Digital Commons Network^™

Debiasing Criminal Justice, Sandra Guerra Thompson, Nicole Bremner Cásarez

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

The killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minnesota inspired a summer of protests in 2020, followed by a call for racial reckoning and a professed commitment to reform criminal justice. Many have condemned the “systemic racism” reflected in countless demographic measures. From killings of unarmed men by the police at the front end of the criminal justice system to incarceration rates at the back end, the statistics show stark disparities along racial lines. These disparities are held up as evidence of racial bias in the system.

Statements about racial bias may be intended as an indictment of a …

A New Takings Clause? The Implications Of Cedar Point Nursery V. Hassid For Property Rights And Moratoria, Benjamin Alexander Mogren

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

In part, the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution holds that “no person . . . shall [have their] private property . . . taken for public use, without just compensation.” In Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that “a California regulation that permits union organizers to enter the property of agricultural business to talk with employees about supporting a union is unconstitutional.” The purpose of this Note is to discuss what Cedar Point Nursery means generally for the future of Takings Clause analysis and will argue that Cedar Point Nursery should be seen as a …

The Trump Clemencies: Celebrities, Chaos, And Lost Opportunity, Mark Osler

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

The presidency of Donald Trump may have produced the most chaotic use of the constitutional pardon power in American history. Trump granted clemency to war criminals, to close friends, to celebrities, and to the friends of celebrities, with much of it coming in a mad rush at the end of his single term. Buried beneath this rolling disaster was a brief moment of hope and a lost opportunity: the chance for a restructure of the clemency process in the fall of 2018, enabled by a rare alignment of factors, including Trump’s alienation from the Department of Justice. This Article will …

Automated Government For Vulnerable Citizens: Intermediating Rights, Sofia Ranchordás, Luisa Scarcella

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

Filing tax returns or applying for unemployment benefits are some of the most common government transactions. Yet interacting with tax and social security authorities is for many a source of government anxiety. Bureaucracy, regulatory delays, and the complexity of the administrative legal system have been regarded for decades as the key reasons for this problem. Digital government promised a solution in the shape of simplified forms, electronic filing, and better communication with citizens. In the United States, privately developed software systems such as TurboTax and MiDAS emerged as intermediaries between citizens and digital government, selling convenience and efficiency. These systems …

The King’S Final Journey: American Press Coverage Of King Kalākaua’S Last Visit To The United States, 1890–1891, Douglas V. Askman

Pacific Studies

King Kalākaua of Hawai‘i undertook several overseas trips during his reign. The last was to California in 1890. It was there that the king died in January 1891. This article explores American press coverage of Kalākaua’s last journey. It examines the enormous amount of attention that California newspapers paid to the king’s travels in the state with much of the reporting being extremely positive. This was similar to coverage of Kalākaua’s previous trips to the United States. Following the monarch’s death, papers across America reflected on his reign. This analysis, although not entirely complimentary, reflects the great success that Kalākaua …

Interactions Of Cdkal1 Rs7747752 Polymorphism And Serum Levels Of L-Carnitine And Choline Are Related To Increased Risk Of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, Hui Wang, Jing Li, Jinnan Liu, Junhong Leng, Weiqin Li, Zhijie Yu, Claudia H.T. Tam, Gang Hu, Ronald C.W. Ma, Zhongze Fang, Ying Wang, Xilin Yang

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Background: Interactions between genetic, metabolic, and environmental factors lead to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). We aimed to examine interactive effects of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 regulatory subunit-associated protein1-like 1(CDKAL1) rs7747752 polymorphism with low serum levels of L-carnitine, choline, and betaine for GDM. Methods: A nested case-control study of 207 GDM women and their one-to-one, age-matched controls was organized from a prospective cohort of pregnant women in Tianjin, China. Conditional logistic regressions were used to test associations between CDKAL1 rs7747752 and serum levels of L-carnitine, choline, and betaine, and the risk of GDM. Additive interactions were performed to examine interactive effects of …

Effects Of A Lifestyle Intervention In Young Women With Gdm And Subsequent Diabetes, Gang Hu, Huikun Liu, Junhong Leng, Leishen Wang, Weiqin Li, Shuang Zhang, Wei Li, Gongshu Liu, Huiguang Tian, Shengping Yang, Zhijie Yu, Xilin Yang, Jaakko Tuomilehto

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine whether a 9-month intensive lifestyle intervention could lead to weight loss and improve cardiovascular risk factors among young women with both gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and newly diagnosed diabetes. A total of 83 young women, who had GDM and were subsequently diagnosed as type 2 diabetes at an average of 2.6 years after delivery, participated in a 9-month intensive lifestyle intervention and a follow-up survey at 6–9 years postintervention. After the 9-month intervention, these women had a weight loss of 2.90 kg (−4.02% of initial weight), decreased waist circumference (−3.12 cm), body …

Perceived Efficacy, Reduced Prescription Drug Use, And Minimal Side Effects Of Cannabis In Patients With Chronic Orthopedic Pain, Ari Greis, Eric Larsen, Conan Liu, Bryan Renslo, Anjithaa Radakrishnan, Adrianne R Wilson-Poe

Rothman Institute Papers

Introduction: Although cannabis is widely used for the treatment of chronic pain, most research relies on patient self-report and few studies have objectively quantified its efficacy and side effects. Extant inventories for measuring cannabis use were not designed to capture the medically relevant features of cannabis use, but rather were designed to detect problematic use or cannabis use disorder. Thus, we sought to capture the medically relevant features of cannabis use in a population of patients with orthopedic pain and pair these data with objective measures of pain and prescription drug use. Materials and Methods: In this prospective observational study, …

Sexual Harassment In An Overlooked Occupation: Experiences Of Cna And The Influence Of Nurses, Audrey Pennington

Honors Theses

The prevalence of sexual harassment (SH) in health care facilities has been documented in previous research, but few studies have focused on Certified Nursing assistants (CNA; Burgess et al., 2018; Dean, 2020; Deery et al., 2011; Hibino et al., 2006). The purpose of this study is to explore SH that CNA experience from their patients and what influence supervising nurses may have in impacting the negative outcomes of SH. Participants (N = 95) were recruited to take an online survey through social media and snowball recruiting. The hypotheses of this study were not supported by the data, but results may …

When The Influencer Says Jump! How Influencer Signaling Affects Engagement With Covid-19 Misinformation, Ben Wasike

Communication Faculty Publications

With signaling theory, credibility, and social media engagement (SME) as guiding frameworks, this study used an experiment to examine how social media influencers (SMIs) affect how people engage with COVID-19 misinformation. SMI-promoted information elicited more SME, credibility, and purchase likelihood than non-SMI promoted information. The most effective message was a post promoted by an SMI that contained detailed information about an authentic product. However, data indicated nuance regarding the effect of SMIs. The authenticity of the information as well as the amount of detail in the post played a role. Additionally, mediated effects analysis showed that the impact of SME …

Governing, Managing, And Leading During The Covid-19 Crisis: A Case Study Of How A Community College Senior-Level Administrative Team Adapted A Holistic Student Supports Initiative In Response To The Pandemic, Michel A. Hodge

Education Doctoral

For over 100 years, community colleges have provided access to a college education that helps citizens become fuller participants in democracy. In response to the recent crisis of low rates of student retention and graduation, community college leaders have instituted holistic student supports strategies to improve student success. In March 2020, COVID-19 presented an additional challenge to community college retention and graduation rates, creating a second crisis to which community colleges had to adapt and respond. This qualitative research case study on leadership and crisis management shed light on the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on a community college and …

Should Maine Develop A More Comprehensive Approach To Invasive Species Management, Gary Fish

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

Currently the state of invasive species management in Maine seems to be very siloed with little interagency or organizational coordination or prioritization. To assess the current situation, a survey was created and sent to approximately 600 recipients (Appendix 1). Recipients included representatives from state, federal, non-profit and private organizations that are known actors in the invasive species community in Maine. The survey was also posted on the Maine Invasive Species Network listserv.12 There were 197 respondents which provides a significant but incomplete sample of the management efforts currently taking place in Maine. Respondents represented all potential affiliations involved in invasive …

Voices That Matter: Boston Area Residents Of Color Discuss Climate Change, Lorena M. Estrada-Martínez, Paul Watanabe, Katsyris Rivera-Kientz

Sustainable Solutions Lab

This report presents findings from a qualitative study conducted by the Sustainable Solutions Lab at the University of Massachusetts Boston, centering on the climate change perspectives of 70 residents of color from the Greater Boston area. Through focus group discussions with Asian American, Black, Latino/a, and Native American participants, the study examines three core areas: the health impacts of climate change, levels of community preparedness, and individual and governmental responses. The findings reveal a shared concern over climate-related health vulnerabilities, structural barriers to climate preparedness, and a general mistrust of governmental leadership stemming from historical and ongoing racial inequities. Participants …

Technology-Enhanced In Vivo Exposures In Prolonged Exposure For Ptsd: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial, Tanya C Saraiya, Amber M Jarnecke, Alex O Rothbaum, Bethany Wangelin, Lisa M Mcteague, Ron Acierno, Delisa G Brown, Emily Bristol, Hayley Feigl, Mclain Reese, Adam R Cobb, Bill Harley, Robert J Adams, Sudie E Back

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In vivo exposures (IVEs) are a key component of exposure-based treatments, during which patients approach fear-provoking, yet safe, situations in "real life." This pilot study assessed the use of a wearable technology (Bio Ware) during IVEs to enhance Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy for PTSD. Bio Ware provides a clinician dashboard with real-time physiological and subjective data for clinicians to use for virtually guided IVEs. Participants (N = 40) were randomized to a Guided group that received standard PE and virtual, clinician-guided IVEs with the Bio Ware device, or a Non-Guided group that received standard PE and used the Bio Ware …

Serious Leisure, Job Task Load, & Satisfaction, Carson Matsick

All Theses

The study examined the relationship between degree of leisure seriousness and leisure, job, and life satisfaction, as moderated by perceived job mental workload. Serious leisure has largely been studied in reference to general life satisfaction and health outcomes, and less research exists to examine whether serious leisure participation may influence work. This study tested the following hypothesis: the relationship between serious leisure participation and employee well-being is moderated by mental workload on the job, such that a) as mental workload increases, then serious leisure participation and satisfaction will be less strongly positively correlated, and b) as mental workload decreases, then …

Understanding The Influence Of Excessive Fertilization And Water Relations On Peach (Prunus Persica (L.) Batsch) Skin Bronzing, Sydney Lykins

All Theses

This project evaluated possible causes of peach skin bronzing, a brown-blotchy skin discoloration on mid to late-season peaches that causes drastic decreases to grower incomes in the Southeastern U.S. It is known that there is no bacterial, insectile, viral, or fungal cause of bronzing; thus, these studies focused on potential nutrient imbalances within the peach. On the ‘PF23’ variety, factors of irrigation, potassium fertilization, and transpiration-inhibiting sprays were tested to see the various effects on the incidence and severity of bronzing. The hypothesis was that excessive irrigation and excessive soil potassium concentrations would induce a higher incidence and severity of …

Multilingualism And Memory: Investigating Possible Differences In The Abilities Of Monolingual And Multilingual College Students, Clara E. Barned

Honors Projects

This study investigated whether there is a difference in the memories of monolingual and multilingual undergraduate students using simple memorization tasks. There were 46 participants, 30 of which were monolingual (only knew one language) and 16 of which were multilingual (knew two or more languages). There was found to be no significant difference between the performance of the two groups, with the data generating a p-value of 0.557. This study further suggests related avenues of research and ways in which the study could be improved in the future.

If You Give A Beetle A Maple: Anoplophora Glabripennis Habitat Selection Patterns On An Island In South Carolina, Meredith Bean

All Theses

At the epicenter of the Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis Motschulsky) quarantine zone in South Carolina, a small island containing an actively growing subpopulation of A. glabripennis had not completely killed its 37 host trees in 2020. Before these trees were removed and destroyed according to the USDA Eradication Program protocols, I performed an observational study to examine the microhabitat selection tendencies of the invasive A. glabripennis within this satellite infestation. After cataloging >14,000 oviposition sites and >1,600 exit holes created by A. glabripennis, I found dispersal trends according to a host’s stem status (single or multi-stemmed), vertical …

An Evaluation Of Bovine Reproductive Function From The Microrna Expression In The Female To Performance Testing In The Male, Erin Amiss

All Theses

Reproductive function is crucial to the success of a beef or dairy herd. Both the female and male play significant roles in the outcome of bovine reproduction. The bull contributes to reproductive success in many ways, such as genetics. The initial role that the bull has in reproductive success is fertilization, whether natural or by artificial insemination. One method of assessing bull performance are central bull test stations, which are traditionally administered by a university, extension center, or are privately owned. Central bull tests assess the performance of bulls from various management systems, breeds, and ages. Some measurements taken during …

Reducing Physical Restraints And Emergency Psychiatric Medications On An Inpatient Psychiatric Unit With The Broset Violence Checklist, Victoria Hernandez

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Background: Physical restraint and psychiatric emergency medication use, especially psychotropic medications, is problematic, negatively impacting patient safety on psychiatric units (Ambwani et al., 2021; Iuppa et al., 2013; Rahman, 2021). The Bröset Violence Checklist (Woods & Almvik, 2002), a short-term violence-predicting tool, has been used in the inpatient setting to predict violent outbursts and determine when high-level violence interventions are needed.

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to recognize signs and symptoms of aggression and agitation early and intervene to reduce the use of physical restraints and emergency restraint medications on an inpatient psychiatric unit, thereby improving patient safety. …

Algorithmic Elections, Sarah M.L. Bender

Michigan Law Review

Artificial intelligence (AI) has entered election administration. Across the country, election officials are beginning to use AI systems to purge voter records, verify mail-in ballots, and draw district lines. Already, these technologies are having a profound effect on voting rights and democratic processes. However, they have received relatively little attention from AI experts, advocates, and policymakers. Scholars have sounded the alarm on a variety of “algorithmic harms” resulting from AI’s use in the criminal justice system, employment, healthcare, and other civil rights domains. Many of these same algorithmic harms manifest in elections and voting but have been underexplored and remain …

Community As Safe Space For Survival: African American Women And The Great Migration In Gloria Naylor’S The Women Of Brewster Place, Ann Petry’S The Street, And Toni Morrison’S Jazz, Carmel Aisha Breed-Thomas

Theses (2016-Present)

Abstract This project closely examines the unique challenges African American women faced as migrants from the rural South to the urban North during the Great Migration and particularly how community and safe spaces were necessary for survival. This article will focus on the literary works of The Street by Ann Petry, The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor, and Jazz by Toni Morrison to specifically analyze the migrant stories of African American women. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson is used as a non-fiction anchor text to compare and contrast the fictitious accounts alongside the non-fiction accounts. …

Effectiveness Of The Legal Rules That Protect Disabled People Through Neutrosophic Techniques, Santiago Fernando Fiallos Bonilla, Diego Xavier Chamorro Valencia, Diego Vladimir Garcés Mayorga, Eduardo Luciano Hernández Ramos

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Lost In The Fire: Reflections On The Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial, Alina Ball

UC Law Constitutional Quarterly

The Tulsa Race Massacre centennial, occurring on the heels of the Movement for Black Lives and its historic national spotlight on racial inequity, provides a rare moment to be reflective about how transactional lawyering can advance racial and economic justice. This Essay examines the Greenwood District to not only explain the continuing economic disenfranchisement of people of color, but also provide transactional lawyers a case study through which they can critically examine their efforts to move beyond the rhetoric of economic development to rooting out racial violence and oppression that threatens not merely minority-owned businesses, but the lives of people …

Development Of Colorimetric And Fluorescent Antibiotic Biosensors And Synthesis Of Drug-Related Biomimetic Molecules For Calcium Carbonate Polymorph Control And Stabilization, Shan Hazoor

Chemistry & Biochemistry Dissertations - Archive

Polydiacetylene (PDA) polymers are conjugated macromolecules with desirable sensing properties. The presence of alternate double and triple bonds (en-yne subunits) generates electron delocalization in the PDA backbone, yielding a characteristic blue color, which changes to red upon environmental perturbations to the conjugated backbone structure. In chapter 1 PDA polymers containing a functional monomer 10,12- pentacosadiynoic acid-vancomycin conjugate (PCDA-Van) were prepared. Syntheses of different monomers containing different polar head groups were carried out to investigate a compatible monomer with PCDA-van stability. Gram-positive bacterial cell wall sequencing oligopeptides (OP) D-Ala-D-Ala and L-Lys-D-Ala-D-Ala were synthesized as a model for bacterial sensing. The PCDA-Van …

December 2022 Faculty Senate Packet, University Of Nebraska At Kearney Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Packets

No abstract provided.

Single-Cell Approach Reveals Intercellular Heterogeneity In Phage-Producing Capacities, Sherin Kannoly, Gabriella Oken, Jonathan Shadan, David Musheyev, Kevin Singh, Abhyudai Singh, John J. Dennehy

Publications and Research

Bacteriophage burst size is the average number of phage virions released from infected bacterial cells, and its magnitude depends on the duration of an intracellular progeny accumulation phase. Burst size is often measured at the population level, not the single-cell level, and consequently, statistical moments are not commonly available. In this study, we estimated the bacteriophage lambda (ƛ) single-cell burst size mean and variance following different intracellular accumulation period durations by employing Escherichia coli lysogens bearing lysis-deficient ƛ prophages. Single lysogens can be isolated and chemically lysed at desired times following prophage induction to quantify progeny intracellular accumulation within individual …

“The Times They Are A-Changin’:” A Dedication To The Past, Present, And Future Of Mercer Law Review, Cathy Cox

Mercer Law Review

Longtime readers of Mercer Law Review’s Annual Survey of Georgia Law likely know that Mercer Law School is steeped in history. It is the first American Bar Association-accredited law school in the state of Georgia, having earned that distinction in 1925—more than fifty years after the law school was actually founded in 1873. In the same vein, the Mercer Law Review was founded in 1949 and remains the oldest continuously-published law journal in Georgia.

When I became a student at Mercer Law School, I knew little about Mercer Law’s history or heritage, or for that matter, about lawyers or law …

Administrative Law, Moses M. Tincher, Chelsea J. Harris

Mercer Law Review

This Article surveys cases from the Supreme Court of Georgia and the Georgia Court of Appeals from June 1, 2021 through May 31, 2022, in which principles of administrative law were a central focus of the case. Review of decisions by administrative agencies will be the first topic discussed, followed by cases discussing discretionary appeals, followed by cases discussing procedural requirements, with scope of authority to follow. The Article will conclude with cases discussing statutory construction.

Domestic Relations, Charles V. Crowe

Mercer Law Review

This Article addresses noteworthy appellate decisions and legislative updates relevant to Georgia domestic relations law during the Survey period from June 1, 2021 through May 31, 2022.