Digital Commons Network^™

Thermophilic Microorganisms For Bioremediation Of Industrial Pollutants Including Hydrocarbons And Heavy Metals, Isha Dharsandia, Narendra Kumar, Ananya Tiwari, Amit K. Jaiswal

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Industrialization and urbanization have led to the constant discharge of hazardous pollutants such as effluents, hydrocarbons, and heavy metals, which pose a grave threat to ecological balance and human beings' well-being. Traditional physiochemical techniques for the treatment of environmental pollutants are energy-intensive, expensive, and inefficient in extreme environments. Hence, there is a need to explore alternative strategies to address the above problems. Thermophiles are microorganisms that grow in high temperatures, and they have recently been regarded as viable sources for bioremediation due to their metabolic resilience, enzyme stability, and resistance to industrial conditions. The current paper presents an in-depth literature …

Overview Of The Ergonomic Model Of Soccer And The Training Process, James J. Collins, Shane Malone, Kieran D. Collins

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Soccer is a complex sport with significant physical, physiological, psychological, technical, and tactical demands on players. This review presents an ergonomics-based model of soccer performance, emphasizing that no single component operates in isolation. Building on the foundational ergonomic framework, this review integrates contemporary evidence on training load monitoring, ecological dynamics, and cognitive-perceptual performance dimensions not systematically addressed in prior frameworks. Elite outfield players cover 9–14 km·h⁻¹ per match, with high-speed running (19.8–24.8 km·h⁻¹) making up about 20% of total distance and sprinting (>25 km·h⁻¹) around 2%. These outputs vary by playing position, tactical formation, …

External Validation Of A Knowledge-Based Clinical Toxicology Consultant For Diagnosing Single Exposures, Hugo Lerogeron, Joel D. Schipper, Jay L. Schauben, Laurent Guéguen, Valentine Lacotte, Kim An Nguyen

Publications

Introduction

Clinical prediction models assist healthcare providers in estimating disease likelihood using multiple patient-specific factors. While these models are increasingly used, few undergo the essential process of external validation, which limits their clinical utility. In toxicology, timely diagnosis is crucial and expertise scarce, making knowledge-based systems an excellent choice to support medical decision making. A knowledge-based system developed using data from the Florida Poison Information Center Network has shown promise but lacks external validation. This study aims to evaluate its performance using data from the Lyon Poison Information Center to assess its generalizability

Methods

To externally validate the Florida diagnostic …

Mindful Pedagogy As A Contemporary Pedagogical Approach In Applied Learning: Conceptual Foundations And Early Insights From Higher Education, Annette Sweeney, Jolanta Burke

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Mindful pedagogy employing mindful practices for learning shows promise as a modern teaching strategy for Applied Learning (AL) in higher education. This qualitative study investigated the feasibility of this strategy, exploring the logic model of a culinary arts module, The Mindful Kitchen Health and Wellbeing for Chefs to describe initial insights from the AL pathways that are shaped by a mindful pedagogical approach. Data analysis of a graduate focus group (n = 6) a co-educator-designer interview and the researcher’s co-educator-designer reflection revealed three emerging themes: mindful pedagogy positively reframed the learning environment for students and educators; uniquely, it empowered creativity …

Explainable Ai For Hate Speech Moderation: A Stakeholder-Centered And Sociotechnical Review, Muhammad Deedahwar Mazhar Qureshi, M. Atif Qureshi, Wael Rashwan

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

The growing use of automated hate speech detection systems has sparked significant concern across technical, ethical, and sociopolitical dimensions. While recent advances in natural language processing and machine learning have improved classification performance, they often do so at the expense of transparency, fairness, and user trust. Explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) offers promising tools to bridge this gap, but current methods remain fragmented in scope and limited in stakeholder alignment. This review synthesizes the state of the art in explainability for hate speech detection by integrating machine learning, human-computer interaction, and critical social science perspectives. We survey major XAI approaches, including …

How Low Can We Go? Quantization Effects On Llm Sparql Generation, Matt Murtagh-White, P. J. Wall, Declan O’Sullivan

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

SPARQL is a powerful but complex language for querying knowledge graphs, motivating research into natural language-to-SPARQL generation using large language models (LLMs). While large, proprietary LLMs excel at this task, their resource requirements can limit practical deployment. This paper evaluates smaller, open-source LLMs (0.5B–9B parameters) with quantization methods (8-bit and 4-bit compression) to balance computational efficiency and query generation performance. Our findings demonstrate that 8-bit quantization can maintain or enhance performance in smaller models, whereas 4-bit quantization leads to notable degradation, especially for larger models. This highlights the potential of quantized, smaller LLMs for SPARQL generation in resource-constrained scenarios and …

Exploring The Prevalence Of Eating Disorders, Low Sex Drive, And Exercise Compulsion Among Professional And Non-Professional Elite Male Rugby Union Players, Gary Sweeney, Siobhain Mcardle, Danielle Logue, Nessan Costello, Kieran Collins

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Rugby union exhibits large variations in the idealised player physical profiles across positions. The pursuit of physique ideals with limited professional support can influence eating disorder symptomology, exercise compulsion, and low sexual drive. The primary aims were to (1) explore the prevalence of elite male rugby union players who are at risk for eating disorders, low sex drive, and exercise compulsion, and (2) explore the relationship between risk and players’ professional status, weight, age, and playing position. A secondary aim was to explore the nutritional service support and dietary monitoring practices experienced by the players. Participants were recruited from four …

Are Ocular Markers Of Sun Exposure Associated With Skin Cancer? A Cross-Sectional Analysis Of The Busselton Healthy Ageing Study, Gareth Lingham, Vinay Kumar Nilagiri, Holly Brown, Chrianna Bharat, Samantha S.Y. Lee, Maria Franchina, Michael Hunter, Kevin Murray, David Alonso-Caneiro, Catherine M. Olsen, David C. Whiteman, David A. Mackey

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Background: Higher past sun or ultraviolet radiation exposure increases the risk of skin cancer and three common ocular findings: pterygium, conjunctival ultraviolet autofluorescence (CUVAF) and myopia. We investigated whether ocular markers of past sun exposure are associated with a history of skin cancer. Methods: A cross-sectional study of participants who attended the Phase 2 examination of the Busselton Healthy Ageing Study in Western Australia (2016–2022). Myopia was determined from autorefraction and pterygium and CUVAF from photographs of the anterior eye. Past diagnosis of a skin cancer was obtained from linked hospitalisation and cancer registry data (melanoma) or combining linked and …

Am I Top Of The Pops? Does Feedback Of Live Gps Between Sets Of Hurling-Specific Small-Sided Games Improve Subsequent Running And Physiological Performance?, Shane Malone, John Keane, Tom Hargroves, Conor P. Clancy, John David Duggan, Damien Young, Kieran D. Collins

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

The investigation aimed to determine if live feedback of team- and player-specific global positioning system (GPS) running performance data between bouts of hurling small-sided games (SSGs) altered the physical and physiological responses during subsequent bouts of SSGs during a 6-week hurling pre-season period. Twenty-four (n = 24) hurling players (age 25.5 ± 3.2 years; height 177.9 ± 3.2 cm; body mass 83.5 ± 4.5 kg) received either feedback or no feedback during hurling-specific SSGs across a 6-week pre-season period. Teams were assigned to two specific groups, a) GPS live feedback or b) no GPS live feedback (control) for each session, …

Optimization Of Probiotic Beverage Made From Sohiong Fruit Using Response Surface Methodology And Artificial Neural Network–Genetic Algorithm Hybrid Model, Roshiya Nongmaithem, Raju Sasikumar, Irengbam Barun Mangang, T. Selva Kumar, Kambhampati Vivek, Amit K. Jaiswal

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

In this study, a probiotic beverage from Sohiong (Prunus nepalensis), an underutilized wild edible fruit rich in phenolics and anthocyanins, was optimized using both Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and an Artificial Neural Network–Genetic Algorithm (ANN–GA) hybrid model. Plackett–Burman screening identified temperature, strain, and inoculum size as significant variables influencing antioxidant response. Subsequent optimization using a Box–Behnken design yielded maximum DPPH scavenging activity of 71.55%, with enhanced total phenolic content (TPC) of 160.00 mg GAE per g, total anthocyanin content (TAC) of 227.85 mg C3GE per 100 mL, and total flavonoid content (TFC) of 183.96 mg QE per 100 mL. The …

Exploring Characteristics And Systemic Health Links In Myopic Australian Adults, Pauline Kang, Gareth Lingham, Angelica Ly, Xianwen Shang, Regan Ashby, Serge Resnikoff, Fiona Stapleton, David Mackey

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Background: Data on myopia prevalence in Australia and associations with common systemic conditions and quality of life are limited. This study aimed to profile Australian adults self-reporting to have myopia, including co-morbidities and quality of life. Methods: This research included participants from the ongoing longitudinal 45 and Up Study. Sex and education data were collected at the baseline survey and additional data from the follow-up Health Compass survey. Responses on self-reported myopia, health and quality of life were analysed with logistic regression to assess the association between myopia and health conditions. Results: Of the 21,384 participant responses, 54.3% self-reported myopia, …

Physique Development And Management Shape Experiences Of Low Energy Availability Risk In Elite Professional Male Rugby Union Players, Gary Sweeney, Siobhain Mcardle, Nessan Costello, Kieran Collins

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

This study aimed to explore elite male rugby union players’ perceptions and lived experiences of physique development and management in relation to low energy availability risk. Semi-structured interviews (29 ± 8 min) were conducted with 18 players (senior: n = 9; academy: n = 9; mean age: 23 ± 3) across four professional rugby union clubs in Ireland. Through reflexive thematic analysis, the following themes were constructed. Players had limited awareness of low energy availability, yet described experiences consistent with symptoms, including fatigue, low mood and reduced libido. A pervasive physique culture, characterised by body composition ‘ideals’ and weight or …

From Platelets To Particles: Optimizing Extracellular Vesicle Isolation In A National Blood Centre, Y. Chintala, A. Waters, F. Mcgrath, A. Lorusso, C. Wynne, S. Meaney

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Background and Objectives: Platelet-derived extracellular vesicles (PEVs) are submicron, membrane-bound particles released upon platelet activation, with a recognized role in haemostasis, inflammation and immunoregulation. PEVs remain insufficiently characterized in blood products. This study compared four isolation methods to evaluate their impact on PEV yield, purity and characteristics, aiming to identify a practical approach for transfusion service workflows. Materials and Methods: PEVs were isolated from expired single-donor aphaeresis platelet concentrates (n = 12) using methods based on different isolation principles: ultracentrifugation (UC), size exclusion chromatography (SEC), mixed size/charge separation (hybrid) and an affinity-based spin column method (affinity). Size, number and biochemical …

Justifying The Fourth Amendment, Daniel Epps

Vanderbilt Law Review

Why does the Fourth Amendment belong in the Constitution? This question is not whether society should impose some legal restraints on government searches and seizures. Rather, why should such protections reside in our national charter, superior to other forms of law and insulated from change via ordinary majoritarian political processes? Despite major disputes about the Fourth Amendment's content, Fourth Amendment theorists rarely ask this question. Almost all agree that the Fourth Amendment's constitutional protections are critically important-even if no one can agree exactly what those protections are.
This Article seeks a justification for the Fourth Amendment-the reason why search-and-seizure protections …

Inorganic Nanoparticle-Bacteria Interaction Systems: Mechanistic, Functional And Agricultural Applications, Gouri Nilakshika Atapattu, Michelle Giltrap, Furong Tian

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

BackgroundInorganic nanoparticles (NPs) are capable of interacting with bacteria. Due to this interaction, the cell exterior and interior of bacteria maybe altered. As a result, bacterial growth inhibition might occur due to the antimicrobial properties exerted by inorganic nanoparticles. Inorganic nanomaterials with antimicrobial activity have been discussed within the literature under the food, pharmaceutical, biomedicine and agriculture sectors. Currently, nanoparticle-mediated control of plant bacterial pathogens is advancing in agriculture.AimThis review aims to highlight the potential of bacteria-inorganic nanoparticle systems in agriculture and how they may yield agricultural benefits beyond antimicrobial activity.MethodsWe analysed literature published between 2020 and 2024 on how …

Taxing The Architecture: A Structural Remedy For Disinformation In The Algorithmic Marketplace, Padmakshi Sharma

LL.M. Essays & Theses

This paper argues that the constitutional assumption that truth will prevail over falsehood in the marketplace of ideas has always depended on three structural preconditions. These conditions were: distributive parity for counter-speech, institutional segmentation of the information environment, and epistemic credibility signals that allowed non-expert audiences to distinguish authoritative from non-authoritative sources. Together, these conditions ensured that truth was granted a structural advantage sufficient to offset the harms of falsehood. Social media platforms have destroyed all of these conditions. The destruction is a consequence of an economic model organized around behavioral advertising and engagement maximization, which systematically amplifies disinformation over …

The Shared Superintendent In Iowa: Benefits, Challenges, And Lessons Learned Over The Last Thirty Years, Amanda Schmidt

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study examined the benefits, challenges, and leadership qualities associated with the shared superintendent model, and compared them with lessons learned over the last thirty years. Understanding how this model impacts dynamics within schools and the community is crucial to identifying strategies that support effective governance and enhance educational outcomes for all involved. A qualitative, phenomenological study approach was used to research the role of the shared superintendent in rural Iowa. Participants were those who served as a shared superintendent between a minimum of two school districts within the state of Iowa and have held this position for at least …

Nh Ece 2026 Policy Data Infographic, Harshita Sarup, Jess Carson, Tyrus Parker

New Hampshire Early Care and Education Research Consortium

The NH ECE 2026 Policy Data infographic provides easy access to data describing and explaining the early care and education landscape in New Hampshire. Learn about Granite Staters' need for child care, the high prices that families face, the low wages earned by child care workers and high operating costs of care, and the economic toll of an uneven supply for the state. The infographic also offers suggestions for building a better system.

3 "Il Canto Dei Sanfedisti" Or The Counter-Revolution, Ilaria Serra

Andante: Chapter 1 The Napoleonic Era

Music for this section, sung by Beppe Barra

Cover art: Cardinale Fabrizio Ruffo, 1850 by Ambito Napoletano

1 Introduction, Ilaria Serra

Andante: Chapter 1 The Napoleonic Era

No abstract provided.

2 "L'Inno Dell'albero" Or Napoleon And The Trees Of Liberty, Ilaria Serra

Andante: Chapter 1 The Napoleonic Era

Music and Lyrics for this section

Cover art: L’albero della Libertà in a French print

Equal Justice & Generative Ai, Milan R. Markovic

Faculty Scholarship

The United States has long suffered from unequal access to justice, with countless low-and middle-income Americans forced to navigate the legal system alone. Recently, prominent judges, lawyers, and scholars have seized on generative AI as a potential corrective. These techno-optimists maintain that ChatGPT and other large language models can demystify the law and address unmet legal needs. Chief Justice John Roberts has proclaimed that AI-based tools "have the welcome potential to smooth out any mismatch between available resources and urgent needs in our court system."

Although AI will be an increasingly important source of legal assistance for underserved populations, the …

Christmas Peace, St. Norbert College Music Department

Music Performances

See Program

Does It Matter What People Lie About?, Stefanie Jung, Peter Krebs, Monika Leszczynska

Faculty Scholarship

We investigate whether people’s moral judgments of lies in pre-contractual negotiations differ from their views on whether such lies should give the deceived party a legal right to rescind the contract, and whether these judgments depend on the content of the lie. In a vignette study with 832 German students and 885 participants from Germany, Italy, and the United States, respondents evaluated a range of common negotiation lies. Across samples, participants were generally more likely to deem a lie immoral than to believe it should justify rescission, but the size of this gap varied depending on the lie’s subject. Lies …

The Enduring Case For Bankruptcy Exceptionalism, Jared Mayer

Articles

Nearly fifty years after Congress enacted the Bankruptcy Code, a debate has emerged over the existence and desirability of “bankruptcy exceptionalism”: the idea that bankruptcy law should utilize “flexibility, creativity, and pragmatism over technicalities of process and form” to “prioritize fidelity” to “the purposes for which it was created.”  This question is especially salient in the world of corporate reorganizations, where distressed companies and their investors retain counsel precisely for the purpose of hammering out deals in complex commercial settings. In this Essay, I defend bankruptcy exceptionalism in corporate reorganizations.  I show that bankruptcy exceptionalism is a necessary and desirable …

Dye Removal By Adsorption Using Fe₃O₄ And Ε-Fe₂O₃-Based Kaolinite Nanocomposites Synthesized With An Apricot Kernels Shell Extract, Ben Kouider Tayeb, Souli Lahcene, Derouiche Yazid, Messaoudi Mohammed, Taoufik Soltani, Huda Alsaeedi, David Cornu, Mikhael Bechelany, Ahmed Barhoum

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

In this study, Fe₃O₄/kaolinite and ε-Fe₂O₃/kaolinite nanocomposites were synthesized using apricot kernel extract as a green reductant. The prepared nanocomposites were characterized and evaluated for their adsorption efficiency in removing methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions. The synthesis was carried out at 80 °C using iron chloride precursors (FeCl₃·4 H₂O and FeCl₂·6 H₂O) and kaolinite. The nanocomposite physicochemical characterization (X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry) confirmed the incorporation of crystalline Fe₃O₄ and ε-Fe₂O₃ structures in the kaolinite matrix (particle sizes from 30 to 70 nm). Adsorption experiments showed that 4 mg …

Conformationally Locked Bodipy Donor–Acceptor Dyads: Charge Separation And Recombination Across A [2.2.2]Bicyclooctane Spacer, Metodej Dvoracek, Yanran Wu, Greta Sambucari, Craig Newman, Brendan Twamley, Mathias O. Senge, Jianzhang Zhao, Mariangela Di Donato, Mikhail A. Filatov

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Controlling the excited-state dynamics of charge-separated (CS) states in donor–acceptor (D–A) systems is challenging due to geometry changes from intramolecular rotations and vibrations. A key question is how molecular geometry governs the formation, stability, and recombination of CS states, and whether these processes can be decoupled from spin-related transitions such as intersystem crossing (ISC). Here, we investigate a rigid design strategy where BODIPY and anthracene chromophores are fused to a bicyclo[2.2.2]octane scaffold, fixing the D–A geometry and eliminating conformational flexibility. This setup enables direct evaluation of how geometric restriction affects charge-transfer dynamics. Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy shows efficient charge separation …

Acid-Mediated Extraction Of Gelatine From Chicken By-Products: Impact On Yield, Molecular Characteristics, And Structural-Thermal Properties, Omaima Aidat, Mohamad Khairi Zainol, Ilham Ben Amor, Zamzahaila Mohd Zin, Humam Shaaban Barhoum, Huda Alsaeedi, Mikhael Bechelany, Ahmed Barhoum

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Despite the growing interest in utilizing poultry processing by-products as sustainable sources of gelatine, the influence of extraction conditions on gelatine quality, structure, and functionality remains insufficiently understood. This study investigated the effect of acetic acid concentration on the yield, molecular characteristics, and structural-thermal properties of gelatin extracted from chicken feet and heads. Gelatine was extracted using 3 v/v% (CBBG3) and 5 v/v% (CBBG5) acetic acid. CBBG5 produced a higher extraction yield (13.2%) than CBBG3 (10.49%), indicating enhanced collagen solubilization at higher acid concentration. However, CBBG5 also showed higher ash content (4.45 w/w% vs. 2.40 w/w%) and more pronounced yellow-green …

Standard Textualism, James A. Macleod

Articles

For as long as legal scholars have been writing about the rules-versus-standards distinction, textualism has been understood to produce characteristically rule-like law. This Article argues for the opposite view. Far from generating the “law of rules” that Scalia famously envisioned, the rule of modern textualism produces a law of standards—much more so than anybody, proponent of textualism or critic, appears to have recognized.

Two aspects of today’s textualism produce this result. The first is its emphasis on ordinary language and communication. Modern textualism typically produces standards because ordinary language and communication are typically standard-like. The second is modern textualism’s drive …

Trophy Assets, Aneil Kovvali

Articles

Rich people like to own things that make them look cool. When the thing in question is a car, house, or boat, the implications are limited. But sometimes very rich people own assets that are more important. Within media, Elon Musk acquired Twitter, Jeff Bezos ac-quired the Washington Post, and Patrick Soon-Shiong acquired the Los Angeles Times. There has also been a craze for aerospace: Musk with Space X, Bezos with Blue Origin, Richard Branson with Virgin Galactic, and going back further, Howard Hughes with Hughes Aircraft Company. It is often difficult to understand the behavior in purely finan-cial terms, …