Digital Commons Network^™

“She’S A Good Different. She’S Revolutionary”: How Fifth-Grade Readers Interpret Aspects Of Diversity In Literature, Margaret Barr

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Although diversity, equity, and inclusion have been a significant focus of research in children’s literature, many studies fail to consider the reader’s perspective and instead rely on text analyses. In the present study, the author employed focus groups to examine fifth-grade readers’ insights as they interpreted, related to, and engaged with the presence of diversity in texts. Findings indicate that readers interpreted diversity by envisioning the larger picture, recognizing the importance of others’ differences, and connecting through emotions. Thus, this study suggests that it is necessary for teachers to understand that students recognize and appreciate individual differences, to select texts …

His Lashes Were The Wings Of A Dragonfly, Logan Eastman

The Prairie Light Review

No abstract provided.

Emergence, Nick Gillono

The Prairie Light Review

No abstract provided.

Fully Integrated Slippage Detection System For Lower Limb Amputees, Christopher E. Miglio

Master's Theses

Lower limb amputees face significant challenges in maintaining a proper prosthetic fit, as improper fit can lead to slippage at the limb-socket interface, resulting in discomfort, pressure sores, and long-term musculoskeletal complications. To address this issue, a fully integrated slippage detection system was developed to monitor an amputee’s daily activities and slippage occurrences to understand their prosthetic fit over time. The system consists of a prosthetic sock embedded with Interlink 406 flexible piezoresistive force-sensing resistors (FSRs). The sock, worn directly on the residual limb, continuously measures pressure at the limb-socket interface. Sensor data from six FSRs is sampled at approximately …

Aged 539 Graduate Internship Report - Mt. Whitney High School, Tule Marie Cardoza

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This project reviewed a high school agricultural education program with an emphasis on agricultural mechanics. Program strengths and needs were identified through curriculum and resource evaluation. Based on the findings, a budget was developed to support equipment, materials, and instructional improvements for the ag mechanics program.

Aged 539 Graduate Internship Report - Monache High School, Karli Hampton

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

The goal of this project was to create a clear and organized Introduction to Agricultural Mechanics curriculum that gives students a strong starting point within the Monache High School agricultural mechanics pathway. The curriculum now provides students with consistent expectations related to safety, basic tool use, and appropriate behavior in a shop setting that directly supports the structure and expectations of the Monache Agricultural Mechanics Program.

Reducing Opioid Overdose Harm Through Narcan Access And Education, Shane Alexander Role Alihan, Jared Timothy Chua, Siwapond (Taylor) Yuen, Matthew Reynon

ELMSN E-Portfolio. A collection of Scholarly and Creative Works

Background: The overuse of opioids has led to an epidemic that affects the health of young adults in Sacramento, CA. Social and economic factors have influenced the use of opioids which has led those individuals to acquire an addiction and dependency to such drugs. This age group is typically engaged in college and career-minded endeavors. Thus, the impact on this age group is substantial, requiring impactful interventions.

Aim: The purpose of this intervention is to provide a foundation for educating those affected by opioid overdose. This strategic goal is to equip students at the University of the Pacific’s Entry-Level …

Where Do I Go Next With This Writer? Preservice Teachers’ Responses At The Start And End Of A Writing Methods Course, Nicole M. Martin, Lisa K. Hawkins, Diane M. Bottomley, Brendan Shanahan, Jennifer Cooper Mrs.

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This mixed-methods study sought to extend what is known about preservice teachers’ (PSTs’) preparation for teaching writing by examining their responding to individual children’s narrative, informative, and persuasive writing at the start and end of a writing methods course. Participants were 115 elementary PSTs. Their selections of teaching foci and instructional strategies on a beginningand end-of-semester course task were examined. Overall, PSTs showcased differences in their selections at the two time points, displaying a lessened focus on local features (e.g., spelling, punctuation) and reliance on laypeople’s helping practices (e.g., telling, correcting writing) and a greater focus on global features (e.g., …

Beyond The Red Pen: Investigating The Formation Of Reader And Writer Identity Development In Preservice Teachers, Sarah Rutt Williams, Pengtong Qu, Lydia Denning

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

The influence of identifying as a reader and writer in being a literacy teacher has been emphasized in the literature (Graves, 1983). However, few studies have explored how teacher education programs develop these identities in preservice teachers (PSTs). Grounded in Demerath’s (2006) epistemological identity theory, this study explored the fluid process of teacher identity formation, focusing on nurturing PSTs’ identities as readers and writers. The study took place over one semester in an English Education course. The researchers analyzed three PST participants’ weekly reflections about their beliefs regarding teaching and learning literacy. These statements revolved around topics that aligned with …

Early Ambulation In Post-Operative Medical-Surgical Patients, Rebecca Telemaco Rn

Nurse Residency

In adult post-operative patients on a medical surgical floor, does initiating early ambulation during the night shift, compared with delaying ambulation until daytime, lead to improved recovery outcomes such as reduced postoperative complications or shortened?

Improving Functional Outcomes Through Increased Mobility Frequency In Rehabilitation, Anita Mantais Adn, Rn

Nurse Residency

In older adults in a Rehabilitation and Skilled facility, how does increased frequency of physical therapy and mobility interventions compared to standard or less frequent physical therapy affect functional independence and mobility outcomes during their stay or at discharge?

Universal Classroom Design, Michelle Dodson Landry

Women’s Leadership

This research seeks to bridge the gap between K–12 inclusion practices and the realities of higher education by exploring how universal design, institutional support, and educators’ belief systems can create more inclusive environments and support students to have higher grades and more intrinsic mastery of the subject matter. It is not enough to mandate inclusion; we must actively build systems that support all learners, regardless of whether their disability is visible, diagnosed, or self-identified. This study looked at the efficacy of universal classroom design in raising the median grade in a course. The median grade in this course has historically …

2025 Fall Commencement Program, The University Of West Alabama

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Aged 539 Graduate Internship Report – Kerman High School, Anne Dykstra

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This project reviewed the agricultural education program at Kerman High School. The report highlights both program strengths and areas requiring further development, including student retention, pathways, and facility improvements. Based on the findings, the research identified additional course offerings and curriculum updates to enable the program to improve in the coming years.

Aged 539 Graduate Internship Report – San Marcos High School, Stephanie Navarrete

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This project report includes documentation required in meeting the quality criteria for secondary-level programs of instruction in agriculture. The supporting documents include information to prove that San Marcos High School is meeting the requirements. This document also provides an overview of San Marcos High School agriculture program.

A Novel Microfluidic Device For Preclinical Testing Of Chemotherapeutics, Kaija Saleh Ogan

Master's Theses

This work demonstrates the feasibility of a novel microfluidic tumor model that reproduces physiologically relevant nutrient gradients and endothelium–tumor interactions, validating its potential as a preclinical test platform. Finite element simulations of glutamine diffusion and fluid dynamics aligned with experimental tracer studies, and co-cultures supported directed endothelial migration toward tumor spheroids, confirming the device’s ability to mimic in vivo–like behavior.

Current preclinical models often fail to capture the complexity of the tumor microenvironment (TME), limiting their predictive value for therapeutic testing. Nutrient availability and angiogenic signaling are critical drivers of tumor progression, yet they are poorly represented in traditional …

Water Rights Accounting And Distribution In Utah, Sarah Null, Bethany Neilson, Eileen Lukens, Eryn Turney, Utah Division Of Water Rights

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

This white paper summarizes how the Utah Division of Water Rights (WRi) administers water rights through the coordinated processes of water distribution and accounting. Water distribution involves apportioning divertible flow in river systems by adjusting diversions and reservoir storage. To account for and distribute water effectively, WRi must first determine the amount of water available for diversion each day, then prioritize water rights when water supply is insufficient to satisfy all demands. WRi has developed specialized tools and models to support this process.

This paper was developed through a collaboration between WRi and Utah State University to produce a report …

Library Lens December 2025/January 2026, Southern Adventist University

Library Lens

The December 2025 Library Lens features information on returning library materials, library apps, custom reading lists, Christmas break hours, and streaming media.

Aged 539 Graduate Internship Report- Bear Creek High School Agriculture Department, Fatima E. Castellanos

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This report provides an evaluation of the Bear Creek High School Agriculture Program. The analysis highlights both program strengths and areas requiring further development, including SAE participation, pathway coherence, and student retention. Overall, the findings demonstrate that intentional planning and strong community partnerships contribute significantly to the program’s effectiveness and continued growth.

Implementing The Steadi Fall Risk Screening Initiative Within A Primary Care Setting To Improve Patient Safety, Haleigh Marie Brown

Doctoral Projects

Falls among older adults are a significant public health issue and the leading cause of injury-related illness and death in people aged 65 and older. While evidence-based guidelines exist and awareness of fall risks has increased, many primary care settings do not use standardized fall risk screening protocols. This gap results in missed opportunities for early identification and prevention. To address this need, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2019) created the STEADI (Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths, and Injuries) Toolkit, which offers healthcare providers a structured approach to assess, manage, and reduce fall risk.

This doctoral project aims …

Point-Of-Care Gastric Ultrasound For Preoperative Assessment Of Gastric Contents: An Objective Structured Clinical Examination, Joshua Mann, Michael Sykes

Doctoral Projects

Pulmonary aspiration remains a leading cause of anesthesia-related mortality. The current nil per os (NPO) guidelines are proving unreliable in the presence of delayed gastric emptying due to comorbidities and the increasing use of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists. Gastric point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) use provides a non-invasive, evidence-based, and cost-effective approach to assess gastric content and volume directly. However, limited formal training exists for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), and this lack of training contributes to the lack of its utilization. This doctoral project evaluated the effectiveness of an educational intervention that incorporated a didactic lecture as well as a hands-on …

Perma Well-Being Model And Profiler: Arabic Translation And Validation Among The Saudi Adult Population, Ebtesam Abdullah Alzeiby, Aljawharh Ibrahim Alsukah, Nourah Abdulrhman Algadheeb, Ali Faris Alamri, Monira Abdulrahman Almeqren, Uzma Zaidi

College of Nursing Faculty Publications

Background/Objective: Psychological scales hold significant importance, measuring cultural sensitivity, experiences, values, and emotional expressions while controlling individuals’ biases regarding certain cultures. Arabic is used in a widespread, predominantly Middle Eastern and North African region, but it has diverse expressive variations. Therefore, the value of translating and validating scales lies in their compatibility with cultural norms. This study focuses on measuring the psychometric properties and factorial structure of the widely used PERMA-Profiler to assess the general well-being of the Saudi adult population.
Methods: Using stratified sampling, (N = 2927) Saudi adults were recruited via various electronic and social media.
Results: The …

Take Root And Rise: The Indiana State University Strategic Plan, Indiana State University

Office of the President

ISU Strategic Plan, December 2025

Subculture And Identity As An Escape From The Societal Norms Of Power Imbalance And Authoritative Abuse, Sarah Goldberg

Bachelor of Fine Arts Theses

No abstract provided.

Gc Minutes 2025-12-01, Northern Illinois University

Graduate Council Archives

No abstract provided.

Large Language Models As Machines Of Beauty: Cognitive Averaging, Latent Space Geometry, And The Entropic Foundations Of Aesthetic Preference, Daniel Plate, James Hutson

Faculty Scholarship

This study advances the position that large language models (LLMs) and human perceptual systems are governed by a shared computational drive toward prototypicality, entropy reduction, and aesthetic coherence. Drawing on developmental evidence that infants exhibit early preferences for facial symmetry and averageness, the analysis situates aesthetic preference within broader research on processing fluency and predictive coding, emphasizing that biological perception rewards stimuli that reduce uncertainty and support efficient information compression. This foundation is used to examine how LLMs, through cross-entropy optimization, perplexity minimization, and latent space clustering, converge on high-density representational regions that operate as statistical prototypes of linguistic and …

The Artful Aging Project, Maria Carmelita Fernandez, Sah'neya Fryer, Kathleen Morris, Maya Price

ELMSN E-Portfolio. A collection of Scholarly and Creative Works

As the older adult population in Sacramento County continues to expand, addressing age-related declines in fine motor function, cognition, and social well-being has become increasingly critical. Such declines can compromise activities of daily living, reduce independence, and exacerbate risks associated with social isolation. Evidence suggests that art-based interventions may mitigate these effects by enhancing motor coordination, promoting social engagement, and stimulating cognitive processes. The Artful Aging Project was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of structured art activities in improving fine motor skills and social wellness among older adults served by the Stanford Settlement Neighborhood Center (SSNC). Grounded in community-based participatory …

Fisheries Research Report No. 362: Characterising Essential Benthic Habitats And Environmental Drivers Of Fishery Recruitment In The Exmouth Gulf Prawn Managed Fishery, Scott Evans, Nick Konzewitsch, Rachel Marks, Renae Hovey, Gary A. Kendrick, Lynda M. Bellchambers

Fisheries Research Reports

Fisheries management relies on the development and evolution of effective assessment and monitoring techniques that are applicable in a range of fishery contexts (Fletcher et al., 2016; L. M. Robinson et al., 2021). The assessment of fish habitats and environmental drivers that influence recruitment is central to sustainable fisheries management (de Lestang et al., 2010; Galindo-Cortes et al., 2010; Gao & Wang, 2021). Western Australia conducts robust fishery-specific monitoring and assessment programs to ensure the sustainable use of its aquatic resources (Newman et al., 2023). However, few long-term datasets exist that directly monitor critical fish habitats and environmental conditions that …

The Role Of Forgiveness In Health And Healthcare: Perspectives From Graduate Nursing Students And Faculty At A Private Faith-Based University In The United State[S], Rachel A. Joseph, Shanna W. Akers, Jichan J. Kim

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

(R2131) Analysis Of Map/Ph/1 Retrial Inventory Queueing System With Constant Retrial Rate, Bernoulli Vacation, Breakdown, Delayed Repair, Balking, (S, S) Policy And Emergency Replenishment, G. Ayyappan, M. Thilakavathy

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

A single server retrial queueing-inventory model is investigated in this study. In Bernoulli vacation, after providing service to the customer, the server may opt to avail vacation or start the service to subsequent customer. During the busy period, breakdown and balking may occur. The inventory is replenished to an (s, S) policy and the replenishing time is assumed to adopt an exponential distribution. Furthermore, assume that an emergency replenishment of one item with zero lead time takes place when the on-hand inventory level decreases to zero. We integrate the emergency replenishment into the system to ensure customer satisfaction. For our …