Digital Commons Network^™

Ensuring Year-Round Fresh Strawberries: A Sustainable Supply Chain Approach, Rizza Panopio Constantino, Leilani De Guzman

Journal of Management for Global Sustainability

This study aims to develop a sustainable and cost-efficient sourcing strategy for fresh strawberries used in the strawberry jam production of Tantamco’s Fine Foods (TFF), a well-known pasalubong (locally produced gift food items commonly brought home from trips) shop in Baguio City, Philippines. Specifically, the study seeks to identify the key factors causing price volatility and supply instability and determine strategic interventions that can ensure a more stable, affordable, and year-round strawberry supply. Employing a qualitative research approach, the researchers conducted in-depth interviews with strawberry farmers, market vendors, traders, fellow jam producers, and the company’s procurement personnel. The findings reveal …

Mental Models Of Autonomy And Sentience Shape Reactions To Ai, Janet V.T. Pauketat, Daniel Burton Shank, Aikaterina Manoli, Jacy Reese Anthis

Psychological Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Narratives about artificial intelligence (AI) entangle autonomy, the capacity to self-govern, with sentience, the capacity to sense and feel. AI agents that perform tasks autonomously and companions that recognize and express emotions may activate mental models of autonomy and sentience, respectively, provoking distinct reactions. To examine this possibility, we conducted three pilot studies (N = 374) and four preregistered vignette experiments describing an AI as autonomous, sentient, both, or neither (N = 2,702). Activating a mental model of sentience increased general mind perception (cognition and emotion) and moral consideration more than autonomy, but autonomy increased perceived threat more than sentience. …

Negotiating Digital Identities With Ai Companions: Motivations, Strategies, And Emotional Outcomes, Renkai Ma, Shuo Niu, Lingyao Li, Alexander Hirth, Ava Brehm, Rowajana Behterin Barbie

Computer Science

AI companions enable deep emotional relationships by engaging a user's sense of identity, but they also pose risks like unhealthy emotional dependence. Mitigating these risks requires first understanding the underlying process of identity construction and negotiation with AI companions. Focusing on Character.AI (C.AI), a popular AI companion, we conducted an LLM-assisted thematic analysis of 22,374 online discussions on its subreddit. Using Identity Negotiation Theory as an analytical lens, we identified a three-stage process: 1) five user motivations; 2) an identity negotiation process involving three communication expectations and four identity co-construction strategies; and 3) three emotional outcomes. Our findings surface the …

The Sixth Sense Garment: A State-Of-The-Art Framework For Sustainable Neurofashion, Andrew Burnstine

Faculty and Staff Publications & Presentations

No abstract provided.

Growing Up Muslim In America: Discrimination And Religious Identity In Emerging Adulthood, Samira Saleh

Dissertations

This study examined the impact of depression and discrimination on religious identity development among emerging adult Muslims (ages 18–29) in the United States, with attention to religious visibility and gender. Using a cross-sectional survey design, participants completed validated measures including the Perceived Islamophobia Scale, Everyday Discrimination Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and Centrality of Religiosity Scale. Grounded in Arnett’s Theory of Emerging Adulthood and Social Identity Theory, the study addresses gaps in research on Muslim mental health and identity within Western sociopolitical contexts. Participants were recruited via university listservs, Muslim Student Associations, social media, and community organizations, and completed a brief …

Urban And Suburban Teachers’ Perceptions Of Burnout In The Post-Covid19 Era: A Mixed Methods Dissertation In Education, Dylan Rossin

Graduate Theses & Dissertations

The Covid-19 pandemic fundamentally altered the professional demands placed on K–12 teachers, intensifying concerns related to occupational burnout. This mixed-methods study examined urban and suburban public school teachers’ perceptions of burnout in the post–Covid-19 era, with particular attention to emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Grounded in Maslach’s theory of burnout, the study sought to determine whether differences existed between urban and suburban teachers’ burnout experiences and to explore educators’ perspectives on factors contributing to burnout following the pandemic.

Participants included full-time public K–12 teachers in Pennsylvania with a minimum of three years of teaching experience. Quantitative data were collected …

Participation, Procurement & Proof Of Impact In Public Sector Ai Innovation, Davansh Saxena, Erina Seh-Young Moon, Anna Kawakami, Corey Jackson, Min Kyung Lee, Sarah E. Fox, Shion Guha, Sheena Erete, Jean Hardy

Health Services and Informatics Research

Public sector agencies are rapidly adopting AI systems to make critical decisions that span across services such as benefits eligibility, housing and homelessness services, child welfare services, mobility, inspections, and more. This foregrounds long‑standing HCI concerns about participatory design in settings marked by institutional constraints, public accountability, and uneven power dynamics. While there is broad agreement that community‑centered practices are necessary, practitioners still wrestle with three practical questions: (1) which participatory methods fit distinct stages of the AI lifecycle; (2) what to measure to show that engagement influenced problem framing, data, model, design, or policy; and (3) how procurement and …

Health Data And Policy Related To Methamphetamine-Use Suicide In Mississippi, Mary C. Drane

Honors Theses

The purpose of this research is to investigate how methamphetamine use in Mississippi, especially in its rural areas, intersects with public health, policy, and suicide outcomes in the state. Mississippi's methamphetamine crisis has evolved significantly, shifting from locally produced drugs to cartel-supplied crystal methamphetamine, while state and federal policies have struggled to keep pace with the scale and complexity of the problem. Using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, this research analyzed CDC Wonder multiple causes of death data and SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set Admissions (TEDS-A) data from 2018 to 2024 alongside four qualitative key informant interviews with stakeholders across …

The Rider (2026-04-13), Daniela Chapa-Reyes

The Rider Archives

Vol. 11, No. 26

On Becoming A Lawyer: Authentic Professional Identity Formation And The Future Of Legal Education, Colin Black

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

No abstract provided.

Experiences And Service-Uptake Factors Of Receiving And Providing Care For Meningitis And Its Sequelae: A Qualitative Systematic Review, Margarita Andreeva, Maria Pyatnitskaya, Karina Kochneva, Ekaterina Sviatskaia, Maria Spryshkova, Melissa Meyer, Dina Baimukhambetova, Mark Kosenko, Aigun Mursalova, Nina Avdeenko, Elena Kondrikova, Jonathan Zheng, Ka Yan Cheung, Audrey Dunn Galvin, Tom Jewell, Zoe Moula, Sarah Neill, Mikhail Zinchuk, Alla Guekht, Daniel Munblit

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Background: Meningitis is a life-threatening condition with substantial morbidity and mortality, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). While quantitative research has enhanced the understanding of diagnostic and treatment efficacy, qualitative data regarding the lived experiences remain underexplored. This systematic review synthesises qualitative evidence on the experiences of patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers regarding meningitis diagnosis, treatment, and care, as well as the barriers and facilitators influencing service uptake and provision. The review aimed to inform the development of World Health Organization guidelines for improving meningitis care. Methods: This systematic review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024514413). A comprehensive search of …

English By Any Other Variety, Leya Shekanena

Masters Projects

African American Language (AAL) is a variety of English that is commonly used and linguistically respected, yet its application is barred from writing courses in higher education. Because AAL’s academic stigmatization negatively impacts the students who utilize AAL, it is important to discover how accepted usage influences students’ understanding of collegiate academic writing and their own identity. To engage with this complex problem, this project integrates Culturally Relevant Teaching and Black Linguistic Justice frameworks with the andragogical method of experiential learning to create a Supplemental Writing Skills college course. The purpose of this course is to explore how encouraged usage …

Medicaid Expansion And Frequent Mental Distress Among U.S. Adults: Staggered Did Using Brfss, 2011 To 2024, Abimbola Adegoke, Kola Adegoke, Olajide Alfred Durojaye, Deborah Dawodu, Abiodun Isola Aluko, Akorede Adekoya, Kenneth A. Knapp

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) allowed states to expand Medicaid eligibility, potentially improving access to care and reducing psychological distress among lower-income adults. However, evidence on population-level mental health effects remains mixed, and conventional two-way fixed-effects difference-in-differences (DiD) estimates can be biased under staggered adoption. This study estimates the effect of Medicaid expansion on frequent mental distress (FMD) among non-elderly adults, with emphasis on lower-income adults. We used Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data from 2011 to 2024 and restricted the sample to adults aged 18 to 64 years. FMD was defined as ≥14 days of poor mental health …

Three-Dimensional Imaging Of Neuronal Activation Patterns In Chronic Neuropathic Pain And Opioid Pharmacology, Madeline Martinez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Chronic neuropathic pain severely diminishes quality of life, yet the supraspinal neural circuits that sustain pain perception and mediate analgesic relief remain incompletely characterized. While peripheral and spinal pain pathways are well established, relatively few studies have mapped pain- or opioid-related neuronal activation across the entire brain. This dissertation employed activity-dependent genetic labeling (TRAP2/Ai9), whole-brain tissue clearing, light sheet microscopy, and graph-theoretic network analysis to characterize brain-wide activation patterns across chronic pain and analgesic conditions in mice.

In Chapter 1, we mapped supraspinal neuronal activation in a bilateral spared nerve injury model of chronic neuropathic pain. Although no individual region …

Residents Vs. Tourists: Understanding The Role Of Coastal Tourism Experience In Conservation Behaviours, Qian Chen, Rong Huang, Jinhua Zhang, Thatsanawalai Imong

Plymouth Business School

This study examines the factors influencing coastal conservation behaviours by integrating the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) with coastal tourism experiences. Conducted in Plymouth, UK, the research assesses how attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control (PBC), and tourism experiences shape conservation intentions and engagement among residents and tourists. The findings reveal that PBC is the most influential factor associated with conservation intentions in the overall model, while coastal tourism experiences significantly influence engagement, particularly among tourists. Residents' conservation intentions are more influenced by attitudes, whereas tourists are driven by their tourism experiences. These findings highlight the need for tailored conservation …

A Quality Assurance Framework For Maintaining And Enhancing Academic Standards Of Ai-Infused Higher Education: Insights From Gcc Faculty Perspectives, Nina Abdul Razzak

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: This study addresses the gap in research on maintaining and enhancing the quality of artificial intelligence (AI)–infused higher education in a structured and systematized way by proposing a comprehensive quality assurance (QA) framework fit for that purpose.

Methods: The study employs a qualitative research design approach in the form of a constructivist or interpretive investigation, exploring in depth faculty members’ different perspectives and experiences in relation to AI implementation. The study combines a textual analysis of the international literature on the topic, with insights from four focus groups involving faculty members from various disciplines and colleges across the Gulf …

Potential Adjunctive Role Of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine In The Management Of Cancer-Related Bone Pain: A Narrative Review, Ambrose Loc T. Ngo, Niki Gharavi Alkhansari, Chi Pham, Hong Nguyen, Monica Aspra Rubi, David Tanner

Student Publications

Osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) is known for its therapeutic potential on the musculoskeletal system, and its emerging role and potential benefits in oncology care are gaining attention. Patients with primary and metastatic bone cancer tend to experience pain, restricted movement, and lower quality of life due to the pathology and its treatment. This narrative review examines the mechanistic rationale and available clinical evidence supporting the use of OMM in the management of pain and functional impairment among patients with bone malignancies. A literature search was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar to identify peer-reviewed studies published between 2005 and 2025 …

Characterizing User-Reported Risks Across Llm Chatbots, Lingyao Li, Renkai Ma, Zhaoqian Xue, Junjie Xiong

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

As Large Language Models (LLMs) become increasingly integral to daily life, users are engaging with multiple LLM chatbots for various needs; however, prior research on LLM risks often remains lab-based or focuses on single LLMs like ChatGPT or singular risks like privacy. To gain a multi-risk, cross-chatbot understanding of user experiences, we analyze Reddit discussions around seven major LLM chatbots using the NIST AI Risk Management Framework. We find that user-reported risks are unevenly distributed and chatbot-specific: ChatGPT is associated with safety and fairness concerns, Gemini with privacy, and Claude with security and resilience. Less frequent risks, such as explainability …

Implementing A Civic Skills-Focused Problem Posing Model To Enhance Problem-Solving Competencies In Elementary School Students: A Systematic Literature Review

Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora

This systematic literature review examines the application of a civic skills-oriented problem posing model to improve elementary school students' problem-solving abilities. The review identified, evaluated, and interpreted empirical studies from 2018 to 2022, with initial searches yielding around 250 articles from ERIC, Google Scholar, and Sinta, and 20 articles finally selected. The findings indicate that the problem posing model improves students' critical thinking and creativity and is more effective than conventional teaching methods. Integrating civic skills in Civics learning also increases students' active participation and fosters tolerance, cooperation, and responsibility. Overall, the model can significantly strengthen students' ability to analyze …

Teacher Perception On Students’ Behavior, Environment Care Culture On The Creation Of Healthy School

Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora

Environment is a key factor in improving healthy full-day school activities. It has direct impacts on the creation of children’s learning enjoyment. The purposes of this research are to explore students' perspectives on Student Friendly Behavior, Environment Care Culture and their effects on the creation of Clean and Healthy School. This research involved 242 Elementary School teachers as participants. Data were collected through questionnaire and analyzed employing Path analysis technique. Results indicated that both student-friendly behavior and environmental care culture influenced the creation of healthy and clean schools. School leaders need to concern on this factor in building effective schooling …

Environmental Factors In The Production Of Code-Switching In Pre-School Children: A Case Study Of Three Indonesian Children

Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora

The study investigates code-switching performed by three pre-school children in Indonesia. The study employs a qualitative research methodology with an exploratory case study. The participants of the study are three pre-school children who live in a small village in Banten Province in which two languages are exposed and spoken by the majority of people in that area namely Bahasa Indonesia as the national language and Sundanese as a vernacular language. The study reveals that the code-switching utterances performed by preschool children are classified into intra and inter sentential switches.

Self-Regulated Learning Skills Of Elementary School Teacher Education Students During Online Learning During The Covid-19 Pandemic

Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora

The study aims to investigate the self-regulated learning skills of Primary School Teacher Education students during online learning and explore the relationships between each indicator in SRL skills. Descriptive analysis shows that students highly appreciate the assignments because of their intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. Nevertheless, students lack confidence, especially in mastering content that is complex. Most students have observed and managed the strategies in finding and learning information. The appreciation for tasks was positively correlated with confidence in learning as well as strategies in searching and studying information. Similarly, confidence in learning is positively correlated with strategies in searching and …

Character Building In Online And Face-To-Face Efl Classrooms In Junior High School: The Strategies And Challenges

Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora

This study aimed to scrutinize EFL teachers’ strategies and challenges of character building in online and face-to-face classrooms. This case study involved two seventh grade English teachers as the subjects. The findings revealed that the teachers’ strategies of character building in seventh grade EFL classrooms were through the use of speech acts, modeling, rule reinforcement, and habituation. However, the strategies to use in the online and face-to-face classrooms were different. The challenges the teachers faced during the teaching and learning process were time allotment, the absence of English in some elementary schools, and the zoning system.

Video-Based Mobile Learning In Efl's Writing, Imelda Imelda

Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora

The development of ICT has been recognized as an important aspect in today's EFL classroom. Due to the low achievement of Indonesian EFL's writing, video-based mobile learning is believed to be able to enhance the students writing skill. The flexibility and the practicality of mobile learning through video project offer a solution to English teachers in facilitating the students' language learning and fostering the students' engagement in authentic - real life context at their interests. This paper aims at presenting the literature review on the benefits of video-based mobile learning and its implementation in EFL's writing.

Can Music-Based Interventions Improve The Prelinguistic Skills Of Young Children On The Autism Spectrum? A Systematic Review, Blythe Serrano

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Many children on the autism spectrum have difficulty developing prelinguistic skills

such as joint attention, purposeful vocalization, and gesture, which are strongly

related to later expressive and receptive language development. This systematic

review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of music-based interventions in

supporting the development of these foundational prelinguistic skills in young

children on the autism spectrum. Five databases were searched, yielding a total of

332 results. Five articles ultimately met criteria for inclusion. Results of these studies

were mixed, with studies in which the intervention was delivered by a professional

rather than a caregiver yielding more positive results. Additional …

Experiences Of Friendships And Artificial Intelligence, Victoria L. Hober, Chloe Nelson

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between friendship and the use of AI companions. Participants (N=136) completed an online survey that included questions from four questionnaires: Perceptions of Companion AI Impacts (PCI), which was developed for the purpose of this study, Lubben Social Network Scale -Revised (Lubben, 1988), Self Disclosure Scale (Augustine & Essel, 2024), and Openness to Use AI Companion, which was also created for the use of this study. Through these tests, the researchers aimed to measure the perceived risks and benefits associated with AI companion use, as well as social belongingness, willingness to …

The Efficacy Of Informal Mindfulness Practices Towards Enhancing Psychological Well-Being And Life Satisfaction Among College Students, Carol Patrick, Tianhui Xie

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

US college students face psychological challenges from academic pressure and social demands. Informal mindfulness practices may help reduce stress and improve mental well-being. Previous studies have looked at informal contemplative practices in daily life. However, none have studied skincare as a mindfulness practice. This study investigates whether incorporating informal mindfulness into skincare routines can enhance well-being, life satisfaction, and mindfulness in US college students.

Over a 14-day experimental period, approximately 150 participants were assigned to one of the three groups: a mindful skincare group, a descriptive skincare group, or a no-intervention group. The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the PERMA …

Physical Therapy Patient Exercise Adherence Intervention, Carter D. Booe, Dean Clark, Ernesto Duenez, Aiden Haworth, Nathan Jaeger, Gabe Tross, Emery Wolfe

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Non-adherence to prescribed home exercise programs significantly undermines the efficacy of physical therapy (PT), with research indicating only approximately 35% of patients fully adhere to regimens. This issue contributes to suboptimal recovery and places a staggering financial burden on the healthcare system, estimated at $100 billion to $300 billion annually. The Physical Therapy Home Exercise Adherence Trial (PT-HEAT) evaluates the effectiveness of a 14-week behavioral education intervention designed to improve patient adherence outside the clinical setting.

Utilizing the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) model, this protocol involves PT staff administering a motivational-volitional screener, followed by trained student aides delivering targeted …

Creative Engagement For Community Through The Life-Span, D. Nicole English, Pelgy Vaz

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Creative Engagement for Community Through the Life-Span

Creative Engagement includes crafts, cultural practices, expressive arts, and activities that bring people together. Having access to such activities enables people to develop healthy habits, social interactions, and build community that can sustain one throughout the lifespan. On-going research indicates that Creative Engagement Activities, and the Communities of Practice that build around them, benefit people throughout the life-span, but become particularly important to older adults, by building resilience and social connections, in the face of inevitable life losses.

https://youtu.be/r3JS5YP-MnM

Unlocking Minds Behind Bars: Inmates’ Perceptions Of Educational Services In Southeast Nigerian Prisons, Ijeoma B. Uche Dr, Okala A. Uche Dr, Agatha U. Nzewuji Dr

Journal of Prison Education Research

This study explores inmates’ perceptions of educational services in Southeast Nigerian prisons, focusing on their role in rehabilitation and reintegration. Using a qualitative design grounded in the capability approach and interpretive phenomenological analysis, data were gathered through in-depth interviews with 15 convicted inmates across three correctional facilities in Southeast Nigeria. Interviews were conducted in English and Nigerian Pidgin, and analyzed using NVivo 12. Findings revealed three major themes: the relevance and accessibility of educational programs, benefits such as improved self-worth, skill acquisition, and hope for reintegration, and key barriers like limited access, inadequate resources, and institutional apathy. Although the capability …