Digital Commons Network^™

Beyond The Best Prompt: A Coverage View Of Multilingual Reasoning, Harshiv Mistry

University Honors Theses

Multilingual LLMs reason more accurately in English than in other languages, and recent work links part of this gap to reasoning behavior: native-language traces contain fewer cognitive behaviors (verification, backtracking, subgoal setting, backward chaining) that support effective problem solving. We test whether prompting for these behaviors at inference time narrows the gap, across seven conditions varying chain-of-thought, instruction and reasoning language, and cognitive-behavior descriptions, on two models, three languages. We find that English-scaffolded reasoning is the strongest single strategy on both models, closing the Hindi gap on Qwen, though the explicit scaffold's value over plain chain-of-thought is model-dependent. Beyond aggregate …

"But Oh, What Harm Those Basics Would Cause": How Journalists Can Better Interview Vulnerable Sources Utilizing An Ethic Of Care, Noah Carandanis

University Honors Theses

Traditional journalistic ethics have emphasized detachment from sources and objectivity guiding journalists' practices. In this thesis, I explore the contribution of care ethics to the field of journalistic ethics, emphasizing care in relation to interviewing vulnerable sources. I claim that the traditional objective, detached ethical status quo in journalism is insufficient in the context of reporting on mass shootings. This thesis argues that caring journalistic practices should be utilized when interviewing traumatized, vulnerable sources. In the first part, I present the issue of traditional journalistic practices through my personal experiences. I also discuss the philosophical underpinnings to journalist's objectivity criterion. …

Irish Identity: Symbols Of Nationalism In W.B. Yeats's Cathleen Plays, Emma Mady

University Honors Theses

William Butler Yeats was one of the leading figures of the Irish Literary Renaissance. Two of his plays, The Countess Kathleen (1892) and Cathleen ni Houlihan (1902) portrayed themes of nationalism and revivalism in strikingly different ways. Each play uses figures from folklore and mythology to establish a sense of national identity: the tale of "The Countess Kathleen O'Shea" inspired The Countess Kathleen, and the Irish Sovereignty goddess inspired the figure of legendary Cathleen ni Houlihan. The Countess Kathleen was met with harsh criticism and accusations of blasphemy, while Cathleen ni Houlihan is still widely regarded as Yeats's …

Jalzap: An Agile Hybrid For Ai-Accelerated Software Development, Pouya Nouri

University Honors Theses

The rapid adoption of generative AI tools allows software teams to quickly code applications, but it comes at a cost: high scope volatility, technical debt, and unrealistic expectations, which break traditional Agile frameworks. This thesis introduces JALZAP, a lightweight, hybrid Agile framework designed to serve small, high-agility teams facing compressed timelines and unpredictable schedules. This framework was evaluated over 16 weeks through a Portland State University Capstone project working for a pre-seed startup sponsor, where a six-person team built Flowmind: an AI-powered iOS task management app meant to serve users with neurodevelopmental disorders like ADD/ADHD. JALZAP implements structural boundaries, including …

Elucidating The Function Of Yedk In Response To Dna Damage, Hank Munro

University Honors Theses

Apurinic/Apyrimidinic (AP) sites are one of the most prevalent forms of DNA damage. These lesions arise spontaneously or during base excision repair of modified DNA bases and are potentially mutagenic in both mammalian and bacterial cells. 5-hydroxymethylcytosine binding, ES cell specific (HMCES), a protein found in eukaryotic cells, has been shown to form a stable DNA-protein crosslink with AP sites in single stranded DNA and to reduce the number of AP sites occurring either spontaneously or after alkylative DNA damage, resulting in increased genome stability. YedK, the Escherichia coli ortholog of HMCES exhibits some of the same biochemical properties as …

Brutalism, Bad Manners, And Tech Baddies: Strengthening Women's Sense Of Belonging In Undergraduate Computer Science Spaces, Mckenzie Starr West

University Honors Theses

Through a literature review supported by reflexive vignettes, this thesis explores women's experiences in undergraduate CS programs and how physical and discursive spaces may affect their sense of belonging and shape whether they enter, remain in, or leave CS programs. I provide historical and cultural context for undergraduate CS, including the history of women in education and the continued underrepresentation of women in CS compared to many other STEM fields. Using physical and discursive spaces as a lens, I examine how classrooms, study spaces, department communications, online forums, and other CS-related environments may signal who belongs, who is valued, and …

Effects Of Changing Fire Regimes On Black Huckleberry Habitat Suitability, Emily Labarge

University Honors Theses

Black huckleberries are a significant cultural, ecological, and economic species in the Pacific Northwest. Historically, black huckleberries were tended with cultural fire by Indigenous peoples, and now also hold importance as a resource in the non-timber forest product economy. Research has begun on the impacts of climate change on suitable black huckleberry habitat and on changing fire regimes, but not in relation to each other. To address this gap, I examined the area of overlap between suitable black huckleberry habitat and fire burn probability into mid-century climate projections. I determined the current ownership entities with management jurisdiction in areas with …

Adaptive Design Strategies For A Dual-Shaft Pvc Shredder, Gavin Balderas

University Honors Theses

This capstone project involved the design and development of a mid-size plastic shredder, created to process strong, ductile PVC sheets up to ½" thick. This application falls between the capabilities of consumer grade plastic shredders and heavy-duty industrial machines. Over 400 million tons of plastic produced annually and less than 10% of it is recycled; there is an ever-growing need for plastic recycling accessibility and infrastructure. This project aimed to create a compact dual-shaft shredder that can shred thick PVC sheets while being powered by a 120V outlet. Research into blade geometry and orientations aided an iterative design process driven …

Chondrites From Northwestern Nevada: The Jungo Dense Collection Area, Nico Morrelli

University Honors Theses

Dense collection areas are regions where meteorites are more frequently found, and can help researchers study the meteorite flux to Earth. The Jungo dry lake bed is a dense collection area (DCA) in Humboldt County, Nevada and is currently the recovery location of eleven officially classified meteorites. Five of these samples were classified as part of this work. All five are ordinary chondrites, two of which are likely paired with previously classified Jungo samples. Jungo 021 is likely paired with Jungo 005, and Jungo 017 is likely part of the previously established pairing group of Jungo 002, 003, and 004. …

Effects Of Fine Sediment On The Productivity Of Stream Ecosystems In The Pacific Northwest, Veena I. Davis

University Honors Theses

Salmon are important to the culture, ecosystem and economy of the Pacific Northwest. However, populations have declined significantly since European colonization. Salmon require specific conditions for each life stage and are highly sensitive to environmental stressors. Excess fine sediment is a leading form of pollution as it degrades salmon spawning habitat and the benthos upon which their main food source, stream insects, live. To evaluate the effect of sediment pollution on food availability for salmon smolt, we conducted an experiment  estimating the amount of stream insect biomass and calories lost due to sediment pollution. We counted insects on substrate samples …

Mycelial Modeling: Teaching Biology Students Statistical Modeling With Mushrooms, Colette Wolf

University Honors Theses

This paper summarizes and describes the development of a set of learning materials that were created to educate students and professionals from other fields in statistical modeling techniques. These materials are primarily aimed at biology students, but are still intended to be useful for anyone who is interested in incorporating decision trees and random forest models into their personal research in the future. By directing the reader towards the JMP software, these materials navigate around the statistical knowledge base and coding implementation practices that otherwise would serve as a barrier to learning statistical modeling techniques, and instead focus on the …

Recurrence And Reflection: Psychological Insights From Repetitive Dreams, Annika Cale

University Honors Theses

The most widely reported but least appreciated aspects of human experience are recurring dreams, or those dreams that happen repeatedly with similar themes, imagery, or emotional tone in each episode of the dream. This literature review was based on five relevant psychological sources to explore what common dreams tell about what is going on in the inner psyche of the person having the dream. The synthesis of the empirical literature on recurring dream frequency has been associated with weakened psychological well-being. Longitudinal studies were conducted to show the relationship between recurring dreaming and associated decrease in well-being. These theories are …

Assessing Spatial Distribution Of Plausible Earthquake-Triggered Landslides Relative To Ca. 1000 Ybp Earthquake On The Gales Creek Fault, Jacqueline Rheingans

University Honors Theses

Modern coseismic landslides cluster near the surface trace of the fault that ruptured, suggesting that clustering of paleolandslides may record information about paleoearthquakes. This study documents the pattern of prehistoric landslides near the Gales Creek Fault (GCF), northwest Oregon, to assess whether it reflects an independently known paleoearthquake. The GCF is located northwest of Portland through the Cascadia fore-arc basin where landslides are often triggered by intense rainfall during the wet season or potentially by seismic shaking on the megathrust or on crustal faults. In order to understand how a seismic event on the GCF will impact landslide distribution I …

Skeletons Vs. Mummies: Osteological Trauma On Bog Bodies As A Measure For Cultural Change In Ancient Europe, Miranda Hoodenpyl

University Honors Theses

Bog bodies are some of the most well known archaeological finds in the world, and are preserved human remains found in wetlands. Researchers use the information stored in the bones of bog skeletons and mummies to learn about cultural lifestyles, travels, diet, and diseases throughout time in Northern Europe and the British Isles. Through multiple cultural changes and migration, the "bog body phenomenon" has remained an unusual treatment displayed throughout time. This literature review looked at skeletal trauma on bog remains to identify cultural change over time in Northern Europe and the British Isles, spanning the Neolithic, Bronze, Iron, and …

Pitching Fwar Vs Bwar As Predictors Of Team Success In The Mlb Regular Season, Jason Lee

University Honors Theses

Pitching Wins Above Replacement (WAR) is an area of sabermetrics capable of being used to predict regular season success in Major League Baseball. Fangraphs WAR (fWAR) and Baseball Reference WAR (bWAR) were used to construct regression models to predict regular season winning percentage, to build logistic models to establish a relationship between pitching WAR and the probability to win an individual regular season game, and to overlay density plots to consider WAR accumulation by pitching role and observe the difference of impact between starter and relief pitchers. This research finds that while pitching fWAR and pitching bWAR are both statistically …

The Thinnest Veil, Charles Butler

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

The Thinnest Veil is a work of fiction set in a historical colonial world that traces the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade. The main character, Anuli, is abducted from her home in Nigeria and is sold into deeper levels of the American slave system. I wanted to write from a woman’s perspective in this project and think about what power this character would have in this world. I also wanted to explore West African culture and origin, and the influence they have left in other places they have been. In August 2025, I traveled to Barbados to research the …

Multi-Institutional Data Analysis And Literature Review Of Comparative Outcomes Of Autologous Ureteral Substitution Techniques, Brooke Hildebrand, Neerja Tillu, Maurizo Buscarini, Arjun Venkatesh, Arshia Rangchi, Zachary Dovey, Ahmed Rabie, Osama Zaytoun

GME Publications

Introduction

Complex ureteral strictures often require substitution techniques to preserve renal function. Multiple autologous reconstruction options exist, yet comparative outcome data across techniques remain limited.

Material and methods

This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 168 patients who underwent ureteral reconstruction using ileal interposition, Yang–Monti tabularization, appendiceal interposition, or fallopian tube substitution. Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative variables were analyzed. Renal function outcomes were assessed using serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Complications were classified according to the Clavien–Dindo system.

Results

Postoperative renal function improved significantly across the cohort, with mean creatinine decreasing from 2.19 ±1.35 mg/dl to 1.68 ±0.93 …

Familial Hypocalciuric Hypercalcemia Diagnosed After Parathyroidectomy, Syed Basit Haider, Andrew Cecil, Syed A. Gardezi

Aurora GME

Background: Familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia (FHH) is a rare, typically benign disorder caused by altered calcium-sensing receptor function, often misdiagnosed as primary hyperparathyroidism. Failure to identify FHH can lead to unnecessary parathyroid surgery as well as ineffective medical management.

Case Presentation: A 35-year-old man presented to our endocrinology service in 2021 for evaluation of persistent hypercalcemia. He had a history of partial parathyroidectomy performed in 2006 for presumed hyperparathyroidism, without normalization of serum calcium. Past medical history was notable for chronic pancreatitis and alcohol use disorder. He also reported a history of prior transverse fracture of the third distal phalanx in …

Global Health Governance Or Global Governance For Health? Navigating The Path For Pandemic Preparedness, Kadria Abdelmotaal

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic constituted a systemic stress test for global health governance, exposing structural and institutional weaknesses in national and international response systems. Although health system financing and income levels influenced baseline capacity, this dissertation demonstrates that governance performance was a decisive determinant of pandemic outcomes, shaping intervention timing, vaccine equity, and preventable mortality.

Drawing on governance theory, empirical analysis, and policy-oriented legal evaluation, this research examines whether pandemic preparedness can be achieved through strengthening Global Health Governance (GHG) alone, or whether a broader paradigm of Global Governance for Health (GGFH) is required. GGFH reconceptualizes preparedness as embedded within …

King Sorrow By Joe Hill. Reviewed By Phillip Fitzsimmons, Phillip Fitzsimmons

Mythprint Book Reviews

Book review of King Sorry by Joe Hill. Reviewed by Phillip Fitzsimmons.

Why Student Research Matters: A Graduate Student’S Perspective, Jessica L. Hensley

The Journal of Integrative Physiology

Research fundamentally changes how students engage with knowledge. Rather than memorizing established facts, students learn to question, analyze, and contribute to the body of knowledge within their field (1). This shift supports deeper understanding and promotes critical thinking skills by encouraging active construction of knowledge (1). It also exposes students to the process of engaging with scientific literature and integrating information within the context of their research (2).

In my experience, research requires individuals to confront uncertainty. Experiments do not always produce exact results, and methods can require modification. Through this process, students develop adaptability, persistence, and the ability to …

A Universe Gone Quickly, Willie Carver

Critical Humanities

A Universe Gone Quickly

Submitted: May 25, 2026

Accepted: June 1, 2026

Idiom, Marianne Worthington

Critical Humanities

Idiom

Submitted: May 26, 2026

Accepted: June 1, 2026

A Poet Bears Witness: An Interview With M. L. Williams On The Function Of Literary Studies In Troubled Times, Leah Toth, M. L. Williams

Critical Humanities

Dr. M. L. (Marty) Williams is a poet and professor of literature at Valdosta State University, a comprehensive university in south-central Georgia. He is the author of Game (What Books Press 2021), Other Medicines (Redbone Chapbooks 2008) and co-editor of How Much Earth: The Fresno Poets (Roundhouse Press 2001). The focus of the interview that follows is the future of literary studies in the modern neo-liberal university, a daunting topic in 2026, in the face of what many administrators refer to as the "right-sizing" of literature programs nationwide in both the U.S. and the U.K. Anybody paying attention to the …

Navigating Prose, Poetry And Criticism: An Interview With Nasir Abbas Nayyar On His Contribution To Urdu Literature And Literary Criticism, Nasir Abbas Nayyar, Inayat Ullah

Critical Humanities

Navigating Prose, Poetry and Criticism: An Interview with Nasir Abbas Nayyar on His Contribution to Urdu Literature and Literary Criticism 

Submitted: May 24, 2026

Accepted: June 1, 2026

An Interview With Mohammed Bennis, Mohammed Bennis, Amine Oudghiri-Otmani

Critical Humanities

An Interview with Mohammed Bennis

Submitted: April 4, 2026

Accepted: May 24, 2026

“Politics Are Downstream From Culture”: An Interview With Paul Lauter, Paul Lauter

Critical Humanities

“Politics are downstream from culture”: An Interview with Paul Lauter

Submitted: May 29, 2026

Accepted: June 1, 2026

Implementing 21st Century Skills In Quranic Education: A Case Study Of Sub-Saharan African Students Within Quranic Schools In The Souss Region Of Morocco, Ahmed Abaragh, Lahoussine Hamdoune

Critical Humanities

To help Sub-Saharan African students meet their needs in a globalized era, this article seeks to shed light on the essence of integrating or implementing 21st century skills into Quranic education within the Quranic schools in the Souss region of Morocco. The choice of southern Moroccan Quranic Schools, as the research area is due to its historically vibrant culture and the high-quality training provided by well-versed teachers and jurists. Based on the social ecology of human development theory with the use of a qualitative approach, the analysis highlights the prominent role of implementing critical thinking and problem-solving, communication and collaboration, …

The Possibility Of Post Binary Reflexivity: A Genealogy Of Binary Logic In Western Philosophy, Vaughan A. Bidois

Critical Humanities

This article traces a genealogy of binary logic within Western philosophy, from its origins in Platonic metaphysics through to its deconstruction in poststructuralist theory. Drawing on the genealogical methods of Friedrich Nietzsche and Michel Foucault, it critiques how oppositional structures, such as mind/body, reason/emotion, and truth/error, have persisted through shifting intellectual paradigms while shaping knowledge, power, and subjectivity. Structuralist and linguistic theories are examined for their role in reinforcing binary meaning-making, while poststructural critiques (notably Derrida and Foucault) are explored for their attempts to subvert such hierarchies. However, the article argues that these critiques remain paradoxically ensnared within the same …

Human Wisdom And Artificial Intelligence: Role Of Liberal Arts Education In A Neoliberal World, Purna Chandra Bhusal

Critical Humanities

Neoliberalism is an economic and political ideology that originated in the 1930s and 40s, gained momentum in the late 70s and 80s, and peaked in the 90s and 2000s. Since its inception, neoliberalism has promoted a free-market economy with minimal state intervention, granting individuals the freedom to compete and succeed. Since the last quarter of the twentieth century, the neoliberal system has invested in, incorporated, and promoted Artificial Intelligence (AI), valuing an AI-enhanced corporate ethos. As a result, the success of higher education is generally measured by the quantity of technologically sound, market-ready, AI-trained human capital it produces for industry. …