Digital Commons Network^™

Medical Authority And The Right To Life, B. Jessie Hill

Faculty Publications

This essay briefly explores this relationship between the understandings—existing and potential—of the right to “life” and the role of medical authority in constitutional abortion rights litigation. It proceeds as follows. Part I describes the dichotomy between two different understandings of “life” in U.S. legal discourse, with a particular focus on cases dealing with the so-called “right to die.” Part II then explains why this dichotomy is relevant in the post-Dobbs abortion rights context, as it holds the promise of an alternate path to protection for abortion rights at the federal and state levels. Part II also discusses how and why …

Creative Reading: Using Poetic Inquiry In Research And Teaching, Clancy Ratliff, Abdullah Al Musayeb, Barja Islam, Mithila Mumtaz, Rosol Otear, Simon Richard, Noah Smith, Nuzhat Tarannum, Allyssa Veney

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Physical Activity, Anxiety, Depression, And Coping In Turkish Men And Women During The First Wave Of Covid-19, Bijen Filiz, Funda Coşkun Özyol, Bengü Güven, Ezel Nur Korur, Yılmaz Yüksel, Cavit Işık Yavuz, Kele Ding, Jingzhen Yang, J. Larry Durstine Phd, Facsm, Faacvpr, Fnak, Ming-Kai Chin, Gıyasettin Demirhan

Faculty Publications

A need exists to better understand the relationships between COVID-19, coping behaviors, physical activity and stress, and COVID-19’s impact on way of life. A cross-sectional study design was used to examine adult physical activity, hope, depression, anxiety, and coping status by gender during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to determine the impact of these variables on the coping process. The study also examined the effect of gender on the relation between physical activity and dependent variables. A global survey instrument was used in this study, including 1,400 Turkish adults. This study identified significant gender-based differences regarding physical activity, hope, depression, anxiety, …

Dropping The Veil: How An Investigation Into One Asylum Office Reveals Systemic Failures Within The U.S. Affirmative Asylum System, Anna R. Welch, Sara P. Cressey

Faculty Publications

The eleven asylum offices scattered throughout the United States make life-or-death decisions every year in tens of thousands of asylum cases. Yet, little is known about the internal workings of U.S. asylum offices where the informal, non-adjudicative framework for deciding asylum claims takes place behind closed doors. Our three-year study into the Boston Asylum Office is the first ever comprehensive empirical study into the inner workings of an asylum office in the United States. This Article takes a deeper dive into our study’s various findings to highlight systemic failures that are likely pervasive throughout the U.S. affirmative asylum system. We …

The Morass Of Higher Education Financing, Robert W. Miller

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Review Of Say Hello To My Little Friend, Michael F. Russo

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Ethnic-Racial Socialization Experiences Of Mexican American Youth, Katherine J. Bingham, Elizabeth A. Cutrer-Párraga, Timothy B. Smith

Faculty Publications

Research has shown that ethnic–racial socialization (ERS) predicts education and mental health outcomes for adolescents. However, limited research has evaluated the ERS experiences of Latinx students. The current study examined ERS experiences of Mexican American youth in four focus group interviews that were transcribed and analyzed at both the individual and group level using interpretive phenomenological analysis. Main themes included feeling like an outsider, navigating discrimination, encountering social/emotional difficulties, and achieving a positive identity. Each theme contained two to three subcategories that provide further insight into the Mexican Americans' ERS experiences. Participants reported within-group discrimination, motivation to disprove stereotypes, and …

Examining The Self-Regulation Abilities Of Students Enrolled In An Online Secondary Charter School, Karen T. Arnesen, Charles R. Graham, Heather Leary

Faculty Publications

This exploratory research addresses the state of student selfregulation (SR) in an online secondary school. Students are more likely to be successful, especially in online schools, when they are self-regulated. Understanding these students’ current SR abilities can facilitate targeted interventions. Data for this study was gathered from a student survey and interviews of students, parents, and teachers from an online secondary school. Quantitative and qualitative analysis revealed that many students perceived their SR as being adequate to strong and that students were more aware of the help-seeking and time management dimensions of SR than of the other dimensions. This awareness …

Parental Support Challenges For K-12 Student Online Engagement, Qi Guo, Charles R. Graham, Jered Borup, Bobbie Sandberg, Richard E. West

Faculty Publications

This research seeks to understand parental support for online students. Using a survey, this study examined perceptions from 567 parents from eight online K-12 programs in a Midwestern state regarding their support for students’ online affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement. Guided by the Academic Communities of Engagement Framework, our analysis identified eight main challenges parents faced when supporting their online student: (a) focus; (b) keeping on pace; (c) lack of motivation; (d) lack of organization, learning materials, live sessions, and support from online schools; (e) lack of feedback, support, and communication from teachers; (f) parents in need of additional skills …

Learning From Secondary Blended Teaching Practitioners: Selecting Activities And Connecting In-Person And Online Learning, Michelle Jensen, Charles R. Graham, Cecil R. Short

Faculty Publications

Implementation of blended teaching (BT) practices is increasing rapidly in K-12 classrooms. This trend creates an urgent need for professional development to support BT. An understanding of how experienced teachers implement BT can inform teacher educators and professional development leaders as they develop training to support this practice. We interviewed 24 secondary educators implementing BT strategies to determine what activities they include in the online space and how they connect them to in-person learning. Qualitative thematic analysis of the interviews revealed that experienced blended teachers used a variety of online activities, providing opportunities for learners to interact with content, other …

Effects Of Cognitive And Social Demands On Linguistic Production For People With Moderate, Mild, Or No Aphasia, Tyson G. Harmon, Emily Mcdonald, Kyle Steele

Faculty Publications

Background: Most everyday communication occurs in situations where cognitive and social demands are present. These types of situations may compound language deficits for people with aphasia (PWA). An understanding of the language interference that may occur from cognitive and social demands is an important precursor for assessment and intervention that addresses everyday communication situations.

Aims: To determine how cognitively and socially demanding conditions affect micro- and macrolinguistic production for people with moderate, mild, or no aphasia during narrative discourse and to compare effects among groups.

Method: Thirty participants with mild (n = 9), moderate (n = 9), or no (n …

Alterity As A Mirror Of Identity: Primo Levi’S Self Representation In Other People’S Trades, Ilona Klein

Faculty Publications

Primo Levi reveals much about himself in the fifty-one short essays of L’altrui mestiere (Other People’s Trades). This study analyzes L’altrui mestiere as the awareness of the “self” through the observation of “otherness” — other people, but also other living beings which are not human (mammalian animals and insects), others as minerals, and others as hypotheses, theories, writings, microcosmic or macrocosmic conceptions that Levi uses to weave a discourse of “alterity” as a mirror of “identity.” L’altrui mestiere’s narrative pattern revolves around contrasts and comparisons between the familiar and the unfamiliar, the canny and the uncanny, the …

Chatbots Mitigate Help-Seeking Avoidance, James Gaskin, Eva Blondeel, Ryan Schuetzler, Rachel Serre, Jacob Steffen, David A. Wood

Faculty Publications

This research explores the transformative role of large language model (LLM) chatbots in fostering help-seeking behaviors among introverted and underrepresented students in educational settings. Despite the importance of help-seeking for academic success, certain groups exhibit avoidance behaviors due to self-presentation concerns and stereotype threats. By integrating LLM chatbots as non-judgmental, anonymous teaching assistants in an introductory information systems course, the study demonstrates how technology can mitigate these behaviors and promote inclusivity. The chatbots provided real-time, unbiased support, significantly enhancing the students' willingness to engage in help-seeking behaviors without fear of judgment. This practical application of chatbots not only supports academic …

Assessing Virtual Reality’S Influence On Honesty In Reporting, Jeffrey Pickerd, Nathan Waddoups, David A. Wood, Xiaomei (Grazia) Xiong

Faculty Publications

Organizations, businesses, and society are exploring and adopting virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). VR is expected to boost the global economy by $1.5 trillion by 2030. In this study, we focus on the effect of VR on an important accounting variable—reporting honesty. We examine reporting honesty across two tasks, various measures, and various populations, that are commonly used in existing research. In our initial experiment, participants misreported more in a dice rolling task when performing it in a VR setting than in a non-VR setting. However, in a second and third experiment attempting to replicate and extend our …

How Individuals’ Opinions Influence Society’S Resistance To Epidemics: An Agent-Based Model Approach, Geonsik Yu, Michael J. Garee, Mario Ventresca, Yuehwern Yih

Faculty Publications

Background: Protecting public health from infectious diseases often relies on the cooperation of citizens, especially when self-care interventions are the only viable tools for disease mitigation. Accordingly, social aspects related to public opinion have been studied in the context of the recent COVID-19 pandemic. However, a comprehensive understanding of the effects of opinion-related factors on disease spread still requires further exploration. Methods: We propose an agent-based simulation framework incorporating opinion dynamics within an epidemic model based on the assumption that mass media channels play a leading role in opinion dynamics. The model simulates how opinions about preventive interventions change over …

National Security And Federalizing Data Privacy Infrastructure For Ai Governance, Margaret Hu, Eliott Behar, Davi Ottenheimer

Faculty Publications

This Essay contends that data infrastructure, when implemented on a national scale, can transform the way we conceptualize artificial intelligence (AI) governance. AI governance is often viewed as necessary for a wide range of strategic goals, including national security. It is widely understood that allowing AI and generative AI to remain self-regulated by the U.S. AI industry poses significant national security risks. Data infrastructure and AI oversight can assist in multiple goals, including: maintaining data privacy and data integrity; increasing cybersecurity; and guarding against information warfare threats. This Essay concludes that conceptualizing data infrastructure as a form of critical infrastructure …

Mothers With Disabilities In The Workplace Post-Pandemic & Post-Dobbs, Nicole Buonocore Porter

Faculty Publications

Between when I wrote Mothers with Disabilities and Fall 2023, two major developments have occurred that justify revisiting this topic. The first is the COVID-19 pandemic, which dramatically changed all aspects of our work lives and home lives. The second is the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in 2022, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned a woman’s constitutional right to have an abortion. Both of these developments have unique, sometimes conflicting effects on mothers with disabilities.

Accordingly, this Article explores the workplace effects of the pandemic and the Dobbs decision on mothers with disabilities. Drawing on my prior …

The Effects Of A Brand-Specific, Hemp-Derived Cannabidiol Product On Physiological, Biochemical, And Psychometric Outcomes In Healthy Adults: A Double-Blind, Randomized Clinical Trial, Gianna F. Mastrofini, Bridget A. Mcfadden, Alexa J. Chandler Ph.D., Blaine S. Lints, Harry P. Cintineo, Nathaniel D. Rhoades, Caroline S. Vincenty, Sten O. Stray-Gundersen Ph.D., Abbi D. Lane, Shawn M. Arent Ph.D., Cscs*D, Fissn, Facsm, Fnak

Faculty Publications

Background: Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive phyto-cannabinoid derived from the Cannabis sativa plant. CBD exhibits various interactions at receptor sites, prompting the research of its potential anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, psychological, and pain-relieving effects. This study aimed to investigate the physiological, biochemical, and psychometric effects of a brand-specific, hemp-derived CBD product in healthy adults over a 12-week observation period. Methods: 54 healthy males and females (age = 25 ± 7y; BMI = 24.82 ± 3.25 kg/m2) recruited from a large Southeastern University completed the study. Participants arrived at the laboratory after > 8 h of fasting, and > 48 h without alcohol consumption and …

Common Questions And Misconceptions About Caffeine Supplementation: What Does The Scientific Evidence Really Show?, Jose Antonio, Daniel E. Newmire, Jeffrey R. Stout, Brandi Antonio, Maureen Gibbons, Lonnie M. Lowery, Joseph Harper, Darryn Willoughby, Cassandra Evans, Dawn Anderson, Erica Goldstein, Jose Rojas, Matías Monsalves-Álvarez, Scott C. Forbes, Jose Gomez Lopez, Tim Ziegenfuss, Blake D. Moulding, Darren Candow, Michael Sagner, Shawn M. Arent Ph.D., Cscs*D, Fissn, Facsm, Fnak

Faculty Publications

Caffeine is a popular ergogenic aid that has a plethora of evidence highlighting its positive effects. A Google Scholar search using the keywords “caffeine” and “exercise” yields over 200,000 results, emphasizing the extensive research on this topic. However, despite the vast amount of available data, it is intriguing that uncertainties persist regarding the effectiveness and safety of caffeine. These include but are not limited to: 1. Does caffeine dehydrate you at rest? 2. Does caffeine dehydrate you during exercise? 3. Does caffeine promote the loss of body fat? 4. Does habitual caffeine consumption influence the performance response to acute caffeine …

Multi-Parent Custody, Jessica Feinberg

Faculty Publications

In recent years, a number of jurisdictions have enacted laws recognizing that a child may have more than two legal parents (multi-parentage). Recognition of multi-parentage represents a significant change to the legal framework governing parentage— for most of U.S. history, it was well established that a child could have a maximum of two legal parents. While commentators undoubtedly will continue to debate the wisdom of multi-parentage recognition, it is clear both that multi-parentage has arrived and that its arrival raises many novel and important questions across a variety of areas of the law. Proponents and opponents of multi-parentage agree that …

Incorporating Real-World Legal Practice Into Law School Curricula, John Lande

Faculty Publications

This annotated bibliography was prepared for the program, “Pracademically Speaking: Incorporating Real-World Legal Practice Into the Curriculum,” at the 2024 Annual Conference of the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution. It includes relevant entries from the Real Practice Systems Project Annotated Bibliography.

This includes three sections, identifying: (1) problems with legal education and licensing, (2) resources for law schools and faculty, and (3) resources for law students. It particularly focuses on teaching skills for helping clients, which is critically important because practitioners often fail to recognize and respect clients’ perspectives and interests. Teaching students to work well with clients – and …

News And Perspectives: Words Matter In Primatology, Michelle Bezanson, Liliana Cortés-Ortiz, Júlio César Bicca-Marques, Ramesh Boonratana, Susana Carvalho, Marina Cords, Stella De La Torre, Catherine Hobaiter, Tatyana Humle, Patrícia Izar, Jessica W. Lynch, Tetsuro Matsuzawa, Joanna M. Setchell, Gladys Kalema Zikusoka, Karen B. Strier

Faculty Publications

Postings on social media on Twitter (now X), BioAnthropology News (Facebook), and other venues, as well as recent publications in prominent journals, show that primatologists, ecologists, and other researchers are questioning the terms “Old World” and “New World” due to their colonial implications and history. The terms are offensive if they result in erasing Indigenous voices and history, ignoring the fact that Indigenous peoples were in the Americas long before European colonization. Language use is not without context, but alternative terminology is not always obvious and available. In this perspective, we share opinions expressed by an international group of primatologists …

Heritable Genome Editing, And The Future Of Novel Reproductive Technologies, Kerry L. Macintosh

Faculty Publications

This Article compares human reproductive cloning (HRC) and
heritable genome editing (HGE) to identify factors that encourage bans
on novel reproductive technologies. HRC drew legislative opposition
in part because it involved asexual reproduction and was incorrectly
associated with copying. HGE and other technologies that involve
sexual reproduction do not have those problematic qualities. HRC also
became entangled with research in which human embryos were cloned
to be harvested for their stem cells. HGE did not because scientists
learned how to create and edit pluripotent stem cells without creating
embryos. However, the legal history of HRC predicts that reproductive
technologies strongly …

Silence As Consumer Consent: Global Regulation Of Negative Option Contracts, Kaitlin A. Caruso, Prentiss Cox

Faculty Publications

Worldwide, the “subscription economy” has exploded in recent years, especially among online sellers of consumer goods and services. These subscriptions use various contract forms-- but many have one common feature: the negative option. With a negative option contract, once a consumer has signed up, the contract will continue until the consumer actively reaches out to cancel it. These are wildly popular among sellers, as they create continuous income and put inertia on the sellers' side. Unsurprisingly, then, consumers complain in extraordinary numbers about being trapped in agreements that are easy to sign up for but seemingly impossible to cancel. Even …

Stem Pathways For Rural Youth: Experience Sampling Feedback And Scoring Manual, Amanda Bastoni, Sam Catherine Johnston, Andrew D. Coppens, Jayson Seaman, Cindy Hartman

Faculty Publications

This Pilot and Feasibility project involved CAST, a non-profit education research organization, the University of New Hampshire (UNH), and outdoor-recreation and informal STEM community-based youth-serving organizations in New Hampshire (NH). The research investigated the contributions of youth's participation in outdoor recreation in developing high school aged students' STEM identities and considerations of careers in STEM. The study addressed three questions: How can outdoor recreation be used as an informal STEM learning context to broaden participation for underrepresented rural youth who face known barriers to the traditional learning experiences necessary for developing positive STEM identities? How can outdoor recreation be used …

Covid-19 As A Chronic Stressor And The Importance Of Individual Identity: A Data-Driven Look At Academic Productivity During The Pandemic, Breanna N. Harris, Carolyn M. Bauer, James A. Carr, Caitlin R. Gabor, Jennifer L. Grindstaff, Caleigh Guoynes, Jennifer J. Heppner, Cris C. Ledon-Rettig, Patricia C. Lopes, Sharon E. Lynn, Carla B. Madelaire, Lorin A. Neuman-Lee, Maria G. Palacios, Paul Soto, Jennifer Terry

Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted personal and professional life. For academics, research, teaching, and service tasks were upended and we all had to navigate the altered landscape. However, some individuals faced a disproportionate burden, particularly academics with minoritized identities or those who were early career, were caregivers, or had intersecting identities. As comparative endocrinologists, we determine how aspects of individual and species-level variation influence response to, recovery from, and resilience in the face of stressors. Here, we flip that framework and apply an integrative biological lens to the impact of the COVID-19 chronic stressor on our endocrine community. We address how …

Alcohol And Cannabis Dual Use Among Black Adults: Associations With Alcohol Use, Use-Related Problems, And Race-Based Discrimination, Julia D. Buckner, Michael J. Zvolensky, Caroline R. Scherzer

Faculty Publications

Background and Objectives: Black adults who drink alcohol appear at risk for poor alcohol-related outcomes, yet little research has examined whether cannabis use among those who consume alcohol (alcohol-cannabis dual use) is related to worse alcohol-related consequences, as observed in predominantly White samples. Further, it may be that experiencing more race-based discrimination may be related to using multiple substances to cope with such experiences; however, no known studies have examined the impact of race-based discrimination on alcohol-cannabis dual use. Methods: Participants were 270 Black undergraduates who endorsed past-month drinking, 112 of whom endorsed alcohol-cannabis dual use. Results: The dual use …

Mobile Intervention To Address Cannabis Use Disorder Among Black Adults: Protocol For A Randomized Controlled Trial, Pamella Nizio, Bryce Clausen, Michael S. Businelle, Natalia Ponton, Ava A. Jones, Brooke Y. Redmond, Julia D. Buckner, Ezemenari M. Obasi, Michael J. Zvolensky, Lorra Garey

Faculty Publications

Background: African American or Black (hereafter referred to as Black) adults who use cannabis use it more frequently and are more likely to meet criteria for cannabis use disorder (CUD) than both White and Hispanic or Latin individuals. Black adults may be more apt to use cannabis to cope with distress, which constitutes a false safety behavior (FSB; a behavior designed to reduce psychological distress in the short term). Although FSB engagement can perpetuate the cycle of high rates of CUD among Black individuals, limited work has applied an FSB elimination treatment approach to Black adults with CUD, and no …

Rationale And Challenges For A New Instrument For Remote Measurement Of Negative Symptoms, David Gordon Daniel, Alex S. Cohen, Philip D. Harvey, Dawn I. Velligan, William Z. Potter, William P. Horan, Raeanne C. Moore, Stephen R. Marder

Faculty Publications

There is a broad consensus that the commonly used clinician-administered rating scales for assessment of negative symptoms share significant limitations, including (1) reliance upon accurate self-report and recall from the patient and caregiver; (2) potential for sampling bias and thus being unrepresentative of daily-life experiences; (3) subjectivity of the symptom scoring process and limited sensitivity to change. These limitations led a work group from the International Society of CNS Clinical Trials and Methodology (ISCTM) to initiate the development of a multimodal negative symptom instrument. Experts from academia and industry reviewed the current methods of assessing the domains of negative symptoms …

Local Social Capital, Disaster Housing Damage, And Mental Health: Insights From Hurricane Harvey, Ethan J. Raker, Kevin T. Smiley

Faculty Publications

Community-level social capital has been theorized to shape mental health, particularly in disaster contexts, but methodological complexities hamper prior studies. Pairing zip-code-level data on social capital from Opportunity Insights with repeated cross-sectional health survey data before and after Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas, we examine how local social capital moderated the mental health consequences of disaster housing damage. We first document null associations between local social capital and residents’ mental health before the disaster. Next, we fit models predicting psychological distress and poor mental health days, revealing that local levels of economic connectedness and rates of volunteering offset adverse mental …