, communities, and enterprises with the necessary intelligence and tools to initiate decentralized reshoring efforts. The Blueprint introduces six integrated systems designed to: identify manufacturing gaps via Reshore.Gov; facilitate local production through FoundryPods; commercialize U.S. patents through an IP Activation …

The Revival Of 'Actual Damnification' Rule: Deconstructing The Judicial Approach In India And England On Determining Commencement Of Liability In Contracts Of Indemnity, Arunabha Banerjee

National Law School Business Law Review

No abstract provided.

Crayfishes Of Kansas: List Of Taxa, Synonyms, And References, Mark E. Eberle

Sternberg Museum of Natural History Faculty Publications

There are 14 species of crayfishes (Decapoda: Cambaridae) reported from Kansas, although there are questions about the systematics of some taxa. These species are listed by their current names and the synonyms under which they have been reported since 1885, along with their conservation status. Published references that include each species in Kansas are also noted. In addition, information about species with type localities in Kansas and unresolved taxonomic issues are summarized. The list of species has been updated in 2025 to include two species introduced to Kansas and other new information.

Talis 2024 – Infographic: Teacher Views On Ai In The Classroom, Dominique Russell, Jo Earp

Teacher infographics

The Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) captures the knowledge and experiences of school educators. Artificial intelligence (AI) featured as survey topic for the first time in 2024. This infographic shows the percentage of Australian teachers who ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ with the following benefits and challenges of using AI tools in education.

The Potential Of National Parks And Protected Areas In The Anthropocene: Emerging Incubators Of Environmental Justice And Co-Stewardship Conservation, Yolonda Youngs

Geography and Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

National parks are often praised as natural labs for physical science researchers and scholars. They are also cultural labs where ideas about public lands management, use, and access are reformulated and revised. In the Anthropocene, these sites hold special relevance. Within this context, parks can serve as active and evolving incubators of social and climate resilience guided by just conservation initiatives. Yet few studies have explored the new models of collaboration and partnerships between the U.S. National Park Service and Tribal Nations that seek to create co-stewardship conservation. This article addresses that gap with a qualitative and historical case study …

The Effect Of Renewable Energy Consumption, Economic Growth, And Energy Use On Co₂ Emissions In Indonesia: An Ardl Analysis, Raihan Ahmad Mustofa, Mariam Kamila, Rininta Nurrachmi, Syifa Shafnastiara

Jurnal Kebijakan Ekonomi

Abstract This study examines the dynamic relationship between renewable energy consumption, total energy use, economic growth, and CO₂ emissions in Indonesia over the period 1990–2021 using an ARDL approach. The results show a stable long-run relationship with quick adjustment after shocks. In the long run, energy consumption is associated with higher CO₂ emissions, reflecting the continued dominance of fossil fuels. Renewable energy helps reduce emissions in the short term, but its long-term impact remains statistically insignificant. GDP does not show a significant effect, suggesting that meaningful decarbonization will require a more intensive shift in the energy mix.

Keywords: ARDL, renewable …

Gc Minutes 2025-10-06, Northern Illinois University

Graduate Council Archives

No abstract provided.

Alice Carr V. Jefferson Defined Benefit Plan

2025 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Writing Workshop Journal: A Student-Centered Guide For College Composition, Tanya Zhelezcheva

Open Educational Resources

This comprehensive OER workbook supports ENGL 101 (Composition) students through a structured journal-based writing system. The resource combines Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles with post-process pedagogy to offer diverse pathways for student learning and writing development.

The workbook features:

- 4-component journal entry structure (exercises, reflection, next steps)

- 40+ writing exercises across four categories (Foundation Skills, Reading Logs, Drafting, Growth Mindset)

- Extensive planning and organizational tools (weekly/monthly calendars, goal-setting frameworks)

- Metacognitive reflection exercises that build writing awareness - Backward planning and time management strategies

- Evidence-based approaches to developing thesis statements, integrating sources, and crafting arguments …

Energy Price Shocks, Motorisation Intensity, And Income Inequality With Panel Evidence From 34 Indonesian Provinces 2016–2025, Andhika Taufan Prananta

Jurnal Kebijakan Ekonomi

This study investigates how fuel-price shocks and motorisation intensity affect income inequality across 34 Indonesian provinces (2016–2025). Using Random Effects, DiD, Synthetic Control, and Local Projections, we find energy shocks amplify inequality-exacerbating effects of motorisation in high-density provinces. Using a vehicle-density-based treatment indicator, the DiD estimate yields a conditional ATT of 0.39 percentage points (p = 0.442) as suggestive evidence. Impulse-response functions project a transitory Gini increase of up to 0.012 under extreme scenarios, reverting within 3–4 years. Our regional typology identifies eight resilient and six critically vulnerable provinces, providing a foundation for targeted policy interventions.

Board Of Directors Meeting Minutes (October 10, 2025), File 1, Dmacc

Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

This file contains the minutes from the Des Moines Area Community College Board meeting held on October 10, 2025.

Safely Exploring Novel Actions In Recommender Systems Via Deployment-Efficient Policy Learning, Haruka Kiyohara, Yusuke Narita, Yuta Saito, Kei Tateno, Takuma Udagawa

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

In many real recommender systems, novel items are added frequently over time. The importance of sufficiently presenting novel actions has widely been acknowledged for improving long-term user engagement. A recent work builds on Off-Policy Learning (OPL), which trains a policy from only logged data, however, the existing methods can be unsafe in the presence of novel actions. Our goal is to develop a framework to enforce exploration of novel actions with a guarantee for safety. To this end, we first develop Safe Off-Policy Policy Gradient (Safe OPG), which is a model-free safe OPL method based on a high confidence off-policy …

Boulevard Together Master Tenant V. Fermin

All Decisions

In this holdover proceeding; the tenant; an occupant of a Project Based Section 8 property after an unsuccessful remaining family member grievance; moved for summary judgment. The court granted the tenant's motion and dismissed the case because the landlord failed to serve the required VAWA forms with the notice of termination. The court held that the definition of "tenant" under the remedial VAWA statute must be interpreted broadly to include occupants who remain in possession after an unsuccessful remaining family member grievance; thus obligating the landlord to provide the VAWA notice.

Liberatory And Public Health Harm Reduction: Retracing Genealogies, Forming Queer Imaginaries, Ana Sofia Harrison

Sociology Between the Gaps: Forgotten and Neglected Topics

No abstract provided.

Perioperative Goal Directed Versus Conventional Fluid Therapy In Head And Neck Free Flap Surgery: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Faisal Shamim, Adnan A. Khan, Mahnoor Sohail, Rayaan A. Yunus, Mahad Sohail, Tahir Munir, Muhammad S. Shahid, Haissan Iftikhar

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

Head and neck free flap surgery is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Goal-directed fluid therapy (GDFT) has been increasingly adopted in perioperative care; however, its benefit over conventional fluid therapy (CFT) in this setting remains uncertain. This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the effect of GDFT versus CFT on post-operative outcomes. A comprehensive search of PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Dental/Oral Science, and Google Scholar identified randomised controlled trials published between 2010 and 2023. Three studies involving 262 patients (130 GDFT, 132 CFT) were included. Pooled analysis showed no significant difference in flap failure between groups, but CFT …

Dissecting Regulatory Non-Coding Gwas Loci Reveals Fibroblast Causal Genes With Pathophysiological Relevance To Heart Failure, Richard Gill, Junedh M Amrute, Kory J Lavine, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Heart failure is caused in part by cardiac remodeling processes that include the death of cardiac myocytes and their replacement by cardiac fibroblasts. Here, we hypothesize that cardiac fibroblasts may harbor epigenetic contexts in which heart disease-associated non-coding SNPs perturb gene expression relevant to disease. To test this, we utilized male primary cardiac fibroblasts to generate high-resolution Hi-C data and integrate it with functional genomic information to annotate and link putative distal regulatory elements in heart disease-associated loci to gene promoters. We identify several target genes with established roles in cardiac fibrosis and/or heart disease (GJA1, TBC1D32, CXCL12, IL6R, and …

Representation, Dynamics And Optimization Of Physical Structures, Fan Feng

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Computational tools play a vital role in structural analysis and design, enabling engineers and researchers to optimize performance, reduce material usage, and explore novel configurations across solids and fluids. Capturing, analyzing, and optimizing these structures while balancing efficiency, stability, and adaptability remains a central challenge. This thesis proposes three complementary methods that advance representation, simulation, and optimization. We present an impulse (gauge) fluid formulation that utilizes the impulse gauge variable to reduce numerical diffusion and better preserve coherent flow features such as vorticity at practical resolutions. We introduce a differentiable Voronoi representation for cellular solids that provides smooth implicit boundaries …