Digital Commons Network^™

Cisplatin Chemotherapy Shown To Decrease Heart Rate In Daphnia Magna​, Cody Woten, Andrea Florian

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Although chemotherapies are widely used for cancer treatment, they pose side effects of cardiotoxicity. Cisplatin is a chemotherapy that binds covalently to DNA and causes cross-links that prevent further replication. However, limited data suggest that cisplatin may cause arrhythmias and acute myocardial infarction, likely due to oxidative stress from reactive oxygen species in mitochondria of the heart. Daphnia magna are effective models for assessing cisplatin cardiotoxicity because their transparent bodies allow direct observation of the heart, and heart rate can be easily measured under a microscope. We aim to determine whether cisplatin chemotherapy causes cardiotoxicity in vivo using D. magna. …

I Am Not My Looks: Growing Up As The Ugly Duckling, Shawn Ware

Intertext

No abstract provided.

Complete Issue - Intertext 2026, Intertext Journal

Intertext

No abstract provided.

A Treatise On Tool Development: The Arthroscope’S Cultural, Technological, And Metascientific Translation, Montgomery F. Waterer

Honors Theses

The arthroscope was a revolutionary development in the fields of medicine, engineering, and ethics. There are many valuable lessons to be learned from the story of its development and translation that are relevant to the future of medicine and society. Beginning with a brief description of the tool’s design, this paper will examine a period within the history of the arthroscope. This window contains multiple innovators and ends with the life and work of Dr. Robert Jackson. In examining the relevant historical facts of its development, this paper will then briefly address the importance of sports medicine in the development …

Optimizing Performance And Preventing Injury: The Role Of Ot In Powerlifting, Anastasia N. Espinosa, Cassandra M. Nelson, Jaimee Fielder

Spring 2026 OTD Capstone Symposium

Powerlifting is a high-intensity sport associated with increased risk of injury, particularly in community-based gym settings where structured education on recovery, injury prevention, and training strategies is limited. This capstone project aimed to develop and implement a Performance and Wellness Program to support safe and sustainable participation in powerlifting. A program development approach was used, including a needs assessment through surveys, questionnaires, and observation to identify gaps in training, recovery, and self-management practices. The program was delivered through structured, self-directed modules and supported by a digital manual to promote long-term use. Findings from post-program surveys indicated improvements in athlete confidence, …

An Expressive Arts Therapy Literature Review: Spiritual Experiences And Dsm-5 Assessment In Bipoc Communities, Amanda Paige Rodriguez

Expressive Therapies Theses

Spiritual and non-ordinary experiences such as clear-hearing, visions, and spiritual perception are frequently interpreted within Western mental health systems through diagnostic frameworks rooted in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). For Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC), these interpretations may overlook cultural, spiritual, and ancestral contexts in which such experiences hold meaning rather than indicate pathology. This literature review examines how DSM-5 frameworks conceptualize spiritual experiences in BIPOC communities and explores assessment practices that may reduce the risk of misdiagnosis.

A literature review methodology was employed, drawing on sixteen peer-reviewed articles representing qualitative, quantitative, and …

Color And Cognitive Performance, Madeleine R. Scott, Erin Johnson, Christian Mitchell, Andreq Lopez Hernandez

SPARK Symposium Presentations

The current study aims to determine if colored backgrounds (red, blue, white (neutral)) on a series of memory tasks impact an individual's stress level and cognitive performance. Previous research indicates that color exposure may impact stress and cognitive performance, although the relationship is not fully understood. For example, participants completing memory assessments with a red light have been shown to perform better than those with blue or white lights (Jadho et al., 2020). However, red light is also associated with greater experiences of stress compared to blue or white light (Shahidi et al., 2021). There are several studies exploring different …

Designing Heritage Using Digital Fashion Tools, Nathan Chapman

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Sarah E. Andersen

This collection explores the strength of American women and the systems that attempt to define, contain, and judge them. Inspired by historical power dressing, feminist theory, and the fashion industry’s constructed ideals, the work confronts the Madonna–Whore complex and the policing of women’s bodies. Through American-grown cotton and heritage garment techniques, each look exposes tension between authority and vulnerability, modesty and desire. The final look contrasts the real woman with the dress form and exaggerated silhouette society demands, revealing the impossibility of meeting such standards. The collection reframes empowerment as visibility, resistance, and refusal.

Lily Brenner | …

Hb 1938: Ending Prison Privatization In Tennessee, Skyler J. Duplessis, Xavier Tharpe-Patton, Josie Lerer, Carley Wood

SPARK Symposium Presentations

The term recidivism refers to the tendency of an individual convicted of a crime to reoffend after release. A growing body of research has found that individuals incarcerated in privately operated correctional facilities often demonstrate higher rates of recidivism compared to those held in publicly managed prisons. Scholars suggest that differences in access to rehabilitative programming, staffing patterns, and institutional resources may contribute to these disparities. Critics argue that cost-containment priorities unique to for-profit correction can conflict with investment in education, treatment, and reentry preparation -factors consistently linked in the literature to reduced reoffending and improved community reintegration. This is …

The Lumberjack, April 22, 2026

Cal Poly Humboldt's Student Newspaper

The student newspaper of Humboldt State University.

Tzvia Wexler V. Charmaine Hawkins

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

The Role Of Vitamin B9 In Modulating Autism Symptoms In Children, Sarah Roeser

Department of Nutrition Student Projects

The prevalence of Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has risen significantly over the past five decades, now affecting approximately 1 in 31 children. This literature review examined whether folinic acid, compared with other forms of vitamin B9 (synthetic folic acid, dietary folate, and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate), modulates ASD symptoms including verbal communication, motor skills and social interaction, particularly in children positive for folate receptor alpha autoantibodies (FRAAs). A thorough search of PubMed, Google Scholar, Nature, and ScienceDirect, primarily from 2015–2026, identified five randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and one meta-analysis evaluating folinic acid at standardized doses of 2 mg/kg/day with a maximum dose of …

Implementing A Nutrition Screening, Education, And Risk Reduction Framework In Optometric Care To Prevent Diabetic Retinopathy In Adults With T2dm, Juliana M. Varanelli

Department of Nutrition Student Projects

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of preventable vision loss among adults with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), driven largely by chronic hyperglycemia, oxidative stress, and inflammation. Despite strong evidence supporting the role of nutrition in modifying these risk factors, nutrition screening and counseling are not routinely integrated into optometric care. This project aimed to develop a practical, evidence-based framework to incorporate nutrition screening, patient education, and referral pathways into comprehensive optometric practice to support prevention and reduce the onset and progression of diabetic retinopathy.

This project involved a literature review of peer-reviewed research and clinical guidelines related to …

Comparison Of Pfas-Free Hydrophobic Layer-By-Layer Coatings For Cellulosic Textiles: Evaluation Of Water Repellency, Mechanical Durability, And The Effects Of Fabric Construction, Elvira Isenzhulova, Radika Bhaskar

School of Design and Engineering Papers

Environmentally safe water-repellent coatings are urgently needed for the textile industry as an alternative to PFAS-based finishes. Challenges include development of coatings that are effective in imparting both water repellency and mechanical durability, with relatively simple synthesis to promote industry use. This study compared the performance and abrasion resistance of two different bio-based, layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembled hydrophobic coatings for cellulosic fibers. Textile samples were coated with bilayers composed of negatively charged plant-derived carnauba wax and a positively charged component: either poly-L-lysine or lower-cost zinc oxide nanoparticles. To investigate the influence of surface microroughness on coating adhesion and performance, two different …

Foreword, Joshua Farquhar

Global Insight

No abstract provided.

The Continuing Specter Of Disease Tuberculosis In The Russian Federation, Joshua Farquhar

Global Insight

For the last two years, the public discussion surrounding global health has focused almost entirely on COVID-19. In the meantime, other historic and dangerous diseases have taken a backseat. Nevertheless, other endemics are worthy of discussion; these diseases, and potential lifesaving solutions, must also be granted attention if global progress on public health is to be achieved. This paper explores the tuberculosis endemic in the Russian Federation (RF), focusing mostly on multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB. While overall rates of tuberculosis have declined in Russia over the course of the 21st century, incidence is still far higher than in most nations, …

Redistricting And Voter Suppression In A Post-Pandemic America, Joshua Slatter

Global Insight

The 2020 election was a referendum on many pressing issues of the time. COVID-19, climate change, and civil unrest propelled Americans to the voting booth in unprecedented numbers, shattering previous turnout records for both previous Vice President Joe Biden and the incumbent Donald Trump. Biden and the Democratic Party field won, but narrowly. With the Democratic Party ostensibly holding only a slim majority in the House and the Vice Presidency as a tiebreaker in a dead-locked Senate, there have been large cries of a “stolen election” and “rampant voter fraud.” This has prompted several states, usually with Republican majorities, to …

Full Issue, Global Insight Editorial Team

Global Insight

No abstract provided.

The Abortion Debate In Post-Roe America, Umber Batool

Global Insight

This paper exhibits the argument surrounding the ethicality of abortion, its restrictive laws, and the makeup of child welfare organizations that may influence one’s decision whether or not to have an abortion. Abortion laws were unregulated in the US until the 1800s. Since then, laws have been changed many times, largely depending on the state the law has been ordained in. Texas’s recent passing of the abortion-restricting Senate Bill 8 in September 2021, as well as the national overturning of the 1973 abortion-permitting Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case in June 2022, have sparked debate on this topic. Defining and …

Propaganda In America How To Recognize And Defend Against It, Chae Balistreri

Global Insight

Corporations and governments use modern propaganda techniques to influence and manipulate the public, incurring social and environmental consequences which are compounding over time. This paper provides both historical and modern examples of propaganda, then highlights key issues that arise as a byproduct, such as planned obsolescence, astroturfing, and the internet filter bubble. Companies like Google and Facebook use proprietary algorithms to shape the internet as well as their users’ minds through dopamine-driven feedback loops. The effects of a consumer driven culture spill over into the environment, with plastic pollution and e-waste littering the shores of distant countries. This paper details …

Regulating The Animal Testing Industry, Preston Gerst

Global Insight

Animal testing has been a customary practice in numerous civilizations throughout human history. Humanity tends to want to understand the true nature of our physiology as a whole, and animals have been beneficial to help satisfy this curiosity. Yet ethically speaking, scientists argue for the protection of the rights of humans, while many fail to do so for our natural counterparts, animals. Current standards of the industry bring up concern for the ethical treatment of animals; additionally, many of the standards that exist are outdated and not systematized throughout the scientific world. Furthermore, new scientific developments can possibly allow for …

Book Review, Da-Shiva Francois

Global Insight

Book Review of Teaching Performance Practices in Remote and Hybrid Spaces, edited by Jeanmarie Higgins and Elisha Clark Halpin. Routledge, 2022. 230 pages. $42.95. ISBN 978-1-0032-2905-6.      

Full Issue, Global Insight Editorial Team

Global Insight

No abstract provided.

Creating A Sensory-Inclusive School Environment For Children, Kendall L. Keeton, Cassandra Nelson, Justine Faghihifar

Spring 2026 OTD Capstone Symposium

This mixed-methods program development capstone project aimed to assess whether structured sensory supports improve academic engagement and student behavior in the school setting. A sensory pathway, calm corner, and sensory toolkit were designed, implemented, and evaluated within an elementary school. A digital manual was also created to facilitate staff education and long-term sustainability of the program. Findings from pre- and post-surveys and observation suggest potential improvements in academic engagement, student behavior, and staff knowledge following program implementation.

The Faces Behind “La Calle Principal”: The Economic Role Of Tourism In Shaping Local Livelihoods In Santa Cruz, Galapagos, Gabriella Alba

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the socioeconomic influences of a region is a complex endeavor, as many variables contribute to the fluctuations of an economic system, many of which intersect at the political and, in this case, ecological level. Specifically, this research aims to analyze tourism as one of those key factors to answer this question: How does tourism impact the socioeconomic livelihood of locals from La Isla de Santa Cruz, Galapagos? The Galapagos is a series of islands off the coast of Ecuador known for its rich ecological history as a site of scientific discovery. This has led to the archipelago’s extreme protection …

Contesting Protection: Digital Moral Discourses On Child Marriage In Bangladesh, Mashaekh Hassan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how child marriage is represented and morally negotiated on the official Facebook page of UNICEF Bangladesh. Drawing on transnational and Third World feminist critiques of development, it uses feminist content and discourse analysis to analyze twenty-five campaign posts and 2,677 comments (May–July 2025) to trace patterns of representation and moral reasoning. The analysis identifies three dominant representational patterns: child marriage as a rural girls’ issue, rural girls as constrained and victimized, and education as a universal solution, collectively producing a homogenized image of vulnerable girlhood. Two clusters of moral discourse emerge: pro–child marriage (privileging religious morality, critiquing …

Kannaday To Give Keynote Address At Illinois Wesleyan Commencement, Emily Bollinger

Press Releases 2020-2029

No abstract provided.

The Price Of Democracy: How Federal Tax Receipts Can Enhance Public Awareness, Transparency, And Civic Discourse, Hannah Bordeau

Honors Theses

Each year, the IRS collects roughly $2.18 trillion in income taxes alone, accounting for approximately 48% of the government's total revenue. However, the IRS does not audit individual tax receipts for citizens, preventing them from seeing a visual breakdown of where their money is allocated. To better understand how citizens feel about governmental spending, this project will utilize a mixed-methods approach, incorporating a qualitative case study to explore the developments (or lack thereof) regarding a “tax receipt” and conducting interviews to gain insights into public perception of a tax receipt program. In addition to the interviews, this project will explore …

A System Dynamics Model For Simulating Homelessness Trends In Montgomery County, Ohio, Samuel S. Conley

Honors Theses

Homelessness is a complex social issue influenced by a wide range of economic, social, and health related factors. Traditional methods for measuring homelessness, such as point-in-time counts, provide valuable snapshots of the population but do not capture the dynamic processes that lead individuals into or out of homelessness. This work presents a system dynamics model designed to simulate homelessness trends within Montgomery County, Ohio. The model represents the county population using five primary states: general population, at-risk, homeless, supportive housing, and unaccounted individuals. To better capture heterogeneity within the population, the homeless and supportive housing states are further decomposed into …

Extreme Value Theory And Corporate Financial Extremes In Predicting Municipal Decline, Megan Coyne

Honors Theses

Extreme Value Theory (EVT) provides a statistical approach for modeling rare and extreme events such as financial crises that can lead to bankruptcy. Traditional financial models often assume Gaussian distributions and rely heavily on historical trends, making them well suited for modeling typical corporate financial behavior. In contrast, models predicting municipal decline typically rely on urban indicators such as unemployment, housing prices, and population trends rather than corporate financial data. This study seeks to bridge these approaches by investigating whether extreme corporate financial events provide predictive information about municipal economic decline. Detroit, the largest U.S. city to declare bankruptcy, serves …