Digital Commons Network^™

Carruth V. Kd Creatives, Eastern District Of California

Historical and Topical Legal Documents

No abstract provided.

Small Mammal Diet As An Indicator Of Lyme Disease And The Road To Endemicity In Michigan’S Upper Peninsula, Jacqueline E. Suits

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Lyme disease is expanding in the Upper Midwest due to climate change, forest degradation, and shifting wildlife communities. Small mammals are key reservoir hosts, and their foraging behavior offers insight into environmental conditions that sustain pathogen transmission. We used DNA metabarcoding to investigate small mammal diets across seasonal, spatial, and infection gradients in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We identified dominant dietary plant and arthropod taxa, seasonal shifts, and slight variation by species, site, and Lyme infection status. Taxa associated with Lyme-positive individuals were primarily linked to moist, edge, and disturbed habitats, areas that also support ticks and disease spread. These results …

Geospatial Analysis For Urban Resilience: Green Space, Flood Susceptibility, And Wetland Restoration Potential, Jessica Lareaux

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Through the integration of high-resolution geospatial data, hydrologic modeling, and spatial statistics, this research addresses three interrelated topics that are critical to sustainable, equitable, and climate-resilient urban planning. The overall objective of this dissertation is to provide data-driven and machine learning-based geospatial analysis frameworks that enhance our understanding of environmental inequities, flood exposure, and the potential for wetland restoration, with a focus on urban contexts. The study presented in Chapter Two examines the distribution and accessibility of urban green spaces in Detroit, Michigan, using high-resolution geospatial data and geospatial analysis methods, including geographically weighted regression (GWR) and network-based analyses. This …

Microbial Hydrocarbon Degradation And Carbon Cycling In Marine And Freshwater Sediments: A Comparative Metagenomic Analysis, Yogita M. Warkhade

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Microbes are essential in keeping our environment balanced, especially by fixing carbon dioxide and breaking down hydrocarbons in aquatic sediments. This thesis explores how microbial communities perform these tasks in different sediment environments, including marine areas (Caspian Sea and Mediterranean Sea) and freshwater ecosystems (Great Lakes). The first part of this thesis reviews current knowledge about how microbes degrade hydrocarbons. It highlights the importance of different pathways microbes use depending on oxygen availability. The second part provides a detailed study of the microbial communities found in marine sediments from the Caspian Sea and Mediterranean Sea, showing that microbes in these …

Examining The Role Of Plant Genome Size And Polyploidy In Shaping Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Symbioses, Abbigail J. Blackwell

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Polyploid and larger genome size plants have been shown to contain more cellular nitrogen and phosphorus than related diploid and smaller genome size plants, indicating they have greater nutrient requirements. Given that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) associations can enhance plant nutrient acquisition, polyploid and larger genome size plants may form more associations with AMF to meet their increased nutrient demands and gain greater benefits from these symbioses. However, because AMF associations become unnecessary when nutrient-rich soils meet plant needs independently, these interactions may be more likely to occur under nutrient-poor conditions. For this research, we conducted two experiments to examine …

Batteryless Nfc-Enabled Wireless Sensor Node: Design, Optimization, And Implementation, Rishin Patra

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This thesis presents the design, construction, and testing of a batteryless Near-field communication (NFC) powered wireless sensor node intended for maintenance free, short range Internet of Things (IoT) applications. The work focuses on harvesting energy from a 13.56 MHz NFC field to power a very low-power sensing platform capa- ble of measuring temperature, pressure, and humidity without the use of batteries or wired power. The motivation behind this approach is the growing need for reliable, sustainable, and low-maintenance sensing systems that can operate in environments where battery replacement is impractical, undesirable, or environmentally costly. The prototype is built around a …

Magnetization Transfer Ratio In The Typically Developing Pediatric Spinal Cord: Normative Data And Age Correlation, Sara Naghizadeh Kashani, Iswarya Vel, Zahra Sadeghi Adl, Shiva Shahrampour, Devon Middleton, Mahdi Alizadeh, Laura Krisa, Scott Faro, Slimane Tounekti, Julien Cohen-Adad, Feroze Mohamed

Department of Radiology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This study presents automated atlas-based magnetization transfer (MT) measurements of the typically developing pediatric cervical spinal cord (SC). We report normative MT ratio (MTR) values from the whole cervical cord white matter (WM) and WM tracts, examining variations with age, sex, height, and weight.

METHODS: MT scans of 33 healthy females (mean age = 12.8) and 22 males (mean age = 13.09) were acquired from the cervical SC (C2-C7) using a 3.0 T MRI. Data were processed using the SC Toolbox, segmented, and registered to the PAM50 template. Affine and non-rigid transformations co-registered the PAM50 WM atlas …

The Contributors, Marites Tiongco

DLSU Business & Economics Review

No abstract provided.

Determinants Of Corporate Capital Structure And The Emerging Role Of Intangibles And Innovation: The Case Of Japanese Corporations, Michael Angelo A. Cortez

DLSU Business & Economics Review

This study aims to modernize capital structure determinants in line with changing economic environments by incorporating the function of intangible assets, particularly innovations, into capital structure decisions. Traditional independent variables such as tangibility, firm size, profitability, growth opportunities, and profitability have been thoroughly researched, but the growing importance of intangible assets and innovations in the contemporary economy with advanced technology calls for a reassessment of their impact on capital structures. I examine 95 enterprises listed in the Nikkei over 11 years (2014–2024) using cross-section generalized least squares regression and dynamic panel data estimation. Results show that corporate leverage decisions (debt-to-equity …

Impact Of International Trade Competitiveness On Unemployment And Poverty Reduction In Ecowas Region, Ikubor Ofili Jude, Yahaya U. Isah, Ojih U. Abraham, Mazeli O. Mark, Abdul Y. Mary

DLSU Business & Economics Review

This study investigates the impact of trade competitiveness on unemployment and poverty in the ECOWAS region. The study relied on POLS, FE, and RE techniques to analyze the impact of export value and trade openness on unemployment and poverty in the ECOWAS region from 2001 to 2020. Annual time series data were sourced from World Bank and World Integrated Trade Solution databases. Major findings from this study show that unemployment responds strongly and favorably to export value and trade openness, whereas poverty responds favorably to trade openness. Further investigation revealed that trade regulatory environment is a determinant of unemployment and …

Assessing The Impact Of Shifting To Non- Combusted Alternatives To Reduce The Economic Cost Of Tobacco-Related Illnesses: A Cost Of Illness Approach In The Philippine Case, Christopher James Cabuay

DLSU Business & Economics Review

Smoking continues to be one of the leading causes of death and disability around the world. Recent health studies, however, have reported that these diseases are more likely to be due to the smoke from burning rather than the actual nicotine content. This study uses a cost-of-illness approach in estimating the cost of smoking-related illness in the Philippines and calculating the potential reduction in costs if a significant portion of the adult smoking population switches to the exclusive use of non-combusted alternatives (NCAs), which drastically reduces the risk of contracting smoking-related diseases. This study finds that cost reductions in the …

A Review Of Climate Change And Its Financial Impact On The Transportation Sector, Ray Anthony L. Almonares

DLSU Business & Economics Review

In this paper, I review the existing literature on climate risks—both transition and physical—and their relationship with firm performance, with a specific focus on transportation finance. I find that the broad literature on carbon emissions and firm performance overlooks two critical characteristics of the global transportation sector: its heavy reliance on fossil fuels and the international scope of its operations. As a result, the conclusions drawn from this body of work may not be directly applicable to global transportation companies. Furthermore, I examine existing studies on extreme sea levels and the global maritime transportation sector, noting that these studies have …

Common Data Set, Georgia Southern University

Georgia Southern Common Datasets

No abstract provided.

Nature, Nurture, And Serial Murder: A Biocriminological Analysis Of Jeffrey Dahmer And Aileen Wuornos, Dori W. Jal

Honors Thesis

In recent years, there has been an increase in public fascination with serial killers, however current criminological explanations continue to focus on social and psychological factors, lacking commentary on potential biological implications. This thesis addresses a gap in the literature by examining how biological processes, specifically epigenetic, neurobiological, and endocrinological mechanisms, interact with environmental stressors to shape serial homicidal behavior. The goal is to determine whether serial murder can be more effectively understood through a biosocial framework that integrates biological vulnerability with lived experience, rather than relying on singular explanatory models.

Using a qualitative multiple-case study methodology, this research analyzes …

Ireland’S Best Kept Secret: The Unique Role Of Home Management Advisors In Supporting Families In The Community, Sonya Coffey, Amanda Mccloat, Elaine Mooney

Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies

In Ireland, early intervention family support models are the focus of researchers and policy makers. One such model, the Home Management Advisory (HMA) service, provided in the main by home economists, delivers education, support and advice to families on all aspects of home management. A qualitative examination of the role of home management advisors, underpinned by a strengths-based approach, was conducted through in depth semi-structured interviews with past and present advisors. The study aimed to gain insights into their experiences in delivering community-based family support. The study found service provision is limited to a small geographical area in the West …

A Portrait Of Pawn Shops Loans As A Survival Strategy During Covid-19 Pandemic, Putri Kemala Dewi, Abdillah Ahsan, Krisna Puji Rahmayanti

Jurnal Ekonomi dan Pembangunan Indonesia

This study investigates the impact of the number of financing loans before and after the pandemic and analyzes internal and external factors of PT Pegadaian on Outstanding Loans as the dependent variable by using data from PT Pegadaian during 2018–2020. The statistical method used for this analysis is the Generalized Least Squares (GLS). The result shows that the financing loan by PT Pegadaian has significantly higher during the COVID-19 pandemic, then macroeconomic characteristics, ceteris paribus. In addition, this study found an increase in the need for pawning in society, indicated by the increase in Outstanding Loan (OSL) in PT Pegadaian.

Exploring The Dynamics And Outcomes Of Family Engagement In Child Welfare Services: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach, Jianchao Lai, Michelle Graef, Todd Franke

Center on Children, Families, and the Law: Faculty Publications

Background: Engaging families effectively in child welfare services remains a persistent challenge, shaped by complex interactions between agency practices and family circumstances. While existing research has explored this issue, it has predominantly relied on data from agency and caseworker perspectives, often overlooking the crucial viewpoint of the families. Objectives: This study investigates families’ subjective experiences and perceptions within the child welfare system, focusing on their satisfaction with child welfare workers and overall engagement. Methods: The study draws on data collected through an evaluation of the implementation of Alternative Response in a Midwestern state. Agency administrative data is integrated with additional …

Full Issue

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

Nurturing Religious Education Using Artificial Intelligence, Matt Gardner

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

This essay focuses on helping teachers, parents, and students understand and become familiar with artificial intelligence (AI)—specifically, its capabilities and how it will affect our homes and classrooms. In doing so, teachers, parents, students, and children will learn to use certain gospel-approved principles to most successfully use and operate these new technologies to bless the lives of God’s children.

Full Issue

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

The Historic Superfund Listing Of The Lukachukai Mountains Mining District, Nadine Padilla

Faculty Scholarship

President Biden’s 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included, among its many provisions, a historic investment of $3.5 billion to be allocated toward cleanups under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as Superfund. This investment will help in addressing the problem of legacy pollution that impacts communities across the country. Approximately $1 billion will go towards clearing the backlog of 49 previously unfunded Superfund sites and will accelerate cleanup at over 85 current Superfund sites. Remaining funds will go towards launching cleanup efforts at 25 new Superfund sites. In a development that aligns with these broader cleanup …

Understanding The Mechanisms Of Interpretative Change, Aaron-Andrew P. Bruhl

Faculty Publications

Interpretive methodology changes over time, and we appear to be in a period of particular ferment. In federal statutory interpretation, which is the focus of this Article, several important changes in interpretive methods have occurred in recent decades or are underway. There has been a gradual, decades-long shift away from intentionalist tools like legislative history. In addition, as the culmination of a series of smaller steps, the Supreme Court has just reshaped the doctrine governing deference to agency interpretations, a move that will require years of further clarification. And, although this shift is still taking shape, it appears that some …

Mired In Meyer'S Mischief A Century After Fabrication Of Constitutional Parents' Rights, James G. Dwyer

Faculty Publications

The seminal Supreme Court decisions Meyer v. Nebraska and Pierce v. Society of Sisters, now commemorated on their centenary anniversary, are odd doctrinal ducks. They are both still routinely cited as the foundation for ascribing to persons on whom the state has conferred legal parent status a right under the Fourteenth Amendment Due Process Clause of the United States Constitution. (According to Westlaw, judicial citation count for Meyer now nears 3000, and secondary-source citations have surpassed 7000.) It is a constitutional right to force states to confer on them greater legal power than the state is otherwise inclined to …

Rebuilding The Foundation: Addressing A Crisis In Juror Participation, Paula Hannaford-Agor

Faculty Publications

Courts are experiencing dramatic decreases in juror response and appearance rates, threatening the future of jury trials and the legitimacy of the American justice system. Effective strategies exist to reverse this trend, if justice system stakeholders are willing to employ them.

Preserving The Future Of Juries And Jury Trials, Paula Hannaford-Agor

Faculty Publications

Amid rapid technological and social change, a new initiative explores how judges, court staff, trial lawyers, and other justice system stakeholders can preserve juries and jury trials, strengthen public trust, and remain a pillar of democracy.

In 2024, the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) launched Preserving the Future of Juries and Jury Trials, a project that built on Just Horizons’ methodological foundation of strategic foresight and its premise that data-driven public services and sociopolitical discord have the greatest potential impact on court operations. For this project, NCSC imagined how these trends would affect juries and jury trials in each …

Patent Law: An Open-Access Casebook, Sarah Fackrell, Sarah R. Wasserman Rajec, Andres Sawicki

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Learning Dissemination Strategies: Lessons From The Covid-19 Pandemic In Training Healthcare Professionals In Disease Management, Kishan Vishanagra

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic presented many challenges for global healthcare systems, requiring rapid training and dissemination of disease management strategies among healthcare professionals. This study conducts a systematic review of 37 studies to examine the learning dissemination methods created and utilized during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on just-in-time training for disease management. This study identifies four core training topics: airway management, infection control, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and patient triage. This study also categorizes delivery methods into in-situ simulation-based training, online e-learning platforms, online simulation-based training, and hybrid training models. Findings highlight that simulation-based training methods proved effective for invasive high-risk procedures, while …

Understanding Women's Access To And Utilization Of Syringe Service Programs, Annelisa E. Swiersz

Honors Undergraduate Theses

As of 2020, 138 million Americans ages 12 and over reported illicit drug use in their lifetime, with over 3 million of those people injecting drugs. There are risks for all people who use drugs, but people who inject drugs (PWID) pose specific risks such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), with women who inject drugs (WWID) facing even more risks. WWID involved in sex work have a higher risk of HIV transmission and lack access to sterile injection devices and sexual and reproductive health services. To address these risks, syringe service programs (SSPs) were developed …

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Cultural Stigma, And Identity Distress Among College Students, Jessica T. Frank

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), cultural stigma, and identity in a sample of college-age students. Previous studies have primarily focused on children, yet few have examined ADHD as it persists into adulthood. Likewise, studies examining cultural stigma and identity were limited and primarily examined stigma toward mental health as a general concept rather than ADHD-specific attitudes. To address these disparities, a sample of undergraduate college students enrolled in psychology courses at a large metropolitan university (N = 339) were recruited and took an anonymous online survey in exchange for course …

Adverse Childhood Experiences And Working Memory, Lake Miller

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Extensive research has shown that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as sexual abuse, poverty, physical abuse, emotional abuse and neglect, can negatively impact an individual’s development. The presence of ACEs has also been linked to an increase in one’s engagement in risky behavior, dropping out of school, unemployment before the age of 21, and a variety of health issues. Currently, there is a gap in literature regarding the performance of different working memory (WM) tasks and the presence of ACEs. This study focuses on filling this gap in literature by measuring participants’ Philadelphia ACE score, which is a 16-item questionnaire, …