Digital Commons Network^™

Equal-Access Extraction: Necessary Revisions To The Extent Of The 1920 Svalbard Treaty Due To Norway's Deep-Sea Mining Decision, Louden J. Keihl

Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law

Svalbard’s 100-year-old governing treaty, the Svalbard Treaty, has been the cause of several disputes regarding its applicability to maritime zones not developed at the time of its negotiation. This Note argues that, considering Svalbard’s importance, the different treaty parties should renegotiate and revise the Svalbard Treaty to clarify ambiguities regarding its geographic scope. The reasons why the dispute has not been solved to date and the differing views on the Treaty’s geographic scope are also discussed. Potential clarifying language is proposed and analyzed. (from the author)

Protecting Wild Animal Abundance, Natalie Jacewicz

Utah Law Review

Americans today encounter billions fewer wild animals than their grandparents did. These ongoing losses affect an enormous array of interests, including billions of dollars in costs to agriculture, tourism, and land management, as well as lost wildlife encounters. Dramatic declines in wild animal abundance reveal a blind spot in American law: In general, environmental law does not aim to protect the “supply” of wild animals we think of as common. Because scientists have only recently begun to appreciate the scale of common animal loss, the phenomenon has received comparatively little attention from legal scholars. This Article sets forth the problem …

Assessing The Ecological Vulnerability Of Natural Flood Defences And Risks To Agricultural Land Following Seawater Flooding, Cally Barratt

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Anthropogenic climate change is intensifying extreme weather events, affecting the natural environment by altering ecosystems, and leading to habitat loss. Pressingly, the frequency and severity of storm surge flooding in low-lying coastal regions is projected to increase under future climate scenarios. There is a growing need to understand how these events will impact coastal ecosystems, and the measures that can be taken to mitigate against these effects and protect natural resources. Furthermore, with increased pressures placed on agriculture to meet food demand, protecting arable land resources in coastal regions from the rising threat of flooding is imperative. This thesis explores …

Influence Of Ecological Transitions On The Evolution Of Circadian And Light Detection Genes In Squamates, Isobel Sleep

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Circadian rhythms are self-sustaining, endogenous processes that align behaviour and physiology with daily environmental cycles. Rhythms are regulated by conserved genes forming transcriptional feedback loops and are entrained by environmental cues (e.g., light). Circadian systems are well studied in model organisms, their molecular evolution in squamates (lizards and snakes) remains less understood. Squamates represent the most species-rich reptile group with extensive ecological and sensory diversity, exhibiting multiple independent transitions across ecological niches, including repeated shifts into low-light environments (e.g., nocturnality, fossoriality), making them ideal for examining circadian and light-associated gene evolution. This study investigates how ecological transitions have influenced the …

Coping With Climate Change: The Role Of Plasticity Within And Across Generations, Caitlin Mcandry

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Climate change is leading to increased mean temperatures and more frequent and severe temperature anomalies, threatening organisms globally. Phenotypic plasticity, the ability of a given genotype to express different phenotypes in different environments, may offer a mechanism that allows organisms to temporarily persist in a rapidly changing environment, ultimately buying time for genetically based adaptations to evolve. Plasticity has been demonstrated both within and across generations, in response to different environmental stressors. However, our understanding of the interactive effects of plastic responses across levels of biological organisation, and over temporal scales from hours to generations, is still limited. Additionally, we …

2024 Annual Operations And Maintenance Report - 2024 Bres Annual Summary Report For Work Completed In Quadrant 4, Butte-Silver Bow Department Of Reclamation And Environmental Services

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Structures Of Fantasy In Terry Gilliam's 'Time Bandits', Sean Fash

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Terry Gilliam’s use of fantasy genre conventions in his filmography is obvious in presence, but elusive in understanding.  Time Bandits, as an early entry into this filmography, simultaneously seems to mock and embody these genre conventions.  This paper seeks to find a way to understand Time Bandits on a structural level through existing frameworks in fantasy criticism and to see what deeper meanings the film holds behind its silly, fantastical presentation.  These structural templates of analysis are John Clute’s “full fantasy model” from his Encyclopedia of Fantasy and Farah Mendlesohn’s “portal quest fantasy” from her Rhetorics of Fantasy.  By deconstructing …

Unexpected Longevity In Myasthenia Gravis, Bhupendra O. Khatri, Scott Schutten, Sergey Tarima

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Background: This study compares age at death in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) and multiple sclerosis (MS) with the general U.S. population and examines age at death patterns during a period preceding modern high-efficacy therapies. Objective: To compare age at death among individuals with MG and MS with the general population and assess differences in age at death between MG and MS. Design: Retrospective population-based study using death certificate data from four U.S. states (Florida, Wisconsin, Texas, and New York) for 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015. Methods: Individuals with MG or MS listed on death certificates were identified. Age at …

Catwalk Xt Enables Sensitive Detection Of Locomotor Deficits After C2 Hemisection And Integrates Readily Into Ongoing Experimental Workflows In Adult Female Rats, Aaron L. Silverstein, Christopher M. Calulot, Christopher J. Mclouth, John C. Gensel, Warren J. Alilain

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Over half of all spinal cord injuries (SCIs) in the United States occur at the cervical level and often cause both life-threatening breathing dysfunction and profound locomotor deficits. Although the C2 hemisection (C2Hx) model is vital for study of breathing dysfunction after experimental SCI, post-C2Hx locomotor deficits have only been assessed by metrics such as the Martínez Scale and ladder tests, which require time-intensive scoring by human observers. However, the CatWalk XT Gait Analysis system (Noldus Information Technology) delivers automated, quantitative assessment of interlimb coordination, gait cycle, and paw function, providing robust locomotor data in a time-efficient and practical manner. …

Digital Lover: Insecure Attachment Styles And Romantic Parasocial Relationship Among Chinese Female Otome Game Playersdigital Lover: Insecure Attachement Styles And Romantic Parasocial Relationship Among Chinese Female Otome Game Players, Weifan (Kyrie) Zhang M.S.

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

The existing literature has explored the relationship between insecure attachment styles and parasocial relationships, particularly focusing on traditional media such as television. However, it has largely overlooked the novel form of media represented by contemporary Chinese otome games, which offer an idealized digital environment potentially more appealing to players with insecure attachment styles. Moreover, previous studies have not sufficiently differentiated between general parasocial interactions and the specific nuances of parasocial romantic relationships unique to romantic video games (RVGs). This study seeks to bridge these gaps by examining the psychological underpinnings of Chinese female players' engagement with female-oriented romantic video games. …

Design, Syntheses And Biological Applications Of Fluorescent Probes For Nad(P)H, Hsa And Cellular Microenvironment Sensing, Adenike M. Olowolagba

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Fluorescent probes have emerged as powerful tools for investigating complex biological processes due to their high sensitivity, selectivity, and capability for real-time, non-invasive imaging. In particular, the detection of key biomolecules such as NAD(P)H, viscosity-related parameters, human serum albumin (HSA), and pH is essential for understanding cellular metabolism, redox homeostasis, and disease progression. In Chapter 2, three coumarin-based fluorescent probes (A–C) were designed, synthesized, and characterized for monitoring NAD(P)H levels in living cells. Probes A and B feature coumarin–cyanine hybrid structures linked via vinyl and thiophene bridges to 3-quinolinium acceptors, respectively, while probe C incorporates a dicyano moiety to replace …

Spatiotemporal Patterns Of Migratory Songbird Habitat Use: An Analysis Of Environmental Drivers At The Net Level, Garrett Kucharski

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Many eastern North American migratory songbirds are declining at alarming rates, and growing evidence suggests that events occurring away from the breeding grounds, particularly during migration, can be major drivers of these trends. Stopover sites are a key component of migration because they are where birds rest, refuel, and recover before continuing long-distance movements, yet the ecological factors that shape how broadly different species use stopover habitat remain unresolved. From both an applied perspective, identifying habitat attributes associated with use by the greatest diversity of migrants will help land managers prioritize and restore stopover sites, actions that may contribute to …

Mechanical Fractionation Of Wheat Middlings For Application In Pyrolysis And Animal Feed, Okwudili I. Obiakor

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Wheat middlings are grain byproducts that are underused for bioenergy production despite having a high lignocellulose content. Its use as a feedstock for catalytic pyrolysis depends on effective and sustainable fractionation to enhance efficiency and product yield. This study tested mechanical pre-fractionation (sieving and air classification) to reduce ash content of certain fractions to < 1% for catalytic pyrolysis and enrich nutrient levels of other fractions for feed applications. Wheat middlings were separated into 11 fractions using screen sizes from 106 µm to 1651 µm, and the composition of each fraction was characterized (ash, protein, structural carbohydrates, lignin, starch, and simple sugars). For cyclone separation, a full factorial design was used to study the effect of air velocity (15,18, 20 m/s) and feed rate (33, 35, 38 kg/h) on the amount of material collected in the underflow and overflow, and the composition of these fractions was characterized. Sieving showed a pronounced segregation of ash content, from 4.5% to 6.5% in wheat middlings fractions, with 5.7% being the lowest for coarse fractions which has higher lignocellulose content, and 4.5% in the fine fraction (150-212 µm). The same defined enrichment was observed in all nutrients except for protein. Starch enrichment zone were defined in the fine fractions (212 µm and below), for structural carbohydrates and lignin in the coarse fractions (600 µm and above), and for ash in coarse fractions (1180-1651 µm). In contrast, protein content was not significantly different between various fractions (p value=0.787). The fiber rich fraction (> 600 µm), suitable for pyrolysis, which have a composite ash value of 6.0% can be sorted and mixed with intermediate fractions to reduce ash to 5.3% and the remaining fractions rich in digestible nutrients used for animal feed formulation. Compared to sieving, cyclone separations did not …

Fluctuation Of Organochlorine Concentrations In Bull Sharks At Different Life Stages, Mackenzie R. Phillips

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

For Carcharhinid species such as the bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas), the maternal offloading of nutrients is essential for pup development and growth, however, significant amounts of OCs are also transferred. As a top predator in aquatic food webs, bull sharks can potentially bioaccumulate high concentrations of pollutants such as dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) that biomagnify through aquatic food webs. These pollutants are also hydrophobic and fat soluble and therefore pose toxicity risks to developing young bull sharks. In this study, liver tissues collected from juvenile bull sharks inhabiting Florida’s coastal waters were analyzed for a suite of organochlorine pesticides (OCs) …

Reading Between The Lines: Protected, But Not From Interpretation, Hooriya Habib

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

In the realm of television, audiences are interactive viewers who decode meaning based on their lived experiences. Given that each culture has its own set of cultural codes it uses as a lens to navigate life, meanings do not remain constant. This cultural media study breaks down three advertisements to study the effectiveness of these advertisements in relation to religious and cultural codes. Using Stuart Hall’s (1980) encoding/decoding model, an oppositional reading was employed to understand the disconnect that may be caused between an audience of rural Pakistani women and the producers. Objects of focus were nonverbal codes such as …

Public Perception Of Environmental Contamination And Its Implications For Fish And Community Health In West Bengal, India, Libia Hazra

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

In West Bengal, India, the highest fish-consuming state in the country, fish are woven into everyday life, including ceremonies of birth and marriage, prayers offered during harvesting and the cultural memory of communities whose identities are inseparable from aquatic life. However, the rivers, wetlands, and ponds that sustain these fish-human relationships are increasingly threatened by environmental contamination resulting from industrial discharge, agricultural runoff, and inadequate environmental management. Understanding how communities perceive these environmental changes is essential for developing effective conservation and public health strategies.

In collaboration between the Indian Institute of Technology (ITT) Kharagpur, India, and Michigan Technological University (USA), …

Targeted And Screening Based Approaches To Analyze Drm Transcriptional Repressor Complex Activity In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Emily Washeleski

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The molecular machinery that control the eukaryotic cell cycle, specifically the processes that mediate the switch between cellular division or quiescence, are essential for cellular and organismal viability. However, how the same machinery integrates with developmental or differentiation programs is less well understood. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the 8-subunit DRM complex (for Dp, Rb and MuvB), whose subunits belong to the Synthetic Mulitivulva (SynMuv) B class genes, is a central regulator of the cell cycle but also prevents inappropriate cell fate specification. The conserved mammalian DREAM complex (for Dp, Rb, E2F, And MuvB) is best known as a transcriptional repressor …

Applied Forest Restoration And Conservation In Michigan: Advancing American Beech Restoration And Documenting A Historical Insect Collection, Thomas E. Panella

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Forest restoration and conservation require both practical management approaches and the preservation of biological resources that support future research. This dissertation presents applied research conducted in Michigan that advances American beech (Fagus grandifolia) restoration in response to beech bark disease (BBD) while documenting an important historical entomological resource. Chapters 1–3 focus on overcoming practical barriers to American beech restoration. Restoration protocols were developed and refined for identifying BBD-resistant trees, graft propagation, rootstock collection, container production, and the field establishment of grafted BBD-resistant trees. A greenhouse experiment evaluated the influence of growing media and fertilization on container stock quality, …

Educating The Next Generation Of Engineers: Spatial Thinking Is Key To Their Success, Sheryl Sorby, Gavin Duffy, Jack Parkinson, Gibin Raju, John Lynch, Muhammad Asghar

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

This paper attempts to answer questions regarding the link between engineering success and spatial skills through three themes. The previous research of the authors in examining the questions surrounding each theme is the focus of this paper; we acknowledge that others around the world may have conducted similar research, but the specific findings of the authors are the main focus of this paper. In the first theme, we examine data from several author-led studies where positive correlations have been found between spatial skill levels and proficiency in tasks that are a part of what it means to be an engineer. …

A Literature Review Of Adoptive Cell Therapy (Act) In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (Nsclc) With Emphasis On Chimeric Antigen Receptor (Car) T Cell And Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocyte (Til) Therapies, Brianna Wickham

Honors Program Theses

Non‑small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for the majority of lung cancer diagnoses and remains a leading cause of cancer‑related mortality despite advances in surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and immune checkpoint inhibitors. While immunotherapy has improved outcomes for some patients, many develop treatment resistance or experience significant toxicity, highlighting the need for alternative therapeutic strategies. Adoptive cell therapy (ACT), which involves the infusion of autologous immune cells expanded or engineered ex vivo, has demonstrated substantial success in hematologic malignancies and is now being investigated for use in solid tumors such as NSCLC. This literature review examines the current state of ACT …

Growth And Sustainability Of Ash Tree Replacements In Twin Lakes, Iowa, Emma Larsen

Honors Program Theses

The significant loss of mature ash trees at Twin Lakes Bible Camp (TLBC) has motivated efforts to restore green spaces by planting replacement trees. In summer 2024, 32 trees representing eight unique species were planted, and their overall health and site suitability were evaluated to inform future replanting efforts in summer 2025. The five soil series present at TLBC (Canisteo, Clarion, Webster, Okoboki, and Nicollet) were evaluated by soil chemistry testing through x-ray fluorescence spectrometry. This study presents site-specific data of tree growth measurements, visual health assessments, and soil compatibility analyses to identify practical recommendations for improving restoration success. The …

Animator Becomes Animated: A Short Film Uniting Animation And Traditional Film As One, Peter Francis Stahr

Honors Program Theses

Traditional filmmaking has been around since the late nineteenth century, where filmmakers would utilize black and white film and tedious developing processes, including the manual handling of chemicals, to create a feature film. Shortly after the turn of the twentieth century, the first few 2D animated films came to life. Then, almost 100 years later, the digital age struck, bringing with it the ease of access for anyone to take out a camera and snap a picture, take a video, or even create a movie. In parallel with the development of digital filmography came 3D software, opening the creative capacity …

Can’T Sue A Movement: Greenpeace’S $667 Million Crisis Narrative, Trevor Hart

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In March of 2025, the environmental group Greenpeace was found liable for nearly $667 million to Energy Transfer, the oil company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). The lawsuit was widely regarded as a SLAPP, or Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation, because it weaponized civic torts to infringe upon Greenpeace’s First Amendment rights. The $667 million verdict is an unprecedented figure in SLAPP litigation–it’s enough to bankrupt Greenpeace in the United States and “chill” democratic participation. This thesis used a hybrid blame-renewal crisis narrative framework to analyze Greenpeace’s public response to lawsuits against a backdrop of cultural and political economic …

Obscurity And The Fallacy Of No Privacy In Public Information, Woodrow Hartzog

Faculty Scholarship

The main thesis of this chapter is that because there are so many different possible interpretations of ‘public information’, the concept cannot be used to justify data practices and surveillance without first articulating a more precise meaning that recognises what is at stake. By disposing of the myth that there is an objective and dispassionate concept of public information, judges and lawmakers can clear the way for information rules based on overt value choices. In short, if the concept of ‘public’ is going to shape people’s social and legal obligations, its meaning and neutrality should not be assumed.

My argument …

The “Multi-Normative” Biological Weapons Convention: A Study Of The 2022 Article V Meeting In Geneva, Robert Lawless

Emory International Law Review

In September 2022, States parties to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) held a Formal Consultative Meeting in Geneva pursuant to Article V of the Convention, following Russia’s allegations that the United States and Ukraine had developed biological weapons in violation of BWC prohibitions. Although largely overlooked in public discourse, the Geneva meeting provides a revealing example of the BWC in practice. This article examines the Geneva meeting to assess the Convention’s normative role in contemporary international relations. It argues that States parties reaffirmed their commitment to the BWC’s core prohibition against the hostile use of biological agents against humans. Moreover, …

Treating Social Media Corporations As Quasi-State Actors To Address The Use Of Artificial Intelligence In Content Moderation, Michael T. Tiu Jr.

Emory International Law Review

Corporations have become powerful actors in the international system. They have the potential to disrupt the protection of values that states have been performing for decades. One of these values–freedom of expression–has been the recipient of impact of emerging technologies owned by corporations. Social media platforms have become new governors of expression. Content moderation rules cause adverse impacts on freedom of expression. The vagueness of certain criteria and the inconsistency of their application have led to censorship of speech which would have been protected offline. This situation is exacerbated by the use of artificial intelligence in content moderation, owing to …

You Only Need One Stage: Novel-View Synthesis From A Single Blind Face Image, Taoyue Wang, Xiang Zhang, Xiaotian Li, Huiyuan Yang, Lijun Yin

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

We propose a novel one-stage method, NVB-Face, for generating consistent Novel-View images directly from a single Blind Face image. Existing approaches to novel-view synthesis for objects or faces typically require a high-resolution RGB image as input. When dealing with degraded images, the conventional pipeline follows a two-stage process: first restoring the image to high resolution, then synthesizing novel views from the restored result. However, this approach is highly dependent on the quality of the restored image, often leading to inaccuracies and inconsistencies in the final output. To address this limitation, we extract single-view features directly from the blind face image …

Characterization Of The Human Thnatomicrobiome By Decomposition Stage Through Bioinformatic And Meta Data Analysis, Ashton C. Laughlin

Biology Theses

Estimating the postmortem interval (PMI) is one of the most crucial factors in forensic death investigations. Recent advances in forensic microbiology have led to increased interest in using the study of the human postmortem microbiome, or “thanatomicrobiome,” to improve PMI estimates. In addition to current PMI estimation techniques, microbial community succession could serve as a valuable tool in estimating PMI. Further research is needed to develop a comprehensive understanding of the human postmortem microbiome. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the expansion of this tool by reviewing the current literature and analyzing previously published data using the …

Impacts Of Offshore Wind Energy Development On The Commercial Sea Scallop Fishery, Sarah Borsetti, Daphne M. Munroe, John M. Klinck, Andrew M. Scheld, Eileen E. Hofmann, Eric N. Powell, David B. Rudders

CCPO Publications

The Atlantic sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) fishery on the Northeast U.S. continental shelf generates approximately USD 500 million ex-vessel revenues annually, making it one of the most valuable single species fisheries in the United States. Wind energy development is planned for key areas on the U.S. Mid-Atlantic shelf where the Atlantic sea scallop fishery operates, creating novel challenges in managing trade-offs between traditional users like fisheries and new users like offshore wind energy. An agent-based modeling framework that integrates spatial dynamics in Atlantic sea scallop stock biology, fishing fleet behavior, and federal management decisions, was implemented to investigate …

Ecological Feedbacks In The Earth System, Eugene J. Murphy, Jessica J. Williams, Isla H. Myers-Smith, Vivienne P. Groner, David M. P. Jacoby, Lester Kwiatkowski, Jess Melbourne-Thomas, Emma Ransome, Cristina Banks-Leite, Laurent Bopp, Marion Gehlen, Eileen E. Hofmann, Babette Hoogakker, Nadine M. Johnston, Yadvinder Malhi, Emma L. Cavan

CCPO Publications

Ecological feedbacks are fundamental features of the Earth system, affecting physical processes and chemical cycles. Our understanding of the interactions underlying these feedbacks at different spatial and temporal scales and the extent to which feedbacks affect Earth system functioning remains limited. Climate change and other anthropogenic pressures are already negatively affecting ecological processes in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems. These will most likely be amplified in the coming decades under our current warming and socioeconomic pathways. The knock-on impacts on ecological feedbacks have the potential to cause rapid perturbations to the Earth system, and may significantly impact the structure and …