Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

The Role Of Soil In Historical Warfare: A Review, Gian Franco Capra, T. A.R. Nogueira, Cassio Hamilton Abreu-Junior, Arun Dilipkumar Jani, Rafael Barroca Silva, Eleonora Grilli, Alessandro Auzzas, Antonio Ganga

Biology, Agriculture and Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Soil has played a fundamental yet undervalued role in shaping the fate of historical warfare. While the effects of war on the soil environment have been thoroughly investigated, the impact of soil on military strategies and battle outcomes remains poorly understood. This review aims to: i) explore the multifaceted role of soil in warfare, focusing on its impact on several aspects (mobility, fortifications, camouflage, health, geopolitical strategy, etc.); ii) identify which soil types were usually most associated with conflicts, and iii) how soil features influenced military decision-making. A dataset of over 17,000 recorded battles (1468 BCE–2003) was …

Fear, Delay, And Preventable Death: Rethinking Wyoming's Legislative Framework To Reduce Barriers In Overdose Emergency Reporting, Shoshana Sangros

Wyoming Law Review

This Comment asks whether Wyoming’s current immunity framework for reporting overdoses truly reduces delays in emergency treatment when distance, weather, and limited emergency medical service (EMS) capacity already regularly extend response times. It proposes that by amending two Wyoming statutes and funding statewide education, the goal of reducing barriers to calling 9-1-1 to report overdoses can be better achieved, and residents better protected. To support these proposed changes, Part II provides a concise account of relevant Wyoming statutory protections. Part III proposes specific amendments that would address the on-the-ground challenges of the Wyoming emergency response system. These adjustments will utilize …

Kinase Signaling In Liver Disease Via Clinical-Trial-On-A-Pamchip: A Distinctive Methodology For Drug Mechanisms And Personalized Medicine, Zachary A. Kipp, Evelyn A. Bates, Genesee J. Martinez, Wang-Hsin Lee, Sally N. Pauss, Terry D. Hinds, Jr.

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

The utilization of extensive datasets, such as those generated by DNA or RNA sequencing, has become a central focus in drug discovery and personalized medicine (PerMed). Nonetheless, these datasets are constrained by the absence of protein-functionality testing, which affects physiological responses. In this study, we employed PamGene PamStation technology to quantify protein function by kinase activity across more than 500 signaling pathways from patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Using proteins derived from nine patients and five human HCC cell lines for drug discovery and the clinical trial-on-a-chip approach, we developed comprehensive PerMed scores from the PamStation data to differentiate individual …

Current And Emerging Therapeutic Strategies For The Treatment Of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Miguel A. Lopez Perez, Noah L. Weisleder

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Background/Objectives: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a fatal, progressive neuromuscular disorder caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene, leading to the absence of functional dystrophin protein. As the largest gene in the human genome, the DMD locus is highly susceptible to mutations, contributing to a prevalence of approximately 1 in 3800–6300 live male births worldwide. This review aims to provide a comprehensive and critical synthesis of current and emerging therapeutic strategies for DMD.

Methods: We conducted a narrative review of the literature, integrating findings from clinical trials, regulatory approvals, and preclinical studies. We categorized therapeutic approaches into mutation-agnostic and mutation-specific …

Adipose Tissue-Derived Small Extracellular Vesicles In Plasma Reveal Molecular Circuitries Underlying Glucose Intolerance, Shalini Mishra, Yixin Su, Ashish Kumar, Sangeeta Singh, Brian S. Finlin, Fang-Chi Hsu, Jingyun Lee, Cristina M. Furdui, Philip A. Kern, Swapan K. Das, Gagan Deep

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Objective: Glucose tolerance (GT) is a major effector for adipose tissue (AT) remodeling in obesity, yet its molecular mechanisms remain incompletely defined. We hypothesized that the biophysical and molecular profiles of AT-derived small extracellular vesicles (sEV^AT) change in response to glucose availability and differ by GT status.

Methods: sEV^AT were isolated from plasma of individuals with normal GT (NGT) and impaired GT (IGT) (n = 5/group) at fasting (0 h) and 1 h post glucose challenge during oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). sEV^AT were characterized for size, concentration, surface expression of insulin receptor-α (INSRα), proteome, …

Review Of Bioethics: A Coursebook, Ian Werkheiser

Open Educational Resources - Reviews

No abstract provided.

Disability As A Critical Element In Exploring The Racial Wealth Gap, Nanette Goodman, Montserrat Avila-Acosta, Fitore Hyseni, Peter Blanck

The Lender Center for Social Justice

This report examines the racial wealth gap for people with disabilities in the United States. While the racial wealth gap is well-documented, with the median White household having a net worth 7-10 times higher than the median Black household, the wealth gap experienced by people with disabilities remains less explored. Recent data show that households without disabilities possess, on average, 6 times the net worth of households led by a working-age person with a disability. Wealth, defined as total household assets minus total liabilities, is a comprehensive measure of economic well-being and social stratification, and it has wide implications, including …

Office Of Research Compliance: Policy On Scientific Integrity And Misconduct

Academic Affairs – Policy Library

No abstract provided.

Asset Forfeiture As An Animal Welfare Law: A Case Study On South Carolina's Bond-Or-Forfeit Statute, Morgan Mercer

Animal Law Review

This Comment examines South Carolina’s 2024 bond-or-forfeit statute (H.B. 3682) as a case study in the growing trend of extending existing legal frameworks to promote animal welfare. Traditionally, asset forfeiture treats animals purely as property subject to seizure. However, by shifting the costs of caring for seized animals from public agencies to the animals’ owners, H.B. 3682 embeds a concern for animal well-being into a framework historically focused on economic and property interests. This Comment argues that bond-or-forfeit statutes are part of a broader trend toward recognizing animals as sentient beings with welfare interests distinct from their owners’ property rights. …

A Mandate With Teeth: Biting Back At The Neglect Of New York's Humane Education Law, Mei Brunson

Animal Law Review

New York passed its compulsory humane education law in 1917, which obligates school districts to provide weekly instruction in the “humane treatment and protection of animals” to all elementary school students. Though this mandate is clear, New York school districts routinely ignore it and deprive students of the humane education that they are statutorily entitled to. To make matters worse, the New York Commissioner of Education has abdicated their responsibility to enforce this minimum educational standard. Over the years, the laudable efforts of advocacy groups, educators, and legislators have brought about some instances of district compliance. Nevertheless, widespread district noncompliance …

Toward Interspecies Reproductive Justice, Asha A. Ramakumar

Animal Law Review

Reproductive justice discourse has largely overlooked non-human animals, despite the parallel forms of biopolitical control exercised over human women and female animals’ reproductive labor. By examining the shared logics underlying the subordina-tion of both human women and dairy cows, this Article argues that any genuine conception of reproductive justice must inter-rogate reproductive exploitation beyond the human experience. Drawing from Michel Foucault’s theory of biopower and Carol J. Adams’ framework of the “absent referent,” this Article elucidates how powerful institutions control those with the capacity for preg-nancy by perpetuating narratives of biological essentialism and obligation.

Part II examines several examples of …

Front Matter, Lewis & Clark Law Review

Animal Law Review

Front Matter contains Table of Contents, masthead, and faculty advisers for Animal Law Review Volume 32, Issue 1.

Machines In The Marsh: Struggles Of Peatland Rehabilitation Following The Shutdown Of The Irish Industrial Peat Industry, Maeve Mcgroary

Student Theses 2015-Present

As the EU and the Irish government focus on shifting to green energy and becoming carbon neutral, there has been a growing concern about the use of Irish peatland. For centuries, Irish people have cut and dried peat for the purpose of burning. This would traditionally be used for heating and cooking but as electricity became increasingly popular in the 1960s, companies like Bord na Móna helped industrialize the process of harvesting peat as part of their expansion of several peat-fired electricity stations. Chapter one discusses how decades of overharvesting has caused extreme damage to peatlands and their wildlife. Chapter …

Cultus: Eco-Phenomenology In The Work Of John Steinbeck, Robinson Jeffers, And Jack London, Carter D. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations--English

In the face of increasingly dire environmental crises, proposed solutions have gravitated toward imperatives for faster, cleaner, and more efficient technologies and resources. While practical solutions are necessary, they are entirely insufficient to deal with an underlying issue driving environmental degradation: unbridled instrumental reason. In this dissertation, I suggest a theoretical posture, cultus, which attempts to balance the necessity of instrumental action with the guiding counterweight of receptivity. Furthermore, I argue that such personal receptivity is uniquely fostered in aesthetic experiences, attuning the individual to the non-identical and renewing a relationship of care.

I examine the life and work of …

Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy And Alcohol Use Disorder, Zoe R. Evans

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This current paper has studied whether the psilocybin-assisted treatment has been linked with meaningful shifts in three clinical outcomes among adults 18 years old and above diagnosed with alcohol use disorder (AUD): percentage of heavy drinking days, abstinence rates, and neural responsiveness to alcohol-related cues. A literature review following a systematic approach was performed using guidelines from PRISMA 2020 based on four databases, namely PubMed and PsycINFO, and Scopus and CINAHL, where peer-reviewed articles published between 2015 and 2026 were included. A semi-structured professional interview with a clinical researcher in the Division of Addiction Sciences of Marshall University was also …

Emotional Contagion In Nonhuman Working Animals: Lessons From Canine Rescue Teams, Kimberly T. Schneider, S. Burak Ozkum, Alexandra Ilie, Dan Ispas

Faculty Publications – Psychology

No abstract provided.

Milk Tooth, 2026, Casina Alderson, Eddie Anderson, Katherine Eliason, Liz Fisher, Jon Geimer, Sadie House, Hannah Lewis, Eshetu Loer, Nazia Matt, Edwin Mayo, Hannah Pfeiffer, Adam Roloff, Kaitlyn Seibel, Sydney Skoglund, Griffin Wilson, Luke Yartz

Milk Tooth

"Writings by Bemidji State University Students". Sponsored by the Bemidji State University English Department.

A Psychometric Evaluation Of Obsessive-Compulsive Items In The Hierarchical Taxonomy Of Psychopathology (Hitop)-Self Report Among Caregivers Of Children, Zach Wasserman

Honors Theses

Introduction: The classification and assessment of psychopathology is a crucial part of understanding mental health. The current model, published in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, with the current 5th edition (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2022), utilizes a categorical approach to psychopathology (i.e., one has the disorder or they do not). This creates ~300 diagnoses that are understood as theoretically distinct from one another. In reality, categorical diagnoses are often heavily comorbid (Forbes et al., 2024) and within a diagnostic category there are large amounts of heterogeneity (Feczko & Fair, 2020). To address these issues, dimensional models …

Displacement And Belonging: The Search For Identity Through Latina Literature, Noelia A. Alvarado Torres

Literary and Intercultural Studies | Senior Theses

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez and Infinite Country by Patricia Engel are two novels that highlight the Latino search for identity and belonging in the United States.  The characters in these books navigate adolescence and adulthood in the face of displacement, each illustrating how history, culture, and society interfere with the search for one’s self. They also highlight the multicultural experience of being shaped by different spaces that at times contradict one another. Furthermore, these books, written by women and with women at the center, bring forth a voice that often gets left out in …

A Contextual Proposal Toward Ministerial Competency: The Theological Education Of Pastors In The African American Baptist Churches Of Central Mississippi, Kevin Thomas

Doctor of Ministry

There is a critical issue affecting some African American Baptist churches in Central Mississippi: the absence of formal theological training among a significant number of pastors. While these ministers are spiritually mature and deeply committed to their congregations, the gap in theological preparedness tends to pose challenges to doctrinal accuracy, exegetical soundness, and the long-term effectiveness of their ministries. This study aims to address the following question: How can a contextually informed and practically accessible theological education model equip African American Baptist pastors in Central Mississippi for faithful ministry? The argument presented asserts that theological education is not a luxury …

The Political Posturing Of The American Church And Its Influence On American Government Policymaking, Kathleen Maria Shaw

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation explores the intersection of theology, politics, leadership, and iteration to the present political situation of the American Church. This author argues that crises in governance and church identity stem from the theological disunity of separation between divine authority and moral responsibility. The opening chapter, America’s Theological Roots, will bring out the influence which the Biblical ideas of the Covenant and of Justice have had on the foundation of the American Nation. The second chapter, The American Pulpit and Political Power: A Historical and Contemporary Analysis, explores how preaching has acted as a moral force for reformation …

Development Of A Sustainable Web Application For A Blended Learning Environment To Improve Standardized English Test Performance Of Undergraduates At King Mongkut’S University Of Technology North Bangkok, Rayong Campus, Kusuma Bangkom

PASAA

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Content And Paralinguistic Cues In Enhancing Vocabulary Learning Across Different Themes In Young Learners, Sri Agustini, Imam Wahyudi Karimullah

PASAA

No abstract provided.

The Grammatical L1 Transfer Of Self-Forms Among Asian Learners Of English, Kittinata Rhekhalilit, Pong-Ampai Kongcharoen

PASAA

No abstract provided.

Intraosseous (Io) Analgesia Medication Administration In Orthopaedic Surgery: A Brief Review, Jenna Chrabolowski, Troy B. Puga, Abanoub Attallahm, Mckenna W. Box, John T. Riehl

North Texas GME Research Forum 2026

Introduction

Intraosseous (IO) analgesia is a novel strategy for pain control in orthopaedic surgery. This brief review aims to provide an overview of IO analgesia in orthopaedic surgery.

Methods

A search was conducted across seven databases. Titles and abstracts were screened followed by full-text review for inclusion criteria. Demographics and results were extracted from included articles.

Results

Ten studies met inclusion criteria and involved patients undergoing knee surgery and spinal surgery. IO lidocaine was shown to be effective for postoperative and intraprocedural pain control during vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty. IO morphine and IO NSAIDs were shown to be effective in reducing …

A Collection Of Mussels: Ancestors, More-Than-Human Relations, And The Transformation Of Shell-Bearing Places In The Green River Valley, Kentucky, Karen A. Stevens

Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology

For over a century, archaeological investigations in the Lower Ohio River Valley have provided extensive evidence of Indigenous Ancestors’ lifeways and practices. However, interpretations of shell-bearing sites have largely been shaped by Eurocentric and Western perspectives, often framing Indigenous actions as responses to environmental shifts rather than as expressions of dynamic social, spiritual, and ecological relationships. Within this historical context, explanations for the relatively abrupt decline of freshwater mollusk collection at the end of the Archaic Period (ca. 3000 cal yr BP) have primarily emphasized environmental change, particularly fluctuations in riverine conditions and resource availability. Yet, these explanations often overlook …

Degradation Of Wastewater By Advanced Oxidation Processes Using Green Synthesised Cuo Nanoparticles, Srinivasan Vishal, Anand Sarvesvaron, Muralidharan Keerthana, Hemanth Sanjay Reddy, A Babu Ponnusami

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

This study highlights the green synthesis of CuO nanoparticles using coconut coir extract and evaluates their photocatalytic performance in the degradation of the Brown G dye. The CuO nano-particles were synthesised through sol-gel method, and the biomolecules like polyphenols, tannins and flavonoids acted as reducing agents to stabilise the nanoparticles. The characterisation of these nanoparticles was carried out through XRD, FTIR and FESEM methods. The nanoparticles were used to degrade the dye Brown G under UV irradiation.  Response surface methodology was used to optimise the operating parameter with Box-Behnken design, which is the most suitable for varying 3 or more …

Mitochondrial Replacement Techniques For Infertility: How Legal Barriers Harm Patients And Children, Kerry Lynn Macintosh

Health Matrix: The Journal of Law-Medicine

Recent studies show that mitochondrial replacement techniques (“MRTs”) can help women with poor egg quality and repeated IVF failures get pregnant and deliver healthy children. Unfortunately, infertile Americans can derive no hope from this promising development.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) claims jurisdiction over novel assisted reproductive technologies. Fertility clinics and doctors who want to provide MRTs must submit an investigational new drug (“IND”) application to the FDA and wait for approval before proceeding with clinical trials. However, for the past decade, Congress has enacted an annual appropriations rider that precludes the FDA from acknowledging receipt of applications …

Community Influence In Streamlined Siting Regimes, Danielle Stokes, Uma Outka

Law Faculty Publications

Siting energy infrastructure has long been contentious, but growing local opposition to new energy projects in the U.S. – notably, wind and solar facilities – has drawn nationwide headlines. The legal context for energy siting varies across U.S. states, with local control being a dominant model. Against this backdrop, several states have adopted legislation to facilitate renewable energy siting by adjusting decisional authority between the local and state level.

This article evaluates these reforms at a time marked by change and uncertainty within the energy sector. Bipartisan support for infrastructure permitting reform generally has gained momentum in recent years, often …