Digital Commons Network^™

From Screens To Stress: Public Health Implications Of Cancer Worry In A Digitally Connected World, Shreya Mathur, Ethan Burns, Michael Pokojovy, Tzu-Liang Bill Tseng, Sunil Mathur

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

Aims:

This study examines how digital information environments, genetic testing experiences, health behaviors, and psychological distress influence cancer-related worry among adults in the United States. It further considers the public health implications of elevated or reduced cancer worry for prevention and risk communication.

Methods:

Data were drawn from a nationally representative survey of 6,252 U.S. adults. Measures included reliance on social media for health decision-making, smoking status, history of genetic testing, and psychological distress. Multivariable analyses assessed associations between these factors and levels of cancer worry.

Results/Findings:

Reliance on social media for health decisions was associated with greater cancer worry, …

Association Between Caregiver Status And Physical And Mental Health Among National Senior Games Athletes, Chibuzo Uchechukwu Victor Obasi

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

As the population ages, more people rely on informal caregivers, which puts many older adults at risk for health problems. Caregiving can be meaningful and strengthen family bonds, but it often leads to more psychological stress, especially for older adults who also have their own health concerns. Research shows that regular physical activity can help older adults build resilience and improve their mental well-being. Still, we know little about the health of older caregivers who stay very active. This study examines the health effects of caregiving among members of the National Senior Games Association (NSGA), a group of highly active …

Formulating Arguments: Deductive And Inductive Reasoning, Tolga Tezcan

Activities and Assignments Collection

To help students practice deductive logic by formulating testable hypotheses and deconstructing arguments. To enable students to apply inductive logic by analyzing specific observations to identify and articulate broader social patterns.

Ethical Reasoning, Tolga Tezcan

Activities and Assignments Collection

To learn how to apply different ethical frameworks to analyze a complex, real-world social issue. To engage multiple perspectives and counterarguments before forming conclusions.

Analyzing A News Article, Tolga Tezcan

Activities and Assignments Collection

Students will synthesize academic knowledge (sociological concepts) with experiences (their own news browsing habits and selection). To differentiate between statements of value and statements of empirical fact within a journalistic piece. To engage in self-reflection regarding one’s own vulnerability to media bias and selective exposure.

Conspiracy Theories On Reddit, Tolga Tezcan

Activities and Assignments Collection

To develop skills in applying sociological theory (epistemic, existential, and social motives) to real-world, user-generated data. To examine underlying assumptions and biases in online discourse. To evaluate the broader ethical implications of conspiracy beliefs on society.

Disinformation Case Study, Tolga Tezcan

Activities and Assignments Collection

To examine the assumptions, intent, and motivations behind the creation and spread of disinformation. To apply sociological and psychological factors to explain the virality and acceptance of false information.

Research Productivity On Obesity In The Arab World: A Bibliometric Analysis (2004–2023), Jamil Adnan Samkari, Ahamd Azam Malik

Saudi Medical Journal

Objective: To examine obesity research trends in Arab countries to inform policies and interventions. Methods: A bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Web of Science database accessed via King Abdulaziz University’s electronic library. Publications on obesity research in Arab countries from 2004 to 2023 were analyzed using R-Bibliometrix. Key parameters included publication volume, leading authors and institutions, funding sources, keyword co-occurrence networks, and collaboration patterns. Results: Obesity-related research output in Arab countries demonstrated consistent growth from 2004 to 2023, with a threefold increase in publications since 2015. Regional and international collaborations have intensified, although disparities in research productivity persist across …

Teacher Education For Religious Diversity In British Columbia: Policy Recommendations For Sikh And Chinese Mahayana Buddhist Inclusion, Ashton Kemper

Laurier Undergraduate Journal of the Arts

No abstract provided.

Editors' Note, Jenna Abdel-Kader, Hannah Desjardine

Laurier Undergraduate Journal of the Arts

No abstract provided.

Embarrassment As A Signal: Feminist Affects And The Commodification Of Love, Bianca L. Schmitt

Laurier Undergraduate Journal of the Arts

No abstract provided.

A Transnational Feast Of Our Lady Of Guadalupe: Globalization, Identity, And Collective Memory In Dodge City, Kansas, David A. Solis-Enriquez

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

This work examines the transnational connections of Dodge City’s Mexican immigrants and their celebration of the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe and how their cross-border activity were parts of larger systems like globalization, identity, and collective memory. With migration into Southwestern Kansas and the Oklahoma panhandle increasing intensely in the 1980s, because of the economic opportunities that the livestock and meat manufacturing industries offered, Dodge City’s Mexican population reached unprecedented heights. These migration waves mark the starting point of this thesis.

The incoming Mexican population flooded the city’s Catholic facilities, which prompted the community and the local diocese …

Beyond Judicial Intent: The Agency Of The Defense Counsel In Ozawa’S And Thind’S Supreme Court Cases, Bret K. Luchs

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

This thesis seeks to examine how specific legal strategies by the defense counsel in Ozawa v. United States, 260 U.S. 178 (1922), and United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind, 261 U.S. 204 (1923), compelled the Supreme Court of the United States into a reactive and contradictory position. A re-examination of Ozawa and Thind delves deeper into the legal briefs and arguments made by Takao Ozawa and Bhagat Singh Thind, alongside their legal teams. These briefs, opinions of the court, past lower court cases, and personal statements by Ozawa and Thind demonstrate how they did not surrender to the confines of …

“Who Am I Now As A Mother?” Maternal Identity Negotiation During Children’S College Transition, Si Wang

School of Professional Studies

This study employs narrative positioning analysis to examine how two Chinese mothers in transnational contexts discursively negotiate their maternal identities during their children’s transition to college. Drawing on longitudinal narrative interviews, the analysis advances three interrelated theoretical propositions. First, maternal identity work is revealed as a process of selective cultural bricolage, wherein mothers strategically blend elements from competing scripts of child-centered sacrifice, filial reciprocity, and autonomous individualism to construct a hybrid, workable parental logic. Second, the liminality of this transition precipitates a crucial recentering of the self, a core psychological process as intensive child-focused demands recede. Third, the transnational context …

My Gig As A Tattoo Expert, And What It’S Taught Me About The Sociology Of Expertise, David C. Lane

Faculty Publications - Criminal Justice Sciences

This case study contributes toward the literature on the sociology of expertise by documenting the diffusion of sociological knowledge to audiences outside of the profession. Data were collected from the author’s own career as a tattoo expert, including mass media experiences and representation, work with legal teams and development of legal opinions, and testimony. This study examines the process of this career, and the lessons learned that can help professional sociologists develop their reputation as experts in the public and for other audiences. The findings from this research question the value of sociological knowledge for other audiences. This research concludes …

Covering The Care: Why Financial Resources Matter For Health, Mark Bonica, Phd,Mba,Ms

All Materials

Where people end up in the income and wealth distribution has a powerful and lasting influence on how healthy they are and how long they live. This is not just a story about poverty versus comfort. Across the entire population, health improves step by step as financial resources increase. Researchers call this pattern the health gradient.

This brief explains why that gradient exists. Drawing on decades of research from economics, public health, and social epidemiology, it shows how limited financial resources shape health through multiple pathways that unfold over different time horizons—from immediate consequences to cumulative effects that build …

Volume 76 Issue 3 (2026), Case Western Reserve Law Review

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

Northeastern Illinois University, Academic Catalog 2026-2027, Northeastern Illinois University

Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

The Speculative Mode Of The Image: Destabilizing Reality In Crash, Invisible Man, And Beloved, Steven Connors

Open Access Dissertations

In an exploration of the dimensions of speculative fiction, which is a prominent cultural and academic apparatus wanting definition in the twenty-first century, this dissertation examines the speculative mode of the image in various transatlantic novels, ranging from J. G. Ballard’s Crash to Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man to Toni Morrison’s Beloved. The image in itself is a multivalent term that warrants analysis. As a concept, the abstract nature of the image serves to destabilize reality. It is always in conversation with the notions of reality. Indeed, images inform our senses of reality. In part, they constitute our social forms. …

The Role Of Ombudsman And Social Work Protecting Rights, Roni Alicia Werner

Selected Full-Text Master Theses Collection 2018-

This thesis examines the role of the Ombudsman as an independent and impartial mechanism for addressing complaints, resolving conflicts, and promoting accountability within organizations. It explores how ombudsmen function across institutional contexts—such as higher education, government, and corporate settings—to provide confidential, informal, and accessible pathways for dispute resolution.

The study analyzes key principles guiding Ombudsman practice, including neutrality, independence, confidentiality, and informality, and evaluates their effectiveness in fostering trust and organizational transparency. Through a review of relevant literature and case examples, the thesis highlights how Ombudsman offices contribute to early conflict resolution, reduce formal grievances, and support ethical decision-making.

Additionally, …

Ulg Alignment, General Education Subcommittee

Program Revisions/Additions

No abstract provided.

Exercise Science Pre-Ot, Kinesiology, Sport, And Recreation

Program Revisions/Additions

No abstract provided.

Exercise Science Pre-At, Kinesiology, Sport, And Recreation

Program Revisions/Additions

No abstract provided.

Environmental Biology, Biological Sciences

Program Revisions/Additions

No abstract provided.

Biochemistry Bs, Chemistry And Biochemistry

Program Revisions/Additions

No abstract provided.

Rural Women And Intimate Partner Violence: A Geographical Analysis Of Victim Service Providers In The Southern United States, Natalie O'Brien

2026 Research Poster Competition

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a persistent public safety and public health issue in the United States. Women in rural areas, particularly in the Southern United States, experience disproportionately high levels of frequency and severity. Prior research shows that as communities become more rural, survivors face greater risks of severe violence alongside fewer available support services. This study examines how geographic location shapes help-seeking behaviors and access to victim service providers among adult IPV survivors, with particular attention to differences between rural, suburban, and urban areas in the South. Using nationally representative data from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) …

Rekindling Hearth: An Investigation And Discussion Of The Traditional And Evolving Roles Of Hearth In Architecture, Ruth Prenzler

2026 Research Poster Competition

This research explores the evolving role of the hearth in domestic architecture, examining its historical significance and its continuing symbolic, spatial, and architectural relevance. Once essential for heat, cooking, and social gathering, the hearth has gradually shifted from a functional necessity to a largely symbolic and nostalgic artifact as a result of technological advancements and changing domestic lifestyles. Despite this functional decline, the hearth persists as a powerful cultural and architectural element, deeply embedded in collective memory and the perception of home. This study reexamines the hearth’s spatial, social, and functional roles through a combined methodology of literature review, theoretical …

Hostile But Lawful? Examining The Elements Of “True Threats” In Rhetoric Toward Election Officials, Kayleigh Gwiazdowski

2026 Research Poster Competition

Threats of violence have become increasingly visible, yet they remain understudied compared to acts of violence themselves. This project examines death threats directed at U.S. election administrators following the 2020 Presidential Election. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 26 current and former U.S. election administrators, I analyzed 580 hostile messages received in the aftermath of the election to understand how threats function as a tool of intimidation and coercion. Messages were examined for markers indicating (1) whether the sender expressed the intent to threaten, (2) whether the language specified a concrete act of violence or identifiable target, and (3) whether a …

Neoliberalism In Education: Three Studies On The Intersection Of Neoliberalism, Science Of Reading, And Policy, Candace Bechtold

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three linking projects that study the intersection of neoliberal ideology, American education policymaking, and the Science of Reading (SOR). I sought to understand how neoliberal mechanisms like standardization and accountability have shaped past and current education policies in the United States. In the first project, I take an historical approach to conceptualize neoliberal ideology to explain how it is manifested in Standards-Based Accountability (SBA) reform and demonstrate how its implications have progressed over time. In the second project, I focus on one state's SOR policy–the Virginia Literacy Act (VLA)– to conduct a discourse analysis of documents …

Follow The Cyclists: Everyday Navigation Of Richmond's Bike Infrastructure, Emily E. Schreer

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the embodied experience of cycling in Richmond, emphasizing the importance of centering firsthand, lived experience in cycling research and urban planning. While traditional transportation planning can often myopically prioritize efficiency and safety metrics to evaluate infrastructure, this project argues that such approaches overlook essential experiential, sensory, and emotional dimensions of cycling that determine how infrastructure is perceived, used, and ultimately succeeds or fails.

Through an ethnographic approach combining field observation of cyclist behavior and mental mapping sessions with Richmond cyclists, this study positions people who bike in Richmond as expert knowledge holders. Participant contributions, combined with observations …