Digital Commons Network^™

Tfr 17.2 Full Issue

The Foundation Review

No abstract provided.

Community Engagement: A Core Practice On The Journey To Power Sharing, Elizabeth Jordan, Tryphena A. Clarke, Raquel R. Robinson

The Foundation Review

In this article, the authors posit that equity and power-sharing are foundational considerations for responsible philanthropy given the inherently unequal balance of wealth. These considerations may be magnified for family and place-based foundations where philanthropy has an outsized impact within a particular community.

Community engagement is a core practice tied to equity and power-sharing that can bring philanthropy into closer alignment with democratic and social equity values. This article examines the 15-year journey of a place-based family foundation as a reflection on how grantmaking organizations may shift their governance, giving priorities, staffing model, and operating practices to support the tenets …

Listening And Participation Prime Funders To Honor And Build Community Ownership, Gita Gulati-Partee, Katy Love

The Foundation Review

Funder listening is an essential complement to community participation to disrupt white dominant culture habits that entrench the status quo of hierarchy and power. Community-centered listening, combined with participatory processes, offers funders an opportunity to shift in deep and sustainable ways from an individualistic, “power over” orientation to interdependent relationships with community partners.

In this article, two practitioners of equity and participatory philanthropy share how funder listening and community participation form a potent combination to help funders confront their own power and use it intentionally to honor and bolster community ownership and agency.

Drawing on the authors’ direct experience, this …

0895: Whear Family Papers, 1909-2019, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Dr. Paul W. Whear was a noted composer and Marshall University professor and founded the Huntington Chamber Orchestra. Nancy Robinson Voiers Whear was a renowned musician who worked in Morrow Library at Marshall University and wrote several articles that were published. Their children were Allen Whear, violoncellist, brother Bill, a prominent photographer, and Cynthia, another distinguished musician.

The Whear Family Collection includes original compositions and musical scores by Paul W. Whear, research materials used by Nancy Whear, photography by Bill Whear, and documentation of the musical career of Allen Whear. Also included are programs and other materials from the Huntington …

Recent Studies On The Reactions And Synthesis Of Nitrogen And Sulfur - Containing Heterocyclic Pharmacophores., Bernard Louis Adjei

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nitrogen and sulfur-containing heterocycles remain significant classes of compounds in the field of medicinal and organic chemistry due to their unique structural features and diverse biological activities which make them of considerable interest for drug discovery and development. Notable examples of the nitrogen containing heterocycles include the phthalimide and glutarimide rings present in thalidomide. Thalidomide, a potent small-molecule therapeutic agent, precipitated a significant global drug crisis due to its teratogenicity, causing congenital malformations in phocomelia infants, which remains unrivaled over half a century ago. Currently, thalidomide derivatives are extensively utilized in the therapeutic management of various hematological malignancies. Recent investigations …

"That’S Not A Meal, Bestie”: Humor, Identity, & Feminized Consumption In “Girl Dinner”., Claire Tudor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the viral “Girl Dinner” trend as a case study in how gendered consumption, digital identity, and feminist humor intersect in digital spaces. Using “Girl Dinner” as a rhetorical artifact, this thesis explores how women use gendered trends to navigate visibility, labor, and autonomy in online spaces. Through thematic analysis of TikTok content, media coverage, and branded adaptations, the research traces the evolution of the trend from a lighthearted joke to a site of cultural negotiation. This study reveals that while “Girl Dinner” may appear empowering and relatable on the surface, it often reinforces traditional gender expectations under …

The Influence Of Psychological, Biological, And Social Determinants On Disordered Eating Behaviors Among U.S. Young Adults: Evidence From Nhanes 2015-2018., Samantha Kaye Gerbine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Disordered eating behaviors (DEBs) are influenced by biological, social, and psychological factors, yet research often narrowly focuses on White, college-aged women. This study assessed the predictors and prevalence of DEBs in a nationally representative sample of U.S. young adults using data from the 2015–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Survey weights were applied to generate national estimates. Descriptive statistics characterized the sample, and logistic regressions tested biological, social, and psychological predictors of DEBs. A composite risk score was developed using variables retained in the final model. The unweighted sample (n = 1,062) represented 64 million U.S. young adults. …

Blackberry Long-Cane Cold Storage And Forcing Strategy Effects On Flower And Fruit Development, Leala Machesney, Ryan Dickson, Amanda Mcwhirt, Margaret L. Worthington, Stephanie E. Burnett

Horticulture Faculty Publications and Presentations

Blackberry (Rubus subg. Rubus) production using soilless culture and "long-cane" techniques offers growers the potential to achieve off-season harvests and increase yields. This study investigated the feasibility of achieving early spring harvests and high yields with four blackberry cultivars (Natchez, Ouachita, Prime-ArkVR Freedom, and Prime-ArkVR Traveler) grown using long-cane techniques and six different cold storage and forcing environment strategies. Long-cane blackberry plants were container-grown outdoors during 2020 and were overwintered either at an outdoor nursery or in a cold storage facility (4 degrees C). Dormant plants were then forced the following spring at the outdoor nursery location or in a …

Backpack Funding: What Happens When Dollars Follow The Student?, Alison Heape Johnson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A growing movement in the United States in recent years, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has brought a wave of school choice policies, which allow students to opt into an educational arrangement outside of their zoned traditional public schools (TPS) using public funds. Critics frequently express concern that these policies place an undue financial burden on both taxpayers and school districts. States adopting such policies may take on the additional financial responsibility of educating students who would otherwise privately finance their education, posing an additional cost to the state. When students do leave TPS to participate in private school choice …

Exploring The Relationship Between Adhd, Mood Disorders, And Motivation Among Women Studying For The Ged: A Preregistered Study, Amanda Dawn Kennedy

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Adult women with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression, represent an understudied and underserved demographic within educational research, particularly among those pursuing nontraditional academic pathways, such as obtaining the high school equivalency diploma (i.e., GED). Despite the well-documented challenges associated with ADHD and mood disorders, including difficulties with motivation, executive functioning, and emotional regulation, little research has examined how these factors influence women’s persistence and success in adult education settings. Understanding the unique experiences of this population is essential for developing targeted support systems that enhance learning outcomes and academic achievement. This study …

Navigating Stigma And Privacy: Health-Related Communication Among Bangladeshi Women, Nazmul Shajib

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Women in Bangladesh often silently bear the burden of stigma tied to their bodies, minds, and societal roles. This study examines the coping strategies women use to manage health-related stigma and their privacy while facing issues like reproductive health, mental health, and postpartum challenges. The study was conducted by utilizing in-depth interviews with 17 Bangladeshi women. Stigma Management Communication Theory (SMC) and Communication Privacy Management Theory (CPM) are the two frameworks that guided the study. The findings of the study reveal that stigma often silences women and threatens their social identities, and women feel that having a health problem means …

Impact Of Lighting Wavelength On Broiler Behavior, Health, And Performance, Angela Perretti

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lighting influences broiler production, health, and behavior. Due to their advanced visual system, avian species perceive a wide spectrum of light. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of white (W, 350 to 780 nm) blue (B, 450 nm), and green (G, 560 nm) light on broiler production, processing performance, activity, fear, stress, blood cell profiles, tibiotarsi (tibia) morphology, and depth perception. Day-of-hatch by-product chicks from a Cobb 500 female line (N=600) were randomly assigned to 12 pens (N=4 treatment replicates). Body weight and feed consumption were recorded on day (D) 0, 14, 28, and 41, and …

The Bacteria Who Lived: Uncovering And Mitigating The Persistence Of Pathogens In Low-Moisture Food Processing, Kavita Shripati Patil

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Low-moisture food (LMF) processing environments pose a persistent food safety risk due to Salmonella survival and harborage on surfaces. This work investigates persistent bacterial populations (PBPs) in LMF production environments, focusing on identifying a suitable surrogate and evaluating sanitation strategies. Three potential surrogates, Escherichia coli MP 26, Enterococcus faecium, and Pediococcus acidilactici, were compared to Salmonella PBPs formed in nonfat dry milk (NFDM) on stainless steel coupons stored at 25°C under 30% or 70% relative humidity (RH) using two different inoculation methods. E. faecium showed survival patterns most similar to Salmonella, with no significant differences in log reductions (p > 0.05), …

Cotton Yield And Tissue-Potassium Response To Potassium Fertilization, Maria Paula Ramos Do Prado

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Potassium (K) deficiency is a common yield-limiting factor in cotton (Gossypium hirsu tum L.) production across the U.S. Cotton Belt. Adequate fertilizer-K management is paramount to ensure optimum plant growth and development, minimizing yield losses. Currently, fertilizer K recommendations for cotton in Arkansas are derived from expected yield responses of other crops, with no calibrated fertilizer-K rates or critical tissue-K concentrations defined to maxim ize crop yield. Our research objectives were i) to investigate cotton yield response and fiber qual ity to K fertilization on soils with different K availability; ii) to correlate relative yield with tis sue-K concentrations at …

Supervised Machine-Based Learning And Computational Analysis To Reveal Unique Molecular Signatures Associated With Wound Healing And Fibrotic Outcomes To Lens Injury, Catherine Lalman, Kylie R. Stabler, Yimin Yang, Janice L Walker

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Posterior capsule opacification (PCO), a frequent complication of cataract surgery, arises from dysregulated wound healing and fibrotic transformation of residual lens epithelial cells. While transcriptomic and machine learning (ML) approaches have elucidated fibrosis-related pathways in other tissues, the molecular divergence between regenerative and fibrotic outcomes in the lens remains unclear. Here, we used an ex vivo chick lens injury model to simulate post-surgical conditions, collecting RNA from lenses undergoing either regenerative wound healing or fibrosis between days 1–3 post-injury. Bulk RNA sequencing data were normalized, log-transformed, and subjected to univariate filtering prior to training LASSO, SVM, and RF ML models …

August 2025 Library News, University Libraries

Library News

No abstract provided.

From Code To Compliance: Regulating Daos In Canada: Legal Frameworks And Challenges, Gulnoza Abdurakhmonova

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

This paper examines the regulatory challenges surrounding Decentralised Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) in Canada and argues that existing legal frameworks— primarily designed for traditional corporate entities— are inadequate for addressing the unique characteristics of DAOs. While securities regulators have taken steps to oversee aspects of DAO activity, a broader regulatory framework is needed to provide legal clarity, address governance and liability concerns, and foster responsible innovation. This study recommends a dual approach: (1) extending corporate law reforms to define the legal status and obligations of DAOs, and (2) developing a regulatory framework that balances investor protection with the flexibility needed for …

Table Of Contents

Southern Illinois University Law Journal

No abstract provided.

A Lack Of Interest: Why Illinois’ “Easily Calculable” Requirement Should Not Defeat Prejudgment Interest For Policyholders On Unpaid Defense Costs, Stanley C. Nardoni

Southern Illinois University Law Journal

Illinois’ Interest Act provides for prejudgment interest on money due on an “instrument of writing” like an insurance policy.  Although not in the statute’s language, Illinois courts have long applied a common law rule that restricts awards of such interest to cases in which the amount owed is easily calculable.  That easily calculable requirement has figured prominently in defeating interest awards in cases where insurers have breached their policy obligations to defend lawsuits against policyholders. In several such cases, courts have applied the requirement to refuse interest on defense costs those insurers owed because they disputed the reasonableness of those …

Proving Character And Fitness In Illinois Bar Admissions: An Introduction To The Substantive Requirements And The Applicable Procedures, Stephen Fedo

Southern Illinois University Law Journal

Although every applicant for admission to the Illinois bar is required to demonstrate good moral character and general fitness to be licensed to practice law, few lawyers and would-be lawyers are familiar with what constitutes proof of character and fitness or the procedures by which such proof is to be made. This Article offers a general introduction to the procedural form and substantive elements of determinations of character and fitness under Illinois Supreme Court Rules. The subjects discussed are: the character and fitness process as a litigated proceeding; the relevant matters to be proved; the four levels of evidentiary review, …

Survey Of Illinois Law: Electronic Filing And Illinois Supreme Court Rule 9, Emmet C. Fairfield

Southern Illinois University Law Journal

In 2017, the Illinois Supreme Court mandated electronic filing (e-filing) in civil cases and adopted Illinois Supreme Court Rule 9 to implement the mandate, fifteen years after the court initially authorized e-filing. Since then, the court has made multiple amendments to Rule 9 and has made other efforts to implement e-filing across Illinois. Despite the court’s efforts, the rule has fostered litigation and confusion over when a document is timely and how to seek relief when an e-filing error renders a document untimely. The goal of this Survey is to provide clarity for practitioners on e-filing by examining Rule 9’s …

Public Preferences For Flood Warning Improvements: An Inferred Valuation Approach Addressing Social Desirability Bias, Katsuya Tanaka, Kazuhide Akaishi, Takashi Yokota

Center for Public Service Publications and Reports

Despite the crucial role of flood warning systems in mitigating disaster impacts, their economic value—particularly the value of specific attributes—remains poorly understood. This study evaluates public preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for three flood warning attributes: advance notice, warning reliability, and geographical precision, using a choice experiment conducted in Tokyo's Koto 5 Wards. To address social desirability bias, the study employs both standard and inferred valuation methods, with the latter asking respondents to predict their neighbors' choices. The findings reveal that warning reliability is the most highly valued attribute, with an inferred WTP of ¥2,345 per household annually for …

Constitutional Futurisms, Jeremiah Chin

Articles

How do we reckon with the past? The Supreme Court’s recent embrace of originalism as a mode of constitutional analysis relies almost exclusively on a view of history and tradition that would bind us to an understanding of principles and ideals that legitimized the exclusion of minority voices. Cases such as New York State Pistol and Rifle Ass'n v. Bruen use flavors of originalism as a framework to define rights and governmental powers through their historical antecedents, but this broad standard of interpretation is notably absent in the Court’s recent discussions of histories and traditions of racism in the United …

Seeking Existential Meaning In The “Sea Of Trees:” A Qualitative Exploration In The Depths Of Japan’S Aokigahara “Suicide” Forest, Sophia Bates

Masters Theses, 2020-current

This thesis explores the intercultural perceptions of suicidality and the role that these perceptions have on meaning of life in Japanese culture through an exploratory, autoethnographic analysis of my journey walking through Japan’s Aokigahara “suicide” Forest. In June 2024, I traveled to Fujikawaguchiko, Japan to conduct an autoethnographic analysis of my experiences walking through Aokigahara Forest using shinrin-yoku and mindful walking (Jung, 2014) as supplemental research methodologies to make empirical observations and take notes on my journey walking through suicide forest as an embodied sensory experience. Drawing upon the research and ideas of cultural anthropologist and existential philosopher Ernest Becker, …

Possibility Of Benefiting From Malaysia's Experience In Stimulating The Private Sector ‎Through Financing Methods In Iraq, Shiama Abbas, Sabah Nema Ali

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

This research investigates the possibility of assessing and applying Malaysia's learning-information-base of successful private sector financing strategies for spurring economic growth in the Iraqi setting. The Malaysian model, especially with regard to support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), is studied to chart the relevance and applicability of the concept to the Iraqi economy in the span of 2004-2023. Adopting descriptive-analytical and inductive method, the study brings forth Malaysia's diversified financing arrangements involving internal sources, external sources, public-private partnerships, and incentives with a specific aim. It is found that the Malaysian systems for its SME development, along with tax incentives …

Using Convolutional Neural Networks To Estimate Missing Values ​​In Univariate Time Series Data, Wasn Saad Al-Karadi

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

In this research, deep neural networks (CNNs) were used to estimate missing values ​​in a univariate time series dataset and compared with DES/Holt and (SVR) estimation methods to determine their accuracy in handling missing values ​​in the dataset. These missing values ​​directly affect the process of building mathematical and statistical models, affecting the accuracy of the final results that enable us to make the right decisions in the future. The presence of missing values ​​in the dataset is due to problems that occur during sampling, such as a malfunction in the measuring device, security attacks, or communication errors. The results …

The Effect Of Strategic Awareness On Organizational Brilliance: An Analytical Research In Dhi Qar Oil Company, Sherouk Naeem Jabbar, Suheir Adel Hamed

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

The research deals with the impact of strategic awareness and its dimensions (Reframing, System Thinking, Reflecting, and Learning Orientation) on organizational Brilliance and its dimensions (Leadership Brilliance, Service Brilliance, and Knowledge Brilliance) of Dhi Qar Oil company. The research addresses the following question: “To what extent does strategic awareness affect the organizational brilliance of Dhi Qar Oil Company?”. The study followed the descriptive analytical approach to ensure the accuracy of the results and conclusions. The sample included the general manager and his assistants, directors of bodies, department managers, and division managers. Data were collected using a questionnaire distributed to 113 …

The Impact Of Social Marketing On Sustainable Development Goals: Aims & Challenges: An Analytical Study Of A Sample Of Mosul University Students, Anas Maaroof, Zainab Alhamdani, Omar Q. Alshebly, Abdulhamid Adam, Mohammed Alblewi, Murat Dedeoğlu

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

This study aims to identify the impact of social marketing on the sustainable development goals at the University of Mosul. The study consists of two main variables: the independent variable, which includes social marketing, and the four dimensions: social product, social price, social promotion, and social distribution. The dependent variable represents the sustainable development goals, whose dimensions consist of: Goal 1: No Poverty, Goal 2: Zero Hunger, Goal 3: Good Health, and Goal 4: Quality Education. This research paper highlight on social marketing as a modern trend in business organizations linked to sustainable development goals, which has led many companies …

The Impact Of Aggregate Supply Fluctuations On Inflation In Iraq During The Period (2004-2023): An Empirical Study, Muneam Hussein Ali, Sameer Siham Dawood

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

This research examines the relationship between aggregate supply and inflation in Iraq during (2004-2023) through deviations in aggregate supply that lead to changes in output and inflation. The core issue of the research lies in how any change in aggregate supply results in a shift of the aggregate supply curve from its initial position. This study employed a deductive methodology, theoretical frameworks, descriptive and quantitative assessments, and econometric techniques to analyze the connection between aggregate supply, which is treated as a dependent variable, and inflation, categorized as the independent variable. The findings of the analysis validated the hypothesis and confirmed …

A Systematic Clinical Framework For Postimplantation Monitoring In Thalamic Neuromodulation: Insights From Twiddler's Syndrome, Shalin Shah, Ganne Chaitanya, Jeston Chin, Nicholas Delcimmuto, Jay R Gavvala

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This case described a 25-year-old pregnant woman with refractory multifocal epilepsy, diagnosed in 2020 and treated with bilateral thalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) targeting the centromedian and pulvinar nuclei. Prior to DBS, she experienced daily focal seizures, often progressing to generalized tonic-clonic seizures despite optimal medication. Presurgical evaluations revealed multifocal epilepsy with right hemispheric involvement and diffuse band heterotopia. Given the extensive neurophysiological and radiographic findings, DBS was chosen over resective surgery. Following implantation in December 2023, initial stimulation settings resulted in some seizure control but also development of new symptoms, including shock-like sensations down her neck. After 43 seizure-free …