Digital Commons Network^™

In My Backyard: Bioregional Communities As A Climate Mitigation Strategy, Zoe Johnston

Capstone Showcase

The urgency of the climate crisis requires an immediate revisioning of our society in order to mitigate the worst environmental consequences. This paper explores one possible climate mitigation strategy, bioregionalism, a theoretical vision of re-localizing economies and defining their reach by natural boundaries (Curtis 2003; Cato 2011). This idea of relocalization emerges from an understanding that globalized capitalism has exacerbated, if not engendered, the climate crisis. Local communities represent an alternative method of organizing in which people are more directly connected to the land that they live on. One major critique of bioregionalism, made by Albo (2007) and Hahnel (2007), …

Nation Over State: Analyzing The Condition Of The Nation-State In The 21st Century, Hayley Pierson

Capstone Showcase

The nation-state as a concept is an ever-evolving one throughout history. As we delve deeper into the 21st century, the nation-state is beginning to undergo another evolution as there is an unprecedented rise in secessionist movements globally. This thesis explores the causation of a separatist movement and the complexities of having a competing, subnational identity within a state, embodied by case studies of Catalonia, Spain, and Quebec, Canada.

The Morning After The Rockefeller Drug Laws: Carey And Cuomo Implement Mass Incarceration In New York, Lebwah-Taliah Sykes

Theses and Dissertations

After Rockefeller Drug Laws passed in New York in 1973, the proportion of drug-related incarcerations remained steady for the following decade, despite overall incarceration numbers doubling. Fiscal constraints prevented Governor Hugh Carey from fully implementing drug laws, but he reallocated resources, increased the pool of people who were subject to longer sentences, made policy changes and contributed to a climate that laid the groundwork for prison expansions under Mario Cuomo. When fiscal constraints in New York State changed, Mario Cuomo’s criminal justice policy focused on implementing Rockefeller Drug Laws, resulting in mass incarceration in New York.

The 1863 Invasion Of Pennsylvania, Michael J. Gallagher

Theses and Dissertations

Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s invasion of Pennsylvania in 1863 was a grave mistake, on a variety of levels, which ultimately culminated in a crippling defeat at Gettysburg. After the Army of Northern Virginia successfully defended southern territory against northern attacks, the transition to an offensive strategy, advancing north in to Pennsylvania was a vast miscalculation. Lee’s army now traversed enemy territory, leaving behind the advantages of a campaign on southern territory and abandoning a defensive posture. This transition to fighting on enemy territory brought several difficulties that Lee seemingly overlooked, and presented challenges for which Lee was unprepared. Lee …

Comparing Geostatistical Methods On Flood Risk To Infrastructure In Southeast Asia Using Google Street View Imagery: A Master’S Thesis, Christopher S. Aime

Theses and Dissertations

Urban flooding poses a serious challenge to development and the lives of people, particularly the residents of the rapidly expanding towns and cities in developing countries. Floods affect people's livelihood in Southeast (SE) Asia, ranging from death and injury to damaged homes, infrastructures, and agricultural land. In addition, floods expose infrastructure to more risks of structural damage, wearing them out, and aging them quickly, thus increasing maintenance and replacement costs.

Presented study found associations between such infrastructure elements as sill height, floors, building structures (e.g., attached vs. detached), slope, drainage, land-use, and street conditions. The study used Mechanical Turk method …

Covid-19 And Advanced Course Enrollment: Kentucky High Schools, Jessica Thomas

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

In Kentucky governments, districts, and schools made decisions about school closures and mode of learning that would impact community health as well as student achievement. Within those schools, students themselves were also making decisions that could impact their futures academically. In spring 2020, students were choosing their courses for the following year. Vast uncertainty about what the 2020/2021 school year would look like had the potential to impact those decisions. Disruptions to spring 2020 classes could also impact whether a student felt they had learned the prerequisite skills needed to pursue advanced coursework. This study found that advanced course enrollment …

The Occurrence Of Cross Border Riverboat Casino Gambling Between Illinois And Indiana, Andrew N. Jenkins

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Casino and sports gambling implementation has been a hotly debated topic in recent years as several states have passed legislation allowing it. Most states have had some form of gambling in their state for years even if it is the lottery; however, riverboat gambling is legal in six states. These casinos offering table and electronic gaming are legal as long are they remain moored on the shoreline. For example, table games take the form of poker or blackjack and electronic gaming takes the form of slots. While the introduction of casino gaming produces large annual tax payments, players do not …

The Impact Of The Saratoga Campaign Of 1777 Upon The Communities Of Upstate New York During The American Revolution, Matthew J. Hamm

Theses and Dissertations

From the spring of 1776 to the summer of 1777, there was a looming threat to the northern region of the colony of New York bordering Canada. Across the border, British forces were marshaling for an invasion. Finally, in June of 1777, the inevitable came true; British General John Burgoyne moved south from St. John’s toward Lake Champlain in upstate New York with an army numbering approximately 9,500. This diverse force consisted of British army regulars, hired German troops, Indian allies, Canadian volunteers and loyalists, and a glut of camp followers, who helped support Burgoyne’s army. His aim was to …

Development And Disparity In Glasgow: The Desirability Of Urban Water Proximity, Brian Morgan

Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to examine the possibility that a spatial relationship exists between demographic trends considered to be indicative of gentrification, and ongoing regenerative activity taking place along an urban canal and the adjacent neighborhoods in a northern section of Glasgow, Scotland. Rates of demographic change between the 2001 and 2011 Scottish Census results for the study area were contrasted with the same variables citywide, using the census Output Area (OA) as the aggregate unit. Results were combined to produce an index of gentrification. Positive results towards gentrification were identified in many of the OAs for a significant number …

“Over-Stressed” Vines Produce No Wines, Whereas “Under-Stressed” Vines Mass Produce: Consolidation, Anti-Competition, And The Fall Of The Family Winery, Elyse Gottschalk

University of San Francisco Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Legal Relations Of ‘Private’ Forests: Making And Unmaking Private Forest Lands On Vancouver Island, Estair Van Wagner

All Papers

While the vast majority of forestlands in Canada are considered ‘Crown land’, there are key areas of private forestland. On private land the incidents of fee simple ownership mean the owner emerges as land use decision maker – the “agenda setter” for the land. Yet a richer set of legal relations exists in these forests.

Indigenous legal orders derived from an enduring relationship with the land and place also govern forestlands. Using the case of the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway lands in British Columbia, this article explores the intersection between historical and contemporary human-forest relations upheld by Anglo-Canadian law and …

Geographic Trends Of Terrorist Attacks And Active Shooter Scenarios Perpetrated Inside U.S. Military Installations And Facilities, 1970-2019, Aaron James Ebbenga

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In recent years, a variety of devastating terrorist attacks have been perpetrated against American military installations, spurring not only national outrage but also global public upheaval. Our public preconception of considering military bases as impenetrable to the dangers of active shooter scenarios and bomb threats has since become widely scrutinized by worldwide media sources. For this reason, the people of the U.S. have expressed concerns about the safety of the nation’s military personnel. The diverse nature of the attacks, committed both by domestic and foreign terrorist organizations, illustrates vulnerabilities of American military installations and support facilities. These types of attacks …

Electronic Resources Updates - 2021 Q4, Sean Kennedy, Gregg Harris, Melanie Mcgurr

Electronic Resources Quarterly Updates

No abstract provided.

Latcrit At Twenty-Five And Beyond - Organized Academic Activism And The Long Haul: Designing "Hybridized" Advocacy Projects For An Age Of Global Disruption, Systemic Injustice, And Bottom-Up Progress, Francisco Valdes, Steven W. Bender, Jennifer J. Hill

Articles

On the monumental occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary celebration of LatCrit (Latina and Latino Critical Legal Theory, Inc.) as a still thriving and persevering community of critical scholars and activists, this Article offers some reflections on where we have been, where we are now, and where we might go next together as academics and organizers of long-term collective action. Against the current disruptions of a global pandemic, aggravated by planetary climate collapse, disinformation campaigns, and the organized top-down sabotage of U.S. democracy itself, our community responses going forward must be both more democratic and decentralized than ever, as well as …

“We Choose To Go To The Moon”: An Analysis Of A Cold War Means-Developing Strategy, David Christopher Arnold

NWC Case Studies

Strategists often ask “With the means available right now, what end can we achieve?” However, in strategy design it can be more appropriate to ask, “What is the desired end, and what means are available to achieve it?” The answer to this question may be, “If this is the desired end, first this new capability has to be created.” This case study examines how Kennedy determined he could achieve his ends (beat the Soviets in the world competition) in a particular way (shape the world conversation) using means yet to be created (the moon landing).

Ellenberg Ecological Indicator Values, Tolerance Values, Species Niche Models For Soil Nutrient Availability, Salinity, And Ph In Coastal Dune Vegetation Along A Landward Gradient (Euxine, Turkey), Hamdi̇ Güray Kutbay, Burak Sürmen

Turkish Journal of Botany

Coastal dunes are characterised by plant species adapted to harsh conditions. Salinity and other factors (soil pH, nutrients, and climate events) vary along the landward gradient. The current study investigated the effects of environmental factors on the occurrence and composition of coastal dune plants. Ellenberg ecological indicator values (EIVs), species tolerance values (TVs), and species niche models for salinity, nutrient availability, and soil reaction were determined. EIVs were estimated using weighted averages based on the species cover-abundance for each plot. Species TVs were calculated considering the cover-abundance and EIVs (pH, nutrient, and salinity). Species niche models were determined with the …

Introduction: Special Issue On Racial Capitalism And Law, Carmen G. Gonzalez, Athena D. Mutua

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Conservation In Ecuador's Sangay-Podocarpus Connectivity Corridor: A Study Of Coproductive Capacities, Gabriel Isaac Oppler

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Connectivity conservation, a growing topic across science, policy, and management, is considered an important supplement to protected areas. A diversity of ecological corridors is emerging to restore fragmented landscapes, preserve intact habitats, protect biodiversity, and improve resilience to climate change. Despite increasing expertise and resources for planning corridors, many initiatives face challenges mobilizing science and governance to implement corridors on the ground. In many cases, biophysical science is supplemented with social science to better understand the human elements of connectivity. Similarly, collaboration and partnership are heralded as essential for effective governance of corridors. However, less is known about how these …

Adaptation In Rangeland Social-Ecological Systems: A Mixed-Methods, Cross-Scale Examination Of Factors Influencing Ranchers’ Adaptation To Drought And Climate Change, Ada Parkhurst Smith

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Rangeland social-ecological systems (SESs), which make up vast tracts of land on Earth, are critical for safeguarding ecosystem services, producing food and fiber, protecting open space, contributing to local and regional economies, and maintaining cultures and knowledges. Sustaining rangelands, the ranching livelihoods that depend on them, and the suite of ecosystem goods and services they provide hinges on a greater understanding of the social processes that influence ranchers' ability to adapt within these changing systems. In this study, I used a mixed-methods approach to examine factors influencing ranchers’ adaptation to drought and climate change across scales.

In Chapter 3, I …

La Liberté D’Expression Aux États-Unis Et En France, Elisabeth Zoller

Books & Book Chapters by Maurer Faculty

A chapter from the Ministry's report, RÉPUBLIQUE ÉCOLE LAÏCITÉ

The Impact Of Merkel Cell Polyomavirus Positivity On Prognosis Of Merkel Cell Carcinoma: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Aimin Yang, Wilson Adrian Wijaya, Lei Yang, Yinhai He, Ying Cen, Junjie Chen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: There are numerous findings over the past decade have indicated that Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) may have two pathways of pathogenesis: one related to ultraviolet irradiation and the other to the Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV). However, the predictive and clinicopathological value of MCPyV positivity in MCC patients is still debatable. This article aims to examine the most recent data regarding this issue.

METHODS: The thorough literature searches were conducted in the Medline Ovid, PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane CENTRAL Databases, and Embase Databases until December 31, 2021. The associations between overall survival (OS), Merkel cell carcinoma-specific survival (MSS), …

Distributor As Tastemaker: Neon And The American Independent Film Sector, Lucie Boulet-Gercourt

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis explores the role of independent film distributor NEON as a leading tastemaker in the American indie sector. Founded in 2017, NEON has distinguished itself from competing studios and streaming services by maintaining a commitment to the theatrical experience and to genres that Hollywood has been historically hesitant to embrace. Using Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of the ‘cultural intermediary,’ I analyze how NEON has demonstrated its viability within the indie sector through its promotional strategies, chosen avenues of distribution, and specific film products. While media industry scholars have recently revisited Bourdieu’s theory in order to study producers of cultural value, …

Deconstructing U.S. Army Maps Of Korea: A Case Study For Rethinking Historical Environmental Data, Lee Beckwith

Scripps Senior Theses

At a time when the natural world and global climate are experiencing extreme changes at unprecedented speeds, understanding these environmental changes over time is more important than ever. With advances in remote sensing technology, large amounts of information about the natural world are becoming more accessible than ever before; however, satellite-collected data are only available from 1984 onwards. To understand how land use has changed on longer timescales, researchers have turned towards archival maps as a data source. Archival maps are a rich source of environmental information; however, they are often saturated with complicated colonial histories. Maps, more so than …

Joint Force Quarterly 104 (1st Quarter, January 2022), National Defense University Press

Joint Force Quarterly ARCHIVES

No abstract provided.

Drones, Virtual Reality, And Modeling: Communicating Catastrophic Dam Failure, H. R. Spero, I. Vazquez-Lopez, K. Miller, R. Joshaghani, S. Cutchin, J. Enterkine

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Dam failures occur worldwide and can be economically and ecologically devastating. Communicating the scale of these risks to the general public and decision-makers is imperative. Two-dimensional (2D) dam failure hydraulic models inform owners and floodplain managers of flood regimes but have limitations when shared with non-specialists. This study addresses these limitations by constructing a 3D Virtual Reality (VR) environment to display the 1976 Teton Dam disaster case study using a pipeline composed of (1) 2D hydraulic model data (extrapolated into 3D), (2) a 3D reconstructed dam, and (3) a terrain model processed from UAS (Uncrewed Airborne System) imagery using Structure …

Inner Martyrdom: Deconstructing The Sacrificial Female Subject In Post-Soviet Georgia, Gvantsa Gasviani

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

This article analyzes the 2017 film, My Happy Family, and how it depicts the archetypical Georgian woman and the sacrifices she is required to make for the family and, by extension, the nation. In doing so, I explore the socio-historical construction of the ideal woman and the ways women resist gendered demands, often through unseen means. Scholars have explored the cultural politics of “postsocialism,” analyzing the “New Woman” archetype in relation to class, sexuality, and labor. Finding that many neglect issues of women’s own socio-psychic negotiation of the postsocialist terrain, I argue that we must investigate more closely the production …

The Role Of Private Lands In Conserving Yellowston'e Wildlife In The Twenty-First Century, Arthur Middleton, Temple Stoellinger, Drew E. Bennett, Travis Brammer, Laura Gigliotti, Hilary Byerly Flint, Sam Maher, Bryan Leonard

Wyoming Law Review

No abstract provided.

Religious Violence And Twitter: Networks Of Knowledge, Empathy And Fascination, Samah Senbel, Carly Seigel, Emily Bryan

School of Computer Science & Engineering Faculty Publications

Twitter analysis through data mining, text analysis, and visualization, coupled with the application of actor-network-theory, reveals a coalition of heterogenous religious affiliations around grief and fascination. While religious violence has always existed, the prevalence of social media has led to an increase in the magnitude of discussions around the topic. This paper examines the different reactions on Twitter to violence targeting three religious communities: the 2015 Charleston Church shooting, the 2018 Pittsburgh Synagogue shooting, and the 2019 Christchurch Mosque shootings. The attacks were all perpetrated by white nationalists with firearms. By analyzing large Twitter datasets in response to the attacks, …

Delaware’S Multidisciplinary Teams For The Investigation Of Child Abuse: Communities Of Practice?, Lori Sitler

Bryn Mawr College Dissertations and Theses

Multidisciplinary teams (MDT) of professionals are mandated to respond to and investigate cases of child abuse in Delaware. Utilizing research and theory about interorganizational collaboration, my exploratory study considered how this mandate operated in practice. Five themes from interorganizational literature (IOC) on facilitators and barriers to collaborative practice--trust, commitment, communication, capacity, and change--were examined using the theories of Goffman and Weber. The concept of power underlies these themes.

The MDT was considered a motivating example to explore whether Lave and Wenger’s socio-cultural learning theory of Community of Practice (CoP) explained learning and practice among multidisciplinary professionals considering barriers and facilitators …

Resistance To The Rise Of The Principate: An Analysis Of Literary Allusions To Augustus’ Rivals, Christina Mcguire Villareal

Bryn Mawr College Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation asserts that opposition to Augustus and the establishment of the Principate was pervasive and originating from all social strata. After examining incidents of political resistance and social unrest, the project analyzes literary allusions to those who were killed or exiled while challenging Augustus’ rise to power. Using maps, coins, and other artefacts to help explore topographical and contemporary references, this study maintains that coded depictions in literature may provide deeper understanding of events from the period, especially since many of our extant sources are biased, incomplete, or composed centuries later.

The case studies for the literary portion of …