Digital Commons Network^™

Clinician Perspectives On Fistula Mental Health, Victoria K. Leonard

Doctoral Dissertations

Background – Obstetric fistula is a childbirth injury caused by prolonged labor that leads to stillbirth and incontinence, spurring social exclusion and isolation. These layers of trauma put women with fistula at great risk for psychological suffering, which has profound negative socioeconomic impacts on them, their families, and communities. This study captured treatment as usual at Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania (CCBRT), the country’s largest provider of fistula care.

Method – Improving holistic fistula treatment requires engaging the clinicians who care for women with fistula. This study aimed to investigate the training, beliefs, and treatment approaches of nurses and …

On The Brink Of Silence: Ethnographic Perspectives On Hunting And Forest Life Among The Awa Guajá In Eastern Amazonia, Uirá Garcia

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

The central theme of this article basically resides in the relationship established by indigenous peoples between their hunting practices and the forest. Indigenous ways of connecting ‘hunting’ and ‘forest’ necessarily pass through other modes of knowing, only marginally – if it all – dependent on vision. On the contrary, sounds, smells and even dreams are, for many South American indigenous collectives, more trustworthy indices than what the eye sees. This article divides into two parts. In the first, I set out the main ideas related to the anthropological study of hunting in Amazonia at a conceptual level. In the second, …

A Call To Action: Towards A Compendium For Culturally Responsive And Inclusive Pain Management, Arvie Vitente, Rob Sweet, Lester Jones

Philippine Journal of Physical Therapy

Introduction: Pain is a pervasive global health problem, yet its assessment and management remain shaped by biomedical, monolingual, and culturally narrow assumptions that do not fully reflect the lived realities of diverse populations. Although contemporary pain science recognizes pain as a personal experience influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors, inequities persist across racial, ethnic, linguistic, and cultural groups.

Main Body: These inequities affect how pain is expressed, interpreted, documented, and treated, particularly among Indigenous peoples, migrants, refugees, and patients with limited English proficiency. In this perspective, we call for the development of a comprehensive compendium on culturally responsive and …

Leveraging Social Media Recruitment In Health Science Education: A Scoping Review, Crystalyn Richard, Natalie Nguyen, Luong Thien Nguyen, Alison Hansen

Philippine Journal of Physical Therapy

Background: Equitable recruitment practices are essential to the diversification of health science educational applicant pools. This scoping review aimed to understand the existing literature supporting the use and implementation of SM (SM) for recruitment in various health science educational programs. Methods: A comprehensive search utilizing the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) framework was used to collect and analyze existing articles. Keyword selection followed by an iterative process for article inclusion using Covidence application for article analysis and inclusion/exclusion. A thematic analysis method was employed to synthesize findings from the studies that met our inclusion criteria. Results: The initial keyword …

Self-Reported Gum Bleeding, Oral Health Behaviors, And Cardiovascular Risk Indicators Among Adults Aged 45-70 In A Community Dental Setting., Kimberleigh Edwards

Population Health Leadership and Analytics Theses

Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among adults in the United States, particularly during midlife and older adulthood. Periodontal inflammation and poor oral hygiene behaviors have been linked to increased cardiovascular risk through systemic inflammatory pathways. This exploratory cross-sectional study described patterns of self reported gum bleeding, oral hygiene behaviors, and cardiovascular risk factors among 29 adults aged 45 to 70 at a community dental clinic using the researcher-developed Oral and Heart Health Study Questionnaire. Fourteen participants reported both gum bleeding and at least one cardiovascular risk factor. Participants who reported inconsistent flossing and infrequent professional …

Between The Root And The Stem: On Women-Plant Relations, Predation And Familiarisation Among The Awajún (Upper Amazonas, Peru), Nils Haukeland Vedal

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

What to do with the problem of predation? This is not only a conundrum for anthropologists working in what has become known as animist societies. The gardening activities of the Awajún people of northern Peru’s high jungle are modelled on the teachings of the original mother of cultivated plants, Núgkui, who granted the Awajún their cultivars. Yet gardening is not an easy matter. The manioc sprouts seek to suck the blood of gardeners unless they are treated correctly. This article explores how predation is constantly kept at bay through familiarisation practices in which garden plants are made into the vegetative …

Making Noise Through Law: Indigenous Legal Mobilisation Against A Power Plant In “French” Guiana, Pierre Auzerau

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

In so-called “French” Guiana, or Guyane, the Kali’na village of Atopo Wipi has fought for years against a hydrogen power plant being built on their land. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted between 2023 and 2024 in Guyane and Western Europe, where I collaborated with various stakeholders to support Atopo Wipi’s resistance to the power plant, my research focuses on the legal dimensions of the Kali’na’s struggle to protect their land. Specifically, this article examines how the Kali’na navigated different normative frameworks, including international human rights standards and French law, to fight the project. Through this analysis, I show how the …

Customary Forest Management Based On Cultural Spatial Tripartite Scheme In Tenganan Pegringsingan, Aloysius Gonzaga Dimas Bintarta Raharja, M. Baiquni, S. Setiadi

Forest and Society

The customary forest of Tenganan Pegringsingan in Karangasem, Bali, received the Customary Forest Decree from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry in 2019 as a part of Social Forestry implementation. This decree marked the beginning of granting rights to manage the customary forest for the traditional village in Bali. The Tenganan Pegringsingan indigenous community manages their customary forest through a traditional bureaucratic scheme, employing the authority of Krama Desa and a set of customary laws (awig-awig). Krama Desa acts as the governance authority for the utilization of the Tenganan Pegringsingan customary forest, involving two parties: the inheritance rights …

Exclusion And Enterprise - Entrepreneurship, Poverty And Breaking Down Barriers, Sarah Preedy

Plymouth Business School

No abstract provided.

Impetus 2025 – The Philippine Physical Therapy Association (Ppta) National Convention: Poster Presentations, Impetus 2026

Philippine Journal of Physical Therapy

No abstract provided.

Impetus 2025 – The Philippine Physical Therapy Association (Ppta) National Convention: Platform Presentations, Impetus 2026

Philippine Journal of Physical Therapy

No abstract provided.

Is Trimethylamine N-Oxide A Friend, Foe, Or Hormetic Agent In Patients With Parkinson’S Disease: A Focused Review Of One Microbial Metabolite, Abraham B. Alton

Student Works

This review synthesizes recent literature examining trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) synthesis and its potential role in Parkinson’s Disease (PD) pathology. An increase in TMAO plasma and CSF concentration is associated with PD progression and severity. TMAO biosynthesis is a two-step process. First, precursors including carnitine and choline are converted to trimethylamine (TMA) by gut microbes. Second, TMAO is oxidized to TMAO in the liver. Once absorbed into circulation TMAO crosses the blood brain barrier and may influence PD disease pathology by increasing neuroinflammation and astrocyte activation and damaging the cerebral lymphatic system. These mechanisms may contribute to the cognitive and motor …

Navigating Trust: The Impact Of Social Media Influencers On Gen Z Health Behaviors, Abigail Stelling

Honors Thesis

Social media plays a defining role in the daily lives of Gen Z, influencing how people communicate, access information, and make decisions. More than a form of entertainment, social media is a powerful source that shapes identity, perceptions, and behaviors. As the first generation to grow up fully immersed in a digital world, Gen Z is uniquely impacted by the content and interactions that occur on social media platforms. Within this digital landscape, social media influencers have emerged as powerful figures. These individuals use large online platforms to promote lifestyles, products, and behaviors. Influencers often have the ability to shape …

“Ese Dia Que Se Va El Patron An Hecho Fiesta”.* Historicities Of Successful Resistance Against Hacienda Bosses Among The Kukama (Peru, 1933-1945), Arno R. Holl

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

This paper analyzes two cases of resistance by Kukama workers within the debt slavery system of habilitación in the Peruvian Amazon during the first half of the twentieth century. It discusses the similarities and differences between the two cases, and positions the workers and their accounts of events and agency within the historical, social and cosmological framework of the time and region. Through the examples studied here, the hierarchies, power dynamics, spirituality, lifestyles, traditions, and cultural changes that shaped Kukama communities at the time become visible from an emic perspective. The paper places special emphasis on how historical events are …

El Amor En Los Tiempos Del Caucho. Pactos Matrimoniales Y Trabajo Coercitivo Entre Awajún Y Patrones En La Amazonía Peruana, Silvia Romio

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

Este trabajo presenta un análisis etnohistórico de los cambios en la jefatura awajún del Alto Marañón a inicios del siglo XX, centrándose en sus relaciones de dependencia, poder y trabajo forzoso con los comerciantes mestizos, en su mayoría patrones del caucho establecidos en la zona. El ensayo describe la transformación gradual de las relaciones cotidianas con estos foráneos, quienes pasaron de ser simples aliados comerciales a convertirse en capitanes y, finalmente, en yernos-patrones mediante el matrimonio con una o más hijas del jefe indígena. A través de la figura del yerno-patrón, se produjo una progresiva incorporación del “blanco” a …

A Pedra Da Aldeia: Reativações Waiwai Entre A Antropologia E A Arqueologia De Longa Duração, Carlos Machado Dias Jr., Kanhera Renato Xerew, Alexandre Aniceto Souza, Jaime Xamen Wai Wai, Justino Sarmento Rezende, Claide De Paula Moraes

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

O artigo analisa um episódio ocorrido na comunidade waiwai do Jatapuzinho, na Terra Indígena Trombetas-Mapuera, envolvendo o encontro do professor Renato Kanhera Waiwai com um antigo Pote de Pedra encontrado às margens do rio Jatapuzinho durante um período de estiagem. A partir de uma experiência etnográfica conduzida pelo próprio Kanhera, os autores refletem sobre os efeitos cosmopolíticos, históricos e ontológicos mobilizados pelo artefacto, articulando antropologia, arqueologia e perspectivas indígenas em um exercício de escrita coletiva. O texto argumenta que o Pote de Pedra não constitui apenas um vestígio arqueológico, mas um agente ativo na reativação de memórias, sonhos, narrativas e …

"Nothing Is Simple". An Ethnographic Theory And Its History, Marcio Goldman, Elizabeth Ewart, Patrick O'Hare

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

This lecture was given on April 16th, 2026, at St Andrews University, as the 2nd Peter Gow Memorial Lecture. Its aim is not only to pay tribute to a great anthropologist who died prematurely, but also to explore a fundamental aspect of his work. Namely, the fact that Peter Gow developed what we might call an “ethnographic theory of mixture”. This theory is elaborated here through a comparison between Peter Gow’s work and my own, with a particular focus on what I have termed the Afro-indigenous relationship, counter-miscegenation, and counter-syncretism.

Choline Counteracts Pregnancy Undernutrition-Associated Colitis In Sheep By Restoring Microbiota Driven Bile Acid Metabolism, Weibin Wu, Peng Jiao, Yamei Gu, Huizhen Lu, Caiyun Fan, Zheng Sun, Lizhuang Hao, Shengyong Mao, Jianbo Cheng, Yanfeng Xue

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

High-fertility sheep experience undernutrition during late gestation, which induces body metabolic disruption and intestinal inflammation. Crucially, the gut microbiota-bile acid axis is a promising intestinal inflammation target, but how choline modulates this axis in livestock enteritis is unknown. This study investigated choline's protective mechanisms against undernutrition-induced intestinal inflammation in sheep, focusing on gut microbiota and bile acid regulation. Choline consistently alleviates colitis severity, restores epithelial barrier integrity, and suppresses intestinal inflammation. These protective effects are accompanied by pronounced remodeling of the colonic microbial ecosystem, characterized by the enrichment of Clostridiales bacterium to elevate bile salt hydrolase activity and regulate bile …

Designing Captcha Systems With Reinforcement Learning For Adaptive Defense, Meghana Indukuri, Eman Naseerkhan, Joshua Rose, Martin Tran, Younghee Park

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart) systems remain a widely deployed defense against automated abuse, but advances in machine learning have reduced the effectiveness of traditional challenge-based designs and exposed limitations in proprietary risk-scoring systems. This paper presents an adaptive, reinforcement learning-based CAPTCHA defense framework for high-security web applications. The proposed system formulates bot detection as a partially observable Markov decision process and uses a Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) agent with Long Short-Term Memory to analyze streamed behavioral telemetry, including mouse movements, clicks, keystrokes, and scrolling, over sequential interaction windows. During the observation phase, …

Cultural Determinism, Leadership Identity, And Psychological Outcomes Among Emirati Women School Principals: A Convergent Mixed Methods Study, Saeed Mobarak Alkaabi

All Works

Background/problem: Despite state-led empowerment reforms in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Emirati women school principals experience tension between leadership roles and entrenched cultural expectations. Norms related to family honor, modesty, male guardianship, and relational harmony, continue to shape leadership identity formation, agency, and psychological outcomes, influencing leadership legitimacy and professional identity. Objective/purpose: This study examines how cultural determinism influences leadership identity, agency, and psychological well-being among Emirati women school leaders on the East Coast of the UAE. Design and Methodology: A convergent parallel mixed methods design was implemented. Correlation and regression analysis were used to test the influence of cultural …

Beyond Behavior: Understanding Trauma As A Pathway To Transform Classroom Discipline, Jennifer J. Snead

Masters Projects

Many students entering early childhood and elementary classrooms have experienced trauma that impacts their ability to learn, regulate emotions, and fully participate in school. Research shows that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can affect brain development, particularly in areas related to attention, memory, and self-regulation—skills essential for success in the classroom. Even though trauma-related behaviors are becoming more common, many educators report feeling underprepared to recognize and respond to these behaviors due to limited training in trauma-informed practices. As a result, student behavior is often misunderstood as defiance, which can lead to discipline practices that do not address the root cause. …

Ho Chi Minh’S Thoughts On Gender Equality In The Political Sphere In Vietnam And Strategic Implications For Indonesia, Tri Minh Nguyen

Jurnal Wacana Politik

This paper provides an exhaustive examination of the theoretical foundations of Ho Chi Minh’s thought regarding gender equality and its institutionalization within the political fabric of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Focusing on the contemporary period (2021–2026), the analysis evaluates the efficacy of the Vietnamese model of State Feminism in achieving descriptive and substantive representation for women in legislative and executive bodies. Furthermore, the paper conducts a comparative analysis with the Republic of Indonesia, particularly following its 2024 general elections, to identify structural, cultural, and legal divergences. By synthesizing data from government reports, international indices, and academic literature, this study …

Trends Towards Political Communication Strategy On Social Media: A Bibliometrics Analysis, Annisa Atha Hanifah, La Mani, Zidane Ahmad Busthomi, Giovanni Sunrise, Matthew A. Kristanto, Indra Prawira

Jurnal Wacana Politik

Social media has become the center of digital political communication, enabling politicians to convey messages, form narratives, and mobilize public support directly and interactively. Social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok serve not only as campaign tools but also as deliberative spaces where political discourse is formed and debated. This study uses a bibliometric approach to analyze global trends in research on political communication on social media during the period 2020-2024. Data were collected in October 2025 from Scopus database, comprising 608 documents from 253 publication sources and author affiliations in 24 countries. The search was conducted using …

Simplification Of Technical Language In Tagesschau News For B1-Level German Vocabulary Learning, Syaula Qonit Helga, Dewi Kartika Ardiyani

Journal of Innovation and Teacher Professionalism

This study aims to identify and categorize the types of Fachsprache (specialized language) found in simplified Tagesschau news and to explore their potential use for B1-level German vocabulary learning. The study employs a qualitative descriptive approach using content analysis. Data were collected from news videos available on the Tagesschau YouTube channel and analyzed according to three categories: (1) CEFR level, (2) subject area, and (3) usage context. The data were processed through data reduction techniques to simplify Fachsprache terms at higher CEFR levels, followed by data display and interpretation to examine the identification results, and finally, conclusion drawing. The findings …

Clientelism And The Quality Of Democracy: A Comparative Analysis Of Rule Of Law And Public Goods Provision In Indonesia And Malaysia, Ahmad Mikail, Muhammad Arief Virgy, Mustabsyirotul Ummah Mustofa

Jurnal Wacana Politik

Clientelism remains common in Southeast Asian politics even though electoral democracy has expanded. This study examines how different forms of clientelism influence democratic quality, focusing on the rule of law and public goods provision in Indonesia and Malaysia. Building on the theories of clientelism, understood as the exchange of material benefits for political support. Such practices can weaken the fair enforcement of laws and shift public spending toward targeted groups instead of universal welfare programs. This study uses panel data from the Varieties of Democracy Institute and applies a comparative approach to analyze Indonesia and Malaysia. A multiple linear regression …

Public Interest As An ‘Empty Signifier’: Discourse Hegemony Strategy Of Pro-Dam Group In The Contestation Of The Development Discourse Of The Bener Dam National Stragic Project., Muhammad Nadhif Achyansyah, Yusa Djuyandi

Jurnal Wacana Politik

This article examines how the discourse of public interest is constructed and mobilized by pro-dam actors to legitimize the construction of the Bener Dam National Strategic Project amid resistance against andesite quarry mining in Wadas Village, Purworejo Regency. Using Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe’s discourse analysis framework, this study employs qualitative methods to analyze textual and non-textual data drawn from official government documents, policy statements, press conferences, mass media coverage, and public communications by central and local governments as well as pro-dam community actors. The analysis shows that public interest functions as an empty signifier that is articulated as a …

The Strait Of Hormuz As An Instrument Of Iran’S Geoeconomic Statecraft In Shaping Foreign Policy Amid The Dynamics Of Contemporary Conflicts, Daffa Rabbani Widy Hayat, Noeryfqa Okta Harizal, Ahmad Sahide

Jurnal Wacana Politik

This study examines how Iran strategically utilizes the Strait of Hormuz as an instrument of geoeconomic statecraft in formulating foreign policy amid intensifying international sanctions following the United States withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018. Employing Neoclassical Realism and Geoeconomics as the theoretical framework, this study analyzes how domestic elite decision-making mediates systemic pressure and transforms geographical assets into sources of asymmetric bargaining power. Through a single-case study approach supported by qualitative deep analysis of institutional reports, academic literature, and policy documents, this study finds that Iran systematically operationalizes the Strait of Hormuz through three interconnected mechanisms: asymmetric military signaling, …

Developing A Framework For Mooc Dropout: The Role Of Utilitarian And Hedonic Values In Student Retention, Bipllab Roy, Mave D'Souza, Madhura Laghane

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have expanded access to higher education but continue to face persistently high dropout rates, raising concerns about their long‑term effectiveness and sustainability. This study develops and empirically tests a structural framework that links utilitarian values (perceived usefulness, certificate value, time flexibility), hedonic values (enjoyment, variety and novelty, personal interest alignment), and individual characteristics (goal orientation, self‑efficacy, motivation type) to MOOC student retention. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 200 MOOC learners from Christ University, Lavasa Campus, and analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) in AMOS. The results show that goal orientation, self‑efficacy …

Ethically Grounded Charismatic Leadership, Jiaxing Wu

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

Charisma has long been praised as one of the best features that a leader could have to not only successfully inspire their employees but also be able to transform an organization through a shared vision. Although it has been widely regarded as a favorable leadership quality, prior research has also not fully explored the ethical foundations that determine whether its influence produces beneficial or destructive outcomes. With that duality in mind, this paper aims to conduct a literature review to examine the potential ethical issues within charismatic leadership theory moderated by the effect of ethical leadership. Drawing from the existing …

Utilizing Research Narratives To Advance Systems Thinking In Doctoral Education, Ryan Charles Weber, Kathleen Teresa Scott

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

This study examines how narrative storytelling functions as a pedagogical mechanism for advancing systems thinking in doctoral education. Drawing on a qualitative narrative synthesis of publicly available scholarly literature, the analysis explores how narrative practices support sensemaking, complexity integration, and collaborative learning among doctoral students. Grounded in Senge’s (2006) learning organization framework, the study investigates how storytelling contributes to the development of mental models, shared vision, personal mastery, and team learning in advanced academic contexts. Findings indicate that narrative engagement enhances cognitive integration, deepens understanding of systemic interdependence, and strengthens collaborative discourse among emerging scholars. The study extends leadership and …