Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Bacillus Velezensis Ncimb 30322 On Growth Of Chenopodium Ficifolium In Nutrient-Depleted Conditions, Ciana B. Lazu

Honors Theses and Capstones

Abiotic stressors, such as nutrient and drought stress, are a leading cause of crop yield reduction. Some bacteria and fungi are able to promote plant growth and increase stress tolerance by increasing nutrient availability through nitrogen fixation or phosphate solubilization, outcompeting pathogens, productions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), reducing plant stress, and inducing induced systemic resistance (ISR), and thus serve as a valuable component of agricultural ecosystems to reduce dependency on chemical fertilizers. Chenopodium quinoa is a crop native to South America that has been gaining popularity in the United States because of its nutritive properties and resistance to drought …

Towards A Performative Migratory Aesthetics In Work By Womxn-Identifying Practitioners In The United States, 1970–2018, Laurel V. Mclaughlin

Bryn Mawr College Dissertations and Theses

Towards a Performative Migratory Aesthetics in Works by Womxn-Identifying Practitioners in the United States, 1970–2018 traces ritual—repeated performative actions across time—in performance, theater, and social practice works by womxn-identifying contemporary artists and collectives working in performance. Using an interdisciplinary methodological approach, including art historical formal analysis, performance studies concepts of embodiment, and decolonial theoretical analyses of socio-cultural landscapes, I theorize, in part through the work of Mieke Bal, what I term a “performative migratory aesthetics.” In such a theorization, I argue that the migratory conditions of movement, memory, heterochrony, and contact double as ritualized strategies of performance, serving to construct …

Serum Neurofilament Light-Chain Levels And Long-Term Treatment Outcomes In Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Patients: A Post Hoc Analysis Of The Randomized Combirx Trial, Gary Cutter, Richard A Rudick, Carl De Moor, Carol M Singh, Elizabeth Fisher, Thijs Koster, Fred D Lublin, Jerry S Wolinsky, Henry Mcfarland, Steven Jacobson, Maria L Naylor

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: CombiRx was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial in treatment-naive relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients randomized to intramuscular interferon beta-1a (IM IFN beta-1a), glatiramer acetate (GA), or both therapies.

OBJECTIVE: This analysis investigated changes in serum neurofilament light-chain (sNfL) levels in response to treatment and assessed baseline sNfL as a predictor of relapse.

METHODS: RRMS patients treated with IM IFN beta-1a 30 µg weekly + placebo (n = 159), GA 20 mg/mL daily + placebo (n = 172), or IM IFN beta-1a + GA (n = 344) were included. A linear mixed model compared sNfL values over time. …

A Phenomenological Study: Examining Resilience In Native American Women Who Witnessed Domestic Violence In Childhood And Experienced Domestic Violence In Adulthood, Arial T Swallow

Dissertations and Theses

Domestic violence has significant acute and long-lasting harmful effects on the well-being of women from all backgrounds with higher rates of psychological effects in ethnic minority populations. Native American women experience domestic violence at disproportionate rates and face unique barriers in overcoming challenges of healing from domestic violence. Even though the impact of domestic violence in children and adults is well-studied, research in rural and Native American populations is scarce. Women who have witnessed or experienced domestic violence in childhood have identified challenges and strengths and developed coping strategies to help them endure and adapt to surviving domestic violence in …

Gender Violence As A Penalty Of Poverty, Deborah M. Weissman

Faculty Publications

The matter of gender violence, including intimate partner violence (IPV), has long been categorized as a particularly egregious crime. The consequences of IPV are profound and affect all members of the household, family members near and far, and the communities where they live. Gender violence impacts the national economy. Costs accrue to workplaces, health care institutions, and encumber local and state coffers. Survivors are deprived of income, property, and economic stability: conditions that often endure beyond periods of physical injuries. Offenders also experience economic hardship as a result of involvement with the legal system. They often face significant obstacles when …

The Real Problem With Plea Bargaining, Carissa Byrne Hessick

Faculty Publications

This Response critiques Jeffrey Bellin’s argument that plea‑bargaining reform should focus solely on problems uniquely caused by plea bargaining and instead contends that the practice has fundamentally reshaped American criminal justice in ways that extend far beyond Bellin’s narrow framework. The Response argues that plea bargaining exacerbates systemic issues—including harsh sentencing, coercive leverage, and inaccurate convictions—by insulating legislative excess, weakening trial incentives, and pressuring even innocent defendants to plead guilty. It further maintains that Bellin understates how plea bargaining distorts legislative behavior, affects statutory design, and suppresses political pressure for reform. Most importantly, the Response identifies plea bargaining’s central harm …

Multibillion-Dollar Tax Questions, James Alm, Jay A. Soled, Kathleen Delaney Thomas

Faculty Publications

Tax compliance in the United States historically hovers in the 80 percent range, costing the nation approximately half a trillion dollars annually in uncollected tax revenue. To foster greater tax compliance, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) should employ whatever tools are at its disposal. Standard deterrence theory argues that increasing the audit rate and imposing stiffer penalties would foster greater tax compliance. There are political headwinds, however, that strongly suggest that these approaches are not currently viable. Instead, there is a low-cost method that could yield greater tax compliance. Drawing on recent and compelling social science research, the IRS should …

Physicians Spreading Medical Misinformation: The Uneasy Case For Regulation, Richard S. Saver

Faculty Publications

Physicians have played a surprisingly prominent role in the current “infodemic” of false and misleading medical claims. Yet, state medical boards, the governmental agencies responsible for professional licensure and oversight, have sanctioned remarkably few physicians. Pushing back against the widespread criticism of medical boards for insufficient action, this Article questions the overall suitability of licensure regulation to police medical misinformation. First, uncertainty exists about medical boards’ jurisdiction and legal authority. Many misinformation claims have involved physicians communicating publicly, not while treating patients. Given the primarily patient-centered legal and ethical frameworks governing the practice of medicine, serious challenges arise in making …

High Anxiety: Racism, The Law, And Legal Education, Elayne E. Greenberg

Washington and Lee Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice

Conspicuously absent from the United States’ ongoing discourse about its racist history is a more honest discussion about the individual and personal stressors that are evoked in people when they talk about racism. What if they got it wrong? The fear of being cancelled -- the public shaming for remarks that are deemed racist -- has had a chilling effect on having meaningful conversations about racism. What lost opportunities!

This paper moves this discussion into the law school context. How might law schools rethink their law school curricula to more accurately represent the role systemic racism has played in shaping …

Sacred Lives: A Study On The Spiritual Needs Of Lgbtq+ Students And Possible Responses By Catholic High Schools, Jennifer Marie Farrell

Doctor of Ministry Doctoral Projects

In this project, I examined the spiritual care offerings available to LGBTQ+ students in Catholic high schools in the state of Washington and potential best practices. Through a convergent mixed methods approach to gathering information on spiritual care, both public and clandestine, I sourced several methods of inquiry to analyze data and make recommendations. Using a survey of all fifteen Category I and Category II Catholic high schools in Washington, I collected data from administrators, counselors, campus ministers, and diversity equity inclusion (DEI) directors about spiritual care efforts in catholic high schools. Concurrently, two listening sessions were held with six …

Trauma-Informed Care: Treating Race-Based Trauma In Blacks, Patrick Wayne Oliver

Doctor of Ministry Doctoral Projects

No abstract provided.

Occurrence Of High-Risk Clonal Lineages St58, St69, St224, And St410 Among Extended-Spectrum-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia Coli Isolated From Healthy Free-Range Chickens (Gallus Gallus Domesticus) In A Rural Region In Tunisia, Saloua Benlabidi, Anis Raddaoui, Sana Lengliz, Sarah Cheriet, Paul Hynds, Wafa Achour, Taoufik Ghrairi, Mohamed Salah Abbassi Salah Abbassi

Articles

Antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli isolates have emerged in various ecologic compartments and evolved to spread globally. We sought to (1.) investigate the occurrence of ESBL-producing E. coli (ESBL-Ec) in feces from free-range chickens in a rural region and (2.) characterize the genetic background of antimicrobial resistance and the genetic relatedness of collected isolates. Ninety-five feces swabs from free-range chickens associated with two households (House 1/House 2) in a rural region in northern Tunisia were collected. Samples were screened to recover ESBL-Ec, and collected isolates were characterized for phenotype/genotype of antimicrobial resistance, integrons, and molecular typing (pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus …

Sustainable Utilisation And Management Of Food Waste For High-Value Products, Amit Jaiswal

Articles

Welcome to the Special Issue on “Sustainable Utilisation and Management of Food Waste for High-Value Products”. This Special Issue focuses on one of the most critical challenges facing our world today—the efficient management and utilisation of food waste. It presents a variety of scientific investigations from renowned scholars and researchers worldwide to address this challenge, covering an array of topics ranging from fundamental research to real-world applications. Food waste is a global dilemma that requires urgent attention. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), approximately one-third of food produced for human consumption worldwide, or around 1.3 billion tons, is …

Selection And Characterization Of Bacteriocinogenic Lactic Acid Bacteria From The Intestine Of Gilthead Seabream (Sparus Aurata) And Whiting Fish (Merlangius Merlangus): Promising Strains For Aquaculture Probiotic And Food Bio-Preservation, Sarah Cheriet, Sana Lenglitz, Amel Romdhani, Paul Hynds, Mohamed Salah Abbassi, Taofik Ghrairi

Articles

This study sought to evaluate the probiotic properties and the food preservation ability of lactic acid bacteria isolates collected from the intestines of wild marine fishes (gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) (n = 60) and whiting fish (Merlangius merlangus) (n = 40)) from the Mediterranean sea in the area of Mostaganem city, Algeria. Forty-two isolates were identified as: Enterococcus durans (n = 19), Enterococcus faecium (n = 15), Enterococcus faecalis (n = 4), Lactococcus lactis subp. lactis (n = 3), and Lactobacillus plantarum (n = 1). All isolates showed inhibition to at least one indicator strain, especially against Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus …

Behavioral Pathways To Private Well Risk Mitigation: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach, Simon Mooney, Martin Boudou, Jean O'Dwyer, Paul Hynds

Articles

Complex, multi hazard risks such as private groundwater contamination necessitate multiannual risk reduction actions including seasonal, weather-based hazard evaluations. In the Republic of Ireland (ROI), high rural reliance on unregulated private wells renders behavior promotion a vital instrument toward safeguarding household health from waterborne infection. However, to date, pathways between behavioral predictors remain unknown while latent constructs such as extreme weather event (EWE) risk perception and self-efficacy (perceived behavioral competency) have yet to be sufficiently explored. Accordingly, a nationwide survey of 560 Irish private well owners was conducted, with structural equation modeling (SEM) employed to identify underlying relationships determining key …

Optimisation Of Raman Spectral Processing For Classification Of Radiotherapeutic Toxicity, Isha Behl, Dinesh Medipally, Chris Talbot, Aidan Meade, Fiona Lyng

Conference papers

Severe radiation toxicity can continue years after the completion of radiotherapy for prostate cancer patients. Currently, it is impossible to predict before treatment which patients will experience these long-term side effects. New approaches based on vibrational spectroscopy have advantages over lymphocyte and genomic assays in terms of minimal sample preparation, speed and cost. A high throughput method has been developed to measure Raman spectra from liquid plasma in a cover glass bottomed 96 well plate. However, the Raman spectra can show contributions from glass and water. The current study aims to optimise pre-processing steps to improve classification performance.

Identification Of Precancerous Oral Lesions Using Minimally Invasive Sampling Techniques And Raman Microspectroscopy, Isha Behl

Conference papers

The gold standard diagnosis of oral pre-cancer/cancer is an invasive biopsy followed by a histological examination, which may present psychological trauma and risk of infection to patients. Moreover, multiple biopsies are often required to monitor precancer lesions' progression. With the aim of reducing the need for multiple biopsies, this study was undertaken to identify pre-cancerous lesions using minimally invasive brush biopsy and saliva samples, analysed by Raman spectroscopy.

Sustainability Leadership For The Energy Transition: A Case Study Of Role-Playing To Enhance Authentic Learning, Anthony Paul Heynen, Elliot J Tonkes

Practice Papers

To lead the energy transition, effective sustainability leadership requires a spectrum of skills, knowledge and understanding across technical, financial and even political disciplines. An innovative, authentic learning initiative has been designed and implemented in which Master of Sustainable Energy students conducted team-based role-playing activities, responding to a realistic, hypothetical energy policy scenario in the form of a government announcement and other mock collateral. Groups were assigned the personas of a range of industry stakeholders and prepared presentations (and accompanying media statements and position papers) for a mock online media conference. The initiative leveraged the diversity of the cohort, enabling constructive …

A Survey To Evaluate Laboratory Activities Across An Undergraduate Engineering Degree Programme: Data From Five Years Showing Repeatability And Sensitivity, Peter Johnson

Practice Papers

Laboratory activities are an essential part of an undergraduate engineering education. This paper focuses on evaluating the student experience of laboratory activities. We present a laboratory-specific survey used with large cohorts of students (200) about laboratory activities across an undergraduate Mechanical Engineering degree programme. The key question we try to answer is whether the results of the survey can be used to inform teaching decisions such as which activities need improvement; how to improve them; and to validate these interventions.

We present nine common questions that were used to evaluate activities across a programme. We present five years of data …

Assessment Of Different Platforms For Online Virtual Lab Demonstrations, Owen M Clarkin, Anne Morrissey, Muhannad Ahmed Obeidi, Alma Ryan

Practice Papers

As we move to a more sustainable world, expansion of education is key to the eradication of poverty (SDG1) and societal inequalities (SDG10). Global expansion of tertiary education offers opportunities to deliver Sustainable Development Goals by providing wide access to education in flexible learning environments. However, the quality of education (SDG4) must be maintained and enhanced as it is key to a partnership for the goals (SDG17). While increased learning online can facilitate achievement of these SDGs, there is also a move, within the education sector, to a constructivist approach and a more active learning environment. Interactive virtual learning environments …

Isolation And Identification Of Chlorate-Reducing Hafnia Sp. From Milk, William P. Mccarthy, Meghana Srinivas, Martin Danaher, Christine O'Connor, Tom F. O'Callaghan, Douwe Van Sinderen, John Kenny, John T. Tobin

Articles

Chlorate has become a concern in the food and beverage sector, related to chlorine sanitizers in industrial food production and water treatment. It is of particular concern to regulatory bodies due to the negative health effects of chlorate exposure. This study investigated the fate of chlorate in raw milk and isolated bacterial strains of interest responsible for chlorate breakdown. Unpasteurized milk was demonstrated to have a chlorate-reducing capacity, breaking down enriched chlorate to undetectable levels in 11 days. Further enrichment and isolation using conditions specific to chlorate-reducing bacteria successfully isolated three distinct strains of Hafnia paralvei . Chlorate-reducing bacteria were …

Difference In Bioimpedance Across The Knee In Un-Injured Young Adults, Patrick J. Atkinson, Theresa Atkinson, Allison Seeley, Seerut Dhillon

Mechanical Engineering Publications

Background

Knee injuries induce swelling and resolution of swelling may be a useful factor in identifying states of healing and time to return to sports activities. Recent work has suggested that bioimpedance can provide an objective measure of swelling following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and therefore may also provide guidance for clinical decision-making following knee injury. This study measures knee bioimpedance in young, active people to help define baseline variability and factors that influence limb to limb differences.

Methods

Bioimpedance was measured via sensors placed at the foot/ankle and thigh, in positions similar to those suggested for monitoring post-TKA swelling. …

Opportunities Of Iot In Fog Computing For High Fault Tolerance And Sustainable Energy Optimization, A. Reyana, Sandeep Kautish, Khalid Abdulaziz Alnowibet, Hossam Zawbaa, Ali Wagdy Mohamed

Articles

Today, the importance of enhanced quality of service and energy optimization has promoted research into sensor applications such as pervasive health monitoring, distributed computing, etc. In general, the resulting sensor data are stored on the cloud server for future processing. For this purpose, recently, the use of fog computing from a real-world perspective has emerged, utilizing end-user nodes and neighboring edge devices to perform computation and communication. This paper aims to develop a quality-of-service-based energy optimization (QoS-EO) scheme for the wireless sensor environments deployed in fog computing. The fog nodes deployed in specific geographical areas cover the sensor activity performed …

Justice-Impacted Black Males’ Perceptions Of How Life Skills Coaching Helped Overcome Barriers To Housing, Healthcare, And Employment, Isreal W. Moses Iv

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This study examined the beliefs, perceptions, and lived experiences of justice-impacted Black males and focused on the impact of life skills coaching on their ability to overcome barriers to affordable housing, healthcare, and employment. The study affirmed the important role life skills coaching played in the sustainable success of justice-impacted Black males. Through in-depth analysis, the study uncovered multi-leveled themes related to the effects of life skills coaching. The results revealed one overarching theme related to the broad barrier of having a criminal record. There were also three effects that resulted from this barrier: Having a Record, Mindset, and Low …

Improving Recombinant Zoster Vaccination Rates In Patients Receiving Biologic Therapy, Kathlyn Camargo, Taylor Kann, Marilyn Mosquera, Ravi Shahu, Ariail Schmitz, Kathleen Mccabe, Ashwini Komarla

North Florida Division GME Research Day 2023

No abstract provided.

The Importance Of Recognizing The Many Facets Of Crohn’S Disease, Alexander Howell, Rachel Murray, Ann Church, Karthik Krishnamurthy

South Atlantic Division GME Research Day 2023

No abstract provided.

Thoracic Radiculopathy Following Permanent Spinal Cord Stimulator Placement, Nicholas Gentry, Desiree Aird, Farayi Mbuvah

South Atlantic Division GME Research Day 2023

No abstract provided.

New Analyses Suggest That All Horses (Perissodactyla: Equidae) Belong To A Single Holobaramin, Timothy R. Brophy, Jack R. Gregory

Faculty Publications and Presentations

The horse family (Perissodactyla: Equidae) is composed of approximately 35 genera, primarily extinct forms from Cenozoic sediments, that include the modern genus Equus. The equids, along with some other extinct perissodactyls (e.g., palaeotheriids) form the superfamily (or clade) Equoidea. Our previous research confirmed the conclusions of several other baraminological analyses that all members of the horse family belong to the same monobaramin. No baraminological studies, however, have detected consistent discontinuity between the horses and any outgroup taxa. The goal of this study is to investigate potential discontinuity and holobaraminic status of horses and other similar taxa using new datasets and …

From Newark’S Little Italy To Congress: How The Italian American Values Of Family, Pride, And Hard Work Influenced Congressman Peter Rodino’S Legislation, Francesca Simone

Student Works

No abstract provided.

A Retrospective Look At Visceral Manipulation On Gastrointestinal Complaints In An Inpatient Setting, Fletcher Eldemire, Adithi Vemuri, Marcey Wright, Daniel Breznau

West Florida Division GME Research Day 2023

No abstract provided.