Digital Commons Network^™

The Beacon, April 16, 2026, Beacon Staff

The Beacon, 2025-2026

Club spotlight: Dance Marathon nonprofit; Unique characteristics of Dutch towns; Northwestern’s Literary Arts Magazine; Mario 2: disappointing and boring; Forrest Frank & Noah Hayden’s collab album; 1776: A blast from America’s colonial past; Praise to the King through the arts at NW; Chapel series: the dorms lead service; Is NW still a liberal arts college?; Why asparagus is a finger food; N-Dubs Awards Show set to return; Softball soars against GPAC opponents; Tennis competes against GPAC rivals; Trump announces ceasefire; UN urges Epstein files related investigation

Fossil-Fueled Failure: How Nonrenewable Energy Policy Will Cost The United States The Ai Race, Kayla Landeros

Duke Law & Technology Review

This Article examines the structure and regulation of the United States electricity industry in light of accelerating electricity demand driven by Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) and digitalization. It argues that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and related executive actions have exacerbated existing structural weaknesses within the nation’s energy governance framework by repealing renewable energy incentives, privileging nonrenewable generation, and reinforcing the instability of an executive dominated regulatory model. Through a comparative analysis, the Article contrasts the United States’ fragmented, market-based approach with China’s centralized, statute-based framework, which integrates renewable energy development, grid expansion, and AI infrastructure into a cohesive national …

Experiences Of Maternal Care In The Gypsy, Roma, And Traveller Population In The United Kingdom: A Cultural Care Model, Sarah Englebert Crowson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller women (GRT) in the United Kingdom face persistent maternal health disparities and show poor engagement with healthcare services. Exclusion, discrimination, and a lack of cultural competence from healthcare professionals contribute to poor health outcomes including preterm births; and GRT women have more babies born with congenital anomalies than non-GRT women in the United Kingdom. The purpose of this focused ethnographic qualitative study was to explore how self-identified GRT women living in the United Kingdom experienced maternal care and how cultural identity and social structures influenced their interactions with healthcare providers based on Madeleine Leininger’s cultural care …

Developing Pediatric Educational Resources For Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Students And New Employees, Alyssa Gottheiner

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

For occupational therapy students, the fieldwork education portion of their curriculum allows them to apply theory and principles learned in their academic program into practice with actual clients (Occupational therapy fieldwork education, 2022). Research indicates the benefit of access to resources and adapting to different learning styles in occupational therapy fieldwork education (Grenier, 2015). Research also indicates that training programs for new healthcare employees can positively impact knowledge, skills, and performance (Patel et al., 2023).  However, there is a lack of research on the availability and benefit of supplemental educational resources for students to access during fieldwork education in pediatric …

Communication Culture: Visual Supports And Staff Education In Therapeutic Riding, Isabel R. Miller

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

Communication Culture: Visual Supports and Staff Education in Therapeutic Riding Equine-assisted therapy (EAS) has been shown to improve engagement, social interaction, and communication in individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities by creating natural, motivating opportunities for participation. A doctoral capstone project was completed in partnership with Charleston Area Therapeutic Riding (CATR) to utilize EAS alongside visual supports with the goal of increasing communication, engagement, sequencing and independence among student riders with diverse communication abilities. Deliverables included communication boards, PECS cards, visual schedules, and First-Then-Next boards to support task sequencing, communication and participation during therapeutic riding sessions. Staff education was …

Stronger Bodies, Sharper Minds: Promoting Wellness In Community-Dwelling Older Adults Through Exercise And Health Education, Michael Webb

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

Due to the increasing population of older adults, the need for health promotion and wellness-based interventions that support effective participation in their respective occupations is essential. Literature supports that engaging in physical activity, health education, and social participation are critical factors in increasing the quality and longevity of life among community-dwelling older adults. A doctoral capstone project was conducted at a community-based day program for low-income older adults to promote wellness, engagement, and continued participation in meaningful occupations.

The purpose of this project was to design and implement group sessions consisting of therapeutic exercise and health education to integrate education, …

Engle V. Second Judicial District Court, 142 Nev. Adv. Op. 30 (Apr. 16, 2026), Andre Anaya

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

Economic hardship excuses a probation violation for failure to pay restitution, but does not satisfy the separate requirement that a defendant fulfill all probation conditions before a conviction may be set aside.

The Indiana Statesman, April 16, 2026, Indiana State University

Student Newspaper

Charlotte's Web: Indiana State theater performs Charlotte's Web

Sungsuk Kim V. Unlimited Settlement Services

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Mary Crawford V. Sandra Wozniak

2026 Decisions

USDC for the District of New Jersey

Gc Minutes Apr 16, 2026, Graduate Council

Graduate Council Minutes

No abstract provided.

April 2026 Academic Affairs Minutes, University Of Nebraska At Kearney Academic Affairs Committee

Academic Affairs Committee Minutes

No abstract provided.

Crossing The Border: A Participatory Action Research Project For The Brentwood Oaks Church Of Christ To Engage With Spanish-Speaking Neighbors Through Missional Hospitality, Charles Johanson

Harding School of Theology Dissertations and Theses

Throughout Scripture, hospitality occupies a central place in the mission of God. Welcoming the stranger across cultural barriers requires the church to practice missional hospitality by playing the role of host and, especially, guest in the neighborhood. Moreover, small group experimentation facilitates the innovation necessary to effectively practice missional hospitality. Through experimentation in cross-cultural situations, church members increase their awareness of cultural differences that leads to opportunities for the congregation to welcome neighbors in loving, sacrificial, and hospitable ways. Brentwood Oaks Church of Christ (BOCC) resides next to a neighborhood with a high population of Spanish-speaking immigrants. The goal of …

2026-04-16 Information On Hb 490, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Information related to Kentucky House Bill 490 and its impact on the removal of faculty for financial reasons at Morehead State University, submitted on April 16, 2026.

2026-04-16 Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Faculty Senate meeting minutes from April 16, 2026.

Hotty Toddy To The Moon And Back, Marisa C. Atkinson

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. – A University of Mississippi mechanical engineering degree helped alumna Addison McNutt get astronauts around the dark side of the moon.

Conclusion: Dismantling The Doctrine Of Christian Discovery, Cultivating Right Relations, Philip P. Arnold

Religion - All Scholarship

This conclusion reaffirms the central thesis of the volume: the Doctrine of Christian Discovery (DoCD) is a persistent and pervasive system of domination, shaping legal, theological, and cultural structures that perpetuate Indigenous dispossession and white supremacy. Drawing upon scholarship and activism presented at the 2023 Syracuse University conference, the essays reveal how the DoCD is embedded in law, education, tourism, and national identity, sustaining the authority of settler colonialism. The contributors emphasize that true change requires more than legal reform; it demands metaphysical and cultural disobedience to the ideologies underpinning Christian empire and racial capitalism. Enacting justice calls for decolonial …

Quality Improvement Project Strengthening Faculty Competence: The Impact Of Structured Debriefing Education On Nursing Faculty Confidence And Competency Compared To Current Practice, Sudaneyse Emmanuel

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Nursing education sometimes struggles to prepare faculty to lead effective simulation-based learning and debriefing. Inconsistent debriefing practices can reduce faculty confidence and competency, limiting student reflection and the development of clinical judgment. This quality improvement project examined whether a structured debriefing education program could enhance nursing faculty confidence and competency in simulation debriefing compared with current practice at a technical college. The project used the Jeffries Simulation Theory and Lewin’s Change Theory as guides. The project used a one-group pretest-posttest design by using the C-Scale to measure confidence and the Facilitator Competency Rubric to measure competency among nursing faculty who …

Perceived Stigmatization Of Mental Health Problems And Utilization Of Academic Accommodations Among College Students, Sabrina Williams, Robert E. Davis Ph.D., Kristin Bogda Ph.D.

2026 Honors Symposium

Background: Higher education is seeing an increase in students utilizing mental health services. Studies on students with disabilities suggest students often have reservations about accessing these accommodations due to anticipated social stigmatization. Purpose: This study aimed to assess relationships among stigmatization and indicators of psychological distress among a sample of students who qualify for accommodations. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey of students at a large university in the central United States. Data collection measures included previously validated screening instruments for depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and adapted versions of the validated scales to assess specific aspects of stigma related to …

Queer Coding In Supernatural Teen Television, Camille Semmes

Communication Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Run From Water: Neighborhood-Level Versus Household-Level Flood-Preventive Infrastructure In Harris County, Texas, Brianna Skye Heuiser

Environmental Studies Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

April 16, 2026, James Madison University

The Breeze, 2020-

The Breeze is the student newspaper of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Spartan Daily, April 16, 2026, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2026

Volume 166, Issue 34

Harding Undergraduate Research Conference 2026 Student Presentation Abstracts, Harding University

Harding Undergraduate Research Conference

This document contains titles and abstracts for all the student presentations made at the 2026 Harding Undergraduate Research Conference.

The Psychology Of False Confessions– From Interrogation Lies To Courtroom Truths, Ashton L. Brophy

Harding Undergraduate Research Conference

A confession is defined as a “detailed written or oral statement in which a person admits to having committed some transgression, often acknowledging guilt for a crime” (Kassin & Gudjonsson, 2004). There are three areas where confession has been deemed important, even necessary, societally: “religion, psychotherapy, and criminal justice” (Kassin & Gudjonsson, 2004). In all three contexts, confession is seen as necessary for absolution and social acceptance, making the statements of guilt feel weighted. Indeed, in the American criminal justice system, confessions often appear to have the final say in the question of a defendant’s innocence or guilt. However, not …

Development Of The Automated Verification And Validation System For The Improvement Of Operations Of Morehead State University's Dss-17, Austin S. Music

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science and Engineering Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science by Austin S. Music on April 16, 2026.

Wmu Board Of Trustee Board Meeting, Thursday April 16 2026, Wmu Board Of Trustees

WMU Board of Trustees Meetings

Acceptance of the Agenda

Approval of the Minutes (February 12, 2026 and March 10, 2026)

Remarks by the Chair of the Board

Remarks by the President

Updates by the Faculty Senate President

Updates by the Western Student Association President

Updates by the Graduate Student Association President

Investing in WMU’s Future: Collaborating with University Advancement

WMU/AAUP Scholarship for First Generation Students

Public Comments Regarding Action Items

Action Items

• WMU Non-Discrimination and Sexual Misconduct Policies

Consent Items

• Liquor License: College of Aviation, November 6, 2026
• Utility Easement from Consumers Energy: Valley Oaks
• Scholarship or Endowment Amendment – Bernadine P. Carlson
• Curriculum Proposals …

Conditioned Synthesis Of Spectra Using Matrix Decomposition For Spectral Library Augmentation, Anna Catherine Rollans

Theses and Dissertations

In hyperspectral imaging, identification and detection tasks are often done by comparing the spectrum of an unknown material to labeled spectra in a spectral library. However, it is intractable to populate a spectral library with measurements of all possible materials in all possible conditions. We propose modeling the weights resulting from matrix decomposition as functions of material condition(s) to generate synthetic spectra at unmeasured conditions to augment spectral libraries. Matrix decompositions considered here include principal component analysis (PCA), non-negative matrix factorization (NMF), and independent component analysis (ICA).We demonstrate this method by generating (1) synthetic long-wave infrared (LWIR) emissivity spectra of …

Motivating And Empowering Language Learners: Increasing Wtc Through Project-Based Open Badges, Käri Tanner

Instructional Psychology and Technology Graduate Student Projects

This design project investigates the use of project-based Open Badges to increase secondary students’ willingness to communicate (WTC) in a second language. Drawing on research identifying motivation and confidence as key predictors of communicative competence, the project integrates Project-Based Learning (PBL) with digital badging to support meaningful language use.

The intervention was piloted in a 9th-grade Spanish classroom in Davis School District, Utah. Six badges were developed across two instructional units, requiring students to complete authentic, performance-based tasks such as interpersonal conversations and presentational speaking. Students submitted evidence and reflections through a Canvas-integrated badging platform.

The design emphasized learner autonomy, …

Evaluation Of Polyester Polymer Concrete Overlays On Bridge Decks In Utah, Landon Moore

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research was to evaluate the condition of polyester polymer concrete (PPC) overlays placed on both new and in-service concrete bridge decks in Utah. The procedures for this research included a desktop review of 80 bridges with PPC deck overlays; scanning of nine decks using rapid automated sounding and advanced deck imaging technologies to document delamination, cracking, spalling, and patching; and additional testing of two decks. This research involved evaluations of PPC overlays that were 2 to 8 years old and bridges that were 4 to 40 years old at the time of testing. The primary distresses …