Digital Commons Network^™

Doctors’ Duty To Provide Abortion Information, Michelle Oberman, Lisa Soleymani Lehmann

Faculty Publications

With abortion remaining legal in over half of the country and a proliferation of websites offering information on how to access abortion medications, ending an unwanted early-stage pregnancy remains surprisingly easy. That is, easy for those who know where to look. But not all patients have equal access to reliable information. This Article addresses the urgent downstream harms caused by the lack of access to abortion information, particularly among the most vulnerable Americans, and argues that, in view of these consequences, regardless of abortion’s legal status, clinicians have a duty to provide their patients with abortion information.

We begin with …

Developing An Ethical Framework-Guided Instrument For Assessing Bias In Ehr-Based Big Data Studies: A Research Protocol, Shan Qiao Ph.D., George Khushf, Xiaoming Li, Jiajia Zhang Ph.D., Bankole Olatosi Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Introduction The emergence of Big Data health research has exponentially advanced the fields of medicine and public health but has also faced many ethical challenges. One of most worrying but still under-researched aspects of the ethical issues is the risk of potential biases in data sets (eg, electronic health records (EHR) data) as well as in the data curation and acquisition cycles. This study aims to develop, refine and pilot test an ethical framework-guided instrument for assessing bias in Big Data research using EHR data sets.

Methods and analysis Ethical analysis and instrument development (ie, the EHR bias assessment guideline) …

Season, Not Long-Term Warming, Affects The Relationship Between Ecosystem Function And Microbial Diversity, Melissa S. Shinfuku, Luiz A. Domeignoz-Horta, Mallory J. Choudoir, Serita D. Frey, Kristen M. Deangelis

Faculty Publications

Across biomes, soil biodiversity promotes ecosystem functions. However, whether this relationship will be maintained under climate change is uncertain. Here, using two long-term warming experiments, we investigated how warming affects the relationship between ecosystem functions and microbial diversity across seasons, soil horizons, and warming duration. The soils in these warming experiments were heated +5 °C above ambient for 13 or 28 years. We measured seven different ecosystem functions representative of soil carbon cycling, soil nitrogen cycling, or nutrient pools. We also surveyed bacterial and fungal community diversity. We found that the relationship between ecosystem function and bacterial diversity and the …

Review-Fishing For Chickens: A Smokies Food Memoir, Blake Denton

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Best Practices For Edd Comprehensive Exams And Capstone Projects: Students' Attitudes And Perspectives Of Outcomes In An Online Program, Masha Krsmanovic, Holly A. Foster

Faculty Publications

This research was guided by a problem of practice experienced by an EdD program, which transitioned to a fully online modality during the pandemic and rapidly grew in enrollment. The problem evaluated was ensuring the redesigned program milestones – capstone and comprehensive exam – are feasible given the size of the program. The current study utilized descriptive research design to provide a comprehensive description of educational phenomena. The study was conducted at a large, public research university in the South. A total of 316 students enrolled in the program and were invited to complete the survey, of which 131 responses …

A High-Quality De Novo Genome Assembly For Clapper Rail (Rallus Crepitans), Elisa C. Elizondo, Brant C. Faircloth, Robb T. Brumfield, Subir B. Shakya, Vincenzo A. Ellis, Carl J. Schmidt, Adrienne I. Kovach, W. Gregory Shriver

Faculty Publications

The clapper rail (Rallus crepitans), of the family Rallidae, is a secretive marsh bird species that is adapted for high salinity habitats. They are very similar in appearance to the closely related king rail (R. elegans), but while king rails are limited primarily to freshwater marshes, clapper rails are highly adapted to tolerate salt marshes. Both species can be found in brackish marshes where they freely hybridize, but the distribution of their respective habitats precludes the formation of a continuous hybrid zone and secondary contact can occur repeatedly. This system, thus, provides unique opportunities to investigate the underlying mechanisms driving …

Science Diplomacy From The Global South: The Case Of Intergovernmental Science Organizations, Anna Lena Rüland, Nicolas Rüffin, Katharina Cramer, Prosper Ngabonziza, Manoj Saxena, Stefan Skupien

Faculty Publications

Intergovernmental science organizations (IGSOs) address many challenges of the 21st century. Several countries of the Global South have joined established IGSOs or have created new ones. Yet we know little about their interests in IGSOs. Our study addresses this blind spot by investigating which objectives Southern actors pursue in IGSOs and under which conditions they are likely to achieve their objectives. Using insights from three strands of literature, we compare four IGSOs with Southern participation: the European Organization for Nuclear Research, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, the Square Kilometer Array, and the African Lightsource. We show that countries of the …

Unlocking The Potential Of Kinase Targets In Cancer: Insights From Canceromicsnet, An Ai-Driven Approach To Drug Response Prediction In Cancer, Manali Singha, Limeng Pu, Gopal Srivastava, Xialong Ni, Brent A. Stanfield, Ifeanyi K. Uche, Paul J.F. Rider, Konstantin G. Kousoulas, J. Ramanujam, Michal Brylinski

Faculty Publications

Deregulated protein kinases are crucial in promoting cancer cell proliferation and driving malignant cell signaling. Although these kinases are essential targets for cancer therapy due to their involvement in cell development and proliferation, only a small part of the human kinome has been targeted by drugs. A comprehensive scoring system is needed to evaluate and prioritize clinically relevant kinases. We recently developed CancerOmicsNet, an artificial intelligence model employing graph-based algorithms to predict the cancer cell response to treatment with kinase inhibitors. The performance of this approach has been evaluated in large-scale benchmarking calculations, followed by the experimental validation of selected …

Editorial Introduction: Exploring Theories And Subtleties Of The Policy Process, Geoboo Song, Melissa K. Merry, Nataliia Borozdina, Ben Galloway, Gwen Arnold, Aaron Smith-Walter, Holly L. Peterson, Creed Tumlison

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Mining Chinese Consumer Minds: Motivations For Selling Unwanted Fashion Items In Online Resale Marketplaces, Zhongjie Wang, Chuanlan Liu

Faculty Publications

With the development of China’s fashion resale market, sustainable consumption patterns have gradually become popular in China. Although the prospects of China’s fashion resale market are recognized, more and more consumers are also actively participating in the circular consumption model. Consumers have multiple identities in participating in resale, and can be sellers or buyers. However, the sales intention of Chinese consumers to participate in resale as sellers is still unclear. We need to understand what value Chinese consumers are looking for in resale as sellers. The focus of this exploratory study is to understand the intention of Chinese consumers to …

Countering The Pursuit Of “Magic Bullet” Solutions, Joseph B. Ryan, Paul Mooney

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Thermophysical Properties Of Additively Manufactured (Am) Grcop-42 And Grcop-84, Yehong Chen, Congyuan Zeng, Huan Ding, Selami Emanet, Paul R. Gradl, David L. Ellis, Shengmin Guo

Faculty Publications

Additive manufacturing (AM) has enabled new opportunities of high-performance alloys for use in complex components across the aerospace, industrial, automotive, and energy industries. These industries have growing interest in copper alloys and AM for high-performance heat exchangers such as rocket engine combustion chambers. GRCop copper alloys, such as GRCop-84 (Cu-8Cr-4 Nb at%) and GRCop-42 (Cu-4Cr-2 Nb at%), have high thermal conductivity and high mechanical properties at elevated operating temperatures. In this paper, thermophysical properties for GRCop-84 and GRCop-42 produced using laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) are examined. While L-PBF parameters and resulting microstructures can be achieved in a laboratory environment, …

That Ye Might Feel And See: Touch In The First Day Of Christ's Ministry, Dan L. Belnap

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Putin's Matryoskha: A War Reparations Facility For Rebuilding Ukraine, Lev E. Breydo

Faculty Publications

This Article addresses a critical, trillion-dollar question: How do we hold Russia accountable for the reconstruction of Ukraine? The nation has been devastated by Russia's brutal war of aggression, with tens of thousands killed, millions displaced and its economy in shambles. The enormity of the problem cannot be overstated.

Existing proposals to support Ukraine, including many from prominent scholars, largely focus on seizing Russian assets, particularly central bank reserves "frozen" by sanctions. Such strategies, however, are legally problematic-- likely well beyond the scope of Presidential authority-- and financially insufficient. Moreover, while prospective new legislation could expand presidential powers, it risks …

The Emergence Of Convergence, Shana M. Sundstrom, David G. Angeler, Jessica G. Ernakovich, Jorge H. Garcia, Joseph A. Hamm, Orville Huntington, Craig R. Allen

Faculty Publications

Science is increasingly a collaborative pursuit. Although the modern scientific enterprise owes much to individuals working at the core of their field, humanity is increasingly confronted by highly complex problems that require the integration of a variety of disciplinary and methodological expertise. In 2016, the U.S. National Science Foundation launched an initiative prioritizing support for convergence research as a means of “solving vexing research problems, in particular, complex problems focusing on societal needs.” We discuss our understanding of the objectives of convergence research and describe in detail the conditions and processes likely to generate successful convergence research. We use our …

The Hidden Power Of “Thank You”: Exploring Aspects, Expressions, And The Influence Of Gratitude In Religious Families, Joe M. Chelladurai, Loren D. Marks, David C. Dollahite, Heather H. Kelley, David B. Allsop

Faculty Publications

Gratitude has been extensively studied over the past two decades. Among several predictors, aspects of religiosity and spirituality have been consistent predictors of gratitude. To explore the religious motivations and processes that foster the practice of gratitude, we undertook a systematic thematic analysis using interview data from a national qualitative project of 198 highly religious families. Participants (n = 476) included mothers, fathers, and children from various socioeconomic backgrounds and from diverse religious, racial, and ethnic backgrounds in the United States of America. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in the participants’ homes. Data for this study were analyzed using a team-based …

Family Experiences Of Engagement In Inclusive Childcare Programs For Toddlers, Julianna Lieb, Audra Classen, Lindsay Wright, Hollie Filce

Faculty Publications

Previous research has explored family engagement experiences and practices in childcare programs. The purpose of this study was to explore family members’ experiences related to their engagement in decision-making processes across various inclusive, toddler childcare programs. Five early educators and eight parents participated in the study. Four parents had a child with a diagnosed disability or developmental delays, were at-risk for developmental delays, and/or received speech, occupational, or physical therapy. Eligible early educators participating in the study taught toddlers (18 to 30 months) in a private, faith-based, or university childcare program. A semi-structured interview style was used to collect family …

The Characteristics Of Successful Military It Projects: A Cross-Country Empirical Study, Helene Berg, Jonathan D. Ritschel

Faculty Publications

In the armed forces, successful digitalization is crucial to ensure effective operations. Much of the existing literature on project factors during the planning and execution phases of public IT projects do not focus specifically on military sector projects. Therefore, the paper aims to provide empirical insights into the characteristics of successful military IT projects. Data from such projects in NATO countries and agencies were collected through interviews and project documents. The findings relating to the main variable of interest, “delivery of client benefit,” supported previous findings on IT project performance. Medium-sized projects performed better than small and large projects, and …

Gender (In)Equity In Global Mental Health Research: A Call To Action, The Women In Global Mental Health Research Group, Kelly Rose-Clarke

Faculty Publications

In this commentary, we build on work by Gurung and colleagues which highlighted gender inequity in the global mental health research workforce in Nepal (Gurung et al., 2021). We seek to increase awareness of the under-representation of women in global mental health research and its consequences, and we call for change. By women, we refer to all people who identify as women, including trans people. The commentary is informed by conversations with women who are global mental health researchers in the Global North and South at various stages of their careers.

Short-Term Responses Of Soil Carbon, Nitrogen, And Microbial Biomass To Cover Crop Mixtures And Monocultures, Igor Alexandre De Souza, Amanda B. Daly, Jorg Schnecker, Nicholas D. Warren, Adalfredo Rocha Lobo Jr., Richard G. Smith, Andre Fonseca Brito, A. Stuart Grandy

Faculty Publications

Increasingly, cover crops are being adopted for the purpose of improving soil health, yet the timescale and magnitude by which living annual cover crops might modify soil chemical and biological aspects of soil health is not well understood. At the same time, there is growing interest among farmers in cover crop mixtures due to perceptions that species-rich cover crop communities will enhance soil health relative to monocultures. In a field experiment in southeast New Hampshire, we investigated how groups of cover crops grown as monocultures and mixtures for specific seasonal niches (winter/spring, summer, and fall) influenced levels of soil nitrogen …

Living In The Summer, Andrea Luxton

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Mindful First Amendment, Gary Myers

Faculty Publications

The mindfulness movement has begun to play an expanding role in personal well-being and in society more generally. Although there is an active push for mindfulness in law, its primary focus is on ways in which mindfulness techniques can help lawyers in their personal and professional lives. This article explores the possible contributions of mindfulness to the widely recognized challenges facing freedom of speech and freedom of the press in an era of severe cultural and political polarization.

Preliminary Validation Of Digital Photography To Assess The Home Food Environment, Daniela Quan, Isaac Michael, Elizabeth Gollub

Faculty Publications

The home food environment (HFE), the availability and accessibility of foods and food products within the home, has a strong influence on healthy eating behaviors. Studies assessing the HFE commonly utilize a home food inventory (HFI) for data collection. However, this approach tends to be burdensome for participants. This study validated a low-burden digital photo method for assessing the home food environment and confirmed that this method is preferred by participants. Study participants completed an HFI, submitted photos of household foods, then identified preference for the HFI or photo reporting method. Researchers completed an HFI based on each participant’s photo …

Evidence For Two Soybean Looper Strains In The United States With Limited Capacity For Cross-Hybridization, Rodney N. Nagoshi, Jeffrey A. Davis, Robert L. Meagher, Fred R. Musser, Graham P. Head, Hector Portillo, Henry Teran

Faculty Publications

The noctuid moth soybean looper (SBL), Chrysodeixis includens (Walker) is an economically important pest of soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) in the southeastern United States. It has characteristics that are of particular concern for pest mitigation that include a broad host range, the capacity for annual long-distance flight, and resistance in some populations to important pesticides such as pyrethroids and chitin synthesis inhibitor. The biology of SBL in the United States resembles that of the fellow noctuid fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), a major pest of corn and several other crops. FAW exhibits a population structure in that …

Substantially Enhanced Landscape Carbon Sink Due To Reduced Terrestrial-Aquatic Carbon Transfer Through Soil Conservation In The Chinese Loess Plateau, Lishan Ran, Nufang Fang, Xuhui Wang, Shilong Piao, Chun Ngai Chan, Siliang Li, Yi Zeng, Zhihua Shi, Mingyang Tian, Yi Jun Xu, Junyu Qi, Boyi Liu

Faculty Publications

Soil conservation is of global importance, as accelerated soil erosion by human activity is a primary threat to ecosystem viability. However, the significance and role of soil conservation in reshaping landscape carbon (C) accounting has not been comprehensively integrated in the terrestrial C sink. Here, we present the first integrated assessment of the modified terrestrial C sink and aquatic C transport due to soil conservation for the semiarid Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP), the world's most vulnerable region to soil erosion. We show a surprisingly low terrestrial-aquatic C transfer that offset the terrestrial net ecosystem productivity by only 7.5%, which we …

Long-Term Capture Data Uncover Shifts In The Daily Activity Patterns Of Amazonian Birds, Cameron L. Rutt, Philip C. Stouffer, Bruna R. Amaral, David A. Luther

Faculty Publications

Although the duration of biological rhythms varies from milliseconds to decades, daily cycles are especially widespread for individual organisms. These circadian rhythms are synchronized by light–dark cycles, which govern predictable changes in other microclimate variables. Despite the fixed, regular nature of these abiotic cycles at low latitudes, little is known about how different animals structure activity along these gradients. We used 25 years of capture–recapture data and ~ 25 000 unique captures to characterize ‘activity' (time of capture) for 65 species of Amazonian birds in the lowest forest stratum (0–2.5 m). To quantify vertical niche breadths, we also measured foraging …

Current Status Of Us Soil Test Phosphorus And Potassium Recommendations And Analytical Methods, Sarah E. Lyons, Jason D. Clark, Deanna L. Osmond, Md Rasel Parvej, Austin W. Pearce, Nathan A. Slaton, John T. Spargo

Faculty Publications

Soil testing is the foundation of fertilizer recommendations in the United States. Fertilizer recommendations have primarily been developed by land-grant universities with limited coordination among programs. The individual state approach to develop fertilizer recommendations has resulted in discrepancies in recommended soil sampling protocols, soil analysis methods, and fertilizer recommendations at similar soil nutrient levels. A national survey was developed to summarize the status of soil testing and fertility work in the United States to inform future collaborative efforts among states and regions and identify opportunities to harmonize recommendation guidelines. Topics included relevant funding, multi-state collaborations, state soil-test recommendations and related …

Transcription Factor Pecs Mediates Agrobacterium Fabrum Fitness And Survival, George C. Nwokocha, Prava Adhikari, Asif Iqbal, Hannah Elkholy, William T. Doerrler, John C. Larkin, Anne Grove

Faculty Publications

The transcriptional regulator PecS is encoded by select bacterial pathogens. For instance, in the plant pathogen Dickeya dadantii, PecS controls a range of virulence genes, including pectinase genes and the divergently oriented gene pecM, which encodes an efflux pump through which the antioxidant indigoidine is exported. In the plant pathogen Agrobacterium fabrum (formerly named Agrobacterium tumefaciens), the pecS-pecM locus is conserved. Using a strain of A. fabrum in which pecS has been disrupted, we show here that PecS controls a range of phenotypes that are associated with bacterial fitness. PecS represses flagellar motility and chemotaxis, which are processes that are …

Reducing The Generation Time In Winter Wheat Cultivars Using Speed Breeding, Adam Schoen, Sydney Wallace, Meghan Fisher Holbert, Gina Brown-Guidera, Stephen Harrison, Paul Murphy, Nicholas Sanantonio, David Van Sanford, Richard Boyles, Mohamed Mergoum, Nidhi Rawat, Vijay Tiwari

Faculty Publications

Reducing generation time is critical to achieving the goals of genetic gain in important crops like wheat (Triticum aestivum). Speed breeding (SB) has been shown to considerably reduce generation times in crop plants. Unlike spring wheat cultivars, winter wheat varieties require typically 6–9 weeks of cold treatment, called vernalization, for flowering which extends the generation time for the development of improved winter wheat cultivars. Here, we optimized the SB method using a set of 48 diverse soft red winter wheat (SRWW) cultivars by testing vernalization duration, light and temperature requirements, and the viability of seeds harvested after different durations post-anthesis …

Refining 2svca Method For Measuring Telehealth Accessibility Of Primary Care Physicians In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Lingbo Liu, Jennifer Alford-Teaster, Tracy Onega, Fahui Wang

Faculty Publications

Equity in health care delivery is a longstanding concern of public health policy. Telehealth is considered an important way to level the playing field by broadening health services access and improving quality of care and health outcomes. This study refines the recently developed “2-Step Virtual Catchment Area (2SVCA) method” to assess the telehealth accessibility of primary care in the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area, Louisiana. The result is compared to that of spatial accessibility via physical visits to care providers based on the popular 2-Step Floating Catchment Area (2SFCA) method. The study shows that both spatial and telehealth accessibilities decline …