Digital Commons Network^™

Enhancing Topical Delivery Of N-Acetylcysteine And Collagen Via A Novel Electrospun Collagen/Pmma Nanofibrous Mats As Facial Mask Development: Nanofibers Optimization And In Vitro Experiments, Abdullah Elbadry, Elbadawy Kamoun, Mahmoud Sabahy, Mohamed Helmy, Mahmoud Khaled, Shahira Elmosalamy, Noura Eissa

Nanotechnology Research Centre

No abstract provided.

Identification Of Host-Pathogen Protein Interactions: Yeast Two-Hybrid Analysis Of Sars-Cov-2 Nsp10 And Human Cellular Proteins, Antonios Argyriou

Selected Full-Text Master Theses 2021-

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has resulted in over 774 million cases and 7 million deaths worldwide, establishing it as one of the most devastating pandemics in recorded history. While current therapeutic approaches primarily target viral entry mechanisms and specific enzymes, the limited understanding of non-structural protein functions hinders the development of comprehensive antiviral strategies. This research focuses on Nsp10 (non-structural protein 10), a highly conserved 139-amino acid protein essential for viral mRNA capping and replication. Nsp10 serves as a critical cofactor in the formation of methyltransferase complexes with Nsp14 and Nsp16, playing a vital role in viral …

The Flowers Of Being And Time: Nature And Heidegger’S Abandonment Of His Early Project, Robert J. Dostal

Philosophy Faculty Research and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Review Of World Socialist Cinema: Alliances, Affinities, And Solidarities In The Global Cold War, By Masha Salazkina, Timothy Harte

Russian Faculty Research and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Indigenous Sovereignties In The Wife Of Bath’S Tale, Jamie K. Taylor

Literatures in English Faculty Research and Scholarship

This essay examines Chaucer’s Wife of Bath’s demand for “sovereyntee,” a central term around which both her Prologue and Tale rotate. Critics have long disagreed whether Alison’s demand for sovereignty is met, and this essay seeks new ways of thinking about the theoretical contours of her demand. It argues that turning to heretofore unrecognized structures of sovereignty articulated via Indigenous Studies can help us review the feminist politics of the Wife of Bath’s Tale. By reading the Tale’s temporal alternatives to settler timeframes, this essay shows how the Tale revises the structures of justice that seem to exonerate …

Periconceptual Nutrition And The Preimplantation Embryo: Approaches For Intervention And Generational Health, Abigail Klein

Dissertations and Theses

The typical American diet exceeds dietary fat recommendations, contributing to the rising rates of obesity. This negatively impacts fertility, pregnancy and fetal growth, and lifelong offspring health. During pregnancy, this also increases risk of co-morbidities like gestational diabetes. Despite this, lipids are not screened during pregnancy and limited research exists evaluating these co-exposures on offspring health. Our lab used a rat model of maternal high fat (HF) diet with late-gestation diabetes (DM) to demonstrate that mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress incite lifelong cardiometabolic disease risk in offspring. To determine the timing of damage, we hypothesized that maternal overnutrition incites mitochondrial …

Development Of Audiovisual Media For Child Marriage Prevention To Improve Knowledge, Perception, And Motivation Among Junior High School Students In Malang Regency, Chabibah Ilmiyah, Windi Chusniah Rachmawati, Sapto -. Adi, Nurnaningsih Herya Ulfah

Preventia: The Indonesian Journal of Public Health

Child marriage is an issue that significantly impacts adolescent well-being and is often attributed to low levels of knowlede, poor perception, and low motivation among adolescents regarding its prevention. This study aimed to develop an audiovisual medium in the form of an animated video as a health promotion tool to prevent child marriage among junior high school students in Malang Recenty. The Research and Development (R&D) method, specfically the the ADDIE model (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation), was employed in this study. The results of expert validation indicated that the video medium was categorized as “highly Feasible:, with percentages …

A Patent System For Temple Grandin, Andrew Chin

Faculty Publications

This article explores the intersection of neurodiversity and innovation through the lens of Temple Grandin’s contributions to livestock handling systems and her philosophical alignment with the U.S. patent system. Drawing on cognitive research by Simon Baron-Cohen, archaeological insights from Penny Spikins, and personal reflections, I argue that autistic cognitive styles—characterized by heightened “folk physics” aptitudes and visual thinking—have historically driven technological progress. Grandin’s patented inventions, motivated by sensory-based empathy for animals, exemplify how neurodivergent inventors seek to embed their conceptions of ethical utility into the nation’s technological infrastructure. The article critiques modern patent litigation trends, advocating instead for a system …

Civic Duties And Cultural Change, Daniel B. Rice

Faculty Publications

What duties do Americans owe the state? Today, this question seems almost incomprehensible. Compulsions in the common interest are received coolly in our rights-obsessed culture, and the Supreme Court has never announced a framework for identifying the burdens of citizenship. Yet the concept of civic duty has played a central role in America’s constitutional tradition. From shoveling snow to repairing roads to fighting overseas, private individuals have long been forced to serve the public in ways menial and profound. Strangely, the discourse of obligation that legitimated numerous compulsions has faded from professional view. Judges’ mawkish tributes to liberty pay no …

Dr. Richard B. Pearce Flora Of The Driftless Area: A Biography, Cory Ritterbusch

Richard B. Pearce Archival Documents

Dr. Richard Bowman Pearce (1950-2018) was a cell biologist, immunologist, writer, and botanist with a particular focus on documenting plants in the southern Driftless Area and pioneering the use of a high-resolution scanner for image production.

This biography of Dr. Richard B. Pearce written by Cory Ritterbusch.

Rethinking Social Rights From Latin America, Christian Gonzalez Chacon

Washington and Lee Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice

International human rights courts and bodies have traditionally enforced social rights within constrained frameworks, such as “available resources” and “minimum provision,” often overlooking deeper structural inequalities and urgent global challenges. This paper advocates for a paradigm shift grounded in the capabilities framework, reconceptualizing rights to encompass sustainability, harmony, and human flourishing. Drawing on indigenous philosophies from Latin America, I propose strategies to strengthen enforcement mechanisms, including the establishment of specialized human rights courts, equitable taxation systems, and regenerative economic models. By aligning human rights with capabilities and ecological stewardship, this paper illustrates their potential to address poverty, inequality, and climate …

Faking It: A Proposed Solution To Counter Nonconsensual Pornographic Deepfakes, Rena Song

Washington and Lee Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice

2024 Louise A. Halper Award Winner for Best Student Note.

Deepfakes have become popular due to their user-friendly nature and accessibility, allowing anyone to create one by installing deepfake software programs on their phones or laptops. Deepfake software programs allow creators to create hyper-realistic multimedia featuring anyone whose image they can find. Some industries have drawn positive uses from deepfakes; however, deepfakes also create harms that can have detrimental effects on people’s mental health, employment, and reputation. Women and children, including those without a large online presence, have become the target for nonconsensual pornographic deepfakes. Congress has yet to pass …

Neutrosophic Perspectives On The Body-Mind-Soul-Spirit Fluidity, Florentin Smarandache

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

This paper examines the concepts of the ‘Body’, ‘Mind’, ‘Soul,’ and ‘Spirit’ through the lens of neutrosophy. Neutrosophy challenges traditional binary logic, positing that ‘truth’ is not a fixed entity. Through the lens of neutrosophy, which is a philosophical framework, one seeks to address and reconcile contradictions and uncertainties in various fields, including philosophy, mathematics and science in general, as well as logic. Any phenomenon or dynamic structure can exist in different degrees (of truth, indeterminacy, and falsity). By applying this triadic approach to these four components, we propose the notion of a Neutrosophic Body-Mind-Soul-Spirit as a Quadruple Fluidity, where …

Amendment: Literary And Art Journal (2025)

Amendment, 2004-

Amendment is a VCU student-produced progressive literature and art journal that provides a platform for students to promote equality, tolerance, and social progression through artistic expression.

The Design Of A Bioinspired Impact Mitigation System Towards The Prevention Of Brain Injuries, Bryce H. Reimer

Master’s Theses

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), including concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), remain a major concern across contact sports, military operations, and transportation. Despite advancements in protective equipment, current strategies often fall short in preventing the mechanical conditions that contribute to long-term neurological damage. This thesis presents the design and validation of a bioinspired impact mitigation system modeled after bighorn sheep horn structures, which have evolved to endure high-energy collisions without apparent brain injury.

Using biomimetic principles, the research integrates experimental and computational methods to evaluate how horn-like geometries reduce impact-induced accelerations. A custom drop tower was built to test dynamic …

Pwatem: An Anthology Of Literature And Art (2025)

Pwatem (Poictesme), 2006-

Pwatem is an anthology of literature and art from undergraduate students at Virginia Commonwealth University. Pwatem publishes poetry, prose and art of all kinds from talented undergraduate students of all majors.

Karen S. Lynch Center For Leadership And Social Impact: Impact Report Ay 2025-2026, Lynn University

Karen S. Lynch Center for Leadership and Social Impact: Impact Reports

No abstract provided.

The U.N. Global Plastics Treaty: How Narrative Shapes Global Environmental Policy, Ruth Jebe, Susan Park

North Carolina Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Beyond Medication: Reigniting The Childhood Experience, Macie Padilla, Tanya Sanchez-Lopez, Sophia Yastrebova

Bachelor of Science in Nursing Senior Synthesis

No abstract provided.

The Benefits Of Service Dogs For Veterans With Ptsd, Daniel Beak, Anneliese Cowles, Liesl Marshall, Kai Muraki

Bachelor of Science in Nursing Senior Synthesis

No abstract provided.

Work Hard, Play Hard, Abigail Evanson, Angelina Joseph, Nodoka Kondo, Yuki Kondo, Anqi Li

Bachelor of Science in Nursing Senior Synthesis

No abstract provided.

Social Data's Role In Law And Political Economy, Salome Viljoen

Book Chapters

Over the past several years, the digital economy has been a notable uptick in interest from scholars across areas of law. This should come as no surprise. The digital economy encompasses some of the largest companies in the world, whose business models pioneer and spread new strategies to concentrate private power across the political economy more broadly. Digital companies have transformed commercial and social life, and they raise problems of concentrated private power. They are also charged with a slew of downstream disruptions resulting from collective pursuit of that power: global, social, and interpersonal forms of dislocation, oppression, impoverishment, alienation, …

Anthropogenic Prairies Of The Southern Salish Sea: Ethnographic And Archaeological Landscapes, South Puget Sound, Washington., Jamey D. Taylor Ms.

All Graduate Projects

This project report has been completed to fulfill requirements of the Master of Applied Science of Cultural and Environmental Resource Management (MAS-CERM) at Central Washington University. The project models the cultural landscapes of the southern Salish Sea. These landscapes include anthropogenic prairies, travel routes (trails and roads), salmon runs, and archaeological sites. This study maps the historic boundaries of prairies and recent data sets for key plant species. The locations of prairies and indicator species are overlaid with ethnohistoric settlements, archaeological site locations, and trail systems. The spatial correlations of these data are used to interpret the prominence of anthropogenic …

A Preliminary Analysis Of Lungless Salamander Baraminology (Caudata: Plethodontidae), Timothy R. Brophy, Kayla G. Natelborg

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Members of the lungless salamander family (Caudata: Plethodontidae), currently composed of over 500 species in 29 genera, nine tribes, and two subfamilies (1), have been grouped together for almost 200 years. This consistent taxonomic history suggests they form a distinct cognitum and quite possibly an apobaramin. Despite their abundance and diversity, no formal baraminological analyses have been conducted for this family (see Wood (2)). Hennigan (3), however, tentatively defaulted to the genus level for lungless salamander kinds and suggested future research would probably lump them into larger taxonomic groupings. We utilized taxonomic, hybridization, morphological, and molecular data to estimate the …

Water, Water, Everywhere, And Not A Drop Of Justice: International Water Crimes In The Anthropocene, Matthew J. D’Amato

Student Works

No abstract provided.

Addiction By Design: The Case For Mandatory Warning Labels On Social Media, Julia Michael

Student Works

No abstract provided.

The Rise And Fall Of Ambulatory Baselines In The Law Of The Sea, Sean Murphy

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

Traditionally, it has been understood under the law of the sea that baselines are ambulatory; that they move in association with any progression or regression of the physical coast. More recently, however, relevant State practice, the work of bodies such as the International Law Commission and the International Law Association, and in particular the 2025 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on climate change, have all indicated that baselines are not necessarily ambulatory, at least not in the context of physical changes resulting from climate-change related sea level rise. Rather, while a State must establish baselines in accordance …

Martha L. Wofford

Bryant University Commencement Speakers and Honorary Degree Recipients

Honorary Degree recipient and speaker at the Graduate Commencement Exercises.

Swansea Waterways Plan, Kimberly Starbuck, Kristin Uiterwyk, Shannon Hogan, Allison Novelly

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

UHI worked with the Town of Swansea to engage members of the public in waterways planning activities. The plan covered a wide range of topics including public access, water quality, natural resources, commercial and recreational uses, and climate change.

Consumption Pressure In Estuaries Peaks At Intermediate Salinities, Catherine E. De Rivera, Amy A. Larson, Benjamin G. Rubinoff, Luna R. Soto, Seth L. Wright, Edwin D. Grosholz, Gregory M. Ruiz, Andrew L. Chang

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

The nature and strength of biotic interactions change along stress gradients, but the importance of these interactions across estuarine gradients is under studied. Here, we examined how consumption varies across estuarine salinity gradients by deploying standardized baits (‘squidpops’) to measure consumption pressure along the gradients of five estuaries in Oregon, USA. The relationship between consumption and stress was nonlinear: consumption pressure peaked slightly at mid salinity and decreased at low salinity, especially as temperature increased, in the five estuaries studied. This finding does not support either of two existing models for consumption across gradients, including the Consumer Stress Model and …