Digital Commons Network^™

Halal-Friendly Wellness Tourism In Non-Muslim Countries: Perceptions Of Muslim Tourists, Ann Suwaree Ashton, Rasmee Islam

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This study explores the perceptions of Muslim tourists regarding wellness-related activities while travelling in non-Muslim countries. Although halal tourism has witnessed significant global expansion, there remains a notable gap in the literature concerning the development of halal-compliant wellness products and services in destinations outside the Muslim world. Employing a qualitative methodology, in-depth interviews were undertaken with 40 Thai Muslim participants who travelled to non-Muslim countries between 2022 and 2023. The investigation centres on four primary categories of wellness activities: spa, therapy, and massage services; sports, leisure, and adventure experiences; spiritual well-being practices; and the slow food movement. The findings underscore …

Religious Reinterpretation In The Pilgrimage Experience To The Ganges River, India Of Balinese Ethnic Hindus, I Gede Sutarya, Thanakorn Chooksukhserm

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The interaction between Balinese ethnic Hindus and India in the modern era is reestablishing a connection between Balinese local knowledge with Hindu religious destinations in India. Balinese folklore mentions various holy places, including the Ganges River, which is considered part of Bali's sacred worship domain. This ceremonial tradition causes the ethnic groups to worship the Ganges and request for holy water, eliminating the need for the direct pilgrimage to the holy place. In the modern era, the tradition of seeking holy water has evolved into a driving force behind the interest in the pilgrimage to the Ganges River. This leads …

Exploring The Drivers Of Tourist Satisfaction At Religious Sites: A Study Of Lumbini In Nepal, Bhim Bahadur Khadka, Prof. Anjani Kumar Malviya, Dipak Singh Rawat

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Lumbini is the birthplace of Lord Buddha and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As a religious destination attracting millions of tourists annually from Nepal and abroad, Lumbini offers a rich cultural and historical heritage. This study is, therefore, significant in exploring drivers of tourist satisfaction and the religious significance of Lumbini. This study employs a correlational research design and a quantitative approach to examine relationships among variables using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Data are collected using a survey questionnaire, yielding 403 valid responses after excluding incomplete data and outliers out of 500 returned questionnaires. Purposive sampling ensured the relevance of …

Household Dysfunction And Dating Violence Perpetration: The Moderating Effects Of Parental Monitoring And Closeness Among Middle School Adolescents In Southeast Texas, Sumaita Choudhury, Emily T Hébert, Timothy J Walker, Christine M Markham, Ross Shegog, Robert C Addy, Melissa F Peskin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Adolescent dating violence (DV) perpetration is a significant public health issue affecting millions of adolescents in the United States. Adverse childhood experiences such as household dysfunction (HD) have been exhibited to be risk factors for DV perpetration during adolescence and adulthood. Furthermore, the literature is scant regarding how positive parent-child relationships can mitigate these risk factors and decrease HD-related consequences among sixth-grade adolescents. Thus, our study examined the moderating effects of parental monitoring and closeness regarding the association between HD and DV perpetration among middle schoolers in Southeast Texas.

Methods: In our cross-sectional study, we used the baseline data …

Determinant Factors Of Iot Adoption For Smart Cities In The United States, Nathaniel Pleasant Crews

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Even with the promise of efficiency, sustainability, and better services that IoT technologies bring, the adoption in U.S. smart cities remains uneven and hasn’t met expectations. This gap creates challenges for leaders and IT managers who depend on IoT for infrastructure, safety, and service delivery. To address this issue, it’s important to investigate the factors that impact adoption. Grounded in the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model, the purpose of this quantitative correlational study is to examine the relationship between stakeholders’ perceptions of ease of use, usefulness, user trust, security concerns, social influence, and adoption of …

Open Distance Learning’S Transformative Potential To Bridge Educational Disparities While Fostering Inclusive Growth, Khalid Ghoulam

Higher Learning Research Communications

In recent years—during and after COVID-19—the demand for flexible and accessible education surged across the continent, prompting numerous institutions to adopt and expand their Open Distance Learning (ODL) initiatives. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of ODL programs in African universities while exploring the state of ODLs and examining institutional strategies, technological advancements, and ODL’s impact on student accessibility and success. Using case study analyses, which contain data from African universities from various regions, this paper highlights current ODL insights and future directions. This paper also discusses ODL best practices and implementation challenges, and delves into the socioeconomic and cultural …

Exploring Perceived Value Attributes Toward Spiritual Tourism In Vietnam: A Qualitative Approach, Lan Thi Huong Ho, Cuong Khoa Phan, Lien Tran Thi Ngoc, Rodney W. Caldicott

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Customer Perceived Value (CPV) has recently attracted a lot of interest in the tourism industry, both academically and empirically. To succeed in the tourist business, managers in the sector need a comprehensive understanding of how visitors’ perceptions of value dimensions connect to trip outcomes, such as overall satisfaction and behavioral intentions. This study aims to explore the tourists’ perceptions of the value of spiritual tourism services in Vietnam. A qualitative method was employed, which included nine in-depth interviews with tourism providers and representatives of spiritual sites, as well as a brief survey of 127 travellers who had already experienced spiritual …

Enhancing Mindfulness Through Communities Of Practice In Buddhist Spiritual Tourism: A Study Of Transformative Experience At Plum Village, Giang T. Phi, Trang Huong Pham Phd, Nam Vu

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Despite the growing interest in Buddhist spiritual tourism, there is a clear gap in the literature regarding the role of Communities of Practice (CoPs) in fostering transformative tourism experiences. This study investigates how CoPs at Plum Village retreats in France and Thailand facilitate transformative experiences and enhance mindfulness among participants in Buddhist spiritual tourism. Utilising qualitative methods, the study combines autoethnography—drawing on the lead researcher’s personal experience through daily reflexive journals—and participant observation of a focal ‘retreat family’ group of 15 participants at each retreat. Thematic analysis was applied to analyse the data, guided by two frameworks: Kirillova et al.’s …

From Meditation To Magic: The Spectrum Of Buddhist Tourism In Thailand, Brooke Schedneck

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Buddhism can conjure distinctive ideas and images for different groups of people, especially travelers to a Buddhist majority country like Thailand. Discussing three different modes of Buddhist tourism— meditation, magic, and mega statues— this article illuminates the varieties of Buddhist tourism in contemporary Thailand. While foreign visitors from Western countries are assumed by Thai Buddhist practitioners to favor engagement with Buddhism related to meditation, Chinese and Thai Buddhists are seen to appreciate Buddhism for its magical protective powers. Chinese tourists in particular are now being targeted to purchase products and experiences related to mutelu, which is a term for objects …

Analysis Of Pilgrimage To The Evangelical Lutheran Church In Zimbabwe (Elcz) Mission Centres, Rabson Hove

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

A pilgrimage is usually a sacred journey undertaken by religious adherents to holy places associated with their own traditions. As religions grow, religious pilgrimage also expands as the members of the religious traditions continue to influence each other. These holy religious centres influence religious enrichment, enhancement, strength and growth. Members get in touch with their origins and the history of the expansion of their religion as they encounter their holy sites or centres. In the case of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe (ELCZ), their important holy sites are missionary centres which are commonly located in rural Zimbabwe. The majority …

Exploring How Religious Tourism Influences The Motivation Of Young Thai Tourists In Bangkok., Arisara Seyanont

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Religious tourism in Thailand encompasses a wide range of tourism related to religion, including traditional festivals and various religious activities. Today, temples or religious places in Thailand have become tourist attractions that people pay attention to, including groups of teenagers. Young Thai tourists show interest and travel to temples to ask for blessings, seek more amulets, and participate in Dharma practices. Within this context, this study aims to explore the components of religious tourism that influence the motivation of young Thai tourists in Bangkok. The components of religious tourism consist of 5 dimensions: 1) architectural design, painting, and sculpture; 2) …

Holding Social Media Providers Liable For Acts Of Domestic Terrorism, Chloe Berryman

Florida Law Review

Would the availability of a federal cause of action for domestic terrorism increase the risk of social media providers being held liable for facilitating domestic terrorism? Recently, there have been discussions concerning the role social media plays in acts of domestic terrorism. Many acts of domestic terrorism have been linked to the perpetrator's involvement with online groups who harbor similar goals.

There are several legislative obstacles to successfully suing a social media provider for aiding an act of domestic terrorism. One obstacle is the Antiterrorism Act of 1990 (ATA), which provides a civil remedy for international terrorism but not domestic …

Peña-Rodriguez V. Colorado And The Racial Animus Exception To The No-Impeachment Rule: Extending And Exception To Suspect Classes That Experience Pervasive Bias In The Jury System, Taariq Lewis

Florida Law Review

During an inquiry into the validity of a verdict, Federal Rule of Evidence 606(b) prohibits jurors from testifying about statements made or incidents that occurred during jury deliberations, including jurors' subjective mental processes used in reaching the verdict. This rule is often called the "no-impeachment" rule. The no-impeachment rule promotes the finality of verdicts, facilitates free and vibrant discussion by jurors without fear their verdict will be questioned, and ensures that jurors are not harassed by litigants seeking to challenge their verdict. However, in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case, Pena-Rodriguez v. Colorado, the Court held that a defendant's …

Differentiating Exclusionary Tendencies, John Infranca

Florida Law Review

Despite an academic consensus that easing land use regulations to increase the supply of housing can help lower housing prices, local opposition to new development remains prevalent. Onerous zoning regulations and resistance to new housing persist not only in wealthy suburbs, but also in lower income urban neighborhoods. In addition to making housing more expensive, such policies increase residential segregation, exacerbate urban sprawl, and have detrimental environmental effects. If increasing supply tends to reduce costs, what explains this opposition, particularly during a period of rising housing costs?

One factor is concern about the localized costs of greater density and its …

Review Of The Earth For All: Henry George, Utopian Communities, And Market Socialism, Neil Wright

Communal Societies

No abstract provided.

Nurses' Familiarity With Emergency Preparedness In Four Private Hospitals In Western Indonesia, Marisa Junianti Manik, Ade Lisatria Telaumbanua, Ribka Meinar Harja Gea, Trisno Berkat Damai Telaumbanua

General Submissions: Clinical Settings Materials

Nurses play a vital role in disaster management by helping to reduce the long-term health effects of disasters. Preparedness involves a series of activities to anticipate and lessen losses. Studies from 2014 to 2019 showed that 45.8% to 78.5% of hospital nurses in various Asian countries had less than ideal preparedness for disasters and lacked awareness. The study aimed to describe nurses’ familiarity with emergency preparedness in four private hospitals in western Indonesia in April 2021. It used a quantitative descriptive approach with the translated Emergency Preparedness Information Questionnaire, comprising eight indicators. The sample included nurses from four private hospitals …

The Path Toward Spiritual Activism: Queer Latinx/A/O College Student (Muxerista) Activism As Sites Of Resistance, Hope, Joy, And Futurity, Roberto C. Orozco, J. Audra Williams

Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education

This study examined collaborators’ engagement in activism as sites of resistance, hope, joy, and futurity. We answer the following research question: In what ways do Muxeristas (Revilla, 2012), or queer Latinx/a/o college student activists, envision and act on kinship and liberation in their activism? We conceptualize our response to this question through Anzaldúa’s (2002, 2015) concept of spiritual activism. Our data analysis articulates three main components of a spiritual activism practice for Muxeristas (Revilla, 2012), which include: 1) engaging in forms of resistance through a queer and feminist world-making, 2) centering joy and love with and for each other as …

Issue 473: October 2-16, 2025, The Local Voice

The Local Voice

No abstract provided.

Regional Lending Market Structures And Cross-Class Social Capital’S Impact On Small Business Outcomes In The United States, Karl Guenther

Dissertations

This study examines whether regional lending market structures—specifically, the availability of capital from local credit unions—affects the success of small businesses in U.S. metropolitan areas. It investigates whether greater local credit union market share of lending capacity improves small business outcomes and whether this relationship is moderated by levels of economic connectedness, a form of cross-class social capital. The analysis further explores whether these moderating effects are especially pronounced for Black-owned small businesses. The study focuses on business outcomes in regions in 2021. Regression models are estimated using cross-sectional data from across 135, 301, and 375 metropolitan statistical areas based …

October 2, 2025, Caa

Minutes

No abstract provided.

Creating The Polaris Initiative For First-Generation Undeclared Students, Jack Michaels

Masters Projects

First-generation undeclared students face compounded challenges in higher education, including lower sense of belonging, increased stress and anxiety, and higher attrition compared to their peers. While research has examined first-generation and undeclared students separately, little attention has been given to their intersecting identities. This paper provides a literature review of these students’ unique struggles and explores ways they may succeed throughout college. Living learning communities, first-year seminars, and interaction with faculty and academic advisors all have a positive impact on this student group. In response to the literature, The Polaris Initiative was created — a retention strategy for Grand Valley …

Growth Mindset In The Mathematics Classroom: Studying The Effects Of A Growth Mindset Intervention On High School Students In A Geometry Classroom, Katelyn Strauss

Mathematics Graduate Theses

Having a growth mindset is crucial to being successful in a mathematics classroom. However, many students believe themselves to be either “mathematics people” or “not mathematics people”. When students believe they are not a mathematics person, they are far less likely to engage in material where they face struggles, and thus they miss out on valuable learning. A review of the literature has show that students have been able to shift their mindset from fixed to growth through a series of interventions. I used a unit in Geometry to see how a growth mindset intervention would affect the mindset of …

Social Media Prevalence: Information Anxiety Among The Librarians: Survey Study, Muhammad Yousuf Ali, Wasim Shahid Khawaja

Libraries

Library and information professionals also use social media platforms through computers, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones due to the excessive use of social media and health issues faced by library professionals. The primary purpose of this paper is to bring up the issue of information overload and its impact on the professional lives of librarians. It is a quantitative study, and survey methodology is used as the data collection source. A total of 162 library professionals participated in this study. The findings of this study showed that excessive use of social media anxiety has effects on the health of library …

Determinant Factors Of Completeness Of Medical Resume Filling By Doctors At Pesawaran Regional General Hospital, Achmad Deza Farista, Aila Karyus, Abikusno Djamaluddin

Jurnal ARSI : Administrasi Rumah Sakit Indonesia

A medical resume serves as a vital document that compiles essential information related to a patient’s clinical management. In 2019, the completeness rate of medical resume documentation at Pesawaran Regional General Hospital was only 37.4%. This study aimed to identify factors influencing the completeness of medical resume documentation by doctors through a quantitative, cross-sectional design involving 37 inpatient care doctors. Data were collected via questionnaires and direct observation, then analyzed using univariate, bivariate (Chi-Square), and multivariate (Logistic Regression) methods. Observation showed that 56.8% of medical resumes were incomplete. Questionnaire results indicated that 54.1% of respondents had negative perceptions of Standard …

The Current - Volume 36 Issue 3, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

In The Matter Of The Parental Rights As To S.A.T., A Minor Child, 141 Nev. Adv. Op. 40 (Oct. 2, 2025), Collin Faught

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

THE COURT DETERMINED UNDER N.R.S. § 128.105 THAT TOKEN EFFORTS ALONE CANNOT SUPPORT PRIVATE TERMINATION OF PARENTAL RIGHTS AND THAT SILENCE DOES NOT ADMIT FAULT.

Kenyon Collegian - October 2, 2025

The Kenyon Collegian

No abstract provided.

Montana Kaimin, October 2, 2025, Students Of The University Of Montana, Missoula

Montana Kaimin, 1898-present

Student newspaper of the University of Montana, Missoula.

Genome-Wide Analysis Of Dna Methylation Signatures Linking Prenatal Exposure To The Chinese Great Famine And Blood Lipids In Late Adulthood: The Genomic Research Of The Chinese Famine (Grecf) Study, Huan Wang, Luqi Shen, Tingting Liu, Ruiyuan Zhang, Zhenghe Wang, Jingkai Wei, Ye Shen, Jinzhen Guo, Toni Miles, Changwei Li, Zhiyong Zou

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background/objectives: Prenatal exposure to famine can lead to lasting health effects through changes in DNA methylation. This study aims to evaluate the impact of prenatal exposure to the Chinses Great Famine (1959-1961) on human epigenome and the subsequent influence on blood lipids.

Methods: We conducted an epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) of peripheral blood-based DNA methylation and prenatal exposure to the Chinese Great Famine as well as blood lipids among eight participants exposed to famine and eight sex-matched participants (born ≤ 3 years after the famine). Genome-wide DNA methylation sites were profiled using the Illumina EPIC BeadChip, which covers 850K methylation …

October 2, 2025, James Madison University

The Breeze, 2020-

The Breeze is the student newspaper of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.