Digital Commons Network^™

An Island ‘Endemic’ Born Out Of Hybridization Between Introduced Lineages, Jessie F. Salter, Robb T. Brumfield, Brant C. Faircloth

Faculty Publications

Humans have profoundly impacted the distribution of plant and animal species over thousands of years. The most direct example of these effects is human-mediated movement of individuals, either through translocation of individuals within their range or through the introduction of species to new habitats. While human involvement may be suspected in species with obvious range disjunctions, it can be difficult to detect natural versus human-mediated dispersal events for populations at the edge of a species' range, and this uncertainty muddles how we understand the evolutionary history of populations and broad biogeographical patterns. Studies combining genetic data with archaeological, linguistic and …

Artifactual Orthologs And The Need For Diligent Data Exploration In Complex Phylogenomic Datasets: A Museomic Case Study From The Andean Flora, Laura A. Frost, Ana M. Bedoya, Laura P. Lagomarsino

Faculty Publications

The Andes mountains of western South America are a globally important biodiversity hotspot, yet there is a paucity of resolved phylogenies for plant clades from this region. Filling an important gap in our understanding of the World's richest flora, we present the first phylogeny of Freziera (Pentaphylacaceae), an Andean-centered, cloud forest radiation. Our dataset was obtained via hybrid-enriched target sequence capture of Angiosperms353 universal loci for 50 of the ca. 75 spp., obtained almost entirely from herbarium specimens. We identify high phylogenomic complexity in Freziera, including the presence of data artifacts. Via by-eye observation of gene trees, detailed examination of …

Effects Of Teosinte Flour (Dioon Mejiae) On Selected Physicochemical Characteristics And Consumer Perceptions Of Gluten-Free Cocoa Cookies Formulated With Mung Bean (Vigna Radiata) Flour, Carlos José Rivera, Ricardo S. Aleman, Jorge Ortega, Andrea Muela, Jhunior Marcia, Joan King, Witoon Prinyawiwatkul

Faculty Publications

Dioon mejiae, or teosinte, is a living fossil tree discovered in Olancho, Honduras, whose seeds have a desirable nutritional profile that can provide health benefits. As a result, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of teosinte flour obtained from seeds on selected physicochemical characteristics and consumer perceptions of gluten-free cocoa cookies formulated with mung bean (Vigna radiata) flour. Gluten-free cocoa cookies were prepared with different levels of teosinte flour (0%, 70%, 80%, 90%, and 100% by weight of mung bean flour) in substitution of mung bean flour. The cookies were evaluated for texture hardness, color (L*, …

Gendered Perceptions And Socio-Economic And Spatial Determinants Of Fear Of Crime: An Empirical Analysis In Szczecin, Poland, Natalia Sypion, Arkadiusz Kołodziej, Michael Leitner, Marek Dutkowski

Faculty Publications

The study of the fear of crime phenomenon provides a socially and politically important research question. Many studies show that gender differentiates the fear of crime, which is why we examine this phenomenon in a spatial perspective. The female versus male perspective of feelings of safety in residential areas were significantly different. The research was carried out using the CAWI technique in the city of Szczecin, in Poland (n=346). The research also examined which factors influenced the fear of crime the most: darkness, socio-economic characteristics, type of violations, number of registered crimes, or the assessment of police work. The research …

A New Private Law Of Policing, Cristina Carmody Tilley

Faculty Publications

American law and American life are asymmetrical. Law divides neatly in two: public and private. But life is lived in three distinct spaces: pure public, pure private, and hybrid middle spaces that are neither state nor home. Which body of law governs the shops, gyms, and workplaces that are formally accessible to all, but functionally hostile to Black, female, poor, and other marginalized Americans? From the liberal midcentury onward, social justice advocates have treated these spaces as fundamentally public and fully remediable via public law equity commands. This article takes a broader view. It urges a tort law revival in …

Association Between Short Birth Spacing And Child Malnutrition In Bangladesh: A Propensity Score Matching Approach, Foyez Ahmmed, Nahid Hasan, Faruk Hossain, Tareq Ferdous Khan

Faculty Publications

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the effects of short birth spacing (SBS), which is defined as a period of less than 33 months between two successive births, on multiple concurrent forms of child malnutrition (MCFCM) and at least one form of child malnutrition (ALOFCM) using propensity score matching (PSM). Methods: This study used data extracted from the 2017- 18 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. PSM with four different distance functions, including logistic regression, classification and regression tree, single hidden layer neural network and random forest, were performed to evaluate the effects of SBS on MCFCM and ALOFCM. We also …

Synergnet: A Graph Neural Network Model To Predict Anticancer Drug Synergy, Mengmeng Liu, Gopal Srivastava, J. Ramanujam, Michal Brylinski

Faculty Publications

Drug combination therapy shows promise in cancer treatment by addressing drug resistance, reducing toxicity, and enhancing therapeutic efficacy. However, the intricate and dynamic nature of biological systems makes identifying potential synergistic drugs a costly and time-consuming endeavor. To facilitate the development of combination therapy, techniques employing artificial intelligence have emerged as a transformative solution, providing a sophisticated avenue for advancing existing therapeutic approaches. In this study, we developed SynerGNet, a graph neural network model designed to accurately predict the synergistic effect of drug pairs against cancer cell lines. SynerGNet utilizes cancer-specific featured graphs created by integrating heterogeneous biological features into …

A Simplified Model For The Study Of Film-Boiling Droplet Motion On Microscale Ratchets, Sheldon Wang, Jeong Tae Ok, Sunggook Park, Mahmoud Elsharafi, Yu Guo

Faculty Publications

In this work, we explore a simplified model based on both analytical and computational methods for the study of film-boiling droplet motion on microscale ratchets. We consider a specific ratchet design with the length periods and depth of ratchets much smaller than the size of the droplet. We conclude based on our modeling that for the ratchet configuration considered in this paper, the conduction within the vapor film is the dominant means of heat transfer in comparison with convection and radiation. Furthermore, we demonstrate a more manageable two-dimensional model in which analytical approaches coupled with computational approaches yield reasonably accurate …

Canada's Special Economic Measures Act Under International Law, Preston Jordan Lim

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Canonical Transformation For The Anderson Lattice Hamiltonian With F–F Electron Coupling, Guang-Lin Zhao

Faculty Publications

In this work, a new canonical transformation for the Anderson lattice Hamiltonian with f–f electron coupling was developed, which was further used to identify a new Kondo lattice Hamiltonian. Different from the single impurity Kondo effect, the resulted new Kondo lattice Hamiltonian only includes the spin-flip scattering processes between conduction electrons and f-electrons, while the normal process of non-spin-flip scattering is absent in this Hamiltonian, under the second order approximation. The new Kondo lattice Hamiltonian may be used to study some anomalous physical properties in some Kondo lattice intermetallic compounds.

Lotic-Sipco2: Adaptation Of An Open-Source Co2 Sensor System And Examination Of Associated Emission Uncertainties Across A Range Of Stream Sizes And Land Uses, Andrew L. Robison, Lauren E. Koenig, Jody D. Potter, Lisle E. Snyder, Christopher W. Hunt, William H. Mcdowell, Wilfred M. Wollheim

Faculty Publications

River networks play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle, as relevant sources of carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere. Advancements in high-frequency monitoring in aquatic environments have enabled measurement of dissolved CO2 concentration at temporal resolutions essential for studying carbon variability and evasion from these dynamic ecosystems. Here, we describe the adaptation, deployment, and validation of an open-source and relatively low-cost in situ pCO2 sensor system for lotic ecosystems, the lotic-SIPCO2. We tested the lotic-SIPCO2 in 10 streams that spanned a range of land cover and basin size. Key system adaptations for lotic environments included prevention of biofouling, …

Comparative Methods For Teaching Contemporary And Ancient Saints, Todd E. French, Mohammed Forero Bucheli

Faculty Publications

This paper argues that a comparative study of saints is not only a useful classroom tool for historians and religionists, but an exceptionally powerful locus of pedagogical insight and cultural understanding. By reframing contemporary consumptive patterns, media representations, and power discourses as religious vectors of saintliness, the professor has an opportunity to explore and assess cultural values, rituals, beliefs, worldviews, communities, traditions, and meaning making in the contemporary college student’s world. By acknowledging the dangers and possibilities of the category of saint while reframing the ascetical impact on developing subjectivities, we propose six pedagogical examples of how this might best …

Identification Of Potential Therapist “Missteps” In The Context Of Engagement In Public Mental Health Services: Analysis Of Digital Recordings And Key Informant Validation, Hyun Seon Park, Kimberly Becker, Wendy Chu, Kendal Reeder, Carolina Lechuga, Johnathan K. Ahuna, Eleanor Wu, Lanalle Darden, Rosalyn Williams, Rosana Serrano, Bruce F. Chorpita

Faculty Publications

Objective: This study aimed to characterize and validate potential therapist “missteps,” or inadvertent behaviors that may impact youth and family engagement in mental health services.

Method: Ten misstep types were coded from 224 treatment sessions provided by 92 therapists. Rapid qualitative analysis using key informant interviews was conducted to examine insights related to the occurrence, expected impact, and perceived severity of therapist missteps as an indicator of the face validity of the missteps construct and types.

Results: All 10 misstep types demonstrated good reliability (Fleiss’ k = .71−.88). All 10 misstep types appeared to have facevalidity with key informants. Key …

Food Systems Under Shock: The Evolution Of Food Security Status Of Karantina Residents After The Beirut Explosion, Mariana Makoukji, Nour El Houda Amhez, Abed Al Kareem Yehya, Hala Ghattas Ph.D., Yaser Abunnasr, Rami Zurayk

Faculty Publications

Robust food systems are crucial for ensuring access to affordable and nutritious food, particularly in times of crisis. Economic instability, currency devaluation, and political turmoil can disrupt food systems, leading to higher food prices, compromised nutrition, and increased vulnerability. Lebanon is a stark example of this, where a catastrophic explosion in Beirut’s Port in 2020 worsened an existing economic and humanitarian crisis. The depreciation of the Lebanese currency led to soaring food prices, impacting people’s ability to buy food, and pushing many into poverty, illustrating the significant impact of the state food systems during crises (FAO, 2021). In times of …

Examining The Evolution Of Network Governance Forms Of An Event Leveraging Collective: A Longitudinal Investigation, Landy Lu, Ran Zhou, Guangzhou Chen, Laura Misener

Faculty Publications

This study aims to investigate how an event leveraging collective’s network governance forms evolved from pre- to post‐Games and how these forms influenced members' collaborative engagement. We adopted a longitudinal qualitative case study approach. Our primary data sources included 996 pages of archival documents and 18 interviews with collective members. We found that in the pre- and during-Games stage, the leveraging collective adopted a shared participant-governed form with a facilitator. This participant-driven structure could enhance connectedness and collaborative engagement among member organizations. In the postevent phase, the collective assumed a pillar-governed form with a facilitator. Although this structure appeared to …

Technical Efficiency, Scale Effect, And Trade Liberalization: Evidence From The Nepalese Manufacturing Sector, Amrit Pathak, Shawn Leu, Mari L. Robertson, Mahinda Siriwardanaa

Faculty Publications

This paper investigates the impact of trade liberalization and scale of operation on technical efficiency of the Nepalese manufacturing sector after the 1992 economic liberalization. The study utilizes industry panel data and analyses the relationship using stochastic frontier analysis. We find that the manufacturing sector of Nepal is highly inefficient. Technical progress is found initially, however after 1996/97, technical regress dominates each period. Sectoral efficiency, on average, is estimated around 28.7% of potential value added whereas inefficiency is as high as 146%. The scale of operation, as expected, is highly significant in explaining industry efficiency. Trade liberalization, on the other …

Hybrid Interpersonal Violence In Latin America: Causes And Patterns, Abigail Weitzman, Mónica Caudillo, Eldad J. Levy

Faculty Publications

In this review, we argue that to understand patterns and causes of violence in contemporary Latin America, we must explicitly consider when violence takes on interpersonal qualities. We begin by reviewing prominent definitions and measurements of interpersonal violence. We then detail the proliferation of interlocking sources of regional insecurity, including gender-based violence, gangs, narcotrafficking, vigilantism, and political corruption. Throughout this description, we highlight when and how each source of insecurity can become interpersonal. Next, we outline mutually reinforcing macro and micro conditions underlying interpersonal violence in its many hybrid forms. To conclude, we call for more multifaceted conceptualizations of interpersonal …

Affirming Culture And Cultural Identity In The Bilingual/Esl Classrooms, Frank Lucido, David Jimenez, Shifang Tang

Faculty Publications

In Texas and throughout the United States, the increasing linguistic diversity within educational settings necessitates the expansion of bilingual and ESL programs. Approximately 5 million school-age children in the U.S. are identified as English learners, and many more are raised in non-English-speaking households. This represents about one-quarter of all K-12 students in the U.S., amounting to nearly 18 million children, most of whom have immigrant parents (Mitchell, 2020a). The urgency to address their needs is amplified by concerns that prolonged school closures could worsen the challenges faced by this demographic, which already includes heightened risks of homelessness, hunger, and educational …

Left Ventricle Function And Post-Transcriptional Events With Exercise Training In Pigs, Stephanie L. Samani, Shayne C. Barlow, Lisa A. Freeburg, Traci L. Jones, Marlee Poole, Mark A. Sarzynski Ph.D., Faha, Facsm, Michael R. Zile, Tarek Shazly, Francis G. Spinale

Faculty Publications

Background

Standardized exercise protocols have been shown to improve overall cardiovascular fitness, but direct effects on left ventricular (LV) function, particularly diastolic function and relation to post-transcriptional molecular pathways (microRNAs (miRs)) are poorly understood. This project tested the central hypothesis that adaptive LV remodeling resulting from a large animal exercise training protocol, would be directly associated with specific miRs responsible for regulating pathways relevant to LV myocardial stiffness and geometry.

Methods and results

Pigs (n = 9; 25 Kg) underwent a 4 week exercise training protocol (10 degrees elevation, 2.5 mph, 10 min, 5 days/week) whereby LV chamber stiffness (KC) …

Left Ventricle Function And Post-Transcriptional Events With Exercise Training In Pigs, Stephanie L. Samani, Shayne C. Barlow, Lisa A. Freeburg, Traci L. Jones, Marlee Poole, Mark A. Sarzynski Facsm, Michael R. Zile, Tarek Shazly, Francis G. Spinale

Faculty Publications

Background

Standardized exercise protocols have been shown to improve overall cardiovascular fitness, but direct effects on left ventricular (LV) function, particularly diastolic function and relation to post-transcriptional molecular pathways (microRNAs (miRs)) are poorly understood. This project tested the central hypothesis that adaptive LV remodeling resulting from a large animal exercise training protocol, would be directly associated with specific miRs responsible for regulating pathways relevant to LV myocardial stiffness and geometry.

Methods and results

Pigs (n = 9; 25 Kg) underwent a 4 week exercise training protocol (10 degrees elevation, 2.5 mph, 10 min, 5 days/week) whereby LV chamber stiffness (KC) …

The Precarious Art Of Classifying Facts, Allison Orr Larsen

Faculty Publications

In their terrific new article, Fact Stripping, Joseph Blocher and Brandon Garrett bring formidable expertise from their respective fields to tackle the inscrutable puzzle of appellate fact review.

[...]

In this short reply I will add to Blocher and Garrett’s illuminating work by exploring a foundational confusion their article exposes. I will first explain why classifying facts as either suitable for trial or not is a very fraught endeavor; I will then argue that this difficulty allows for significant manipulation and the risk of unprincipled application. Finally, I will nod to prior work and forecast future work where I …

Effector-Triggered Susceptibility By The Rice Blast Fungus Magnaporthe Oryzae, Ely Oliveira-Garcia, Xia Yan, Miriam Oses-Ruiz, Samuel De Paula, Nicholas J. Talbot

Faculty Publications

Rice blast, the most destructive disease of cultivated rice world-wide, is caused by the filamentous fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. To cause disease in plants, M. oryzae secretes a diverse range of effector proteins to suppress plant defense responses, modulate cellular processes, and support pathogen growth. Some effectors can be secreted by appressoria even before host penetration, while others accumulate in the apoplast, or enter living plant cells where they target specific plant subcellular compartments. During plant infection, the blast fungus induces the formation of a specialized plant structure known as the biotrophic interfacial complex (BIC), which appears to be crucial for …

Survival And Cause-Specific Mortality Of Male Wild Turkeys Across The Southeastern United States, Patrick H. Wightman, Erin E. Ulrey, Nicholas W. Bakner, Jay R. Cantrell, Charles R. Ruth, Emily Rushton, Cody A. Cedotal, John C. Kilgo, David J. Moscicki, Krishna Pacifici, Christopher E. Moorman, Bret A. Collier, Michael J. Chamberlain

Faculty Publications

Estimating survival and cause-specific mortality of male eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) is important for understanding population dynamics and implementing appropriate harvest management. To better understand age-specific estimates of annual survival and harvest rates, we captured and marked male wild turkeys with leg bands (n = 311) or bands and transmitters (n = 549) in Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, and South Carolina, USA, during 2014–2022. We fitted time to event models to data from radio-marked birds to estimate cause-specific mortality and annual survival. We used band recovery models incorporating both band recovery and telemetry data to further investigate harvest …

Sovereignty And Dependence In The American Empire: Native Nations, Territories, And Overseas Colonies, Alvin Padilla-Babilonia

Faculty Publications

What justifies plenary powers over Native nations, U.S. territories, and overseas colonies? One answer is the text of the Constitution: the Indian Commerce Clause or the Territorial Clause. Another answer is sovereignty under international law. In this Article, I argue that these legalistic explanations overlook a third answer: that political and judicial actors justified plenary powers based on the colonial notion that these so-called dependent peoples were incapable of self- government.

Members of Congress, presidents, federal judges, and territorial governors reconciled republicanism and colonialism in the American empire by constituting Native nations, the territories, and the overseas colonies as dependent …

A Codified Liabilty Regime To Stimulate Greater Investment In Subpatentable Innovation, Ana Santos Rutschman, Jerome H. Reichman

Faculty Publications

The global intellectual property system rests on a distinction between exclusive property rights and free competition. Exclusive rights vary in strength and intensity, but the opposite of protection is almost always free competition. Distinctions of intensity are drawn in terms of the length of protection given to different subject matters plus variable lists of exceptions and limitations to exclusive rights. But the bottom line is that, when protection is not available under the existing system, free competition prevails, and vice-versa (i.e., where there is exclusivity, free competition is deferred for a specified period of time).

This Article departs from a …

Sedimentary Processes And Instability On The Mississippi River Delta Front Near The Shipwreck Of The Ss Virginia, Nathan Figueredo, Samuel J. Bentley, Jason D. Chaytor, Kehui Xu, Navid Jafari, Ioannis Y. Georgiou, Melanie Damour, Jeffrey Duxbury, Jeffrey Obelcz, Jillian Maloney

Faculty Publications

Sediment cores were collected from a mudflow lobe (80 m water depth) offshore of the Mississippi River’s Southwest Pass in 2017 to better understand the sedimentology near the lobe entraining the SS Virginia shipwreck (sunk by a German U-boat in 1942) and surrounding Mississippi River delta front. Core analyses included ²¹⁰Pb/¹³⁷Cs geochronology, granulometry, and X-radiography. Sediment accumulation rates (SAR) calculated from excess ²¹⁰Pb activity in multicores are 0.22–0.29 cm/y at seabed depths less than 20 cm and 0.29–0.51 cm/y at depths greater than 20 cm. Accumulation rates for ¹³⁷Cs have been ~0.15 to ~0.37 cm/y …

Assessing Energy Mutual Funds: Performance, Risks, And Managerial Skills, Srinvias Nippani, Davinder Malhotra

Faculty Publications

This study investigates the risk-adjusted performance of energy equity mutual funds across a 23-year period, employing the Cumulative Wealth Index (CWI) to gauge their long-term performance relative to benchmark indices. Despite inherent volatility due to the energy sector’s cyclical nature, these funds consistently outperformed benchmarks based on monthly returns, showcasing resilience amid market fluctuations. However, challenges emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, with notable improvements post-vaccination. Utilizing a multi-factor model, the research highlights the interconnectivity of energy equity mutual funds with broader market movements and systemic factors. Despite their primary focus on the energy sector, these funds exhibit sensitivity to larger …

Global Change Impacts On Indigenous Sustainability In Sakha Republic: A Synthesis Of Knowledge, Stanislav Saas Ksenofontov, Andrey N. Petrov

Faculty Publications

Indigenous understanding of sustainability is embedded in close relations to land and environment, Indigenous Knowledge systems, Indigenous epistemologies and ontologies, and Indigenous languages. However, the sustainability of Indigenous peoples’ livelihoods is significantly affected by various global change drivers. In the Arctic, Indigenous peoples’ livelihoods are impacted by environmental, social, and cultural changes, including climate change, environmental pollution, economic processes, and resource extraction. This paper aims to review and synthesize recent academic and gray literature on the sustainability of Indigenous communities in Sakha Republic, Northeast Siberia, Russia in the face of global change with a particular focus on land- and water-based …

Canceling Appellate Precedent, Michael A. Risch, Lisa A. Tucker

Faculty Publications

In recent years, since soon after Justice Amy Coney Barrett assumed her seat on the United States Supreme Court, the Court has erased more than thirteen politically and legally significant opinions written by the federal appeals courts. In deciding to vacate rather than simply deny certiorari, the Court has eliminated—with one sentence orders that offer no explanation—fully briefed, argued, and reasoned opinions on issues such as abortion, the Voting Rights Act, President Trump’s travel ban, and the Emoluments Clause. Consequently, progressive victories in those areas no longer stand.

The Supreme Court used its power to “vacate” lower court rulings, which …

An Empirical Investigation Of Online Grocery Shopping Behaviors Based On Different Generations, Jung-Im Seo

Faculty Publications

The Coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly impacted on consumers’ grocery shopping habits and lifestyles. Online grocery shopping is one of the promising ways to have little contact as well as increase convenience. For this reason, the sales and revenues of online grocery shopping have been dramatically increasing during the pandemic. The purpose of this study to explore online grocery shopping behaviors of different generations and their shopping intentions toward online grocery shopping during and after the pandemic. Data were collected from Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and Southeast region in U.S.A with convenience sample. All Generations know that online grocery …