Digital Commons Network^™

Revisiting The Genesis Of French Louisiana: It’S No Coincidence The Civil Code Was Adopted—We Ain’T Anglos!, Warren Perrin

Journal of Civil Law Studies

This article examines how Louisiana’s distinctive civil law tradition survived the Louisiana Purchase and became embedded in the state’s identity through the interaction of culture, migration, and political compromise. Tracing the development of French Louisiana from the Acadian diaspora to statehood, the article argues that the adoption and preservation of the civil code was not accidental, but rather the product of a deeply rooted Francophone and multicultural society resistant to Anglo-American common law traditions. The study highlights the influence of major historical figures including Thomas Jefferson, William C.C. Claiborne, Julien Poydras, Casa Calvo, and Edward Livingston, while also emphasizing the …

Patients, Not Lab Values: Ethical Reflections On The Limits Of Reductionist Biology, Kody Park, Tai Metzger, Sung-Ki Lee, Abdullah Jalal, Christine Lin, Jasmanet Chahal, Kacie Park

Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Strategic Leverage Points For Effective Watershed Governance: A Micmac Structural Analysis Approach, Ivan Taslim, Sambas Basuni, Moh. Yanuar Jarwadi Purwanto, I Putu Santikayasa

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Over the past two decades, watershed governance in Indonesia has been challenged by rapid land-use change, fragmented institutions, and limited integration of scientific evidence into policy. Previous studies have primarily evaluated watershed sustainability using hydrological or socio-economic indicators, whereas the structural relationships among governance, socio-economic, and biophysical factors remain insufficiently explored. To address this gap, this study applies the Matrix of Cross-Impact Multiplications Applied to Classification (MICMAC) method to examine direct and indirect relationships among watershed governance factors. A pentahelix stakeholder analysis involving government, academia, non-governmental organizations, media, and industry was conducted to evaluate 37 factors identified through a systematic …

A Novel Fault Location Method For Renewable Energy Transmission Lines Based On Time-Domain Transient Voltage Fitting, Li Zhang, Shengnan Li, Shiyao Wang, Shoudong Xu, Ligen Xie, Jinrui Tang

Journal of Electric Power Science and Technology

Affected by the control strategy and parameters of renewable energy units, once a fault occurs in a renewable energy transmission line, the short-circuit current on the renewable energy side exhibits characteristics such as controlled amplitude, sudden phase change, and a high proportion of non-power-frequency components, which leads to the failure of traditional double-end and single-end fault location methods based on power-frequency components. To address this problem, higher-order fault transient differential equations of the renewable energy transmission line before and after the fault point were provided. A joint equation system for solving fault distance was constructed based on the time-domain sampled …

“Pride Runs Through Our Veins”: A Qualitative Investigation Of Black Parents’ Ethnic-Racial Socialization Practices Among Black Youth With Disabilities, Nicole A. Telfer, Danielle J. Allen, Noreen Yazejian, Iheoma U. Iruka

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

While ethnic-racial socialization (ERS) practices are crucial in Black/African American families, little is known about ERS practices in Black families of Black children with disabilities. In the current study, we investigated ERS practices among Black/African American parents’ who are raising children with disabilities and how this may influence children’s outcomes. A total of N = 8 Black/African American parents were invited for semi-structured interviews to explore more deeply their ERS practices among their children with disabilities. Several themes emerged from the data, which highlights ERS practices from a DisCrit lens, as well as the overall experiences of parents and their …

Microfinance And Financial Inclusion: A Multilevel Analysis Of Barriers Related To Repayment Delays According To Individual And Regional Profiles – The Case Of Al Amana Microfinance, Meryem Massine, Hajar El-Mahdad, Youssef Bouazizi

Revue Marocaine de Droit, d'Economie et de Gestion (Moroccan Journal of Law, Economics and Management)

This article examines the determinants of repayment delays in Moroccan microfinance using an original administrative database of 476,145 borrowers financed by Al Amana between 2010 and 2022. Combining count models and a multilevel approach, the analysis shows that repayment discipline results from a combination of individual, contractual and territorial factors. The findings indicate that women, older borrowers, more educated clients and borrowers with accumulated credit experience have significantly fewer arrears, while larger loan amounts, some marital profiles and agricultural activities increase the risk of delay. The multilevel model shows that 6.49% of the variance in arrears is explained by regional …

Sustainable Solutions For Food Security In Djibouti: A Renewable Energy Initiative, Michaëlle Arielle Kouakep Tsoh, Tsoh Ekassi Gilbert, Thierry Césaire Kenmogne, Brice Pinga Tcheugoué, Justin Kouamo

Revue Marocaine de Droit, d'Economie et de Gestion (Moroccan Journal of Law, Economics and Management)

According to the World Bank Group, East African countries have fragile food systems and low agricultural production. Djibouti is among the most undernourished countries in Africa and is severely affected by freshwater scarcity. Households regularly face climatic shocks and high electricity costs. This literature review characterizes Djibouti’s food systems and food security situation, identifies and analyzes renewable energy technologies implemented to improve food security in the local context, and presents renewable technologies as sustainable solutions to food insecurity. The results show that rural households are more likely to be food insecure and that the Djiboutian government promotes sustainable energy solutions. …

Cultivating Narratives: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Higher Education Student-Led Farms And Gardens, Maximilan Sherard, Marc T. Sager

Publications

Despite extensive research on community agriculture, little attention has been paid to student-led farms or gardens (SFGs) in higher education contexts. SFGs represent a unique site for community agriculture due to their diverse stakeholders, academic affiliations, and the institutional policies they navigate. This study examines online promotional materials from 42 SFGs located on land-grant higher education campuses across the United States. Using critical discourse analysis, we (1) map these organizations’ practices and (2) identify competing discourses about community and agriculture within their promotional narratives. We identify and explain four core practices (membership, growing, distribution, and purpose) and connect these practices …

Crustal Structure Of The Vøring Plateau And Vøring Spur From Joint Refraction And Reflection Travel-Time Tomography, Anika Nawar Mayeesha

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Crustal architecture of the Vøring Plateau and Vøring Spur in the mid-Norwegian continental margin remains debated because the geophysical data in the area do not uniquely constrain whether the crust is continental, oceanic, or transitional. This study reanalyzes wide-angle ocean-bottom seismometer data from Profile 11-03 across the Vøring passive continental margin using joint travel-time tomography of crustal refractions and Moho reflections. A total of 6,760 first-arrival picks and 542 PmP picks from sixteen instruments were inverted for P-wave velocity and reflector depth. Three starting models were inverted independently to test sensitivity to the initial crustal configuration. The first two used …

Trial By Fire: Disaster Justice And Lessons Learned, Clifford Villa

Faculty Scholarship

Disaster Justice reflects the intersection of environmental justice and disaster law. The study of disaster justice is becoming increasingly essential as disasters become more frequent and devastating in the face of accelerating climate change. Disaster law is marked by statutes such as the federal Stafford Act and by theory such as the “disaster cycle” of readiness, response, and recovery. Environmental justice recognizes that the distribution of harms such as bad air or water quality may be distributed inequitably among groups such as low-income populations or racial minorities. In similar fashion, the adverse impacts of disasters may also be distributed inequitably …

Summer 2026, Augustana College, Rock Island Illinois

Augustana Magazine

No abstract provided.

A Survey Of Open Educational Resources Appropriate For Constructing And Teaching An Upper-Level, Undergraduate Course In The History Of Music Prior To 1800 For Music Majors, Jamie Weaver

Faculty Publications

Many open education resources are available for the study of music history. Yet, the majority ofsources I discovered are intended for students who are not music majors or who are at thebeginning of their historical study. The purpose of my study of open educational resources is tolocate and evaluate resources that would facilitate the creation and instruction of the first-semester survey course of an undergraduate survey in music history for music majors, the focusof which is the study of music before 1800. What follows is a broad, preliminary survey ofsources that could be used, mixed, reworked, or adapted to fulfill …

A Comparison Of Regional Food Systems And Food Security In Rural Mississippi And Italy, Reinhard M. Knerr, Athan M. Gregory, Anne Cafer

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

In the Mississippi (MS) Delta, more than 40% of residents are food-insecure despite predominantly agricultural land use. We hypothesized that limited social networks and non-navigable food market systems constrain MS producers, limit market viability, and hinder regional food sovereignty. This ethnography compared rural Italian and Mississippian food systems through semi-structured interviews of food producers, processors, and marketers. We described differences in social networks between groups that led to differential capacities to share capital and to overcome producer and labor constraints. We also described key differences in governmental and Extension support of local food systems. Finally, we provided suggestions for addressing …

Evaluating The Lasting Impacts Of A Dialogue-To-Change Program On Racial Understanding Using Ripple Effect Mapping, Mary Emery, Anuradha Choudhary, Mike D. Stout, Grace Langford, Eric Walcott, Marcia Ostrom

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

This paper explores the impacts of Coming Together for Racial Understanding (Coming Together), using Ripple Effect Mapping (REM). REM is a participatory evaluation tool that captures and analyzes intended and unintended outcomes. This method maps how individual change leads to wider changes in interactions and activities, from personal, interpersonal, institutional, and cultural levels to the widest ripple of the potential for change in policy, structure, and accepted practice. We adapted REM for virtual settings using Google Jamboard to hold two REM sessions with 20 participants and used mapping results to populate a follow-up survey for 2018 and 2019 training participants. …

Analysis Of Venture Capital Investment For Financing The Development Of The Palm Oil Industry In Indonesia For Private Companies, Salvatore Yitro, Mustika Sari, Gunawan Saroji

CSID Journal of Infrastructure Development

Indonesia is the world's largest crude palm oil (CPO) producer, accounting for 58.04% of global output from 2018 to 2022 and generating between USD 18.2 billion and USD 28.95 billion in annual foreign exchange earnings from 2016 to 2021. The downstream sector, however, remains largely controlled by foreign markets, and private companies face restricted access to conventional bank financing due to negative campaigns against Indonesian palm oil in European markets. No prior study has examined the financial feasibility of venture capital as a financing mechanism for integrated downstream palm oil development by private companies in Indonesia. This study analysed that …

The Implementation Of Smart City Initiatives In Addressing Climate Change Challenges For The Transformation Of Jakarta Into A Resilient Global City, Roby Dwiputra, Nurulitha Andini Susetyo, Apriano Hanindito Amanza

CSID Journal of Infrastructure Development

Jakarta, a densely populated delta city and Indonesia's former capital undergoing post-relocation transformation, faces escalating climate change impacts, including land subsidence and tidal flooding. Annual subsidence rates of 5–25 cm in northern areas and recurrent tidal floods, including the December 2025 event, pose significant threats to urban sustainability and economic stability. This study employs a qualitative descriptive–analytic approach using a single-case study of Jakarta. Smart city initiatives are examined as governance instruments for climate resilience, drawing on secondary data from regulatory documents, real-time digital monitoring platforms, and global smart city performance indicators. The analysis applies thematic and comparative techniques supported …

Prediction Of Satellite Temperature During An Orbit Of A Cubesat, Michael Reynolds

Honors Theses

This thesis develops a thermal-simulation strategy for predicting CubeSat component temperatures, applied to Jag-Sat-1, a CubeSat developed at the University of South Alabama and deployed from the International Space Station in 2022. The orbit was reconstructed from two-line element (TLE) data using simplified general perturbations (SGP4) propagation, and spacecraft attitude was recovered from onboard gyroscope measurements. Sunlight, penumbra, and umbra intervals were computed geometrically, and the external radiative environment — direct solar, Earth infrared, and albedo heat fluxes — was modeled using orientation-dependent view factors. These time-varying fluxes drove a transient finite-element thermal simulation of the full satellite geometry in …

Essays In Applied Microeconomics, Md Tahmeed Hossain

Economics Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation contributes to empirical economics research by examining three settings in which historical shocks, behavioral constraints, and localized public events affect social relations, decision quality, and public safety. The first chapter examines the persistence of historical religious conflict in contemporary Hindu–Muslim relations in India. The second chapter studies how time pressure affects decision quality in online chess. The third chapter analyzes the localized traffic-safety externalities of NFL game days. Across these settings, the dissertation uses large-scale data and quasi-experimental research designs to distinguish causal effects from selection, spatial concentration, and persistent local conditions.

The first chapter asks whether historical …

Synoptic Conditions Favoring Tropical Cyclone-Enhanced Southwest Monsoon High Precipitation Events In The Philippines, Alwin Andriel L. Bathan, Lyndon Mark P. Olaguera, Faye Abigail T. Cruz, Jose Ramon T. Villarin, John A. Manalo, Jun Matsumoto

SOSE Affiliate: Manila Observatory

The interaction of tropical cyclones (TCs) with the southwest monsoon frequently causes heavy precipitation events (HPEs) and widespread flooding across the Philippines. Despite their substantial socio-economic impacts, the synoptic conditions that favor these events remain insufficiently understood, underscoring the need for systematic investigation to help improve forecasting and risk assessment. Lag composite analysis of daily rainfall records and reanalysis data from July to September for the period 1981–2023 shows that HPEs are more likely to occur when: (1) enhanced monsoon westerlies are present over the tropical Indian Ocean for at least nine days before the HPE, (2) a TC passes …

State-Mandated Principal Mentoring And Its Relationship To Leadership Efficacy, Working Conditions, And Student Achievement Across Contexts, Ellen Willoughby

Education Theses and Dissertations

Although principal mentoring has been widely studied, far less is known about whether state-level mentoring mandates function as effective policy levers for improving principal or student outcomes. This sequential explanatory mixed-methods study examined the relationship between state mentoring mandates in principal preparation programs and four outcomes: principal leadership efficacy, occupational stress, pay satisfaction, and student achievement. Phase 1 employed multiple linear regression with state-level data from the 2020–2021 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), and 2023 Education Commission of the States mentoring mandate classifications. Phase 2 used semi-structured interviews with four practicing principals …

The Standardization Of Teaching: Minnesota Elementary Teacher Perceptions Of Academic Standards In 21st-Century Classrooms, Katie Rotvold

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This sequential explanatory mixed methods study examined how Minnesota elementary teachers’ perceptions of academic standards and assessment influence their instructional practices in the context of 21st-century classrooms. Guided by Ajzen’s (1991) Theory of Planned Behavior, the study explored teachers’ attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control related to implementing academic standards. Quantitative data were collected through an online questionnaire completed by 221 Minnesota elementary teachers, followed by qualitative analysis of open-ended survey responses and semi-structured interviews with four teachers. Results indicated that teachers generally held positive attitudes toward academic standards, perceived strong expectations from administrators and state policymakers to implement …

What Leadership And Operational Strategies Should Twin Cities Black-Led Charter Schools Have To Promote School Improvement, Enhance Student Achievement, And Ensure Sustained Organizational Success?, Donald W-R. Allen, Ii

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Allen, D. (2026). What Leadership and Operational Strategies should Twin Cities Black-led Charter Schools have to Promote School Improvement, Enhance Student Achievement, and Ensure Sustained Organizational Success?  

This dissertation examined my story along with the leadership and operational strategies employed by Twin Cities Black-led charter schools to support school improvement, enhance student achievement, and sustain long-term organizational success. Black-led charter schools emerged as community-centered educational alternatives designed to provide culturally responsive learning environments for Black students and families while addressing persistent educational inequities. Despite their important role within Minnesota's educational landscape, limited empirical research has examined the organizational conditions that …

Beyond Casebooks: Law School’S Hidden Curriculum, Nubia Nelly Esparza

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This mixed methods study sought to understand how the hidden curriculum affects first-generation, marginalized, and underrepresented law students and attorneys, what educational and career opportunities they have missed as a result of not knowing these unwritten rules, and what law schools could do to better prepare this population for the realities of legal education and practice. Data were collected through an anonymous online survey and a focus group with first-generation law students and attorneys who have been in the profession for ten years or less. Analysis of the data was mapped against the Conceptual Framework of the Hidden Curriculum in …

Investigating Culicoides Diversity, Distribution, And Behavior In Arkansas, Cassandra Steele

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are globally important vectors of pathogens affecting livestock and wildlife. In the United States (US), transmission of bluetongue virus (BTV), epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV), and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) results in economic losses and periodic mortality events of wild and domestic ruminants. Culicoides sonorensis is the confirmed vector of BTV and EHDV in the western regions of the US, however this species is uncommon throughout much of the eastern and southeastern US, where hemorrhagic diseases remain endemic. There are likely other putative vector species responsible for pathogen transmission. This research investigated Culicoides diversity, distribution, …

South Dakota County Population Trends : Population Estimates And Components Of Change, April 1, 2020 - July 1, 2025, Weiwei Zhang

Center for Rural Vitality and Community Well-being Project Reports

DOI: 10.62812//GRRV1852

Interactive map:  https://arcg.is/1jeTb83

This report is in relation to this interactive map that shows how population change varied across South Dakota’s 66 counties between April 1, 2020 and July 1, 2025. It distinguishes overall population gain or loss and the demographic components behind those changes: natural change—births minus deaths—and net migration—people moving into a county minus those moving out.

Overview: 
South Dakota’s population increased from an April 1, 2020 estimates base of 886,656 to 935,094 on July 1, 2025, a gain of 48,438 residents, or 5.5%. This base-to-2025 growth rate ranked 13th among the 50 states. Measured instead …

Doctor Decision Making And Patient Outcomes, Janet Currie, W. Bentley Macleod, Kate Musen

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Doctors often treat similar patients differently, which affects health outcomes and medical spending. We assess the recent literature on doctor decision making through the lens of a model that incorporates diagnostic and procedural skills, beliefs, incentives, and differences in patient pools. Decision making is affected by beliefs, training, experience, peer effects, financial incentives, and time constraints. Interventions to improve decision making include providing information, guidelines, and technologies like electronic medical records and algorithmic decision tools. Economists have made progress in understanding doctor decision making, but applications of that knowledge to improving health care are still limited.

Relationship Between Sociodemographic Characteristics At Presentation And Outcomes Of Provoked Venous Thromboembolism In United States Children: A Secondary Analysis Of The Multinational Kids-Duration Of Therapy For Thrombosis Trial., Hope P. Wilson, Maua M. Alleyne, Sanjay Ahuja, Ernest Amankwah, Aisha Bruce, Shannon L. Carpenter, Fernando F. Corrales-Medina, Craig A. Mullen, Arun Panigrahi, Lakshmi Srivaths, Courtney D. Thornburg, Anupam Verma, Gary Woods, Neil A. Goldenberg, Madhvi Rajpurkar

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is associated with adverse long-term sequelae, including recurrence and development of chronic venous insufficiency following limb deep vein thrombosis (postthrombotic syndrome [PTS]). Adult VTE studies have demonstrated that lower socioeconomic status, Black race, and Latinx ethnicity are associated with an increased risk of recurrence. Clinical trial-derived pediatric VTE data are limited.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to assess whether clinical features of provoked VTE and outcomes vary across sociodemographic characteristics and proxies for social determinants of health among children enrolled in the Kids-duration of therapy for thrombosis trial.

METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis …

Infrastruktur, Kelembagaan Tani, Kemandirian Ekonomi Desa: Geografi Dan Paradoks Kepemimpinan Di Indonesia, Tri Wahyu Cahyono

Jurnal Ekonomi dan Pembangunan Indonesia

This study examines determinants of village economic independence (PADes) in Indonesia, focusing on infrastructure, social capital, and leadership. Using 2024 PODES census data (N=84,240) and clustered logistic regression, results show road infrastructure as the strongest factor (OR: 2.27). A “leadership paradox” emerges, where higher education of village heads negatively correlates with PADes formation. Geographic analysis reveals infrastructure effectiveness depends on topography, with lowland areas gaining the greatest structural advantage. Findings highlight the need for topography-based policy differentiation to strengthen fiscal independence in rural Indonesia.

Hmong Cultural Literacy Curriculum To Preserve The Hmong Language And Culture, Pa Kou Vang

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The Hmong language is considered a dying language as Hmong youth feel the pressure to assimilate into American culture and language while adapting to economic and survival needs in the United States. The curriculum designed for this project uses the concept of culturally sustaining pedagogy, which provides a theoretical framework for designing an instructional unit focused on Hmong language, history, and cultural identity. The purpose of this capstone was to develop an instructional unit that supports Hmong language and cultural preservation among Hmong students at the secondary grade level. To inform the curriculum’s development, a comparative study was conducted in …

American History And Immigration: Creating A Comprehensive Immigration Unit For An American History Class, Hawkens Bory-Baar

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone addresses a deficit in social studies curricula which overemphasizes factual recitation of a narrow selection of history. Understanding that ethnic studies is another social studies topic which provides the lacking elements from mainstream history teaching, this project attempts to design an American history unit that is informed by the principles of ethnic studies and culturally relevant pedagogy. The research question being asked is: how can we best design an immigration unit for Minnesota studies or American history that effectively integrates ethnic studies into a mainstream curriculum? To achieve this goal, a unit has been designed that focuses on …