Digital Commons Network^™

The Diamond, February 24, 2026, Dordt University

Dordt Diamond

• Front Page: New Dordt Advertisement Airs During the Super Bowl; Dordt Alum Detained by Immigration Enforcement in Minneapolis; Dordt University Construction Masterplan - The Ghost of Campus Past and Campus Future
• Feature: The Inevitability and Danger of Generative AI's Conscience; A Splash of Color - Sponges and Soft Coral Revitalize Campus Aquarium
• News: Dordt Students Attend Conference at Capitol Hill; Dordt Receives 1.25 Million Dollar Grant for Children's Worship Initiative
• Politics: New Israeli Policy in the West Bank - Is it Really New?; Gang Violence Across Mexico Disrupts U.S. Trade; A Look at the Nancy Guthrie …

Only Americans Left Behind: Iran’S Illegal Use Of Hostages As Political Pawns To Advance Their Foreign Policy, Ava Namazi

San Diego International Law Journal

The Islamic Republic of Iran has emerged as one of the most prominent contemporary practitioners of hostage diplomacy—a strategy rooted in the 1979 Hostage Crisis and sustained through recurring detentions of foreign nationals on fabricated security charges. The government uses innocent foreign nationals as political pawns to coerce Western states, including the United States, to release frozen Iranian assets held abroad. This Comment situates Iran’s use of hostage diplomacy within its post-revolutionary foreign policy, examining how the collapse of the Pahlavi dynasty contributed to this tactic. Additionally, this Comment will analyze the current international legal frameworks governing hostage diplomacy and …

Quality Improvement Project: Empowering Nurses And Medical Assistants To Improve Medication Adherence: A Screening-Based Quality Improvement Initiative, Maria Garcia

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Medication nonadherence is a persistent challenge in clinical settings that negatively influences patient outcomes and is often driven by cost, access, and patient-related barriers, as widely documented in the literature. Nurses and medical assistants play a critical role in identifying these barriers; however, inconsistent screening and limited staff confidence may hinder intervention. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate the impact of implementing the Brief Medication Questionnaire (BMQ) on staff confidence in addressing medication adherence and to assess clinic-wide utilization of the tool. The project was guided by the Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice and Lewin’s Change …

The Role Of Fkbp51 In The Regulation Of Reproductive Aging And Prenatal Stress-Impaired Ovarian Function And Development, Monica C. Moore

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

FK506-binding protein 51 (FKBP51) is an immunophilin that acts as a co-chaperone with heat shock protein 90 that negatively regulates transcriptional activity of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and progesterone receptor (PR), and FKBP51 levels are increased by stress conditions. Our previous studies demonstrate that Fkbp5 gene depletion was protective against maternal re-strained stress-induced preterm birth (PTB), fetal growth restriction (FGR), and maternal stress-induced age-related decline in live births. We hypothesize that FKBP51 contributes to impaired ovarian development and folliculogenesis induced by prenatal stress (PNS). Timed-pregnant Fkbp5+/+ (wild-type) and Fkbp5−/− (knockout) mice were randomly assigned to either the undis-turbed (nonstress) or PNS …

Staff Education To Reduce Compassion Fatigue In Acute Care Staff Nurses, Kamala C. Mcgee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Compassion fatigue (CF), burnout, and moral distress are common in high-acuity nursing environments, yet nurses are rarely taught how to recognize or manage these challenges. The guiding question for this staff education project was about whether education focused on CF and mindfulness-based coping strategies would improve nurses’ knowledge and attitudes in an acute care VA medical center. Posteducation results (n = 20) showed meaningful, statistically significant improvements. Familiarity with CF increased from baseline (M = 2.35; SD = 1.04) to post implementation (M = 3.75; SD = .91), t(19) = −5.085, p < .001. Confidence in recognizing CF in oneself improved from baseline (M = 2.6; SD = .875) to post implementation (M = 3.60; SD = .821), p = .004. Confidence in recognizing CF in colleagues increased from baseline (M = 2.40; SD = .821) to postimplementation (M = 3.15; SD = .671), p = .012. Agreement that seeking help is a sign of weakness decreased from baseline (M = 2.00; SD = .503) to postimplementation (M = 1.40; SD = .951), p = .024. Although perceptions of organizational support did not change, nurses reported greater use of mindfulness, peer support, and boundary setting, supporting nurse wellbeing and psychological safety. Several recommendations emerge from this project. CF education should be integrated into routine staff development, annual competencies, and onboarding for new nurses. By reducing stigma around seeking help and promoting peer awareness, this work supports fostering a workplace culture where all nurses feel safe, supported, and valued, a positive social change.

Safety And Feasibility During Early Implementation Of Robotic-Assisted Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, Dung Thuong Ho, Manh Cuong Nguyen, Tran Tran Nguyen, Long Tran, Huy Nguyen, Dil Mai, Tuong Mien Ngo, Duc Chinh Nguyen, Chi Cuong Tran, Khiem D. Ngo

School of Medicine Publications

Background: Robotic-assisted Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (R-PCI) is an advanced technique offering potential advantages for both patients and interventional cardiology practices. In 2023, Can Tho S.I.S General Hospital implemented its first robotic system for PCI procedures. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and clinical outcomes during the early learning curve of R-PCI.

Methods: This prospective study included all patients undergoing R-PCI with the CorPath GRX Vascular Robotic System at Can Tho S.I.S General Hospital from April to September 2023. Baseline patient characteristics, procedural details, and six-month follow-up data were collected. Primary outcomes included Clinical Success, defined as < 30% residual diameter stenosis in the target vessel without major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) during hospitalization (e.g., death, myocardial infarction, target-vessel revascularization, stroke), and robotic success, defined as achieving clinical success with partial manual support or no manual support.

Results: Thirty-one patients …

"The Only Place I Feel Understood": A Mixed Methods Survey Of Adolescent And Caregiver Perspectives On Social Media And Parental Controls, Melanie Watt Ramos, Constance M Wiemann, Lauren A Bretz

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose

Methods

Results

The Effect Of St. John’S Wort Solution On Climbing Activity Reflecting Depressive-Like Behavior In Drosophila Melanogaster To Model Seasonal Depression In Low Sunlight Exposure, Madison Simon

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Although depression is a known substantial threat to public health, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is under-researched. SAD refers to recurrent seasonal patterns of depression. This depressive disorder has few accepted treatments. The purpose of this study was to test whether St. John’s Wort (SJW), a natural supplement with researched antidepressant properties, could be a cheaper alternative with fewer limitations for treating SAD. SJW’s efficacy as a seasonal depression inhibitor was tested through a Drosophila depression-like model using climbing activity to reflect depressive behavior. It was hypothesized that as the concentration of SJW solution increases, the climbing activity of stressed Drosophila …

Sociodemographic Influences On Student-Athlete Eating Disorder Risk And Treatment-Seeking Behavior In The National College Health Assessment, Savannah Hughbanks, Andrew W. Froehle, Brian A. Edwards

Journal of Sports Medicine and Allied Health Sciences: Official Journal of the Ohio Athletic Trainers Association

Objective: The present study was developed to explicate attributes associated with increased likelihood of disordered eating behaviors and treatment avoidance and help practitioners better-identify and assist high-risk individuals.

Participants: Varsity athletes (n=51,882) who completed the National College Health Assessment (NCHA) between 2011 and 2019.

Methods: Data was collected from survey responses to questions related to disordered eating behaviors. Disorders were cross-sectioned into eight predictors: year in school, gender, sexual-orientation, race/ethnicity, school-type, international-student, history of mental health illness, and anxiety of impending academic performance.

Results: Two percent of the student-athletes self-reported an ED diagnosis, and within those two percent 65.9% reported …

Numenor, The Mighty And Frail: Proceedings Of The Tolkien Society Seminar 2023 (2025), Ed. By Will Sherwood, Douglas Charles Kane

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Douglas Charles Kane, of Numenor, The Mighty and Frail: Proceedings of The Tolkien Society Seminar 2023 (2025), ed. by Will Sherwood

The Missed Conversation, Maya Joye

Fresh Voices: Composition at Cal Poly

No abstract provided.

#Throwbackthursday, Kelli Chollar

Fresh Voices: Composition at Cal Poly

No abstract provided.

Decolonizing Postpartum Depression: A Review Of Postpartum Depression In Adolescent American Indian Mothers, Brandi A. Richardson, Christopher J. Cutter, Mark Beitel

Journal of Indigenous Research

Postpartum depression (PPD), defined as at least two weeks of depressed mood or loss of interest in daily activities accompanied by symptoms such as altered eating habits, suicidal or infanticidal thoughts, feelings of inadequacy, and low energy, is a significant public health problem in the United States. Poor infant and maternal health increase risk for PPD. In addition, adolescent mothers are at higher risk of prenatal depression, birth complications, and PPD. Current research fails to address adolescent American Indian / Alaska Native (AI/AN) mothers experiencing PPD. This review seeks to integrate what has been discovered about PPD within Native communities …

Preparando Para Su Edad Y Su Futuro: Latina Mothers’ Perspectives Of Navigating Postsecondary Transition For Autistic Youth, Kristina Rios Dr., Katherine R. Brendli Brown, Genna Kieper, Cynthia Velasquez, Amber Brown Ruiz

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Families play a critical role in the education and service provision of Autistic students. However, much of the existing research on family involvement and expectations has centered on families of younger Autistic children and has disproportionately reflected the experiences of White families, even though Latinx families may include individuals of any racial background. Furthermore, while there is growing transition literature focused on families of color, Latinx families—particularly those with Spanish-speaking caregivers—remain underrepresented in studies examining the postsecondary transition. There is a critical need for research that captures Latinx caregivers’ perspectives on navigating the transition process and identifies how educators can …

Shutting Pandora's Box: A Legal, Economic, And Miscellaneous Meditation Of The Copyrightability Of Ai-Generated Music, Nathan Oddi

Akron Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Confidence Trap Identifying When Ai Sounds Sure But Is Actually Wrong, Pranav Bhatnagar Mr

Defensive Publications Series

This disclosure introduces a Confidence–Reliability Divergence Detection framework designed to identify conditions in which artificial intelligence systems express high apparent certainty while underlying predictive reliability degrades. As modern AI models increasingly expose probability scores, verbal certainty cues, or calibrated confidence metrics, human operators and downstream systems frequently treat these signals as reliable proxies for correctness. However, real-world deployments demonstrate that model confidence can become systematically misaligned with true performance under conditions such as distribution shift, adversarial prompting, long-context reasoning saturation, data sparsity, or environmental volatility. This divergence creates a subtle but high-impact failure mode in which AI outputs appear authoritative …

Five Students Win Mcgrath Awards For Research In Catholic Intellectual Traditions, Devin Chivers

College of Arts and Sciences Newsroom

The McGrath Award recognizes students whose research in a Common Academic Program course demonstrates engagement with Catholic Intellectual Traditions.

Clinician Tele-Mental Health Attitudes In North American Indigenous Communities, Elleh A. Driscoll, Justin Douglas Mcdonald

Journal of Indigenous Research

This study examined mental health clinicians (n=104) serving North American Indigenous clients and how tele-mental health (TMH) factors during and after the COVID-19 pandemic impacted future willingness to continue TMH. Results indicated predictors of future TMH usage were not statistically significant due to the high baseline of willingness to utilize TMH, regardless of factors. The goal of this study was to investigate awareness of clinician attitudes of TMH and promote continued research and training for tele-mental health care with Indigenous populations.

Crow's Nest, February 23, 2026, Crow's Nest Staff

Crow's Nest

The February 23, 2026 issue of Crow's Nest.

Chimes: February 23, 2026, Calvin University

Chimes

A vibrant tapestry of cultures: Rangeela celebrates 30 years by Ava Roush & Ellerry Johnson

Puentes: Students building bridges amidst immigration concerns by Jorie Cho

Late Night Era's Concert: The end of an era by Ashley Hamons

Cave Night kickoff hosts local artists by Alec DeYoung

Composting streamlined and expanded to all underclassmen dorms by McKenna Wilkinson

Let's talk about sec: Calvin sexuality series confronts purity culture by Sarah Sparling

Scaling rock walls and studying Scripture by Ella Vanden Berg

Optimizing Patient Adherence Through Improved Technology-Based Communication By Enhancing Staff Efficiency At An Opiate Treatment Program Clinic, Jennifer Parsons

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

High rates of missed appointments and unreliable follow-up remain a problem in outpatient opioid treatment clinics. This project improved the communication workflow at a methadone maintenance clinic by strengthening reminder systems and staff coordination. A needs assessment found several problems: appointment reminders were inconsistent, tracking was unreliable, and staff communication often relied on manual handoffs. The project was to test a technology-based workflow designed to improve staff communication and reduce missed appointments. The Technology Acceptance Model and Lewin’s Change Theory guided the change. The clinic implemented automated reminders, secure messaging, and clearer documentation to support daily communication. A pre-post evaluation …

Digital Competence Of Primary School Teachers In Andalusia (Spain): A Multidimensional Analysis Based On Self-Perceptions, Francisco Ábalos-Aguilera, Luis M. Romero-Rodríguez, Bárbara Mercedes Castillo Abdul Hadi

Artículos científicos

This study analyzes the self-perception of digital teaching competence (DTC) among primary education teachers in Andalusia, using an instrument based on the European DigCompEdu framework. Data were collected through a self-administered online questionnaire applied to a sample of 416 primary education teachers working in Andalusia. The study employed a mixed-methods design, combining quantitative analyses (descriptive, correlational, and comparative) with qualitative analysis of open-ended responses. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research assesses teachers’ competence levels and examines differences according to professional experience, school ownership, teaching specialization, and territorial distribution. Results indicate that most teachers perceive themselves at intermediate levels of digital …

The Secret Garden: Staff Caring For Staff, Erin Quinlan, Jennifer Schlebusch

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Healthcare workers provide for others in thoughtful, therapeutic ways, which becomes problematic if their mental and emotional resources are depleted. When healthcare workers experience a self-care deficit, their well-being and patient care are compromised. Recent factors contributing to staff stress include the impact of COVID-19 and the Pediatric Behavioral Health Crisis. An identified need to improve staff well-being was visible. The purpose of this quality improvement project, using the Plan-Do-Study-Act methodology, was to develop and implement the Secret Garden to improve the health of the work environment. The Secret Garden is a staff-only respite space, operationalized and managed to support …

The Echo: February 23, 2026, Taylor University

2025-2026 (Volume 113)

No abstract provided.

A New Nurse’S Journey: How To Increase Retention By Providing The Resiliency Tools Nurses Need, Jocelyn E. Marx, Sara Humeny

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

In a recent study, 68% of nurses put their patient's health, safety, and wellness before their own (Linton, M. & Koonmen, J. 2020). This presentation will take you on a journey beginning from the minute a nurse starts in our organization. We believe nurses caring for themselves so they can care for others is a priority. New nurses begin to learn on their very first day of employment at our network how self-care and well-being are a part of our nursing mission, vision, and philosophy, as supported by the chosen nurse theorist Jean Watson. It is encouraged for nurse leaders …

Showpower: A New Paradigm For Community Engagement, Sean Green

Community Engagement

For decades, the dominant paradigm in community engagement, education, and social work has relied heavily on the concept of "empowerment" to address the systemic gaps hindering marginalized populations. However, the etymological and practical applications of empowerment have increasingly devolved into a paternalistic, deficit-based model, implying a directional transfer of authority from a privileged institution to a subjugated community. As recent scholarship confirms, historically marginalized groups—such as first-generation and low-income students—continue to face persistent structural barriers despite decades of these traditional institutional interventions (López et al., 2023). This white paper formally introduces a novel theoretical framework, lexicon, and operational mindset: Showpower. …

“Promoting Civility And Anti-Bullying Behaviors In The Workplace” Initiatives Driven By The Nurse Residency Program, Leilanie Gacayan Apana

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

To alleviate the fear of “nurses eating their young” and impede disruptive behaviors, incivility, and bullying in the workplace, newly graduate nurse residents (NGNRs) learn strategies to promote a civil work environment upon hire into the Nurse Residency Program (NRP). Setting the expectation of acceptable workplace behaviors early in their nursing careers empowers NGNRs to advocate for and exhibit professional conduct fostering civility in the workplace. The necessity to provide NGNRs the resources to deflect detrimental attitudes in patient care areas was essential to ensure safe patient care and outcomes. During role transition discussions, NGNRs expressed insecurity, distress, and high …

Realist Review: A Tool For Interpreting The Impact Of Structural Stigma On Workplace Bullying-Associated Trauma, Laura Dzurec, Jennifer L. Embree, Monica Kennison, Matthew S. Howard

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Stigma is a mark of disgrace emerging from shared sets of negative attitudes and inaccurate beliefs. To be stigmatized is to be identified as ‘less-than,’ to be ‘disapproved of,’ to be the focus of often-uninformed criticism. Workplace bullying victims, those individuals targeted by bullies in their workplaces and inveigled/taken in by their bully counterparts’ subtly demeaning affronts, simultaneously become victims of stigma (Dzurec et al., 2014). Recent study data (Howard et al., under review) suggest that for victims, bullies’ affronting behaviors may, ultimately, override personal beliefs. Bullies’ stories come to own those victimized, acting surreptitiously and imperceptibly to direct and …

Leveraging Best Practice Initiatives To Develop An Innovative And Proactive Approach To Stress Management, Shannon Cronin Patel, John Hunt, Mary Law

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Background: A 2023 Premiere Inc. survey reported that greater than 40% of US healthcare professionals have experienced at least one episode of workplace violence during the past two years. Confounding issues position healthcare professionals at increased risk for experiencing daily stress inducing situations including but not limited to: staffing related deficiencies, increased incidences of workplace violence, and increased risk for secondary victim incidents that perpetuate wounded healers. Despite increases in stress inducing situations, current stress mitigating interventions remain reactive, antiquated, and fail to meet the emotional needs of healthcare professionals. Current stress and critical incident management models provide reactive support …

Positional Differences In Internal And External Match-Play Loads Among Njcaa Division Ii Women's Soccer Players, Shannon Baisden

Doctorate in Kinesiology

This study quantified and compared the internal and external match-play demands of female community college soccer players by position during competitive match play. Using a retrospective observational design, GPS- and heart-rate–derived data were analyzed across eight regular-season matches from one NJCAA Division II women's soccer team. Nineteen outfield players were classified as defenders, midfielders, or forwards. Internal load was assessed using heart-rate metrics and time spent in intensity zones, while external load was measured using total distance and proprietary workload metrics. Linear mixed-effects models were employed to evaluate positional differences while accounting for repeated measures. Results revealed clear positional trends …