Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Smartphone Notifications And Locus Of Control On Reading Comprehension, Katherine Visner, Sarah M. Fritts, Audrey Laskey, Chloe Giraud

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Locus of Control, defined as “...individuals' beliefs about the degree of control they have over events in their lives,” has long been associated with task performance, specifically in both compliant and initiative domains (Blau, 1993; Galvin et al., 2018). Existing literature on task performance suggests that, aside from Locus of Control, noise distractions play a significant role in individuals' ability to focus and concentrate (Jafari et al., 2019). In academic contexts, research indicates that noise disturbances and subsequent inability to concentrate impede an individual's task performance by reducing reading comprehension and textual processing (Foroughi et al., 2015). As such, the …

Assessing The Role Of Egr1 In Invasive Migration Of P53-Variant Colorectal Cancer Cells, Mehrael Faragalla

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Colorectal cancer progression is influenced by dysregulated signaling pathways that affect cell proliferation and migration. One important pathway is WNT signaling, which promotes MYC expression and contributes to tumorigenesis. In the absence of functional p53, MYC has been shown to induce the tumor suppressor gene EGR1, leading to EGR1-driven apoptosis rather than proliferation. This noncanonical activity of MYC has been termed the MYC-EGR1 pathway and has only been observed in the absence of functional p53, a well-known genetic aberration associated with colorectal cancer progression. Of particular interest is the impact of the expression of EGR1 on colorectal cancer cell malignancy …

Transforming Education With Ai, Kenna C. Lorenzini

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more common in college classrooms, especially when students are completing papers and assignments. This project explores how college students can use AI responsibly while still learning and developing their own ideas. The goal of this project is to compare the perspectives of both professors and students in order to better understand how AI can support learning while still maintaining academic honesty. This research highlights the importance of clear expectations, responsible use of technology, and open conversations between students and educators about AI in academic work.

Cisplatin Chemotherapy Shown To Decrease Heart Rate In Daphnia Magna​, Cody Woten, Andrea Florian

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Although chemotherapies are widely used for cancer treatment, they pose side effects of cardiotoxicity. Cisplatin is a chemotherapy that binds covalently to DNA and causes cross-links that prevent further replication. However, limited data suggest that cisplatin may cause arrhythmias and acute myocardial infarction, likely due to oxidative stress from reactive oxygen species in mitochondria of the heart. Daphnia magna are effective models for assessing cisplatin cardiotoxicity because their transparent bodies allow direct observation of the heart, and heart rate can be easily measured under a microscope. We aim to determine whether cisplatin chemotherapy causes cardiotoxicity in vivo using D. magna. …

Seeing Surgery Differently: The Role Of Virtual Reality In Pediatric Care, Bob Underwood, Mark Ryan

Pediatrics in Practice: A CME Podcast

Virtual reality is changing how pediatric surgeons plan procedures, educate care teams and help children and families better understand what to expect. In this episode, Mark Ryan, MD, pediatric surgeon, discusses how virtual reality is being used in pediatric surgery today, its impact on patient experience and surgical planning and what pediatricians should know as this technology continues to evolve.

Click here to stream the podcast episode.

Introduction - Intertext 2026, Jules Vinarub, Kairo Rushing

Intertext

No abstract provided.

Your Memory Is Mine, Owen Westbrook

Intertext

No abstract provided.

Section Intro: Beauty In The Creator, Raina Hartman, Alexis Kirkpatrick

Intertext

No abstract provided.

I Am Not My Looks: Growing Up As The Ugly Duckling, Shawn Ware

Intertext

No abstract provided.

Christmas Eve In Danang, Vietnam, December 24th, 1966, Rand Timmerman

Intertext

No abstract provided.

The Voice Of Children In The Dark, Amira Shoubassi

Intertext

No abstract provided.

Editors - Intertext 2026, Intertext Journal

Intertext

No abstract provided.

Complete Issue - Intertext 2026, Intertext Journal

Intertext

No abstract provided.

A Treatise On Tool Development: The Arthroscope’S Cultural, Technological, And Metascientific Translation, Montgomery F. Waterer

Honors Theses

The arthroscope was a revolutionary development in the fields of medicine, engineering, and ethics. There are many valuable lessons to be learned from the story of its development and translation that are relevant to the future of medicine and society. Beginning with a brief description of the tool’s design, this paper will examine a period within the history of the arthroscope. This window contains multiple innovators and ends with the life and work of Dr. Robert Jackson. In examining the relevant historical facts of its development, this paper will then briefly address the importance of sports medicine in the development …

Optimizing Performance And Preventing Injury: The Role Of Ot In Powerlifting, Anastasia N. Espinosa, Cassandra M. Nelson, Jaimee Fielder

Spring 2026 OTD Capstone Symposium

Powerlifting is a high-intensity sport associated with increased risk of injury, particularly in community-based gym settings where structured education on recovery, injury prevention, and training strategies is limited. This capstone project aimed to develop and implement a Performance and Wellness Program to support safe and sustainable participation in powerlifting. A program development approach was used, including a needs assessment through surveys, questionnaires, and observation to identify gaps in training, recovery, and self-management practices. The program was delivered through structured, self-directed modules and supported by a digital manual to promote long-term use. Findings from post-program surveys indicated improvements in athlete confidence, …

An Expressive Arts Therapy Literature Review: Spiritual Experiences And Dsm-5 Assessment In Bipoc Communities, Amanda Paige Rodriguez

Expressive Therapies Theses

Spiritual and non-ordinary experiences such as clear-hearing, visions, and spiritual perception are frequently interpreted within Western mental health systems through diagnostic frameworks rooted in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). For Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC), these interpretations may overlook cultural, spiritual, and ancestral contexts in which such experiences hold meaning rather than indicate pathology. This literature review examines how DSM-5 frameworks conceptualize spiritual experiences in BIPOC communities and explores assessment practices that may reduce the risk of misdiagnosis.

A literature review methodology was employed, drawing on sixteen peer-reviewed articles representing qualitative, quantitative, and …

Color And Cognitive Performance, Madeleine R. Scott, Erin Johnson, Christian Mitchell, Andreq Lopez Hernandez

SPARK Symposium Presentations

The current study aims to determine if colored backgrounds (red, blue, white (neutral)) on a series of memory tasks impact an individual's stress level and cognitive performance. Previous research indicates that color exposure may impact stress and cognitive performance, although the relationship is not fully understood. For example, participants completing memory assessments with a red light have been shown to perform better than those with blue or white lights (Jadho et al., 2020). However, red light is also associated with greater experiences of stress compared to blue or white light (Shahidi et al., 2021). There are several studies exploring different …

Designing Heritage Using Digital Fashion Tools, Nathan Chapman

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Sarah E. Andersen

This collection explores the strength of American women and the systems that attempt to define, contain, and judge them. Inspired by historical power dressing, feminist theory, and the fashion industry’s constructed ideals, the work confronts the Madonna–Whore complex and the policing of women’s bodies. Through American-grown cotton and heritage garment techniques, each look exposes tension between authority and vulnerability, modesty and desire. The final look contrasts the real woman with the dress form and exaggerated silhouette society demands, revealing the impossibility of meeting such standards. The collection reframes empowerment as visibility, resistance, and refusal.

Lily Brenner | …

Hb 1938: Ending Prison Privatization In Tennessee, Skyler J. Duplessis, Xavier Tharpe-Patton, Josie Lerer, Carley Wood

SPARK Symposium Presentations

The term recidivism refers to the tendency of an individual convicted of a crime to reoffend after release. A growing body of research has found that individuals incarcerated in privately operated correctional facilities often demonstrate higher rates of recidivism compared to those held in publicly managed prisons. Scholars suggest that differences in access to rehabilitative programming, staffing patterns, and institutional resources may contribute to these disparities. Critics argue that cost-containment priorities unique to for-profit correction can conflict with investment in education, treatment, and reentry preparation -factors consistently linked in the literature to reduced reoffending and improved community reintegration. This is …

Recognition Without Authority? Why Vesting Government Recognition In The U.N. Credentials Committee Would Be A Mistake, Jorge Barrera-Rojas

Washington and Lee Law Review Online

When the legitimacy of a government is contested, courts, regional bodies, and states each decide independently who speaks for the state in law. In Recognition Rules, Justin Cole, Alaa Hachem, and Oona Hathaway argue that this fragmentation imposes real costs and propose to cure them by empowering the U.N. Credentials Committee to issue binding determinations of governmental authority across all international law contexts. This Article argues that, beyond Charter obstacles to such a reform, it would be a mistake. The effective-control criterion rewards actors who seize power by force over governments that retain democratic legitimacy; binding credentials decisions would …

Crafting The Narrative: A Look At Long-Form Storytelling Through The Art Of Quilling, Jaycee R. Lundell

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis explores the journeys of four contemporary quilling artists and their works. It dives into the creative process of conducting the interviews, capturing the footage, and making the documentary. The documentary also explores the history of quilling including its resurgence in the 1980s and the complicated process of navigating the declining numbers of the International Quilling Guild while the craft spreads across the internet, potentially losing its rich history and standards of excellence. Since quilling is a lesser known art, this thesis is also an attempt to spread the knowledge of the craft since there are very few scholarly …

The Lumberjack, April 22, 2026

Cal Poly Humboldt's Student Newspaper

The student newspaper of Humboldt State University.

People Who Moved In The Mountain West, 2024, Anthony Arroyo, Sydney Mitchell, Maisoon Faris, Olivia K. Cheche, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Cities & Metros

This fact sheet presents 2024 data on state and city-level mobility rates across the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. Point2Homes’ “Mobility Rates Reach Record Low: In 2024, Americans Moved Less Than Ever” report provides data on mobility rates within states, as well as the rate of new residents moving into states and cities across the U.S. This fact sheet highlights mobility rates within Mountain West states, the rate of new residents moving into Mountain West states, and the rate of new residents moving into 63 Mountain West cities. This fact sheet also includes national …

Tzvia Wexler V. Charmaine Hawkins

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

The Role Of Vitamin B9 In Modulating Autism Symptoms In Children, Sarah Roeser

Department of Nutrition Student Projects

The prevalence of Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has risen significantly over the past five decades, now affecting approximately 1 in 31 children. This literature review examined whether folinic acid, compared with other forms of vitamin B9 (synthetic folic acid, dietary folate, and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate), modulates ASD symptoms including verbal communication, motor skills and social interaction, particularly in children positive for folate receptor alpha autoantibodies (FRAAs). A thorough search of PubMed, Google Scholar, Nature, and ScienceDirect, primarily from 2015–2026, identified five randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and one meta-analysis evaluating folinic acid at standardized doses of 2 mg/kg/day with a maximum dose of …

Implementing A Nutrition Screening, Education, And Risk Reduction Framework In Optometric Care To Prevent Diabetic Retinopathy In Adults With T2dm, Juliana M. Varanelli

Department of Nutrition Student Projects

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of preventable vision loss among adults with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), driven largely by chronic hyperglycemia, oxidative stress, and inflammation. Despite strong evidence supporting the role of nutrition in modifying these risk factors, nutrition screening and counseling are not routinely integrated into optometric care. This project aimed to develop a practical, evidence-based framework to incorporate nutrition screening, patient education, and referral pathways into comprehensive optometric practice to support prevention and reduce the onset and progression of diabetic retinopathy.

This project involved a literature review of peer-reviewed research and clinical guidelines related to …

Comparison Of Pfas-Free Hydrophobic Layer-By-Layer Coatings For Cellulosic Textiles: Evaluation Of Water Repellency, Mechanical Durability, And The Effects Of Fabric Construction, Elvira Isenzhulova, Radika Bhaskar

School of Design and Engineering Papers

Environmentally safe water-repellent coatings are urgently needed for the textile industry as an alternative to PFAS-based finishes. Challenges include development of coatings that are effective in imparting both water repellency and mechanical durability, with relatively simple synthesis to promote industry use. This study compared the performance and abrasion resistance of two different bio-based, layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembled hydrophobic coatings for cellulosic fibers. Textile samples were coated with bilayers composed of negatively charged plant-derived carnauba wax and a positively charged component: either poly-L-lysine or lower-cost zinc oxide nanoparticles. To investigate the influence of surface microroughness on coating adhesion and performance, two different …

Foreword, Joshua Farquhar

Global Insight

No abstract provided.

The Continuing Specter Of Disease Tuberculosis In The Russian Federation, Joshua Farquhar

Global Insight

For the last two years, the public discussion surrounding global health has focused almost entirely on COVID-19. In the meantime, other historic and dangerous diseases have taken a backseat. Nevertheless, other endemics are worthy of discussion; these diseases, and potential lifesaving solutions, must also be granted attention if global progress on public health is to be achieved. This paper explores the tuberculosis endemic in the Russian Federation (RF), focusing mostly on multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB. While overall rates of tuberculosis have declined in Russia over the course of the 21st century, incidence is still far higher than in most nations, …

A Gamble On Gender: Perceptions Of The Singular “They” Pronoun Among College-Age Students, Sloane Cheesebrough

Global Insight

This paper discusses a study that was carried out with the aim of discovering the perceptions of the singular “they” pronoun (both general and specified) among college students with a focus on the interaction of the gender of the participant with their perceptions. The linguistic variables considered were the level of acceptability of different pronouns, pronouns used by participants, and direct perceptions of the singular “they,” while the social variables were gender, age, first language, and academic year. The hypotheses are as follows: men would find the singular “they” (both forms) less acceptable than women and nonbinary genders, and in …