Digital Commons Network^™

The Meaning Of Travel: An Exploration Within The ‘Baby-Boomer’ Generation, Regan Hicks, Alison Warren

School of Health Professions

This qualitative research explored the underresearched area of subjective meaning(s) of travel for U.K. baby-boomers, from an occupational perspective. Using a descriptive phenomenology, a convenience sample of eight baby-boomers was recruited using social media. Participants took part in semistructured interviews, and narratives were analysed using thematic analysis. Four themes were generated: (a) travel is important to me, (b) travel changes through time, (c) travel facilitators and barriers and (d) travel as a shared experience. Participants perceived travel as a meaningful and health-promoting occupation that represented freedom, choice, independence, connection and achievement. Greater comfort was sought with age while financial constraints …

The Impact Of Social Factors On Vagally Mediated Parasympathetic Activity, Andrew Scot Proctor

Theses and Dissertations

Loneliness and social disconnection are recognized risk factors for morbidity and mortality, yet the psychophysiological pathways remain contested. This dissertation examines how social factors relate to vagally mediated parasympathetic activity indexed by heart rate variability (HRV) and tests whether conversational interventions with a human or a large-language-model (LLM)-based companion can acutely reduce loneliness and enhance connection. Across two university sites (BYU, UCSD), N=297 participants (18-27 years) were randomized to (a) a reciprocal self-disclosure conversation with a trained human confederate, (b) a parallel, vocalized LLM chatbot conversation, or (c) a non-social, vocal reading control. Resting HRV (RMSSD, SDNN, HF-HRV) was recorded …

Guest Editors’ Introduction, Maurits Bastiaan Meerwijk, Nicolo Paolo P. Ludovice

Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints

This introduction examines the historical evolution of health messaging in the Philippines, tracing its roots from early twentieth-century colonial public health campaigns to contemporary pandemic responses. It argues that health messaging, initially termed “medical propaganda,” has consistently served as a tool for persuasion and governance, intertwining communication, politics, and medicine. The introduction highlights how visual technologies and simplified narratives have been used to normalize biomedical authority, often obscuring complex realities. It concludes by emphasizing the need for a broader epistemic repertoire to navigate health knowledge in an era of misinformation.

Sustainability In Culinary Arts Education, Nimra Farooqui

Education Department Student Publications & Research

No abstract provided.

Character Of Leaders Initiative Celebrates People And Virtues, Marisa C. Atkinson

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. – University of Mississippi officials are working to integrate virtues into campus life while recognizing those who personify the traits through an initiative launched this fall.

Language Of The Law: Understanding The Impact Of Code-Switching Within Legal Fields Through Legal Blog Analyses, Kira A. Johnson

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

Code-Switching is a linguistic phenomenon that can occur between different languages, cultures, or dialects. This study focuses on code-switching within the legal field, specifically through an analysis of legal blog websites. Through searching the terms, “code-switching” and “foreign language”, this study will compare legal blog websites in their coverage of the phenomenon. The various websites’ definitions of code-switching, how the topic is written with context, and what implications are suggested in the writing will be considered when crafting a comparative analysis. Individuals who communicate using different languages or dialects depending on situations and interactions are important to understand within the …

Trading Posts And "Old Pawn": Diné Navajo Trade And The Native Art Industry, Dustin Roberto

Native American Studies Student Publications

"Old pawn" is widely used to describe antique Native American jewelry and goods once pawned for credit at trading posts in the Four Corners region. This article traces how the trading post pawn system influenced Diné Navajo economic life from 1868 through the 1970s, when federal regulators documented exploitative practices such as inflated interest, withheld mail, and items sold without notice. Weavers and individuals pawning jewelry typically received store credit or overvalued commodities instead of cash, a result of the power dynamics of the setting. Today, "old pawn" functions as a marketing label for vintage goods, often without documentation. The …

Self-Efficacy And Knowledge Of Uindy Pre-Licensure Nursing Students Caring For The Lgbtq+ Population, Alyssa Blue, Sarah Holmes

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Research has shown that LGBTQ+ identifying people face not only socio-political discrimination but also disproportionate healthcare disparities. Additionally, studies have found that LGBTQ+ identifying patients are burdened with the responsibility of educating healthcare providers about their identities. Multiple studies have shown that nursing students are underprepared by their academic programs to care for people who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community. The resulting lack of knowledge and self-efficacy that nursing students experience may affect their care of LGBTQ+ patients and contribute to health disparities. The purpose of this project is to explore University of Indianapolis nursing students’ self-efficacy and …

Imposter Phenomenon And Mental Health Among African American College Students: The Role Of Internalized Racial Beliefs, India Montague

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Imposter phenomenon (IP; i.e., feelings of fraudulence) has shown deleterious effects on mental health with high prevalence in African American college students. Literature suggests that internalizing stereotypes could increase the risk of developing IP. However, little research has actually explored whether internalized racial beliefs exacerbate the effects of IP on mental health. This study used hierarchical regression to examine internalized racism (IR; i.e., negative beliefs about one’s race) and colorism beliefs as moderators of the relationship between IP and mental health outcomes in 92 African American college students (Mage= 20.39, 82.6% female) at historically white institutions (HWIs). IP was a …

Ananda And The World Brotherhood Communities Movement, Prisha Kirby

Communal Societies

No abstract provided.

German Memories Of Icaria: Carl Zwicker's "Four Years' Experience Of A Communistic Life" (1878), Philip Lockley

Communal Societies

No abstract provided.

From Storage Closet To Creative Oasis: How To Set Up An Atelier And Outdoor Space For Young Children, Catherine Lynch, Cynthia Dicarlo

Spark! Innovations in Early Childhood Education: A Research-to-Practice Journal for Educators

Creating meaningful learning spaces doesn't always require a big budget or new construction—sometimes, all it takes is a storage closet, a bit of imagination, and a deep respect for children’s ideas. In this article, I’ll share how we transformed underutilized spaces at our school into a vibrant atelier and outdoor classroom and offer tips to help you do the same.

Painting The Past: Trauma And Identity In The Best We Could Do, Ellie Heslon

Student Scholar Symposium

Born in Vietnam in 1975, three months after the fall of Saigon and the establishment of the communist regime, Thi Bui experienced her first few years of life in a nation wrought with crisis and confusion. Bui’s graphic memoir, The Best We Could Do, paints an intimate history of her family’s journey as refugees from Vietnam to America. She details a personal record of the traumas of displacement, concretizing a biproduct of war often overgeneralized. Through shape and color, Bui portrays a non-linear narrative of stories that are both connected and disconnected, blending where identity and heritage begin and end. …

The Genius Of Italy, Leonardo Olschki

Hannah Arendt Marginalia - All

New York, Oxford Univ. Press, 1949

Call #: DG441 .O55

Contains underlining, marginal lining, and inscription

PDF information: 177 Pages - 83.1 MB

Full Issue - Excelsior 18.1, Excelsior

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Preservice Teachers And Creativity: Beliefs, Experiences, And Intentions For Future Practice, Joanna M. Weld

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Teacher Candidates’ Perceptions Of Online Tutoring As Early Field Experience, Kathryn Alton, Alison Puliatte, Megan Lawless, Yong Yu

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Ellen White And The ‘Daily’ Conflict, Denis Kaiser

Ellen White and Current Issues Symposium

No abstract provided.

The Under-Prosecution Of White-Collar Crime, Joseph Whalen

Honors Program

White-collar crime comprises nonviolent, financially motivated offenses by individuals and corporate entities. The social costs are immense, yet the prosecution of such crimes is comparatively small compared to other forms of non-violent crime, often resolving with opaque settlements rather than prosecution. This study examines why under-prosecution is so prevalent in white-collar crime, how it undermines democratic trust, and what reforms could be implemented to improve accountability. Under-prosecution will be operationalized through a mixed-methods design, accounting for the most observable proxies. First, the share of filings involving white-collar offenses; second, the prevalence of deferred or non-prosecution agreements (hereinafter referred to as …

How Does County Educational Composition Affect Mortality?, Heeyoung Lee, Tse-Chuan Yang

Population Health Research Brief Series

The gap in life expectancy between Americans with and without a bachelor's degree keeps growing. This brief summarizes findings from a study using data from the National Center for Health Statistics Multiple Cause of Death files and the American Community Survey on 3,122 U.S. counties from 2010-2022. The authors find that a county's educational makeup creates divergent mortality effects for residents. For every 1% increase in bachelor's degree holders in a county, mortality declines by 4.5% for degree holders but increases by 1.2% for those without degrees. This pattern holds across heart disease, cancer, and stroke. The findings suggest that …

An Exploratory Evaluation Of The Kalamazoo River Watershed Council: Assessing Organizational Impact And Value, Alexander Mendez

Honors Theses

The Kalamazoo River Watershed Council (KRWC) plays a central role in protecting, restoring, and promoting the long-term health of the Kalamazoo River watershed, a geographically expansive and ecologically complex system facing persistent challenges from legacy contamination, nonpoint source pollution, land-use pressures, and inequitable access to watershed resources. This honors thesis presents an exploratory organizational evaluation of the KRWC, assessing its role and relevance within the watershed, the effectiveness of its programs and partnerships, the strengths and limitations of its governance structure, and opportunities to strengthen its long-term sustainability and impact.

Guided by principles of Practical Participatory Evaluation (PP-E) and Fourth …

In Their Own Voice: A Grounded Theory On Overcoming Internet Gaming Disorder, Jayson Carmona

Theses and Dissertations

Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) is highly comorbid with depression, anxiety, sleep loss, lower productivity, and social isolation. The DSM-5 TR designates IGD as a condition for further study, however the ICD-11 has designed Gaming Disorder as a codified illness. While most studies look at IGD via a medical model lens focusing almost exclusively on symptomology, very little research explores the process of recovery in IGD. In this grounded theory inquiry, a theory of recovery from IGD is generated. Secondary internet data consisted of 113 posts on the subreddit /r/StopGaming on reddit.com. This resulted in 196 pages of data. Researcher used …

Predictors Of Sexual Violence Prevalence At U.S. Colleges And Universities, Theodore Daniel Hostikka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This research explored the prevalence of sexual harassment and assault among students at U.S. colleges and universities, aiming to quantify incident rates and assess their impact on academic and psychological well-being. Grounded in socioecological and intersectional theories, the research examined how environmental interactions and interconnected social identities shape individual experiences. Specifically, this research explored (a) the link between the percentage of female students and the prevalence of sexual violence on campuses; (b) how the proportion of first-generation students relates to sexual violence prevalence; (c) the connection between campus size and rates of sexual violence; and (d) whether gender makeup, first-year …

Commedia Accademica: An Autoethnographic Trajectory Of The Metacognitive Awakening And Critical Consciousness Development Of An Afro-Belizean American Male Math Teacher, Jason Garcia

LMU Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT Commedia Accademica: An Autoethnographic Trajectory of the Metacognitive Awakening and Critical Consciousness Development of an Afro-Belizean American Male Math Teacher by Jason Gregory Garcia The current autoethnography involved an epic poetic approach that sought to dismantle and disrupt an intricate network of the school-to-prison pipeline (McCarter, 2017) paradigms designed to subjugate African American male pupils in dysfunctional educational contexts. R. S. Smith (2025) stated, “Autoethnographies can use alternate forms of representation. . . . Because the study was an autoethnography, my reality, as researcher-participant, is seen through a unique window to the world” (p. 22). The literature suggests implementing …

Research Note: Research Literacy

CompassPoint

Camp healthcare providers must rely on current, rapidly changing, and discipline-specific scientific evidence to care for individuals, families, and communities. Healthcare providers for camps face challenges in finding and using research evidence to inform their practice in the moment of need, in part because of the unique characteristics of their care settings. In fall of 2023, the Alliance for Camp Health (ACH) Research Committee conducted a study to determine the most frequent barriers to research utilization reported by camp healthcare providers and administrators. The study identified barriers that the researchers then classified into four categories: personal characteristics of the providers, …

Talkin' 'Bout My Genderation: The Effect Of Gender Bias On Arbitral Representation, Amy E. Allen

Washington Journal of Social & Environmental Justice

Gender bias is rampant in all industries, and the world of arbitration is no exception. For decades, members of the field of arbitration have debated the suitability of women as arbitrators. This led to a broader discussion regarding different styles of arbitration, how or if these styles are related to the gender of the arbitrator, and whether one arbitration style is more effective than others. This paper begins with a brief assessment of the history of arbitration, as well as a more focused overview of the history of women in arbitration. Next, the paper questions the reasons for gender disparity …

How Sports Culture Affects Mental Health: United States And Latin America, Isabelle Westling

Saint John’s Preparatory School Student Work

This paper examines how sports culture in the United States of America and in Latin America shapes the mental health and emotional well-being of student-athletes. To answer this question, I read and examined papers and articles originating from both regions. These articles helped me understand cultural implications and shortcomings from both sides. A number of these articles are in Spanish and translated by me throughout my research. My results show that in United States there are a variety of sources of stress. Pressures from school and academics are prevalent as scholarships and future careers are dependent on it. With that, …

Heroes By The Score, Owen J. Eastman

Honors Projects

Historians have increasingly examined how media other than yellow journalism helped manufacture consent for American imperialism during the Spanish-American War, yet commercial sheet music—despite its ubiquity at the time—remains overlooked. This study addresses that gap by analyzing fifty pieces of sheet music published around the period, employing a mixed-methods approach that combines quantitative, qualitative, and comparative media analysis. The corpus reveals four dominant themes: memorializing the sinking of the Maine; Cuban “liberation” rhetoric that often referenced American ownership or influence over the island; military hero worship that personalized and justified expansion; and messages of national unity that permitted overseas territorial …

Board Of Directors Meeting Minutes (December 8, 2025), Dmacc

Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

This file contains the minutes from the Des Moines Area Community College Board meeting held on December 8, 2025.

Exploring Mediated Psychosocial Effects On Dating Violence Perpetration And Victimization In The Me & You Building Healthy Relationships Program For Middle School Students, Mike Henson-Garcia, Elizabeth R Baumler, Christine M Markham, Robert C Addy, Ross Shegog, Belinda Hernandez, Paula Cuccaro, Jeffery Temple, Susan Tortolero Emery, Melissa F Peskin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Teen dating violence (TDV) is a prevalent and injurious public health threat affecting adolescent populations across the globe. In response, a plethora of interventions have been developed and implemented with various effects emerging from evaluation studies of these prevention initiatives. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether attitudes toward sexting, gender-based norms toward violence, and constructive conflict resolution skills mediate the main effects of a TDV intervention. Specifically, this study leverages data from the original efficacy trial of the