Digital Commons Network^™

United States V. Skrmetti: L’Identité De Genre Dans Le Droit Et La Politique De L’Égale Protection, Olatunde C.A. Johnson

Faculty Scholarship

In French
L'article analyse l’arrêt United States v. Skrmetti, dans lequel la Cour suprême américaine juge que l’interdiction, par le Tennessee, des bloqueurs de puberté pour les mineurs trans ne viole pas la clause constitutionnelle d’égalité, dite clause « d’égale protection ». Refusant de considérer qu’il s’agit d’une discrimination fondée sur le sexe, la Cour applique le contrôle le plus déférent (base rationnelle) et accepte l’argument de l’État selon lequel il protège les mineur·es de risques médicaux incertains. L’auteure montre ici que cette approche s’inscrit dans un contexte plus large de lois et de décrets fédéraux visant les personnes …

Reliability Analysis Of In-Person And Virtual Goniometric Measurements For Select Shoulder And Forearm Motions, Autumn Whitson, Tracy Cook, Lisa Middleton, Casey E. Humphrey, Aaron D. Sciascia

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Background Previous research on upper extremity range of motion has compared in-person to virtual measures for sagittal plane motions (flexion/extension) showing good-excellent reliability. Since upper extremity evaluation includes motion in all planes, it is important to assess whether transverse plane motion (rotation, supination, pronation) can be reliably measured during a virtual assessment. Purpose To evaluate the reliability (test/re-test inter-rater and intra-rater) of goniometric measurements of shoulder internal rotation and forearm pronation/supination obtained in-person and virtually. Study Design Observational cohort, Reliability study Methods Subjects 18-60 years of age with no upper extremity injuries were recruited for range of motion (ROM) testing …

A Systematic Review Of Corporate Ethics Program Training Strategies To Improve Ethical Workplace Cultures, Robin Raye Altice

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The demand for corporations to practice more ethically responsible conduct and decision making is growing with every news report of another corporate scandal, lawsuit, fine, or high-visibility C-suite firing. To develop an ethical workplace culture, organizations should implement a comprehensive ethics program that fosters and encourages ethical decision making, especially among current and future leaders. However, there is little research and few guidelines for how ethics program administrators should design corporate ethics training to effectively practice and master the skill of ethical decision-making in efforts to continually grow a more ethical work environment. This study aims to identify corporate ethics …

Taming The Wicked Problem: Transparency, Civic Apathy, And The Challenge Of Rebuilding Trust In Local Government, Austin N. Kaiser

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

Since the 1960s, the United States has experienced a persistent decline in public trust in government. The Founders believed that government could only function with the consent of the governed, making this erosion of trust a significant concern for democratic legitimacy. In response, many scholars and practitioners have championed transparency as a pillar of sound governance and a potential remedy for rebuilding trust. However, the solution may not be as simple as improving openness. Public officials increasingly recognize that transparency alone may have limited or even unintended consequences, especially when public participation is low or administrative resources are strained.

This …

Focal Engine: Filling A Gap Between Game Engines And Big-Data Scientific Visualization Packages, Kindrat Beregovyi

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation presents Focal Engine, a novel 3D visualization engine designed to bridge the gap between game engines and scientific visualization tools. Game engines offer accessible interfaces and high-performance rendering but struggle with large-scale scientific datasets, while tools like ParaView and VTK handle complex data structures effectively but lack intuitive editing capabilities and modern rendering features. Focal Engine combines the accessibility and rendering performance of game engines with the data handling capabilities and analytical tools of scientific visualization platforms. The engine's capabilities are validated through multiple applications and projects, for example: HabiCAT 3D performs 3D complexity measurements on ocean floor …

Evaluating The Impact Of Policy In Theatre: The Influence Of Public & Political Policy On The Theatrical World, John Q. Rhodes

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In the second half of the twentieth century, there is distinct evidence to exhibit a direct correlation between daily occurrences and matters of public policy. This paper serves to analyze the impact of U.S. public policy on theatrical practices. To provide a detailed and targeted analysis of the exponential impact public policy had upon the theatrical industry, this examination will look at theatre beginning in 1961 and will extend towards the current administration of President Donald Trump and is organized in ten-year segments. Each decade will be generalized for its direct or indirect changes that occurred within the period and …

Pharmacy Matters December 2025/January 2026, University Of Mississippi School Of Pharmacy

Pharmacy Matters Newsletters

Featured stories: School of Pharmacy Celebrates Employees of 25 Years, A Word of Gratitude and Year-End Highlights, Pharmacy Students Earn Top 10 Finish in ASHP Clinical Skills Competition, Pharmacy Students Earn Top Honors in 3MT Competition, Student Pharmacist Named to National Community Pharmacy Scholars Cohort, UM Pharmacy Celebrates First Year of Dietary Supplements and Medical Cannabis, Pharmacy Student Balances Rigorous Academics With Rebelettes Dance Team, Research Professor Recognized with Two Prestigious Awards, Oregano Oil Shows Promise as Natural Fire Ant Repellant, Researchers Develop Tool to Study Autism Risk Factors, Pharmacy Alumnus, Former Football Player Inducted Into MAIS Hall of Fame, …

Augmenting Large Language Models To Predict Social Determinants Of Mental Health In Opioid Use Disorder Using Patient Clinical Notes, Madhavi Pagare, Deva Sai Kumar Bheesetti, Inyene E. Essien-Aleksi, Mohammad Arif Ul Alam

Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Objective

Identifying social determinants of mental health (SDOMH) in patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) is crucial for estimating risk and enabling early intervention. Extracting such data from unstructured clinical notes is challenging due to annotation complexity and requires advanced natural language processing (NLP) techniques. We propose the Human-in-the-Loop Large Language Model Interaction for Annotation (HLLIA) framework, combined with a Multilevel Hierarchical Clinical-Longformer Embedding (MHCLE) algorithm, to annotate and predict SDOMH variables. Materials and Methods

We utilized 2636 annotated discharge summaries from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC-IV) dataset. High-quality annotations were ensured via a human-in-the-loop approach, refined …

(R2135) System Dynamical Analysis For Ann-Based Numerical Solutions Of A Compartmental Model: A Bio-Mathematical Model Of Drug Diffusion Through The Compartments Of Blood And Tissue, Rakesh Kumar, Sudarshan Dhua

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

This paper provides a considerably efficient numerical approach to acquire the solutions of a biomathematical model administrating oral and intravenous distribution of pharmaceuticals in the human body. The proposed numerical approach based on an artificial neural network is employed to extract numerical solutions for a detailed set of ordinary differential equations and analyze the change in concentration of drug diffusion via the compartments of blood and tissue medium. We primarily focus on analyzing three different models established on the diffusion process, exercising laws of mass action and Fick’s principle. In this work, the existing model is reformulated as an optimization …

(R2107) Analysis Of A Bivalent Vaccine Model With Peer Influence Effect On Testing, Manoj Kumar Singh, Anjali .

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

The coronavirus caused havoc around the world. There was a terrible situation in villages and cities, and no one knew how to deal with it. Although the governments of each country tried their best to save the common people, vaccination programs and testing centers were built everywhere. However, people were not utilizing it due to fear. Because of this, the infection spread rapidly. The qualitative study of the mathematical model here is in context with the situation when bivalent vaccination and testing are available for an epidemic. The mathematical model combines the exposed period and influenza model with vaccination included …

Accessing Community Needs In The Tri-County Area Of Rural Utah, Cara Murray, Yvette Rea, Lendel K. Narine

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

Utah State University Extension conducted a needs assessment in the Tri-County area of Utah, encompassing Uintah, Duchesne, and Daggett Counties, to identify key community priorities. Using a three-phased approach, the assessment identified mental health, strengthening relationships, and financial literacy as top concerns. These findings will inform resource allocation to Extension programming to address the region’s most urgent needs.

Tricounty Vaccine Improvement Program (Tc-Vip): Enhancing Vaccine Confidence And Uptake In Rural Utah, Aaron Hunt, Yvette Rea, Annalyz Castro

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

The Utah State University Extension TriCounty Vaccine Improvement Program addressed low rural vaccination rates across a three-county area through bilingual social media campaigns, health fairs, training in motivational interviewing, and neuromarketing. Evaluation results showed improved skills, broad community reach, and positive participant feedback, demonstrating a replicable model to reduce vaccine hesitancy and strengthen rural health systems.

Pilot Results Of The Teens Lifting Teens: A Statewide Youth Development Program, Megan O. Hall, Vernon C. Parent, Cris Meier, Kaitlyn Line

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

Youth mental health and teen suicide prevention are among the highest needs in Utah communities. The Teens Lifting Teens (TLT) pilot program seeks to equip Youth Councils with resources and education through training, near-peer mentoring, and service-learning opportunities to build protective factors among teens. Evaluation results showed that TLT youth exposure to near-peer mentoring and service-learning opportunities positively impacted their lives.

Evaluation And Optimization Of Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy Laboratory Monitoring For Beta-Lactam Antibiotics., Stephanie Subart Pharmd, Trent Towne Pharmd, Bcps, Sarah Pehlke Pharmd, Bcps, Robert D. Beckett Pharmd, Bcps

Pharmacy Residency

Presented at the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting. New Orleans, LA

This evaluation found that among patients who experienced eosinophilia, only one exhibited signs of hypersensitivity, while seven required a change in therapy. This indicates that while eosinophilia is a concern, its direct clinical impact may be limited for the majority of patients. In the cohort experiencing elevated LFTs including AST, ALT, or alkaline phosphatase levels, fewer than 2% necessitated a change in therapy. This low rate suggests that routine LFT monitoring may not always correlate with significant clinical decisions, raising questions about the necessity of frequent lab draws.

2001-Cf-2403: Reflecting On A 24 Year Old Crime In My Family, Nicolas Galindo

Media Projects

No abstract provided.

Daily Life Therapy: Daily Living Skills Training (Handwashing, Brushing Teeth, And Getting Dressed) For Parents Of Autistic Children, Christpher T. Fontecchio

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

The Boston Higashi School founded by Dr. Kiyo Kitahara in 1987 has been utilizing Daily Life Therapy to teach residential autistic children daily living skills. Parents, whose children attend the Boston Higashi school just in the day program, have expressed challenges in teaching daily living skills when their children are home and have asked for strategies to carry over what is being taught at school into their home. Utilizing the tenets of “Kimochi Zukuri,” to prepare the child’s mind for a task, the training proposed with this project is to bridge the gap in teaching daily living skills from Boston …

Differences In Loading Rate In Shod And Unshod Treadmill Walking, David Austin Kropushek

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare the loading rates of shod and unshod conditions in treadmill walking. It was hypothesized that walking barefoot would demonstrate higher loading rates than walking with shoes. It was also hypothesized that walking barefoot on a treadmill would result in greater stride-to-stride variability than walking with shoes. Sixteen healthy adult females volunteered and provided their consent to participate in this study. Participants were given time to accommodate to the instrumented treadmill both while wearing shoes and without. Two 10-minute trials were collected with a rest period between. Data were analyzed using Vicon Nexus …

Improving Early Detection Of Suicidal Ideation Through Routine Screening In Adults With General Anxiety Disorder, Brittanie N. Bush

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States, with anxiety and depression recognized as independent risk factors for suicidal ideation (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024 September 26; Grant et al., 2023; Li et al., 2022; Moon et al., 2025; Wiebengo et al., 2021). Incorporating valid screening tools like the General Anxiety Disorder-7 and the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale can help identify suicidal ideation early, enabling quicker provider intervention (Johnson et al., 2019; O’Connor et al., 2022). The purpose of this project was to implement the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale as a standardized screening tool for …

Enhancing Adherence To Veterans Affairs/Department Of Defense And American Psychiatric Association Clinical Guidelines For Alcohol Use Disorder, Corinna M. Trevino

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Alcohol use disorder continues to be significantly undertreated within outpatient behavioral health settings, particularly concerning pharmacological interventions. Despite the presence of robust national clinical guidelines recommending medications such as naltrexone for individuals with moderate to severe dependence, the rates of prescribing these medications remain modest owing to inconsistent screening procedures, limited referral practices, and provider follow-through barriers. This project was implemented at a substance use treatment center in a large metropolitan area to improve adherence to clinical practice guidelines. The purpose of this project was to increase prescribing of naltrexone and improve referral for patients with moderate to severe alcohol …

Phosphorylation At S1288 Of Leukemia Associated Rhogef (Larg/Arhgef12) Induces Plasma Membrane Localization And Promotes Binding And Activation Of Rhoa, Won Seok Yang, Neda Z. Ghanem, Steven D. Scahill, Maisel J. Caliva, Hannah Röttig, Annika Fitz, Michelle L. Matter, Joe W. Ramos

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

Leukemia-associated RhoGEF (LARG) is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) known for its specificity toward Ras homolog family member A (RhoA). LARG plays a crucial regulatory role in various cellular processes such as migration, proliferation, invasion, and metastasis by facilitating the exchange of GDP to GTP on RhoA. Phosphorylation of LARG at S1288 by ribosomal S6 kinase 2 (RSK2) promotes RhoA activation. However, the precise mechanism remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate the essential role and mechanism by which S1288 phosphorylation facilitates LARG-mediated invasiveness in response to epidermal growth factor (EGF). Upon EGF stimulation, RSK2 phosphorylates LARG at S1288, thereby promoting …

Coming To The American Vincentian Mission In 1818: The Second Journey, John E. Rybolt C.M.

Vincentian Studies

Three letters from Francesco Cellini, a Vincentian novice, and his confrere, Filippo Borgna, a Vincentian student with vows, are given or summarized here. In 1818, Cellini and Borgna made an eighty-eight-day voyage from Livorno, Italy, to the United States. Cellini wrote an account to a friend in Rome, and Borgna largely copied this in his letter, perhaps to ensure that one of their texts would survive the trip back to Italy. These are the only known detailed records of the Vincentians’ second journey to the US and reinforce records kept by Felix De Andreis and Joseph Rosati, who came two …

A Deep Learning And Causal Modeling System For Retinal Disease Diagnosis, Shiyu Tian

Dissertations (1934 -)

Vision-threatening retinal diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic macular edema (DME), are major causes of preventable blindness worldwide. Early screening and follow-up are essential, but advanced imaging like Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is expensive and not always available outside large clinics. In contrast, color fundus photography is inexpensive and common, yet it only shows a surface view and can miss subtle changes inside the retina. These practical limits make it hard to deliver timely, high-quality eye care in many settings. As AI is increasingly used in healthcare, retinal disease diagnosis has benefited as well. This work combines deep …

A Psychometric Evaluation Of The Pbss-20 Among Sexual And Non-Sexual Minority College Students, Alex Melville

Master's Theses

This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Protective-Behavioral Strategies Scale-20 in a large national sample of college students containing sexual minority and non-sexual minority students. Specifically, confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the model fit with this sample, invariance testing was used to compare the model among sexual and non-sexual minority students, and construct validity was evaluated. Participants included college students (N = 1,730; M_age = 19.41) from 12 universities across the United States, who were predominantly White non-Hispanic (63.6%), identified as female (70%), and as completely heterosexual (67.6%). Participants completed demographic information and measures of …

The Value Of Jury Rights, Philip A. Hamburger

Faculty Scholarship

The right to a civil jury trial is often dismissed as an inefficient anachronism ill suited to the complexities of modern litigation, and these efficiency concerns have long overshadowed any serious defense of the Seventh Amendment. This Article argues that such skepticism profoundly misunderstands the constitutional function and enduring value of civil jury rights. The Article observes that the Seventh Amendment’s jury right was adopted with the understanding that it would come with some inefficiencies and that contemporary concerns about its inefficiencies tend to be overstated. Ultimately, the Article finds that civil juries are essential for structural reasons such as …

State Of California Cannabis Reporting, University Of Mississippi – National Center For Cannabis Research And Education

California

No abstract provided.

Predicting Five-Year Comorbid Bipolar Disorder After Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Diagnosis: A Population-Based Machine Learning Approach, Yen-Shan Yang, Chih-Wei Hsu, Liang-Jen Wang, Kuo-Chuan Hung, Yang-Chieh Brian Chen, Chih-Sung Liang, Mu-Hong Chen

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background

Early detection and accurate prediction of bipolar disorders (BDs) comorbidity in individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are clinically critical. This study used machine-learning methods to identify features predictive of subsequent BD among patients initially diagnosed with ADHD.

Methods

We analyzed claims from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (2000–2013) and included patients aged ≥ 12 years with at least two diagnoses of ADHD. Predictor features included demographics (sex, age at ADHD onset), healthcare utilization (psychiatric outpatient visit counts), comorbidities (International Classification of Diseases–coded diagnoses), psychiatric medications (Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical–coded prescriptions), and family psychiatric history. All features were extracted …

A Class Of Benzofuranoindoline-Bearing Heptacyclic Fungal Ripps With Anticancer Activities, Qiuyue Nie, Fanglong Zhao, Xuerong Yu, Mithun C Madhusudhanan, Caleb Chang, Siting Li, Sandipan Roy Chowdhury, Bryce Kille, Andy Xu, Rory Sharkey, Chunxiao Sun, Hongzhi Zeng, Shuai Liu, Dishu Zhou, Xin Yu, Kevin Yang, Sandra A C Figueiredo, Maria Zotova, Zichen Hu, Alan Y Du, Dongyin Guan, Rui Tang, Todd Treangen, Jin Wang, Pedro N Leão, Yang Gao, Junjie Chen, Peng Liu, Hans Renata, Xue Gao

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) are a promising source of new pharmaceuticals, yet the therapeutic potential of fungal RiPPs remains largely underexplored. Here, we report asperigimycins as a distinct class of fungal RiPPs, featuring a unique heptacyclic scaffold consisting of a benzofuranoindoline core and three additional macrocycles, primarily assembled by six distinct fungi-specific DUF3328 oxidases. Inspired by the enhancement of anticancer activity through the N-terminal pyroglutamate in naturally occurring asperigimycins C and D, we chemically modify the inactive asperigimycin B with a series of lipid substitutions at its N-terminus. A derivative with a C-11 linear fatty …

Evaluating Crumb Rubber Modified (Crm) Asphalt As A Sustainable Binder Alternative For High-Friction Surface Treatments, Abdallah Aboelela, Alireza Roshan, Magdy Abdelrahman

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

High-friction surface treatments (HFSTs) are widely applied to improve pavement safety by enhancing long-term skid resistance. Although epoxy resins are commonly used due to their strength and durability, their high cost, susceptibility to delamination, incompatibility with substrates of flexible pavements, and adverse environmental concerns limit their long-term performance. This study presents crumb rubber modified (CRM) asphalt as a sustainable alternative binder for HFST applications. CRM binders offer high performance and compatibility with existing pavement surfaces, cost effectiveness and reduced environmental impacts as compared to epoxy binders. In addition, the binder development utilizes enhanced recycling technologies for interacting with used tire …

False Narratives And Fierce Hope: Recentering Appalachian Rhetorics Of Place And Health, Sarah G. Cardwell

Honors Theses

This research seeks to analyze the rhetorical dimensions of how health is discussed in Appalachia, focusing specifically on Letcher County, Kentucky. In Letcher County, as in many Appalachian communities, rhetorics of healthcare and poverty are inextricably linked, largely due to media portrayals. One of the most impactful of these media portrayals is the 1964 CBS special entitled Christmas in Appalachia. In this special, host Charles Kuralt visits Letcher County and makes a pointed effort to speak to families who are living in poverty, asking them questions about their daily lives and if they “want better” for their children than their …

Influence Of Depressive Symptomatology On Vocal Production, Olivia Taylor

Honors Theses

Language has been widely recognized as a crucial form of social connection, providing both contextual and semantic information, including intonation, pitch, rate of speech, and pauses. As mental health conditions begin to rise while mental health providers begin to decrease, research in psychology has focused on investigating other factors that may aid in the diagnosis of mental health disorders. Research has indicated that physiological factors, including vocal production, may highlight specific shifts in speech patterns or vocal characteristics. Limited research has been conducted to investigate the possible implications for the emerging adult population, despite the group obtaining the highest prevalence …