Digital Commons Network^™

Rights Of Nature: An Argument For Judicial Economy, Anna Belinski-Huber

Natural Resources Journal

Tracing the evolution of the “rights of nature” movement from Indigenous law and early environmental ethics to modern global applications, this article reframes the debate around codification of legal rights for nature from moral theory to legal efficiency, arguing that the United States implicitly recognizes rights of nature within its environmental jurisprudence and statutory framework. Through detailed analyses of the Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Air Act, and Clean Water Act alongside corresponding case studies, the author demonstrates how courts and Congress have already expanded standing, redefined injury, and recognized nature’s inherent right to exist and flourish. …

Research Journal 2026: People And Places, José A. Rivera Ph.D

Faculty Publications

José Rivera narrates his life history from adolescence into college years, university teaching, research career, publications, and ends with post-retirement service as a giving back to community. For most of his term as an academic, his research focus was on community-based organizations that he terms “peoples’ institutions”: acequia associations and mutual help societies. For data, he conducted field work in New Mexico and the American Southwest as well as internationally, primarily in Mexico, Peru, Spain and the Philippines. While at these locations, he interviewed people, collected maps, researched archives, and took photographs as ethnographic evidence of people and places. His …

Casey Holland, Casey Holland, Olivia Kelly

Oral Histories of Farming along the Middle Rio Grande

No abstract provided.

Unm Pathology, Pathfinder Winter 2026, Unm Department Of Pathology

Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Off-Label Abuse: The Prosecution Of Individuals For Pesticide Crimes Under The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, And Rodenticide Act, Joshua Ozymy, Melissa Jarrell Ozymy

Natural Resources Journal

When individuals commit pesticide crimes involving significant harm or culpable conduct, they may be prosecuted for criminal violations of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), but we have little knowledge of how individual offenders have been prosecuted historically for such crimes. Using content analysis of 2,728 environmental crime prosecutions resulting from U.S. EPA criminal investigations, 1983 to 2021, we select all cases of individuals prosecuted under FIFRA for our analysis. We find that 100 cases were adjudicated, resulting in 135 years of probation, 75 years of incarceration, and $4.2 million in monetary penalties assessed at sentencing. Of those …

21st Century Perspective On The Changing Pattern Of Nerve Injuries From Gunshot Wounds In The U.S., Thomas A. Decoster

Western Journal of Orthopaedics

Gunshot wounds (GSWs) with nerve injuries in the 21st century differ significantly from those reported in the 20th century. The vast majority are now low-velocity civilian injuries, in contrast to high-velocity military injuries previously reported. The rate of nerve injury in civilian GSWs is approximately 5%, compared with the 30% reported in military cohorts. However, the most common pattern of nerve injury in the current civilian population is neurotmesis and partial neurotmesis, in contrast to the majority axonotmesis of the military cohorts. In the 20th century, treatment generally consisted of watchful waiting for signs of spontaneous recovery over three months …

Peripheral Nerve Repair And Reconstruction: Current Techniques, Adjuncts, And Emerging Therapies, Niklaus Skipp, Lana Dokic, Christina Wassef, Jazzlyn Gonzalez, Ana Love, Heather Mercer, Deana Mercer

Western Journal of Orthopaedics

Peripheral nerve injuries require reconstruction when direct, tension-free repair is not possible. A range of reconstructive strategies are used to restore continuity and promote axonal regeneration, including graft-based reconstruction, nerve transfers, conduit-based repair, supercharged end-to-side augmentation, and emerging regenerative therapies. Autologous interfascicular nerve grafts and vascularized grafts remain established techniques, whereas processed nerve allografts provide a donor-sparing alternative. Nerve transfers are increasingly used for proximal injuries with long regeneration distances, and conduits are an option for gaps shorter than 5 mm. Nerve-wrapping techniques are used to reduce perineural scarring and preserve gliding in complex or revision cases. Emerging adjunctive therapies, …

Adult Healthy Habits, Belinda E. Vicuna, Mahtab Soleimani, Yvonnie Baik, Elena Martinez, Theresa H. Cruz

Reports & Documents

No abstract provided.

Solving Data Mining Challenges In Neutrosophic Environments Using Bio-Inspired Optimization Techniques, Samia Mandour, Abduallah Gamal, Mohamed Belal

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Responsible Ai For Text Classification: A Neutrosophic Approach Combining Classical Models And Bert, Nabil M. Abdel-Aziz, Mahmoud Ibrahim

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Process Activities Of A Neutrosophic-Based Smart Simulation Framework For Islamic Sacred Rituals, Nabil M. Abdelaziz, Mohamad S. Al-Thenyan

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Seth Matlick, Seth Matlick, Erin Elder

Oral Histories of Farming along the Middle Rio Grande

No abstract provided.

Implementation Of Neutrosophic Logic For Food Security And Agricultural Productivity Analysis In South Asian Countries, Muhammad Yaseen, Korntima Phattanasin, Jamil Afzal, Muhammad Afzal

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Neutrosophic Hyperprobabilistic Modeling Of Learning Outcomes In College Blended Physical Education Teaching Process, Yanmin Li, Shiqiang Dou

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Student-Centered Approaches For Improving Teaching Quality In College Animation Courses Under Possibility Neutrosophic Soft Sets, Xiao'ou Ji, Juan Song

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Animation And Game Design Effectiveness Analysis For Skill Development: An Analytical Framework Using Neutrosophic Hesitant Fuzzy Set, Na Ji, Xiao'ou Ji

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Synteny To Snps: Comparative And Population Genomics Of Endemic Gila River Fishes, Alexander C. Cameron

Biology ETDs

Population genomic data are becoming an essential component of the best available science used by conservation professionals to make management decisions to preserve biodiversity in a rapidly changing world. The proliferation of high-throughput sequencing technologies has made generating genome scale data feasible for non-model organisms that are of conservation concern. In addition to applicability in conservation science, genomic data enable the exploration of basic questions related to species evolution. To that end, this body of research exemplifies the applied and basic utility of genomic data and is focused on two federally-protected minnows endemic to the Gila River basin, Loach Minnow …

Classification Of Cases Of Animal Abuse In Ecuador Using Indetermsoft And C4.5 Algorithms, Viviana Del Rocío Marfetan Marfetan, Lesly Gissela Tipanguano Chicaiza, Styven Andrés Pila Chicaiza, Estephany Monserrath Ojeda Sanchez

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

This dissertation aimed to determine the classification of animal abuse within Ecuador by severity, context, and solution through the application of IndetermSoft and the statistical-neutrosophic C4.5 algorithm to classify the uncertainty associated with judicial and administrative efforts for animal protection for domestic dogs and cats. The approach was qualitative and documentary, analyzing judicial sentences, citizen complaints, and municipal ordinances within the three largest Ecuadorian cities of Quito, Guayaquil, and Cuenca to acquire the determination of classifications of animal abuse, subsequent sanctions, and follow-ups. A modeling of IndetermSoft ensembles assessed the indeterminacy of subsequent actions, and inputted into IndetermSoft and the …

Intercultural Education From Ancestral Logic: Application Of The Ayni Method Multi-Neutrosophic To Strengthen Mixed Methodology In The Waorani Community, Johanna Estefanía Calle Imbaquingo, Karen Milagros Díaz Salambay, Jordy Alexis Vargas Yumbo, Kevin Christopher Carrasco Azogue, Otto F. Von Feigenblatt

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

Research aimed at determining the Ayni method Multi-Neutrosophic by which a successful blended learning experience enhances multicultural education respecting Ancestral Logic of the Waoranis to create a hybridization of Ancestral Logic and institutional and classroom learning to preserve their cultural identity. A qualitative descriptive-legal research approach was utilized. The results of the documentary analysis included requirements from Ecuador (Constitution, ILO Convention 169) and semi-structured interviews with Waorani leaders and teachers, Triangulation through participant observation of the educational activities taught in the Waorani community. The Ayni method Multi-Neutrosophic was cultural reciprocity and neutrality established through indeterminacies in the blended Ancestral teachings …

Scholarai Scholarly Article Search Strategies With The Ayni Method Multi-Neutrosophic For Ethical Information Management In Ai, Ennio Jesús Mérida Córdova, Elizabeth Esther Vergel Parejo, Raúl López Fernández

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

In a digital world where scientific articles are published at an unprecedented rate, an additional step in the research process to facilitate discovery is an effective search and filtering for worthwhile articles. Thus, this study aims to solve the following research problem: how to search for scientific articles using artificial intelligence (AI) while applying ethical considerations and ancestral knowledge? The topical relevance is that as AI is a great vessel to seek potentially accessible knowledge, searches can be guaranteed through accuracy, inclusivity, and ethics. While many studies exist on the topic of AI related to searching, few, if any, extend …

The Sexual Assault And Violence Experiences Questionnaire: Community-Developed Items For Gathering Sexual Violence Histories With Displaced Women, Meredith A. Blackwell

Psychology ETDs

Improving measurement of sexual violence has contributed to major policy changes in the United States. However, research on sexual violence largely overlooks those exposed to conflict and displacement: a population especially at risk. Assessment measures often ignore contextual features and use phrasing that is vulnerable to underreporting. This community-based participatory research project collaborated with cultural experts from Mexico/Central America and Afghanistan to develop a preliminary item list for a self-report measure of prior sexual violence. Analysis of focus group data from 30 women revealed a range of sexual violence experiences, and provided critical phrasing used to form an item list …

Neurobehavioral Mechanisms Of Psychotic-Like Experiences And Cannabis Use, Ethan Campbell

Psychology ETDs

As cannabis use has increased steadily over the past decade, there is critical need to evaluate early cannabis use as a potential risk factor for the development of psychosis. Neurobehavioral mechanisms underlying novelty salience could clarify how cannabis exposure may influence subclinical psychotic-like experiences (PLEs). The present study leveraged dynamic functional connectivity and task-fMRI to assess the role of novelty processing in cannabis use and PLEs. A group of brain regions dynamically tied to the salience network while viewing short films were found to increase their activation as a function of stimulus novelty during a novelty bandit task. PLEs were …

Guillaume Dustan's Ethico-Politics Of The Body, Noah Mertz

Foreign Languages & Literatures ETDs

In this MA Thesis, I lay out a synthetic overview of polemical French writer Guillaume Dustan's (1965-2005) political philosophy. He is criticized first as irresponsible and dangerous for his defense of barebacking (sex without condoms) in the midst of the AIDS epidemic, and then, after his death, as a neoliberal/anarcho-capitalist for his focus on individual liberty. My overview touches on Dustan's Freudian belief that repression is the root of all social ills, his functional ethics of self-responsibility, the revaluation of heteronormative Judeo-Christian morality towards 'virtusex,' and his social contract that minimizes repression. Dustan’s goal is for you to autonomously subjectify …

Patient-Derived Ovarian Cancer Models Provide Insight Into Cancer Cell-Intrinsic And Immune Cell-Dependent Effects On Therapeutic Response, Parisa Nikeghbal

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy, largely due to late diagnosis and resistance to chemotherapy. This dissertation applies patient-derived organoids (PDOs), xenograft-derived organoids (PDXOs), and humanized xenografts (huPDX) to investigate therapeutic responses and immune interactions. Organoids were shown to retain critical features of the original malignancy. Across platinum-sensitive, -resistant, and -refractory cases, both PDOs and PDXOs exhibited drug sensitivities that aligned with patients’ clinical classifications. Building on this foundation, a drug screen revealed novel strategies. Auranofin restored platinum sensitivity in Notch3-active models, afatinib broadly reduced viability, and adavosertib–gemcitabine and sorafenib–topotecan combinations produced synergy. Extending this work, immune interactions …

Recreating Fiber Recruitment With Fiber Recruitment Using Additive Manufacturing, Natalia D. Mciver

Biomedical Engineering ETDs

Injured ligaments are often repaired with tendon grafts which may over or under constrain the joint; there is a need for an artificial graft option with the mechanical properties of a native ligament. Crimped fibers within ligaments allow for recruitment which means the viscoelastic properties of stress relaxation and creep are not inversely related. A feasibility study using ACLs and large-scale crimp models to study viscoelasticity, led to an in-depth analysis of the scapholunate interosseous ligament. Using the Modified Kelvin spring-dashpot model, for describing viscoelasticity with a variable stiffness property (time dependent fiber recruitment), we defined the relationship between creep …

Stress During Adolescence: A Characterization Of Anxiety-Like Behavior, And The Mrna Expression Of Neuroimmune Factors, Clock And Stress Genes In Corticolimbic Areas., Annette Fernandez Oropeza, Annette K. Fernandez Oropeza

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Adolescence represents a critical window of frontal cortex (FC) maturation and corticolimbic circuit refinement that supports stress and emotion regulation. Disruption of these processes by early-life insults such as prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) or adolescent stress increases vulnerability to anxiety and mood disorders, in part through circadian–immune dysregulation. The circadian transcription factor Bmal1 and the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) have emerged as key regulators of neuroimmune signaling and synaptic communication, yet their interactions across developmental risk contexts remain poorly understood. This dissertation examined the effects of mild adolescent isolation stress, with and without PAE, on anxiety-like behaviors and …

Dynamic Admittance Parameterization For Non-Prehensile Multi-Robot Transport With Optimal Coordinated Planning, Calvin J. Stahoviak

Computer Science ETDs

The Dynamic Admittance Parameterization of Non-Prehensile Multi-Robot Trans- port with Optimal Coordinated Planning (DYNAMO) architecture offers a practical framework for cooperative payload transportation using two robots equipped with nonholonomic mobile bases and four-degree-of-freedom manipulators. Coordinated mobile manipulation is a difficult problem in robotics, and the non-prehensile case is even more challenging than its prehensile counterpart because the robot bases and the payload are dynamically coupled. DYNAMO adapts arm motion in response to interaction forces and generates coordinated base trajectories that account for this coupling. Robust payload transport is achieved through the combination of opti- mal planning and adaptive compliant control, …

The Pathophysiological Role Of Mitochondrial Acid-Sensing Ion Channel 1a In Hypoxic Pulmonary Hypertension, Megan N. Tuineau

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is characterized by increased pulmonary arterial constriction, pulmonary arterial remodeling, and right ventricular dysfunction. While metabolic and mitochondrial derangements are increasingly recognized as central pathogenic features, the underlying mechanisms and effectors are not yet fully understood. Acid-sensing ion channel 1a (ASIC1a) is a proton-gated cation channel involved in the development of chronic hypoxia (CH)-induced PH. ASIC1a represents a potential candidate involved in metabolic-mitochondrial dysfunction, as metabolic byproducts can act as ligands for ASIC1a. Additionally, ASIC1a has recently been identified as a mitochondrial ion channel involved in neuronal death following oxidative stress. Therefore, we hypothesize that ASIC1a functions …

Ian Colburn, Ian Colburn, Katie Slack

Oral Histories of Farming along the Middle Rio Grande

No abstract provided.

Thesis A Reimagined World Language Curriculum For Secondary Education-Does Culture Matter?, Florence Duncan

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

The focus of this study is culture within the New Mexico high school world language

curriculum. Culture, as a topic, over time has evolved from near nonexistence to

becoming a fundamental element helping students derive multilingual and multicultural

understanding.

This study is an effort to reveal practices high school teachers use to teach, discuss and

evaluate cultural understanding. It uses qualitative interviews with high schools world

language teachers. Practices are evaluated against research findings and analyzed for

reliability and effectiveness. Findings will help with curriculum design for world language

application.

Overall, the study’s findings were positive. Interviewed teachers generally incorporate …