Digital Commons Network^™

Birthdate Phaseout To A Nicotine Free Generation, Katharine Silbaugh

University of Richmond Law Review

This Article explores the Nicotine Free Generation (“NFG”) policy, an emerging endgame strategy for tobacco products that employs a completely novel legal design. Tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable death, killing almost half of its users and imposing $600 billion in social costs each year. We see two basic choices for regulating sales: prohibition or a legal age-gate, such as twenty-one, for retail sales. NFG charts a third way. Recognizing the dire harm of tobacco and the serious consequences of abrupt prohibition, NFG lays the groundwork for a gradual transition to a sales sunset. In place of the twenty-one …

Early Mental Health Screening In The Gi Patient Population: A Quality Improvement Project, Jacqueline Sagala

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Aims

This quality improvement project aimed to increase awareness and better integrate mental health screening in a GI clinic by educating staff and providers. The project evaluated changes in depression literacy, attitudes toward mental illness assessment, perceived training effectiveness, use of the training in clinical practice, and referrals to the Resiliency Clinic.

Background

Patients with chronic GI disorders commonly experience anxiety and depression, yet mental health concerns are often overlooked in specialty care. Although annual depression screening was already a part of the standard care at the Digestive Disease Center at Loma Linda University Faculty Medical Clinics, staff education and …

Diagnostic Criteria And Management Of Melas And Stroke-Like Episodes: Consensus-Based Statements, Michelangelo Mancuso, Marcello Bellusci, Valerio Carelli, Irenaeus De Coo, Daria Diodato, Felix Distelmaier, Omar Hikmat, Michio Hirano, Rita Horvath, Amel Karaa, Thomas Klopstock, Mary Kay Koenig, Cornelia Kornblum, Chiara La Morgia, Piervito Lopriore, Mika Henrik Martikainen, Robert Mcfarland, Olimpia Musumeci, Robert D S Pitceathly, Guido Primiano, Shamima Rahman, Fernando Scaglia, Andrew Schaefer, Manuel Schiff, Luisa Semmler, Costanza Lamperti, Serenella Servidei

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background and purpose: Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathy, Lactic acidosis and Stroke-like episodes (MELAS) is a rare multisystem mitochondrial disorder with clinical heterogeneity. Diagnostic criteria and management strategies for MELAS and mitochondrial stroke-like episodes (SLE) remain inconsistent. This work provides international consensus recommendations on the definition, diagnosis, and management of MELAS and SLE in pediatric and adult populations.

Methods: An international Delphi consensus process was conducted within the European Reference Network for Neuromuscular Diseases (ERN EURO-NMD), in collaboration with the US Mitochondrial Medicine Society, the ERN for Hereditary Metabolic Disorders (MetabERN), and patient representatives. Following a systematic literature review, 54 statements addressing diagnostic …

Psychology Lecturer Confronts Ai, Attendance Decline, And Future Of Student Learning, Valerie Reynolds

Digital Edition

No abstract provided.

Electronic Resource Updates - 2026 Q1, Brigitte Galauner, Gregg Harris

Electronic Resources Quarterly Updates

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Academic Stressors And Mental Health Among Undergraduate Students At The George Washington University, Emma Leonard

GW Research Showcase 2021-2026

No abstract provided.

Disability Among People Who Inject Drugs (Pwid) In Washington D.C.: A National Hiv Behavioral Surveillance (Nhbs) Data Analysis To Guide Harm Reduction Programming In D.C., Andrew O'Brien, Sydney Bornstein, Irene Kuo

GW Research Showcase 2021-2026

No abstract provided.

Oral Health & Academic Stress: Gendered Differences In Dental Habits During Periods Of High Stress, Aviv Shachi, Patrick G. Corr

GW Research Showcase 2021-2026

No abstract provided.

Commencement Program: 2026, Governors State University

Commencement Documents and Videos

Lincoln Laureate: Jonathan Cooper

May 17, 2025
10 a.m.

Student Speaker: Journey Mae Manuel

College of Education and Human Development
College of Health and Human Services

May 17, 2025
4 p.m.

Student Speaker: Victoria Gómez

College of Business
College of Arts and Sciences

Ot In Maternal Health, Leslie M. Baker

OTD Capstone Projects

Many organizations that serve the care of pregnant and postpartum women have identified unmet client need specific to the health and well-being of new mothers, which occupational therapy (OT) has the potential to address, through health promotion and well-being initiatives that focus on the prevention of barriers to participation, specific to the co-occupation of motherhood.  While in an emerging practice area, the inclusion of Occupational Therapy (OT) is well positioned to address the physical, emotional, and psychosocial needs of new mothers. Through the creation of educational programming, this doctoral capstone project supported from an occupational therapy perspective, the development of …

Race-Based Violence Against Educators And School Personnel: The Roles Of Race And Harm, Jared Hunt

Theses and Dissertations from DePaul University

Educator-directed violence is a serious problem that has adverse effects on the careers and lives of those victimized. Educators and school personnel in the United States experience this violence within institutions that are shaped by long-checkered histories of racism and racial discrimination (Bickford and Clabough, 2021) that continue today (Carver-Thomas, 2018). Thus, there is a need to consider the roles of race and racism in the violence educators and school personnel experience. This study investigated educators’ and other school personnel’s experiences of physical and verbal/threatening violence, harm, and psychological distress. Through a racial stress and trauma framework, this study also …

Colonial Ambivalence And The Self: The Psychological Legacy Of Colonization, Nazia Khan

Theses and Dissertations from DePaul University

Colonization may disrupt a person’s sense of self by introducing conflicting identities, where one part of identity is tied to colonization while the other attempts to decolonize (David & Okazaki, 2006). This identity conflict may lead to psychological distress because these identities are often in opposition to one another. Although colonized individuals may have been forced to adopt the colonizer’s social norms, people may also incorporate colonization-influenced practices into their self and cultural identity with and without recognizing their colonial roots. Colonial ambivalence is introduced as the simultaneous holding of positive and negative feelings regarding one’s colonized background. Individuals from …

Emotion Meta-Perceptions And Political Identity, Mattie Kujawski

Theses and Dissertations from DePaul University

The United States of America is in a time of political division. Research shows that political ideological alignment is related to emotional processing. Further understanding this relationship may be useful to bridging the political divide. This exploratory research study investigated the relationship between cognitive and affective meta-perceptions of five discrete emotions (joy, sadness, anger, fear, and disgust) and political ideological alignment. The study was guided by three exploratory research questions: Are meta-perceptions of emotion, assessed by affective and cognitive attitudes toward discrete emotions (joy, anger, fear, sadness, disgust), related to political identification and political ideology? Are affective and cognitive meta-perceptions …

Silent Cries: Analyzing The Psychological Profiles Of High School Shooters, Kayla Martinez

Posters - 2026

• School shootings have become a recurring event for the past couple of decades in the United States
  • high school has the most exposure to these shootings
• Shootings can cause serious trauma and various mental health issues in the students and staff who survived (as well as communities)
• Protocols put in place seem to only be reactive rather than proactively identifying and preventing the occurrence
• Most people overlook the previous behaviors of the shooters

Neurophenomenology: A Research Method Combining Neuroscience And Philosophy, Jonas Lokensgard

Posters - 2026

Neurophenomenology – Cognitive Sciences + Phenomenology Phenomenology – the study of consciousness (basically just how you experience things) Cognitive Sciences – The study of the functional processes of the mind, and the operations of the brain that enable these processes to be performed. (“Cognitive Science” 2004)

The Effects Of Low Stimulating Music Vs. High Stimulating Music On Visual And Auditory Reflexes In Young Adults, Monabelle Elbayeh, Vania Galindo, Ria Modi, Gianna Montelongo

Posters - 2026

This study investigates the effects of high-stimulating versus low-stimulating music exposure on human reflexes, specifically examining how different levels of auditory stimulation influence reaction time. Music is known to impact cognitive and motor performance, but its direct effect on reflex responses remains less understood. In this experiment, participants are exposed to high-stimulating music and low-stimulating music in separate trials, with reflexes measured before and after each condition using visual and auditory tests in the LabScribe program. It is hypothesized that after listening to high-stimulating music for five minutes, individuals will demonstrate shorter reaction times compared to after listening to low-stimulating …

Life Experiences To Lyrics: What Mental Health Looks Like In Music, Ashley Salinas, Ashley De La Fuente

Posters - 2026

● Music conveys human emotion and mental states, often reflecting societal struggles such as depression and anxiety. Lyrics often shape how listeners experience these emotions, influencing mood, identity formation, and emotional processing in young adults (Gustavson, 2021; Chen, 2023). ● Depression, characterized by persistent sadness, loss of interest, and withdrawal is frequently expressed in music through explicit descriptions or metaphorical language (Shriram, 2015). Whereas, anxiety involves excessive worry, restlessness, and hypervigilance, is less studied yet similarly present in music (Kim, 2023). ● Previous studies have highlighted that pop lyrics often emphasize relational uncertainty, country songs depict fear of loss, and …

Research Proposal: Enhancing Or Replacing? A Qualitative Study Of Ai's Impact On Coaching Strategy And Team Dynamics, Mariana Perez Romero

Posters - 2026

Since early 2020’s, artificial intelligence has become widely accessible and increasingly adapt in everyday life. In sports, AI now plays a major role in performance analysis, training strategies, and real time decision-making. While these tools offer significant advantages, they also reshape how athletes and coaches communicate, interpret information, and build relationships. Sport is a space for relationships: communication between coaches and athletes, trust within the team, shared decision-making, and bonds that are built through experience. It is important to understand how AI is influencing these human dynamics. This study will explore how AI influences communication and interpersonal dynamics in sports, …

Social Media Microtrends And The Economic Realities Of Young Consumers, Camila Berumen

Posters - 2026

This study expects to reveal how social media microtrends act as indicators of the economic realities' young consumers experience, including financial pressure, shifting spending habits, and changing values around consumption. By analyzing how these realities are expressed through digital trends, the research will provide a deeper understanding of how economic conditions are communicated in everyday online behavior. This research addresses the issue that traditional economic measures often overlook lived experience, especially among younger generations. By focusing on microtrends, the study offers a more nuanced and accessible way to understand how economic realities are felt and expressed, rather than just measured. …

Availabilty Of Educational Tools And The Presence Of Technology In Online Stores: Supporting Teaching Practices In Autistic Youth, Sofia Kamar, Layla Alanis

Posters - 2026

- A neurodevelopmental condition known as, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is characterized by difficulties with social interaction, behavior regulation, and communication. (DSM-5-TR; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) - Specialized educational tools are essential for supporting the learning, communication, and social development of autistic youth (Jones, Hanley, & Riby, 2020). - Teachers depend on a variety of learning aids—such as sensory supports, visual schedules, and assistive technologies— to address diverse student needs (Carrington et al., 2020). - According to earlier studies, young people with ASD frequently require specific resources, physical and technological, as well as scheduled routines to facilitate learning and transitions …

The Effects Human Presence Has On Dolphins Within A Natural Lagoon Enclosure In Managed Care, Mario Martinez, Winter Saldaña

Posters - 2026

● Previous research looked into the overall behavior of dolphins in managed care using observations of location (Dudzinski & Hill, 2025).

● This study provides opportunities to investigate the effects of human presence on dolphin activity and space use (Lauderdale et al., 2022; Trone et al., 2005).

● Purpose - To determine if human presence affects dolphin behavior / spatial use of natural lagoon.

● H1: Dolphin clustering will be seen in the most Northern part of the lagoon and area associated with humans consistently (Melillo et al., 2009).

● H2: Higher activity levels will be observed during the “during” …

The Drones Of Cjng, Ryan Vilter, Tyler Mccoid, Lauren Bertelsen, Suat Cubukcu, Joel Elson, George Grispos, Austin C. Doctor

Reports, Projects, and Research

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, or CJNG), is a U.S.-designated Foreign Terror Organization (FTO) and transnational criminal organization with a presence throughout Mexico and in at least 40 other countries. CJNG’s criminal activity and related revenue streams are diverse and include narcotics and firearms trafficking, human smuggling, and natural resource theft. In tandem with its violent and criminal activities, CJNG has widely integrated commercial Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), commonly referred to as drones, into its operations. Common UAS tactics by CJNG include weaponized attacks, surveilling U.S. and Mexican security and law enforcement personnel , and …

Corporate Social Responsibility And Consumer-Brand Relationships: An Investor-Oriented Integrated Framework, Ada V. Campbell

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This study examines the evolving landscape of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) within the European Union (EU) and the dynamics of the consumer–brand relationship (CBR), proposing an integrated theoretical framework for investor analysis. The EU's regulatory trajectory, marked by the transition from the Non-financial Reporting Directive (NFRD) to the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the introduction of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) alongside European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), signifies a paradigm shift towards mandatory, standardized, and audited sustainability disclosures. Concurrently, the strength of CBR, built on dimensions such as trust, self-connection, and commitment, profoundly influences consumer behavior, brand …

Efficacy, Acceptability, And Feasibility Of Stayquit For Sustaining Smoking Abstinence After Psychiatric Hospitalization: A Pilot Study, Corinne N. Kacmarek, Hannah C. Smith, Alicia Lucksted, Lan Li, Laché Wilkins, Gabriella Coakley, Peter Phalen, Deborah Medoff, Faith Dickerson, Julie Kreyenbuhl, Melanie E. Bennett

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Veterans with mental illness have high rates of tobacco use and psychiatric hospitalization in the Veterans Health Administration (VA). VA is smoke-free, and guidelines recommend that smoking cessation medication and counseling be delivered during and one month after hospitalization to sustain abstinence. Little is known about how patients experience this intervention. This pilot study evaluated the acceptability, feasibility, and efficacy of an evidence-informed, novel smoking intervention, StayQuit, for psychiatric inpatients.

Methods: Participants were recruited from an inpatient VA psychiatric unit. Changes in self-reported cigarettes smoked per day, nicotine dependence, and abstinence self-efficacy were evaluated between baseline and 12-week follow …

Navigating Displacement: Queer And Crip Of Color Reframings Of Eating Disorder Discourse, Emilio Parra-Garcia

Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Senior Honors Papers

Scholarship on eating disorders has long been dominated by quantitative social science research that shapes clinical understandings of these illnesses, despite growing humanistic interventions. My thesis places eating disorders, through an “archive” of psychological studies, in conversation with queer and crip of color theory to uncover the co-constitutive relationship between queerness, disability, and race/ethnicity that centers on queer people of color with eating disorders as a necessary site of theoretical inquiry. Drawing on Sabrina Strings’ analysis of racialized body ideals, I trace how genealogies of bodily legibility (driven by discourses on whiteness, weight, and citizenship) created systems of “categorical oppression,” …

Intimate Partner Violence And Couples Who Practice Power Exchange: Exploring Discussions Of Harm In Bdsm Writing, Delilah Tefertiller

Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Senior Honors Papers

The current tools and services available for those who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) center power and control as negative influences that lead to coercive control (Stark, 2007) and harm. However, the BDSM and kink community negotiate and play with power dynamics in ways that defy current ideas about "healthy relationships." There is, therefore, little known about the perspectives of those who experience IPV in BDSM contexts. Additionally, current IPV tools are not adapted to fit a community that views power differently. A content analysis of BDSM 101 texts—a subgenre of BDSM literature that introduces and educates newcomers about …

Deep Learning In Fetal, Infant, And Toddler Neuroimaging Research, Jenna H Chin, Madeleine K Wyburd, Vladislav Ayzenberg, Laurie Bayet, Berkin Bilgic, Emily M Chen, Yuting Chen, Áine Dineen, Shohei Fujita, Janelle Liu, Yohan Jun, M Catalina Camacho, Lilla Zöllei

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being integrated into everyday tasks and work environments. However, its adoption in medical image analysis has progressed more slowly due to high clinical stakes, limited availability of labeled data, and substantial variability in imaging protocols and population. These challenges are further pronounced in the field of fetal, infant, and toddler (FIT) neuroimaging, where datasets are especially scarce and subject to large amounts of anatomical variability. However, deep learning (DL), a specific method within machine learning, which is itself a subfield of AI, has emerged as a powerful framework to adapt to the challenges of medical …

Catholicism, Islam, And Intersectional Feminism In Ireland And Morocco: A Fatima Mernissi And Sinead O’Connor Study, Tralee Pomerleau

All Theses And Dissertations

This research contends that the interpretation of the relationship between feminism and religion is rooted in the Western feminist framework, making it seem like they cannot work together. This framework does not look at feminism through an intersectional lens, which it needs to, so women can use their life experiences, culture, and religion to fight for equal rights for women from all over the world. Looking at feminism through an intersectional lens proves that there is a way to keep religion and faith while fighting for women’s equality in every aspect of life.

This paper outlines the broad relationship between …

Comparison Of Levels Of Bmi, Stress, And Depression Of Women During The Prenatal Period Relative To Their Activity Levels, Kalayna King

Honors Theses

This study aimed to analyze the relationships between activity levels, Body Mass Index (BMI), stress levels, and depression symptoms in obese pregnant women in Arkansas. Two separate exercise intervention studies were combined in this analysis to ultimately give a sample size of 293 pregnant women who were randomized into standard of care group (control) and an exercise group (treatment/experimental) (n = 115 and n = 178, respectively). Women in the control groups were instructed to independently continue to follow the physical activity guidelines recommended by their gynecologist, whereas the experimental groups participated in a combination of aerobic and resistance exercise …

Roundtable: Issue 5, Brody Rohrich, Jonathan Blessing, Kysten Keever, Mona Kuylee, Makenna Maples-Janisch, Gavin Mitzel, Victoria Voss

Roundtable: Journal of the UND Honors Program

No abstract provided.