Digital Commons Network^™

‘Signature Gestures’: Anchoring The Black Diasporic Feminist Praxis In English Studies, Sonia Adams

Theses and Dissertations

My dissertation study explores how the Black Diasporic Feminist Praxis (BDFP) serves as a methodology for theorizing, critiquing, and teaching literature by women writers of the Black Diaspora. In order to position the BDFP, I theorize ‘Blackness’ and ‘Indigeneity’ as modes of identity formation and the Black Diaspora (BD) as a fluid, inclusive racialized geographical space. Black Diasporic Feminism (BDF) is an epistemology that validates Black and Black Indigenous identity and life experiences across geography, race, gender, and class. I use the BDFP to examine how Black women writers from England, Australia, Canada, and the United States create a ‘Collage …

Medical Board Of California, Jordan Gierke, Marcus Friedman

California Regulatory Law Reporter

No abstract provided.

The State Of The Unions: Organized Labor In Maine, 2022-2024, Joseph Van Der Naald, Kevin Van Meter

Publications

“Vacationland,” one of the State of Maine’s unofficial

motos, adorns license plates, road signs, and

welcomes visitors as they travel to enjoy the region’s

natural wonders. Vital to the tourist experience

are services provided directly by servers, baristas,

receptionists, hospitality workers in addition to cooks,

janitors, housekeepers, and public employees in state

and local agencies..."

Virtual Reality In Education: A Thematic Literature Review, Aleksandra Mbuyi

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This literature review combines findings from approximately 40 academic papers on virtual reality in education for readers to gain a broad, structured, and organized understanding of the topic without having to read each of the 40 papers. While researchers define VR in slightly different ways, most definitions focus on VR's ability to create digital simulations of real or imagined environments (Makransky & Lilleholt, 2018). The review is organized around nine themes: conceptualization of VR, pedagogical foundations, instructional design, learning outcomes, learner experience, disciplinary applications, technological constraints, ethics and inclusion, and emerging trends. The findings suggest that VR shows the most …

Synergistic Effects Of Salinization And Artificial Root Exudates On Soil Phosphatase Activity In Coastal Soil, Nicolina Lentine, Sarah E. Krisak, Dirk W. Vanderklein, Matthew S. Schuler, Nina M. Goodey

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Coastal soil salinization from rising seawater levels has adverse impacts on soil function, seed germination, and plant growth. Root exudates play a key role in supporting microbial activity, nutrient cycling, and plant health, yet little is known about the combined effects of salinization and the addition of artificial root exudates (AREs) on soils. We investigated the impacts of sodium chloride (NaCl) and AREs, alone and in combination, on soil microbial function and the growth and survival of Chamaecyparis thyoides saplings. In a three-by-three fully factorial matrix, the combined NaCl and AREs treatment increased soil phosphatase activity more than the additive …

Everyone's Table: Growing Polycultural Leadership Through Mutually Facilitated Peer Learning, Joel Bert Zantingh

Doctor of Leadership

Despite multiculturalism being an official policy in Canada since 1971, significant challenges remain in achieving genuine belonging among immigrant communities, particularly within leadership structures. This project responds to the marginalization of diasporic and newer-to-Canada leaders within evangelically aligned Canadian organizations, focusing specifically on leadership culture.

Grounded in biblical and theological scholarship that advocates for unity amid cultural diversity, this project articulates a normative and interpretive framework rooted in the Christian theological tradition. It also integrates insights from sociological and organizational studies that examine power, ethnocentrism, and the psychological experiences of visible minorities within dominant cultural contexts. I found how implicit …

Guidelines For Community Engaged Health Research, Carrie Leach, Hayley Thompson, Alex Sass, Patricia Wren, Rodlescia Sneed, Rhonda Dailey, Elizabeth Towner, Maha Albdour, Carla Caringi, Alyssa W. Beavers, Theresa A. Hastert, Vanessa Rorai, Peter A. Lichtenberg, Angulique Outlaw, Ijeoma Nnodim Opara

Institute of Gerontology

Executive Summary:

Wayne State University’s Guidelines for Community Engaged Health Research provide a practical framework for designing, conducting, and evaluating ethical, equitable, and impactful health research that engages community experts in projects that advance health equity in Detroit.

Purpose 

Developed for WSU faculty, staff, and research teams, the guidelines support the meaningful involvement of community experts across all phases of research. They respond to common challenges in community-engaged work, including limited experience with engagement approaches, the need for reflexive and equitable practices, and the time and coordination required for authentic collaboration.

The document defines Community-Engaged Research (CEnR) as collaborative work …

Timber Use And Forest Management In The Ancient Mediterranean, Tobey Russell

Undergraduate Papers

No abstract provided.

Digital Redlining In The Smart City: Artificial Intelligence, Housing Law, And Structural Urban Inequality, Spurthi Nrusimhadevara

Undergraduate Scholarship and Creative Works

Artificial intelligence is increasingly used in urban housing systems, where it shapes decisions about tenant screening, rent pricing, lending, zoning, and neighborhood investment. Although these tools are often promoted as efficient and impartial, they frequently rely on historical data that reflect racial, economic, and spatial inequality. As a result, AI systems can reproduce discriminatory outcomes even when protected characteristics are not directly used. This paper examines digital redlining in the smart city and argues that algorithmic housing tools mirror long standing structural inequities that raise significant concerns under fair housing and civil rights law. It evaluates how automated screening, predictive …

Good Cause Does Not (Necessarily) Equal Housing Stability: An Empirical Examination Of Holdover Evictions By Landlord Type, Victoria M. Esposito, Cynthia Bott

Western New England Law Review

In light of the ongoing housing crisis, several municipalities and states have passed or are considering measures to stem evictions and keep as many people as possible housed. One of the most prominent of these is the requirement that private landlords have good cause to evict their tenants. However, there is little scholarship analyzing how and whether good cause has worked in the settings where it has existed longest: public housing and publicly funded non-profit housing.

Good cause eviction protections are intended to protect tenants from holdover evictions—i.e., evictions due to the end or termination of a lease rather than …

Flood-Regime Shifts Across The Lower Midwest, Usa: Identifying Patterns Through Flood Magnitude–Frequency Analysis And Clustering, Kaiser Mostafiz

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Flood regimes describe how flood behavior changes in magnitude, recurrence, and occurrence through time. Changes in these flood characteristics can affect flood hazards, river systems, infrastructure, and floodplain management. This thesis examines flood-regime change across the Lower Midwest, focusing on Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri from 1961 to 2020. Records from 1,452 U.S. Geological Survey gaging stations were initially compiled, and 208 stations were retained after screening for record availability and analytical consistency. Flood-regime change was evaluated between two 30-year study periods: Period 1 (1961–1990) and Period 2 (1991–2020). The analysis combined Log-Pearson Type III flood-frequency analysis using L-moments in …

A Geospatial Assessment Of Groundwater Salinization In A Multi-Aquifer System: Durango, Mexico, Juan Lopez-Sierra

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Groundwater salinization poses a critical environmental concern for water resource sustainability in arid and semi-arid regions. This study evaluates spatial and temporal patterns of groundwater salinity across the state of Durango, Mexico, using total dissolved solids (TDS), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), as salinity indicators and nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃–N) as an anthropogenic indicator. Groundwater quality data were obtained from (CONAGUA), a Mexican water agency. To assess salinity variations with respect to time, while minimizing interannual sampling bias, two multi-year sampling periods were selected: 2012-2013, and 2020-2021. Final datasets consisted of 122 wells for 2012–2013 and 131 wells for 2020–2021. The wells were …

Lsu General Catalog 2026-2027, Louisiana State University And Agricultural And Mechanical College

LSU General Catalog

The LSU General Catalog describes all undergraduate and graduate departments and programs with degree requirements and courses offered for each one. The LSU General Catalog includes information on registration and financial aid as well as academic services offered to all students

Assessing The Impact Of Local–State Revenue Shares And Property Tax Structure On Effective Farmland Tax Rates: Panel Evidence From Seven Midwestern States, 2009–2022, Imtiaz Amin Chy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Property taxes are the primary revenue instrument of local governments in the United States, yet the burdens they impose are distributed unevenly. Farmland, because it cannot be relocated, often absorbs a disproportionate share. This paper examines two related questions: what fiscal factors determine how heavily agricultural land is taxed, and do those tax rates capitalize into farmland asset values? Using an annual panel of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin from 2009 to 2022, we first document how each state allocates property tax revenue across four major spending categories (education, public welfare, health, and utilities) finding that all …

Baking In The Disposition: The Wac/Wid World Through Translational Lenses, Joseph Franklin

Publications and Research

In a global perspective for WAC and other writing programs, the singular identifier of the nation still holds a dominance in articles, books, and conference presentations. But, how we understand relationships between different programs on the global writing studies map often demands a more nuanced unpacking than stable nation-markers can offer. Jonathan Hall (2023) calls us to take up “thinking with trans-” in WAC (p. 13). This chapter answers this call first by locating different pieces of global writing program scholarship along a spectrum from those that aim to establish a single, stable identity for a particular (often national) writing …

Impact Of Foreign Direct Investment On Employment In The Metropolitan Statistical Areas Of North Carolina, Matthew Y. Xiong

Doctor of Business Administration Dissertations

Foreign direct investment (FDI) is widely recognized as a catalyst for regional economic development; however, limited research has examined its relationship with employment growth at the metropolitan level within individual U.S. states. This study examined the relationship between FDI and employment growth across fifteen North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) from 2010 to 2019. Guided by Dunning's Eclectic (OLI) Paradigm (1988), Endogenous Growth Theory, the Human Capital/Absorptive Capacity Framework, and Institutional Capacity Theory, this quantitative study employed a balanced panel dataset of 150 MSA-year observations. Fixed-effects panel regression models with cluster-robust standard errors were used to examine the effects of …

A Poor Man's Cup: Chicory Experimentation In Nebraska,1890-1900, Rebecca Hupp

Dissertations and Theses

“A Poor Man’s Cup” explores how Nebraskans actively confronted the problems of the late nineteenth-century through experimenting with new commodities. Prolonged severe drought, economic depression, and poor grain prices created a troublesome situation that grew in complexity as U.S. markets expanded globally and agriculture underwent professionalization. Some lay farmers, like Gabriel and Philomena Bazelman of Holt County, did not wait for new methods to find their way through the experiment station system and instead conducted trials themselves. Through piecing together the story of Nebraska chicory production with periodicals from the 1890s, experiment station bulletins, and Congressional reports, this thesis demonstrates …

Economic Impacts Of Alaska Fiscal Options 2026, Brett Watson, Noah Burke, Mike Jones, Spencer Perry, Brock Wilson

ISER Reports

The State of Alaska faces persistent budget challenges resulting from declining oil prices and production. Because current major revenue sources—petroleum and the Permanent Fund (POMV)—are not explicitly tied to internal economic activity, there is an "Alaska disconnect" between state growth and public revenue. ISER researchers evaluated 11 primary fiscal options + three variations. These included changes to state spending, broad-based taxes, and business taxes. Nine of these options were selected to match those ISER evaluated in 2016. In addition, ISER modelled two new options related to business taxes. ISER also evaluated three variations of these options. Any options implemented will …

On Shaky Ground: America’S Public Lands Face An Uncertain Future, John Leshy

Colorado Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Fight For Public Rights On America’S Waterways, Mark Squillace

Colorado Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Peak Bagging: The Land Acquisition History And Public Access Rights That Make It Mostly Possible, Andrea Shipton

Colorado Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Path To Information Literacy: From Finding A Topic To Writing An Annotated Bibliography, Robyn Hartman, Claire Nickerson, Heather P. Vandyne

All Open Educational Resources

This book is an adaptation of Ohio State University's Choosing & Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research. It has been revised with a new introduction and learning objectives and section summaries. It also includes sections on common research assignments such as research plans, research logs, note-taking, and annotated bibliographies. The sections on evaluating resources have been expanded to include lateral reading with SIFT (Stop, Investigate the source, Find better coverage, Trace sources) and evaluation with CRAAP (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose), the 5Ws (Who What When Where Why), and BEAM (Background, Exhibit, Argument, Method). Sections on generative AI have …

The Political Economy Of Trade: Evidence From Congressional Voting On H.R. 434, Jean Msabila

Critical Letters in Economics & Finance

This paper examines how district economic interests shaped congressional voting on the Trade and Development Act of 2000, providing evidence from congressional Voting on H.R.~434. The Act expanded duty-free access for African and Caribbean exports, providing a clear case to study how trade exposure and party alignment influence legislative behaviour. Using roll-call votes and 2000 Census data. The analysis is supported by a probit model linking textile employment, farm activity, racial composition, and party affiliation to support for the bill. The research findings reveal that representatives from textile-heavy districts and Democratic legislators were less likely to vote yes, while districts …

What Do They Expect? Understanding Preservice Teachers' Views On A Social Studies Teaching Methodology Course, Jeanine A. Clark Bremer

Dissertations of Practice

This dissertation examined preservice teachers’ expectations of their social studies methods course. Methods courses serve as a transition point helping preservice teachers to take content knowledge and learn how to use it as an educator. Social studies methods was selected due to its unique position in elementary education. It is a subject area that is no longer a core subject. Despite that, teachers are still expected to provide students with the content knowledge. The expectations matter because of how they influence preservice teachers’ approaches to the course.

As a phenomenological case study, qualitative methods were employed to better understand how …

Policy Recommendations And Ways Forward, Rachel Locke, Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum

Book Chapters

This chapter discusses how the transformative ideas presented by the contributors can be applied in concrete and meaningful ways to policy, practice, and research. The chapter begins with a discussion of principles that were both crucial to the articulation of the recommendations and are similarly crucial to any proposal to address identity-based mass violence. The human-centered values of this volume demand a focus not only on outcomes but also on process, as these principles attest. The chapter then focuses on practical areas of action, from capacity building to funding to shifting narratives, and more. This chapter shifts from prescriptive policy …

Expanding Access To Urban Nature: Floating Gardens As Equitable And Inclusive Blue-Green Infrastructure In The Chicago River, Michael Hendricks, Alec Foster, Noha Shawki, Mariela Fernandez, Sage Rossman, Sierra Mack-Erb, Eric Peterson

Faculty Publications – Politics and Government

This study examines the social dimensions of Urban Rivers’ Free Kayak Days at the Bubbly Creek Floating Gardens in Chicago, Illinois. Floating gardens are a form of blue-green infrastructure that provide ecological benefits, including nutrient removal, habitat creation, and shoreline stabilization, while also offering recreational and educational opportunities. Guided by environmental justice scholarship, our interdisciplinary team conducted participant observation to evaluate whether Urban Rivers’ Freek Kayak Days effectively engaged residents from surrounding marginalized communities. Four themes emerged: (1) access and inclusion, highlighting reduced financial barriers but ongoing challenges related to safety perceptions, cultural relevance, and physical accessibility; (2) community engagement …

Undergraduate Catalog Of Studies, 2025-2026, University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Undergraduate Catalog of Studies

No abstract provided.

Mapping Environmental Justice, Dave Owen, Gaby Salazar Kitner

Minnesota Law Review Vols. 106:2 onward (2021-present)

For decades, environmental justice activists have struggled to find legal fixes for the environmental burdens that poor communities and people of color often face. In recent years, government agencies, academic researchers, and activists have developed an innovative new approach: computer-based environmental justice mapping (EJ-mapping) applications. Dozens of these applications have emerged, and, in some circles, enthusiasm is widespread. The applicationsÊ proponents argue that they can be "game changers" for environmental justice, and the applications now help determine regulatory obligations and distribute billions of dollars in funding. But the emergence of EJ-mapping also raises questions about whether computer-driven decisions can achieve …

West Nile Virus Transmission Suitability Modeling For Culex Pipiens Via Temperature And Humidity, Hunter Jones, David Brett-Major, Joseph R. Fauver, Yeongjin Gwon, Jesse E. Bell

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

West Nile Virus (WNV) is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the United States, yet predicting its transmission remains a significant challenge for public health officials. Many studies use correlative statistical models to predict disease cases using temperature and humidity, but accessible mechanistic approaches that simulate mosquito behavior traits can capture more of the transmission process. This study adapts an existing R-language package, the Mosquito-borne Viral Suitability Estimator (MVSE), which was created to model Aedes aegypti mosquito transmission of dengue, and tunes it to Culex pipiens transmission of WNV. Equations for mortality, biting rate, and incubation period were updated, …

The Poly Problem In Zoning: Redefining "Family" For A Changing Society, Aric Short, Tanya Pierce

Minnesota Law Review Vols. 106:2 onward (2021-present)

Single-family zoning has long dictated not only where people may live but also with whom. Although extensively critiqued for perpetuating racial and economic exclusion, these laws also privilege relationships defined by blood, marriage, or adoption and marginalize nontraditional families. This Article focuses on a particularly overlooked group: polyamorous families who often face legal uncertainty, social exclusion, and housing discrimination due to restrictive zoning definitions of “family.”

As polyamory gains cultural visibility and increasing legal recognition—through West 49th Street, LLC v. O’Neill and municipal reforms in cities like Somerville and Cambridge—now is the time to examine zoning's role in reinforcing outdated …