Digital Commons Network^™

Retrofitting Through The Facade: An Integrated Architectural Retrofit Assesment, Marie Danielle Danso

2025 Fall Honors Capstones Projects - Archive

Dynamic façades can be used as architectural tools to reduce heat gain in a building. This kinetic design reforms energy efficiency and can improve user comfort. Dynamic façades change their form and appearance in response to the environment. They can reduce stress on heating and cooling systems by mitigating the amount of solar radiation a building receives. Additionally, this architectural approach can control internal heating and cooling loads by managing the intake of sunlight. This study investigates a dynamic façade as an architectural tool to substantially reduce the heat gain of the Engineering Research Building on the campus of The …

Seeing The Humanity In Each Object: Finding Justice Amid The Law, Gideon Taylor, Ruth J. Weinberger

Fordham Law Review

The restitution of Nazi-looted cultural and religious property remains an important aspect of providing a measure of justice for Holocaust victims and their heirs. The United States has played a leading role, from early postwar restitution efforts to shaping international principles, such as the Washington Conference Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art (the “Washington Conference Principles”), the Terezin Declaration, and the recent Best Practices for the Washington Conference Principles. Yet restitution within the United States continues to rely largely on litigation, with varying outcomes and limited provenance research compared to some European countries. The following Essay examines America’s contributions and challenges and …

Correctional System Involvement And Health Outcomes, Sarah Mason Eck ,Ph.D

All Materials

The Institute for Health Policy and Practice (IHPP) at the University System of New Hampshire commissioned Scientific Health to conduct an evidence-based review of the relationship between criminal justice system involvement and health outcomes. This research synthesized findings from recently published, peer-reviewed academic literature and relevant reports to examine how correctional system involvement affects physical health, mental health, and overall well-being among incarcerated individuals, their families, and communities. The review identified common themes related to behavioral health, chronic conditions, and systemic impacts, providing insight into the broader health implications of mass incarceration and deinstitutionalization. These findings aim to inform policy …

Independent And Interdependent Self-Construal: An Examination Of Migration History And Gender In Chinese- And European-Canadians, Nicolle F. Cai, Silvain S. Dang, Paul L. Hewitt

Papers from the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology Conferences

Despite previous work on independent and interdependent self-construal, there is more limited research in self-construal with relation to migration history. Additionally, gender influences on self-construal and the correlation between the two self-construal dimensions remain unclear, given the mixed findings in existing literature. Current study aims to replicate and extend self-construal findings from Chinese- and Euro-Canadians in relation to migration history and gender. We hypothesized that men and individuals with earlier migration history to Canada will report higher independent and lower interdependent self-construal. Canadian university students (N = 524) completed the Self-Construal Scale (Singelis, 1994) and reported their gender, ethnicity, and …

Happiness, Trust, And Mental Fitness In The Workplace: Part Ii, Maureen L. Mackenzie-Ruppel Ph.D.

Business: Faculty Presentations

This paper is the second in a series of papers that will explore happiness in the workplace as a driver of performance. This research agenda was launched at the 2024 NBEA conference with a literature review revealing seven themes that collectively described and defined Workplace Happiness. With IRB approval, thirty-three seasoned professionals were invited to complete a structured questionnaire. Both qualitative and quantitative data were gathered and analyzed. Results revealed the interconnected nature of happiness with key workplace elements. The integration of Happiness within workplace processes, was found to be of critical importance. The nuanced interplay of happiness in the …

Transformative Solidarity: Confronting Neoliberal Hegemony In Urban Schools With Constructivism And Critical Pedagogy, Ryan J. Lundell, Pedro Nava, Jonathan Montoya

Educational Leadership

Neoliberalism is more than a bundle of economic policies; it is a hegemonic ideology that permeates institutions and relationships, creating isolation and inequality (Brown, Undoing the demos: Neoliberalism’s stealth revolution, Zone Books, 2017; Han, Psychopolitics: Neoliberalism and new technologies of power, Verso, 2017). Neoliberal hegemony in urban schools limits student learning and propagates the purpose of education as the creation of human capital, not a socially aware citizenry (Brown, Undoing the demos: Neoliberalism’s stealth revolution, Zone Books, 2017); this creates a depoliticized labor force that strives for self-optimization rather than solidarity (Han, Psychopolitics: Neoliberalism and new technologies of power, Verso, …

Internship, Practicum, And Capstone: A Guide For Health Sciences, Lisa Dunkley

Internship, Practicum, and Capstone: A Guide for Health Sciences

No abstract provided.

Modernizing Family Courts: How Technology-Driven Triage Improves Access To Justice For Self- Represented Litigants And Enhances Efficiency For Lawyers, Ayyoub Ajmi, Alicia Davis

Faculty Works

Family courts are overwhelmed by rising caseloads, increasing parental conflict, and limited judicial resources. With 80–90% of litigants self-represented (SRLs), case delays and inefficiencies affect all parties, including those with private counsel. High-conflict cases make up 10–30% of dockets, consuming judicial time and worsening outcomes for families, especially children. This article explores the Family Court Services Portal, a technology-driven triage tool designed to streamline family case processing, improve access to justice, and help courts allocate re- sources effectively. The portal integrates pre-screening triage automation, guiding parties through structured issue identification to support proportional judicial intervention and informed case management. Developed …

Rapid Changes In Cholinergic Signaling, Myelination, And Thyroid Signaling Pathway Gene Expression In Amygdala Subnuclei In Response To Social Status Maintenance And Reorganization., Tyler M Milewski, Won Lee, Köll R Rada, James P Curley

Faculty Research 2025

Male CD-1 mice form linear social hierarchies and can rapidly reform them following social reorganization. Through tag-based sequencing in the medial amygdala (MeA), we identified several genes regulating cholinergic signaling, myelination, and thyroid signaling that rapidly shift expression 70 min after animals change social status. Here, we further characterize the expression patterns of individual genes within these pathways in both stable and reorganized hierarchies. We find that genes related to cholinergic signaling show higher expression in the MeA of dominant males in stable hierarchies as well as when reestablishing dominance in reorganized hierarchies. Dominant males also show higher levels of …

Effects Of Tpa023b, An Α2/3/5gabaa Subtype-Selective Partial Allosteric Modulator, On Fentanyl-Induced Respiratory Depression In Male Rats: Comparison With The Non-Selective Benzodiazepine Midazolam, Loc M. Pham, Andria B. Nanney, Jordan Hasting, Daniela Rüedi-Bettschen, Kevin B. Freeman, James K. Rowlett

Psychiatry Publications

Rationale

Opioid-related overdose deaths involving benzodiazepines have increased in recent years, and prior studies have reported that clinically used benzodiazepines can enhance the respiratory-depressant effects of mu opioid receptor (MOR) agonists. TPA023B is an α1-sparing GABAA positive allosteric modulator developed as a potential anxiolytic with fewer benzodiazepine-typical side effects. However, it is unknown if and to what degree TPA023B can affect MOR-agonist induced respiratory depression.

Objectives

The current study compared the effects of either TPA023B or midazolam, alone and combined with fentanyl, on respiratory depression in rats, using whole-body plethysmography.

Methods

Male Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with chronic indwelling intravenous …

Theory Of Mind Across Cultures: Psychological Implications, Lewis Hancock, Simon Dein

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

Theory of Mind (ToM) refers to a set of social and cognitive abilities that we use to infer and understand other people’s mental states. This paper begins by outlining ToM, its component skills, and what research methods have been used to measure it. It then summarises research on how culture and other social factors such as language, parenting, and socio-economic status can impact its development, in particular differences in age of mastery of various aspects of ToM. Mental disorders characterised by deficits in ToM – in particular ASD – are also discussed and used to elucidate its nature and development. …

Is There An “I” In Team?: Racial And Gender Differences In Interdependent Teamwork, Lucy Z. Bencharit, Cade R. Creason, Julia Lee Cunningham, Isabella V. Gasparyan, Dia Dhariwal, Hazel R. Markus

Papers from the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology Conferences

The popular adage “There's no ‘I’ in team" aims to encourage Americans to place the team’s needs ahead of their individual goals, which research shows is essential to effective team functioning (Wageman et al., 2012). However, do Americans actually follow this recommendation in practice? Decades of research in cultural psychology has consistently shown that our cultural contexts (e.g., race, gender, and nation of origin) thoroughly influence the degree to which individuals hold independent (i.e., focus on one’s unique goals and preferences) and/or interdependent (i.e., focus on the needs of others and the environment) models of self and personhood (Markus & …

How Warm-Versus Competent-Toned Ai Apologies Affect Trust And Forgiveness Through Emotions And Perceived Sincerity, Joon Soo Lim, Nalae Hong, Erika J. Schneider

Media Studies - All Scholarship

As generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) becomes more integrated into corporate communication, its role in crisis messaging raises critical questions about audience perception and trust. Drawing on theories of machine heuristics, this study explores how relational cues in AI-authored crisis apologies shape emotional and cognitive responses that ultimately influence trust and forgiveness. A 3 (authorship attribution: AI vs. human vs. control) x 2 (relational tone: warmth vs. competence) between-subjects factorial design with 464 participants was conducted to assess if and how incorporating a warm tone into AI-generated apologies can help overcome AI's inherent limitations associated with machine heuristics. Results show that …

Composition Pedagogy As Ai‑Native Coding: From Design Kit To Scholarly Framework, Daniel Plate, James Hutson

Faculty Scholarship

This article advances a field-ready framework that reconceives first-year composition as AI-native coding, translating a complete “design kit” into scholarly method, evaluative protocol, and curriculum architecture. Background: Contemporary composition pedagogy emphasizes process, genre awareness, and collaborative revision; meanwhile, modern software practice operationalizes iteration through version control, test-driven development, and continuous integration. The uploaded kit demonstrates that these cultures are isomorphic: writing stages align with SDLC phases, and automated pipelines can lint prose, execute argument “tests,” and publish artifacts with auditable histories. Approach: The study systematizes that kit into (1) a conceptual map that recasts authorship as orchestration and verification, (2) …

Perspectives On Firearm Storage Conversations: Summary Of Health Care Provider Interviews And Parent Focus Group, Rachel M. Gallo Mph

Publications

This report summarizes perspectives from Maine parents who own firearms and health care providers on safe firearm storage and related conversations in health care settings. Through interviews and a parent focus group, the project explored how firearms are stored, what influences storage decisions, and how families and providers feel about discussing firearm safety. Parents emphasized the importance of responsible ownership, education, and individualized storage solutions, while identifying cost as a key barrier to safer storage options. Many health care providers expressed interest in addressing firearm safety but cited limited time, lack of training, and concerns about patient trust as challenges. …

Chronic Pain And Subjective Memory Problems Are Dynamic Risk Factors For Functional Decline, Tyler R. Bell, Cynthia Felix, Nathalie Gider, George W. Rebok, Michael Crowe, Karlene Ball, Gail Wallace, Sheila Black, Kelsey R. Thomas, Katie M. Wheeler, Felix J. Kollasserry, Jeanine M. Parisi, Caitlin A. Northcutt

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Chronic pain is highly prevalent in older adults and is associated with elevated risk for disability and dementia. Subjective memory problems (SMPs) - self-rated memory difficulties - are also common and may serve as early indicators of functional decline. This study examined associations between SMPs and cognitive, physical, and psychosocial functioning among older adults with and without chronic pain. Data were drawn from 2365 participants in the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) study. Multilevel models assessed the impact of baseline and time-varying SMPs on cognitive performance (memory, reasoning, processing speed), physical function (mobility, grip strength, self-rated …

Performance Of Dried Blood Spot Cards For Serologic Detection Of Hpv16 Antibodies In Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients, Maisha Maliha Rahman, Soma Bose, Li Chen, Jessica L. Burris, Rony Aouad, Susanne M. Arnold, Melvyn Yeoh, Birgitta Michels, Tim Waterboer, Krystle A. Lang Kuhs

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Antibodies against the human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) E6 oncoprotein are promising biomarkers for the early detection of HPV-driven oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPV+OPSCC). Standard serologic testing is challenging in underserved regions with high HPV+OPSCC incidence. Dried blood spot (DBS) cards offer a low-resource alternative but remain unevaluated for HPV antibody detection. A total of 25 OPSCC patients who provided paired serum (venipuncture) and DBS (finger-prick) samples were recruited from the University of Kentucky. HPV16 antibodies (L1, E1, E2, E4, E6, E7) were measured using multiplex serology, quantified as median fluorescence intensity (MFI) and dichotomized using established cutoffs. Correlation between …

Prenatal Cocaine Exposure, Perinatal Risks, And Mediators To Preadolescent Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd), Thitinart Sithisarn, Carla M. Bann, Barry Lester, Seetha Shankaran, Toni Whitaker, Rosemary D. Higgins, Henrietta Bada

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Highlights: What are the main findings? Prenatal cocaine exposure increases the risk of ADHD in preadolescence, with effects largely mediated through attention problems and impulsivity at 4–5 years of age. Male sex is an independent risk factor with a direct path to the ADHD diagnosis. What is the implication of the main finding? Screening for behavioral problems before 4 years of age in prenatal cocaine exposure would make possible early intervention to mitigate later diagnosis or severity of ADHD. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common behavioral problem in children. Multiple risk factors, including prenatal substance exposure, have been associated …

Risk Score Roulette: A Cautionary Tale Of Polygenic Risk Score Reliability, Diane Xue, Elizabeth E Blue, Alexis C Wood, Jerome I Rotter, Alison E Fohner

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Genetic risk prediction for Alzheimer's disease (AD) has high potential impact, yet few studies have assessed the reliability of various polygenic risk score (PRS) methods at the individual level. Here, we evaluated the reliability of AD PRS estimates among 6338 participants from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. We compared four PRS models that have been previously associated with dementia risk. Despite similar population-level performance metrics, inter-model reliability of individual-level risk assessment was low, even among individuals classified in the top and bottom deciles. These findings raise serious concerns about the downstream application of PRS for guiding interventions for AD.

Ai Companions And The Lessons Of Family Law, Clare Huntington

Faculty Scholarship

Virtual friends and lovers powered by artificial intelligence are rapidly moving to the center of our emotional and social lives. Millions of people turn to AI companions every day for conversation, romance, sexual intimacy, therapy, and education. AI companionship holds promise, potentially reducing loneliness, supporting people without access to mental health treatment, helping students learn, and offering a judgment-free space for sensitive conversations. But AI companionship also raises significant concerns. The technology's addictiveness may exacerbate loneliness and can undermine human relationships. Therapy bots may prove more harmful than helpful. AI companions can be emotionally abusive. And their access to the …

A Novel Method For Examining Autistic Children’S Comprehension Of Individual Words Produced Within Delayed Echolalia: A Proof-Of-Concept Pilot Study, Janine Mathee-Scott, Grace Corrigan, Emily Lorang, Zachary Hesse, Jennifer Johnson, Courtney E. Venker

Speech Pathology and Audiology Faculty Research and Publications

Delayed echolalia, or the repetition of previously heard speech, is often observed in the expressive language of autistic children. Relatively little is known about how the production of delayed echolalia fits within the overall picture of autistic children’s language ability, including receptive language. To date, no empirical studies have tested autistic children’s comprehension of individual words within their delayed echoes. The present study aimed to establish proof-of-concept for a novel method of examining children’s comprehension of individual words that they produce in their own delayed echoes. Using natural language sampling combined with parent report, we identified instances of delayed echolalia …

The Social Psychology Of Group Dynamics In Cults: Exploring The Influence Of Leadership And Organizational Structure In The Heaven’S Gate Cult, Mellanie L N Douglas

Honors Theses

Social Psychology of Group Dynamics in Cults: Exploring the Influence of Leadership and Organizational Structure in the Heaven’s Gate Cult Mellanie Douglas Dr. Kristen Campbell, Department of Psychology

Cults are extreme religious or political groups that rely on social and psychological influence to attract followers and maintain loyalty to a charismatic leader. Heaven's Gate is recognized as a historic new age religious and science fiction cult. It was founded in the 1970s by Marshall Herff Applewhite and Bonnie Lou Nettles during the counterculture movement and ended in 1997 with a mass suicide of 39 members. Accounts from within and regarding …

What Can Penguins Teach Us About Buy-In And Change Management?, Merydeth Charlton Rn, Msn, Cnl

Faculty Development Tips

No abstract provided.

2025 Georgia Library Association Scholarship Recipients, Hannah Mims

Georgia Library Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Investment In Implementation: A Phenomenological Study Of Principals’ Curriculum Leadership And Emotional Competence, Melissa Van Straten

Educational Leadership & Administration Dissertations and Theses

This qualitative phenomenological study explored how elementary principals led the implementation of a newly adopted core literacy curriculum and how they perceived their emotional competence in this role. Grounded in implementation science (see D. L. Fixsen et al., 2010), the transtheoretical model (see Prochaska & DiClemente, 1982), and emotional intelligence (see Goleman et al., 2001), the study examined both the leadership approaches and emotional competencies principals relied on when leading curriculum implementation in their schools. Semi-structured interviews with 10 elementary principals revealed four key areas of leadership investment: investment in self, investment in people, investment in visibility, and investment in …

Choose: Helping Young Adults Make Confident Decisions, Caitlin J. Lee

Graphic Communication

This senior project is called Choose, a prototype decision-making app designed to help young adults make quicker, more confident choices by offering three evidence-based decision methods: random choice, friend delegation, and structured pros and cons lists. Informed by research on decision fatigue, cognitive load, and user-centered design, the app addresses everyday and high-stakes decisions by tailoring each method to its most effective context. The development process included literature review, competitive analysis, style exploration, iterative sketching, and Figma prototyping, as well as incorporating user feedback to refine usability and feature relevance. The resulting high-fidelity prototype demonstrates how multi-method decision support, …

Clash Of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (Edi) And Anti‐Woke‐Ism: Reclaiming And Re‐Storying Edi For Thriving Communities, Ardavan Eizadirad, Sabreena Ghaffar Siddiqui

Education Faculty Publications

This commentary examines the evolution of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) discourses, critiquing its shift from grassroots activism to a performative tool co‐opted by institutions and weaponized by politicians. It addresses concerns from the antiwoke backlash and advocates for reframing EDI as a community‐driven framework for thriving communities, fostering belonging and engagement, through data‐driven decision‐making that facilitates transformative systemic change.

The Future Of Equity, Diversity, And Inclusion (Edi) In Education Keep, Reform, Or Dismantle?, Ardavan Eizadirad, Gerald Walton

Education Faculty Publications

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, also known as EDI, is one of several acronyms that refer to policies and practices of organizations, such as K to 12 school boards and post-secondary institutions, to promote inclusive and equitable environments. While EDI has become a ubiquitous discourse in educational administration, its impact extends into classroom pedagogies, hiring practices, curriculum development, and institutional culture. In this article, we critically examine the extent to which EDI committees and initiatives fulfil their promise of fostering inclusive environments to support equity-denied groups. We address the following research questions: (1) How have EDI frameworks evolved in education? (2) …

Regulating The Unseen In A Borderless World: Digital Currency And Its Socioeconomic Impact On Industry, Paolina H. Engibegian

University of the Pacific Law Review

No abstract provided.

Fostering Belonging And Social-Emotional Literacy: Strategies For Inclusive Early Childhood Education In Southern Tanzania, Frolence Lwegoshora Paschal Paschal, Nipael Mrutu

Libraries

Inclusive early childhood education aims to create environments where children of diverse abilities and backgrounds can learn and grow together, emphasizing social-emotional literacy alongside academic skills. The purpose of this study was to explore strategies to enhance socialemotional literacy and development in such settings, drawing insights from educators and families. Conducted at Nyangao primary school in the Lindi region, the research employed a qualitative case study design, using interviews, observations, and focus group discussions with 3 teachers and 15 parents. Findings reveal five key strategies which are creating a positive and inclusive environment, utilizing peer modeling and peer support, providing …