Digital Commons Network^™

I Think You Overuse That Word: A Theoretical Examination From Multiple Lenses Of "Why Relational Beings Have Become Hesitant To Commit.", Rafe Karen

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

This paper serves as a companion to a documentary film that explores the shifting landscape of modern relationships. The film presents personal narratives about dating, connection, and commitment, and the paper offers an experiential exploration of these themes, focusing on dating dynamics, social media, online dating, lack of connection, Coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19), video games, and the effects of overwhelming choice. Drawing from existing literature and insights gained during the filmmaking process, the paper analyzes broader societal and psychological patterns shaping modern relationships. Using a combination of filmed interviews and direct observation, the study examines the lived experiences of individuals navigating …

Assessing Flash Drought Development And Propagation Across The Contiguous United States Using Remote Sensing, Masoud Zeraati, Alireza Farahmand, Richard Seager, Hayley J. Fowler, Nima Madani, Nicholas Parazoo, Colin Manning, Christopher J. White, Yixin Wen, Ali Mehran, Amir Aghakouchak

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Flash droughts are characterized by rapid onset and intensification, with severe impacts on agriculture and ecosystems. They often begin as meteorological droughts and, if conditions worsen, evolve into agricultural droughts. While precipitation deficit is often the primary driver, atmospheric and hydrological anomalies can exacerbate flash drought development. This study characterizes flash droughts across the Contiguous United States using remote sensing data from 2003 to 2020. A combination of satellite-derived meteorological, agricultural, and ecological variables are used to investigate large-scale flash drought development. Events are defined using root-zone soil moisture. We used the Aridity Index to assess how background aridity influences …

Welcome To The Trump Administration’S Board Of Immigration Appeals. The Immigrant Always Loses., Jason A. Cade

Scholarly Works

The first 100 opinions in Volume 29 of the Board of Immigration Appeals’ precedential decisions—issued at more than three times the historical pace—constitute a project. The Trump Administration has used the Attorney General’s self-referral power and a reconstituted, ideologically aligned Board to engineer a body of precedents that reliably produces one result: removal. This Essay organizes these decisions, cataloged in a full Appendix, into five main categories: (1) narrowing relief for noncitizens alleging persecution; (2) expanding mandatory detention while narrowing discretionary release; (3) maximizing the immigration consequences of criminal history and related grounds while foreclosing the relief mechanisms Congress created …

Pressed For Time: The Role Of Time Pressure And Attentional Awareness On The Mental Health Of Employed Informal Dementia Caregivers, Kate Bishop

University Honors Theses

Informal caregivers for individuals with Alzheimer’s and related dementias (ADRD) experience increased time demands and poorer well-being, especially when caregiving is combined with paid employment. Subjective feelings of high time pressure, which include feeling rushed and short on time, relate to poorer self-reported measures of mental health more than objective task load. Attentional awareness is one of the fundamental components of mindfulness alongside nonjudgmental acceptance; it has been linked with more optimal mental health and feelings of having enough time. This cross-sectional study examined whether higher levels of perceived time pressure would relate to poorer self-reported mental health functioning and …

Pre-Operative Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Colonization Increases The Risk Of 90-Day Medical And 2-Year Implant-Related Complications Following Primary Total Shoulder Arthroplasty: A Propensity-Matched Analysis, Muhammad Hamza Ilyas, Tarishi Parmar, Zina Smadi, Viraj A. Deshpande, Akin A. Adio, Joseph A. Abboud, Hafiz F. Kassam

Rothman Institute Papers

BACKGROUND: Pre-operative methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization has been associated with increased risk of post-operative infection and medical complications in lower-extremity arthroplasty; however, its impact on outcomes following total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) remains poorly understood. This study aims to evaluate the association between MRSA colonization and early medical as well as mid-term implant-related complications after primary TSA.

METHODS: The TriNetX US Research Network was queried to identify primary TSA patients. Propensity score matching (1:1) was performed using demographic characteristics and relevant comorbidities. Ninety-day medical complications, including readmission, emergency department utilization, venous thromboembolism, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, stroke, sepsis, respiratory failure, …

Conquering Today's Health Paradox With The Power Of Heal - An Expert Consensus Report Plus Research Priorities And Policymaker Roadmap, Katharina C Wirnitzer, Mohamad Motevalli, Derrick R Tanous, Clemens Drenowatz, Maximilian Moser, Holger Cramer, Thomas Rosemann, Karl-Heinz Wagner, Andreas Michalsen, Beat Knechtle, Zlatko Fras, Adilson Marques, Nataša Fidler Mis, Fatima C Stanford, Christian Schubert, Nandu Goswami, Claus Leitzmann, Per Morten Fredriksen, Gerhard Ruedl, Rodrigo A Lima, Christian Kessler, Michael Jeitler, Naim A Khan, Hassan Joulaei, Maryam Fatemi, Karl W Kratky, Kara K Palmer, Bernd Haditsch, Boštjan Jakše, Walter Kofler

School of Health Professions

BACKGROUND: Despite growing scientific evidence and health guidelines, the global health paradox persists, with rising lifestyle-related diseases and escalating healthcare costs exposing the inadequacy of current efforts.

OBJECTIVE: Three multidisciplinary congresses were held to generate evidence-based conclusions aimed at addressing the global health paradox.

METHODS: A total of 58 experts from 62 entities participated in the international research and knowledge-exchange panels. Experts reviewed the latest findings to develop practical strategies and identify key research and policy priorities, focusing on the Healthy Eating & Active Living (HEAL) approach.

RESULTS CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: The expert consortium endorsed a 33 evidence-based consensual-statement policy …

Plant-Based Dietary Patterns Are Associated With Slower Epigenetic Aging, Hyunju Kim, Christina A Castellani, Jiantao Ma, Alexis C Wood, Audrey Ting, Morgan E Grams, Bing Yu, Kelly Ruggles, James S Floyd, Dan E Arking, Casey M Rebholz

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Greater adherence to plant-based diets is associated with health benefits. Dietary intake can modify DNA methylation patterns, but it is unknown whether plant-based diets in a largely non-vegetarian population are associated with DNA methylation-based epigenetic aging measures. We examined the associations between 4 different types of plant-based diets indices (PDI) [overall PDI, provegetarian diet, healthy PDI, and unhealthy PDI] and epigenetic aging. We used data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study (N=2,810) and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, N=2,056). PDIs negatively scored higher intake of animal products and positively scored higher intake of all or selected …

Wonder! Philosophy For Children, Sophia A. Stone

Faculty and Staff Publications & Presentations

Dr. Sophia Stone's teaches Boca Raton youth principles in critical thinking and techniques of engaged discussion as part of a pilot program at the City of Boca Raton, Downtown Public Library.

Integration Of Cross-Species Multi-Omics With In Vivo Experimental Validation Identifies Parkinson’S Disease Therapeutic Targets And Novel Risk Factors Within Endolysosomal Pathway Subnetworks, Justin Moore, Leo Rao, Sara Garcia-Bellido, Fangfei Guo, Jorge Botas, Juan Botas

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Parkinson's disease (PD), the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder, imposes a growing healthcare and socioeconomic burden worldwide. A defining hallmark of PD is the accumulation of α-synuclein (αSyn) within intracellular inclusions such as Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites. Genomic studies have identified numerous PD risk factors within the endolysosomal pathway (ELP), an essential cellular system for protein and membrane recycling. Concordantly, recurrent transcriptomic and proteomic alterations in ELP components implicate broad ELP dysfunction as a causal contributor to PD and suggest that additional, uncharacterized ELP genes may cooperate in polygenic disease mechanisms. A promising but underexplored therapeutic concept is that …

Re: Comment Letter For The Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Draft 2022 Stormwater Evaluation And Maintenance Report (Dated February 27, 2026), Emma Rott

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Re: Comment Letter For The Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Draft 2024 Stormwater Evaluation And Maintenance Report (Dated February 27, 2026), Emma Rott

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Beyond Technical Performance: Preliminary Findings On Algorithm Aversion In Digital Library Environments, Hengyi Fu, Fenfang Cao

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Introduction. This study examines algorithm aversion in digital library contexts, where users increasingly encounter algorithm-enabled services. Prior research in healthcare and finance shows that users often resist algorithmic systems even when they outperform human alternatives, yet little is known about how this phenomenon manifests in the digital libraries context. Method. As part of an ongoing project, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 18 users from two Chinese universities. Participants were selected through theoretical sampling. Interviews were analysed using constructivist grounded theory. Analysis. Open and axial coding of the first 18 interviews produced 42 initial concepts organised into 16 categories under five …

External Fixation Assisted Intramedullary Total Femur Arthroplasty: A Case Report, Matthew Hnatow, Blake Martin, Emma Herrera

School of Medicine Publications

Introduction:Total femur replacement (TFR) is a salvage procedure for patients with multiple failed hip and knee arthroplasties and is associated with high complication rates. Intramedullary TFR has emerged as a technique to preserve critical soft tissue attachments; however, maintaining limb length, alignment, and rotation remains challenging.

Case Presentation: We describe a novel case of intramedullary TFR utilizing external fixation to address these technical challenges. A 64-year-old male with subsidence of a hinged knee tumor prosthesis to the level of the greater trochanter underwent intramedullary TFR. External fixation was applied to the residual femoral and tibial bones to maintain …

Development Of A Survey And Worry Score To Evaluate Physician Burnout And Wellness Interventions During Covid-19 In The Rio Grande Valley: A Pilot Study, Victoria Jacobsen, Ericka Vazquez, Lauren Herrera, Ruth Escalera, Daniel Salinas, Bharathi Gadad, Juan Carlos Lopez-Alvarenga, Kelsey Potter-Baker

School of Medicine Publications

Background: Current research on physician burnout is limited in rural communities and physicians caring for the medically underserved. This study aimed to create an instrument to quantify the rate of physician burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic and identify effective coping interventions in an underserved mixed rural-urban region along the Texas-Mexico border.

Methods: We conducted a regional study in a sample of US physicians using a structured questionnaire developed by a multidisciplinary group. Thirty-one participants were contacted over a five-week period between December 2022 to January 2023. Participants self-selected based on their experiences of burnout during various phases of the COVID-19 …

Educational Intervention To Improve Awareness Of The Female Athlete Triad Among Division I Athletes, Carly J. Haring, Jonathan Olson Md

Aesculapius Journal (Health Sciences & Medicine)

Introduction: The Female Athlete Triad poses short- and long-term health risks for female athletes through the interrelated components of low energy availability, menstrual dysfunction, and impaired bone health. Despite its prevalence, awareness and education surrounding the Triad remain limited, contributing to delayed recognition and care. The objective of this project was to assess baseline knowledge and comfort discussing Female Athlete Triad–related topics among Division I female athletes and to evaluate the impact of a brief educational intervention on knowledge, attitudes, and help-seeking intentions.

Methods: A community-based educational initiative was conducted in November 2025 among Division I female athletes …

From Tiktok To Transcendence: Reclaiming Focus Through Contemplative Education, Araceli Gordus Huizar

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

In an era shaped by the attention economy and digital technology, students in higher education navigate constant stimulation that fragments attention, increases stress, and challenges emotional regulation. Research in psychology and neuroscience suggests that chronic exposure to social media, AI tools, and multitasking environments contributes to divided attention and diminished cognitive performance. While institutional responses, such as phone bans, attempt to manage distraction, they often fail to cultivate the internal capacities necessary for sustained focus and meaningful learning.

This paper argues that contemplative education--grounded in Buddhist and Hindu contemplative traditions and informed by humanistic psychology and contemporary mindfulness-based interventions--offers a …

Strategic Knowledge: Innovation, Technological Sovereignty, And Geopolitical Competition, Chick Edmond

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

The Twenty-First Century's Shift in Advanced Technologies as Instruments of Economic Growth to central pillars of geopolitical competition States are increasingly using technologies such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum computing, biotechnology and digital infrastructure not simply as commercial assets but as strategic resource bases to enhance their national security and global influence. This paper will examine how innovative systems have been incorporated into broader geopolitical competitions creating "strategic knowledge politic”. This paper dwells on International Political Economy (IPE), Security Studies and Innovation Theory literatures to analyze the changing concepts of technological sovereignty and their implications for the global order. The …

Split-Chassis Architecture For Solid State Memories, N/A

Defensive Publications Series

The present disclosure details a split-chassis hardware architecture for non-volatile data storage devices. The design physically and thermally decouples high-performance control logic from the storage media by utilizing two mechanically detachable sub-assemblies. A logic sled houses heat-generating components and signal conditioning circuitry, while a passive media vault contains the raw storage media and telemetry tracking components. The modules interface through compression connectors and a tension-latch mechanism.

Nerves (Neurology Education Research And Observership Summer Program): A Pilot Fellowship Program Targeting Neurophobia In Pre-Clerkship Medical Students, Arlinda Deng, Daniela Fishbein, James Martindale, Elizabeth Bradley, William Alexander Dalrymple, Ryan Cappa

Journal of Innovation in Health Sciences Education

Introduction: Neurophobia has contributed to the shortage of neurologists nationally, especially given the lack of integration between basic neural sciences and clinical neurology. Neurophobia may be highest after the pre-clerkship course, and there is evidence to suggest that early and broad clinical neurology exposure and mentorship are the leading factors in choosing the field of neurology. The goal of this study was to develop a fellowship for pre-clerkship medical students to increase early exposure to diverse clinical settings and socialization in neurology and assess whether there was change in neurophobia.

Methods: A two-week long pilot summer fellowship was designed …

Gaming The Simulation To Assess Dpt Student Learning, Laura Stephens, Gretchen R. Prather

Journal of Innovation in Health Sciences Education

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to assess Doctor of Physical Therapy student learning and motivation through participation in a novel, gamified case study simulation while describing the application of International Nursing Association of Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL) Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice^TM and application of game elements. Gamification is an emerging interest in health care education but has been minimally explored within physical therapy education in the United States. Additionally, published studies often fail to detail INACSL standards of simulation best practice or game elements in simulation design.

Methods: Sixty-five DPT students participated in …

Who Feeds On Whom? Identifying Ticks Feeding On Mammal, Brenna G. Albright, Christina Espada, Mykenna Zettle, Abbey Jones, David T. Gauthier, Holly Gaff

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

Study of tick-host association is critical to understanding host-pathogen ecology. Collection of ticks from mammalian hosts is difficult because of permitting, cost, and time considerations, particularly for medium and large mammals. The ODU Tick Research Team has been collecting ticks from mammals since 2010 using a combination of serendipitous sampling from roadkill and donations from veterinarians, hunters, and wildlife rehabilitators. In this work, we quantify the association between Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes keiransi and various mammalian hosts in Virginia. Ixodes scapularis (deer tick or blacklegged tick) is the primary vector of the Lyme disease bacterium (Borrelia burgdorferi s.s.) in …

Targeting Hypothalamic Oxidative Stress And Neuroinflammation: A Novel Neuroprotective Role For Annona Muricata Seed Extract In Aluminium- Induced Alzheimer-Like Neurodegeneration, O. A Bamgbose, O. D Akanji, P. B Fakunle, D. O Taiwo-Ola, K. O Odubela, E. O Olayemi, B. A Akanbi, B. M David

AUIQ Complementary Biological System

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is increasingly recognized as a multisystem neurodegenerative disorder involving oxidative stress and neuroinflammation beyond classical hippocampal pathology. The hypothalamus, a key regulator of metabolic and neuroendocrine homeostasis, remains comparatively underexplored in experimental AD models. This study investigated the effects of aqueous Annona muricata seed extract (SSE) on hypothalamic oxidative injury in an aluminium chloride (AlCl₃)-induced Alzheimer's disease–like model in Wistar rats. Adult Wistar rats of both sexes were randomly assigned to five groups (n = 5): control, AlCl₃ (100 mg/kg), SSE alone (200 mg/kg), AlCl₃ + SSE, and AlCl₃ + donepezil (10 …

Issue 482 March 19-April 2, 2026, The Local Voice

The Local Voice

Featured Articles: "ZZ Top Brings The Big One! to Ole Miss’ Backyard."; "Aimee Nezhukumatathil’s Night Owl Illuminates the Dark. Off Square Books to host book launch for Night Owl on Tuesday, March 24 at 5:30 pm."; "The View Beyond The Balcony: “Conversation” with a Pop-Up."

Diet Intervention By Villas Association (Diva) Manual, Fe Garcia-Nguyen, Esmeralda Heredia, Phung Le, Josh Liu, Ella Morey, Paulina Ordonez

Public Health Science Capstones

The DIVA (Diet Intervention by Villas Association) program is a 3-week program designed to help college students build healthier eating habits while managing busy schedules and limited resources. The program addresses common barriers to healthy eating including lack of time, cooking skills, nutrition knowledge, and awareness of affordable food options.

Each week, students receive access to a cooking demonstration kit that includes a simple, budget-friendly recipe, a step-by-step video, a grocery list with prices, and practical cooking tips. These materials are available in an online repository, allowing students to learn at their own pace and revisit resources as needed.

To …

Inertia Versus Adaptation: Relational Resilience In Buyer-Supplier Relationships Facing Extreme Disruption, Jordan M. Barker, Anne E. Dohmen, Carlos Mena

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

This research introduces the concept of relational resilience, which reflects the dynamic capacity of a buyer–supplier relationship to absorb external shocks and continue its core function of exchange. Guided by structural inertia theory (SIT), the research explores how relationship age, exchange volume, and multiplexity contribute to relational resilience across both stable periods and times of extreme disruption. Using a large-scale panel dataset of buyer–supplier relationships and the COVID-19 pandemic as an exogenous shock, the findings reveal that relational resilience is enhanced by all three mechanisms, but extreme disruptions lessen the protective value of relationship age and exchange volume while strengthening …

Psychometric Properties And Validation Of The Filipino Satisfaction With Life Scale, Razel Bacuetes Milo, Patricia Calero, Cynthia D. Connelly

School of Nursing and Health Science: Faculty Scholarship

Introduction:

Life satisfaction is the cognitive evaluation of an individual’s current life situation and personal criteria influenced by their acclimatization process. Since the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) was introduced in 1985, it has been translated into 30 different languages. To date, there is limited knowledge about Filipino life satisfaction and its correlation to mental health. SWLS has not been translated, and its psychometric properties have not been established in Filipino. This study establishes the psychometric properties of the Filipino SWLS and examines the correlations between life satisfaction and mental health among Filipino Americans.

Methods:

The study design is a …

"Bibliotherapy In Counseling, Spirituality, And Self-Care-How Reading The Right Book Can Heal", Michelle P. Cross

English

Bibliotherapy can be used as an integral component of mental and emotional self-care, spiritual growth, and professional therapy. Reading can be instrumental for sharpening mental acuity, alleviating depression, and furthering spiritual journeys. Bibliotherapy can provide a modicum of treatment to those who cannot access traditional clinics or religious/spiritual centers.

Variant Superficial Epigastric Supply To The Anterior Abdominal Wall Arising From Inferior Epigastric Perforators: A Neonatal Case Report, Daniël J. Van Tonder, Natalie Keough, Martin Louis Van Niekerk, Albert Van Schoor

COM Scholarship

Introduction: Understanding superficial epigastric vessel anatomy is crucial for abdominal surgeries like laparoscopy, especially in neonates, to prevent injury. While standard courses are described, variations occur. This case report highlights a unique anatomical variation in the superficial epigastric artery found during the dissection of a stillborn neonatal cadaver. Case Report: In contrast to the usual origin from the femoral artery, this variation features the inferior epigastric artery penetrating the anterior abdominal wall near the umbilicus and branching superiorly to supply the superficial abdominal wall. Conclusions: This distinctive vascular configuration, which to the best of our knowledge has not been previously …

You Can Observe A Lot Just By Lookin’: 30 Years Of Discovery In Pediatric Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Peter C. Rowe

Grand Rounds

1. Describe the case definition of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome according to the 2015 Institute of Medicine case definition.
2. Describe the epidemiology and impact of pediatric Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
3. Describe the modern management of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in light of research advances over the past 3 decades.

The Indiana Statesman, March 19, 2026, Indiana State University

Student Newspaper

Education Extravaganza Connects Indiana State Students with K-12 Employers; Terre Haute police officers unite for the Special Olympics