Digital Commons Network^™

The "Ways Of Peace" And The "Ways Of Pleasantness": Core Values Of Jewish Law, Hershey H. Friedman, Joshua Krausz

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

The phrase "the Constitution is not a suicide pact" signifies that during times of crisis, the nation's survival takes precedence over constitutional rights. Similarly, the sages of the Talmud emphasized that "Her [the Torah's] ways are the ways of pleasantness, and all of her paths are peace," underscores that sometimes laws have to be adjusted if they can cause strife and dissension. They used this verse from Proverbs to establish the principles of darchei shalom (the ways of peace) and darchei noam (the ways of pleasantness) to foster a peaceful, harmonious, and pleasant society, often amending biblical laws to maintain …

Creating Trust: A Leadership Priority, Joseph P. Hester

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

Ethical leadership, although outwardly displayed, is an intrinsic commitment coming from somewhere inside of us, of “the kind imagined,” as Lippman would say, “conceived and understood” within the circumstances of everyday life, and conditioned individually. Here caution needs to be taken for individuality can lead to productivity and creativity or quickly morph into negative and damaging behaviors.

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene: Image And Kategoria, Apologia, Antapologia, William L. Benoit, Kevin A. Stein

Speaker & Gavel

Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene was elected as the U.S. Representative from Georgia in November, 2020; her term of office began on January 3, 2021. On that day, Democratic Representative Jahana Hayes denounced Greene for “espousing hateful rhetoric and conspiracy theories about the legitimacy of mass school shootings,” expressing this sentiment in a letter to the Republican leadership in the House which was posted on Twitter. Hayes argued that Greene should not be appointed to the House Committee on Education and Labor. The next day, Representative Greene responded with an apologia on the House floor. This defense in turn prompted Democratic …

Review Exploring Sperm Morphological: World Health Organization Vs. Kruger Strict Criteria, Talal Z. Al-Darawsha

Al-Ameed Journal for Medical Research and Health Sciences

Sperm morphology, the study of the size, shape, and appearance of sperm cells, is vital in evaluating male fertility. This assessment has evolved through decades of research, beginning in the 1930s with foundational classification systems by Cary and Moench.

A significant advancement came in the late 1980s with the Kruger strict criteria, which standardized sperm morphology evaluation using high-magnification microscopy and advanced staining, supported by the WHO.

This standardization is crucial in diagnosing male infertility and optimizing treatment strategies. In assisted reproduction technologies like IVF and ICSI, normal sperm morphology is essential for predicting fertilization potential and successful pregnancy outcomes. …

Serological Study Of Prevalence Toxoplasmosis In Different Animals In Basra Province, Iraq, Sarah Kamal Naser

Al-Ameed Journal for Medical Research and Health Sciences

The current study is designed to identify Toxoplasma gondii at animals in Basra province - Iraq, (109) blood samples in all were collected from cows, sheep, goats and cats in urban domestic and Al-zubair abattoir (sheep n=42, goats n=19, cows n=24, and cats n=24) at Basra province were tested using a serological test to the identification of anti-Toxoplasmosis antibodies in animals during beginning of October 2022 until the end of April 2023, this research demonstrated that the overall infection rate was (19%), the highest rate observed in cats (33%), followed by sheep and goats (21%), the findings of the present …

The Blm's Public Lands Rule And "Periodic Adjustments In Use To Conform To Changing Needs And Conditions" Under The Federal Land Policy And Management Act, Jamie Pleune

Pace Environmental Law Review

On May 9, 2024, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) finalized new regulations, cumulatively referred to as the “Public Lands Rule.” According to the preamble for the rule, the purpose of the regulations is “to advance the BLM’s multiple use and sustained yield mission by prioritizing the health and resilience of ecosystems across public lands.” When making land management decisions, the definition of multiple use requires the BLM to take into account “the long-term needs of future generations.” Those resource needs include “recreation, range, timber, minerals, watershed, wildlife and fish, and natural scenic, scientific and historical values.” Despite this directive, …

Adolescent Dieting And Eating Disorders: Considerations For Counselors, Josephine Sticha

Counselor Education Capstones

A crucial time for an individual’s development is during adolescence. During this developmental stage, the media, social influences, and cultural pressures contribute to a teenager’s body dissatisfaction and disordered eating habits. Nearly 22% of adolescents engage in unhealthy weight-loss behaviors such as skipping meals, fad diets, excessive exercise, and dangerous purging practices due to experiencing weight and body dissatisfaction (Whyte & Findlay, 2004). Other factors such as low self-esteem, peer pressure, and the desire for increased social status have been known to exacerbate these behaviors. Dieting practices intensify these risks and increase the likelihood of developing nutritional deficiencies and eating …

Study Of The Brain Anatomy Of Three Extinct Marsupials: Thylacinus Cynocephalus, Thylacoleo Carnifex, And Silvabestius Johnnilandi, Francisco Garcia

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

Marsupials are pouched mammals that today are mainly found in Australasia and South America. Marsupials have proven to be quite intriguing to evolutionary biologists who note how some marsupials resemble placentals in anatomy due to convergent evolution, with both marsupials and placentals filling similar niches in their respective environments. As of today, studies interested in marsupial brain evolution have published descriptions of cranial endocasts for several species of marsupials, with the number of descriptions seeing a massive boost over the last 20 years with the arrival of CT imaging technology. However, no comprehensive study of brain evolution in marsupials has …

Mindful Design For Adolescent Minds: Moving Away From Digital Hook Models To Mindful Innovation Models, Donald R. Hendriksen

Masters Theses

In the domain of digital technology, an ethical issue surfaces from the design of user interfaces and applications tailored for adolescent users. Techniques frequently incorporated into these targeted systems, such as continuous scrolling, rewards for uninterrupted use, and game-like features, are increasingly linked to addictive inclinations in adolescents. Central to this issue is the stimulation these apps provide for the dopamine system. Adolescents, being in a vital phase of psychological growth, are especially vulnerable to the dangerous consequences of such designs. These effects are extensive and include a perceptible drop in academic achievement, a weakening of relational skills, and an …

The Learner's Experience Using Augmented Reality, Michael Lionel Atkinson

Theses and Dissertations

Augmented reality (AR) is a promising learning tool that has the potential to improve learning experiences in unique ways. While AR has been extensively studied in terms of learning outcomes, relatively little has been researched about the qualitative aspect of the learner experience and how that may inform better instruction. This multi-article, journal-ready dissertation addresses this gap. The first article is a review of the literature on what researchers have learned about AR in learning, systematically identifying six areas that appear salient yet underrepresented in the literature. The second article expands further upon this theme by conducting a qualitative study …

A Wīnak Perspective On Cosmovisíon Maya And Eco-Justice Education, Arcia Tecun

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

This article responds to questions of relational ethics in Indigenous mobility with a critically conscious approach to cosmovisíon Maya in Soonkahni (Salt Lake Valley). An urban and mobile Mayan positionality, identified as Wīnak, guides an analysis of complex Indigenous experiences, and possibilities found in Eco-Justice. The limits from the prevailing and dominant colonial logics of conservation and environmentalism are re-imagined through Indigenous approaches to ‘Earth Wellbeing’. The application of critically conscious cosmovisíon Maya reveals a simultaneous challenge to systems of power, and to formations of an Indigenous relational ethic that is both locally meaningful and globally relevant. This essay concludes …

Revisiting Men Of Maize: Historical Truths, Literary Distortions, And Asturias In Today’S Guatemala, Elaine Elliott

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

In 2024, a renewed appreciation for the Guatemalan Nobel Prize winner Miguel Ángel Asturias is taking place to mark the 50th anniversary of Asturias’ death. This essay examines the historical and literary context of the author’s groundbreaking novel Hombres de maíz (Men of Maize), and the book’s portrayal of indigenous Maya resistance against ladino landowners in Guatemala. Evidence indicates that Asturias obtained his views of ladino – Maya conflict from historic land conflicts in Ilom, Chajul. Asturias distorted the events, but his book inspired a generation of revolutionaries, some of whom organized and fought in the Ixil region and Ilom. …

Mixed Race Futurity Through Contemporary Archetypes: Mutants, Cyborgs And Dhampirs, Kobe Jackson

Masters Theses

Analysis of Enlightenment philosphes reveals how the contemporary archetypes, mutants, cyborgs and dhampirs may be situated as sources for understanding mixed race positionality. Arranged on a trajectory of hybrid mythology reaching from ancient times into the present day, their contemporary relevance is put into context. Through modern speculative fiction, historical mythology and the theoretical frameworks of sociology, and philosophy, two tropes are revealed to be imposed roles for mixed race people. The first one, the tragic hybrid is a term which references a character specific to the context of American colonial slavery, the tragic mulatto. By reframing the term, tragic …

Colonic Derotation Revisited: The "Deloyers Procedure" For Long-Segment Hirschsprung Disease., Ismael Elhalaby, Irene Isabel P. Lim, Elizaveta Bokova, Ifeanyi K Egbuchulem, Rebecca M. Rentea

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Long-segment Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) presents significant challenges in surgical management, often requiring extensive bowel mobilization and creative techniques to achieve tension-free anastomosis. Colonic derotation offers a viable solution for preserving bowel length and maintaining the ileocecal valve, which is crucial for postoperative bowel function. The procedure involves extensive colonic mobilization and strategic vascular divisions of the right and middle colic vessels while preserving the ileocolic and marginal arteries, followed by a 180° counterclockwise rotation of the colon around the ileocolic vascular axis. Critical aspects include ensuring proper bowel orientation post-derotation, the careful assessment of potential compression points, and the preservation …

December 11, 2024 Blazer Weekly, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

Blazer Weekly (student newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Art399 Portfolio, Sadie Smith

Professional Practices (ART 399)

My work mainly consists of drawing, using charcoal, ink, and pastels to create pieces that emphasize stark contrasts and surreal, dreamlike atmospheres. The contrast between rendered forms and flat backgrounds creates a sense of timelessness, as if the subjects exist in a space removed from reality. This quality is evident in pieces like “Three Birds,” where three women appear to float in an undefined, eerie environment. The implausibility of the forms and their ethereal nature contribute to the dreamlike quality of the imagery, making it clear that these scenes could not exist in the real world. The themes I explore …

Increasing Health Literacy Within The Unhoused Population, Alyse Mk Abraham, Zoe J. Foucaultt, Sean P. Sieber, Simran Gill, Andrew Kang, Fatou Goudiaby

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Nursing Leadership Executive Summary

The unhoused population in Washington State increased by 12% from January 2022 to January 2023, underscoring a growing regional crisis (Washington State Department of Commerce, 2024). To serve this population, we partnered with an agency in Western Washington. In collaboration with the agency’s health services administrative director, we developed a multilingual handout on healthcare and insurance options to improve health literacy.

Our project involved a windshield survey, demographic analysis, evidence-based research, and collaboration with translators to ensure accessibility. This paper outlines the project’s development, research process, creation of the handout, and its intended impact.

Background

A …

Take Charge Of Your Health: Start With Your Smile, Jordan L. Lacey, Brizette O. Owusu, Sophia Gardner, Madeline Whitehead, Haeun Park, May Ligno

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

Take Charge of Your Health: Start with Your Smile

Oral health is a fundamental component of overall health, yet it is often neglected-particularly among vulnerable populations like houseless individuals (Freitas et al., 2019). Houseless individuals face numerous barriers to accessing healthcare, with dental services being limited. This lack of access contributes to a higher prevalence of oral diseases, which if left untreated, can lead to severe complications. Poor oral health doesn’t just affect the mouth; it negatively impacts one’s overall systemic health, psychosocial well-being, and quality of life (Csikar et al., 2019).

As nursing students engaged in a Community Health …

The Apostle Paul's Teaching On Life After Death: A Model Of Christ's Life, Death, And Resurrection, Keri A. Thompson

Masters Theses

There are many questions and differing views surrounding what happens to the soul after death. Through his letters collected in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul offers insight into the existence of the believer's soul in an intermediate state following death and prior to the resurrection of the body. Through a brief overview of Old Testament teachings on the subject, Jewish views on life after death during the intertestamental period, and common Greek thought on the body and soul, the possible presuppositions and influences on the Apostle Paul's view of life after death and the intermediate state are uncovered. Detailed …

Donut Day, Amelia Krouse

Theses

Donut Day is a 2D animated short film that was produced by Amelia Krouse at the Rochester Institute of Technology from 2023-2024. It was her third short film produced, and was just over three minutes long. The short is a comedic narrative piece that depicts the struggles of an office worker chasing after a dropped ring.

Type I Interferon Signaling In Dendritic Cells Limits Direct Antigen Presentation And Cd8+ T Cell Responses Against An Arthritogenic Alphavirus, Christopher B Bullock, Leran Wang, Brian C Ware, Ngan Wagoner, Ray A Ohara, Tian-Tian Liu, Pritesh Desai, Bjoern Peters, Kenneth M Murphy, Scott A Handley, Thomas E Morrison, Michael S Diamond

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Ross River virus (RRV) and other alphaviruses cause chronic musculoskeletal syndromes that are associated with viral persistence, which suggests deficits in immune clearance mechanisms, including CD8

What Makes A Great Movie Trailer?​, Bridget Hill

Honors Projects

This research analyzes four case study films across two genres to identify the best tactics used in trailer marketing and editing in order to create box office successful films that attract their identified target audiences. Existing research and a pre-existing interview were used to identify and define these tactics before then applying the strategies onto existing film trailers. The two genres chosen in this analysis include Romantic Comedies and Animated Action/Adventure Family Films. In each genre, a successful and unsuccessful film were chosen then compared against one another to determine if the successful film trailers utilized the previously identified tactics. …

Cellular Air Quality Sensors With Lora Backchannel A Robust Sensor Suited For Remote Deployment In Harsh Environments, Joseph R. Miera

Theses and Dissertations

Air quality significantly impacts health and overall quality of life, making its measurement essential. However, most affordable air quality devices are designed only for use within WiFi range and cannot handle extreme temperatures, limiting their usefulness for people in remote or extreme environments, such as regions with harsh winter climates. This limitation is concerning, as winter often brings worse air quality due to temperature inversions that trap pollutants and increase fuel burning for heating. Inversion is a problem as close to home as Utah Valley, and as far away as Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Most low-cost air quality sensors are not built …

Etherealbreathing: A Holographic Biofeedback Game To Support Relaxation In Autistic Children, Arturo Morales Téllez, Isabel López Hurtado, Franceli L. Cibrian, Monica Tentori

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Biofeedback training for box breathing is becoming increasingly accessible due to advancements in consumer-grade breathing sensors. However, there is limited research on their design and applications for specialized populations. This study evaluates a novel biofeedback holographic game, EtherealBreathing, designed to support autistic children. In EtherealBreathing, children practice box breathing to collect virtual elements to maintain the Earth's balance, using a wearable sensor to measure chest expansion for breath detection. A deployment study with 20 autistic children revealed that EtherealBreathing effectively promotes box breathing, leading to better health-related outcomes, such as lowering participants’ heart and respiratory rates than traditional practices. Biofeedback …

Design(Ing) Disruptions: Towards Intimacies Between Feminist Situated Knowledge, Gossip And Design, Senjuti Sangia

Masters Theses

This project highlights and problematizes the knowledge traditions and politics foundational to problem-solving paradigms in design education and practice. By emphasising the ontological nature and turn in design (Willis, 2006, Fry, 2012) , this thesis critically appraises the aforesaid formulations by extending intersectional feminist theories to dominant design epistemology. Drawing on the sociological framing of the matrix of domination, I investigate the dichotomy of the designer and user- as designers, users, and communities find themselves at different junctions in the matrix of domination. Further, I critique design frameworks from the analytical lenses of feminist situated knowledge, In so doing, I …

Nomenclature For Human And Animal Fungal Pathogens And Diseases: A Proposal For Standardized Terminology, Sybren De Hoog, Thomas J Walsh, Sarah A Ahmed, Ana Alastruey-Izquierdo, Maiken Cavling Arendrup, Andrew Borman, Sharon Chen, Anuradha Chowdhary, Robert C Colgrove, Oliver A Cornely, David W Denning, Philippe J Dufresne, Laura Filkins, Jean-Pierre Gangneux, Josepa Gené, Andreas H Groll, Jaques Guillot, Gerhard Haase, Catriona Halliday, David L Hawksworth, Roderick Hay, Martin Hoenigl, Vit Hubka, Tomasz Jagielski, Hazal Kandemir, Sarah E Kidd, Julianne V Kus, June Kwon-Chung, Shawn R Lockhart, Jacques F Meis, Leonel Mendoza, Wieland Meyer, M Hong Nguyen, Yinggai Song, Tania C Sorrell, J Benjamin Stielow, Rachel Vilela, Roxana G Vitale, Nancy L Wengenack, P Lewis White, Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner, Sean X Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Medically important pathogenic fungi invade vertebrate tissue and are considered primary when part of their nature life cycle is associated with an animal host and are usually able to infect immunocompetent hosts. Opportunistic fungal pathogens complete their life cycle in environmental habitats or occur as commensals within or on the vertebrate body, but under certain conditions can thrive upon infecting humans. The extent of host damage in opportunistic infections largely depends on the portal and modality of entry as well as on the host's immune and metabolic status. Diseases caused by primary pathogens and common opportunists, causing the top approximately …

Comparing Physiological, Psychological, And Performance Changes Between Myo-Reps Vs Traditional Hypertrophy Protocols, Antonella V. Schwarz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In long-term athlete development, it is common to emphasize hypertrophic adaptations during the beginning training phases prior to focusing on strength and power performance. The purpose of this study was to compare the physiological, psychological, and performance differences between myo-reps (MYO) vs. traditional (TRAD) hypertrophy protocols in trained n=8 male subjects over eight weeks. Current literature suggests hypertrophy may be optimized through 3-6 sets of 6-12 repetitions at 60-80% of one-repetition maximum (IRM) with 1-3 minutes of rest per set. However, alternative hypertrophy protocols such as MYO are underexplored. This quantitative experimental study assessed MYO vs TRAD protocols on hypertrophy …

Graphic Design And Automation, Ellen Fixsen

Masters Theses

This research examines the use of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and DIY-centric template tools in the area of graphic design and how they affect businesses using them for branding and visuals, and how that impacts the graphic design industry. Although the use of AI in graphic design is a fairly new trend, the technology has been developing over the last several decades, if not longer. With AI definitely here to stay, it has become vital to explore how businesses and designers will move forward and utilize the tools it offers. Incorporating historical and statistical evidence, professional insights, case studies, …

The Undoing Of Eve: A Biblical-Theological Critique Of John's Portrait Of The Female Image Of God, Melissa A. Fields

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation offers a fresh exploration of the Gospel of John through a biblical theological lens, tracing the dynamic motif of the female imago Dei and its development within the Johannine narrative. By merging literary analysis with a close examination of the biblical portrayal of femininity, the study sheds light on how the Fourth Evangelist reimagines the female image of God within the context of a new creation, presenting a vision that may reshape the complementarian-egalitarian debate within today’s Christian communities. Applying the “worldview-story” biblical-theological approach, the researcher asserts that John’s positive depiction of femininity suggests a restoration of woman’s …

Attachment Security In Adult Offspring Of Parents With Narcissistic And Borderline Personality Disorder, Habiba Jessica Zaman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Available research in understanding the correlation of insecure attachment in the offspring of caregivers with traits of personality disorders and how the two presents in adulthood includes the experiences from childhood to adolescence, though thus far, no other studies have been done to understand these variables into adulthood. This mixed methods study of 172 participants for the quantitative portion and 12 participants for the qualitative portion explored the impact of having an early childhood caregiver with Narcissistic or Borderline Personality Disorder characteristics on attachment styles and interpersonal relationships in adulthood. Online self-reports utilizing The Personality Inventory (PCL-5 Brief Form) to …