Digital Commons Network^™

What Is Philosophy For? Reading Wittgenstein After Cavell, Maggie L. Zhang

2026 Claremont Colleges Library Undergraduate Research Award

This literature review examines two major strands of Cavellian scholarship on Wittgenstein, arguing that their relative separation has obscured the insights each offers the other. Cavell’s “therapeutic” reading of Wittgenstein understands his philosophical project not as a theory of language but as an activity aimed at dissolving the philosophical fantasy of such a theory. This approach has been taken up along two largely distinct lines of inquiry: one focused on the Tractatus and the debate between substantial and austere views of nonsense, and another centered on the Philosophical Investigations and its relation to ordinary language philosophy, particularly in light of …

Systemic Barriers To Parental Involvement In Immigrant Families: Impact On Children’S Academic Outcomes, Ama Jane Baffoe

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

This literature review examines how parental involvement and systemic barriers influence children’s academic outcomes, specifically within immigrant families. By analyzing research on language proficiency and work schedules, this study identifies how these factors limit parental participation in school-based activities. Findings indicate that while parental involvement consistently correlates with academic achievement and emotional stability, current school systems often disadvantage immigrant families facing these barriers. The review concludes that schools must develop more inclusive involvement strategies to eliminate educational inequalities and better support the success of students from diverse backgrounds.

Effects Of Exercise And Chemotherapy Treatments On Survival And Climbing Activity In Drosophila Melanogaster With Different Mitochondrial Genotypes., Amber A. Haines

Research & Creative Achievement Day

Mitochondrial variation plays a role in energy production, physical performance and responses to physiological stress. This study investigated how Drosophila melanogaster, fruit flies, mitochondrial differences and exercise affected survival under the cisplatin and climbing abilities. Fruit flies with different mitochondrial genotypes were assigned to exercise and non-exercise groups. These groups were then split and assigned to either sugar or cisplatin, a chemotherapy drug. Survival rates and climbing ability, a measure of neurodegeneration, were monitored after the treatment. This study will provide information about how mitochondrial variation and exercise can influence responses to environmental and chemical stress.

Public Health Book Club, Ashia Meister, James W. Durst, Ameila Beyer, Kelly K. Freymiller, Julia I. Kunz, Jaci M. Winchell, Josephine M. Sandquist, Chloe F. Sand

Research & Creative Achievement Day

Introduction: This project describes the development and implementation of a book club focused on population health topics to promote learning, discussion, and community engagement. A public library is a safe space to host book club meetings due to its non-intimidating environment. All members of the community are welcome to participate. A book club was hosted on campus for members of the nursing cohort to attend. With a focus on public health, these book clubs build awareness, critical thinking, and community engagement around population health issues. Purpose: The promotion of a book club can improve health literacy in the community by …

Deep Tissue Massage-Induced Muscle Damage Associated With Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (Doms), Stress, And Rhabdomyolysis, Lily M. Ekert, Ella R. Halopka, Micah Maddio, Marisa Wood, Bailey Kerkow, Logan Murphy, Ashley Wise

Research & Creative Achievement Day

Deep tissue massage is a common treatment method used to aid in muscle recovery, reduce pain, and promote overall physical well-being. However, there is limited research explaining its biochemical effects at a cellular level, particularly in relation to muscle damage and systemic inflammation. Severe cases of muscle tissue breakdown are Rhabdomyolysis, which is discussed with an emphasis on clinical evidence rather than biochemical aspects. The goal of this study is to determine whether deep tissue massages cause cellular damage and tissue inflammation. This testing will be done through quantitative measurements of biomarkers within the bloodstream. In previous studies, four specific …

Publishing Satori Literary Journal, Shaela Eriksen, Jade Mcelmury, Reagan Roesler, Camden Mcdonald, Jade Mcelmury, Elena Armstrong, Lydia Domaille, Jenifer Frick, Linda Hang, Eva Hodnick, Sarah Huderle, Dylan Jackson, Charlie Lund, Kendra Mcclure, Linda Moua, Callie Sahlstrom, Allen Wedekind

Research & Creative Achievement Day

This poster presentation will cover how ENG 324 created Winona State University's Literary Art Journal, Satori, and its companion, Irotas. Both journals feature works of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and photo submissions. Satori was created by students in the class who worked to solicit submissions and market the journal across campus.  This presentation will also cover the production process and the many logistical aspects of publishing a literary journal.

The process of soliciting submissions included a variety of social media and traditional formats to advertise the Satori submissions. While receiving submissions, the class studied the legal and production processes of book …

The Impact Of Social Media On Voter Turnout, Madeline M. Hutchison

Research & Creative Achievement Day

I will be observing how the use of social media affects voter turnout in the presidential election. Using data collected by the American National Election studies I compare data on how often respondents are on social media, and if they voted in the most recent election. I hope to find that an increased use of social media leads to citizens being more likely to vote in the presidential election, especially if they get political information from these social media sites. My main hypothesis is that more access to social media leads to a higher voter turnout in American presidential elections, …

Natural Products As Multi Drug-Multi Target Therapeutics - From The Pharmacological Proof To New Approaches For Quantitative Quality Control, Olaf Kelber

Oxford ICSB

In the two decades since the mode of action of herbal medicinal products has been characterized as the Multi Target action of Multi Drug combinations [1,2, 3], the body of evidence supporting the general applicability of this principle to herbal health products has been exponentially increasing.  Key studies describing this principle, based on a wide range of pharmacological models, have been conducted in STW 5 and STW 5-II, herbal combinations used in the treatment of disturbances of the gut-brain interaction (DGBIs) as e.g. upset stomach and irritable bowel syndrome [2, 4]. They allow to characterize the contribution of each combination …

Medicinal Plants And One Health Drug Discovery: Plectranthus Abietanes As P-Glycoprotein Modulators, Patricia Rijo

Oxford ICSB

Cancer remains a major global health challenge, with multidrug resistance (MDR)—frequently driven by P-glycoprotein (P-gp) overexpression—significantly limiting the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Within a One Health perspective, Africa, home to five major medicinal biodiversity hotspots, represents an underexplored reservoir for natural products–based drug discovery. Among this rich flora, the genus Plectranthus (Lamiaceae) emerges as a particularly promising source of bioactive abietane diterpenes. In this work, the abietane diterpene 7α-acetoxy-6β-hydroxyroyleanone (Roy), isolated from Plectranthus grandidentatus Gürke, exhibited pronounced cytotoxic activity against several cancer cell lines. To enhance its pharmacological profile, a series of Roy ester derivatives was synthesized and evaluated for their …

Expanding Natural Product Diversity Through Biotransformation, Emerson Queiroz

Oxford ICSB

Over the past decade, natural product research has undergone a methodological revolution [1]. Modern approaches now integrate advanced metabolite profiling techniques for compound annotation and prioritization, together with high-resolution chromatographic methods that enable seamless transition from analytical to preparative scales [2]. These tools have facilitated the detection and identification of minor bioactive constituents. Nevertheless, plant extracts typically contain abundant common scaffolds with limited relevance for drug discovery. In this context, enzymatic biotransformation emerges as a promising strategy to enhance chemical diversity and unlock new structural space. Two complementary biotechnological approaches have been developed: enzymatic transformation using fungal secretomes (crude extracellular …

India: Live Model Portraiture, Jennifer Trahant

Liberty University Research Week

India: Live Model Portraiture explores how charcoal can balance accurate likeness with expressive mark-making. While careful attention to proportion, value, and line captures the model’s physical presence, looser marks in the background add movement and begin to blur the boundary between the figure and its surroundings. Rather than aiming for perfect realism, the drawing allows moments of abstraction to bring more life and energy into the subject. This piece shows how charcoal portraiture can move beyond simple replication to create a stronger sense of body and spirit.

The Role Of Group Guidance With Psychodrama In Promoting Self-Adjustment: Does It Really Work For Adolescents?, Hanifa Salsa Bila, Dian Ari Widyastuti, Sri Tutur Martaningsih, Agungbudiprabowo Agungbudiprabowo, Taquddin Abd Mukti

Buletin Konseling Inovatif

This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of group guidance using psychodrama techniques in improving self-adjustment among students. The study employed a quantitative approach with an experimental research design, specifically a pretest–posttest control group design. The participants consisted of ten students, divided into an experimental group of five students and a control group of five students. The experimental group received group guidance with psychodrama techniques, while the control group received treatment as usual. The research participants were selected using a simple random sampling technique. Data were collected using a self-adjustment scale, which had been analyzed for validity and reliability using …

The Enhancement Of Learning Inspiration By Strategic Life Planning Using After Model Assembly With Goodness Based Learning For The Lower Secondary Students In Buriram’S Private School, Adisorn Bansong

Journal of Education Studies

This pre-experimental research aimed to compare the students’ learning Inspiration before, and after using AFTER model assembly with Goodness Based Learning (GBL) on the Strategic Life Planning lesson plans to enhance student’s learning inspiration, A one-group pretest-posttest design was conducted on 40 lower secondary students using a lesson plan with IOC = 0.80-1.00, high-level quality was implemented 1 period a week for 15 weeks. The Learning Inspiration Scales with IOC = 0.90-1.00 and Cronbach's Alpha Coefficient = .86 were utilized as instruments for data collection. Percentage, mean, standard deviation, and t-test were used for data analysis. The findings were as …

Indigenous Māori Defend Digital Sovereignty Over Big Tech’S Free Trade Rules, Jane Kelsey

Indian Journal of Law and Technology

In 2016, Indigenous Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand challenged the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (‘TPPA’) for breaching the colonial government (Crown) obligations to them under the 1840 Tiriti o Waitangi. This was lodged before a Tribunal particularly established to inquire into such breaches. In 2021, the Tribunal upheld that claim, finding that the TPPA e-commerce provisions failed to protect Māori identity and Indigenous knowledge. Since then, the Crown and Māori have sought means to reconcile these competing paradigms within the unequal power relations of a colonial government and Indigenous Peoples – denied the sovereignty affirmed to them in 1840. This case …

The Role Of Ai In Judicial Translation: Ensuring Access To Justice In Vernacular Languages, With Special Reference To Marathi, Bhushan Raut

Indian Journal of Law and Technology

This paper examines the role of artificial intelligence in judicial translation to enhance access to justice in India’s multilingual legal system, with a specific focus on Marathi. It situates judicial translation within the constitutional framework and Rule of Law theory, arguing that linguistic accessibility is essential to legal agency and fairness. Through doctrinal, empirical, and comparative analysis, the paper evaluates initiatives such as SUVAS, highlights gaps in vernacular availability of landmark judgements, and identifies challenges relating to accuracy, accountability, and legal semantics. It proposes a hybrid AI–human model and policy reforms to ensure reliable, scalable, and inclusive translation practices in …

The Illusory Normativity Of Rights-Based Ai Regulation, Yiyang Mei, Matthew Sag

Indian Journal of Law and Technology

Whether and how to regulate AI is now a central question of governance. Across academic, policy, and international legal circles, the European Union is widely treated as the normative leader in this space. Its regulatory framework, anchored in the General Data Protection Regulation, the Digital Services and Markets Acts, and the AI Act, is often portrayed as a principled model grounded in fundamental rights. This Article challenges that assumption. We argue that the rights-based narrative surrounding EU AI regulation mischaracterises the logic of its institutional design. While rights language pervades EU legal instruments, its function is managerial, not foundational. These …

Le Rôle Du Conseil D’État Dans L’Élaboration Du Droit, Joseph Chaoul

Proche-Orient, Études juridiques

The centenary of the Lebanese Conseil d’Etat, established in 1924 on the French model, offers an opportunity to reflect on its role in the development of law. This institution, which embodies the dual jurisdictional system characteristic of legal systems inspired by French law, has a dual mission – advisory and judicial – making it a central actor in the creation of law. In its advisory function, it provides the government with guidance on the legality and administrative advisability of draft texts. Through its judicial function, the Conseil d’Etat contributes to the formation of administrative law through its case law. …

Editorial, Marie Claude Najm

Proche-Orient, Études juridiques

Issue 77 of Proche Orient, Études Juridiques, which was scheduled to appear at the end of 2024, endured the turmoil of war. It is now being published following a restructuring of the team responsible for the journal, at a moment still marked by difficulties and uncertainties, yet also carrying hope. The contributions it contains reflect, in many cases, the legal issues raised by the tragedies that have devastated the region as well as the numerous challenges confronting our legal system: from the reform of justice, both administrative and judicial, to the reform of social security and the pension system, …

The Public Private Partnership (Ppp) Method: Insights From The Arab Region Context In General And Dubai Market In Particular, Rita Waked

Proche-Orient, Études juridiques

The Public Private Partnership (PPP) as a form of association involving a public entity and a private person has become a global innovative trend for governments seeking to finance their infrastructure, and has gradually established itself as a driving force of the economic recovery in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. This article examines the PPP’s main features and the pillar of its success, at a time where it is experiencing a resurgence of interest in Arab countries, and in particular in Dubai where the adoption in 2015 of a PPP law reflects the Emirate’s consciousness of the importance of …

Force Majeure And Economic Hardship Under Uae Law, Myrna Saad

Proche-Orient, Études juridiques

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a renewed interest in the concepts of force majeure and economic hardship, which both deal with unforeseen and unavoidable events disrupting the performance of a contract. Despite many overlapping features between the two concepts, major divergences exist, both in conditions and effects. This article examines how force majeure and hardship are approached in the UAE Civil Transactions Code by analyzing their constitutive elements and comparing their consequences on contract performance and liability.

Public Budget Laws And Economic Performance In The Uae, Carole Ibrahim

Proche-Orient, Études juridiques

This paper aims to examine the impact of the public budget laws implemented in the UAE on the country’s economic performance, by studying the relationship between government spending and the country’s economic activity during the last four decades. The results show that since 2001, government spending has strongly impacted the non-oil economic growth. These results can be explained by the implementation of the “Program and Performance-based Budgeting” method, the medium-term budget cycle, and the functional classification of the government expenditures.

50 Years Of Constitutional Judicial Review In The United Arab Emirates: Key Features, Nisrine Abiad

Proche-Orient, Études juridiques

On the 50th anniversary of the enshrinement of judicial review within the UAE Constitution, this paper explores its main features. The analysis of the constitutional provisions and the jurisprudence of the Federal Supreme Court reveals that constitutional judicial review in the UAE is intrinsically rooted in federalism as it is mainly designed as a tool preserving the adjudication of powers between federal and local authorities. It is nevertheless also destined by the Constitution for a wider purpose of constitutional justice endorsing the individuals and the courts as key players in its process.

La Réforme Du Code De Commerce Libanais : Impact Sur Le Fonctionnement Des Sociétés Anonymes, Patrick Soumrani

Proche-Orient, Études juridiques

Except for specific limited amendments, the Lebanese corporate law has remained unchanged for many years. Several drafts aiming to reform and modernize such law have been prepared since the 1990s. But it is only in 2019 that a new draft has been voted hastily by the parliament, and has entered into effect on the 1st of July 2019. The reform brings numerous advantages: it facilitates the functioning of limited liability companies and joint stock companies, introduces the single partner limited liability company, provides for specific provisions governing the GDRs, as well as companies’ mergers and splits, and sanctions penalty the …

Réflexions Sur La Monnaie Et La Banque Au Liban, Antoine Merheb

Proche-Orient, Études juridiques

Banks and currencies have always been intimately linked and the problems suffered by one affect inevitably the other. This article which recalls the history of the contemporary national currency tries to enlighten the causes of the most serious monetary crisis that Lebanon has incurred since its independence in 1943 and the deleterious effects of this crisis on the Lebanese banking sector which is, in part, responsible for having blindly followed, not always under duress, the policy drawn up by the central bank and which only found, to escape total bankruptcy, to hang on to the unlimited liberating power of a …

Editorial, Léna Gannagé

Proche-Orient, Études juridiques

This new issue is released at a time when Saint Joseph University of Beirut, despite the severity of the crisis affecting Lebanon, is committed to advancing a sustained research policy accompanied by the renewal of its scientific journals.

Temporal Blind Spot Failure In Serverless Cloud Systems: How Ai Agents Cause Cloud Disasters, Aaron Burton

Defensive Publications Series

This disclosure defines and documents Temporal Blind Spot Failure, a recurring agentic AI failure mode in which autonomous AI agents operating inside serverless cloud systems take actions that are locally rational but catastrophic across complex cloud environments. Temporal Blind Spot Failure is distinct from prompt injection, memory poisoning, and output hallucination. It occurs because the agent decides one step at a time and cannot see how its choices compound across the systems those choices touch. This disclosure establishes Temporal Blind Spot Failure as a named category of agentic AI failure modes, describes how it shows up across the model, the …

Freedom Of Navigation And Archipe·Lagic State: Indonesian Case, Melda Kamil

Jurnal Hukum & Pembangunan

Abstract

Eliminating The Dialogue Gap: A Proposal For A Uncopus Space Affairs Rapporteur, Alexa Weston, Nicholas J. Mcclay, Auriana Lara, Sebastian Figueroa

Student Contributions

This policy brief examines the challenges of multilateral cooperation in space security governance. Despite growing international concern, limited progress has been made in regulating destabilizing activities in space. The brief proposes creating a UNCOPUOS-appointed Special Rapporteur to monitor, advise, and report on space security issues while helping coordinate international priorities and cooperation.

College Students, Immigration, And The News: Navigating What Is Reliable News, Alexis Pineda-Bautista

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

People treat mainstream media as a trustworthy source, but mainstream media has recently come into question. Mainstream media’s ability to quickly deliver accurate information has been called into doubt and there has been an increase in partisan reporting (Bennett and Livingston, 2018 as cited in Besalú and Pont-Sorribes, 2021; Besalú and Pont-Sorribes 2021). This research aims to demonstrate how the public views the mainstream media’s ability to deliver reliable information, why some participants are turning towards social media as a news source, and how people use their personal experience to verify the validity of media claims.

In semi-structured interviews, 13 …

Predicting Telecom Customer Churn: A Statistically Validated Kpi Framework With Machine Learning And Revenue Impact Modeling, Moeez Islam Malik '27, Amy Ehinomen Eremionkhale

Student Research

This capstone project addresses a core business problem in the telecommunications industry: how to detect, measure, and prevent customer churn before it occurs, using a KPI framework validated by statistical analysis and machine learning. Applied to 7,043 customer records across 37 variables from a California-based telecom operator, the analysis integrates descriptive KPI computation, Pearson correlation analysis, chi-square tests of independence, and logistic regression churn prediction. The research confirms that customer tenure (r = −0.352, p < 0.001) and contract type (Cramér's V = 0.410, p < 0.001) are the dominant predictors of churn, and that a logistic regression model achieves AUC-ROC = 0.8307 — sufficient for proactive deployment. A 5-percentage-point churn reduction preserves $273,670 in annual revenue and $1.55M in customer lifetime value. The project delivers an integrated analytical framework, a predictive retention model, a 16-chart visualization suite, and a 12-page Power BI executive dashboard.