Digital Commons Network^™

Tips For Avoiding Contract Cheating, Dawn Atkinson

Writing

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Leptin In The Regulation Of The Soluble Amyloid Precursor Protein Alpha (Sappa) Levels In Non-Small Cell Lunch Cancer (Nsclc) Cell Media, Benjamin Haddad

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

We previously found that the levels of soluble amyloid precursor protein α (sAPPα) are partly regulated by acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in human non-small cell lung cancer cell lines A549 (p53 wild-type) and H1299 (p53-null). In this study, we hypothesize that sAPPα is partly regulated by leptin, a hormone classically recognized for its anorexigenic role in appetite regulation— yet recently shown to play a role in cancer cell signaling. It was observed that cells treated with leptin exhibited greater concentrations of sAPPα and lower concentrations of Aβ40/42 in the media compared to those of cells left untreated. An opposite effect was observed …

The Role Of Social Inequality In The “Feminization” Of Borderline Personality Disorder, Jane Goldie Ekhtman

Dissertations and Theses

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe and prevalent mental illness that is three times more likely to be diagnosed in women than men. BPD research has attempted to explain this gender disparity, with clinician gender bias emerging as a possible factor. Yet, no research to date has examined the role of social status in the overdiagnosis of women with BPD. There is merit in examining BPD through a class lens as low SES is a risk factor for BPD, poverty and income inequality disproportionately affect women, and low status is associated with stereotypical traits of femininity. Additionally, mental health …

Political Regimes And Social Well-Being In The Sahel: An Analysis Of Gendered Development And Children's Education, Binta Fv Diarra

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis explores how divergent governance structures in the Sahel, specifically in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Senegal, affect the region's human development. Emphasizing gendered vulnerabilities and education, the research examines how political structures and leadership priorities deeply influence access to education and healthcare, specifically for women.

Authoritarian regimes often centralize power and prioritize regime stability over public welfare, leading to chronic underfunding of education and health services. In Mali and Burkina Faso, repeated coups and insecurity have affected schools and hospitals, disproportionately affecting girls and displaced women. Chad's one-party dominance reflects how systemic exclusion and poor service delivery entrench …

Examining Drug Policy In Portugal And Greece, Collin Fernandes

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines the divergent drug policies implemented in Portugal and Greece, analyzing why Portugal's comprehensive decriminalization model has been more successful than Greece's partial approach. Since 2001, Portugal has pioneered a drug policy that decriminalizes all drugs for personal use while investing in harm reduction services, rehabilitation, and social reintegration. In contrast, Greece maintained criminalization while implementing more limited harm reduction measures, particularly through OKANA (the Organization Against Drugs). The research highlights how economic factors, particularly the 2008 financial crisis and austerity measures, negatively affected both countries' programs but hit Greece's initiatives with greater severity. Portugal's programs have remained …

The Rise Of China: Economic Expansion, Military Modification And The Belt And Road Initiative, Felix Padilla

Dissertations and Theses

In order to analyze China’s rise in power, we have to examine how China has achieved this growth. We need to observe their domestic reforms, international initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and strategic military advancements. This thesis focuses on China’s economic integration, market reforms and military modernization. The thesis uncovers the effects of this rise on global governance and power balances, especially in trade, security, and geopolitics. I analyze China's vision of a multipolar world and how it contrasts with the current global order and how this fuels rivalry with the U.S. and other powers. China's rise …

Testing An Educational Intervention To Improve Recognition And Understanding Of Emotional Manipulation In Romantic Relationships, Tiss Zaitz

Dissertations and Theses

Romantic relationships significantly impact happiness and well-being, yet rarely is it taught how to build them or recognize unhealthy relationship dynamics. This gap has profound implications, as Emotional Manipulation (EM) can have severe and lasting consequences. This study examined whether an educational intervention could improve participants' ability to recognize and understand EM in interpersonal relationships. Participants (N = 327) completed a pretest assessing recognition and comprehension of EM and were then given an answer sheet with detailed explanations to enhance understanding. A subset (n = 46) completed a posttest to measure changes in recognition and knowledge. Results showed significant improvement …

The Transformative Power Of An Ethic Of Care In Patricia Piccinini’S Mythic Posthuman Offspring, Keely Parrish

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines the contemporary artist Patricia Piccinini and her posthuman hybrid creations within the context of a feminist ethic of care. Largely referring to scholarship by the political scientist Joan C. Tronto, I argue that Piccinini expands the definition of an ethic of care to include non-human entities as well as human ones. The four phases of care identified by Tronto will serve to outline the encounter between the audience and Piccinini’s work to see how humans and non-humans (1) care about, (2) take care of, (3) give care and (4) receive care from each other, as well as …

Living By The Sword: Religiosity And The Terrorist Subculture Of Russian Revolutionaries, 1904-1910, Gregory I. Mcevoy

Dissertations and Theses

The Marxist dictum of “religion is the opiate of the masses” has led to a prevailing assumption in scholarship that the socialist movements of the early twentieth century have been inherently atheistic. Religion is often associated as a remnant of old, antiquated society and incompatible with the claimed modernity of socialist progress. This assumption has led to overlooking the religiosity within certain radical movements and revolutionary culture at large. Scholarship on the political underground in Tsarist Russia has, thus far, perpetuated this impression. While it is the true that the Bolsheviks and Leninist Social Democrats rejected religion as obscurantist and …

Posters, Propaganda, & Bloody Saturdays: Making China Christian: How Media & Missionaries Made China Christian, Kristy Lee

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis investigates the role of religious groups and media in influencing the public perception of Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Defining ‘Un-Americanism’ In Culture And Art: The Dies Committee’S Investigation Of The Federal Theatre Project, Matthew G. Summers

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis explores the House Un-American Activities Committee’s (HUAC) expansive definition of ‘Un-Americanism’ through the body’s 1938 investigation of the Federal Theatre Project (FTP). The committee, then known as the Dies Committee after its chairman Martin Dies (D-TX), publicly presented the hearings as an attempt to root out communism in a deeply compromised government program. And indeed the FTP, an ambitious New Deal Program to provide work for unemployed professionals in the theatre, had an undoubtedly leftist bent. However, the hearings were consistently focused on the project's progressive stances on issues of race and gender, and effectively exposed the underlying …

Asian-American Literature And The Family Saga: Cyclical Histories Of Racial Melancholia And Racial Dissociation, Molly Schwarz

Dissertations and Theses

This paper analyzes the novels The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, and Miss Burma by Charmaine Craig and argues how the family saga within Asian American literature draws out elements of the diaspora to best share histories across different ethnic and racial groups. There is a brief overview of the development of Asian-American literature and an explanation of how hyphenated identity is intrinsic to diasporic literatures, and then further discussion of how each of these novels contributes to the legacies of Asian-American writing and storytelling. Then, each novel is analyzed for how the various family saga …

The Sand Creek Massacre And The History Of Greater Reconstruction In The American West, Anna E. Plotnick

Dissertations and Theses

In the traditional U.S. historical narrative, the Civil War & Reconstruction era is a North vs. South story. Nevertheless, the era of western expansion, a central theme throughout the nineteenth century, has no contingent place within this traditional narrative. Meanwhile, the history of the American West and its diverse peoples appears in many textbooks as an unrelated albeit contemporaneous narrative. Separated by geographical regions, historians often do not examine these concurrent histories. However, many of these historical events and actors were interconnected. As I am interested in understanding the Reconstruction era’s national impact, I intend to explore how Reconstruction policies …

Exploring Advancement Department Staff Perspectives On Strategic Communication And Philanthropic Donor Giving At Public Universities, Miranda Hodges

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study investigated advancement staff perspectives on how donor communication impacts philanthropic giving at higher education institutions. The purpose of this study was to identify the communication practices that are most influential for philanthropic donor giving. While prior research has examined university marketing efforts, why alumni give back, and how affinity for a university compels donors to give, there is a research gap in how strategic communication impacts donor behavior at public universities. Eight university advancement staff members (N=8) from public universities across the Southeast United States were selected through purposive sampling and interviewed via semi-structured interviews. After interviews, …

Investigating Dis/Ability In Early Childhood Education, Hannah Caldwell

Social Justice and Community Engagement Major Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Comparative Analysis Of Lipid Accumulation And Antioxidant Responses In Masld And Control Ipsc-Heps, Anna Werts

CMC Senior Theses

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a prevalent liver condition characterized by lipid accumulation and associated inflammation, driven by genetic, environmental, and metabolic factors. Much is still unknown about the mechanisms of the disease, and research on this is important for advancing effective treatments. This study investigated lipid accumulation and oxidative stress responses to varying concentrations of oleic acid (OA) and palmitic acid (PA) in induced pluripotent stem cell-derived hepatocytes (iPSC-Heps) from MASLD and healthy donors. BODIPY staining revealed that MASLD iPSC-Heps exhibit significantly higher lipid accumulation than controls, especially under prolonged OA and PA exposure. Additionally, PLIN2 expression …

Consolidating The Carbon Trade: Policy Recommendations To Promote Standard Convergence Among The Vcm, Article 6, And Regional Pricing Instruments, Jack M. Barrett

CMC Senior Theses

Efforts to construct robust international carbon markets have repeatedly fallen short of their climate and sustainable development objectives. From the Clean Development Mechanism’s collapse under the weight of non-additional credits to the Voluntary Carbon Market’s recent legitimacy crisis, structural flaws and fragmented standards have undermined offsetting systems for more than two decades. Today, the emergence of the Paris Agreement's Article 6 mechanisms, alongside initiatives like the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM), offer a critical but fragile opportunity to rebuild market credibility. The proliferation of diverging standards across Article 6, voluntary markets, and regional carbon pricing instruments risks …

The Sword, The Purse, And The Pen: The Constitutional Conundrum Of Impoundment, William N. Chance

CMC Senior Theses

This Thesis explores the constitutional conundrum of executive impoundment, the practice by which the President of the United States withholds or delays the expenditure of funds appropriated by Congress. Although impoundment has deep historical roots dating back to the Constitution’s Framers, its modern use raises profound questions regarding our separation of powers. This Thesis establishes a functional framework that distinguishes between “routine” impoundments, which promote administrative efficiency, and “policy” impoundments, which may undermine congressional intent. Furthermore, after tracing the development of impoundment from the early Republic through the Nixon Administration and the passage of the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, …

Preferences For Enhanced Seasonal Weather And Climate Services Among Maize Farmers In Zimbabwe: A Choice Experiment Analysis, Joseph Manzvera, Kwabena \ Asomanin Anaman, Akwasi Mensah-Bonsu, Alfred Barimah

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

Using a discrete choice experiment, this article analyzed maize farmers' stated preferences for seasonal weather forecast attributes in Zimbabwe. Specifically, the study assessed the most preferred attributes of modern seasonal weather forecasts to guide investment priorities. The mixed logit model, which accounts for taste heterogeneity, was employed to analyze the data. The results show that maize farmers place positive utility on downscaling forecasts to the village level, bundling with agronomic advisory information, and a long lead time of 6 months ahead of the onset of the rainy season. Farmers are willing to pay 1.40 United States dollars (US$) for downscaling …

A Feasibility Study On Barriers To Access To Solar Photovoltaic Energy: A Survey Study Of Moundou, Chad, Wakiang Emile Latchiba, Sebastian M. Waita, Robert Krueger, Julius Mwakondo Mwabora

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

It is widely acknowledged that energy sources such as the sun are potential providers of clean, limitless, and free energy that could satisfy energy needs now and in the future. This is particularly relevant when only small amounts of energy are necessary, such as in tiny homes or rural areas. For this study, we conducted a feasibility analysis by surveying local authorities and households in Moundou, Chad. The aim was to identify the barriers preventing householdsfrom accessing energy. The key decision-making data in this paper are based on the sample proportion of respondents and the margin of error associated with …

Evaluation Of High-Risk Factors For Maternal Mortality At Specialist Hospital, Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria, U. B. Danfulani, E. D. Dzarma, A Uduak

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

Maternal health disparities in Nigeria are pronounced, with higher maternal mortality rates (42 per 1,000 live births) and poor outcomes driven by education, healthcare access, and cultural factors like polygamy. Hence, the objective of this paper was to evaluate the effect of High-Risk Factors for Maternal Mortality at Specialist Hospital, Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria using appropriate standard procedures with Application of Multi-Criteria Decision Modeling (MCDM) Using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Data obtained reveals that Infant mortality is high, with under-five mortality at 120 per 1,000 and neonatal mortality at 2 per 1,000 live births. Healthcare system challenges include limited …

Lawyers And Public Service: Duty, Faith, And The 'Good Republican' In The West Wing, Andrew Flavelle Martin

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

Popular culture reveals much about the perceived role of lawyers in contemporary life. In this article, I draw lessons from the portrayal of lawyers in Aaron Sorkin's classic television series, The West Wing. As a drama centred around a Democratic presidential administration, Republicans often provide the foil. From time to time, however, the show lionizes what might be termed ‘the good Republican’. That ‘good Republican’ is most often a practicing lawyer whose desire to serve is grounded in duty or faith. In this essay, I use a trio of these characters to explore the role of lawyers in public service. …

Title Ix And Athlete Compensation In The Postamateurism Era, Erin Buzuvis

Fordham Law Review

No abstract provided.

Of Labor, Antitrust, And Why The Proposed House Settlement Will Not Solve The Ncaa’S Problem, Marc Edelman, Michael A. Carrier

Fordham Law Review

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) recently settled three antitrust lawsuits. With a significant payout, it hopes to put its antitrust worries behind it. In doing so, the NCAA seeks to follow in the footsteps of the National Football League (NFL), which has enjoyed thirty years of labor peace. But there is a big difference between these two situations. The NFL’s 1993 settlement in White v. National Football League was shielded from antitrust scrutiny by the nonstatutory labor exemption, which encourages collective bargaining activity. No such exemption protects the NCAA’s settlement. This Essay explains why the NCAA cannot establish a …

Life After Employee-Status In College Sports, Marc Edelman, John T. Holden, Michael A. Mccann

Fordham Law Review

National Collegiate Athletic Association; NCAA; college sports; intercollegiate sports; college athletes; college-athlete employee; amateurism; worker; employee; employment status; collective bargaining; single-employer bargaining units; Multiemployer Bargaining Units; Joint Employer Bargaining Units; antitrust

Re-Recording The Record: The Case For A Stronger Moral Right Of Integrity In The United States, Alexandria Touron

Fordham Law Review

In the United States, musical artists have limited legal recourse over transferring ownership of their music to third parties, even when such transfers may harm the artist’s reputation or the integrity of the work. Even the most prominent musicians, like Taylor Swift, must operate within an industry structure that normalizes the transfer of rights and, thus, control of their creative works. This occurs because U.S. law ties artists’ rights almost exclusively to economic ownership of their work unless they specifically bargain to keep their moral rights. However, most other countries have comprehensive moral rights frameworks where all artists can protect …

A Closer Look At 4c Skills Integration In English For Nursing Textbooks : A Content Analysis Approach, Fitri Handayani, M. Zaim, Havid Ardi

PASAA

No abstract provided.

Integrating Corpus-Based Methods To Determine Grammatical Topics For Teaching English Writing In The Thai Context, Raymund T. Palayon, Yenying Chongchit

PASAA

No abstract provided.

Indonesian Students’ Perceived Usefulness Of The Integration Of Ted Talks For English Language Learning : The Technology Acceptance Model (Tam) Framework, Nurul Aini, Yazid Basthomi, Nunung Suryati, Iwan Kurniarahman

PASAA

No abstract provided.

Exploration Of The Effects Of Sharing Critical Incidents On Tertiary Level Efl Learners’ Learning And Self-Efficacy Beliefs, Duygu İşpınar Akçayoğlu

PASAA

No abstract provided.