Digital Commons Network^™

Federal Hiring Dysfunction And The Self-Shrinking Skew, Lindsey Barrett

American University Law Review

A half-century of remodeling agency workforces against corporate blueprints has hollowed out the civil service, enervated oversight, and facilitated the rise of tech oligarchy. Progressive commentors have criticized the neoliberal turn and proposed reinvigorating reforms, but they’ve overlooked a foundational obstacle: federal hiring dysfunction. Hiring dysfunction entrenches low-resource, deferential regulatory tactics, makes sharper or more onerous approaches less feasible, and undermines recruitment of technical staff for policy and regulatory functions. Concerns about hiring dysfunction and capacity dampen regulatory ambitions. Finally, hiring dysfunction creates plausible-seeming capacity pretexts to oppose novel or more confrontational tactics. The cumulative effects cement regulatory dismantlement to …

Seeds Of Sovereignty: Critical Public Health, Radical Sisterhood, And The Fight For Agricultural Justice, Andrew L. Carter

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

This book explores the historical and contemporary influence of African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) women farmers in the fight for food justice. ACB foodways have been dismantled over time due to centuries of settler colonialism, discriminatory agricultural policies, land and knowledge theft, cultural erasure, and direct forms of violence and intimidation—creating vast inequities in today’s food system. At the same time, mainstream public health responses to food insecurity and access in ACB communities often focus on short-term solutions that do not empower local communities and keep the status quo intact. These approaches overlook the broader structural constraints that maintain and …

A Quantitative Analysis Of Barriers To College Students’ Seasonal Vaccination Intentions And Behaviors, Kelly S. Clemens, John Matkovic

Faculty Publications – Health Sciences

Objective
Vaccination is crucial to college student health, but quantitative analyses of barriers in this population are limited. The present study expands the work of Su and Chen to determine the relative influence of structural, psychological, and social vaccination barriers.

Participants
Participants were 650 students from a large, midwestern university during the 2024 vaccination season.

Methods
Participants were recruited from a college campus and randomized to respond to items assessing their barriers to, intentions to receive, and uptake of the COVID-19 or influenza vaccination.

Results
Structural, psychological, and social barriers were differentially important to vaccinations and to intentions vs. uptake …

Shades Of Stress: Colorism As Minority Stress For Women Of Color, Caitlin M. Mercier, Brea M. Banks, Lourdes D. Concepción Cabán, Michelle Duong

Faculty Publications – Psychology

Women of color often endure indignities shaped by colorism and skin tone discrimination, pressuring them to adhere to racialized beauty ideals (i.e., lighter skin). In response, some women of color may internalize these standards (i.e., through internalized coping and racial self-hatred) which can foster psychological distress. Yet, these associations remain underexplored. Using minority stress theory, in our cross-sectional study we collected online survey data to examine whether internalization and racial self-hatred explained the indirect link between colorist microaggressions and psychological distress among 121 women of color at a Midwestern US historically white institution. Using path analysis, we found support for …

Fishing For Father Relationships: Motivations, Successes, And Barriers To Participating In A Community-Based Program, Jordan A. Arellanes, Kyle Miller, Travis Hicks, Ryan J.S. Liew, Earl Kloppmann

Faculty Publications – Psychology

Fathers who participate in community programs experience a range of positive outcomes, including improved relationships with their children. However, many community programs struggle to gain fathers’ attendance at local events. To counteract this, we utilized Community-Based Action Research in collaboration with local and state agencies to develop a father-specific community program that capitalized on the traditionally masculine parenting activity of fishing. The program educated families on the basics of fishing and then provided them with all the necessary materials. Over the course of three years of data collection, 48 fathers participated in interviews, designed to gain a deeper understanding of …

“I Know How To Identify And Communicate My Needs”: A Qualitative Study Of The Self-Perceived Strengths Of People In Polyamorous Relationships, Alexander K. Tatum, Sharon M. Flicker, Nawar Albarak, Jessi M. Schroeder, Ash Moomaw, Idil Ugurluoglu, Alex Whitman, Alysse Wiggins, Danielle Davis, Robyn Fisher

Faculty Publications – Psychology

Little empirical research has adopted a strength-based approach to examine strategies that help offset challenges (e.g., discrimination, internalized stigma) faced by people in polyamorous relationships. The current qualitative study assessed the self-perceived strengths of 63 US-based, adult participants who reported present or former engagement in at least one polyamorous relationship. Participants' responded to the open-ended question, “What particular characteristics do you have that help you navigate the challenges of polyamory?” A thematic analysis identified strengths across eight broad themes: personality traits, a willingness to challenge mononormative socialization, ability to manage difficult emotions, experiencing compersion and/or low levels of/well-managed jealousy, strong …

The Effects Of A Work-Strengths Affirmation Intervention On Death Anxiety, Begüm Orhan, Margaret M. Nauta

Faculty Publications – Psychology

Meaning Management Theory suggests that engaging with meaning-related resources helps individuals constructively regulate consciously experienced death anxiety. Consistent with that theory, we tested whether a single-session, online work-strengths affirmation intervention reduces college students’ (N = 201) death anxiety. Participants completed baseline measures of death anxiety, meaning in life, and self-esteem. One week later, they were randomly assigned to complete either a work-related strengths reflection exercise or a neutral writing task. We assessed outcomes immediately post-intervention and two weeks later. The intervention did not significantly reduce death anxiety in the full sample. Exploratory analyses showed small, immediate reductions among participants …

Daily Fluctuations In Adolescents’ Political Stress, Jacqueline Cerda-Smith, Sholeh Najafian, Shevaun Neupert, Kelly Lynn Mulvey

Faculty Publications – Psychology

This study explored adolescents' daily political stress during the 2024 US election and how proximal and distal factors shaped stress. Participants completed surveys for 20 consecutive days before, during, and after the election. At baseline, they reported perceptions of peer and family election-related experiences and anticipated election impact. Daily surveys captured their daily political stress and election-related exposure. The final sample included 445 daily observations reported by 36 adolescents (aged 13–18, M = 15.61, SD = 1.23) who were mostly white, female, and Democrats. Participants reported significant daily fluctuations in political stress and greater political stress on days when they …

School Psychologists As Advocates: Addressing Microaggressions Targeting Students In Schools, Brea M. Banks, Lourdes D. Concepcion-Cabas, Farhia A. Osman, Kendell Kelly

Faculty Publications – Psychology

The aim of this conceptual paper surrounds a discussion of school psychologists’ role as advocates who can combat the prevalence of microaggressions in schools. The authors first define microaggressions in the context of Critical Race Theory and discuss the negative impact these transgressions have on students. Advocacy is a foundational role of school psychologists, and combatting microaggressions is one way school psychologists can engage in such efforts. Given the goal of this special issues is to highlight how social justice advocacy can address critical issues in school psychology, we use the NASP Practice Model as a framework to describe how …

Ex Vivo Assessment Of Keratinocytic Carcinomas Using A Fast Mid-Infrared Probe., Maria G Vazquez De Vasquez, Rebecca C Bradley, Charles L Hitchcock, Angela S Casey, Austin Cusick, James V Coe, Ronald Siegle

Ambulatory and Primary Care Articles

A fast mid-infrared spectral probe was used to record infrared (IR) spectra of fresh skin tissue removed from patients with biopsy-proven keratinocytic cancer (KC) during Mohs surgery. A 150-patient library of IR spectral data was obtained to see if KC on the epidermal side (outside) of tissue samples can be differentiated from adjacent nonmalignant tissue and normal skin. A linear support vector machine model minimized overtraining predicting the contributions to decisions at each step in the spectrum. Training with an equal cost for KC and nontumor cases samples demonstrated a KC sensitivity of 93% ± 5% and specificity 82% ± …

The Effectiveness Of Virtual Reality Aggression And Violence De-Escalation Training For Nursing And Midwifery Students: A Quasi-Experimental Study, Joshua Johnson, Brennen Mills, Luke Hopper, Sara Hansen, Kelley Mumford, Renju Joseph, Susan Philip, Gina Kruger, Abdi D. Osman

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Nursing students experience substantial exposure to aggression and violence while attending clinical placement. De-escalation training can effectively prepare students for aggressive encounters, yet is resource-intensive to deliver. Immersive virtual reality (VR) may improve training accessibility for nursing students. Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of a VR de-escalation training program to improve nursing students’ confidence in managing patient aggression and its perceived usability. Methods: This study utilized a single-group quasi-experimental pre-/post-test design. Undergraduate Australian nursing students (n = 221) completed a VR de-escalation training program, providing pre-/postintervention self-reported confidence in coping with patient aggression, system usability, and motion sickness data. …

User Experience In Virtual Self-Disclosure: Appraising Natural, Urban, And Artificial Vr Environments, Shane L. Rogers, Tasha Canes, Alexis Pallister

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Featured Application: This study informs the design of virtual environments for therapeutic and emotionally meaningful conversations delivered through VR platforms. The findings show that nature-themed environments, particularly virtual blue spaces, can enhance users’ comfort and calmness when disclosing personal experiences. These results can guide developers of VR counselling systems, digital mental-health tools, and conversational-agent platforms in selecting or tailoring virtual environments that promote psychological safety and ease of communication. Virtual reality (VR) offers new opportunities for delivering psychologically meaningful conversations in digitally mediated settings. This study examined how environmental designs influence user experience during emotionally relevant self-disclosure. Fifty university students …

The Proposed Impact And Anticipated Barriers Of Establishing Food Action Groups In Rural, Regional, And Remote Western Australia, Stephanie L. Godrich, Jess Doe, Sarah Goodwin, Melissa Stoneham, Amanda Devine

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objective: To identify Food Action Groups’ activities that positively impact local food systems, and anticipated barriers to establishing Food Action Groups in rural, regional, and remote Western Australia. Design: This qualitative study employed a phenomenological approach. Nineteen focus groups were conducted. Setting: Rural, regional, and remote Western Australia locations, including 11 towns across 8 regions. Participants: A total of 92 participants (61 interest holders and 31 community members). Analysis: A thematic analysis was undertaken. Results: Priority activities included government advocacy to support local commercial food production, processing, and sales; retain food within its region of origin; and home and community …

Uncovering The Intervening Mechanisms In The Relationship Between Technological Stressors And Individual And Work-Related Consequences, Saeid Nosrati, Seongseop Kim, Dori Davari, Jaehee Gim, Antony King Fung Wong

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study examined how workplace telepressure and cyber incivility, as work-related stressors, affect individual and work-related outcomes in hospitality employees, using a mixed-methods approach. After developing a draft, following a thorough literature review and interviews with hotel staff, the drafted questions were refined through a pre-test and a pilot test. Finally, the main survey was conducted with 792 hotel staff in China. Structural equation modeling was performed using Mplus (Version 8.3) to test both direct and serial mediating effects. It was found that workplace telepressure and cyber incivility, through the serial mediating effect of technostress and poor mental health, had …

Adjuvant Pembrolizumab For Stage Iib Or Iic Melanoma: A Secondary Analysis Of A Randomized Clinical Trial, Sancy A. Leachman, Jason J. Luke, Paolo A. Ascierto, Georgina V. Long, Muhammad Khattak, Piotr Rutkowski, Zhi Jin Xu, Mizuho Fukunaga-Kalabis, Clemens Krepler, Alexander M.M. Eggermont, Dirk Schadendorf

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Importance Patients with melanoma are at risk of developing subsequent cutaneous malignant neoplasms, and the effect of prior immunotherapy is unknown. Objective To analyze new skin cancers in participants with high-risk stage II melanoma treated with adjuvant pembrolizumab or placebo. Design, Setting, and Participants The multicenter double-blind, phase 3 KEYNOTE-716 randomized clinical trial enrolled 976 participants 12 years or older with completely resected stage IIB or IIC cutaneous melanoma between September 23, 2018, and November 4, 2020. Follow-up was completed on February 16, 2024. This analysis was not prespecified in the trial protocol. Interventions Participants were randomly assigned to receive …

Aerobic Exercise Increases Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (Bdnf) In Sub-Acute Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Christopher P. Mackay, Suzanne Kuys, Mia Schaumberg, Li Ann Leow, Sandy Brauer

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a key neurotrophin due to its role in neuron process outgrowth, plasticity, and neuronal survival. Aerobic exercise can induce BDNF release and may ultimately maximize post-stroke recovery. Objectives: This study aimed to determine if a program of moderate-to-high-intensity aerobic exercise increased concentrations of BDNF in subacute stroke survivors compared to usual care. Methods: A parallel-group, RCT was undertaken in people with subacute stroke undergoing rehabilitation. Participants were randomly allocated to usual care (control group) or usual care plus an 8-week program of moderate-high intensity treadmill walking (3 x 30 min sessions per week) (experimental …

And Then Covid Happened: The Impact Of The Pandemic On Transition Temporalities For Mobile Youth, Anita Harris, Giulia Marchetti, Loretta Baldassar

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This article explores how the COVID-19 pandemic affected mobile young people’s experiences of the temporality of transitions to adulthood. Young people are today the most mobile population globally, and mobility has necessarily become integral to youth-to-adulthood transitions. By adopting transition temporalities as an analytical key, we consider the impact of pandemic immobility on the transition experiences of young movers who, when the pandemic hit, found themselves stuck not only in place but also in time. Drawing on in-depth interviews undertaken during the pandemic with transnationally mobile young people (aged 18–30) who left Australia for abroad or moved to Australia from …

Energy Poverty, Economic Growth And Environmental Degradation In South Asia: Do Energy Resources Matter?, Memona Rasheed, Hooi Hooi Lean, Nam Foo

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Developing countries can combat energy poverty by enhancing renewable energy and economic growth with minimal adverse environmental effects. In this paper, we present a comprehensive analysis of energy poverty, renewable energy, economic growth, carbon dioxide emissions, and urbanization (URB) in South Asian countries from 1990 to 2021, focusing on Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. We employed econometric analysis techniques like Panel Pooled Mean Group (PMG)-Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL), Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS), and Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) to provide empirical results, as they enable panel data and control for endogeneity. The findings suggested that the fight …

Examining Links Between Somatosensation And Cognition In Children With Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy, Kassandra M. Hewitt, Donna M. Bayliss, Belinda A. Mclean, Ashleigh L. Thornton, Jonson J. Moyle

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Children with cerebral palsy (CP) are at increased risk of impaired somatosensation and cognition. Among children with hemiplegia, approximately three-quarters have impaired somatosensation and one-third have intellectual impairment. While somatosensation may relate to cognitive functioning in CP, this relationship has not previously been investigated. This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between somatosensation and cognition in children with hemiplegic CP, and whether the pattern of brain injury, classified using an established MRI classification system, moderates this relationship. Forty-seven children (26 females) with hemiplegic CP participated (mean age = 11.0 years; SD = 3.6; range: 6–16 years). Parent questionnaires provided demographic, educational, …

Influence Of Prior Alkalosis Or Acidosis On Physiological Responses During Passive Hyperthermia, Jacky Soo, Shernise Ng, Chris Abbiss, Olivier Girard, Mohammed Ihsan

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study manipulated the blood pH of participants to be mildly acidic or basic prior to passive hyperthermia to examine its effects on thermoregulatory and chemo-regulatory responses, including ventilatory parameters, rectal temperature (Tre) and thermal perception. Twelve healthy males attended three experimental sessions in a double-blind, randomised, counterbalanced design. Passive hyperthermia was induced by hot water immersion at 40°C following the consumption of corn starch (placebo; PLA), ammonium chloride (AC) or sodium bicarbonate (SB). Compared with PLA, SB consumption increased blood pH and HCO3⁻, whilst AC decreased both blood pH and HCO3⁻ (all P <  0.001). Specifically, minute ventilation was unchanged following SB (11.0 ± 3.7 L min⁻¹) but …

International Cardiac Advanced Life Support Course: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Analysis, Nilufeur Mckay, Jody Ede, Jessica Stokes-Parish, Adrian Levine, Helen Walthall, Debbie Massey

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Recognising and responding to cardiac surgical deterioration requires a systematic, structured approach that encompasses monitoring, identifying and managing signs and symptoms of post-surgical complications. Cardiac Advanced Life Support (CALS) was originally developed in recognition of this educational requirement and consists of a series of protocols aimed at supporting clinicians’ recognition and response to the deteriorating cardiac surgical patient. Aim: The aim of this analysis was to evaluate participant perceptions of a CALS course using a descriptive online survey. Design: A cross-sectional analysis of post-course online survey responses assessing participant’ perceptions of the CALS course. Results: 331 surveys were returned …

Intravenous Infusion Of Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (Nad+) Versus Nicotinamide Riboside (Nr): A Retrospective Tolerability Pilot Study In A Real-World Setting, Kirsten Reyna, Greer Heinzen, Nikita Patel, Marie Ritter, Alexandra Siojo, Henry Legere, Rachele Pojednic

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) is a cofactor for NAD⁺-dependent enzymes that regulate DNA repair, cellular metabolism, and immune function. Supplementation with NAD⁺ and its precursors is commonly used to prevent age-related disease and extend healthspan. Commercial clinical and wellness settings increasingly provide intravenous (IV) NAD⁺ and nicotinamide riboside (NR) despite limited evaluation of safety and effectiveness. These considerations are important, as NAD⁺ and its precursors differ in reported side effects, cellular uptake, and metabolism. This study sought to compare commercially administered NAD⁺ IV and NR IV in humans by evaluating infusion …

Leading Against The Odds: School Leadership In Under-Resourced Community Schools In Nepal, Shankar Dhakal, Chet Nath Panta

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Community schools in Nepal, particularly in remote areas, face persistent challenges in managing human, financial, and physical resources, which hinder educational quality and equity. Through a multiple case study design guided by Ecological Systems Theory, this research conducted semi-structured interviews with six headteachers from diverse geographical contexts, revealing critical issues including teacher shortages, financial instability, and inadequate infrastructure. Despite these barriers, headteachers demonstrate remarkable resilience through community engagement, strategic resource mobilization, and adaptive leadership strategies that paradoxically become more sophisticated under severe constraints. Positioning Nepal as a critical case for understanding educational leadership in resource-constrained environments globally, the study advances …

Obesity Indices As Predictors Of Metabolic Syndrome: 1-Year Findings From A Peruvian Cohort Of Private Educational Institution Workers, Vicente A. Benites-Zapata, Daniel Fernandez-Guzman, Percy Herrera-Añazco, Enrique Moncada-Mapelli, Diego Urrunaga-Pastor, Carlos J. Toro-Huamanchumo

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a common condition marked by abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. It has significant health and economic impacts, highlighting the need for early predictive markers. Objective: To compare the prognostic performance of various obesity indices in the 1-year incidence of MetS among adult employees of a private educational institution. Design: Cohort study. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted using data from adults employed at a private educational institution in Lima, Peru. Participants were enrolled in 2019 and followed for 1 year to monitor anthropometric and biochemical parameters. The outcome was the development of …

Perceived Realism, Place Attachment, And Residents' Support And Involvement: Towards Resident-Centric Film Tourism Development, Deborah Castro, Sangkyun Kim, S. Mostafa Rasoolimanesh, Songshan Huang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study introduces the concept of perceived realism to (film) tourism studies and examines its effect in combination with place attachment on residents' support for and involvement in film tourism development. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) were applied to a sample of 401 Barcelona residents to explore both symmetrical and asymmetrical relationships among the research constructs. The PLS-SEM revealed that events-focused external realism affects residents' support for film tourism development, while narrative realism affects their involvement in film tourism development. In addition, place attachment directly affects residents' support for and involvement in …

Preparation Of Australian Nurses For Contemporary Disability Care: A Desktop Review, Lesley Andrew, Martina Costello

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Approximately 18% of Australians experience disability, with significant health inequities documented in this population. Despite nursing’s crucial role in addressing these inequities, questions remain about nurses’ preparedness to work effectively with people with disability. The review assessed Australian nursing education’s approach to prepare its graduate nurses for disability care in today’s Australia. Using a rigorous desktop analysis methodology, the review evaluated the publicly available undergraduate nursing degree curricula materials from all 32 Australian public universities that offered a preregistration nursing degree in 2024. The review found 50% of nursing degree curricula course materials omitted to mention disability in their publicly …

Public Service Motivation And The Circumplex Model Of Affect: Profiling Australasian Public Servants, Esme Franken, Ben Farr-Wharton, Fleur Sharafizad, Kara Ng, Geoff Plimmer, Evan Berman

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper explores public servants’ public service motivation through the prism of the circumplex model of affect (CMA). The application of CMA to work, and specifically public sector contexts, is relatively novel, and the framework helps explain how multiple states of affect (i.e., comprised of underlying feelings, emotions, and moods) cluster together and are shaped by one’s work environment. The mixed method paper begins with a qualitative study of Australasian public servants, presenting evidence of the CMA and its connection to PSM. The subsequent quantitative analysis of 222 survey respondents offers four distinct latent profiles of public servants’ PSM and …

Sales Prediction In Omnichannel Distribution Systems Based On Consumer Behavior Using Process Mining And Arimax, Ferra Arik Tridalestari, Mustafid Mustafid, Ferry Jie, Hanung Nindito Prasetyo

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Omnichannel distribution integrates multiple sales channels into a single management platform to enhance customer experience. However, the complexity of consumer behavior data across channels often prevents business owners from effectively analyzing and predicting sales. This study proposes a sales prediction model in omnichannel distribution systems based on consumer behavior using a collaborative approach that integrates process mining and autoregressive integrated moving average with exogenous variables (ARIMAX). Event log data from an omnichannel service provider were used to extract consumer activity patterns, which were then analyzed through process discovery algorithms to identify dominant behavioral processes. The resulting behavioral indicators served as …

Situating Australian Youth Work Within The Professions, John Sutcliffe

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Youth work in Australia has moved towards greater professionalisation marked by the establishment and strengthening of state and national associations. This evolution is crucial for the development of youth work, although it has not been without its complexities. Historically, debates over the professionalisation of the field have been contested. Proponents have emphasised benefits including standardisation and increased accountability, while critics have expressed concern that bureaucratic processes could undermine the relational, practitioner-led core of youth work. This article moves beyond the ‘should we’ debate to focus on how youth work’s professional identity is evolving and how it fits within the broader …

Spatio-Temporal Responses Of A Migratory Shorebird Community Reflect Complex Trade-Offs Among Overabundance Of Predators And Disturbance, K. M. Aarif, Aymen Nefla, Zuzana Musilova, Petr Musil, Sora M. Estrella

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Animal selection of foraging grounds is a trade-off among available feeding resources, intra and interspecific competition, disturbance and predation risks. The present study was carried out at Kadalundi-Vallikkunnu Community Reserve on the West coast of Kerala (India) in the Central Asian Flyway. The Reserve hosts different coastal habitats, including mudflats, mangroves and sand beaches, and although 31 species of shorebirds are commonly present, it is heavily impacted by human activities. The findings highlight the necessity of robust management of anthropogenic waste and reveal the detrimental impacts of human activities on species communities of conservation concern. We investigated how the densities …