Digital Commons Network^™

Netchoice V. Wilson, District Of South Carolina

Historical and Topical Legal Documents

No abstract provided.

An Introduction For Nursing Research: An Open Educational Resource For The Undergraduate Nursing Student, Ellen Benjamin

OER Textbooks

The purpose of this text is not to prepare you to independently conduct research, but to help you become an informed and critical consumer of research. The ability to systematically evaluate the strengths, limitations, and applicability of research findings is known as critical appraisal. Critical appraisal is an expected competency of baccalaureate-prepared nurses [5] and requires a foundational understanding of research principles and methods. This book will introduce the research process, including common research methodologies, data collection and analysis approaches, ethical considerations, and strategies for translating research evidence into nursing practice.

What Is Hate Speech? A Proposal For An Ordinary And Legal Definition, Hannah Van Dijcke

SJD Dissertations

The term “hate speech” has been stretched in legal and public debates to cover speech ranging from insults to Holocaust denial. This definitional stretching has consequences beyond mere conceptual confusion: it risks obscuring the profound harm that hate speech does, and it facilitates the term’s misuse.

In this dissertation, I aim to precisely define hate speech and its harm, both in an ordinary (colloquial or non-legal) sense and in a legal sense. To do so, I examine real-world examples of speech widely understood to express hate, including texts from the context of the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide, and conduct …

Bridging The Gap: A Systematic Review Of Cyber Conflict Forecasting Models And The Case For Ai-Driven Dynamic Frameworks, Salim Arfaoui, Youssef Harrath, Omar El-Gayar

Research & Publications

Cyber conflict forecasting remains constrained by static models that overlook the integration of geopolitical context with technical indicators. This systematic literature review examines 58 studies (2010–2025) using PRISMA guidelines and an Input-Process-Output framework to classify approaches and identify key gaps. Quantitative methods dominate (67%), yet only 14% incorporate geopolitical variables, despite the political nature of cyber conflict. Major limitations include adversarial adaptation blindness (85% assume static behavior), coarse temporal granularity (72% use daily+ intervals), lack of uncertainty quantification (75%), and minimal modeling of cross-domain escalation (92% cyber-only focus). Strategic forecasting is rare, with just 14% providing long-term insights and 16% …

Autotheme: A Multi-Agent Framework For Inductive Thematic Analysis With Llms, Abdullah Wahbeh, Omar El-Gayar, Mohammad Al-Ramahi, Tareq Nasralah, Ahmed Elnoshokaty

Research & Publications

Thematic analysis is a qualitative research method used to identify and interpret patterns in textual data. However, it can be time-consuming and challenging to replicate. While recent advancements in large language models (LLMs) and generative AI have enhanced thematic analysis, existing methods often rely on prompt-based interactions and require significant human intervention. This paper introduces an agentic AI framework comprising autonomous, goal-directed agents powered by LLMs to perform inductive thematic analysis with minimal human input. We evaluate the framework using a dataset from a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) mobile app and compare the results with those from Latent Dirichlet Allocation …

The Explainable Ai Paradox: When Transparency Improves Decision Quality And When It Creates Overconfidence, Harsha Sammangi, Poloju Pravalika

Research & Publications

Explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) is widely promoted as a remedy for algorithmic opacity, premised on the assumption that revealing a model's reasoning improves human oversight and decision quality. This study investigates the Explainable AI Paradox: the possibility that explanations simultaneously increase trust, reliance, and adoption while also producing overconfidence in flawed models — improving decision quality when models are valid but amplifying errors when models are not. Using a controlled experiment with 921 managers making pricing, lending, or inventory decisions assisted by AI systems of deliberately varied validity, participants were randomly assigned to one of five explanation conditions: no explanation, …

The Effects Of Expectancies And Attention To Placebo Relevant Sensations On The Open-Label Placebo Response, Miranda Connelly

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Placebo analgesia has shown promise in treating pain, but practitioners are reluctant to prescribe deceptive placebos. Open-label, or honestly prescribed placebos, offer an ethical alternative. Open-label placebos seem to work largely through experimenter-manipulated expectancy, as well as social/environmental factors. Additionally, verbally guided attention to relevant placebo sensations might bolster pain relief. In the present study, expectancy and attention were experimentally manipulated within a 2 (expectancy: high/low) x 2 (attention: high/low) between-subjects design with a no-treatment comparison group. Pain was experimentally induced in all five experimental groups using the well-established cold pressor task. The primary dependent variables were pain tolerance and …

The Effect Of Automated Self-Monitoring On The Behavior Of Individuals Diagnosed With Pre-Diabetes Or Type 2 Diabetes, Leti Phillips Armenta

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and prediabetes affect millions of individuals in the United States and require effective self-management strategies to reduce glucose variability and improve health outcomes. This study evaluated the effects of automated self-monitoring using the Dexcom G7 continuous glucose monitor (CGM) on glucose management and health-related behaviors among adults diagnosed with prediabetes or at risk for T2D. A repeated-measures design was used to asses’ participants across two distinct 10-day periods. Data included CGM glucose readings, self-report questionnaires, and social validity measures. Results indicated that participants demonstrated reduced glucose variability, fewer prolonged glucose spikes, and increased engagement in health-related …

Real-World Anti-Amyloid Therapy Beyond Traditional Symptomatic Populations: A Longitudinal Case Series, Jayoung Han, Yuan Fang, Darlingtina Esiaka, Olufunmilola Abraham

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

Introduction: Anti-amyloid monoclonal antibodies are approved as disease-modifying therapies for early Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but real-world evidence remains limited, particularly among individuals treated during preclinical or minimally symptomatic stages. This study characterized clinical and biomarker trajectories among anti-amyloid therapy recipients across disease stages.

Method: We conducted a longitudinal retrospective case series of three biomarker-positive individuals from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative who received lecanemab or donanemab. Clinical, cognitive, cerebrospinal fluid, plasma biomarker, and amyloid PET data were examined.

Results: In all three cases, most of the observation period preceded anti-amyloid therapy initiation. Clinical trajectories varied by biomarker profile and treatment …

Optimizing Control Definitions In Opioid Use Disorder Genetic Research Using Electronic Health Records, Maria Niarchou, Ellen L Tsai, Mariela V Jennings, Annika Faucon, Hyunjoon Lee, Kritika Singh, Justin D Tubbs, Panos Roussos, Tian Ge, Richard C Crist, Rachel Vickers-Smith, Howard Edenberg, Amy Moore, Bradley T Webb, Eric O Johnson, Rachel L Kember, Jordan W Smoller, Lea K Davis, Brandon J Coombes, Georgios Voloudakis, David Burstein, Travis T Mallard, Vanessa Troiani, Sandra Sanchez-Roige

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Amidst the opioid crisis, understanding the genetic basis of opioid use disorder (OUD) is crucial for identifying biological mechanisms and intervention points. However, genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have been hampered by inadequate sample sizes and often the use of control populations not assessed for prior opioid exposure. Because opioid exposure is a prerequisite for the development of OUD, consideration of exposure history in controls is important. Electronic health record data (EHR) paired with genomic information allow a broader sampling of patients with OUD and exposed controls. We leveraged data across two healthcare systems to evaluate the impact of using controls …

Building The Ryan White Hiv/Aids Program Bench In Kentucky, Lauren Bifulco, Kathleen Harding, Jana Collins, Anna Rogers, Lenon Farkash, Marwan Haddad, Alice Thornton

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

The Ryan White HIV/AIDS program (RWHAP) is governed by legislative and programmatic guidelines that ensure comprehensive services are provided to persons with HIV (PWH) across the United States. Comprehensive training and skill building opportunities for programmatic staff are rare. RWHAP funding recipient organizations may struggle to acquire and retain essential program-specific knowledge, with downstream impact on patient care and treatment. We designed a comprehensive 11-session videoconference learning series to improve program staff’s confidence and competence with RWHAP fundamentals. Quantitative pre-vs-post session data were analyzed using Wilcoxon Signed-Rank tests, and qualitative data using thematic analysis. We enrolled 136 staff from 23 …

Identifying Transcriptomic Signatures That Mediate The Causal Effect Of Genotype On Alzheimer's Disease., Simran Kaur, Anna L. Tyler, Giovanna L Durante, Gregory Cary, Gregory W. Carter, J Matthew Mahoney

Faculty Research 2026

The combined effects of thousands of genetic polymorphisms account for Alzheimer's disease (AD) genetic risk. Most AD polymorphisms affect gene expression. Thus, the transcriptome, the set of all gene expression levels for every gene in the genome, is a major mediator between the genotype to phenotype. This study uses genotypes, transcriptomes, and clinical phenotypes to identify the transcriptomic signature that mediates the causal effect of genotype on AD. By utilizing a causal inference method known as high dimensional mediation analysis (HDMA) on the Religious Orders Study/Memory and Aging Project (ROSMAP) longitudinal cohort, the genotype, transcriptome, and phenotype data were reduced …

Weaponized Borders: A Contrapuntal Analysis Of Uneven Humanitarian Aid And Comparative Landscapes, Alex Orla-Bukowski

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The proliferation of global border regimes has caused an increased level of state violence against humans and the environment. In this thesis I explore how contemporary border regimes propagate myths on human mobility, obstruct humanitarian policy, and weaponize environmental landscapes to sustain state violence while obscuring political responsibility. Building on this, I argue that borders are the source of violence and create systems of vulnerability as a core-function of state making. My research primarily utilizes semi-structured interviews with humanitarian actors and secondary data analysis to trace the testimonies of those subject to state-based harm and explore the gaps in aid …

Improving Expository Reading Comprehension In College Students, Danielle M. De Lucia, George Noell

Psychology Faculty Publications

This study investigated the impact of the Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) method on reading comprehension and psychological well-being among college students, addressing a gap in research on expository reading comprehension at the post-secondary level. A total of 47 students from Introduction to Psychology courses participated in the study. Participants initially completed pre-test assessments, including a cloze test, the Wide Range Achievement Test, and scales for self-worth, depression, anxiety, and stress. Of these, 23 students underwent CSR intervention sessions, conducted over three weeks with bi-weekly 50-minute sessions using their course textbook. Post-intervention data from 44 students were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA. …

Reward Deficits In Co-Occurring Social Anxiety And Depression: The Roles Of Anhedonia, Boredom, Loneliness, And Covid-19 Social Restriction, Nathan M. Hager, Alicia L. Milam, Hannah C. Hamrick, Benjamin Swanson, Matt R. Judah

Psychology Faculty Publications

Prior research points toward reward deficits as crucial to the link between social anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder. However, studies have not explored specific types of reward deficits or how social-environmental factors may impact them. The current study examined whether the indirect effects of three reward deficits (anhedonia, boredom, and loneliness) accounted for the connection between social anxiety and depression. Questionnaires were collected in a sample of college students (N = 523) during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing examination of environmental stressors (i.e., remote learning and current friend network size) on reward deficits. Indirect effect models …

2026-2029 Strategic Plan, Susan Davies

Documents of the Brain Health Collective

No abstract provided.

Construction Industry Preparedness For Generation Z And Millennials: Aligning Industry Characteristics With Workforce Job Preferences, Ameenullah Amiri, Dhaval R. Gajjar, Jason D. Lucas

The Professional Constructor

The construction industry in the United States suffers from workforce shortages, partly due to younger generations being hired more slowly than baby boomers retire. Generation Z’s (Gen Z) lack of interest in joining the construction industry, coupled with the retirement of older workers, has amplified the problem. This paper investigates existing literature to identify the work and career preferences of Gen Z and Millennials and determine where the industry may focus efforts to attract these two generations. Through a systematic literature review, this study identified overlaps and gaps between the current construction industry workforce’s perceptions of the industry and the …

School Girls; Or The African Mean Girls Play

Theatre and Performance Studies Programs

School Girls; or the African Mean Girls Play

Winter 2026 Otterbein Connections, Institutional Advancement

Otterbein Connections

In this issue:

• Welcome Letter by Floyd Akins
• Students Helping to Strengthen Bonds by Jordan Helphrey
• Volunteer Spotlight
• Division Name Update
• Year-End Giving by Jordan Helphrey
• Summer Fun at the 'Bein by Dana Viglietta '96
• Understanding Donor Advised Funds by Kathleen Bonte
• Class of 1975 Celebrates 50th Golden Reunion by Stephanie Clark
• Alumni Spotlight by Michael Hickin '25
• Reminders
• Words of Encouragement by Valerie Gruber '84

Interest, Self-Efficacy, And Belonging In Classroom Learning, K. Ann Renninger, Lux K. Barton , '21, Gia Bautista , '23, Mary Garcia-Barrios , '24, Iyinoluwa Ogunyinka , '24, Kathryn R. Riley

Educational Studies Faculty Works

Students’ interest, self-efficacy, and belonging are considered essential for classroom learning, as each has been shown to promote sustained engagement and school achievement. However, our review of the literature suggested that research on interest, self-efficacy, and belonging is largely siloed. To address practitioner questions about supporting classroom learning by working with the three variables, we added a mixed-method pilot study to the review process. Pilot participants were Black, middle-school-age youth living in a low-income community, who were enrolled in a five-week, inquiry-informed science workshop facilitated by a Black professor. Findings showed that during learning, interest, self-efficacy, and belonging were increasingly …

Oligarchy And Democratic Decline: A Platonic Framework For Analyzing The Contemporary American Political System, Jonah Huskey-Wright

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

This paper explores the idea that there is a meaningful philosophical connection between Plato’s account of oligarchy and the development of the modern American political order. Rather than approaching American politics only through constitutional design, electoral procedures, or institutional mechanics, the paper argues that political systems must also be understood as reflections of the values and motivations of the people who inhabit them. Drawing on Plato’s framework that links the ordering of the human soul to the ordering of political regimes, the project examines how the priorities a society places on certain goods—particularly wealth, economic achievement, and material success—can shape …

Examining The Relationship Between Sleep And Physical Activity Among University Students, Maddie Stock

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Sleep and physical activity (PA) are important factors for maintaining overall health and are positively associated. The relationship between sleep and PA is well-documented for the general adult population, but there is less research on college students who are in a formative stage of developing lifelong health behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between aerobic PA and sleep in college students. College students at a Midwest University were invited to participate by completing the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment evaluating students’ health behaviors over the previous 1-2 weeks. These values were used …

Enhancing Healthcare Accessibility For Maya Immigrants In Northeast Ohio, Ellen D. Barnes

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

This research considers the efforts of healthcare practitioners and community workers in enhancing healthcare accessibility for Maya immigrant communities in northeast Ohio. Through ethnographic interviews and participant-observation research, I analyze how practitioners interpret their work with community members to navigate economic disparities and questions of legal standing, as well as cultural and linguistic differences. I also consider ways in which healthcare providers have sought to promote institutional change. This research gives insight into how institutional structures shape efforts for culturally informed care and how healthcare providers and healthcare seekers negotiate relationships within these confines.

Zero Tolerance Discipline In American Schools: Racial Injustice In The Age Of Youth Disposability, Trinity J. Perkins

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

This study critically examines how neoliberal social controls and school-based criminalization efforts emerged in response to a series of moral panics surrounding perceived increases in school violence and mass shootings. Largely, this response manifested in the form of rigid zerotolerance disciplinary policies focused on deterrence and retribution. However, research reveals the application of these policies produce racial and income-based disparities in how school discipline is administered, which contributes to the school-to-prison pipeline (i.e., a pathway for youth to be funneled out of education and into incarceration). As such, it is believed that racial threat dynamics may be contributing to the …

“If You Think This Vilifies The Police, Then You Think The Police Are Villains”: Teaching Reparations Won As An Antidote To Copaganda, Kaitlyn Selman, Hannah Carson Baggett, Justin Turner

Faculty Publications - Criminal Justice Sciences

Building on prior research about copaganda and pro-police socialization, we argue that the Reparations Won curriculum in Chicago Public Schools is an antidote to police legitimization efforts in K-12 schools. Specifically, the curriculum affirms student experiences that are not accounted for nor deemed possible in a world built by and for policing; it emphasizes relationship-building and centers definitions of community that resist the alienation required for such a world; and it facilitates an understanding of local histories as inseparable from broader social structures. We conclude that in an era of contested curricula, Reparations Won provides the structure needed to grapple …

The Trial Of Socrates, Jonathan Van Patten

Faculty Publications

In many important ways, the trial of Socrates was not just the trial of the century, nor even the trial of the millennium. It predated the trial of Jesus, which is important for many other reasons, but Socrates’ contribution to how we think about justice and the rule of law is without equal. This Article explores the ways that this fifth-century B.C. trial, located geographically on the margin of what came to be known as the West, is at the center of what makes us a civilization. It is not simply about the drama, nor the politics of free inquiry, …

Interreligious Dialogue Between Christianity And Islam In Macedonia And The Balkans: Historical Development, Contemporary Challenges, And Perspectives, Nikolche Gjurgjinoski

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This paper examines the key problems, challenges, and perspectives of interreligious dialogue between Christianity and Islam in Macedonia and in the broader Balkan region, drawing on contemporary research, relevant theoretical models, and regional studies. The historical legacy of the Ottoman period, the establishment of modern nation-states, and the Yugoslav socialist context have shaped a distinctive ethno-religious landscape in the Balkans, where religion operates simultaneously as a spiritual category and as an identity marker. The analysis demonstrates that the politicization of religion, nationalist discourses, media-driven stereotypes, and the absence of institutionalized mechanisms for dialogue constitute the most significant obstacles to the …

Comparative Analysis Of Youth Religiosity In Kazakhstan And Poland: Navigating Faith In Modern Societies, Arailym Zhanabayeva, Myrzakhmet Juzei, Nagima Baitenova, Zhanna Zhurgenbayeva

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This paper explores the complex relationship between religion and youth culture, focusing on Kazakhstan and Poland. Kazakhstan, with its ethnic diversity and dominant Islamic faith, is navigating a post-Soviet search for identity and renewed interest in traditional spiritual practices. Poland, deeply rooted in Catholicism, is experiencing secular trends and global influences that are reshaping youth religious engagement. The research aims to enrich discussions on youth religiosity and the evolving interplay between spiritual belief and modern life across different political and cultural contexts. The primary objective of this study is to examine the evolution of modern Kazakh society's approach to religion, …

I And Ai: Human Personhood In An Age Of Artificial Intelligence, Jonathan A. Powers, Daniel H. Strait

Academic Books

No abstract provided.

Responding To Suicide Loss: A Guide For Clinicians In Therapy With Suicidal, Grieving Adolescents, Brianna Jurosic

Psychology Doctoral Specialization Projects

Psychologists have spent years attempting to conceptualize what causes individuals to become suicidal and ultimately understand why individuals choose to die by suicide. Dr. Thomas Joiner (2005) developed the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide in an attempt to summarize and build upon previous models. The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide is built upon three factors: perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and the acquired ability to enact lethal self-injury. Joiner theorized that perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness together create the desire for suicide, and the ability to enact lethal self-injury adds the final piece that moves the desire toward action (i.e., a suicide attempt). …