Digital Commons Network^™

“Who Am I Now As A Mother?” Maternal Identity Negotiation During Children’S College Transition, Si Wang

School of Professional Studies

This study employs narrative positioning analysis to examine how two Chinese mothers in transnational contexts discursively negotiate their maternal identities during their children’s transition to college. Drawing on longitudinal narrative interviews, the analysis advances three interrelated theoretical propositions. First, maternal identity work is revealed as a process of selective cultural bricolage, wherein mothers strategically blend elements from competing scripts of child-centered sacrifice, filial reciprocity, and autonomous individualism to construct a hybrid, workable parental logic. Second, the liminality of this transition precipitates a crucial recentering of the self, a core psychological process as intensive child-focused demands recede. Third, the transnational context …

Call For Return: Does The Fourth Amendment Resolve Retentions?, Owen Stickney

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

My Gig As A Tattoo Expert, And What It’S Taught Me About The Sociology Of Expertise, David C. Lane

Faculty Publications - Criminal Justice Sciences

This case study contributes toward the literature on the sociology of expertise by documenting the diffusion of sociological knowledge to audiences outside of the profession. Data were collected from the author’s own career as a tattoo expert, including mass media experiences and representation, work with legal teams and development of legal opinions, and testimony. This study examines the process of this career, and the lessons learned that can help professional sociologists develop their reputation as experts in the public and for other audiences. The findings from this research question the value of sociological knowledge for other audiences. This research concludes …

Mental And Physical Humanlikeness In Artificial Intelligence Influencers: Effects On Humanness, Eeriness, And Consumer Responses, Terry Kim Ph.D., Hyunjoo Im

Faculty Publications

Artificial intelligence (AI) influencers, nonhuman characters powered by AI, have garnered a significant following on social media in recent years. Through two between-subjects online experiments (n = 957), this study investigates the impact of AI influencers' appearance realism and self-disclosure on consumer perceptions (humanness and eeriness) and their downstream responses (intention to self-disclose, intention to follow the advice, and brand attitude). Drawing from anthropomorphism and theory of mind, this study emphasizes the distinction of two dimensions of AI influencers' humanlikeness (physical and mental) which differently affect the humanness and eeriness of the AI influencer. Results indicate that the AI …

Creativity Through Thought Exercises: Developing A Personal Heuristic For Choreographic Decision-Making, Jalisa R. Johnson

Dance (MFA) Theses

This thesis explores the development of a personal set of heuristics, or accessible thought tools, that can be used in choreographic or creative decision-making. Through an in-depth study of the visual art of Romare Bearden paired with an evaluation of patterns of the author’s personal history, three tools or “dials” emerge: derealization, contextuality and inversion. A close study of Bearden’s work demonstrates a pattern of repurposing and distorting ideas in ways consistent with the three dials. The author found similar patterns emerge in an excavation of her personal narrative, indicative of a cyclical and prophetic re-imagining of previous life experiences. …

Technological Interventions For Reducing Climate Change Impacts On Health: An Overview Of Future Possibilities, Sujatha Alla, Vijay Kumar Chattu, Bawa Singh

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Globally, over five million deaths annually are attributed to extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change, such as heatwaves, hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, and floods, which create health crises and economic losses. The 2015 Paris Declaration emphasized climate technology mechanisms, including research and development, to enhance resilience and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Biotechnological advancements have mitigated about 20% of economic losses since the 1960s, highlighting technology’s potential to address climate-induced health risks.

Template For A Lab/Group/Team Manual, University Of New Hampshire (Unh) Responsible Conduct Of Research & Scholarly Activity (Rcr) Committee

Integrity in Research and Scholarship

Lab/group/team manuals or handbooks are becoming more common in academic research settings as the research environment grows in complexity. Explaining in writing expectations for how a research group operates as well as providing resources for group members can be invaluable.

The University of New Hampshire (UNH) Responsible Conduct of Research & Scholarly Activity (RCR) Committee developed these templates to help researchers convey important and useful information to their research groups in a consistent manner. Each Principal Investigator (PI) and research group can choose the preferred version template (abbreviated or long) and customize the information to address topics relevant for their …

Northeastern Illinois University, Academic Catalog 2026-2027, Northeastern Illinois University

Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

The Effectiveness Of Behavioral Skills Training In Improving Digital Fraud Identification Among Older Adults In Low-Income Housing, Catharine Mohar

Masters Essays

Older adults, particularly those residing in low income housing facilities, are increasingly targeted by digital scams via text and email. This study evaluated the effectiveness of Behavioral Skills Training (BST) in improving fraud identification skills among this vulnerable population. BST is a structured method involving instructions, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback. A checklist was utilized in individual BST sessions with five participants aged 60 or over living in a low-income senior residential facility in the Midwest of The United States. The intervention aimed to increase participants’ ability to accurately discriminate between legitimate and fraudulent digital communications. A single case design was …

Open Casket: The Black Press And The Unmasking Of America, Clarence J. Hood

Masters Essays

No abstract provided.

Comparatively Exploring Journalism And Oral Histories As Modes Of Advocacy For Marginalized Communities, Miceala Morano

2026 Research Poster Competition

Journalism is used to inform people, to serve as the watchdog of the government, and to tell intriguing, timely stories that would remain uncovered otherwise. However, misrepresentation of marginalized communities in the stories journalists tell can undermine the public’s trust in news media. In a study conducted at Oxford University, researchers determined that members of communities that are historically marginalized due to factors such as race, gender and class were more likely to see mainstream news media as “biased, sensationalistic, and depressing” and the journalists that write them as “out of touch, lacking the lived experience or knowledge to understand …

Intergenerational Memories Of Communism In Albania And The Role Of Media, Enkela Hasa

2026 Research Poster Competition

Memories of Albania’s communist regime (1946–1991) remain deeply divided across generations, shaped by lived experience, family narratives and mediated representations. While individuals who endured exile or punishment often recall the period as traumatic and repressive, others who experienced social stability or benefited from state structures describe it as a time of economic security and relative equality. These competing interpretations raise important questions about how collective memory is formed, transmitted and contested over time. This thesis examines how intergenerational memories of communism in Albania are constructed and how media influences the preservation, reinterpretation or silencing of these narratives. Through the production …

Insight Into School-Based Tobacco Prevention Education In Arkansas School Districts, Faisal Khan

2026 Research Poster Competition

Insight into School-Based Tobacco Prevention Education in Arkansas School Districts [PD1] Henry Obajaja, Ashley Clawson, Kara Lasater, Victor Kwaku Akakpo, Kolade Olatunde, Luke Larsen, Faisal Khan, Page D Dobbs Characters: 2,500/2,500Select Category: Public Health Study Type: Cross-sectionalPresentation Type – Paper or Poster Funding – select University (College of Education and Health Professions WE CARE Initiative) Significance. Despite national declines in youth tobacco use, Arkansas, a Tobacco Nation state, continues to report disproportionately high rates of tobacco use among adolescents. Prior research found Arkansas school professionals identified student tobacco use as a top health concern; however, it is unclear what tobacco …

Massachusetts Community Mediation Center (Cmc) Grant Program: Fiscal Year 2025 Evaluation Report, Madhawa Palihapitiya, Karina Zeferino

Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration Publications

The CMC Grant Program remains a vital statewide investment in equitable access to justice and community well-being in Massachusetts. In FY2025, the Commonwealth allocated $3,100,202 to the Program, with $2,376,002 awarded directly to 12 community mediation Centers for operational support, technical assistance, and participation in statewide initiatives. These funds continued to serve as the financial foundation of the community mediation system, accounting for half of Centers’ collective revenue and enabling them to leverage an additional $2,435,797 from private, municipal, state, and federal partners—demonstrating strong public return on state appropriations. Despite a funding reduction in FY2025, the Program generated …

Analysis Of Loss Of Engine Power Events In General Aviation, Saloni Satappagol

2026 Research Poster Competition

Among different parts of aviation, general aviation (GA) stands out as one of its largest and most vital sectors. GA is defined as any civil aviation activity excluding scheduled commercial flights and military operations. While loss of engine power is a serious subset of general aviation accidents, accounting for more than 200 fatal accidents per year, several gaps remain in our current understanding of these accidents. While current literature includes older studies from 2000-2014, new data from the past decade have not been analyzed for trends yet. With this significant gap of more than a decade in understanding, it is …

The Triple A Approach: Educating Perinatal Clinicians About Trauma Informed Care, Destiny Rosado, Liza Lukasheva

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background Many obstetric and women’s health organizations recognize trauma-informed care (TIC) as a cornerstone of clinical practice; however, training is often sporadic, inconsistent, and difficult to integrate into routine care. The Triple A Approach—Ask, Autonomy, Advocate—is a novel framework designed to facilitate the integration of TIC principles into clinical workflows. This study introduced The Triple A Approach to a hospital-based perinatal unit and evaluated its impact on nurses’ knowledge of TIC principles and application in practice. Methods This quality improvement project evaluated TIC knowledge and capacity among perinatal nurses using pre- and post-intervention electronic surveys. Baseline assessment measured participants’ understanding …

Autosiq, Liming Zhou, Talukder Z. Jubery, Baskar Ganapathysubramanian, Thomas Lübberstedt, Siddique I. Aboobucker

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Doubled haploid (DH) technology can fast-track crop breeding.Haploid induction yields haploids with only one set of genomes, which are usually sterile.Haploid fertility (HF) is the ability of haploid plants to set seed, and it is a critical bottleneck in DH pipelines.Genetic mechanisms to restore HF hold immense potential in DH crop breeding, yet its phenotyping remains manual, destructive, and inconsistent.While recent advances in imaging and machine learning have improved throughput for general plant traits, no curated image dataset exists for Arabidopsis thaliana that explicitly represents HF.Here, we present AutoSiQ, a dataset and baseline deep learning pipeline for automated HF quantification.AutoSiQ …

Carbon Nanodot Precursors Enable Ultrahigh-Loading Copper Single-Atom Catalysts For Oxygen Reduction Reaction, Prakhar Sharma, Ayanthi Thisera, Matthew G. Boebinger, Jenna K. Rector, Jason M. Unrine, Beth S. Guiton, Doo Young Kim

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have attracted significant attention in electrocatalysis due to their high metal utilization and tunable electronic structures; however, their practical implementation is often limited by poor atomic dispersion, low metal loadings (typically < 1 wt%), and insufficient anchoring of single metal atoms on catalyst supports. Herein, we report a simple and versatile strategy to synthesize copper single-atom catalysts (Cu-SACs) with ultrahigh metal loading using citric-acid-derived carbon nanodots as metal-capturing precursors. Through hydrothermal treatment followed by pyrolysis in the presence of urea, atomically dispersed copper atoms coordinated with nitrogen are incorporated into a carbon framework, achieving a Cu loading of up to 20 wt% while maintaining atomic dispersion. Notably, a significant fraction of the copper single atoms exists as Cu⁺–N₂ coordination, which provides under-coordinated and catalytically active sites. The resulting Cu-SAC exhibits promising oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity in alkaline media, delivering a limiting current density comparable to that of commercial 20 wt% Pt/C with a predominant four-electron reduction pathway. Despite this high intrinsic activity, durability tests reveal gradual performance degradation under prolonged electrochemical operation, which is attributed to demetallation and aggregation of …

Responses To Influencer’S Vlog On Instagram: Nicotine Pouches And Oral Health, Amrusha Ranjith

2026 Research Poster Competition

Despite claims by ZYN, the leading nicotine pouch brand, that it does not partner with social media influencers, influencers with large followings continue to post content depicting nicotine pouch use. Prior research suggests oral lesions are among the most commonly reported adverse events associated with nicotine pouch use; however, public discussions of these outcomes on social media remain understudied. This study examined public discourse surrounding nicotine pouch use and oral health in response to an Instagram post by a popular influencer. Methods: We collected 1,668 publicly available comments from an Instagram post by Emma Chamberlain (@emmachamberlain) using a social media …

Disrupted Circadian Rhythms Affect Hallmark Pathologies In Alzheimer’S Disease-Related Mouse Models, Valeria Buzinova

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disease with two hallmark pathologies: extracellular amyloid-b (Ab) and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). Ab is proteolytically processed from amyloid precursor protein (APP) by b-secretase and g-secretase as a monomeric peptide prone to aggregation. Eventually, the aggregate-prone monomers will form dense plaques that are difficult to break down and remove. These plaques begin to deposit into the cortex decades prior to the formation of NFTs and the onset of cognitive decline. NFTs are comprised of hyper-phosphorylated tau. Tau is a protein that serves to promote and stabilize the formation of microtubules. The formation of …

Characterizing The Human Metapneumovirus Matrix Protein And Its Role In Infection, Chase J. Heim

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) causes severe respiratory tract infections in all cohorts, but especially in vulnerable groups such as children, older adults, and the immunocompromised. The matrix (M) protein of HMPV, like the M proteins of other members of the Mononegavirales order, is involved in virus assembly and budding. However, other functions of the HMPV M protein have yet to be elucidated. To investigate these various functions of the M protein, we used a peptide-conjugated phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer (PPMO) antisense agent designed to block translation of the M gene to reduce M expression during infection. Treatment with varying concentrations of an …

The Physiological And Psychological Effects Of Social Media Addiction: A Mixed Methods Study, Ella Roper

2026 Research Poster Competition

Social media is a worldwide phenomenon that has taken the world by storm; individuals, multimillion dollar companies, hospitals and universities alike are all similar in that there is a good chance they have a social media presence. Needless to say, there are many benefits of social media including connection and networking, however there are also consequences. My study focuses on one of the consequences, social media addiction, in hopes of enlightening individuals to the risks of social media and hopefully inspiring systematic change to make the future of social media a little less risky. I am using a scale from …

The Role Of Ombudsman And Social Work Protecting Rights, Roni Alicia Werner

Selected Full-Text Master Theses Collection 2018-

This thesis examines the role of the Ombudsman as an independent and impartial mechanism for addressing complaints, resolving conflicts, and promoting accountability within organizations. It explores how ombudsmen function across institutional contexts—such as higher education, government, and corporate settings—to provide confidential, informal, and accessible pathways for dispute resolution.

The study analyzes key principles guiding Ombudsman practice, including neutrality, independence, confidentiality, and informality, and evaluates their effectiveness in fostering trust and organizational transparency. Through a review of relevant literature and case examples, the thesis highlights how Ombudsman offices contribute to early conflict resolution, reduce formal grievances, and support ethical decision-making.

Additionally, …

Ulg Alignment, General Education Subcommittee

Program Revisions/Additions

No abstract provided.

Broadcast Meteorology Minor, Communication And Journalism

Program Revisions/Additions

No abstract provided.

Public Relations Ba, Communication And Journalism

Program Revisions/Additions

No abstract provided.

Public Relations Minor, Communication And Journalism

Program Revisions/Additions

No abstract provided.

Video Production Minor, Communication And Journalism

Program Revisions/Additions

No abstract provided.

Journalism Major, Communication And Journalism

Program Revisions/Additions

No abstract provided.

Journalism Minor, Communication And Journalism

Program Revisions/Additions

No abstract provided.