Digital Commons Network^™

Fostering Developmentally Nurturant Relationships To Promote Character And Thriving: Perspectives Of Program Practitioners In Rural South Africa, Jonathan M. Tirrell, Alexa Hasse, Margaret Mackin, Elizabeth Dowling, Kirsten Olander, Roya Abbasi-Asl, Katherine Mcconnel, Thobeka Kwela, Raah Msimango, Justine Mccarthy-Martin, Tyler Howard, Angela Larkan, Richard Lerner

Journal of Youth Development

Developmentally nurturant relationships are fundamental to enabling children to thrive across contexts, including homes, schools, and communities. Such relationships are also a central feature of effective positive youth development (PYD) programming. As strengths-based PYD programs are increasingly being adopted in majority-world countries, a better understanding of how to foster and promote developmentally nurturant relationships is needed. As part of the Thanda Study of Character and Health, we interviewed 15 program practitioners about their understandings of and approaches to fostering developmentally nurturant relationships with children enrolled in Thanda programs in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Phenomenological analysis indicated that practitioners’ understanding of …

Disrupting The Time Space Continuum: Time Travel As Methodological Practice For Building Evaluation Capacity, Linetta Alexander

The Foundation Review

Dominant Western ideology limits our understanding of and engagement with time, representing it as a linear two-dimensional arrow that moves forward in one direction from the past to the future. Viewing the past, present, and future as distinct and disconnected phases can hinder the growth and improvement of organizations working on building their evaluation capacity.

In contrast to Western notions of time, Indigenous cultures of the Americas and Africa understand the interconnectedness of all aspects of being, that our experiences are more cyclical, where birth leads to death and death to rebirth. The Sankofa principle, rooted in Akan philosophy, states …

The Predictive Roles Of Teacher-Student Relationship Qualities In The Implementation Of Restorative Practices In Elementary Schools, Farid Johnson

Education Doctoral

Although restorative practices have been broadly embraced as equitable alternatives to punitive discipline in K–12 education, their effectiveness remains underexamined, particularly regarding how implementation success is influenced by the quality of student–teacher relationships. The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental study was to examine the extent to which three teacher-reported qualities of the student–teacher relationship (i.e., closeness, conflict, and dependency) predicted the implementation of two types of restorative practices (relationship building and community development, and restorative responses to conflict) in elementary schools. Guided by social capital theory and restorative justice theory, the study surveyed 72 certified elementary teachers in New York …

Stakeholder Engagement In Workforce Strategic Planning: A Multi-Case Study Of Community Colleges, Jennifer Gilbert Wakefield

Education Doctoral

Strategic planning is an important framework for community colleges to prioritize educational outcomes with institutional mission and vision statements. Research from the past 10 years shows that plans are created, yet implementation is often lacking. Though workforce development is viewed as to updating curriculum and training needs for in-demand industry skills, limited empirical evidence demonstrates commitment to workforce development programs, nor any devotion to workforce strategic planning.

The purpose of this study was to learn what strategies community college leadership is utilizing to implement, assess, and evaluate their strategic plans for prioritizing sustainable noncredit workforce education and training. Guided by …

Recent Advances In The Juvenile-To-Adult Phase Transition, Yifei Liao, Mingli Xu

Faculty Publications

The transition from the juvenile to adult vegetative phase in Arabidopsis thaliana is a fundamental developmental process that integrates morphological and physiological maturation. Despite extensive study, how vegetative phase change is regulated and how this phase transition is coordinated with plant physiology remain incompletely understood. This review synthesizes recent advances in the molecular regulation and physiological functions of vegetative phase change. We summarize how developmental traits—such as leaf shape, trichome distribution, and margin serration—are controlled through distinct downstream targets of the age-dependent miR156–SPL pathway. We further highlight emerging insights into how epigenetic factors dynamically modify chromatin states of key regulatory …

Investigating Potential Bias In Public Acceptance Of Restorative Justice: The Influence Of Situational And Offender Characteristics, Kiara Haynes

Student Theses

Restorative Justice has been an emerging justice mechanism in the U.S. since the 1970s that advocates are working to expand more widely throughout the justice system. Due to victims and the broader community of the offender being an integral part of the Restorative Justice process, it is critical to consider the general public's support of this novel justice mechanism, as well as the influence that social biases among the public may have on the experience of defendants going through the system. The study conducted examined the effect that social biases toward an offender's personal characteristics have on attitudes and opinions …

Forensic Analysis Of Temporary Tattoo Markers And Inks, Daniel J. G. Chasse Jr

Student Theses

As tattoos rise in popularity, some marker manufacturers have created temporary tattoo markers so that children and adults can experience tattoos without the permanence of a regular tattoo. These new products are marketed explicitly as ‘temporary tattoo markers’ and intended for direct application to the skin. This research aims to scientifically evaluate the inks from these temporary tattoo markers to elucidate their physical and chemical properties using wet chemistry, visual examination, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV/Vis), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR), thin layer chromatography (TLC), and diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy (DRIFTS) to analyze temporary tattoo markers and …

Walking The Path Of Conocimiento: Understanding And Navigating Workplace Conflict Through A Chicana Feminist Lens, Elisa A. Ortega-Schultz

Dissertations

The growing presence of Latinas in the U.S. workforce underscores the need for deeper understanding of their workplace experiences. Latinas represent one of the fastest growing segments of the labor force; however, research consistently shows that this growth is not matched by equitable access to leadership, compensation, or culturally responsive workplace environments. Latinas continue to experience persistent barriers related to pay inequity, career advancement, cultural belonging, and overall well-being.

Conflict frameworks that account for the unique experiences of Latinas are needed, as dominant approaches rooted in neutrality, procedural efficiency, and Western individualism often fail to account for the embodied, relational, …

Quantum And Conventional Informatics Studies Of Synthesis Energetics And Defect Formation In Nitride Crystal Epitaxy, Andrew Steven Messecar

Dissertations

Machine learning is a valuable approach for the processing and analysis of complex information. By estimating relationships from recorded data, machine learning methodologies can be effective strategies for pattern recognition, enabling investigations and technological applications based thereon. The potential for improved understanding of high-dimensional data has drawn interest towards machine learning from across the sciences, including the research and development of new and improved material systems. In the context of experimental materials research, much of the reported efforts to incorporate machine learning into conventional practice have been primarily focused on either the enhanced analysis of characterization experiment data or the …

From Evidence To Action: Case For Further Investment In Family Planning For Faster Fertility Decline, Population Council Pakistan

Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights, and Choices

For over three decades, the Population Council Pakistan has generated evidence and supported governments in designing innovative approaches to address population and reproductive health challenges. Building on evidence around fertility transition, reproductive health, and the nationally endorsed Tawazun (balance) narrative, the Population Council supported the Government of Punjab through the FCDO-funded Delivering Accelerated Family Planning in Pakistan (DAFPAK) initiative and other strategic partnerships to implement scalable solutions for strengthening family planning services. This brief outlines five high-impact, proven interventions ready for institutional scale-up and provides an actionable path forward to transform routine health encounters into sustainable health system reforms.

Enhancing Soil Security In Brazilian Cerrado: Composted Sewage Sludge As A Sustainable Conservation Agriculture Strategy, Raimunda Eliane Nascimento Do Nascimento, Nathércia Castro Elias, Philippe Solano Toledo Silva, Rodrigo Silva Alves, Aline Renée Coscione, Jussara Borges Regitano, Wanderley José, Cassio Hamilton Abreu-Junior, Gian Franco Capra, Arun Dilipkumar Jani, Thiago Assis Rodrigues Nogueira

Biology, Agriculture and Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Oxisols in the Brazilian Cerrado are intensively cultivated due to their strategic importance in producing a range of commodities exported worldwide. To achieve high productivity, a large amount of conventional mineral fertilizer (CMF) must be used, which raises multiple concerns. Composted sewage sludge (CSS) is a promising organic fertilizer that enhances soil health while increasing agricultural sustainability. The objective of this study was to monitor soil chemical quality at two depths (0–0.1 m and 0.1–0.2 m) after CSS applications over three agricultural years under a no-tillage system. The experiment was conducted under field conditions by applying and evaluating five rates …

Unveiling The Strategic Impacts Of Extending Membership-Based Free Shipping Programs Beyond The Online Marketplaces, Geng Sun, Huseyin Cavusoglu, Srinivasan Raghunathan

Information Systems Faculty Publications

Online marketplaces, which facilitate transactions between consumers and sellers, have transformed the shopping experience across multiple product categories. Addressing the challenges related to shipping associated with online purchases of physical products, many marketplaces have introduced membership-based free shipping (MFS) programs and concomitantly invested heavily in their logistics and fulfillment capabilities. Seeking to monetize these capabilities, Amazon recently extended its program to encompass outside sellers, enabling member consumers to get free shipping even when purchasing from external sources. Although such an extension offers the potential for additional revenue in the form of “logistics as a service” (LaaS), it also pits marketplace …

When Saying "No" Is Not Enough: Cognitive-Action Decoupling And The Illusion Of Safety In Llm Agents, Shasha Yu

School of Professional Studies

Current safety evaluations of large language models (LLMs) predominantly rely on textual compliance, implicitly assuming that refusal-style responses correspond to safe behavior. This assumption becomes fragile when LLMs are embedded in agentic systems with the ability to execute state-changing actions. In this paper, we present an empirical critique of text-centric safety evaluation through an action-aware study of LLM agents under controlled conditions. Across multiple state-of-the-art models, we observe a recurring cognitive-action decoupling: agents generate policy-aligned refusal language while still producing unsafe tool-mediated action proposals. This produces an illusion of safety, where conversational audits indicate compliance even as operational risk persists. …

The More Things Change...Reaffirming Our Commitment To Cil’S Core Values, Jane Hammons, Laureen Cantwell-Jurkovic, Jessica Denke, Allison Hosier, Sarah Lemire

Communications in Information Literacy

The new co-editors of Communications in Information Literacy reaffirm their commitment to the journal's values.

Lower Extremity Muscle Activation In Elite Female Field Hockey Players With And Without Low Back Pain During A Prone Hip Extension, Madison S. Cornell

Masters Theses

Context: Low back pain (LBP) is a common chronic injury seen in field hockey players and more prominent in females than males. The purpose of this study was to identify if bilateral muscle activation differences exist in erector spinae (ES), gluteus maximus (Gmax), and biceps femoris (BF) in collegiate female field hockey players with and without LBP during a prone hip extension (PHE). It was hypothesized that individuals in the LBP group would have decreased Gmax and increased BF activation. Methods: A cohort design was utilized through a convenience sample to analyze variations in the dependent variables (muscle activation, flexibility, …

Less Prep, More Presence: Implementing Pattern Teaching In Library Instruction Lesson Planning To Reduce Stress, Liana Bayne-Lin

Faculty Scholarship

As a liaison librarian at an R2 university, I support three STEM departments in their teaching and learning needs. Like many liaison librarians, one of the main activities I do to provide that support is guest lecturing in classes on information literacy topics like finding, using, evaluating, and citing scientific information sources. Like many  liaison librarians, I didn't get a lot of pedagogy instruction in library school, and had to learn by doing during my first year. And, like many teaching librarians, my desire to connect with my students in a genuine, authentic way is deep.

Going into the second …

A Simple Guide To Responsible Management And Sharing Of Research Data At Unh, Julie Simpson, Patricia Condon, Bonnie Brown, William C. Clyde, James J. Connell, Ramonda Kindle, Nathan A. Schwadron, John E. Sparrow, Xueting Sun, Engin Taze, May-Win Thein, Anita R. Tucker, Karen T. Vangundy, James Wible

Integrity in Research and Scholarship

We developed this simple guide to help researchers navigate the University of New Hampshire’s (UNH) Policy on Ownership, Management, and Sharing of Research Data (“UNH research data policy”). It can be challenging for researchers to translate policy into workflows, and we recognize a need for more actionable and user-friendly guidance to help researchers apply the policy in their everyday work. The UNH research data policy outlines institutional responsibilities related to data ownership, retention, recording, and sharing, as well as roles and responsibilities of principal investigators and students. This resource was adapted from a training module intended to translate the UNH …

Exploring Capacity For Future Sustainability Of Healthy Eating Policy, Systems, And Environmental Change Strategies Previously Implemented Through Snap-Ed Programming, Carrie L. Draper, Nicholas Younginer Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Objective

Design

Setting

Participants

Phenomenon of Interest

Analysis

Results

Issue 24: Reducing Bias In Border Technology: Policy Recommendations For The Equitable Implementation Of Facial Recognition Technology At Canadian Borders, Aniela Kola, Menka Belanger, Rukaiya Merchant

International Migration Research Centre

No abstract provided.

The Ongoing Journey Of Modelling Intercropping Systems, Adam Muhammad Adam, Myriam Adam, Folkard Asch, Kenneth J. Boote, Vimbayi Grace Petrova Chimonyo, Mathias Christina, Marc Corbeels, Antoine Couëdel, Mathilde De Freitas, Tomas Della Chiesa, Frank Ewert, Gatien N. Falconnier, Kathrin Fuchs, Thomas Gaiser, Ken E. Giller, Gerrit Hoogenboom, Neil Huth, Jibrin Mohammed Jibrin, Eric Justes, Alpha Y. Kamara, Michael Kermah, Nuttapon Khongdee, Eric Koomson, David Kraus, Marcos Lana, Moritz Laub, Betha Lusiana, Carsten Marohn, Patricia Moreno-Cadena, Claas Nendel, Wanwisa Pansak, Willingthon Pavan

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Context: The global shift toward sustainable agriculture has increased interest in using process-based models to design and optimize intercropping systems. However, these models differ fundamentally in how they represent trade-offs (competition for light, water, and nutrients) and synergies (facilitation, complementarity) in resource sharing between species. This conceptual variation creates uncertainty in model selection and application, particularly since most models were originally developed for monoculture and subsequently adapted for intercropping. Objective: In this study, we describe how current crop models represent interspecies resource-sharing mechanisms, analyse their structural differences, and synthesize findings from existing validation studies to understand how their structural differences …

Increasing Diversity Of Warm- And Cool-Season Species Enhances Aboveground And Root Carbon And Nitrogen Accumulation In Subtropical Forage Mixtures, Ricardo Henrique Ribeiro, Jeferson Dieckow, André Fischer Sbrissia, Felipe Bratti, Henrique Almeida Santos Ducheiko, Marcelo Trybek, Anibal De Moraes, Marília Barbosa Chiavegato

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Background and aims: This study evaluated how increasing forage species diversity affects herbage and root mass, associated C and N accumulation, and soil particulate organic matter (POM). Methods: Over three years a field experiment compared a baseline system of warm-season perennial bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum) annually overseeded with black oat (Avena strigosa) to eight mixtures containing 3 to 6 species, including legumes and grasses, differing in seasonal growth (warm vs. cool season) and life cycle (annual vs. perennial). Added legumes included warm-season forage peanut (Arachis pintoi) and cool-season white clover (Trifolium repens), while added grasses included warm-season limpograss (Hemarthria altissima) and …

Soybean Plant Population Density Recommendations Across The United States, Giovani Preza Fontes, Carrie Ortel, Emma Macham, David Moseley, Shawn Conley, Chad Lee, Mark A. Licht, Laura E. Lindsey, Haleigh J. Ortmeier-Clarke, Rachel Vann, Maninder P. Singh, Seth Naeve, Jeremy Ross, Jake Mcneal, Michael Plumblee, Shaun Casteel, Eros Francisco, Michael J. Mulvaney, Nicolas Cafaro La Menza, Andre Froes De Borja Reis, Daniela Carrijo, Emerson Nafziger

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Rising production costs and declining commodity prices have compelled farmers to reassess their input and management strategies. Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr] seed costs, in particular, have continued to increase due to advances in biotechnology, higher-yielding germplasm, and available seed treatments, accounting for 32–35% of the total operational expenses in current soybean production systems. Optimizing seeding rate is therefore one area of consideration for improving profitability and maximizing return on investment. However, soybean yield response to plant population density is influenced by the combination of several factors, including water availability, temperature, radiation interception, planting practices, and crop growth and development. …

School Renewal And School Well-Being, Jianping Shen, John Lane, Patricia Reeves, Siche Feng, Xin Ma

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

In this longitudinal case study, we examined school well-being during the change process. We operationalized the change process as the school renewal model and viewed school well-being from the perspective of the PERMA (positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment) model. We found that all elements of the PERMA model were manifested in the school renewal process and that the school renewal process was not dominated solely by conflict and tension, as the literature typically suggests about the change process. The findings of the study suggest the possibility of reframing tension as productive rather than detrimental in the school renewal …

Trace: Temporal Rhetorical Analysis And Consistency Evaluation For Legislative Speech, David Hernandez

Master's Theses

Legislators frequently discuss the same policy issues across multiple hearings and legislative sessions, sometimes maintaining consistent positions and other times modifying or reframing their stance over time. Understanding how these positions evolve is important for analyzing political discourse and democratic accountability, yet identifying such shifts at scale remains difficult.

We introduce TRACE (Temporal Rhetorical Analysis and Consistency Evaluation), a system built on the Digital Democracy Database (DDDB) for detecting rhetorical inconsistency in California legislative hearing testimony. TRACE organizes utterances into speaker-anchored timelines indexed by bill and session, then applies hybrid semantic retrieval — combining dense BGE embeddings with BM25 lexical …

Building Services Engineering May/June 2026

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Modular Construction To Improve Schedule Efficiency, Brandon Ritchie

Construction Management

The construction industry continues to face growing pressure to deliver projects on tighter schedules with fewer resources. Modular construction has emerged as a delivery method with the potential to improve schedule efficiency by allowing off site fabrication and on site work to occur simultaneously. This research examines how modular construction affects schedule performance compared to traditional construction methods. When modular construction is well coordinated, project schedules will show improved efficiency compared to traditionally built projects. Qualitative interviews were conducted with members of the Whiting Turner team on the Cal Poly Student Housing Project, backed up by a review of schedule …

Skip The Grid: Bringing Solar Energy To The Navajo Nation, Makaela L. Zavala

Construction Management

Skip the Grid is an interdisciplinary service project in which California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) students partner with Heart of America and SOLV Energy to install off-grid solar systems for families in the Navajo Nation and Hopi Reservation. The project aims to address energy inequity by providing reliable electricity for lighting, refrigeration, and essential daily needs. This paper focuses on the communications and logistics planning required to support a large-scale service project involving over twenty students and multiple partner organizations. The methodology included coordinating travel, organizing team assignments, managing documentation, and maintaining communication throughout the trip. The project resulted …

Skip The Grid: Bringing Power To Navajo Nation Through Off-Grid Solar Systems, Maggie Papaharisi

Construction Management

Skip the Grid is an interdisciplinary service-learning project where California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) students partner with Heart of America and SOLV Energy to install off-grid solar systems for families in the Navajo Nation who do not have reliable access to electricity. Due to the remote location and high cost of infrastructure, a significant portion of households lack basic utilities, making access to lighting, refrigeration, and power difficult. During the 2026 project, a team of students from multiple disciplines spent several months preparing before traveling to Arizona, where installation teams completed solar systems in 50 homes over three days. …

Modular Student Housing At California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo: A Case Study On Efficiency And Implementation, Michelle Lara

Construction Management

As universities continue searching for ways to deliver student housing more efficiently, volumetric modular construction has emerged as a potential alternative to traditional construction methods. However, there is limited documentation on how modular student housing projects are implemented on active California State University campuses. This study examines the implementation of volumetric modular construction on the California Polytechnic State University Student Housing Project through a qualitative case study approach. Data was collected through interviews with project personnel involved in construction management, project engineering, and fire and life safety compliance, along with a review of existing literature. While the project demonstrated several …

¡Tengo Hambre! Un Recetario De La Clase Español Para Hablantes De Herencia, Elise Dubord

Faculty Book Gallery

Este libro de cocina, el tercero en una serie, se produjo en el curso Español para Hablantes de Herencia en el Departamento de Lenguas y Literaturas en la Universidad del Norte de Iowa. A través de esta clase, los estudiantes se dedicaron a fortalecer sus habilidades de escritura y expandir su uso del español. Esperamos que los lectores encuentren una receta nueva para probar y que el proyecto sirva como modelo para otras clases de español. Editado por Elise DuBord, Profesora de Español; arte de la portada por Melinda Beland; con el apoyo de Anne Marie Gruber, Profesora de Servicios …