Digital Commons Network^™

The Parthenon, April 29, 2026, Baylee Parsons, Kaitlyn Fleming, Abby Ayes, Ella Hatfield, Davina Snyder, Scott Price, Trista Honaker, Tally Mamula

The Parthenon

No abstract provided.

Barks And Beans: A Place To Enjoy Two Things You Love, Erika Davis

Honors Projects

This project explores the necessary steps that need to be taken in order to have a successful and impactful pet cafe. "Barks and Beans" is a pet cafe created to enhance the community and benefit societies mental health and social wellbeing while operating as a successful business. This project is guided by the research questions "How does integrating dogs into a coffee shop environment influence factors such as customer attraction, retention, and overall brand identity?” and “What impact do dogs in a coffee shop have on a customer's emotional/mental well-being, satisfaction of experience, and likelihood of returning?”. Given the research …

Judging A Book By Its Cover: Exploring Ethical Solutions For Marketing & Labeling Romance Novels With Illustrated Cover Art, Tricia Filbrun

Honors Projects

As social media platforms and subcommunities have driven massive sales for romance titles in the publishing industry, there has been an intense debate among literary communities, parents, and school administrators about whether the illustrated cover art style is appropriate. Some readers feel that these books are intentionally marketed towards a younger audience, and the sexually explicit nature of the content was not made clear, or labeled at all, before they read the book. This paper explores four likely marketing and labeling solutions that could be implemented to resolve this issue, and whether they are ethical by marketing and advertising standards, …

Mindful Tea Drinking As A Low-Cost Sensory Intervention For Reducing Stress In College Students, David Gabel

Honors Projects

The proposed study would investigate the effects of a tea-based sensory mindfulness exercise on stress in college aged participants. Participants would listen to a mindful tea exercise and a non-mindful tea exercise after a mild stress-inducing Stroop test. For both conditions, the participants would report their current state of distress on the Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS) before and after each tea exercise and their heart rate variability (HRV) would be measured during each segment of the experiment.

Descriptive statistics and a paired samples t-test would be used to compare the mindful tea condition with the non-mindful condition following …

Daily Eastern News: April 29, 2026, Eastern Illinois University

Daily Eastern News: 2025-2026

No abstract provided.

Elijah Northcutt Named 2026 Sibley Award Recipient, Lindenwood University

Archived Lindenwood Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Objective, April L. Startzel

Student Projects

This thesis presents a body of paintings that explore the tension between lived experience, memory, and digitally constructed identity. Through layered narrative compositions, the work examines how individuals navigate and internalize multiple versions of themselves within an increasingly image-driven and digitally mediated world. Familiar objects, childhood references, and symbolic imagery serve as accessible entry points, while distortions in scale, composition, and material disrupt immediate recognition and invite active interpretation.

By integrating vivid color, dense compositions, and tactile elements such as polymer clay, the paintings emphasize the contrast between physical materiality and the flatness of digital screens. The recurring square format …

Communication Strategies To Support Collections And Budget Management, Evan Rusch, Heidi J. Southworth, Nat Gustafson-Sundell, Lisa Baures, Daardi Mixon, Joe Holtermann

Library Services Publications

As budget management grows more challenging, we will need to communicate as successfully as possible to achieve the best possible outcomes. Communication with departments and administration about budget management and related changes to collections can be crucial to maintain constructive relationships and to improve cooperative planning. Academic libraries often rely on librarian liaisons to communicate directly with departments, but additional communication efforts are sometimes pursued. Our library has recently focused on collections communication across a range of projects and audiences. These projects have included a budget reduction plan and major print deselection project, as well as ongoing, prospective budget management. …

April 29, 2026 General Faculty Minutes, University Of South Carolina

Faculty Senate

No abstract provided.

Jtc 26: A Philosopher Headed To Stanford, Staff Report

University of Mississippi News

This story is part of the 2026 Journey to Commencement series, which celebrates the pinnacle of the academic year by highlighting University of Mississippi students and their outstanding academic and personal journeys from college student to college graduate.

Commonwealth Times 2026-04-29

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Playwork: Five Years On, Pete King

International Journal of Playwork Practice

In 2020, at the start of the March 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom, a study was undertaken with 23 participants exploring the impact this may have on playwork and playwork practice.  That project started an 18-month longitudinal study between March 2020 and September 2022.  COVID-19 was five years ago, and this final study aimed to explore the current impact on playwork and playwork practice.  In total, 8 interviews were undertaken, and the results constructed 4 main themes regarding the continuing effects of COVID-19: 1) Community Engagement, 2) Emotional Regulation, 3) Outdoors, and 4) Health and Safety.  The findings …

Impact Of Multicultural Literature Through Reader's Response, Rachel Konrad

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine how students respond to using five multicultural read aloud texts and responding to them in a response. The goal of this study was to see if student engagement improved as a result of the study and if student comprehension improved through the use of pre and post assessments. Student data was collected that included a pre and post assessment, anecdotal records of student discussion, responses to texts, and student and parent surveys. Students discovered and discussed themes across texts such as cultural identity, community, and belonging.

Well-Being For Novice Nurses With The Powerful Feeling Of Belonging Through Mentorship, Shelli Anne Marie Chernesky, Natalie Bermudez, Diane Kramer

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Nursing is a known profession to help others by providing an environment of healing that includes elements of physical and psychological comfort. Our project looks at the importance of belonging as a form of supportive protection for the acute care novice nurse by using mentorship to help navigate the everchanging clinical environment. Mentoring has a direct correlation with belonging for nurses, being part of something with shared goals. Mentorship supports professional development while endorsing career pathway direction. Demanding clinical environments increase nursing responsibilities. Therefore, healthy work environments can be compromised and produce physical fatigue and mixed feelings leading to decreased …

Hidden Barriers: Enforcement Asymmetry And The Political Economy Of U.S.–Mexico Food Trade And The Cattle Industry, Sabina Prieto, Chris Jackson

Honors Thesis

This project examines how enforcement irregularities in Mexican food safety regulation affect small exporters’ ability to access U.S. markets. On paper, agricultural trade is regulated by laws on food quality, certification, and logistics. In practice, it is how those rules are enforced. In Mexico, big firms and producer associations tend to gain steady support and easier certification, while smaller producers face delays, rejections, or inconsistent oversight that make it much harder to compete. This study uses a comparative case study approach to analyze how similar industries produce different outcomes in market access. By tracing key events such as disease outbreaks, …

Cross-Cultural Neuropsychological Testing: A Behavioral Item Analysis Of The Party Subtest From The Muns Battery Administered To Argentinian And U.S. Participants, Arwen A. Miranda, Alberto Luis Fernandez

Honors Thesis

In response to prevalent cultural bias in neuropsychological testing, cross-cultural tests (CCTs) were developed for accessibility across cultures through the use of “universal” stimuli. The Multicultural Neuropsychological Scale (MUNS) is a CCT developed to be appropriate across education levels, cost-effective and capable of assessing cognitive functions. The MUNS consists of seven subtests, including the Party subtest, which measures executive functioning by instructing participants to organize a party on a map. During this activity, participants purchase items such as food while remaining mindful of a 100-coin budget and minimizing travel distance. The present study examined whether the Party subtest functions comparably …

Center For Social Development Report To The Community: 2026, Center For Social Development, Washington University In St. Louis

Center for Social Development Research

For more than 30 years, the Center for Social Development (CSD) has been a hub for implementing and testing applied social innovations. As the 2026 "Report to the Community" underscores, we remain dedicated to our mission to advance policies and practices that support individuals, families, and communities in achieving their goals and contributing to society and the economy.

The Impact Of Mentor Text On Second Grade Writing, Brittany A. Still

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to (a) ascertain the effect mentor text had on student engagement and (b) determine the impact mentor text had on student writing style. Students utilized strategies from five mentor texts during the writer's workshop to write their own personal narratives. Students demonstrated increased engagement through class discussions following each read aloud. Writing style was impacted as students implemented different writing elements into their own writing based on the mentor text discussed. Implications for teaching writing are discussed.

Energy Transitions By Wire? The Spatial Politics Of Transmission Development In New England, Maddy Kroot

Student Publications [Scholarly]

This data set is a corpus of de-identified transcripts from a doctoral research project examining local opposition to two high-voltage transmission lines in northern New England. The corpus includes 41 transcripts from interview participants who consented for their de-identified transcripts to be posted to the Clark Digital Commons. This research was supported by the NSF Human-Environment and Geographical Sciences Doctoral  Dissertation Research Improvement Award (#2400991).

When High Turns Harmful: Synthetic Cannabinoid-Induced Stroke In A Patient With Cryptogenic Risk Factors, Rachel Morris, Rusheek Rawal, Hannah Runnoe, Radhika Huliyar, Matthew R. Leach

Advocate GME

No abstract provided.

From Novice To Target: Reducing New Graduate Nurse Bullying, A Quality Improvement Project, Christina Matousek, D'Ana Brooks, Joy Elwell, Ivy M. Alexander, Tracy Carafeno

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Background: The bullying of new graduate nurses is often considered a rite of passage in the nursing profession.¹ Bullying within nursing has led to poor professional development, reduced self-confidence, and has the potential to negatively impact patient outcomes; with links to increased medication errors, falls, and hospital costs.^1,9 Within a comprehensive cancer center, high rates of nurse bullying have been reported. Currently, this institution lacks staff education regarding bullying and the negative impacts it poses to staff and patients.

Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to reduce the bullying of new graduate registered nurses (RNs), …

Deep Learning-Based Multi-Class Classification Approach For Diabetic Eye Diseases, Ruqaia Jawd, Arwa Alqudsi, Ahmad Sabah, Huda Kadhim, Raja Kadhim, Hasanain Jalil

Mesopotamian Journal of Big Data

Diabetes-related eye diseases are the leading cause of blindness amongst working-age individuals and represent a serious global health concern. Early detection is essential to prevent vision loss. However, current screening techniques face limitations in scalability and accessibility. A deep learning (DL) method for automatically classifying retinal images into four groups—diabetic retinopathy, normal, glaucoma and cataract—is presented in this work. We developed and assessed a convolutional neural network (CNN) model using transfer learning (TL) with EfficientNetB3 as the foundational architecture, utilising a diverse dataset of over 4,000 retinal images collected from various sources. Our model achieved an overall accuracy of 91.3%, …

The Lumberjack, April 29, 2026

Cal Poly Humboldt's Student Newspaper

The student newspaper of Humboldt State University.

Recognition Celebration 2026, Communications And Marketing

Faculty And Staff Recognition Dinner Programs

Award Winners:

University of Minnesota John Tate Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising: Marissa Holst

UMM Faculty Distinguished Research Award: Heather Peters

UMM Alumni Association Teaching Award: Cheryl Stewart

Community Engagement Award: Miriam Gieske

Morris Academic Staff Award: Jessica Porwoll

Mary Martelle Memorial Award: Marie Hagen

Outstanding Support Staff Awards: Tera Kleespie, Teresa Sayles, Rebecca Hamilton

Retirees: Kathy Dingman, Bart Finzel, Stephen Gross, Roland Guyotte, Arne Kildegaard, Athena Kildegaard

Learning Spaces As Pedagogy In Audio Education: Designing For Collaboration, Listening, And Mixing In Higher Education, Dean Belcastro

Staff Scholarship - Australia & Dubai

The rapid transformation of the music and audio production industries has significantly altered how people engage with audio creation and learning. While technologies for music production have become more accessible and decentralised, the pedagogical challenge of developing critical listening and audio mixing skills remains ongoing. This paper reflects on the design principles underpinning group learning environments intended to support the teaching of critical listening and audio mixing within higher education. Drawing on practice-led reflection, learning-space literature, and industry change, the paper argues that intentional learning-space design plays an active pedagogical role in fostering engagement, collaboration, and the development of shared …

Investigating Machine Learning As An Anomaly Detection Tool In College Basketball, Eli G. Whitaker

Honors College Theses

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are more commonly becoming tools that organizations use to prevent, detect, and deter fraud. Like other organizations, the amount of fraud that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) faces is growing at an alarming rate. The primary issue involves athletes that undermine the integrity of their sport by purposefully playing below their true potential as participants in broader betting-related schemes. This thesis focused on Division 1 Men’s Basketball evaluates the viability of using supervised ML to detect anomalies in team performance over games in recent seasons. Anomalies, like red flags in the context …

Perceptions Of Rural Large Animal Owners On Cost And Distance As Barriers To Veterinary Medicine, Alyssa Dalleske

Honors College Theses

Access to veterinary care remains a significant issue in rural communities due to financial, geographic, and access barriers. Limited access to veterinary care can have an impact on animal welfare and an economic impact for producers. This study aimed to assess factors influencing access to veterinary services, including cost, distance to clinics, perceived value of care, and availability of mobile veterinary professionals. The survey was distributed to rural large animal owners using social media, and gained 20 participants. It collected data on perceived barriers within their communities. The survey results indicated that cost of care and distance to veterinary clinics …

Mechanisms Of Binding And Immune Escape Resistance For Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies Targeting Distinct Conserved Sars-Cov-2 Spike Epitopes: A Hierarchical Approach Integrating Mutational Profiling And Energy Landscape Analysis, Mohammed Alshahrani, Will Gatlin, Max Ludwick, Lucas Turano, Brandon Foley, Gennady M. Verkhivker

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

The continued evolution of SARS-CoV-2 has enabled an escape from most monoclonal antibodies, yet a subset of broadly neutralizing antibodies targeting three newly identified super-conserved RBD epitopes—SCORE-A, SCORE-B, and SCORE-C—retains remarkable activity against even the most recent JN.1-derived sublineages. Here, we employed an integrated computational framework combining conformational dynamics, mutational scanning, MM-GBSA binding energetics, and frustration profiling to dissect the molecular mechanisms by which XGI antibodies achieve broad neutralization and resistance to immune escape. Structural analysis revealed that all three SCORE epitopes share a common architecture: a highly conserved, minimally frustrated core that provides stable anchoring, flanked by peripheral regions …

April 29, 2026 Blazer Weekly, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

Blazer Weekly (student newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Supplement Risk, Allison Connor, Bs, Linh Tang Taylor, Md, Jeffrey Youker, Md

Books, Presentations, Posters, Etc.

Introduction: Increasingly, it is the case that patients are using a variety of supplements. About half of American adults use supplements. ¹. The purpose of this case report is to consider the impact of surreptitious supplement use on clinical presentation and under score the value in gathering a robust patient history. Case report: A 58-year-old man with prior history of infective endocarditis (IE) resulting in bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement (2 years prior) presented with worsening left lumbar pain and low-grade fever. He was found to have Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia with L4/5 vertebral osteomyelitis and a left psoas abscess. …