Digital Commons Network^™

Strict Scrutiny And The Viewpoint Continuum, A.G. Harmon

Scholarly Articles

Consider the following instances: A cell phone photograph picturing a man's left kneecap. A statement that the speaker thinks, "The name Josiah is really cool." A woman who runs her bicycle over a business owner in order to gain celebrity and increase attention for her new podcast. An intentional lie told to acquire a job. A student who insists on answering his math exam questions in runic symbols.

At one point or another, American courts have considered the merits found in favor of instances similar to these and other like circumstances as amounting to "viewpoints." As such, they …

The Constitution Of Conversations: The Enduring Legacy Of Sandra Day O'Connor, Derek A. Webb

Scholarly Articles

Soon after Justice O'Connor's passing in December 2023, commentators and court watchers across the ideological spectrum questioned whether anything in the legacy of the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court— once called “the most powerful woman in Washington, D.C.”—remained intact.

Drawing upon speeches and interviews she gave over her entire forty-year public career, I argue that O’Connor’s deepest and most enduring contribution was a subtle, compelling, interconnected, and yet today largely countercultural vision of the Constitution as a site of multiple conversations, a “Constitution of Conversations,” that took place variously within institutions, across institutions, and across time. More …

Vested Rights And The Presumption Of Lawful Use, Adam J. Macleod

Scholarly Articles

Presumptions matter in cases and controversies about private rights. A party who bears the burden of proof or persuasion and who cannot meet that burden will lose. But private law presumptions are not as well under-stood as the presumption of innocence in criminal prosecutions. This article explains a number of presumptions governing property, especially land use, by reference to the concept of vested private rights. A person may enjoy the presumption that his use of property is lawful when he has a right to make the use prior to a legal challenge or change in the law, and his right …

The Constitutional Significance Of The First American Pope: The Promise Of Listening In An Era Of Mutual Suspicion, Derek A. Webb

Scholarly Articles

Pope Leo XIV has focused a good deal of writing and speaking in the first year of his pontificate on the theme of listening, dialogue, and bridgebuilding. For Leo, listening, dialogue, and creating harmony across diverse perspectives where possible are at the heart of the Christian life. But his reflections on these themes, while rooted in theology, are aimed at a wider audience, going well beyond the church community, and addressing philosophical issues of universal human concern. Indeed, the first American pope happens to be highlighting certain ideals regarding dialogue that, while perhaps forgotten today, are central to the American …

A Commemoration: 75th Anniversary Of The Catholic University Law Review, Veryl Victoria Miles

Scholarly Articles

This essay celebrates the 75th Anniversary of the Catholic University Law Review.  A retrospective of the law review’s first 50 years (1950-2000) was published in volume 50 by Professor Ralph Rohner.  Ralph J. Rohner, The 50th Anniversary of the Catholic University Law Review, 50 Cath. U. L. Rev. 267 (2001). Similarly, this essay reviews the law review publication experience and production output from 2001 through 2026, its contributions to the educational and scholarly development of student editors, student authors, and the greater body of legal scholarship.

Nuclear Deterrence And Nuclear Modernization: A Strategic Analysis Of Global Nuclear Threats And U.S. Policy, Abraham Morland

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The nuclear imperative comes from the idea that all three legs of the Triad must be retained to ensure a viable deterrent posture, provide flexibility in a response, and give decision makers options to create uncertainty in an adversary’s decision calculus. The nuclear imperative is the need to fund suggested shortfalls in the nuclear enterprise and modernize the U.S. Triad, not just one or two legs, but all three, due to the ever-increasing nuclear risk. To understand the current state in which the United States finds itself and the need for the nuclear modernization program, this thesis will review nuclear …

A Phenomenological Exploration Of Faculty Integrating Durable Skills To Prepare Career-Ready Transfer Students, Christopher Butcher

Journal of Excellence in College Teaching and Learning

This qualitative, phenomenological study addresses how faculty integrate durable, career-ready skills in supporting transfer students. This study is approached through the lens of Laanan’s Transfer Student Capital framework (Laanan et al., 2010) and Kolb’s experiential learning cycle (Kolb, 1984) to understand how faculty utilize durable skills (e.g., collaboration, problem-solving) to specifically mitigate unique transfer-student challenges such as social isolation and academic integration. The data reveal four emerging themes: 1) teaching and assessment practices, 2) support and advising practices, 3) institutional partnerships, and 4) barriers to integration. Findings support the interplay between pedagogical support and institutional constraints when integrating durable-skill development …

Credit For Prior Learning, Advising, And Equity: A Framework For Faculty Development, Amy Danzo, Matthew Bergman, Melissa Moon

Journal of Excellence in College Teaching and Learning

Credit for prior learning (CPL)—which includes credit-by-examination, portfolio assessment, and credential-to-credit crosswalks—has demonstrated positive effects on persistence, time to degree, and affordability, with disproportionately large benefits accruing to historically underserved learners. Yet CPL often remains peripheral in advising and faculty practice, limiting its equity impact. Guided by critical theory and feminist poststructural epistemology (FPE), this quantitative study investigates the barriers that advisors perceive when recommending CPL at a four-year regional public university with an established CPL catalog. A campus-wide survey (n = 42) captured advisor characteristics, frequency of recommending specific CPL pathways, and perceived obstacles. Descriptive statistics and nonparametric comparisons …

Belonging Across Differences: A Subversive Classroom Model For An Anti-Dei Era?, Larry Grabau

Journal of Excellence in College Teaching and Learning

The author’s surprising experiences in a first-year university classroom offer a microcosm of universities’ “rock-and-a-hard-place” conundrum regarding DEI practices. Should institutions “lean-in” to pro-DEI activities (a principled but financially risky position) or “cave-in” to anti-DEI pressures (institutionally pragmatic but a problematic position for less empowered students). This paper suggests a third choice: a focus on teacher-led classroom belonging for all students. Two framing questions for this classroom belonging model were: i) “could belonging as a classroom model prove to be an effective approach in an anti-DEI era?” and ii) “what classroom behaviors might teachers adopt to implement belonging for all …

Guide To: Ellenson Collection, Wolf Law Library Archives

Collection Guides & Finding Aids

No abstract provided.

Guide To: Conferences. Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Conference, Wolf Law Library Archives

Collection Guides & Finding Aids

No abstract provided.

Prolonged Qt Interval In Hiv-1 Infected Humanized Mice Treated Chronically With Dolutegravir/Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate/Emtricitabine, Ali Namvaran, Julian V. Garcia, Mahendran Ramasamy, Kayla Nguyen, Farzaneh Tavakkoli Ghazani, Bryan T. Hackfort, Prasanta Dash, Reagan E. Fisher, Benson J. Edagwa, Santhi Gorantla, Keshoer R. Bidasee

Journal Articles: Cellular & Integrative Physiology

The REPRIEVE Trial recently reported high rates of sudden cardiac death (SCD) middle-aged people living with HIV-1 infection (PWH) using the WHO/NIH-recommended two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs)/one integrase strand inhibitor (INSTI) regimen to manage HIV-1 viremia. To date, clinically relevant animal models to delineate underlying causes for this remain limited. Here, we assessed if HIV-1-infected NOD.Cg-Prkdc^scidIl2rg^tm1Wjl/SzJ humanized mice (Hu-mice) treated with the WHO/NIH-recommended antiretroviral regimen, dolutegravir (DTG, INSTI)/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF, NRTIs)/emtricitabine (FTC, NRTIs), can recapitulate abnormalities in the ECG and subclinical structural heart disease that serve as harbingers of SCD in middle-aged PWH. …

Attenuation Of Cardiac Dysfunction In The Collagen-Induced Arthritis Mouse Model Mediated By A Reactive Aldehyde Species Inhibitor, Wenxian Zhou, Hannah J. Johnson, Michael J. Duryee, Ali Namvaran, Aradhana Thapa, Cole Blasing, Amy J. Nelson, Engle E. Sharp, Carlos D. Hunter, Bryan T. Hackfort, Bryant England, Tate M. Johnson, Daniel R. Anderson, Adam Lazorchak, Robert G. Bennett, Jill A. Poole, Keshoer R. Bidasee, Geoffrey M. Thiele, Ted R. Mikuls

Journal Articles: Cellular & Integrative Physiology

Individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) experience increased risk of heart failure. Malondialdehyde-acetaldehyde (MAA) adducts are overexpressed and co-localize with citrullinated (CIT) proteins in RA myocardium. This study investigated whether reactive aldehyde species (RASP) inhibitors prevent MAA formation in vitro and attenuate cardiac dysfunction in a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mouse model. Among eight RASP inhibitors screened, ADX-246 demonstrated the greatest inhibition of MAA formation in vitro. Mice with early CIA (week 5) exhibited elevated levels of myocardial MAA adducts, myocardial inflammation, and reduced ejection fraction, but normal cardiac collagen deposition and diastolic function vs. control. By weeks 10-12, mice with chronic …

Stacked Risks, Unequal Returns: Stratified Risk Allocation In Housing And Higher Education, Regina M. Lewis

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

In the United States, public policy does more than distribute resources. It distributes risk. The same policy can create profoundly different consequences for different people because policies operate on landscapes shaped by generations of unequal investment and opportunity.

To explore this process, I introduce the Stratified Risk Allocation (SRA) Framework to demonstrate how facially neutral policies reproduce inequality by allocating risk across populations with unequal capacity to absorb it. Drawing on risk society theory, historical institutionalism, critical race theory, intersectionality, and stratification economics, the SRA framework distinguishes between Exposure, the likelihood of encountering policy-generated risk, and Capacity, the resources available …

Elevating Teacher Agency In School Decision-Making Through Trust-Building: Applying Appreciative Inquiry Within A Mixed Methods Action Research Framework, Alison S. Bellamy

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This mixed methods action research (MMAR) study examined how Appreciative Inquiry–based professional learning influenced relational trust, teacher voice, and teacher agency in elementary school decision-making within New Hanover County Schools. Grounded in Teacher Agency Theory, Distributed Leadership Theory, and Appreciative Inquiry, the study addressed the gap between teachers’ perceptions of trust and their opportunities to influence school-level decisions. The study was conducted across three mid-quintile elementary schools using a concurrent QUAN–QUAL design. Quantitative data was collected through pre- and post-intervention relational trust surveys. Qualitative data included focus groups, participant reflections, field notes, and collaborative dialogue from two professional learning sessions …

Contractual Democracy From Statehouse To School Board: Shifts In Legislation And School Board Authority In Kentucky, Hannah M. Edelen

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

School boards have long been regarded as a cornerstone of American democracy, providing local governance over public education. While considerable scholarship highlights the increasing involvement of state and federal governments in education, relatively few studies examine with specificity how legislatures shape the local authority of these governance structures. This study investigates how the Kentucky State Legislature has influenced the authority of local school boards over three legislative sessions (2020–2022) and how board members perceive their evolving role. Using a multi-method approach and conceptualized in principal-agent theory, this research contributes to understanding how legislatures shape the governing responsibilities of school boards …

A Scalable Magnetic Field Mapping Approach For Pouch-Type Lithium-Ion Batteries, Luiz G.C. Melo, Chun H. Law

Études primaires

Ensuring safety in energy storage systems increasingly relies on advanced diagnostic tools, among which magnetic field mapping plays a critical role. This work aims to develop and validate a high-sensitivity magnetic field sensor array for accurate field mapping and preliminary battery diagnostics. We present a 4 × 4 array of magnetic sensors integrated with a calibration procedure to ensure accurate output. The system was experimentally tested by characterizing the magnetic field generated by two planar copper conductors. Finite element simulations were performed for comparison and validation. Experimental measurements exhibited strong agreement with the simulation results, confirming the reliability of the …

Lumbosacral Orthosis Can Improve Postural Control In Older Adults With Chronic Low Back Pain, Régis M.-L. D'Assomption, Christian Lariviere, Hakim Mecheri, Suzy Ngomo, Rubens A. Da Silva

Études primaires

Background

Older adults with chronic low back pain may report poor postural control and increased fall risks. Possible key mechanisms are altered lumbar spine proprioception, stiffness and mobility, which could be enhanced through lumbar stabilization approaches. The purpose of this study was thus to evaluate the immediate effects of two lumbar stabilization approaches on postural control measures, namely a lumbosacral orthosis and the abdominal drawing-in maneuver.

Methods

57 older adults (> 65 yrs): 22 with chronic low back pain and 35 healthy controls performed two trials (30 s) of a semi-tandem balance task on a force platform, while three experimental …

Workforce Review Of Health Information Technology Associate-Degree Graduates: 2017-2024, Debra Hamada, Karima Lalani, Melanie Brodnik, Susan H Fenton, Angela Kennedy, David T Marc, Velma L Payne, Rebecca Reynolds

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The career path of associate-degree health information technology (HIT) graduates continues to change quickly as quality and payment regulations, technology requirements, and workforce expectations evolve to meet the demands of the changing health care environment. Although HIT professionals play an essential role in accuracy, regulatory compliance, and the overall function of health information systems, there is limited research describing HIT workforce trends.

Methods: A mixed-methods approach was used with 587 survey responses. Quantitative data were standardized by job category, including a newly developed "health information management (HIM) operations" group, and career movement was visualized using a Sankey diagram. Qualitative …

Rendering Knowledge Graphs From Aerospace Dentistry Processes For Clinical Decision Support Systems, Muhammad Tuan Amith, Jessica Vu, Serena Hou, Vinu Sista, Yang Gong, Ronak Shah, Ana C Neumann

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

NASA and commercial space flight companies expect to make long-term missions into deep space with the Artemis project and Mars mission. Health care in deep space is a priority as the missions require limited crew and equipment to accommodate astronauts' needs. Analyzing the probable clinical procedures and workflows for this setting is needed to ensure quality care and safety. This paper introduces Business Process Modeling and Notation (BPMN) and OWL2-based modeling to represent aerospace dental workflows for low-earth orbit and potential deep space missions. We developed BPMN process models and created ontology-based knowledge graph representations for individual dental procedures using …

Provgen: A Privacy-Preserving Approach For Outcome Validation In Genomic Research, Yuzhou Jiang, Tianxi Ji, Erman Ayday

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

As genomic research has grown increasingly popular in recent years, dataset sharing has remained limited due to privacy concerns. This limitation hinders the reproducibility and validation of research outcomes, both of which are essential for identifying computational errors during the research process. In this paper, we introduce PROVGEN, a privacy-preserving method for sharing genomic datasets that facilitates reproducibility and outcome validation in genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Our approach encodes genomic data into binary space and applies a two-stage process. First, we generate a differentially private version of the dataset using an XOR-based mechanism tailored to biological characteristics. Second, we restore …

A User-Friendly Graphical User Interface For Paw Touch Classification In Rodent Cylinder Testing, Tyler R Johnson, Katherine D Zerefos, Dawn M Taylor

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In unilateral rodent models of disease or injury, deficits are induced in only one side of the body, allowing the difference in right versus left limb usage to serve as a metric of disease/injury severity and recovery with various treatments. Unilateral rat models are commonly used for conditions such as Parkinson’s disease (via the neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine, 6-OHDA), stroke, and traumatic brain injury, as well as cervical spinal cord injury and peripheral nerve damage. The ‘cylinder test’ has been used for over two decades as a reliable metric of asymmetry in forelimb usage. In this test, videos are taken of the …

Enhancing Inter-Institutional Ai Research Collaboration Across Multidisciplinary Teams To Increase The National Ai Workforce In Healthcare, Toufeeq Ahmed Syed, Sarah Popal, D'Laney Kernan, Deevakar Rogith, Zulfiia Ditto, Paul Warhurst, Jay Johnson, Jamboor K Vishwanatha

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Inter-institutional team collaboration is critical for impactful multidisciplinary AI research in healthcare. The goal of our project (AIM-AHEAD Connect) is to increase multidisciplinary collaborations by connecting AI/ML experts and healthcare researchers, trainees and professionals to enhance research and improve health for all Americans. As of February 2026, AIM-AHEAD Connect has over 10,100 AI/ML and healthcare experts from across 2,400 institutions, has made more than 7,800 connections and facilitated 194 collaborative online groups. We conducted a unique study to understand collaboration, and analyzed profile, connection, and platform engagement metrics to determine if AI experts and healthcare researchers with more inter-institutional connections …

Factors Associated With Opioid And Antibiotic Prescribing At Us Academic Dental Institutions: 2011 To 2020, S Tungare, A-I Yansane, S Gantela, K K Kookal, S Mccurdy, T M Krause, S Sharma, M Walji

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: In the United States, dentists are one of the leading prescribers of opioids and antibiotics. Because dental schools are the training grounds for future dentists, it is crucial to understand how prescribing has changed and why these medications are being prescribed in academic settings.

Objectives: The objective of this research was to describe the prescribing trends and factors associated with opioid and antibiotic medication prescribing at US academic dental institutions between 2011 and 2020.

Methods: Data from electronic dental records collected through the BigMouth data repository from 9 anonymized dental institutions between 2011 and 2020 were used. Prescribing rates …

Comparing Us Medicare Coverage Options As A Contributing Mechanism To Sticking Or Switching To An Insurance Plan, Lisa M. Grabert, Brian J. Miller, Kathryn L. Wagner

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Background

In 2025, the US Medicare program is expected to spend over $1.1 trillion taxpayer dollars. A growing trend in the US Medicare program is more beneficiaries electing a private insurer, referred to as Medicare Advantage (MA), to manage their care. Since 2023, a slight majority of Medicare beneficiaries have elected to enroll in MA, yet little is understood about the mechanisms that drive beneficiaries toward their choices.

Methods

Our objective was to examine the association between comparing coverage options and ‘switching’ or ‘sticking’ with Fee-for-Service (FFS) Medicare or Medicare Advantage (MA). We conducted a panel study, using data from …

Évaluation De La Performance De Divers Dispositifs De Prélèvement D'Isocyanates Dans L'Air Lors De L'Application De Vernis Polyuréthane En Carrosserie Automobile, Simon Aubin, Hugues Ahientio, Loïc Wingert, Sébastien Gagné, Livain Breau, Jacques Lesage

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Les isocyanates sont des composés irritants et induisent des sensibilisations respiratoires et de l’asthme professionnel. La pulvérisation de revêtements polyuréthanes contenant du diisocyanate d’hexaméthylène (HDI), sous forme monomère et d’oligomères constitue une source majeure d’exposition professionnelle, notamment dans les ateliers de carrosserie automobile. L’évaluation de l’exposition par inhalation à ces composés demeure toutefois complexe en raison de leur forte réactivité chimique et de leur présence simultanée sous forme de vapeur et de particules.

La première phase de cette recherche visait à développer et valider un système de génération en laboratoire capable de reproduire de manière réaliste les conditions de pulvérisation …

Centered A Story Of Family And Compassion In The Face Of Parkinson's Disease, Savannah Hill

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Centered is a three-dimensional (3D) animated short film that explores the topic of parental illness and how families must respond with compassion and adaptability when loved ones face mental or physical challenges. The story is inspired by the director’s own experience with her father’s diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease when she was in high school. The main characters, a father and daughter, must navigate the father’s changing needs after his diagnosis by prioritizing their connection and adapting to his new physical challenges. In the film, they do this through the creation of pottery. The imperfect, handmade design style of the film …

Physical Activity And Health Outcomes In Children With Dyslexia During Summer Versus School Months, Tina J. Glatz

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Children in the United States continue to experience rising rates of overweight and obesity. Children with learning disabilities are twice as likely to have obesity than typically developing peers, partly due to difficulties with motor skills and behavior regulation. The purpose of this study was to examine and compare differences in health outcomes and physical activity (PA) during summer versus school months in children with dyslexia, using a within- subject study design.

At three timepoints (May, August, December 2025), children’s height, weight, and fitness were measured via a portable stadiometer, dual-frequency foot-to-foot bioelectric impedance device, and Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance …

Emotional Support Friends: Creating Social Impact Through Art And Polite Humor, Kenyari Gil Rosario

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This thesis aims to provide new imagery to the conversation of mental health and neurodivergence. It does this through forms of soft sculpture, digital paintings, marker drawings, and community murals. Inspired by the practices of Keith Haring, iconographic characters are used to portray common struggles and coping habits of mental conditions in an endearing light. With the goal of social impact, this project is affiliated with the non-profit organization Providing Autism Links and Support (P.A.L.S). This partnership has given the community an opportunity to share their compassion through art and donations and uses art as a means of social impact …

I, Cock-A-Doodle-Do: Reclaiming Masculinity Through Queer Joy And Humorous Self-Exploration, Nelson J. Garcia

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

I examine the contemporary norms of masculinity. My research wrestles with ultimately unresolvable stereotypes and imagery influencing current masculine behavior. I unearth queer potential through the physicality and behavior of the stereotypical “man’s man”. I infuse my own queer identity into my studio practice with an emphasis on humor and joy to subvert traditional models of male performance. This process drives self-exploration that allows me to personally respond, react, be directed, and redirected by the interactions between queerness and masculinity. Masculine and queer representations across various media, such as film, music, and television, historically and continuously inform restrictive cultural norms. …