Digital Commons Network^™

Increased Melt From Greenland’S Most Active Glacier Fuels Enhanced Coastal Productivity, Michael Wood, Dustin Carroll, Ian Fenty, Clément Bertin, Basil Darby, Stephanie Dutkiewicz, Mark Hopwood, Ala Khazendar, Lorenz Meire, Hilde Oliver, Tara Parker, Josh Willis

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Seasonal phytoplankton blooms in Greenland’s coastal waters form the base of marine food webs and contribute to oceanic carbon uptake. In Qeqertarsuup Tunua, West Greenland, a secondary summertime bloom follows the Arctic spring bloom, enhancing annual primary productivity. Emerging evidence links this summer bloom to subglacial discharge from Sermeq Kujalleq, the most active glacier on the Greenland Ice Sheet. This discharge drives localized upwelling that may alleviate nutrient limitation in surface waters, yet this mechanism remains poorly quantified. Here, we employ a high-resolution biogeochemical model nested within a global state estimate to assess how discharge-driven upwelling influences primary productivity and …

Privacy And Disinformation, Tiffany C. Li

UC Law Journal

All three branches of the federal government have wrestled with how the law could or should regulate social media applications to mitigate the harms of disinformation. However, most proposed solutions make the same critical mistake: Lawmakers may focus on speech regulation or even economic regulation to solve for disinformation but these solutions do not actually address contemporary, technological vectors of disinformation. In today’s increasingly technologically driven global speech environment, the lynchpin for disinformation is not speech but data.

In particular, algorithmic personalization is a new, technological factor that makes disinformation especially harmful. Luckily, data protection and privacy regulation can greatly …

Realizing The Americans With Abilities Act: Promoting Civil Rights & Capabilities In The Service Of Individuals With Brain Injury, Zachary E. Shapiro, Tiffany Li, Kaiulani S. Shulman, Melisa Olgun, Chantelle Van Wiltenburg, Molly Teague, Emma Kromm, Brandy Allen, Elliot E.C. Ping, John D. Bowers, Rebecca Harris, Nayla Basma, Apurv Hirsh Shekhar, Gregory E. Antill, Megan S. Wright, Joseph J. Fins

UC Law Journal

Brain injuries often result in varying degrees of impairment to communication and cognitive processes, impeding an individual’s ability to engage in daily activities, participate in social interactions, and achieve independence. This paper builds upon our legislative proposal from Designing An Americans With Abilities Act: Consciousness, Capabilities, and Civil Rights, published in the Boston College Law Review in 2022. That paper proposed new legislation called “The Americans with Abilities Act” (“AWAA”), a comprehensive framework for the effective development, uptake, and utilization of advanced assistive technology (“AT”). These technologies aid individuals with brain injuries in realizing their capabilities and reintegrating into broader …

The First Amendment, Global Corporate Responsibility Standards, & The Quest For Online “Speech Nirvana”, Evelyn M. Aswad

UC Law Journal

With large and powerful social media companies operating as worldwide speech regulators, it is unsurprising that governments have attempted to not only regulate how these companies address platform speech but also pressure them to deliver preferred speech outcomes. In 2024, the Supreme Court decided two cases addressing both themes in the U.S. context. In Moody v. NetChoice, the Court explained how legislation regulating private platform curation of usergenerated content runs afoul of First Amendment protections. And, in Murthy v. Missouri, the Court appeared to erect significant hurdles to challenging alleged governmental coercion of such platforms. These cases have left many …

Wide Nets, Heavy Burdens: Unpacking Executive Order 14105’S Final Rule, Breanna Li

UC Law Journal

Executive Order 14105 “Addressing United States Investments in Certain National Security Technologies and Products in Countries of Concern” was enacted to protect U.S. national security interests in light of China’s military technological growth. This Executive Order creates an outbound investment review program that restricts investments by a U.S. person into companies in specified countries operating in certain technology sectors. This Note will discuss the background of geopolitical tensions between the United States and China, review E.O. 14105, and argue that the program it creates results in burdensome unintended consequences to the U.S. economy. These unintended circumstances include: (1) high regulatory …

Brewing Solidarity: Rights Consciousness And Class Consciousness In Coffeeshop Organizing, Brishen Rogers

UC Law Journal

Almost ten thousand baristas have unionized since 2022 in cafes across the country. Their effort breaks with recent history in several respects. For example, baristas have used a novel “worker-to-worker organizing” model in which workers themselves—rather than union staff and leadership—design and manage campaigns. Also, while scholars and unionists have argued for decades that the National Labor Relations Board’s secret ballot elections process is a dead end, baristas have used that process quite effectively, winning over 85% of their elections against the major company involved. Through their organizing efforts, baristas have centered the issues and voices of LGBTQ+ workers and …

Dei: Definitely Earned It–A Review Of Contemporary Dei Initiatives Against Emerging Legal Frameworks, Joseph Cremona

UC Law Journal

Since 2024, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs have ignited a volatile political debate. Fierce opposition continues to attack their very existence. On one hand, proponents of DEI programs argue that such initiatives are a pivotal mechanism for ensuring that historically marginalized communities receive professional opportunities in America. On the other hand, opponents of DEI insist that these programs are detrimental because they prioritize the advancement of minority groups at the expense of their majority counterparts. With the recent enactment of multiple executive orders by President Trump, DEI programs have become the target of a plethora of lawsuits. These legal …

An Age Of Statutes Or An Age Of Executive Orders? Conflicting Judicial And Presidential Visions Of Policymaking, Daniel A. Farber

UC Law Journal

Two decades ago, then-Professor Elena Kagan hailed the era of presidential administration in which Presidents would launch major policy initiatives within the executive branch and end run congressional gridlocks. Since then, the President’s role in the regulatory state has snowballed. In his second term, President Donald Trump has used this authority to the utmost in a quantum leap in presidential administration. Paradoxically, the same Justices who have championed the unitary executive have created roadblocks to presidential policymaking. Overruling the Chevron doctrine, the Court has sought to cabin the role of agencies, and thus the newly supreme President, in statutory administration. …

Emerging Tick-Borne Disease Risk In An Urban Center Of Harris County, Texas, Alisa Nelson, Michelle Downey, Maya Murry, Brianna Weber, Erik Aguirre, Richard Scott Mccrea, Jerrod Mims, Max Vigilant, Courtney Standlee, Kristy O Murray, Alex Kneubehl, Eric L Brown, Heather T Essigmann, Sarah M Gunter

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Tick-borne diseases are an endemic and emerging public health concern in the United States. Ongoing tick range expansion, invasive species, and newly identified pathogens are rapidly altering disease epidemiology. Surveillance is critical to understanding vector ecology and disease risk. Harris County, Texas, with nearly five million residents and diverse ecological zones, offers a unique setting to study local tick dynamics.

Methods: From January 2021 to December 2022, we conducted weekly tick surveillance across 63 sites in Harris County (City of Houston), Texas. Ticks were morphologically identified and tested for Rickettsia, Borrelia, Ehrlichia, and Anaplasma via real-time PCR. Samples positive …

Security Vulnerabilities And Defense Tactics For Generative Ai Application Development, Kyle Klein

University Honors Theses

Generative AI (GenAI) applications such as OpenAI's ChatGPT leverage large language models (LLMs) trained on enormous amounts of data to accomplish tasks such as document editing, summarization, and query response. Chatbots and LLM programs that are equipped with retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) have the ability to draw upon data provided by developers and users to improve the quality of the program's responses. LLM technology has even expanded to generate images, audio, and video from user instructions. Designed around unpredictable user input and typically composed of many opaque components, LLM software products face a paradigm shift of new, constantly evolving security challenges. …

A Capstone Review: Strategic Solutions For A Small Macrame Business, Jenna Sarieddine

University Honors Theses

This essay presents an overview of the Business Capstone project, focusing on a macramé business currently facing a $10,000 debt due to limited marketing and financial management skills. The purpose of the project is to support the business in developing an effective elevator pitch, improving its social media presence, strengthening its financial statements, and enhancing both personal and business financial practices. The essay explores the company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, as well as the team's collaborative approach to addressing these challenges. It outlines the goals established for the company, the strategies selected based on our academic backgrounds and business …

Abca4-Mutant Human Retinal Organoids Sequencing Reveals Organoids Application In Inherited Retinal Diseases, Yourong Bao, Sujung Soh, Jean Li, Zhen Zuo, Salma Ferdous, Xinye Qian, Jin Li, Jiaxiong Lu, Xuesen Cheng, Anna Matynia, Yumei Li, Rui Chen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

In the studies of Inherited Retinal Diseases (IRDs), the knockout of traditional animal models like mice often fails to accurately replicate human phenotypes due to genetic and anatomical differences. Human retinal organoids (ROs) derived from stem cells have emerged as promising developmental models in retinal studies to delineate cell growth, but their ability to represent the characteristics of late-onset IRDs remains unclear. This study aims to validate ROs as a disease model for Stargardt's Disease (STGD) caused by ABCA4 mutations. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, ROs from 2 STGD patients were compared with healthy control-derived ROs at two developmental stages on …

Group Concept Mapping To Develop A Salon-Based Hpv Self-Collection Intervention, Kelly N B Palmer, Namoonga M Mantina, Adebola Adegboyega, Itunu O Sokale, Kathleen Pryor, Azaria Suero-Davis, Trevon Brooks, Jennifer Hatcher

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Black women in the US face higher cervical cancer mortality rates due to delayed diagnoses linked to lower screening rates. Contributing factors include provider bias, costs, and limited access, particularly affecting women aged 40-64. While innovative approaches like clinical and home-based HPV self-collection exist, equitable dissemination remains challenging. Distributing HPV self-collection kits in unconventional sites like hair salons may offer a solution. Using concept mapping, we gathered community insights to design a salon-based cervical cancer screening intervention.

Methods: We employed groupwisdom™ and REDCap platforms for community-based participatory intervention development. Participants included members of the Black Community Advisory Council of …

Enhancing Provider Knowledge And Implementation Of Medication For Opioid Use Disorder (Moud) To Improve Treatment Outcomes: A Quality Improvement Project., Motunrayo Abigael Ibraheem

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

This quality improvement project sought to enhance healthcare providers' knowledge and attitudes toward Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) at Galt Ocean Rehab Center to improve treatment outcomes for patients with opioid use disorder. Despite evidence supporting the efficacy of MOUD, significant knowledge gaps and stigmatizing attitudes among providers create barriers to optimal care. Sixteen healthcare providers participated in a comprehensive educational intervention grounded in Jean Watson's Theory of Transpersonal Caring and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Model for Improvement. The intervention consisted of a 4-hour workshop, six weekly reinforcement sessions, and the implementation of standardized buprenorphine management protocols. Pre- …

Heartmath: A Stress Reduction Program For Healthcare Providers In An Addiction Treatment Setting, Dihana C. Ruiz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Work-related stress significantly impacts the well-being of healthcare providers, specifically nurses and nurse practitioners, in addiction treatment facilities. This Quality Improvement (QI) project implemented the HeartMath Quick Coherence Technique to reduce stress and enhance resilience among staff, thereby improving the well-being of healthcare providers and the quality of care. The project utilized a pre- and post-intervention design with five participants, two registered nurses, and three nurse practitioners. Participants received training on HeartMath techniques, the EmWave Pro sensor, and the InnerBalance smartphone application. Over a six-week period, participants practiced Quick Coherence meditation for five minutes, twice daily, to achieve heart rate …

The Paleoecology Of The Lower Chincha Valley, Peru Using Pollen, Phytolith, And Geomorphological Analyses, Christine L. Bergmann

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research is a part of a larger project, undertaken by the Programa Arqueológico Chincha (i.e., PACH). The focus of the project centered on the societal, economic, political, and environmental mechanisms involved in the advent of social complexity on the south coast of Peru, specifically in the Chincha Valley. PACH comprehensively studied archaeological sites in the upper, middle, and lower valleys. One of the sites studied was Pozuelo. Pozuelo is a type site located in the lower Chincha Valley (and the focus of this dissertation). Pozuelo possesses the earliest ceramics, domestic activities, and mound structures in the Chincha Valley. Furthermore, …

Phenotypic Variability And Paternal Inheritance Of A Chd8 Variant Causing Intellectual Developmental Disorder With Autism And Macrocephaly Confirmed By Epigenetic And Structural Analyses, Yutaka Furuta, Jonathan H Sheehan, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Intellectual developmental disorder with autism and macrocephaly (IDDAM, OMIM #615032) is an autosomal dominant neurodevelopmental disorder characterized primarily by intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, macrocephaly, tall stature, gastrointestinal symptoms, and variable neurological manifestations. Most cases result from de novo pathogenic variants in CHD8.

METHODS: We conducted genome sequencing through the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) in a female proband harboring a CHD8 variant of uncertain significance (VUS), whose clinical presentation was consistent with IDDAM but included atypical features such as ptosis and hearing loss. Variant pathogenicity was further evaluated using EpiSign DNA methylation analysis and structural biology modeling.

RESULTS: Genome …

A Roadmap To Scale Up Person-Centred Care In The Hiv Response: Recommendations From A Global Consensus-Building Process, Lina Golob, Elvin H Geng, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: World Health Organization global normative guidance recommends person-centred care (PCC) approaches to reduce HIV-related mortality and morbidity and to improve health-related quality of life (HrQoL). However, consensus on the priority PCC elements and guidance on how different stakeholders can realize PCC principles at the health systems, service delivery and individual client-healthcare worker (HCW) levels are lacking. We conducted a global consensus-building process to define core PCC elements and develop recommendations for implementation at scale.

METHODS: We used a multi-phase process to build consensus and prioritize recommendations, consisting of a literature review, five stakeholder consultations (34-43 participants each) between July …

A Guide For Initiating And Managing Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell Therapy Clinical Trials In Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases, Roberto Caricchio, Stacie Bell, Sasha Bernatsky, Maria Dall'era, David Goddard, Kenneth Kalunian, Alfred H J Kim, Fotios Koumpouras, Jose Rubio, Amit Saxena, Saira Sheikh, Lupus Clinical Investigators Network

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, long transformative in oncology, is now rapidly emerging as a frontier in autoimmune rheumatic diseases, particularly systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), driven by accumulating evidence of deep B-cell depletion, immune "resetting," and durable drug-free remission in early studies, yet its translation into rheumatology demands mastery of formidable logistical, regulatory, clinical, and ethical complexities that span institutional readiness, multidisciplinary team formation, stringent regulatory compliance, sophisticated operational workflows, comprehensive patient selection and education, meticulous clinical management of both classical toxicities (CRS, ICANS, ICAHT) and autoimmune-specific reactions such as LICATS, robust financial and resource planning, and long-term follow-up …

A Community-Based After-School Wellness Camp’S Effect On Healthy Habit Beliefs, Staci A. O'Brien, Ranelle Brew, Madeline Krawciw, Jodie Seese, Tess Scheidel

Michigan Journal of Public Health

Introduction: Children in the United States face declining physical activity, poor nutrition, and increasing mental health concerns. As school time for wellness declines, out-of-school programs offer an alternative to promote healthy habits to students. A community-driven, multi-component after-school wellness camp was developed in response to a small-town needs assessment and implemented at a local elementary school to determine whether it would change participants’ beliefs held towards healthy habits.

Methods: Third to fifth graders at a local elementary school in Lowell, Michigan, participated in an after-school wellness camp for four weeks through education and hands-on activities focused on physical …

American Institute Of Accountants War Program, American Institute Of Accountants

Journal of Accountancy

No abstract provided.

Genetic Predisposition To Persistent Fatigue After A Diagnosis Of Colorectal Cancer, Elham Kazemian, Adetunji T Toriola, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Cancer-related fatigue (fatigue) is a common and persistent symptom after cancer treatment, yet the role of genetic susceptibility remains unclear.

METHODS: We used data from a prospective cohort study called the ColoCare Study, conducted over 5 US sites and Germany. Fatigue was assessed at 5 time points using the European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Core Quality of Life Questionnaire fatigue subscale and analyzed as (1) a binary summary measure of the trajectory from diagnosis into survivorship (defined as severe: yes/no), (2) a mean score across all time points, and (3) the highest (ie, worst) score …

Introducing The Outpace Framework For Health Care Quality Improvement, Michele Bolles, Heather M. Alger, Mitchell S. V. Elkind, Howard Haft, Sabra C. Lewsey, Mariell Jessup, Karen E. Joynt Maddox, Chiadi E. Ndumele, Clyde W. Yancy, Christine Rutan, Michelle Congdon, Katherine Overton, Lynn Serdynski, Kathie Thomas, Gregg C. Fonarow

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Equitable, timely, and evidence-based care remains a central goal across health care ecosystems, yet significant quality gaps, care variability, and health disparities persist. Professional societies, including the American Heart Association, have long developed clinical practice guidelines to provide standardized, evidence-based recommendations across the cardiovascular care continuum. These guidelines are operationalized into quality measures to monitor care, identify gaps, and guide improvement. Professional societies, agencies, and health systems have applied implementation science strategies, such as education, data sharing, and evaluation, to improve care quality and achieve quality measures defined in the clinical practice guidelines. American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines …

The Non-Communicable Disease E-Cohort For Hypertension In Latin America: Concept, Survey Development And Study Protocol, Patricia J Garcia, Laura Espinoza-Pajuelo, Hannah H Leslie, Margaret E Kruk, Catherine Arsenault, Agustina Mazzoni, Jesus Medina-Ranilla, Javier Roberti, Marina Guglielmino, Ezequiel Garcia-Elorrio

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Non-communicable diseases like hypertension cause substantial morbidity and mortality in low- and middle-income countries, where limited access to high-quality care contributes to millions of preventable deaths annually. Traditional assessments of health system performance often rely on structural indicators and cross-sectional, overlooking patient experiences and care processes. In Latin America, amid rising cardiovascular disease, longitudinal tools are needed to guide improvements in healthcare delivery models, particularly for chronic diseases such as hypertension. The NCD e-Cohort is a prospective, longitudinal, mixed-mode (in-person and phone) survey designed to assess health system quality in Latin America. Developed by the QuEST Network, it integrates validated …

Does Health Insurance Coverage Improve Cardiometabolic Risk Factor Levels? Quasi-Experimental Evidence From India, Kavita Singh, Anubha Agarwal, Mark D Huffman, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Chronic conditions cause notable health and economic burdens. While health insurance enables access to healthcare, its effects on chronic care outcomes remain under-explored.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between health insurance coverage and cardiometabolic risk factors among people with chronic conditions in India.

METHODS: Data from the Centre for Cardiometabolic Risk Reduction in South Asia (CARRS) and Solan studies, including 2,926 adults with chronic conditions were analyzed using propensity score weighting to evaluate the associations between health insurance and cardiometabolic risk factors (HbA1c, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDLc], and blood pressure [BP]) and self-reported health status (measured using European Quality …

Long-Term Illness In Adults Hospitalized For Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease, United States, February 2022-September 2023, Aleda M Leis, Jennie H Kwon, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can cause severe illness, but little is known about long-term consequences in hospitalized adults. We surveyed adults (>18 years of age) who survived hospitalization for RSV or COVID-19 during February 2022-September 2023 about physical functioning and quality of life; surveys were conducted 6-12 months after hospitalization. We compared outcomes after RSV hospitalization by age (< 60 vs. >60 years) and to those hospitalized for COVID-19 by using multivariable regression models. Among 146 adults hospitalized with RSV, 27.4% reported severe breathlessness and 21.9% poor quality of life at follow-up. Few differences were seen in posthospital illness by age. …

Impact Of Silencing Automated Penicillin Cross-Reactivity Alerts On Perioperative Antibiotic Prescribing And Surgical Site Infection Rates, Michael J Durkin, Joshua Nordman, Alice Bewley, Andrew Atkinson, Jonas Marschall, Helen Newland, Kimberly G Blumenthal

2020-Current year OA Pubs

We evaluated the impact of silencing penicillin cross-reactivity alerts on perioperative antibiotic prescribing and surgical site infections (SSIs) in 6 hospitals using an interrupted time series analysis. Silencing the alerts minimally increased cefazolin prescribing among penicillin allergy labeled patients (sensitivity analysis only;

The Integrative Role Of Melatonin In Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review Of Evidence From Circadian Biology, Lifestyle Medicine, And Psychoneuroimmunology, Ho Bao Chau Le, Kollawat Somsri, Thansita Bhunyakarnjanarat, Nattiya Hirankarn, Asada Leelahavanichkul

BioMedicine

Melatonin, a hormone produced by the pineal gland, is known for regulating circadian rhythms and has emerging therapeutic potential in psychiatric disorders. This systematic review examines evidence from clinical and preclinical studies to assess melatonin’s efficacy in the following conditions: depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Beyond its role in circadian regulation, melatonin exhibits antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties, which intersect with nutrition, lifestyle medicine, and psychoneuroimmunology (PNI).

The review finds that melatonin improves sleep quality, restores circadian balance, and modulates stress-related neuroimmune pathways. It also supports neuroplasticity and reduces oxidative stress, contributing to resilience against psychosocial and environmental stressors. …

Disclosing That Which Has Been Made Invisible: Collective Ontological Inquiry With Vanessa Machado De Oliveira, Dorothy Cococinno Ladybugboss, Aiden Cinnamon Tea, And Aiden Senior, Raphael Borges, Witneiris Constanzo, Samantha Encarnacion, Kaley Klapisch, Carolyne J. White

Turning Toward Being: The Journal of Ontological Inquiry in Education

An unconventional and collaboratively written text begun as a Book Review that expands into a hybrid Book Review-Notes From The Field-Article as we sought to do justice to our encounter with three provocative books that elicit ontological inquiry inside and outside our classrooms, inquiry that challenges us, confuses us, confronts us to unlearn and loosen the grip of ontological constraints we were thrown into within modernity and our embeddedness within the everyday life. Our reading of these books elicits much needed hope for the precarious times we are living through with this earth.

Ontological Inquiry: A Foundation For Intercultural Communication Competence For Peace, Maria Stergiou

Turning Toward Being: The Journal of Ontological Inquiry in Education

Beyond what we have discovered through research and what we claim to know about learning and teaching intercultural global competencies, I advocate for the inclusion of a pedagogy of ontological inquiry. Informed by my work as the International Cooperation Advisor for Higher Education at the Swiss Agency for Exchange and Cooperation, as well as my lived experience with ontological inquiry for more than 25 years, here I illuminate the access an ontological pedagogy provides to the realization of interculturalcommunication competencies as a foundation for peace.