Digital Commons Network^™

History And Tradition As Heightened Scrutiny, Andrew Willinger

Faculty Scholarship

The Supreme Court is turning to methodologies privileging text, history, and tradition, or THT, to interpret and implement various constitutional provisions. The Court has recently endorsed historically-focused approaches to determine how the Second Amendment protects the right to keep and carry a firearm, how the First Amendment protects the rights to free speech and freedom of religion, and whether the Due Process Clause protects reproductive autonomy, among other questions.

Much scholarship and popular commentary surrounding THT portrays the methodology as sui generis: presenting unique analytical challenges and impervious to direct comparison to existing doctrinal approaches. However, the jurist most …

The Treatment Naïve Microbiome Of Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis And Microbial Therapeutics: A Humbling Challenge, Richard Kellermayer

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Glutamatergic Lateral Habenula Neurons Modulate Consolidation Of Associative Memories, Snigdha Srivastava, I-Ching Wang, Mikhail Y Kochukov, Jessica L Swanson, Mauro Costa-Mattioli, Benjamin R Arenkiel

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

INTRODUCTION: Despite the rise in psychiatric disorders worldwide, the underlying brain circuits responsible for these devastating conditions remain elusive. The lateral habenula (LHb) has emerged as a key brain structure in depression studies due to its hyperactive state in both patients and animal models. While this aligns with known roles in driving aversive states and regulating serotonin release, it is still unclear how acute and transient activity changes in the LHb can influence higher order cognitive processes such as learning, memory, and behavioral adaptation. Given the importance of these processes to psychiatric conditions, understanding how LHb activity impacts cognitive function …

Drosophila Models Uncover Substrate Channeling Effects On Phospholipids And Sphingolipids In Peroxisomal Biogenesis Disorders, Michael F Wangler, Yu-Hsin Chao, Mary Roth, Ruth Welti, James A Mcnew

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Peroxisomal Biogenesis Disorders Zellweger Spectrum (PBD-ZSD) disorders are a group of autosomal recessive defects in peroxisome formation that produce a multi-systemic disease presenting at birth or in childhood. Well documented clinical biomarkers such as elevated very long chain fatty acids (VLCFA) are key biochemical diagnostic findings in these conditions. Additional, secondary biochemical alterations such as elevated very long chain lysophosphatidylcholines are allowing newborn screening for peroxisomal disease. In addition, a more widespread impact on metabolism and lipids is increasingly being documented by metabolomic and lipidomic studies. Here we utilize Drosophila models of pex2 and pex16 as well as human plasma …

Investigative Genetic Genealogy Practices Warranting Policy Attention: Results Of A Modified Policy Delphi, Christi J Guerrini, Louiza Kalokairinou, Jill O Robinson, Whitney Bash Brooks, Stephanie M Fullerton, Sara Huston, Jacklyn Dahlquist, Diana Madden, Norah Crossnohere, Nicola Campoamor, John F P Bridges, Amy L Mcguire

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

A technique known as investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) was first introduced to criminal investigations in 2018, and it has since been used by U.S. law enforcement to help identify hundreds of criminal perpetrators and unidentified human remains. As expertise in IGG grows, policymakers have shown interest in regulating it. To help inform these efforts and to promote coherence in IGG governance as it expands, we recruited experts representing a spectrum of IGG-relevant professions and perspectives to identify and prioritize IGG practices for policy attention and to develop policy options for addressing them. In two rounds of a modified policy Delphi, …

When Families Bridge The Research-Clinical Divide: An Exploration Of Values Regarding Cascade Screening In Genomic Research, Katherine E Bonini, Lauren R Desrosiers-Battu, Ann Katherine M Foreman, Nuriye N Sahin-Hodoglugil, Mary A Majumder, Candice R Finnila, Stephanie A Kraft, Laura M Amendola, Eimear E Kenny, Stephanie M Fullerton, Sara L Ackerman, Benjamin S Wilfond, Amy L Mcguire, Hadley Stevens Smith

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Purpose: Genetic results are important for both patients and their biological relatives. However, cascade screening (CS) uptake is low, especially when testing occurs through research programs and not clinical care. Ethical guidance is needed for CS implementation when individuals receive clinical genetic results through research.

Methods: We conducted focus groups with 3 groups of individuals in the Clinical Sequencing Evidence-Generating Research Consortium: clinicians, patient representatives, and scholars of the ethical, legal, and social implications of genomics. We used inductive thematic and comparative analyses to analyze data within and across the groups.

Results: All participants (n = 27) agreed that …

The Infected Diabetic Foot: Incidence And Risk Factors For Dehiscence After Surgery For Diabetic Foot Infections, Lawrence A Lavery, Mario C Reyes, Bijan Najafi, Tyler L Coye, Jayer Chung, Michael C Siah, Arthur N Tarricone

Center on Aging Staff Publications

Our objective was to assess the incidence, risk factors and clinical outcomes of dehiscence after foot surgery in diabetic patients. We used pooled patient‐level data from two randomised clinical trials with 240 diabetic patients who required foot surgery for infections. Most patients (n = 180, 75.0%) had surgical wound closure. We defined dehisced surgical wounds (DSW) when the surgical site was not completely epithelialized with no drainage after sutures/staples were removed with a 2‐week validation of healing. We evaluated the time to heal, re‐infection, re‐ulceration, hospital admissions and amputations. Moderate and severe infection was based on criteria of the …

Poor In Practical Capacity: How Environmental Alienation Is Really A Deficit Of Political Know-How, Jeremy Bendik-Keymer

Faculty Scholarship

“Alienation from nature” is a popular notion in Western environmental culture. Influential Anglophone critical theorist Steven Vogel claims that it makes no sense, unlike alienation from our productive capacity to dwell on Earth, called “alienation from the environment.” His criticism is accurate, but his view isn’t. The normative sets appropriate production and consists of social processes of arriving at norms. Politics is foremost among these processes, and it is fundamentally know-how. Given these assumptions, poor practical capacity ends up being the heart of “environmental alienation” – alienation from the built environment. Look at large-scale, anthropogenic, environmental change: a deficit of …

Uso Da Modelagem Baseada Em Agentes No Estudo De Sistemas Complexos, Eric Araújo

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

A modelagem baseada em agentes (MBA) é uma metodologia poderosa e acessível para explorar sistemas complexos, onde interações simples entre indivíduos podem gerar comportamentos coletivos emergentes. Este artigo apresenta a MBA de maneira didática e fluida, utilizando a interface NetLogo para exemplificar como a metodologia pode ser aplicada em diversas áreas, como ecologia, saúde pública, economia e sociologia. Com uma abordagem prática, mostramos que não é necessário um conhecimento avançado em computação para começar a usar a MBA, mas que sua versatilidade permite investigar questões complexas do mundo real. Ao final, o leitor será capaz de entender os fundamentos da …

Private Religious Schools And Disability Discrimination, Kevin Timpe

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

In the lead-up to the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), religious institutions and organizations lobbied to be exempt. Because they were successful in securing an exemption to most of the ADA’s requirements, religious private schools maintain the legal right to refuse admission to disabled students or to fail to give them various legal protections. After considering the arguments given in its favor, the paper critiques this exemption on moral grounds. It then suggests that these considerations should lead to a reexamination of the legal right such schools have to discriminate against disabled individuals, especially in those cases …

Evaluating Impacts Of The Trichloroethylene Metabolite S-(1,2-Dichlorovyinyl)-L-Cysteine On Transcriptomic Responses And Cytokine Release In A Macrophage Model: Implications For Pregnancy Outcomes, Annella Benjamin, Erica Boldenow, Sammy Jaber, Kelly M. Bakulski, John Dou, Justin Colacino, Peter Mancuso, Sean Harris

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a volatile synthetic chemical used in various industrial processes like metal degreasing. Large amounts of TCE have been released into the environment. Exposure to TCE can occur through routes, such as inhalation for workers using TCE or ingestion of drinking water in contaminated areas. Macrophages are key immune cells in virtually all tissues in the human body, including the fetal membranes, making them a plausible target for DCVC-induced immunotoxicity. Macrophages are critical for maintaining anti-microbial defenses during pregnancy, but little data exists on TCE immunotoxicity during pregnancy. We previously showed that the TCE metabolite, S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine (DCVC), …

Modeling Functional Connectivity With Learning And Memory In A Mouse Model Of Alzheimer’S Disease, Lindsay Fadel, Elizabeth Hipskind, Steen E Pedersen, Jonathan Romero, Caitlyn Ortiz, Eric Shin, Md Abul Hassan Samee, Robia G Pautler

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction: Functional connectivity (FC) is a metric of how different brain regions interact with each other. Although there have been some studies correlating learning and memory with FC, there have not yet been, to date, studies that use machine learning (ML) to explain how FC changes can be used to explain behavior not only in healthy mice, but also in mouse models of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Here, we investigated changes in FC and their relationship to learning and memory in a mouse model of AD across disease progression.

Methods: We assessed the APP/PS1 mouse model of AD and wild-type controls …

Factors Influencing Registered Nurses Pursuing Advanced Degrees, Angeleque Hughes, Kandi Johnson, Sonya Townsend

MSN Research Projects

Nurse retention is a problem that has impacted the healthcare system for years and is predicted to grow as the baby boomer generation retires. In 2022, Mississippi had 29,370 nurses and over half were over the age of fifty (Feeney, 2024). The research highlighted the importance of positive workplace relationships and supportive management to increase job satisfaction and loyalty among nurses. Prior to the Covid-19 Pandemic, nursing shortages had been reported but the pandemic increased those numbers and exacerbated nurse burnout. Nurses pursuing advanced degrees are a population that is leaving the bedside and the deficit in bedside nurses affects …

Providers' Perceptions On Early Alzheimer’S Screening In Patients With Metabolic Syndrome, Sharika James, Brittany Higgins, Kelli Stewart, Bernesha Mclemore, Jessica Koon

MSN Research Projects

The healthcare system currently lacks a standardized approach for screening and identifying potential links between hormonal fluctuations and Alzheimer’s in younger populations. This gap in guidelines leads to a primarily reactive rather than proactive stance, as screenings like the AD8 tool are often only considered in response to advanced symptoms or at older ages (Tolea & Galvin, 2013). The progression of early Alzheimer's disease is generally considered irreversible. This is due to the neurodegenerative nature of the condition, where damage to brain cells, particularly in areas related to memory and cognition, is progressive and cannot be undone. According to the …

Correlation Of Caregiver Role Strain With Impaired Psychosocial Health And Self-Care Practices, Alicia Box, Julie Edwards, Tiffany Watson

MSN Research Projects

In 2021, 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. were providing care to a family member or loved one with a chronic health condition or disability (Kilmer et al., 2024). A major concern among caregivers is role strain and the long-term effects on personal physical and mental health. One study indicated that high caregiving burden has been associated with lower involvement in self-care and increased mental health burdens (Tay et al., 2023). Similarly, another study revealed that frequent poor mental health days of the caregiver produce a reduced quality of life (Monahan et al., 2023). The purpose of the study …

Primary Care Providers’Adherence To 2022 Aha/Acc/Hf-Refsa Guideline Directed Management Therapy For Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction Patients, Tamara Brooks, Brooke Brown, Brittany Gentry, La'charity Perry

MSN Research Projects

Heart failure not only affects the heart but also many other systems within the human body. There are approximately 6.5 million people diagnosed with heart failure with a reduced ejection fraction each year. Of these 6.5 million, roughly thirty percent will have readmission to the hospital or die within one year of diagnosis (Mathews et al., 2022). While the only cure for heart failure is a heart transplant, it is best practice to manage the disease and further prevent the progression and complications associated with heart failure. The researchers conducted a systematic literature review to evaluate primary care adherence to …

Barriers To Effective Diabetes Mellitus Management: A Diverse Analysis, Camryn Brewer, Sadie Ford, Chloe Price, Candice Todd, Ashli Vandiver, Lauren Yarbrough

MSN Research Projects

Diabetes is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases faced by individuals worldwide. It is a complex condition that requires diligent care and attention. Although diabetes is a treatable disease, there are many elements required to successfully treat and manage it comprehensively. Many individuals neglect tending to their diabetes due to the exhaustive, daily interventions that are necessary to implement. Failure to adequately control diabetes leads to poor health outcomes and other comorbidities. This research study assessed potential barriers that individuals with diabetes face, therefore leading to ineffective management. Understanding these barriers is essential to develop targeted interventions and ultimately …

Liberatory Motherhood: A Framework & Praxis For Caring And Scholaring Otherwise In The Neoliberal Academy, Bhavika Sicka

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

This article contributes to the emergent literature on motherhood in neoliberal higher education by proposing liberatory motherhood as a theoretical framework and praxis to deconstruct and reconstruct motherhood in the neoliberal academy. The author, an early-career immigrant woman scholar of color, uses feminist autoethnography to critically examine the disempowering, disembodying, and departicularizing effects of neoliberal subjectivation on motheracademics, foregrounding her lived experiences of caregiving in her analysis. She approaches academic motherhood through a prismatic lens of a pluralistic feminist rhetorical analysis that emphasizes interrelationality, tracing her experiences of caring and producing otherwise as a way to signal opportunities to reembody …

Do Public School Choice Policies Segregate Schools? Dynamic Effects In Michigan, Danielle Sanderson Edwards, Kaitlin P. Anderson

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Interdistrict choice has the potential to exacerbate or alleviate between-district segregation-an increasingly pervasive form of U.S. school segregation-by allowing students to attend schools in districts where they do not reside. Prior research concentrates on the effects of charter schooling on segregation within districts and counties. We used longitudinal enrollment and demographic data from Michigan to examine the impacts of both interdistrict and charter school choice on racial and economic segregation within and between districts in a single setting. We estimated these effects by leveraging between-grade differences in choice use within school systems and years. We confirmed findings from previous research …

Assessing Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Community Composition And Diversity Across A Land-Use Gradient In Eastern Washington Prairies, Katherine I. Cole

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are key to healthy, functioning terrestrial ecosystems worldwide. Associating with over 80% of all extant land plants, they play a pivotal role in nutrient cycling, and contribute to overall plant health. Given their significance to terrestrial ecosystems, AMF have a crucial role to play in the successful restoration of Eastern Washington’s native prairies. However, AMF community composition is significantly altered by the commercial agricultural practices used extensively in this region for over 100 years. The Eastern Washington University (EWU) Prairie Restoration Project aims to restore ~120 acres of farmland to native prairie. This research provides insight …

Supporting Social Justice In Physical Education Teacher Education Programs: A Qualitative Analysis Of Adapted Pe Teachers' Perspectives, Ann-Catherine Sullivan, Christianna Blanchard-Alworth, Cynthia K. Piletic, Linda Hilgenbrinck

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Despite attention to sociocultural issues in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE), the role of Adapted Physical Education (APE) teachers as social justice advocates remains underexplored. A primary responsibility of APE teachers is to provide specially designed instruction to students with disabilities (SWD), so they have access to the general physical education curriculum to make progress toward grade-level standards. This study presents a qualitative analysis of the perspectives of National Adapted Physical Education Teachers of the Year (APE TOYs) on advocating for social justice within PETE programs. A phenomenological approach with mixed-methods design was used. Findings emphasise the importance of fairness, …

Debt Decisions: The Effects Of Paying For College In The United States With Student Loans, Kim E. Bullington, David J. Thomas, Minghui Hou, William L. Nuckols, Dennis E. Gregory, Joshua L. Howell, Kaycee L. Bills, Amy-Leah Joaquim

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Student loans have increasingly become a burden on individuals. This qualitative analysis explores how structural inequities and financial literacy gaps influence U.S. student loan borrowers’ decisions to finance postsecondary education. The study highlights racial and economic disparities examining participants’ reflections on debt aversion and systemic barriers to equitable access. We asked why participants took out Federal student loans, asked about their decision processes when taking on debt, whether participants took any action to reduce accumulated debt, and if they’d made any discoveries about their decisions to take on student loan debt. After coding and a thematic analysis, five themes and …

Identifying Notch-Regulated Genes Using A Specific Notch Signaling Inhibitor, Hammed Gafar

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Bone remodeling is a dynamic process that requires a balance between bone resorption by osteoclasts and bone formation by osteoblasts to maintain skeletal integrity. Disruptions to this equilibrium can lead to pathological conditions such as osteoporosis. Osteoclasts originate from macrophages, and their differentiation is regulated by several signaling pathways, notably the notch signaling pathway. Gamma-secretase, an enzyme crucial for initiating notch signaling, can be inhibited by DAPT. However, DAPT also targets non-Notch substrates, complicating the identification of genes specifically regulated by Notch. To address this limitation, this study employed IMR-1A, a selective Notch pathway inhibitor that disrupts the assembly of …

Addressing Cte Faculty Shortages In Community Colleges: Perspectives From The Field, Brandon Hensley, Michelle E. Bartlett, James E. Bartlett Ii, Sophia Alston

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

This study investigates the motivations, challenges, and institutional strategies shaping the recruitment and retention of postsecondary Career and Technical Education (CTE) faculty in North Carolina. Drawing on quantitative data from 171 North Carolina participants in a national survey, the research provides a localized perspective on faculty workplace experiences within the state’s community college system. Grounded in Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory and Job Embeddedness Theory, the analysis identifies key factors influencing job satisfaction, faculty stability, and the perceived effects of ongoing instructor shortages. The study’s findings are organized around four central research questions and present a comprehensive analysis of the challenges associated …

Bridging Prairie Restoration And Regenerative Agriculture With Compost Tea / The Rocket Incident: Post-Fire Soil Microbe Recovery On The Eastern Washington University Restoration Site, April Hersey

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Inland Pacific Northwest prairie is an endangered ecosystem that has been reduced by conversion to agriculture. There is growing interest in the role of soil microorganisms in prairie ecosystems, which may be crucial for restoration of the plant community through interspecies interactions within the rhizosphere. One method for improving soil microorganism community composition is compost tea: enriched liquid compost extract. Compost tea is used in regenerative agriculture to improve crop yields and protect against pathogens. While research has supported compost tea application in regenerative agriculture, it has not been widely studied in the context of ecosystem restoration. After beginning a …

Self-Efficacy And Stem Education: A Study Of Family And Consumer Science Teachers In Pennsylvania, Charlene Smith, Philip A. Reed

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education has become widely promoted. Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) uses science to improve home life while reinforcing technology, engineering, and mathematics principles. However, FCS is not usually recognized as a STEM subject. The purpose of this study was to determine what factors may affect FCS teachers’ level of self-efficacy in teaching STEM to provide supports that improve teaching practices. This quantitative study surveyed secondary FCS teachers in Pennsylvania using the T‐STEM Survey for Elementary Teachers. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and simple linear regression analysis was performed to determine the predictive …

Employers' Perceived Value Of High School Industry Recognized Credentials, Teri Harris, Mickey Kosloski, Philip A. Reed

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to determine whether industry-recognized credentials (IRCs) earned in secondary school led to quality employment and which IRCs should be integrated into career and technical education (CTE) high school courses. Using survey data from business leaders across the 14 nationally recognized Career Clusters (Advance CTE, 2024a), credentials were ranked by importance within five program areas (n = 257). Pareto analysis revealed 80% of respondents rated health sciences, family and consumer sciences, and agricultural sciences credentials highest, while business/marketing and skilled/technical sciences/STEM credentials did not rank in the top 20%. This research provides empirical evidence for …

Food Insecurity And Academic Self-Efficacy: Military Students And Student Veterans, Kim E. Bullington, Matthew J. Smith, William L. Nuckols, Dennis E. Gregory, Joshua L. Howell

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Food insecurity (FI) affects households worldwide and is also seen on college and university campuses with adverse effects on student success. We examine FI and academic self-efficacy levels of military students and student veterans enrolled in higher education in the United States which has not been extensively studied regarding FI. Military students and student veterans may have access to G.I. Bill funds and may not be perceived as requiring additional assistance. The results reveal that military students and student veterans have some level of FI. The qualitative analysis yielded five themes that center on FI, economic vulnerability, inequities in the …

Osteoclastogenic Potential Of Cd68-Expressing Osteoclast Precursor Cells, Colton Quinn

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Bone remodeling is a dynamic process maintained by the balance between osteoblast-mediated bone formation and osteoclast-driven resorption. When this balance is disrupted, pathological bone loss occurs, as seen in osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer-induced bone disease (Teitelbaum, 2007; Korol & Baumeister, 2023; Ensrud & Crandall, 2017). Osteoclasts, derived from hematopoietic stem cells through a macrophage lineage, play a central role in bone resorption. However, the identity of all proteins of osteoclast precursors remains unclear. CD68, a lysosomal glycoprotein widely expressed in macrophages and monocyte-lineage cells (Holness & Simmons, 1993), has been proposed as a marker of osteoclast precursors. Some studies …

Cannabinoid-2 Receptor Activation Attenuates Sulfur Mustard Analog 2-Chloroethyl-Ethyl-Sulfide-Induced Acute Lung Injury In Mice, Gregory Nicholson, Nicholas Richards, Janette Lockett, My Boi Ly, Raj V. Nair, Woong-Ki Kim, K. Yaragudri Vinod, Nagaraja Nagre

Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Exposure to sulfur mustard (SM; 2,2′-dichlorodiethyl sulfide) causes toxicity in the human body, particularly the lungs. The molecular mechanisms of SM-induced lung damage are elusive, and no effective treatments exist. This study explores the anti-inflammatory potential of cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2R) activation in mitigating acute lung injury (ALI) and inflammation induced by 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES), a structural analog of SM. Methods: C57BL/6J mice were exposed to CEES via intratracheal administration to model ALI. CB2R activation was achieved through the intraperitoneal administration of HU308, a selective synthetic agonist. ALI and inflammation were evaluated at 48 h post-exposure to CEES. …