Digital Commons Network^™

Microwave Heat For Disinfecting Soilborne Pathogens In The Strawberry Fields., Jake Sporleder, Kaela Higgins

Baker/Koob Endowments Awarded Projects

The objective of the Baker–Koob research project was to design and assemble a laboratory testing device and to evaluate microwave radiation transfer through soils with varying moisture contents using thermocouples. The resulting findings were presented at the 2024–2025 ASABE International Conference.

Ecoplasticity – Development Of A Seaweed-Based Coating For Take-Out Containers, Michelle Cullen

Baker/Koob Endowments Awarded Projects

With growing concerns about climate change and plastic pollution, the food packaging industry has shifted towards the development of sustainable food packaging, like biodegradable polymers synthesized from renewable resources. Current sustainable options on the market either have a hidden plastic lining, present oil leaks, or can only be industrially composted under specific conditions. To address these issues, Ecoplasticity targets the industry-wide green initiative through the development of biodegradable and compostable coatings derived from an invasive species of seaweed, sargassum. It is intended to replace the hidden plastic lining, have grease and water barrier properties, and be composted in residential, industrial, …

Annual Report Of The Officers Of The Town Of Campton, New Hampshire For The Fiscal Year Ending December 31, 2025, Campton Town Representatives

Campton, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Interest, Self-Efficacy, And Belonging In Classroom Learning, K. Ann Renninger, Lux K. Barton , '21, Gia Bautista , '23, Mary Garcia-Barrios , '24, Iyinoluwa Ogunyinka , '24, Kathryn R. Riley

Educational Studies Faculty Works

Students’ interest, self-efficacy, and belonging are considered essential for classroom learning, as each has been shown to promote sustained engagement and school achievement. However, our review of the literature suggested that research on interest, self-efficacy, and belonging is largely siloed. To address practitioner questions about supporting classroom learning by working with the three variables, we added a mixed-method pilot study to the review process. Pilot participants were Black, middle-school-age youth living in a low-income community, who were enrolled in a five-week, inquiry-informed science workshop facilitated by a Black professor. Findings showed that during learning, interest, self-efficacy, and belonging were increasingly …

Town Of Henniker, New Hampshire Annual Report 2025, Henniker Town Representatives

Henniker, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Town Of Plainfield, New Hampshire Annual Report 2025, Annual Reports Of The Officers And Selectmen And The School District, Plainfield Town Representatives

Plainfield, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

2025 Annual Report Of The Officers, Town Of Orange, New Hampshire, Orange Town Representatives

Orange, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Town Of Harrisville, Nh Annual Report For The Year Ending December 31, 2025, Harrisville Town Representatives

Harrisville, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Town Of Bow New Hampshire And Bow School District 2025 Town And School Annual Report, Bow Town Representatives

Bow, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Anonymized Survey Dataset On Road Safety Assessment During Construction Of Bus Rapid Transit (Brt) Corridors In Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, Lorain Salufu

Open Data

This dataset contains anonymized survey responses collected for a study on road safety assessment during construction of the Dar es Salaam Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Phase 3 corridor. The dataset includes responses from 400 participants, together with the survey. The data were collected to assess perceived safety conditions, adequacy of construction-phase safety measures, effectiveness of traffic diversions, and the effects of construction activities on road users and nearby communities. No personally identifiable information is included in the shared files.

Differences Of Sex Development (Dsd), Children's Mercy Kansas City

Clinical Pathways

No abstract provided.

Understanding Addiction As A Disease: College Students’ Perspectives On Substance Use In The Covid-19 Era, Aditi Rudrashetty

Athena: Undergraduate Research and Literary Journal

This research explores the neurological basis of addiction as a disease and how the exacerbation of external factors has contributed to negative perceptions of addiction. Specifically, it examines the COVID-19 pandemic and contemporary college student experiences as contextual factors influencing attitudes toward substance use disorders. Negative perceptions contribute to stigma, reduce help-seeking behavior, and influence policy responses, hindering effective support and recovery for individuals with substance use disorders. By examining these perceptions, this study contributes to understanding how addiction is conceptualized and potentially addressed in public health and policy contexts. Surveys and semi-structured interviews were conducted with college students to …

What's That Sound?, Leslie Lemus

Athena: Undergraduate Research and Literary Journal

"What’s That Sound?" is a metaphorical short story that explores racism through the lens of a mysterious, ever-growing sound. The protagonist begins to hear a strange noise, subtle at first, then increasingly deafening as they navigate daily life. Despite their confusion and efforts to understand the source, those around them, particularly white individuals, dismiss or deny the sound’s existence. Only other people of color acknowledge it, sharing a collective understanding. Through symbolism, the story illustrates how racism operates as an ever-present force felt deeply by marginalized communities, yet often ignored or unheard by those not directly affected.

Whole Genome Sequencing: Considering Regulations, Policies, And Procedures, Nyaw Lar Too

Athena: Undergraduate Research and Literary Journal

This research explores the opinions of young adults between the ages of 19 to 30 about the vulnerabilities of using DNA sequencing tests as a part of couples’ prenatal care to determine every possible mutation, variation, and cancers possible for future offspring. A survey-based experiment was used to gather information from a sample of 17 young adults within the aforementioned age group. The findings from the surveys are intended to assist scientists in acknowledging public opinion and aid in guiding their decisions on how to move forward with genome sequencing. Ultimately, the survey findings could give scientists an idea of …

Navigating Belonging: Exploring Self & Community Through Research & Creative Expression, Natasha Hutson

Athena: Undergraduate Research and Literary Journal

No abstract provided.

Daisies For My Grandmother, Miriam Smith

Athena: Undergraduate Research and Literary Journal

No abstract provided.

Nutrient-Driven Transcription Factor-Dna Interactions And Their Signaling Mechanisms In Metabolic Disease, Evelyn A. Bates

Theses and Dissertations--Nutritional Sciences

Metabolic homeostasis is maintained through tightly coordinated signaling networks that integrate diverse physiological inputs. Central to this regulation are transcription factors, which sense nutrient, hormonal, and vitamin-derived signals and translate them into coordinated gene expression programs. Transcription factor activity is governed by DNA binding, recruitment of coregulatory proteins, and interactions with specific response elements in gene promoters, which allows them to selectively modulate diverse metabolic pathways. Owing to their multifactorial and tunable nature, transcription factors have emerged as promising targets for the treatment and diagnosis of metabolic diseases, including metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). This dissertation explores the molecular …

Autologous Peripheral Nerve Tissue Grafts Implanted Into The Nucleus Basalis Of Meynert And Substantia Nigra At The Time Of Bilateral Deep Brain Stimulation In Parkinson Disease: A Report Of 2 Cases, Samuel R. Daly, Jorge E. Quintero, Lisa M. Koehl, Elizabeth Roslyn Wallace, Zain Guduru, Julie A. Gurwell, Tripp Hines, Jaimie Hixson, Saad Hulou, John T. Slevin, Frederick A. Schmitt, Greg A. Gerhardt, Craig G. Van Horne

Neurosurgery Faculty Publications

Background and Objectives: Cholinergic degeneration in the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM) is implicated in the cognitive impairment seen in Parkinson disease (PD) and is being examined as a potential therapeutic target. We have previously shown the safety of delivering investigational autologous cell-based therapy, ie, peripheral nerve tissue (PNT), to the substantia nigra (SN) at the time of deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery in PD (DBS-Plus). In this study, we assessed the safety and feasibility of simultaneously delivering that PNT to both the NBM and SN at the time of DBS.

Methods: Two patients with idiopathic PD and mild cognitive …

Teaching The Sociological Imagination: Creating Community In Tumultuous Times, Marta Ascherio

Faculty Publications - Criminal Justice Sciences

Opening paragraph:

In fall 2022, I began a tenure track position at Illinois State University (ISU), as a joint hire between the Department of Criminal Justice Sciences and the Latin American and Latino Studies Program (LALS). LALS is a multi-disciplinary program with affiliated faculty from multiple colleges and departments across campus. In contrast to affiliated faculty whose main teaching responsibilities are in their home departments, as a joint hire I have teaching responsibilities in Criminal Justice Sciences (two classes) and LALS (one class). I became part of a small cohort of faculty across departments (Languages, Sociology and Anthropology, Communications, and …

“… It's Google That's Big Brother”: The Symbiosis Between Icac Investigators And The Private Sector Regarding Encryption And Privacy, Christopher G. Brewer, Kevin F. Steinmetz, Don Kurtz, Brian Schaefer

Faculty Publications - Criminal Justice Sciences

Encryption technologies have become ubiquitous for both individual and commercial sectors. Perhaps no realm of law enforcement is so acutely affected by encryption than cybercrime, including internet crimes against children (ICAC) personnel. There exist a variety of encryption-based tools and authentication measures available to help online child sexual abusers and consumers of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) hide their activities and obstruct law enforcement efforts to gather evidence of criminal activity. Established here is the idea that ICAC investigative practice is ultimately shaped by these technologies as well as the relationship between the distributors of these technologies and private platforms …

Direct Ink Writing Of Shear Exfoliated Two-Dimensional Nanomaterial- Elastomeric Multifunctional Nanocomposite, Md Abdur Rahman Bin Abdus Salam, Asif Hasan Ridoy, A K M Abirul Haque, Muhammad Shahbaz Rafique, Md Arafat Hossain, Md Shahriar Forhad, Matthew G. Boebinger, Farid Ahmed, Karen Lozano, Ali Ashraf

Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

Direct ink writing (DIW) of polymer nanocomposites with high loadings of two-dimensional (2D) nanofillers (graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (hBN)) is challenging because of potential clogging, use of hazardous solvents, and agglomeration. Here, in this work, a shear exfoliation and sieving method to prepare DIW ink with high loading of nanofillers produced from low-cost bulk layered materials such as graphite and bulk hBN powder for successful DIW printing without the use of any solvents, binders, or plasticizers. The single-step exfoliation technique resulted in a composite with substantial layer reduction along the c-axis, as confirmed by SEM, TEM, XRD, and Raman …

Addressing The Void Of Ai Policies In Education For Students With Specific Learning Disabilities, Mikyung Shin, Fatmana Deniz, Latesha Watson, Cynthia Dieterich, Kathy B. Ewoldt, Friggita Johnson, Jennifer E. Kong, Sun Hee Lee, April Whitehurst

Faculty Publications - College of Education

The purpose of this study was to identify the current state of artificial intelligence (AI) policies in U.S. education and propose actionable recommendations through large language model–based topic modeling and Delphi surveys. Out of 12 policy documents released between 2015 and 2025, only two documents (National Center for Learning Disabilities, 2024; W.A. v. Clarksville/Montgomery County School System, 2024) specifically addressed learning disabilities. Policy documents addressing topics such as AI-driven risk assessment, data protection, legal risk management, and ethical guidelines covering other disabilities and general AI in education policy were provided as baselines that could be discussed and validated through …

Elementary Teachers’ Perspectives On Science Of Reading Mandates: A Q Methodology Study Of Autonomy And Cultural Responsiveness, Gui Ying Annie Yang-Heim

Faculty Publications - College of Education

This study examines elementary teachers’ perspectives on Science of Reading (SoR) mandates, with particular attention to tensions between instructional autonomy and cultural responsiveness. Using Q methodology, 26 elementary literacy teachers sorted 48 statements reflecting beliefs about literacy instruction, assessment, and equity. Factor analysis with varimax rotation yielded 3 distinct factors, with significant loading set at ± 0.37 (p <  .01). The resulting factor structures reveal differentiated viewpoints regarding the perceived benefits and constraints of SoR-aligned policies. While some teachers emphasized the value of structured, skills-based instruction for supporting early reading development, others foregrounded concerns about reduced professional autonomy and the marginalization of culturally responsive and contextually grounded practices. Post-sort interviews were analyzed alongside factor arrays to support interpretation and to clarify how teachers articulated the reasoning underlying their rankings. The findings indicate that teachers’ responses to SoR mandates are not uniformly oppositional or compliant but reflect nuanced negotiations among policy expectations, professional judgment, and commitments to equity. By integrating quantitative patterning with qualitative interpretation, this study contributes methodologically to Q research in education and substantively to ongoing debates about prescriptive literacy reforms and culturally responsive teaching.

Supporting The Cognitive, Emotional, Social, And Physical Development Of Adolescent Students Through Dance, Anne C. Holdren

Faculty Publications - College of Education

The transition to middle school during early adolescence presents a range of challenges for students, which can negatively impact both academic performance and overall development. Involvement in dance and incorporating dance into the middle school curriculum can provide opportunities for academic, emotional, social, and physical growth and success. Through dance, adolescent learners adapt to new ways of acquiring skills and new pedagogical approaches for learning and development. Dance offers students from diverse backgrounds an opportunity to build community and work toward a common goal. Dance is a universal art form that transcends cultural boundaries, providing a rich platform for self-expression …

Giddy Character Rig, Arden Jean Millhouse-Lewis

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

This project was an in-depth investigation into creating a production-ready rig using the widely used industry-standard software, Autodesk Maya. Using a character I designed, modeled, and shaded, I explored the workflow of bringing it to life through the technical lens of rigging, then tested its functionality in animation, troubleshooting, and further refining the overall rig as I went. I revised the prior model’s topology to create optimal edge flow for deformations before I went on to place it in the skeletal hierarchy, accounting for not only the bones of the character but also secondary bones in the clothing, hair, and …

Reversible Fluorescence Quenching And Recovery In Pvp-Supported Copper Nanoparticles, Sara Rayan

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Copper nanoclusters stabilized by polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) exhibit unique fluorescence properties that are highly sensitive to changes in their chemical environment, making them promising candidates for sensing applications. This study investigates the reversible fluorescence quenching and recovery behavior of PVP-supported copper nanoparticles in response to iron(III) ions and evaluates the selectivity of this response across different chemical conditions. Fluorescence quenching was examined using Fe³⁺ introduced as FeCl₃, followed by recovery experiments using ascorbic acid to assess reversibility through redox-driven interactions. To determine whether the observed response is specific to iron, potassium ferricyanide was used as an alternative Fe³⁺ source. Additional comparisons …

Investigating The Effects Of Atg3 On Autophagosome Size And Number, Keeran R. Senthil Kumar

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Macroautophagy, or autophagy, is a highly conserved catabolic process in all eukaryotes which allows for the degradation of large cytosolic contents. It occurs in two forms: bulk autophagy, which is induced by nutrient deprivation and targets nonspecific cargo, and selective autophagy, which is induced by cellular stress and sequesters specific substrates. The process of autophagosome formation is carried out by a group of Atg (autophagy-related) proteins, one of which is Atg3. Atg3 functions as an E2-like enzyme by conjugating Atg8 — a ubiquitin-like protein — to phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), a step required for autophagosome membrane formation. This lipidation process is catalyzed …

Oligarchy And Democratic Decline: A Platonic Framework For Analyzing The Contemporary American Political System, Jonah Huskey-Wright

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

This paper explores the idea that there is a meaningful philosophical connection between Plato’s account of oligarchy and the development of the modern American political order. Rather than approaching American politics only through constitutional design, electoral procedures, or institutional mechanics, the paper argues that political systems must also be understood as reflections of the values and motivations of the people who inhabit them. Drawing on Plato’s framework that links the ordering of the human soul to the ordering of political regimes, the project examines how the priorities a society places on certain goods—particularly wealth, economic achievement, and material success—can shape …

Examining The Relationship Between Sleep And Physical Activity Among University Students, Maddie Stock

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Sleep and physical activity (PA) are important factors for maintaining overall health and are positively associated. The relationship between sleep and PA is well-documented for the general adult population, but there is less research on college students who are in a formative stage of developing lifelong health behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between aerobic PA and sleep in college students. College students at a Midwest University were invited to participate by completing the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment evaluating students’ health behaviors over the previous 1-2 weeks. These values were used …

Enhancing Healthcare Accessibility For Maya Immigrants In Northeast Ohio, Ellen D. Barnes

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

This research considers the efforts of healthcare practitioners and community workers in enhancing healthcare accessibility for Maya immigrant communities in northeast Ohio. Through ethnographic interviews and participant-observation research, I analyze how practitioners interpret their work with community members to navigate economic disparities and questions of legal standing, as well as cultural and linguistic differences. I also consider ways in which healthcare providers have sought to promote institutional change. This research gives insight into how institutional structures shape efforts for culturally informed care and how healthcare providers and healthcare seekers negotiate relationships within these confines.