Digital Commons Network^™

Environmental Law, Disrupted By Covid-19, Erin Ryan

Scholarly Publications

For over a year, the COVID-19 pandemic and concerns about systemic racial injustice have highlighted the conflicts and opportunities currently faced by environmental law. Scientists uniformly predict that environmental degradation, notably climate change, will cause a rise in diseases, disproportionate suffering among communities already facing discrimination, and significant economic losses. In this Article, members of the Environmental Law Collaborative examine the legal system’s responses to these crises, with the goal of framing opportunities to reimagine environmental law. The Article is excerpted from their book Environmental Law, Disrupted, to be published by ELI Press later this year.

A Socially Beneficial False Claims Act?, Elissa Philip Gentry

Scholarly Publications

No abstract provided.

Last Mile Delivery And Route Planning For Freight, Ananth V. Iyer, Konstantina Gkritza, Steven R. Dunlop, Dutt J. Thakkar, Raul Candanedo, Srinath Jayan, Pooja Gupta, Rishabh Jain, Sai Bhargav, Atharva Sabnis, Vrinda Chopra, Xinyue Chen

JTRP Technical Reports

This report analyzes anticipated list mile challenges in Indiana by using a scenario-based approach to develop forecasts of GDP growth and thus freight growth across industry clusters in Indiana counties; potential congestion implied by this growth; and a proactive plan to add capacity to alleviate the congestion. We use a quantitative approach to aggregate ramp level flows, industry cluster locations, county layout, and economic activity to develop our recommendations.

We develop forecasts through the year 2050 based on long-term planning approaches used by other states (California, Ohio, and Utah). We use data from global databases that consider different possible geo-political …

Does Thoracoplasty Adversely Affect Lung Function In Complex Pediatric Spine Deformity? A 2-Year Follow-Up Review, Oheneba Boachie-Adjei, Arthur Sackeyfio, Henry Ofori Duah, Lawrence G. Lenke, Paul Sponseller, Daniel J. Sucato, Amer F. Samdani, Peter Newton, Suken Shah, Mark A. Erickson, Irene Wulff, Brenda Sides, Munish Gupta, Fox Pediatric Spinal Deformity Study

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Study design

Retrospective review of prospective multi-center cohort.

Objective

To investigate the impact of thoracoplasty on pulmonary function at 2-year follow-up among complex pediatric spine deformity patients.

Summary of background data

Complex pediatric spine deformities may be associated with significant rib prominence causing body image concerns. Surgical correction of spine deformity may include thoracoplasty to correct the rotational prominence. Some surgeons refrain from performing thoracoplasty due to its purported negative effect on pulmonary function. There is paucity of literature on the effect of thoracoplasty on pulmonary function at 2-year follow-up in pediatric patients with complex spine deformity.

Methods

We reviewed …

The Ethiopian Staple Food Crop Enset (Ensete Ventricosum) Assessed For The First Time For Resistance Against The Root-Lesion Nematode Pratylenchus Goodeyi, Selamawit A. Kidane, Beira H. Meressa, Solveig Haukeland, Anne Kathrine Hvoslef-Eide, Danny L. Coyne

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Summary – Pratylenchus goodeyi appears to be the most prevalent nematode pest of enset in Ethiopia, where it can occur in extremely high densities. However, the damage to yield or how different enset cultivars react to the nematode has yet to be determined. The current study therefore sought to establish a first assessment of these reactions by enset to P. goodeyi infection. Determining pest-resistant cultivars is an important task in developing management strategies. Our study evaluated nine enset cultivars to establish host response and identify potential sources of resistance. In addition, the pathogenicity of P. goodeyi was assessed on three …

Agency, Gender And Development In Oromia, Ethiopia, Kristie Drucza, Lemlem Aregu, Mulunesh Tsegaye

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

This paper argues that the postcolonial revolution in knowledge about gender and power relations has not touched the agricultural sector nor literature. Using the validation data from a medium-n qualitative data study in Amhara and Oromia, Ethiopia, the paper presents a case study on farm gate selling to show how a nuclear family model is shaped by power relations that are seeded in the colonial past and yet are reproduced in the present. Ethiopian men do not share resources equally with their wife/family. So, women need to ‘help themselves’ to the stored harvest to manage the household’s needs. The paper …

Naturally Occurring Compounds With Larvicidal Activity Against Malaria Mosquitoes, Trizah K. Milugo, David P. Tchouassi, Reginald A. Kavishe, Rhoel R. Dinglasan, Baldwyn Torto

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Female Anopheles mosquitoes transmit Plasmodium parasites that cause human malaria. Currently, vector control is the most widely deployed approach to reduce mosquito population and hence disease transmission. This relies on use of insecticide-based interventions including Long-lasting Insecticide-treated Nets (LLINs) and Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) where scale-up has contributed to a dramatic decline in malaria deaths and morbidity over the past decade. Challenges to their effective use include the emergence and spread of insecticide resistance by malaria vector populations coupled with the inability to curb outdoor transmission. Under these situations, use of larvicides through larval source management (LSM) can complement these …

Trapping, Identification And Rearing Of Edible Palm Weevils In Kenya And Uganda, J. P. Egonyu, K. J. Gitonga, F. M. Khamis, R. S. Copeland, P. Finyange, R. Odhiambo, G. Ddamulira, C. M. Tanga, S. Subramanian

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Palm weevils, Rhynchophorus spp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) double as devastating invasive pests of palms, and delicacies in many communities. This study evaluated ethyl acetate and 3-methyl-octan-4-ol for trapping palm weevils from coconut, oil and raffia palms in Kenya and Uganda; taking into account the distance of traps on oil palm from a forest or raffia palm. Eggs from the weevils from different locations were incubated and their larvae reared on sugarcane under laboratory conditions. All the 285 weevils collected were identified by morphological and molecular techniques as Rhynchophorus phoenicis, and the catch was female-biased. 3-methyl-octan-4-ol attracted more weevils than ethyl acetate. …

Interpreting The 'National Treatment' Obligation Under Gats, Anushree Malaviya

Indian Journal of International Economic Law

The General Agreement on Trade and Services 1994 (GATS) strikes a balance between liberalizing the trade in services among the Members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), while granting a considerable margin of discretion to the Members in the manner in which they choose to discharge their obligations. One of the most crucial obligations contained therein is that of National Treatment – which prohibits discrimination between foreign and domestic services. The bare text of the provision has however created more confusion rather than given clarity – particularly in light of the advent of new technology not envisaged at the time …

The Impact Of Inflammation On The Immune Responses To Transplantation: Tolerance Or Rejection?, Mepur H Ravindranath, Fatiha El Hilali, Edward J Filippone

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Transplantation (Tx) remains the optimal therapy for end-stage disease (ESD) of various solid organs. Although alloimmune events remain the leading cause of long-term allograft loss, many patients develop innate and adaptive immune responses leading to graft tolerance. The focus of this review is to provide an overview of selected aspects of the effects of inflammation on this delicate balance following solid organ transplantation. Initially, we discuss the inflammatory mediators detectable in an ESD patient. Then, the specific inflammatory mediators found post-Tx are elucidated. We examine the reciprocal relationship between donor-derived passenger leukocytes (PLs) and those of the recipient, with additional …

Law, Institution And State Industrial Promotion, Yong Shik Lee

Indian Journal of International Economic Law

This article examines state industrial promotion from legal and institutional perspectives. Economists have argued since the 18th century on the economic efficiency of government involvement in the economy. While state-led development policies in some of the most successful development cases, such as South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and more recently, China, have been effective, many have doubted the wisdom of government involvement in the economy. Where the availability of information is limited and the financial market is imperfect (which are the inherent conditions of less-developed countries), the government can provide beneficial initiatives in productive industrial pursuits, as demonstrated by …

Apixaban Discontinuation For Invasive Or Major Surgical Procedures (Adios): A Prospective Cohort Study., Geno J. Merli, Walter K. Kraft, Luis H. Eraso, Taki Galanis, Lynda J. Thomson, Geoffrey O. Ouma, Eugene Viscusi, Jerald Z. Gong, Edwin Lam

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Background

Apixaban pharmacokinetic properties and some clinical reports suggest cessation 48 hours prior to surgery is safe, but this has not been demonstrated in a naturalistic setting. We sought to measure the residual apixaban exposure in patients who had apixaban held as part of standard of care peri-operative management.

Methods

This was a prospective, observational study of patients in whom apixaban plasma concentration and anti-Xa activity were measured while at steady state apixaban dosing and again immediately prior to surgery. Clinical management of cessation and resumption of apixaban was at the discretion of the treating physician.

Results

One hundred and …

Sustainable Development Goals V. Non-Discrimination In Wto Law: Does The End Justify The Means?, Charlotte Sieber-Gasser, Smriti Kalra, Aditi Vishwas Sheth

Indian Journal of International Economic Law

This article examines state industrial promotion from legal and institutional perspectives. Economists have argued since the 18th century on the economic efficiency of government involvement in the economy. While state-led development policies in some of the most successful development cases, such as South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and more recently, China, have been effective, many have doubted the wisdom of government involvement in the economy. Where the availability of information is limited and the financial market is imperfect (which are the inherent conditions of less-developed countries), the government can provide beneficial initiatives in productive industrial pursuits, as demonstrated by …

The Trump Administration's Critique Of The World Trade Organisation And Its Implications For The International Trading System, Dr. Kenneth Holland

Indian Journal of International Economic Law

The crisis in which the World Trade Organization is in could be best understood as the product of the rise of China and the incredible power rivalry that it has sparked with the United States. The WTO was founded in 1995, at a time when the United States was the world’s sole superpower, and expectations were high that democracy was in the ascendancy. By 2013, however, with the ascension of Xi Jinping to the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, it was clear that China was growing increasingly authoritarian and illiberal. From Washington’s point of view, the WTO, with its …

Deployments To Diplomas: An Examination Of Academic Motivation Among Military Dependents Using Self-Determination Theory, Meagan C. Arrastia-Chisholm, Samantha Tackett, Kelly Torres, Khushbu Patel, Jacob W. Highsmith, Kacy Mixon

Journal of Higher Education & Student Affairs

Using self-determination theory, the academic motivation of college students from deployed military families was examined. Implementing a case study methodology, interviews with 14 college students were transcribed and coded using a theory-driven rubric to identify their needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Each case was analyzed for one’s self-determination regulatory style (external, introjected, integrated, or identified). The need for relatedness was the most prevalent in the data and the majority of cases exhibited regulatory styles consistent with introjected motivation.

The Rise In Use Of Emotional Support Animals By College Students: The Impact Of Parenting Styles, Misty G. Smith, Samantha Ballard, Jill Willis

Journal of Higher Education & Student Affairs

As the generational context of higher education shifts, a rise of Emotional Support Animals (ESA) and mental health concerns are present for students on college campuses. While previous studies have aimed to address the relevancy and controversy of ESAs in higher education as well as their effectiveness in supporting individuals, less research has explored underlying factors that contribute to the use of an ESA. The purpose of this study was to explore the parenting behaviors of parents/caregivers of students with ESAs in comparison to parents/caregivers of students without ESAs. An embedded mixed methods design was used. Participants completed the Parenting …

Usg’S Well-Being Policy Regarding Tobacco Product Use: A Proposal For Changing From Opt-Out To Opt-In, Donald L. Ariail, Benedikt L. Quosigk

Journal of Higher Education & Student Affairs

The University System of Georgia (USG) has a state-wide initiative aimed at increasing the well-being of faculty and staff by deincentivizing the use of tobacco products by employees who are covered by a USG healthcare plan. This incentive is positive in that aid in stopping tobacco product usage is offered to each member; and negative in that each member who is a tobacco product user is penalized. A healthcare surcharge is added to the monthly health insurance premium paid by each faculty/staff member for themselves and covered dependents over 18 years of age who are tobacco product users. The current …

Book Review - Educated: A Memoir, By Tara Westover, Michelle Lea Boettcher, Julia M. Dingle, Savannah Lockman, Kelsey Wilkins, Nikalette Zina

Journal of Higher Education & Student Affairs

Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover is the story of a first generation college student navigating a transition from a rural and conservative community and family into and through higher education including graduate education. As Westover shares her struggles and is transparent with her vulnerability, she highlights a number of struggles students often face in college. The book explores the tensions between family / home and college. It also highlights the importance of individual connections and actions in the persistence and success of students. It is compelling and directly transferable to the work of student affairs practitioners as highlighted in …

The Importance Of Store Hygiene For Reducing Post-Harvest Losses In Smallholder Farmers’ Stores: Evidence From A Maize-Based Farming System In Kenya, Kobia J. Makinya, John M. Wagacha, Judith A. Odhiambo, Paddy Likhayo, Kukom Edoh-Ognakossan, Tadele Tefera, Adebayo Abass, Christopher M. Mutungi

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Knowledge of the role of hygiene in reducing food loss in farm stores is limited among extensionists, researchers, and farmers. Store hygiene practices during post-harvest handling and storage of maize were assessed using a cross-sectional survey of 342 farmers, with regular follow-up of 40 farmers’ stores over seven months to measure losses caused by insects, and to score the hygiene levels using a standard checklist. Fractional Response Model was used to evaluate the associations between hygiene practices and the losses. Farmers stored their produce in sacks (98.2%) kept in outside granaries (60.1%), or rooms in dwelling houses (39.9%). Co-storage with …

Cannibalism, Oviposition And Egg Development In The Edible Long-Horned Grasshopper, Ruspolia Differens (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) Under Laboratory Conditions, J. P. Egonyu, M. M. Miti, C. M. Tanga, A. Leonard, S. Subramanian

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Reliance on seasonal wild harvests of the edible long-horned grasshopper Ruspolia differens (Serville) (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) needs to be broken through developing efficient mass rearing protocols. This study aimed at boosting productivity of laboratory colonies of R. differens through understanding ways of minimising cannibalism, selecting suitable oviposition substrates and enhancing egg development and hatchability. Firstly, we investigated the extent of cannibalism in a colony of R. differens relative to total mortality, sex, diurnality, growth stage, body parts eaten and visual barriers (presence/absence of cardboard egg trays). R. differens cadavers recovered from cages with/without the egg trays were scored for cause of …

The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Catalyst For Creativity And Collaboration For Online Learning And Work-Based Higher Education Systems And Processes, Tashmin Khamis, Azra Naseem, Anil Khamis, Pammla Petrucka

Office of the Provost

The purpose of this research is to focus on work-based problems catalysed by the COVID-19 global pandemic, based on a case study of a multi-continental, multi-campus university distributed across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Pakistan. Higher education institutions (HEIs) in developing countries lacked pre-existing infrastructure to support online education and/or policy and regulatory frameworks during the pandemic. The university's programmes in Pakistan and East Africa provide lessons to other developing countries' HEIs. The university's focus on teaching and learning and staff development has had a transformational organisational effect.

Tsetse Blood-Meal Sources, Endosymbionts And Trypanosome-Associations In The Maasai Mara National Reserve, A Wildlife-Human-Livestock Interface, Edward Edmond Makhulu, Jandouwe Villinger, Vincent Owino Adunga, Maamun M. Jeneby, Edwin Murungi Kimathi, Enock Mararo, Joseph Wang’Ang’A Oundo, Ali Abdulahi Musa, Lillian Wambua

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

African trypanosomiasis (AT) is a neglected disease of both humans and animals caused by Trypanosoma parasites, which are transmitted by obligate hematophagous tsetse flies (Glossina spp.). Knowledge on tsetse fly vertebrate hosts and the influence of tsetse endo-symbionts on trypanosome presence, especially in wildlife-human-livestock interfaces, is limited. We identified tsetse species, their blood-meal sources, and correlations between endosymbionts and trypanosome presence in tsetse flies from the trypanosome-endemic Maasai Mara National Reserve (MMNR) in Kenya. Among 1167 tsetse flies (1136 Glossina pallidipes, 31 Glossina swynnertoni) collected from 10 sampling sites, 28 (2.4%) were positive by PCR for trypanosome DNA, most (17/28) …

Effects Of Rhizobia And Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi On Yield, Size Distribution And Fatty Acid Of Soybean Seeds Grown Under Drought Stress, Nicholas O. Igiehon, Olubukola O. Babalola, Xavier Cheseto, Baldwyn Torto

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is among the most economically important legumes that provide more than 1/4 of food (for man) and animal feed. However, its yield is comparatively low, most especially under drought stress. The aim of this study therefore was to assess the ability of Rhizobium spp. and mycorrhizal fungi to enhance the yield, seed size and fatty acid content of soybean grown under semi-arid environment. Rhizobium sp. strain R1 was found to possess nitrogen-fixing gene coniferyl aldehyde dehydrogenase function while Rhizobium cellulosilyticum strain R3 was found to have nitrogen-fixing genes cysteine desulfurase SufS and cysteine desulfurase IscS activity. …

Valproate Prescribing Practices For Women With Intellectual Disability Across Europe, Lance Watkins, Markus Reuber, Bhathika Perera, Ken Courtenay, Roger Banks, Emma Murphy, H Angus‐Leppan, Rohit Shankar

Peninsula Medical School

Abstract Background Valproate (VPA) is a known teratogen associated with greater risk of major congenital malformations and other neurodevelopmental sequelae than all other licensed antiepileptic medicines. To reduce the potential for VPA-related teratogenicity, the European Medicines Agency issued recommendations in 2018. Over two-thirds of women/girls with intellectual disability (ID) may have treatment-resistant epilepsy that could benefit from VPA treatment. Aims This investigation compared VPA prescribing practice for women/girls with ID between European countries, specifically evaluating the practice in the UK with that in other countries. Methods An expert working group with representation from key stake-holding organizations developed a survey for …

An International Genome-Wide Meta-Analysis Of Primary Biliary Cholangitis: Novel Risk Loci And Candidate Drugs, Heather J. Cordell, James J. Fryett, Kazuko Ueno, Rebecca Darlay, Yoshihiro Aiba, Yuki Hitomi, Minae Kawashima, Nao Nishida, Seik Soon Khor, Olivier Gervais, Yosuke Kawai, Masao Nagasaki, Katsushi Tokunaga, Ruqi Tang, Yongyong Shi, Zhiqiang Li, Brian D. Juran, Elizabeth J. Atkinson, Alessio Gerussi, Marco Carbone, Rosanna Asselta, Angela Cheung, Andrade M De, Aris Baras, Julie Horowitz, Manuel A.R. Ferreira, Dylan Sun, David E. Jones, Steven Flack, Steven Flack

Peninsula Medical School

No abstract provided.

Balance Right In Multiple Sclerosis (Brims): A Feasibility Randomised Controlled Trial Of A Falls Prevention Programme, H. Gunn, K. N. Stevens, S. Creanor, J. Andrade, L. Paul, L. Miller, C. Green, P. Ewings, A. Barton, M. Berrow, J. Vickery, B. Marshall, J. Zajicek, J. A. Freeman

School of Health Professions

Abstract Background Balance, mobility impairments and falls are problematic for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The “Balance Right in MS (BRiMS)” intervention, a 13-week home and group-based exercise and education programme, aims to improve balance and minimise falls. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of undertaking a multi-centre randomised controlled trial and to collect the necessary data to design a definitive trial. Methods This randomised controlled feasibility study recruited from four United Kingdom NHS clinical neurology services. Patients ≥ 18 years with secondary progressive MS (Expanded Disability Status Scale 4 to 7) reporting more than two falls in the …

Prospective Cohort Study Assessing The Use Of Peripheral Saphenous Venous Pressure Monitoring As A Marker Of The Transcaval Venous Pressure Gradient In Liver Transplant Surgery, J Fabes, M Spiro, Group Ofp Research

Peninsula Medical School

Abstract Objectives: Assessment of the transcaval venous pressure gradient, the central venous to inferior vena caval pressure, assists anesthetists and surgeons in management of liver transplant recipients. Traditionally, this entails insertion of a femoral central line with increased patient risk and health care cost. Here, we assessed the ability of a saphenous vein cannula to act as a surrogate for the femoral central line as a means to assess the transcaval pressure gradient in a safer and less invasive manner. Materials and Methods: A prospective cohort of 22 patients undergoing liver transplant underwent saphenous vein cannulation in addition to insertion …

Optimising Medicines Use In Older Adults With Intellectual Disability Who Have Epilepsy: Challenges And Perspectives, Maire O’Dwyer, Lance Watkins, Philip Mccallion, Mary Mccarron, Martin Henman, Rohit Shankar

Peninsula Medical School

No abstract provided.

Seeing Lockdown Through The Eyes Of Children From Around The World: Reflecting On A Children's Artwork Project, S Neill, Mj Foster, M Al-Motlaq, B Carter, T O'Sullivan, A Quaye, M Majamanda, K Abdullah, Ik Hallstrom, C English, A Vickers, I Coyne, E Adama, E Morelius

School of Nursing and Midwifery

The COVID-19 pandemic created new challenges for children including access to education and limiting social and emotional connections to extended family, friends, and the community. Globally, opportunities for sharing children’s self-reported experiences during lockdown were limited. The primary aim of this project was to create an art-E-Book that reflects children’s experiences of life during the COVID-19 pandemic that could be shared with other children around the world. Secondly, we wanted to reflect on the consultation undertaken within the International Network of Child and Family Centered Care (INCFCC) using Gibbs (1988) reflective cycle framework. Children from around the world were invited …

Impact Of Direct‐Acting Antiviral Agents On Liver Function In Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection, Philip J. Johnson, Sarah Berhane, Alex J. Walker, Fh Gordon, Sd Ryder, S Mcpherson, A Sreedharan, Aa Ustianowski, K Agarwal, D Mutimer, Takeshi Kumada, Hidenori Toyoda, William L. Irving, K Agarwal, M. Aldersley, A. Ala, R. Aspinall, E. Barnes, A. Brown, L. Corless, M. Cramp, D. Forton, G. Foster, M. Foxton, W. Gelson, D. Gorard, F Gordon, S. Khakoo, A. Lawson, M. Prince, S. Moreea, D Mutimer, M. Prince, P. Richardson, W. Rosenberg, S Ryder, A Sreedharan, B. Stone, A Ustianowski, S. Verma, M. Wiselka

Peninsula Medical School

No abstract provided.