Digital Commons Network^™

The Vatican’S Moral Voice In The Critical Mineral Era: Does The Vatican Need A Policy Platform For Its Meetings With Mining Ceos?, Raymond Offenheiser, Keith Slack

The Journal of Social Encounters

On January 19, three American Catholic bishops issued a striking warning about the future of American foreign policy, lamenting that it was undermining “the moral foundation for America’s actions in the world.” The bishops responded to a retreat toward transactional, power-centric diplomacy – one where human rights, international solidarity, and the common good are increasingly secondary to narrow national interests. This shift is most evident in the global race for “critical minerals,” – and perhaps nowhere is the need and opportunity for Church moral leadership clearer.

Rethinking Women, Peace And Security In Southern Africa: Patriarchy, Policies, And Perspectives, Kgomotso Komane

The Journal of Social Encounters

Southern Africa is a relatively peaceful region, however, it has witnessed a range of diverse, multiple and ongoing conflicts that have prompted various peace interventions from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), neighbouring countries and international actors. An astounding pattern is revealed when observing the involvements of all the actors in the peace interventions. What is revealed is that, till present day, women remain marginalised in peace processes despite existing structures and policies that reaffirm their rightful participation in these processes. Rethinking women’s role in peace and security is necessary because existing approaches to peace are shaped by patriarchal norms. …

Protection Without Power? The Successes And Failures Of Un Civilian Protection In South Sudan, Gatkuoth Lok Gatwich Diet

The Journal of Social Encounters

Since its establishment in 2011, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has been tasked with protecting civilians in the context of ongoing violent conflict and political instability. The mission has recorded some important achievements, especially through the creation of Protection of Civilians (PoC) sites that have provided shelter to hundreds of thousands of displaced people. However, these gains have been accompanied by major limitations. Repeated attacks on PoC sites, continued communal violence, and the inability to prevent large-scale atrocities highlight a persistent gap between mandate and real-world implementation. This essay examines UNMISS’s performance from 2013 to the present, …

Un-African Union Cooperation In Darfur: Multilevel Governance In Action And The Future Of International-Regional Peace Operations, Philip Mutio

The Journal of Social Encounters

This paper will explore the changing dynamics between global and regional governance frameworks using the example of the UN partnership with regional and sub-regional organizations in the management of intricate peace and security issues. The analysis is anchored on the case of African Union–United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), an example of layered governance, to examine the effect of coordination problems, operational difficulties, and joint mission performance in the areas of peace talks, post-conflict reconstruction, and civilian protection. Along with persistent issues including scarce resources, political instability, and disjointed command structures, the report acknowledges significant advancements such as increased …

The Impact Of Ceo Sociopolitical Activism On Firms’ Financial And Stakeholder Outcomes: A Critically Appraised Topic, Philip R. Stuczynski

Engaged Management ReView

In recent years, CEO activism has emerged as a highly visible and controversial form of executive communication. This structured literature review examines 23 peer-reviewed, ABS-rated articles published between 2017 and 2025, with the goal of synthesizing what researchers have learned about the effects of sociopolitical speech by corporate leaders. Drawing on studies from strategy, management, accounting, and finance journals, this paper explores how CEO-initiated public commentary influences investor reactions, firm performance, and stakeholder sentiment. Using the PICOC framework, the review defines CEO activism as executive speech or public commentary on controversial social or political issues which may be unrelated to …

Gender Inequality In The South Korean Workplace : Structural Barriers, Cultural Frames, And Conflicted Responses, Seorin Stella Bak

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

Abstract

Drawing on theories of structural inequality, neoliberal ideology, and feminist resistance, the study applies an interdisciplinary framework from media, culture, and communication studies to analyze the mechanisms that sustain gendered disparities in the Korean labor market. South Korea holds the distinction of having the widest gender wage gap among all OECD nations for 30 consecutive years and has ranked last on The Economist's Glass Ceiling Index for eight consecutive years. The World Economic Forum's 2024 Global Gender Gap Report explains that South Korea ranks 94th out of 146 countries (score: 0.696), with a near-perfect score in educational attainment (0.98) …

Eat, Rot, Repeat: Consumption And Decomposition In Poe’S Pym, Darcy Zobel '26

Furman Humanities Review

No abstract provided.

To Read An Anti-Oedipa? Visions Of Postmodern Sexuality In The Crying Of Lot 49 And The Potential For Sexual Liberation, Eric Neumann '26

Furman Humanities Review

No abstract provided.

Preventive Interventions Targeting Social Determinants Of Health: Implications For Healthcare Utilization And Cost, Audrey Wrinkle

NEXUS: The Liberty Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies

Preventive interventions targeting social determinants of health could reduce avoidable healthcare utilization and positively impact long-term cost outcomes within healthcare systems. Evidence indicates that financial and social barriers to preventive care lead to delayed treatment and increased use of high-cost healthcare services in the long term. Preventive interventions focusing on upstream social factors, like home-based care and digital health programs, could improve patient outcomes and reduce avoidable service utilization. Also, incorporating social needs data into policy creation could promote better allocation of healthcare resources. This research highlights the role of prevention-focused strategies in promoting cost-effective, sustainable healthcare delivery.

Le Défi Mondial : Panorama Comparatif Des Soins Néonatals Au Maroc Et Aux États‑Unis, Manasi Joshi

NEXUS: The Liberty Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies

Cette étude comparative examine les soins néonatals au Maroc et aux États-Unis après un stage dans une clinique privée à Rabat. Bien que les pratiques médicales principales soient universelles, leur application varie dans différents pays selon les circonstances socio-économiques et culturelles. Basée sur des observations directes, des entretiens avec des professionnels de soins néonatals marocains et une analyse de la littérature sur ce sujet dans ces deux pays, cette recherche discute de quatre différences principales : la disponibilité des ressources, l’accès aux soins de qualité, l’influence culturelle et les obstacles financiers. Malgré la pénurie évidente de personnel dans les hôpitaux, …

Risk Manager Predictive Fraud Futures, Gayathri U, Sitaram Panigrahi

Defensive Publications Series

The present disclosure relates to a system and method for predicting merchant-level fraud spikes in payment transaction networks using Temporal Graph Neural Networks (TGNN). The present disclosure suggests receiving historical payment transaction data associated with a plurality of transactions. The present disclosure also suggests generating, from the historical payment transaction data, a plurality of heterogeneous transaction graphs representing transaction relationships across one or more time intervals. Node feature representations and edge feature representations are generated for the heterogeneous transaction graphs based on the transaction data. Subsequently, the present disclosure suggests determining node-specific temporal context information using transaction timestamps associated with …

Determinants Of Ai Adoption In Banking: Evidence From Tunisia, Rahma Khattab, Sami Bacha

Arab Economic and Business Journal

This study investigates the factors influencing customers’ intentions to adopt Artificial Intelligence (AI) banking services in Tunisa. Building on an integrated framework combining the Technology Acceptance Model, Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, Theory of Planned Behavior, Perceived Risk Theory, and Diffusion of Innovation Theory, the study investigates how perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use (, awareness, knowledge, attitude, subjective norms, trust, and perceived risk influence AI adoption intentions. Using survey data from 400 Tunisian retail banking customers and applying regression analysis, the findings show that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, subjective norms, and trust positively and …

System For Orchestrating Multi-Modal Generative Pipelines For State-Consistent Interactive Environments, Parnika Singhal, Chirag Saini, Nilanjana Thakur

Defensive Publications Series

Generative systems for dynamic interactive environments may face technical challenges related to maintaining logical consistency and narrative coherence, sometimes referred to as state drift. A computer-implemented system, such as a server or cloud computing platform, can utilize an orchestration layer to coordinate multiple specialized generative pipelines, for example, for narrative, visuals, and audio. A technique can involve constraining a generative language model to output a structured data object that separates a persistent world state vector from an ephemeral narrative payload. The persistent state vector can be reinjected into the model on subsequent turns to help maintain long-term coherence, while metadata …

Host No-Op Mode, Hp Inc

Defensive Publications Series

There are various attack vectors over USB such as injecting malware, HID spoofing, juice jacking etc. This issue can be mitigated by disabling the USB for good, leaving the functionality over USB unavailable to the user. This problem is more prominent for gadgets/peripherals like chargers/charging cables, storage devices (thumb drives/hard disks), mice/Keyboard etc. connected to the host via USB.

Orientation-Based Eye Safety Control For Floor-Facing Optical Sensors In Mobile Robots, Hp Inc

Defensive Publications Series

An orientation-dependent control system for floor-facing optical modules in a mobile ground vehicle is described. An orientation sensor supplies pitch and roll, or equivalent gravity-vector information, to a controller. If the vehicle remains outside a permitted orientation for a validation period, the controller disables, disconnects, or reduces optical emission. Normal operation is restored after the vehicle returns to a permitted orientation for a recovery period. The arrangement reduces unintended direct exposure during lifting, carrying, servicing, or transport and can reduce power use while the modules are not needed.

Intent-Aware Human Motion Interpretation, Hp Inc

Defensive Publications Series

The central challenge of camera-based gesture input in video meetings is distinguishing deliberate interaction gestures from the natural hand motion that accompanies speech. This paper describes a system that meets that challenge through an intent classification engine evaluating kinematic, temporal, postural, spatial, and speech-aligned features over sliding temporal windows. Qualified gestures pass to a gesture-to-structure transformation pipeline that produces clean, labelled diagram elements—not freeform ink—and renders them as first-class shared content within the conferencing platform, visible to all participants in real time, without requiring specialised hardware.

Interaction Claim Standard, Brian Harber

Defensive Publications Series

Independently implemented systems increasingly produce, exchange, and interpret claims about AI interactions: what participated, which interaction the supporting evidence concerns, and how far an assertion reaches. Where no shared requirements govern these claims, agreement on their meaning across implementations remains incidental rather than normative—each implementation may interpret the same assertion differently.   This document defines the Interaction Claim Standard, a standard for expressing and interpreting claims about AI interactions across independently implemented systems. It standardizes four normative objects: claim semantics, interaction-specific evidentiary binding, claim boundaries, and normative interpretation requirements. Together, these establish cross-implementation agreement on the meaning of claims, their evidentiary …

Domain N Plus X Redundancy And Dynamic Thermal Management For High-Density Compute Domains, N/A

Defensive Publications Series

This paper describes a system architecture for managing high-density compute domains to address thermal and power constraints while facilitating continuous maintenance operations. The system utilizes an N plus x redundancy model for compute units and network switches, where supplemental units are managed as spares in varying low-power states. A central management controller orchestrates power steering and workload migration, aiming to adhere to designated power budgets while avoiding thermal hardware damage. This approach allows for ongoing service availability during hardware repairs and software updates without performance degradation.

Keywords: high-density compute domains, dynamic thermal management, workload migration, power steering, system redundancy, …

Hybrid Proactive And Reactive Voltage Set-Point Adjustment For Processor Power Maximization, N/A

Defensive Publications Series

The disclosure is directed to a hybrid control system that adjusts a processor’s voltage set-point by combining proactive workload analysis with reactive hardware feedback. A power performance policy uses feedback from an analog droop detector to reactively adjust the operating voltage, increasing it for stability or gradually decreasing it during stable operation to reduce power use. Concurrently, workload recognition software establishes a minimum voltage floor based on the predicted demands of upcoming tasks, setting the floor higher for high dynamic range workloads and lower for sustained workloads. A hardware-level mechanism also directly throttles the compute element to prevent timing violations …

Balancing The Game: Rethinking Antitrust Law In The Modern Sports Broadcasting Landscape, Andrew Newman

Brooklyn Law Review

The migration of live sports from traditional cable bundles to exclusive digital platforms has transformed the economics of media distribution while complicating the fan experience. Instead of purchasing access through a single channel, viewers now piece together coverage across a growing number of subscription services to watch the games they value. Contemporary antitrust law, anchored in the consumer welfare standard and administered through the Rule of Reason, typically evaluates competitive harm through discrete changes in price or output within defined markets. This Note contends that such metrics overlook the primary burden facing modern sports consumers: the aggregate financial and logistical …

Imsa Summer Symposium 2026, Student Inquiry And Research (Sir)

Summer Symposium

For nearly four decades, IMSA has worked to advance the human condition through educational innovation. The Summer Symposium is our annual showcase for the research projects that were conducted in IMSA’s experiential learning programs between May and August. These programs include Student Inquiry and Research (SIR), IN2 Business Internships, and the Student Research and Experiential Learning Opportunity (SRELO) program. For the first time, we are also excited to welcome IMSA Research, Inquiry Skills, and Experimentation (RISE) students to present at the Summer Symposium.

Cover Design

Luke Berryman

Ppt-1 Regulates Lipid Droplet Homeostasis And Promotes Oxidative-Stress Resilience In C. Elegans., Chukwuadinula Deborah Ashiedu

Master’s Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Fostering Future Difference-Makers: The Integration Of Leadership Training In Law Schools, Leah Teague

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

Obeying In Advance Will Not Save You: How Adaptive Leadership Can Help Legal Education Stay Mission Driven In Times Of Authoritarianism And Fear, Tania Luma

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

Professional Identity Formation As Theory And As Practice For The Education Of A Lawyer, Louis D. Bilionis, Neil W. Hamilton

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

Who’S The Lawyer Now? Professional Identity In A Genai World, Aric K. Short

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

Conviction, Character, Courage: The Case For Integrating Values Into The Professional Identity Formation Of Tomorrow's Lawyer-Leaders, Katya S. Cronin

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

The Large Impact Of Small Groups On The Character-Based Leadership Development Of Law Students, Benjamin Rigney, Janice Craft

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

Book Review Of The Lawyer Nation: The Past, Present, And Future Of The American Legal Profession, Jennifer A. Gundlach

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

Discovery And Functional Characterization Of Novel Programmed Death-Ligand 1 Monoclonal Antibodies, Nurşah Ersezen, Mai̇de Şeker, Arzu Aysan, Durmuş Akdoğan, Mehmet Ender Avci, Asli Kurden Pekmezci̇, Si̇bel Kalyoncu Uzunlar, Mehmet İnan, Tamer Yağci

Turkish Journal of Biology

Background/aim: Targeted therapies with monoclonal antibodies provide cancer patients with better prognosis and diseasefree survival. The blockade of immune checkpoints, including programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) and its ligand PD-L1, with monoclonal antibodies may boost immune responses against tumors and is regarded as an effective strategy in cancer immunotherapy. We describe the generation of anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibodies with high affinity and specificity, and we assess their potential for therapeutic use in cancer.

Materials and methods: Hybridomas were selected for PD-L1 specificity and cross-reactivity with other immune checkpoint proteins and PD-L1 orthologs using indirect ELISA. Immunofluorescence and Western blotting assays were …