Digital Commons Network^™

Who’S To Blame? Exploring Collective Emotions Between Shared Guilt And Anger: A Semiotic Study Of Digital Narratives And Social Activism In The Context Of Online Gender-Based Violence, Cristina Greco, Marianna Boero

All Works

The present study explores digital narratives and social activism in the context of online gender-based violence, focusing on the mechanisms of collective emotions, such as guilt, anger, shame, and fear. In this perspective, the narrative continues to deal with how media representations legitimate ideological conceptions and perpetuate the normalization of online violence against women. By deepening our understanding of how collective emotions are constructed and manipulated, the study aims to identify the subtle and hidden link between media discourses and actual events as they occur online. In doing so, it explores media narratives evoking collective shame, fear, anger, and guilt, …

Celebrating Faculty Scholarship 2026, Smith College Libraries

Celebrating Faculty Scholarship: Bibliographies

Bibliography of selected scholarly and creative work produced by Smith College faculty and submitted by faculty for the 2026 celebration in the Neilson Library Skyline Reading Room, Smith College on September 14, 2026.

Ensuring Seafood Safety - Food Handling Practices At Home To Mitigate Foodborne Illness – A Consumer Study, Arundhathi V., Mini Sekharan N.

Annals. Food Science and Technology

Inadequate food handling practices in the supply chain significantly contribute to foodborne illnesses. As global concerns about food safety intensify, understanding domestic food handling practices and raising consumer awareness is essential. The study examines the association between self-reported foodborne illness and seafood handling practices among consumers across Kerala, India. A cross-sectional survey of seafood consumers was conducted via an online questionnaire from March to December 2023. Of 2079 survey respondents, 8.5% (n=177) reported experiencing seafood-related foodborne illness. Safe handling practices among those who experienced seafood-borne illness (Case group) scored lower compared to those who did not (Control group). Seafood handling …

Breaking Patterns Of Abuse: How Amending The Federal Rules Of Evidence Would Strengthen Domestic Violence Prosecutions, Isabelle Ryan

Roger Williams University Law Review

No abstract provided.

When Walking Out Doesn’T Mean Losing Out: Why Rhode Island Should Reform Its Model For Unemployment Insurance In Relation To Striking Workers, Trina Capezza

Roger Williams University Law Review

No abstract provided.

On The Harm Of Being Deputized By God, Taylor-Grey Miller

Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

SMU Science and Technology Law Review

No abstract provided.

State Ai Therapy Regulations – Analyzing The Illinois Wellness And Oversight For Psychological Resources Act, Natalie Browne

SMU Science and Technology Law Review

According to the Harvard Business Review, the top use case for generative artificial intelligence (AI) in 2025 was therapy and companionship. Accordingly, numerous “therapy-specific” AI tools have hit the market in recent years, vying to fill this growing need. However, individuals are also turning to generic large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, to express their deepest anxieties, seek reassurance, and gather advice. While tech optimists assert that AI therapy tools will extend mental health treatment in care deserts, attention-grabbing headlines about such use cases have shattered communities and shocked legislatures. To address growing concerns about AI therapy, Illinois enacted …

Exploring Undergraduate Women’S Experiences Of Collaborative Learning In Engineering Education: A Phenomenological Study Of The Social World, Sandra Ireri Cruz Morena

Doctoral

The persistent underrepresentation of women in engineering education remains a concern across global and national contexts, despite rising overall enrolment of women in higher education. In Ireland, the national average of women entering Engineering, Manufacturing, and Construction (EMC) programmes has gradually increased; however, the rate at Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) has stayed at approximately 15% since 2016. This study seeks to better understand the gendered challenges underlying such trends by exploring the lived experiences of female undergraduate engineering students at TU Dublin, particularly in relation to collaborative learning environments such as project- and problem-based learning (PBL).

Understanding Addiction As A Disease: College Students’ Perspectives On Substance Use In The Covid-19 Era, Aditi Rudrashetty

Athena: Undergraduate Research and Literary Journal

This research explores the neurological basis of addiction as a disease and how the exacerbation of external factors has contributed to negative perceptions of addiction. Specifically, it examines the COVID-19 pandemic and contemporary college student experiences as contextual factors influencing attitudes toward substance use disorders. Negative perceptions contribute to stigma, reduce help-seeking behavior, and influence policy responses, hindering effective support and recovery for individuals with substance use disorders. By examining these perceptions, this study contributes to understanding how addiction is conceptualized and potentially addressed in public health and policy contexts. Surveys and semi-structured interviews were conducted with college students to …

Whole Genome Sequencing: Considering Regulations, Policies, And Procedures, Nyaw Lar Too

Athena: Undergraduate Research and Literary Journal

This research explores the opinions of young adults between the ages of 19 to 30 about the vulnerabilities of using DNA sequencing tests as a part of couples’ prenatal care to determine every possible mutation, variation, and cancers possible for future offspring. A survey-based experiment was used to gather information from a sample of 17 young adults within the aforementioned age group. The findings from the surveys are intended to assist scientists in acknowledging public opinion and aid in guiding their decisions on how to move forward with genome sequencing. Ultimately, the survey findings could give scientists an idea of …

2026 Supplement To The Corporations Curriculum - Caremark: The Board's Duty Of Oversight Regarding Work Force Safety And Sexual Misconduct, Sarah Haan

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Étude Multidisciplinaire Du Confort Des Bouchons D'Oreilles : Vers Une Protection Auditive Efficace En Milieu De Travail, Olivier Doutres, Franck Sgard, Alessia Negrini, Alain Berry, Chantal Gauvin

Rapports de recherche scientifique

L'utilisation de protecteurs auditifs individuels (PICB), tels que les casques ou les bouchons d’oreilles souvent recommandés comme mesure temporaire, reste souvent le seul moyen d'assurer la protection des travailleuses et travailleurs exposés quotidiennement à des niveaux de bruit dangereux. Actuellement, le choix d'un PICB est principalement basé sur des considérations liées à l’atténuation acoustique qu’il offre (et mesurée en laboratoire par des organisations certifiées), et/ou à des caractéristiques de l'environnement de travail, telles que la chaleur, l'hygiène et la compatibilité avec d'autres équipements de protection individuelle (EPI). Le port de PICB est connu pour générer de nombreux inconforts qui peuvent …

The Weight Of Stigma, Rebekah A. King, Michael S. Sinha

All Faculty Scholarship

Many health care providers, both implicitly and explicitly, perpetuate stigma in their treatment of patients classified as obese. While medical professionals understand that a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment is ineffective, patients classified as obese are frequently offered limited treatment options that fail to account for their unique needs. Access to a range of effective treatment options has historically been limited, but new GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines like Wegovy (semaglutide) and Zepbound (tirzepatide), have shown incredible promise in addressing the obesity crisis. Unfortunately, these transformative drugs are costly, in high demand, and not widely covered by insurance, rendering them inaccessible for …

The Asexual Assumption, Faith K. Whatley-Blaine, Michael S. Sinha

All Faculty Scholarship

Inclusion-focused dating shows such as ‘Love on the Spectrum’ feature individuals with developmental or neurological disabilities on a quest for love. Despite the focus on disability representation, these shows perpetuate stigma against the disabled community by fostering an infantilizing portrayal of individuals with disabilities. This portrayal undermines the premise of encouraging meaningful romantic relationships and reinforces the stigmatizing association of asexuality with disability. This framing aligns with the broader societal narrative that individuals with disabilities are incapable of or lack interest in participating in romantic relationships or physical intimacy.

The stigma that associates asexuality with disability extends beyond mere entertainment, …

Tax In The Echo Chamber, Kathleen Delaney Thomas

Faculty Publications

This Essay explores the concept of social media echo chambers in the context of tax law. Specifically, in addressing this Symposium’s topic of “AI in Tax Law,” the Essay argues that a significant and growing number of taxpayers encounter information about the tax system through their interaction with social media content that is selected by machine-learning algorithms. Tax information, commentary, and advice abound on social media, and nearly eighty percent of those considered Gen-Z or millennials seek out tax and financial advice on social media platforms. Policymakers who are interested in keeping the public informed about the tax system, thereby …

The Arbitrary Myth: Challenging Trademark Law's Elevation Of Arbitrary Marks, Dustin Marlan

Faculty Publications

Under its Abercrombie spectrum, trademark law grants “arbitrary” marks—like APPLE for computers or AMAZON for retail—its highest form of protection, treating them as equivalent to fanciful marks such as KODAK or EXXON. This Article challenges that foundational assumption. Unlike fanciful marks, which are invented and enjoy strong source-identifying capacity due to their novelty, arbitrary marks draw on existing language through catachresis: a rhetorical move that repurposes a common word in novel commercial context. In doing so, arbitrary marks generate layered metaphoric meanings that more closely resemble the associative leaps of suggestive marks, rather than the invented distinctiveness of fanciful ones. …

Race, Sexual Danger, And The Moral Logic Of Punishment In The Registry Era, Edith Meade

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Sex offender registries represent one of the most expansive and punitive criminal justice interventions in modern American history, yet public support for these policies remainsunderi nvestigated. Scholarly debate has questioned whether punitive attitudes toward sexual offenders reflect principled moral judgments, racial threat perceptions, or both. This study addresses that question by examining how offender race, offender age, offense severity, victim age, and offender-victim relationship shape public attitudes toward sexual offenders in the contemporary registry era. Drawing on theories of racialized sexual threat, group position, and retributive impulses, the study uses a nationally representative conjoint survey experiment administered through YouGov (N …

Finding Aid For The Melody Musgrove Collection (Mum00840)

Archives & Special Collections: Finding Aids (alphabetical)

Dr. Melody Musgrove served as Director of the Office of Special Education Programs in the U.S. Department of Education from 2010 until 2016.  The collection primarily consists of her subject files from this period.

Beyond The Indian Act: Restoring Traditional Government In Kahnawà:Ke Through Haudenosaunee Law, Brandon Montour

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

The Kanien’kehá:ka of Kahnawà:ke have been subjected to the Indian Act since 1889. Its forceful imposition has eroded ancestral governance systems and severed vital threads of cultural and social life. In 2024, the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke—the Indian Act band council—declared its intent to restore traditional governance and unilaterally end the Indian Act’s reach within the territory. This work is presently underway in Kahnawà:ke. Against this backdrop, and in light of generations of collective experiences of trauma brought on by the forces of settler-colonialism, this article considers what role Haudenosaunee law can play in bringing community members together to build …

Social Roles And Faculty Perception Of Collegiate Presidential Candidates, Aaron D. Leedy

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Presidential positions lack the same diversity seen at all other levels within higher education, with only 32.8% of college presidents identifying as women in 2022 (American Council on Education [ACE], 2023). This documented lack of diversity amongst college presidents seems to point to a historical bias in hiring practices for these positions with extant research (Correll & Benard, 2006; Eagly & Carli, 2018; Friedmann & Efrat-Treister, 2023; Moss-Racusin et al., 2012; Sussman, 2019), showing search committees seem to be biased against women candidates for presidential and other leadership roles. Universities expect leaders to be dominant in their positions, and society …

The Journey Of High School Teachers Evolving Into Career Educators, Diane B. Ried

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Teacher attrition has been a major challenge in the United States for decades, but more so after covid. This case study explored and expanded the understanding of the different levels of environmental impact on high school teacher retention in a Florida high school as they evolved into career educators. The present study used Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) Ecological Systems Theory to examine the teacher’s retention in a county in northcentral Florida. In order to better understand the experience of career development, this study used Savickas’ Career Construction Theory (2019). This case study investigated strategies, supports, and diversity related initiatives impacting a …

Development Of An Educational Toolkit For Clinical Staff At Little Rivers Health Care To Guide Shared Decision Making For The Expanded Age Range Of The Hpv Vaccine, Maureen B. Boardman

DNP Scholarly Projects

BACKGROUND: The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States (CDC, 2024). Unlike other common STI's, persistent infection with HPV increases the risk of cancer. A Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination was approved in the United States in 2006 for girls and women aged 9 to 26 and in 2009 it was approved for boys and men in this same age range. Despite 20 years of data on the efficacy and safety of the HPV vaccine, rates of completed HPV vaccine series remain low. In 2019 the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) expanded …

Nurse Leader Burnout: Exploring Ways To Improve Wellness And Resilience, Kimberly Leger Kenney

DNP Scholarly Projects

BACKGROUND: Burnout among nurse leaders is a growing concern, driven by increasing workload, operational demands, and challenges with work-life balance. Addressing burnout is critical to maintaining stability within the leadership team and to delivering high-quality patient care.

LOCAL PROBLEM: Prior to the development of the QI proposal, engagement survey results showed scores 0.11 points below the benchmark in leadership responsiveness, and more than 50 nurse leader positions have turned over in the past 5 years. The specific aims of this project include: 1. 75% of nurse leaders report that they would implement an activity from the toolkit. 2. Fewer than …

Reducing Healthcare Provider Stigma Toward Opioid Use Disorder: Evaluating An Asynchronous Multimedia Training In Primary Care, Ashley M. Holmes

DNP Scholarly Projects

Background: Stigmatizing attitudes among healthcare providers toward individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) represent a critical barrier to care, treatment retention, and equitable healthcare utilization.

Local Problem: A primary care practice in Lewiston, Maine, serving a medically underserved region heavily impacted by the opioid crisis. Community Health Needs Assessment identified healthcare provider stigma and treatment access gaps as primary obstacles to OUD in this county.

Methods: Utilizing a Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) quality improvement framework, an asynchronous, multimedia-driven educational curriculum was implemented among primary care clinicians (N = 7 invited; n = 4 completed). A mid-stream pivot from an in-person to asynchronous …

Improving Depression And Anxiety Reassessment In Patients With Type 2 Diabetes In Telehealth Obesity Care, Alyshia M. Casella

DNP Scholarly Projects

Background. Depression and anxiety are common among adults with type 2 diabetes and obesity, yet one-time intake screening may not identify symptoms that emerge or change during treatment. Local Problem. Within a telehealth obesity care program, PHQ-9 and GAD-7 screening occurred at intake, but no standardized reassessment process existed. Methods. A single Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle evaluated electronic PHQ-9 and GAD-7 reassessment among adults with type 2 diabetes and obesity. The primary outcome was reassessment completion, with a prespecified feasibility target of at least 20%. Paired symptom changes, clinical and safety triggers, and follow-up were also evaluated. Intervention. A one-time electronic reassessment …

Utilizing A Mobile App To Enhance Patient Engagement & Self-Efficacy Of Adults With Type 2 Diabetes In Primary Care: A Quality Improvement Project, Melissa Ann Donais

DNP Scholarly Projects

Abstract

Background: Diabetes is a common condition encountered in primary care and requires significant attention to lifestyle factors to be properly managed. The primary care provider may lack the time needed to assist the patient with self-management strategies to improve glycemic control. Mobile applications may be a tool that the primary care provider can use to help improve diabetes self-efficacy and patient engagement.

Theoretical Framework: The Mountain Model guided this quality improvement (QI) project by providing a framework to translate research into clinical practice. The Mountain Model bridged the gap between research and the standard of care in this practice. …

Estimating The Average Treatment Effect In Randomized Controlled Trials With Incomplete Covariates, Elizabeth M. Pauley

Open Access Dissertations

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are commonly used to estimate average treatment effects (ATEs), with baseline covariates often included to improve precision and statistical power for detecting those effects. In applied settings, covariates can be incomplete, and some may moderate treatment effects, leading to heterogeneous treatment effects (HTE). Literature lacks clear direction regarding whether incomplete covariates should be included when estimating the ATE and how different missing data handling methods perform in such conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of four missing data handling methods in RCTs via Monte Carlo simulations, namely listwise deletion (LD), inverse probability weighting (IPW), …

Points Of Interest: Implementing Simulation-Based Storm Hazard Consequence Prediction, Samuel W. Adams

Open Access Dissertations

During major ocean storms (hurricanes, tropical storms, nor’easters), coastal communities often experience negative outcomes that local emergency managers (EMs) did not anticipate or sufficiently prepare for. Local EMs often have difficulty obtaining specific, local forecast data and consequence predictions they can act on to prevent losses and minimize avoidable consequences. Despite tremendous advances in forecasting science, uncertainty remains a constant in storm decision making, requiring local EMs to make critical response choices under pressure of limited time and incomplete information. Rising sea levels, more frequent and intense storm events, growing coastal populations, and increasing societal dependence on complex infrastructure are …

Protective Behavioral Strategies On Alcohol And Cannabis Co-Use Occasions, Sabrina Todaro

Open Access Dissertations

Simultaneous use of alcohol and cannabis, or co-use (i.e., the use of both substances so that effects overlap), is an increasingly significant public health concern among young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 in the U.S. (SAMHSA 2025; Terry-McElrath & Patrick, 2018). Protective behavioral strategies (PBS; i.e., tactics used to modify or limit substance use related harm; Pearson, 2013) have been robustly linked to fewer negative outcomes (e.g., lower use quantity, frequency, and consequences) for alcohol- and cannabis-only occasions (Bravo et al., 2016; Bravo et al., 2017; Bravo et al., 2019; Pearson, 2013; Pedersen et al., 2016; Pedersen …