Digital Commons Network^™

Outside The Church Walls: An Empirical Exploration Of Organizational Culture And Pastoral Leadership In Two Urban Churches, Althea P. Gordon-Scott, Joshua D. Henson, Bethany D. Peters, Katrina Hutchins

Great Commission Research Journal

A mini-ethnographic case study explored the interconnections of organizational culture and pastoral leadership with sustainable outreach in two very different churches that focus on ministry to people with life-controlling issues and economic need: a small, primarily Black church in the Great Lakes region and a large, primarily White and Hispanic church in the western United States. Despite their differences, the churches shared similar espoused values and leadership characteristics that facilitated their outreach initiatives. Themes derived from the data include altruistic foundations, the value of relationships, exemplary pastoral leadership, organizational challenges, agile organizational systems, and the centrality of God.

Promoting Member Participation And Dialogue Across Differences: A Mixed Methods Study Of One Diocese’S Implementation Of The Catholic Church’S Synodality Initiative, Robert Donmoyer, Fred J. Galloway

Interdisciplinary Journal of Leadership Studies

In recent years, leaders of the Catholic Church have attempted to promote more participatory ways of operating. A few years ago, for example, Church leaders initiated what they referred to as a synodality initiative worldwide. Catholics were asked to share publicly a time the Church brought them joy and a time it disappointed them, along with a hope they have for the Church's future.  One diocese organized the process around the sort of talking circles used by Indigenous groups to make decisions and connect members.  This diocese also enlisted researchers to lead a systematic study of the process; they employed …

Leadership Dynamics, Transparency, & Governance During Crisis In Religious Organizations: Discussing The Roman Catholic Church’S Centralized Authority, John D. Rudnick Jr, Raymond L. Enzweiler, Srecko Koralija

Interdisciplinary Journal of Leadership Studies

Abstract
This article considers two high-profile crises inside the Roman Catholic Church. The rejection of the Vatican audit in 2015 and the financial loss from a large investment in London real estate exemplify tension and balance between centralized, hierarchical leadership and institutional accountability. These cases examine leadership patterns relative to transparency, communication, and governance, evaluating the efficacy of centralized power under financial distress. The discussion is organized across pre-crisis, active crisis, and post-crisis phases by integrating insights from transactional, transformational, servant, and adaptive leadership style models. Performance improvement (PI) tools such as Before Action Reviews (BARs), After Action Reviews (AARs), …

Sacred Loss And Moral Authority: Religious Leadership And Identity Reconstruction In Post-Conflict Societies, Kimberly C. Kennedy

Interdisciplinary Journal of Leadership Studies

This paper examines how religious leaders shape narratives of identity formation and reconciliation in post-civil conflict societies where violence, defeat, or political transition produces moral injury and crises of meaning. By drawing on themes of justice, forgiveness, and accountability, religious leadership can wield moral authority to influence public perception, guide healing processes, and support transitions from active conflict to more stable forms of peace. The paper explores how religious leaders reframe narratives of defeat, particularly in cases where a community’s cause was endowed with sacred meaning, creating a crisis of faith. It argues that this work is best understood as …

Powerful Pulpits: Black Preachers As Cultish Leaders In The Axman Murders, 1909-1912, Lauren N. Henley

Interdisciplinary Journal of Leadership Studies

Southwestern Louisiana and southeastern Texas experienced a series of disturbingly similar ax murders from November 1909 to August 1912. In nearly every case, a black family living within a mile of the Sunset Limited line of the Southern Pacific Railroad was brutally slaughtered in their own home, victims of a surreptitious assailant. Eventually, a young black woman would take credit for some of the crimes, ushering in the language of “religious fanaticism” as a potential motive. This confession sparked an intense period of criminalization of black male preachers, with a particular focus on Pentecostal leaders in southwestern Louisiana. This article …

October 2026 Library & Learning Newsletter, Minnesota State University, Mankato. Library & Learning Dean's Office Communication Team

Library & Learning Newsletters

PDF version of the October 2026 (Volume 5, Issue 2) Library & Learning Newsletter.

Axillary Surgery In Sentinel Node-Positive Breast Cancer After Neoadjuvant Therapy: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Youssef Zeidan

All Publications

The oncologic value of axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) for residual node-positive (ypN+) breast cancer after neoadjuvant therapy is uncertain when regional nodal irradiation (RNI) is routinely used. We systematically reviewed comparative evidence on locoregional control and survival outcomes with omission versus completion of ALND. PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Central were searched from 2000 to 2025 for English-language studies comparing completion ALND with omission of ALND (sentinel lymph node biopsy and/or targeted axillary dissection) among patients with biopsy-proven node-positive breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant therapy who had residual nodal disease at surgery. Two reviewers screened studies and extracted outcomes. We …

Moral Language Analysis And The Archives Of Sexuality, Phoenix R. Crane, Calvin Mensel '27, Claire Collins '28

Annual Student Research Poster Session

This project was based primarily in Greencastle, IN, with regular research trips to Indiana University in Bloomington to conduct in-person, archival research at the Kinsey Institute. During these visits, the team explored the Institute’s scholarly collections on sexuality, particularly on subjects related to queer women’s sexuality, criminal trials, and the occult. Extensive notes were taken – recording gender issues and language patterns, specifically. Three promising collections were identified to compare – abortion trials, obscenity trials, and murder trials. Guided by Moral Foundations Theory, differences were hypothesized in how journalists’ language emphasizes the five facets of morality across the three contentious …

Investigating Factors Of Tree Mortality, Charlie Shivers Iv '28

Annual Student Research Poster Session

In recent decades, there has been a global decline in tree populations, and in this large-scale forest dynamics plot, we observed a change from accruing biomass(the organic material that trees store) to losing it. Many studies suggest that this trend may become more common, but few look for the mechanisms behind it. This study explores how much two factors, trees growing to their maximum size and non-indigenous pests and pathogens, contribute to the observed mortality and loss of biomass. We conducted an annual mortality census of all trees over ten centimeters wide on the plot using ArcGIS fieldmaps to add …

Evaluating Large-Scale Propensity Score Adjustment When Sample Size Is Small, Fleur Vereijken, Jenna M Reps, Marc A Suchard, Linying Zhang, George Hripcsak, Peter R Rijnbeek, Ross D Williams, Martijn J Schuemie

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Large-scale propensity score (LSPS) models are increasingly used to control confounding in observational studies, but their reliability in small-sample settings is unclear. Small samples can limit a study's ability to estimate propensity scores accurately and achieve adequate covariate balance, raising concerns about insufficient confounding adjustment. Resulting in small datasets being excluded, despite potentially containing valid information.

METHODS: We evaluated the balancing and bias reduction performance of LSPS models using six target-comparator pairs. To emulate a distributed data network analysis setting, we partitioned two large real-world data sources into smaller subsets. Within each subset, LSPS models were fit locally and …

Front Matter, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

No abstract provided.

Barriers To Veterans Affairs (Va) Healthcare Utilization: Exploring The Underutilization Of Va Healthcare Services Among Rural, West Texas Veterans, Adam G. Rodgers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rural veterans forgo Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare at disproportionate rates, and this study found that the primary barrier is not enrollment but utilization. Seven of the eight participants were already enrolled yet remained functionally outside the system. The purpose of this qualitative single-case study was to explore why rural West Texas veterans forgo and underutilize Veterans Health Administration (VHA) healthcare. Two research questions examined the perceptions contributing to that decision and the barriers preventing access. Andersen’s behavioral model of health services use provided the framework. Semistructured virtual interviews with eight rural West Texas veterans were analyzed using Braun …

Cultivating Success: Exploring Mentorship In Collegiate Speech And Debate For Student Retention And Growth, Vanessa Fowler

National Forensic Journal

While many are drawn to forensics because of the allure of advocacy through public speaking and moving performances, there also exists the human element of forensics that continues to keep people involved and build life lasting relationships when the competition years are finished. Mentorship plays a distinctive role in the forensics community in the way coaches work to build their teams and for the students to have guides along their journeys whether they continue within the activity after their competitor years or not. This thesis delves into the pivotal role of mentorship within the collegiate speech and debate community, examining …

Drawing The Circle: Framing Forensics As Educational Looping, Ben Walker

National Forensic Journal

In light of shrinking numbers on teams and at tournaments, Klosa (2008) called for more sustainable practices in forensics. Now with funding in higher education dwindling (Fenner, 2018), forensics needs to adapt to the changing landscape (Walker & Walker, 2024). This essay outlines how forensic coaches can align our co-curricular activity with a trending educational philosophy: looping.

Kindness As A Critical Lens: Ethical Considerations In Rhetorical Critique, A Adams, Emily Sauter

National Forensic Journal

In 2016 Brianna Kirkham stepped onto the stage to give a performance titled, “if ‘This Is Not A Rape’ isn’t a rape, then what is it?” based on the performance art of Emma Sulkowicz’s “This Is Not A Rape” video. Of over 100 entrants, Brianna Kirkham was named national champion for her performance in the final round. Kirkham instructs the viewer to “watch kindly” when viewing Sulkowicz’s video. However, this phrase is never defined. Instead, Kirkham interrogates herself and the audience. Are we, as participants within a competitive activity, watching kindly? Did she? By utilizing a performance that clearly alludes …

Book Review, Communication Wisdom: Insights On Communication Principles, Messages, And Relationships, Jack E. Rogers

National Forensic Journal

Edited by Philip M. Backlund, Steven A. Beebe, Ronald D. Gordan, and Sherwyn P. Morreale, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group: New York and London, 2025, ISBN: 978-1-032-87681-8 (hardback); ISBN: 978-1-032-87676-4 (paperback); ISBN: 978-1-003-53389-4 (eBook).

Introduction: Accessibility In Collegiate Forensics, E Meier, Justin Rudnick

National Forensic Journal

No abstract provided.

Band-Aids And Bulldozers: Reimagining, Rebuilding, And Taking Responsibility For The Foundational Inaccessibility Of College Speech, Julie Walker

National Forensic Journal

No abstract provided.

Adolescent Health Across Asia Pacific, 2000–23: A Systematic Analysis For The Global Burden Of Disease Study 2023, Gbd 2023 Asia Pacific Adolescent Health Collaborators, Karly I. Cini, Dorothea Dumuid, Iffat Abbsar, Luo Li, Diandra Amandita Priambodo, Bhoomadevi A, Muhammad Ahmed Abdullah, Abdullah, Richard Gyan Aboagye, Swetha Acharya, Isaac Yeboah Addo, Nurudeen A. Adegoke, Ripon Kumar Adhikary, Usha Adiga, Mohd Adnan, Qorinah Estiningtyas Sakilah Adnani, Obed Adonteng-Kissi, Ebenezer Afrifa-Yamoah, Fransisca Handy Agung, Aqeel Ahmad, Khabir Ahmad, Naved Ahmad, Tauseef Ahmad, Jahanzaib Mian Ahmed, Mushood Ahmed, Shahzaib Ahmed, Kasuni H.M. Akalanka, Muhammad Nadeem Akhtar, Wole Akosile

Peninsula Medical School

Background: The Asia Pacific region is home to more than half of the world's 1·93 billion adolescents (aged 10–24 years). Addressing adolescent health in this region is of global importance, but to date a systematic analysis of key contributors to disease in adolescents has not been done, which is a barrier to responsive action. This systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2023 aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of adolescent health across the Asia Pacific region, at both the subregional and national levels, encompassing burden of disease, mortality, and prevalence of adolescent …

Spatial Bias In Quality Of Estimated Delivery Date Records In The Electronic Health Record, Abigail Lewis, Randi Foraker, Min Lian, Min Zhao, Inez Oh, Aditi Gupta, Antonina Frolova, Philip R O Payne

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluates the quality of estimated delivery dates (EDD) captured in electronic health record (EHR) systems, focusing on identifying and quantifying bias in these estimates for patients seeking prenatal care.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We measured spatial and racial biases in the completeness and concordance of EDDs recorded in the EHR for patients seeking prenatal care. Element presence and agreement were compared across the catchment area to identify spatial patterns of bias in EDD records.

RESULTS: We obtained 38 477 unique pregnancy episodes in the EHR representing 33 081 unique patients between 2018 and 2022. Clear spatial and racial …

Nanoparticle-Enabled Superplasticity In Extruded Az91 Magnesium Alloy With Elongation Exceeding 600%, Bai Xin Dong, Hong Yu Yang, Xin Zhang, Feng Qiu, Qi Chuan Jiang, Lai Chang Zhang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

No abstract provided.

Pooled Proportion And Associated Factors Of Postoperative Pain During The Recovery Time Among Adult Surgical Patients In An Ethiopian Setting With Limited Resources: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Sintayehu Samuel Lorato, Mitiku Desalegn, Kelemu Abebe Gelaw, Yohannes Godie Ashebir, Olyad Kuma Getahun, Gebeyehu Lakew, Mathewos Mekonnen Gemmechu, Tiruye Menshaw Tiruneh, Yibeltal Assefa Atalay, Amlaku Nigusie Yirsaw, Eyob Ketema Bogale, Natnael Atnafu Gebeyehu, Tewodros Shitemaw Tekoye, Genanew Kassie Getahun, Kedir Seid, Abel Tibebu Goshu

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

No abstract provided.

Women's Experiences Of Menstrual Pain And Perceptions Of Acupuncture: A Qualitative Study, Weiting Liu, Amanda Towell-Barnard, Khui Hung Lee

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: Menstrual pain is a common reproductive health concern that can substantially disrupt physical, emotional, and social well-being, yet it is frequently normalised and insufficiently addressed within healthcare encounters. Acupuncture is increasingly used as a complementary approach for menstrual pain management; however, little qualitative research has explored how women understand, interpret, and navigate this option within their menstrual care.

Methods: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted using four online focus groups with 14 women aged 19–46 years residing in Australia who self-reported primary dysmenorrhea. Participants were purposively sampled from respondents to a previous cross-sectional survey study who had indicated willingness …

Recommendations From Health Research For Children And Adolescents Living In The Kimberley Region Of Western Australia: A Scoping Review, Lisa Cannon, Elizabeth J. Elliott, Andrew Dossetor, Tracey W. Tsang, Md Irteja Islam, Alexandra L. Martiniuk, Habiba Naanai, Tuguy Esgin, Emily Carter, Lauren J. Rice

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Aboriginal leaders in Western Australia’s Kimberley region have voiced concern that research conducted on their lands is not being adequately used to inform meaningful change. Objective: This scoping review, grounded in an Aboriginal-academic partnership, identifies the child and adolescent health-related research conducted in the region and summarises the authors’ recommendations for knowledge translation. Methods: Drawing on PRISMA-ScR guidelines, we conducted a comprehensive search of multiple databases for publications between January 1967 and June 2025, focusing on children aged ≤ 18 years. Data extraction was conducted using Covidence, and publications were categorised based on the International Classification of Diseases (11th …

The Parthenon, October 01, 2026, Trista Honaker, Davina Snyder, Soleil Woolard, Alana Romero-Lozano, Claire Johnson, Hannah Anderson, Tally Mamula

The Parthenon

No abstract provided.

School Funding Allocation And Non-Beneficiary Stakeholders, Ngoc Pham '27, Kavi Thakkar, Ryan Rudderham

Annual Student Research Poster Session

Do non-beneficiaries care about how school districts allocate funding gained from taxes paid by them?

Kinetiscan: Evaluating A Browser-Based Monocular System For 3d Gait Analysis, Thu Tran '29, Stephen Agyemang '28, Rueben Addison

Annual Student Research Poster Session

Gait analysis is a useful tool for early detection, diagnosis of neurological and orthopedic conditions, and rehabilitation support. The gold standard for assessment of gait requires laboratory motion capture systems. The system requires calibrated cameras, reflective markers, specialist software, and professionals to operate. For these reasons, gait analysis is expensive and inaccessible in some clinics, schools, and home settings where continuous or early monitoring would have a significant impact. KinetiScan addresses this gap with just a single ordinary camera. This browser-based system uses transformer architecture to perform 2D-to-3D mapping. When provided with distance and height entries, KinetiScan outputs the 3D …

Functional Role Of Skull Lymphoid Structures In Cns Immunosurveillance, Jang Hyun Park, Daviti Abramishvili, Gustavo Gastão Davanzo, Ruben Silva, Xingxing Gu, Siling Du, Daniel D Lee, Bernd H Zinselmeyer, Jackson S Turner, Gwendalyn J Randolph, Igor Smirnov, Jonathan Kipnis

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Accumulating evidence demonstrates that the central nervous system (CNS) is not disconnected from the peripheral immune system; however, precisely how the adaptive immune system surveils the CNS remains a critical question. Recent findings reveal that channels between the skull and the dura mater facilitate the exchange of cerebrospinal fluid and immune cells between the CNS and skull bone marrow of mice under both homeostatic and disease conditions

Cannabis Retailers' Marketing Practices And Compliance With State Regulations: A 2025 Point-Of-Sale Audit In 5 U.S. Cities, Carla J Berg, Cassidy R Loparco, Matthew E Rossheim, Morgan B Speer, Elizabeth Platt, Caitlin Davie, Hermela Amdeta, Darby Mihelich, Diane M Ndisebuye, Yuxian Cui, Patricia A Cavazos-Rehg, Y Tony Yang, Scott Burris

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Cannabis retail surveillance is crucial to inform regulations and enforcement efforts. This point-of-sale audit study examined marketing practices and compliance with age verification rules, required signage, and marketing restrictions among 161 cannabis retailers in 5 US cities in states authorizing nonmedical cannabis retail (Los Angeles [LA], California; Las Vegas [LV], Nevada; Denver, Colorado; Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington) in summer 2025. Descriptive and bivariate analyses characterized retailers overall and across cities. Overall, 84.5 % of retailers requested age verification upon entry (range: Seattle = 43.3 % to LV = 100 %); 8.1 % never verified (range: LV/Denver = 0 % to …

Organizational Systems, Support Structures, And Principal Retention In Urban Secondary Schools: A Job Demands And Resources Analysis Of Belonging And Isolation, Meredith L. Perry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Principal turnover remains a challenge in high-poverty secondary schools, where leadership stability is critical to school improvement and student success. Although factors associated with principal attrition have been studied, less is known about how district-level systems and support structures shape principals’ experiences of connection, belonging, and professional isolation. This qualitative multiple-case study was conducted within a program evaluation context to examine how district policies, processes, and support structures functioned as job demands and job resources influencing principals’ experiences and retention decisions within a large urban school district. Guided by the job demands–resources (JD-R) framework, the study included four secondary principals …