Digital Commons Network^™

Erosion Of Trust In Online Information, Tirth Desai

A with Honors Projects

Researching how AI spreads misinformation and impacts trust in information.

Black Widow: The Cultural Significance Of A Marvel Heroine, Renate Alant

A with Honors Projects

This project explores the cultural significance of Black Widow as a Marvel heroine, examining how she challenges traditional gender roles, navigates relationships with both male and female characters, pursues redemption from a traumatic past, and redefines female heroism through intelligence and resilience rather than supernatural power.

A History Of Interwar Poland, Matthew Glumac

A with Honors Projects

A six-source, 2500-word essay on the history of Interwar Poland.

Barriers And Facilitators Of Diabetes Educational Knowledge Retention Among Black Women: An Exploratory Sequential Mixed Method Study Of Black Diabetes Educators, Alicia Mott

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

Problem: There is a gap in understanding the culturally specific barriers affecting diabetes education knowledge (DEK) among Black women with Diabetes Mellitus (DM). This study explores the barriers and facilitators to improving education retention from the perspectives of diabetes mellitus educators and health care providers.

Theoretical Framework: The Campinha-Bacote Model (CBM) was utilized to identify the facilitators and barriers of Black women with DM.

Design: An exploratory sequential mixed method was used to identify barriers and facilitators of DEK among Black women. A sample of six Black diabetes experts participated in the qualitative study, and seven professionals participated in rounds …

Elucidating The Results Of Multiple Linear Regression: A Systematic Literature Review And Monte Carlo Comparative Simulation Study Of Relative Importance Methodologies, Oscar Gaytan

Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations

Theory-supported multiple linear regression models are often formed to assess the impact of HR practices on organizational performance and other desired outcomes. Several methods are available to determine which predictors contribute most to said outcomes. However, researchers may make agential cuts in the method selection phase, with their histories, experiences, or perspectives on relative importance measures influencing their decisions. When multiple measures are employed, discordant results leave room for differing interpretations, potentially leading to suboptimal guidance. Correlation-Adjusted coRrelations (CAR) scores offer a unique alternative to established relative importance methodologies. However, a systematic literature review indicated that no large-scale comparison of …

A Full Polymer Piezoelectric Flextensional Energy Harvester, Nadia Ahbab, Sidra Naz, Bingqi Zhao, Tian-Bing Xu

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

This study presents a full polymer piezoelectric flextensional energy harvester (FPPFEH) comprising a single-layer poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) film bonded to a 3D-printed polylactic acid (PLA) flextensional frame. For an arm inclination angle of θ=10°, the free-body model gives a theoretical geometric force-amplification factor of M_F=cot θ ≈ 5.67; this value represents an ideal upper bound and was not independently validated by local force or strain measurements. During assembly, the film was tensioned only to remove visible slack and maintain a flat configuration. No intentional pretension was applied, and any residual tension was not measured. Off-resonance force-controlled tests showed …

The Influence, Dependency, And Targeting Of Fatty Acid Uptake In Er+ Breast Cancer, Abigail E. Goen

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Estrogen Receptor-positive/ Human Epidermal Growth Factor 2-negative, breast cancer (ER+/HER2- BC) is the most prevalent subtype of BC, impacting millions of individuals. Although early screening and treatment with endocrine therapy has greatly enhanced survival, this subtype sustains a steady increase of risk for recurrent disease for decades after diagnosis, indicating the persistence of residual cancer cells that are capable of maintaining dormancy for >20 years prior to metastatic outgrowth. Dormant cells reprogram metabolic pathways which can be profoundly influenced by the tumor microenvironment in promoting quiescence or proliferation. Fatty acid oxidation dependency has been noted as a hallmark of drug …

Colorectal Cancers With Distinct Metastatic Potential Trigger Divergent Early T Cell Responses, Marwa Ahmed Saad

Student Theses and Dissertations

The intestinal mucosa harbors the largest immune compartment in the mammalianbody, where resident and recruited immune cells must maintain tolerance to commensal and dietary antigens while preserving their ability to mount effective responses against pathogens and malignant transformation. Uncontrolled epithelial proliferation leads to colorectal cancer (CRC), the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. More than 85% of human CRC cases arise from accumulating sporadic or hereditary mutations in the tumor suppressor genes Apc, Tp53, Smad4, and the oncogene Kras. Although immune checkpoint blockade has transformed the treatment of certain solid tumors, most CRCs, particularly those with a proficient mismatch …

Investigating Primary Motor Cortex Involvement In Mouse Vocal Communication, Elena N. Duryea Waidmann

Student Theses and Dissertations

Vocal communication is used to transmit a range of information to other individuals. While many vocalizations are innate, some species can learn to change their vocal output. This is termed vocal-learning, and it is a rare trait and a necessary building block for human spoken language and songbird song. Comparative work in humans and songbirds suggests that convergent genetic and neural specializations may drive these learned vocal behaviors. Two key features of these advanced vocal learners are: i) specialized primary motor regions in the forebrain with activity tied to vocalization; and ii) dense monosynaptic projections from the primary motor cortex …

Collaboration And Co-Management Ahead Of Permitting: Understanding How Actors And Their Interactions Lead To Non-Optimal Shoreline Projects, Juita-Elena (Wie) Yusuf, Mariana Saitgalina, Michelle Covi

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

Living shorelines are widely promoted as nature-based solutions to coastal erosion and wetland protection, yet hardened shoreline structures continue to dominate even in jurisdictions with explicit policy mandates prioritizing living shorelines. In this research, we examine why non-optimal shoreline modification outcomes persist in Virginia (USA) despite a regulatory framework designed to promote ecological alternatives. We use primary data from interviews with wetlands board members, marine contractors, and nonprofit organizations and findings from a secondary survey of shoreline property owners to analyze shoreline management as a multi-sector collaborative decision-making process. Findings show that shoreline outcomes are shaped less by individual regulatory …

Broken Lands And Trusts: The Omnipresence Of The Natives’ Land Act Of 1913 And The Persistence Of Its Inequity, Emily Venkatesan

Emory International Law Review

The hallmark of all colonial and ex-colonial states is the preservation of racial hierarchy where a minority of white colonizers reserve complete control over the political, social, and economic landscape of a colonized nation. One of the most powerful exercises of this colonial oversight is the use of western property law to strip native landowners of their property interests and redistribute that land to white colonizer for economic and social power. Access and ownership of land is crucial for maintaining the colonial state. Land provides social and economic leverage in the hands of the indigenous nation, but strengthens the colonial …

Fixed Dune Grassland Mapping, Ronica Reyes, Madison Mayenschein, Jared Cruz

Environmental Science & Management Senior Capstones

Our  study applies Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and field-based data collection to map and assess a degraded fixed dune grassland parcel in Humboldt County, CA. Our project supports restoration planning led by Friends of the Dunes by identifying site features, habitat composition, and disturbance patterns at the site. Using GPS surveys, aerial imagery, and ArcGIS Pro, we mapped infrastructure, cement footprints, debris piles, vegetation types, and habitat boundaries. We mapped infrastructure such as concrete foundations and debris, which contribute to ongoing ecological degradation and the presence of invasive species. In addition, our spatial analysis highlights variability in disturbance. From this …

Healing Our Life Source: Riparian Eco-Cultural Restoration In Blue Lake Rancheria At School Creek, A Tributary Of Baduwa't In Northern California, Rae Mcgrath, Lily Moore, Keneti Jesus Pinones, Colin Rogers, Aberdeen Spade

Environmental Science & Management Senior Capstones

School Creek, a tributary in the Baduwa’t (mad river) Watershed, is a riparian corridor that is key habitat for Coho Salmon. This project is under the management of the Blue Lake Rancheria, located on the ancestral home of the Wiyot people, and was conducted by cal poly humboldt students. The restoration of School Creek is an ongoing project aimed at repairing the health of the riparian corridor, improving the creek’s channel structure, and creating a diverse community of culturally significant plant species. Previous restoration efforts have established plantings to further develop the riparian habitat and are surveyed within this report. …

Removal And Monitoring Of Ammophila Arenaria In A Previously Restored Foredune Site In Humboldt Coastal Nature Center, Lucas Benjamin Griffin, Haylee Lynn Kimball, Maya Contreras, Ava Christenson

Environmental Science & Management Senior Capstones

Coastal dunes are important ecosystems that provide vital habitat for rare and endangered species as well as vital ecosystem services. However, since the late nineteenth century, coastal dune ecosystems have been invaded and altered by Ammophila arenaria, which is a beach grass species native to Europe. The dunes within the Humboldt Coastal Nature Center are one such example of this. This property is currently managed by the non-profit organization Friends of the Dunes, which has been working to restore the dunes' ecology and topography. Our project focuses on the monitoring and maintenance of a 2021 restoration project within a 17,794 …

Vegetation Management Plan And Wildlife Enhancement Project For The Woodley Island Wildlife Area, Sophie Belle Shapero, Brandon Carl Bauch, Moises Ortiz, Angelina Espinoza

Environmental Science & Management Senior Capstones

The Woodley Island Vegetation Management Plan and Wildlife Enhancement Project was created by Cal Poly Humboldt students in partnership with the Humboldt Bay Harbor Recreation and Conservation District as a capstone senior project. This project provides a basic management plan for invasive species and offers suggestions for how to enhance the wildlife areas on the island. The goals of the project are to provide maps of the habitat types within the wildlife reserves, map areas of concern to be targeted for invasive species removal, and provide guidelines for how to increase habitat diversity, wildlife forage, and decrease invasive species presence. …

Woody Ryno Farms Native Prairie Plant Restoration & Invasive Management Conservation Management Report, Jezebel Kenny, Rowan Haeger, Ian Mendonca, Annika Weihl

Environmental Science & Management Senior Capstones

Coastal prairies are biodiverse and sensitive landscapes that support a variety of grassland species in mediterranean climates. Hedgerows may act as a natural barrier for coastal prairies or agricultural regions, aiding in natural protection and support for biodiversity. Humboldt County, California, hosts a number of agricultural regions, including Woody Ryno Farms, a small-scale agricultural operation, on the edge of Dows Prairie near the coast of Mckinleyville. This project aims to continue restoration activity being conducted on the site, helping to increase native biodiversity and agricultural productivity. Project objectives include conducting a plant assessment, applying treatments to individual plants where necessary, …

Gamification: The Viability Of Using Genai To Create Games To Teach Legal Concepts, Nicole Belbin

Faculty Scholarship

This Essay examines whether generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) can lower the technical, time, and cost barriers that have limited the use of game-based learning (GBL) in legal education. It first considers the science of learning, focusing on spaced practice, retrieval practice, and concrete examples, and explains how GBL can incorporate these strategies. It then evaluates four general-purpose GenAI tools—Perplexity, Gemini, ChatGPT, and Claude—by testing their ability to state legal rules accurately and create games that teach personal jurisdiction.

The results demonstrate both GenAI’s promise and its limitations. Although all four tools incorporated core concepts of general jurisdiction, each omitted at …

Cold Comfort: Japan’S “Comfort Women” Litigation Under Transnational Law, Timothy Webster

Faculty Scholarship

Transnational human rights litigation has emerged as a powerful tool to remediate state and corporate abuses. Courts, however, rarely evince the same enthusiasm for these lawsuits as practitioners, scholars, and activists. For the past thirty-five years, “comfort women,” or survivors of wartime sexual exploitation, have used transnational litigation to seek redress from the Japanese government. Yet they have lost nearly all their cases. This Article uses ten “comfort women” lawsuits from Japan to test the limits of transnational human rights litigation. While judges rarely found for the comfort women, their verdicts nonetheless advanced the redress issue by showing the illegality …

Perioperative Predictors Of Hemodynamic Instability After Carotid Revascularization, Lutfi Barghuthi, Rebekah Bjorklund, Mya Phelps, Shrina Patel, Lakecia Beasley, Bayli Zink, Alyssa Bedell, Gaurav Singh, Sarah Stokke, Jacob Dunn, Lily Sadri, Carly Wadle, Alisha Thedford, Rebecca Swindall, Alan Cook, Hishaam Ismael, Mark Robbins

School of Medicine Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective

Postoperative hemodynamic instability after carotid revascularization can lead to adverse outcomes such as intensive care unit admission and prolonged hospitalization, leading to an increase in resource utilization. This study aimed to compare hemodynamic instability between transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR) and carotid endarterectomy (CEA).

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted at a single institution on treatment for carotid artery stenosis between 2021 and 2024. Clinical outcomes after TCAR and CEA were compared. The primary outcome was hemodynamic instability; secondary outcomes of interest included any >30-day complication or death.

Results

In total, 566 patients were included, 71.2% undergoing TCAR (n …

Ecological Tipping Points In The Mississippi Sound In Response To Modeled Bonnet Carré Spillway Openings, Kim De Mutsert, Aaron Ridall, Scott Milroy

Faculty Publications

This project examines ecological effects of the current operational strategy of the Bonnet Carré Spillway (BCS), a Mississippi River flood-control structure located about 21 miles northwest of New Orleans, Louisiana, and managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The BCS is part of the larger Mississippi River and Tributaries Project, a network of levees and control structures designed to minimize flooding from the American plains to southern Louisiana. The spillway is opened when river discharge at New Orleans is forecasted to exceed 1,250,000 cubic feet per second, diverting significant volumes of Mississippi River water into the Mississippi Sound. The …

A Comprehensive Survey On Facial Expression Generation: From Gans To Llm-Guided Multimodal Models, Murad Hasan, Rabab Abdelfattah, Kareem Abdelfatah, Mostafa Fouda, Ahmed Sherif

Faculty Publications

Facial expression generation (FEG) has emerged as a vital area in human–computer interaction, virtual avatars, and affective computing, aiming to synthesize natural and expressive facial behaviors across diverse interaction contexts. This survey presents a comprehensive analysis of recent advances in FEG, organized into six key paradigms: speech-driven expression generation, facial reaction generation, face video generation, facial animation, avatar-based generation, and text-driven expression generation. We review a wide range of model architectures, including VQ-VAEs, Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), 3D Morphable Models (3DMMs), Transformers, and diffusion-based approaches, and compare their performance using commonly adopted evaluation metrics such as Fréchet Distance (FD), Peak …

Ecocide And The International Criminal Court: Reassessing The African Union-Icc Impasse, Ikechukwu Ugwu

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

The refusal of the African Union (AU) and its leaders to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) led to the negotiation of the Protocol on Amendments to the Protocol on the Statute of the African Court of Justice and Human Rights 2014 (the Malabo Protocol). The Protocol incorporates the core crimes of the Rome Statute and, in addition, expands on the meaning of international crime by defining crimes related to the environment, among others. Although the Malabo Protocol is innovative in its provisions, it lacks the potential to prevent ecocide in Africa or to serve as a model for …

The Dinosaur Age Is Over: The Case For Congressionally Reforming The Generalmining Law Of 1872, Andie Madsen

Utah Law Review

Bold legislative action is essential to modernize an outdated regulatory framework that no longer serves the public interest. By reforming the General Mining Law of 1872, the United States can advance towards a more sustainable and equitable future, leveraging its mineral resources to benefit all citizens and support the global transition to renewable energy. The urgency of this moment demands decisive action, as the implications for our environment and society are profound. Although Congress has not yet proven its capabilities in overcoming division and moving past legislative gridlock, it must rise to the occasion.

Maine Law Magazine - Issue No. 100, University Of Maine School Of Law

Maine Law Magazine

Features

• Maine Law’s Privacy Program Continues to Innovate
  How Maine Law’s privacy and innovation programs are preparing students for emerging legal challenges.

• New Business & Law Clinic
  Strengthening Maine’s economy one startup at a time.

• Global Experiential Learning
  From the Arctic Circle to U.N. climate negotiations, students engage with environmental law where it happens.

• Rural Access to Justice
  The Rural Practice Clinic’s impact on Maine’s growing justice gap.

• Law & Conservation Efforts
  How Maine Law alumni steward change and safeguard the future through environmental advocacy.

• Supporting Maine’s Vulnerable
  The Refugee & Human Rights Clinic expands access to justice across Maine. …

From Pañales To Partnership: An Ethnographic Investigation Of Knowledge, Gender, And Power Within A Family Literacy Program, Sara Mohler

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Within research on family literacy programming (Lynch & Prins, 2021), few studies bring together assets-based perspectives on knowledge and power alongside critical feminist lenses. This qualitative case study (Dyson & Genishi, 2005; Yin, 2018) informed by ethnography (Alonso Bejarano et al., 2019; Desmond, 2014; Günel & Watanabe, 2024) aimed to understand the culture of one family literacy program serving primarily Mexican-American families, named here the Treehouse Preschool, giving particular attention to the intersecting elements of knowledge, gender, and power as they are enacted across the roles and relationships of families and personnel participating in in the program. Data for this …

Transforming Lives For Eternity: 2025-2026 Year End Summary, Southern Adventist University

Strategic Plans

Transforming Lives for Eternity 2025-2026 Year End Summary.

Catwalk Xt Enables Sensitive Detection Of Locomotor Deficits After C2 Hemisection And Integrates Readily Into Ongoing Experimental Workflows In Adult Female Rats, Aaron L. Silverstein, Christopher M. Calulot, Christopher J. Mclouth, John C. Gensel, Warren J. Alilain

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Over half of all spinal cord injuries (SCIs) in the United States occur at the cervical level and often cause both life-threatening breathing dysfunction and profound locomotor deficits. Although the C2 hemisection (C2Hx) model is vital for study of breathing dysfunction after experimental SCI, post-C2Hx locomotor deficits have only been assessed by metrics such as the Martínez Scale and ladder tests, which require time-intensive scoring by human observers. However, the CatWalk XT Gait Analysis system (Noldus Information Technology) delivers automated, quantitative assessment of interlimb coordination, gait cycle, and paw function, providing robust locomotor data in a time-efficient and practical manner. …

Integration Of Community-Engaged Research Technology And Methods To Guide Tobacco Regulatory Science In Rural Communities, Melissa H. Abadi, Stephen R. Shamblen, Mary Kay Rayens, Kirsten T. Thompson, Amy Wildman, Kathy Rademacher, William Wieczorek, Raphael Nishimura, Shyanika W. Rose, Mikhail N. Koffarnus, Seth Himelhoch, Ellen J. Hahn

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Objective – This study aims to build a rural Appalachian cohort to examine how US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) regulatory policies influence tobacco and nicotine product use across levels of rurality. Methods – The AppalTRUST (Appalachian Tobacco Regulatory Science Team) Cohort integrates four inter-connected Community-engaged Research + Technology (CEnRT) elements to support recruitment and retention: (1) building trust and cultural relevance; (2) addressing barriers to participation in research; (3) focusing on ethics and confidentiality; and (4) fostering ongoing and consistent collaboration between the scientific and field teams. The study uses a dual sampling design …

Rethinking Team Science Metrics Through Collaborative Guideposts, Kristen J. Mcquerry, Kelsey Karnik, Megan E. Hall, Caitline Phan, Yana Feygin, Emily Slade

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Introduction – The increasing reliance on interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary teams has reshaped how science is conducted, yet evaluating the success of such teams remains a persistent challenge. Traditional metrics, such as publication counts, impact factors, and citation indices, fail to capture the full scope of team contributions, particularly in contexts where success may be defined by community engagement, mentorship, or long-term collaboration. Methods – In this Perspective, we introduce Collaborative Guideposts, a framework designed to align success metrics with a team’s organizing priorities. We illustrate this approach through two contrasting team models from a biostatistical collaboration center: Team A, a …

The Influence Of Support From Family, Friends, And Community On Perceived Mental Health Status In Diabetes, Courtney L. Ortz, Meredith S. Duncan, Oluwatosin Leshi, Suraksha Khanal, Brittany Smalls

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Strong social support is a protective factor in diabetes and mental health management. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of the type of support on perceived mental health status among people with diabetes. We used data from the 2021 Household Component of the Medical Expenditure Survey (MEPS). Regression models assessed the association between mental well-being (outcome) and expected help from family, friends, and the community (exposure). Support from both friends and family were significantly associated with better mental well-being, adjusting for covariates. Secondary analyses showed that those who reported greater anticipated support from family were more …