Digital Commons Network^™

Empowering The People Of The Developing World

Vision and mission statements

No abstract provided.

External Cultural Patterns In The Diwan Sada Al-Ashjan By The Poet Hassan Alzahrani, Fahd Bin Farih Al-Rashidi

UB Journal for Humanities

This research addresses the talk of the external cultural patterns in the Diwan of “Echo of the Ashgans”, by the poet Hassan Zahrani. It aims to reveal the types of external cultural patterns of poetry, through an analytical descriptive approach that takes from cultural criticism a theoretical material to apply to poetic text, in order to achieve results. The research was divided into two research dealing with the first research on cultural criticism and cultural patterns, a theoretical part that sets out the concepts and terminology of the research, while the second examined the applied aspect of exhibiting external cultural …

Front Matter, Meredith Scheiner

Philomathean

No abstract provided.

Importance Of Nature In A Technological World, Cameron Cooley

Philomathean

No abstract provided.

The Athena Parthenos: A Historiographical Critique Of The History Of The Athena Parthenos, Aubrie Louis

Saint John’s Preparatory School Student Work

This paper analyzes how the Athena Parthenos disappeared and the historical limitations found when trying to learn about how it disappeared. To answer this question, this paper will use 4 theories created for the purpose of looking further into what happened to the Athena Parthenos and how they show the various limitations of our knowledge of history. This paper will look into people who saw the Athena Parthenos and replicas used to learn more about it today. This will stem from its known existence, from before the 1st century CE, into our modern world. Our results showed there is no …

The Indiana Statesman, December 4, 2025, Indiana State University

Student Newspaper

Finals Week Schedule; The Pocket Galleries: one day only; Honors Students present research during Study Week

Women In Samurai Households From The Late Muromachi To Edo Periods Of Japan: An Examination Of Social Structure, Politics, And Economics, Brandy Sweigart

Research Awards

Japan and the samurai culture has fascinated many Western countries for generations, especially in modern media like video games and movies. However, the portrayal of the samurai household in these media are inaccurate to actual historical events—with this being especially true for women. Older historical research perpetuates these inaccuracies and stereotypes as well, painting women in a passive light. Samurai women in the Muromachi through Edo periods of Japan were not passive, however, directly influencing the social structures, politics, and economic structures of those medieval periods. Women in the conflict-ridden times of the Sengoku Period took it a step further—with …

Gnsi Decision Brief: Summary Report On Gnsi Research Initiative “Axis Of Resistance”, Arman Mahmoudian

GNSI Decision Briefs

Since May 2025, the Global and National Security Institute (GNSI) has run the Axis of Resistance Initiative, convening eight panels and multiple expert interviews on Iran’s proxy network (Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen), anchored by a review of Iran’s national security strategy. These discussions underscored that Tehran’s reliance on proxies is not simply a tool for expanding influence: it also helps limit attribution for attacks and brings the conflict to Israel’s borders rather than Iranian territory. This decision brief distills those discussions into a current assessment of proxy capabilities and trajectories two years on from October 7, 2023.

Learning To Play Drums: Rote Learning Versus Note Approach, Jacob R. Brumback

Masters Theses

The purpose of this qualitative historical study is to determine whether rote-learned drummers perform better than formally trained drummers. The issue is that some drummers may excel by watching and developing aural skills exclusively, while others perform well by only reading sheet music. The goal is to decide if drummers with strong aural skills or those who rely on note-reading performed better. The rationale explained how the applicability of rudiments, complex timing, creative fills, and improvisational soloing skills influences the performances of both rote-learned and note-approach drummers. Data collection methods for this research included oral history traditions and analyzing secondary …

Design With A Purpose: An Introductory Faith-Integrated Graphic Design Textbook For Christian Higher Education, Rosealine Lemette

Masters Theses

This thesis project addresses the absence of faith-informed graphic design curriculum available to Christian higher education programs creating a curricular gap that limits students’ ability to draw meaningful connections between their profession and Christian identity. The proposed solution in this project is an introductory graphic design textbook that combines foundational design theory, historical context, and hands-on skill building from a Christian worldview. This educational resource will guide students and faculty to view their profession as a divine calling, engaging in the creative process as an act of worship while developing an ethical and spiritually grounded design process. The comprehensive literature …

Mistake: A Toolkit For Combating Maladaptive Perfectionism In Creatives, Sean D. Silva

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the potential use of a tabletop game as an approach for creatives to address their maladaptive perfectionism. Through my research, perfectionism has been identified as a pervasive barrier to creative flow, emotional well-being, and artistic growth. Motivated by my observations of increasing mental health challenges among my students, I explore how adaptive, visually engaging, and interactive analog systems might help to foster resilience and reframe failure as a necessary part of the creative process. Through a review of existing literature on perfectionism and creativity, analysis of successful tabletop and digital interventions, and cognitive-behavioral strategies, this research will …

Ezer Kenegdo: Reviving The Stories Of Our Christian Matriarchs In The American Evangelical Church, Kayleigh Funk

Masters Theses

The silencing of women’s experiences throughout history has caused a general lack of familiarity with the contributions of Christian matriarchs in most modern church congregations. This absence of historical precedent has led to ongoing issues of identity and belonging in the body of Christ among the Christian women of today. The primary goal of this thesis is to bring attention to the erasure of women in the faith throughout history and shed new light on their individual narratives.

This study will assess how Scripture originally set up leadership dynamics, encouraged women into those roles, and allowed them to teach in …

Final Project Documentation - Costume Design, Ski Sciaraffa

Graduate Artistry Projects and Performances

Costume design process and reflection for NIU's production of Accidental Death of an Anarchist, directed by Alexander Gelman with student actors and designers.

Toward Understanding Multi-Agent Decision Making In Complex Societies, Jonathan Skaggs

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates Multi Agent Decision Making (MADM) within Complex Societies (CS), systems of interdependent agents whose collective behaviors emerge from local interactions. Such emergent dynamics are nonlinear and difficult to predict, posing significant challenges towards understanding how individual decisions scale to societal outcomes. Existing approaches often fall short of capturing the combined attributes of CS, including asymmetry, decentralization, and adaptivity. To address this gap, we introduce new models and analyses of agent strategies that explain how cooperation and stability can arise in CS. Structured around three interrelated projects, this dissertation enhances our comprehension of MADM in CS. The research …

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda December 4, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - November 6, 2025
• R401 - Program Proposals
• Other Business
• Catalog Updates
• CIP Codes
• Adjourn 3:00 pm

Educational Policies Committee Minutes December 4, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - November 6, 2025
• Subcommittee Reports
• Center for Civic Excellence Updates
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 3:15 pm

Exploring Diverse Nursing Specialties: A Round-Robin Discussion With Sigma Iota-Phi Nurses, Danielle E. Shaver, Heather L. Briere

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Clinical instruction in nursing programs is essential for developing foundational skills and competencies, yet it cannot encompass the full breadth of specialties within the nursing profession. Given the vast and diverse scope of nursing practice, students may not have the opportunity to explore or engage with all the varied fields in which nurses work. This limitation often leaves students with a narrow understanding of the many career paths available within nursing (Milsom & Coughlin, 2015). Providing mentorship, fostering networking, and exposing students to diverse specialties are crucial to bridging this gap and preparing future nurses for the wide-ranging roles within …

Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes December 4, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - November 6, 2025
• Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Reviews
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 3:02 pm

Educational Policies Committee Agenda December 4, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - November 6, 2025
• Subcommittee Reports
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 4:00 pm

The Impact Of Social-Emotional Development In Early Childhood On Academic Success, Chelsea Bassett

Masters Projects

Research consistently shows that social-emotional competencies such as emotional regulation, empathy, interpersonal skills and self-awareness play a foundational role in a student’s ability to engage in learning, collaborate with peers, persist through struggles and achieve academically. Deficits in these skills are associated with decreased motivation, disruptive behavior, poor relationships with peers and teachers and diminished academic performance. Grounded in Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory and supported by evidence-based frameworks, this project explores how intentionally targeting social-emotional learning can strengthen both student well-being and academic outcomes. This project examines the relationship between social-emotional development and academic achievement in early childhood and elementary education. …

Facility Usage On The International Space Station, Justin St. P. Walsh, Rao Hamza Ali, Ryan Shihabi, Erik Linstead

Art Faculty Articles and Research

Science experiments on the International Space Station (ISS) and in future space habitats require “facilities,” as they are known to space agencies, as the core building blocks of the research capabilities they provide. Facilities are experimental apparatus that enable research, often (but not always) used for more than one experiment, such as centrifuges, furnaces, gloveboxes, freezers, and more. The US Orbital Segment of the ISS has been home to 191 such facilities, belonging to four of the five ISS international partner agencies as well as private companies, in its 25 years of continuous operation. Until now, there has been no …

General Education Subcommittee Agenda December 4, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes - November 6, 2025
• Course Approvals/Removals/Syllabi Approvals
• New Business
• Depth Discussion
• Additional Items
• Adjourn: 9:30 am

General Education Subcommittee Minutes December 4, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes - November 6, 2025
• Course Approvals/Removals/Syllabi Approvals
• New Business
• Additional Items
• Adjourn: 9:30 am

Changing Minds, Changing Behavior The Role Of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy In Addressing Intimate Partner Violence, Natalie Freeman

Graduate Student Thesis

Intervention programs for intimate partner violence abusers are designed to address and mitigate violent behaviors and promote healthier relationships to reduce recidivism. This paper examines various intervention programs and their strategies, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), group therapy, and educational programs, along with their theoretical foundations and effectiveness. Cognitive-behavioral therapy focuses on altering thought patterns that contribute to abusive actions, demonstrating effectiveness in reducing violent behaviors and promoting emotional regulation. This study utilized a qualitative design in collaboration with Anger Management of the Upstate, where participants in a CBT-based intimate partner violence intervention program completed an anonymous Qualtrics survey exploring their …

Montana Kaimin, December 4, 2025, Students Of The University Of Montana, Missoula

Montana Kaimin, 1898-present

Student newspaper of the University of Montana, Missoula.

Finding Black Joy: Understanding How Black Students Are Seen, Affirmed, And Nourished In Expanded Learning Opportunities., Jamila Mosley

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines how Black students experience Black joy within expanded learning opportunity (ELO) programs and how those programs are structured to nurture that joy. It is guided by the central research question: How do Black students describe the ways in which an expanded learning opportunity program fosters their joy through experiences of being seen, affirmed, and nourished? Using an instrumental case study design at two secondary schools, the study draws on semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and observations of students participating in robotics, debate, Sister Circle, cheer, basketball, and creative writing. Data were analyzed through multiple cycles of coding, first …

Faculty Senate Chronicle December 4, 2025, Lisa Appeldorn

The University of Akron Faculty Senate Chronicle

Minutes for the regular meeting of The University of Akron Faculty Senate on 12/04/2025.

Primary Care Provider Communication Barriers With College-Aged Students, Mckenna Mahakian, Sharon Schaeffer, Rachel Immel

Honors Projects

As both a researcher and a college student, I’ve noticed that my peers and I share a common negative sentiment toward scheduling and attending routine doctor’s appointments. There are unique barriers in place for the age demographic; college students encountering the medical system and Primary Care Providers (PCPs) seem to have unique challenges in communication. I released a qualitative, anonymous survey to Bowling Green State University students to gauge opinionated responses on sentiments regarding how they felt about the level of communication between themselves and their provider, how the pediatric switch to a regular doctor impacted their inpatient care, how …

Exploring The Clinical Utility Of The Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit For Use In Occupational Therapy Practice In Adult Social Care: A Qualitative Study, Rachel Cox, Sarah Reynolds

School of Health Professions

AbstractBackground/Aims Promoting the wellbeing of service users is a core focus in occupational therapy and adult social care. Despite a professional, policy and legal mandate to provide evidence of the effectiveness of occupational therapy interventions in adult social care, few local authority teams in England use standardised outcome measures to assess the impact of interventions on wellbeing. One local authority’s occupational therapy service in England sought to address this by introducing the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit. This study explored the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit’s clinical utility (usefulness) in this setting. As the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit has …

Toward A Roadmap For Addressing Today's Health Dilemma-The 101-Statement Consensus Report, Katharina C. Wirnitzer, Mohamad Motevalli, Derrick R. Tanous, Clemens Drenowatz, Maximilian Moser, Holger Cramer, Thomas Rosemann, Karl-Heinz Wagner, Andreas Michalsen, Beat Knechtle, Zlatko Fras, Merel Ritskes-Hoitinga, Adilson Marques, Natasa Fidler Mis, Fatima C. Stanford, Christian Schubert, Nandu Goswami, Claus Leitzmann, Per Morten Fredriksen, Gerhard Ruedl, Doris Wilflingseder, Rodrigo A. Lima, Christian Kessler, Michael Jeitler, Naim A. Khan, Hassan Joulaei, Maryam Fatemi, Andrew Knight, Karl W. Kratky, Kara K. Palmer

School of Health Professions

Importance: In recent decades there has been an expansion in the quantity and quality of scientific findings and guidelines on different health topics to promote individual and public health status. Reports also indicate that there has been a simultaneous increase in the financial burden of disease, including trillions spent on healthcare resources by governments worldwide (predominantly in developing countries) to address health concerns. At the same time, personal health behavior is well-known as efficient and cost-free, holding four times the potential to prevent early death compared to health care. Despite this knowledge, data show that the increasing prevalence of unhealthy …