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Enablers And Constraints To Implementing Intellectual Virtues Pedagogy In A Higher Education Context: A Teacher Educator Perspective, Ellen Larsen, Katie M. Burke, Melissa Fanshawe A/P, Yvonne Salton, Mark Oliver

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Higher education aims to develop graduates with specific professional and disciplinary expertise and lifelong learning capabilities. We argue that instruction for these learning dispositions, conceptualised in this study as intellectual virtues, is challenging and complex. We report on practitioner research conducted by nine teacher educators as we worked to implement intentional instruction of intellectual virtues in our teacher education courses. Drawing on online surveys and reflective conversations, we used descriptive statistical and thematic analysis to investigate the approaches taken to integrate the intellectual virtues and, more specifically, the challenges and opportunities for doing so. Findings highlighted the structural, cultural, and …

Misconceptions Among Grade Ix Students Regarding The Conservation Of Mass During Combustion At Norbugang Central School In Bhutan, Damcho Gyeltshen

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study investigated misconceptions about the conservation of mass among Grade IX students at Norbugang Central School, Bhutan, and examined the effectiveness of two theory-driven instructional strategies: the Conceptual Change Model (CCM) and the Predict, Explain, Observe, Explain (PEOE) approach. A quasi-experimental pre-test post-test control group design was employed with 100 students. A ten-item double-tier diagnostic test elicited students’ responses and reasoning, complemented by semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data were analysed using frequencies, paired-sample t-tests, and Cohen’s d, while qualitative data were analysed thematically. Findings indicated that the experimental group achieved a significant reduction in misconceptions, particularly for observable open-system combustion, …

Excluded At The Root: Health Insurance Discrimination Against Hair Loss Conditions, Stacey A. Tovino, Tracy Hresko Pearl

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Sanctioning Lawyer-Criminals, John J. Lee

Faculty Articles

Until now there has been relatively little consideration given to disciplinary agencies’ sanctioning of lawyers who commit or are convicted of crimes, so called “lawyer-criminals.” This is likely because most assume that these offenders make up a tiny percentage of disciplinary cases. It also may explain why jurisdictions continue to employ disparate approaches regarding what types of criminal conduct warrant professional intervention, the appropriate sanctions to impose on lawyer-criminals, and whether lawyers convicted of certain offenses should be automatically excluded from practice.

This Article makes three primary contributions to the discourse on reforming professional lawyer regulation to protect the public …

Certiorari Transparency, Alexandra L. Klein, Michael L. Smith

Faculty Articles

Amid increasing controversy over the Supreme Court’s amassing of power, rejection of precedent, reliance on the shadow docket, and Justices’ undisclosed acceptance of lavish gifts, legal scholars, commentators, and politicians have called for bold and far-reaching reforms to the Court, including term limits for Justices, stripping the Court of jurisdiction in certain cases, and adding Justices to the Court. This Article proposes a more subtle reform to the Court’s proceedings: the Court should make its certiorari de-terminations, in which it decides which cases to take up and review, public. Currently, the Court exercises near-complete discretion over the cases it decides …

Michael Scott Is Not A Juror: The Limits Of Ai In Simulating Human Judgment, Sean Harrington, Hayley Stillwell

Faculty Articles

Can AI replace human jurors? More specifically, can large language models predict how jurors interpret evidence and reach decisions based on legally salient facts and demographic characteristics? As legal scholars and practitioners increasingly explore AI-generated jury simulations, this Article offers the first empirical test of whether models like GPT-4, Claude, and Gemini can faithfully replicate juror reasoning. The answer, for now, is no. Across a series of mock trial scenarios involving redacted confessions, GPT- 4, Claude, and Gemini repeatedly failed to replicate how real jurors interpret evidence or exercise judgment. Their errors were not random, but systematic. Hidden prompts, built-in …

Meat Is Dead, Melissa D. Mortazavi

Faculty Articles

The legal and cultural landscape surrounding meat in the United States is evolving as plant-based alternatives, GMO farm animals, and cell-cultivated meat move from test tube to table. While global demand for meat rises amid environmental, ethical, and resource challenges, cell-cultivated meat emerges as a scientifically viable alternative, offering identical nutritional value without the drawbacks of conventional livestock production. Despite federal regulatory approval from USDA and FDA, multiple states have enacted unusually restrictive laws—including bans— targeting cell-cultivated meat. These are motivated largely by economic protectionism, but also deeper cultural anxieties tied to tradition and identity. This Article argues that food …

What Is Terrorism?, Karl T. Muth, Alice Locatelli

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

Is Gotham's Joker a terrorist? What about a school shooter? As we approach the twenty-fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the United States still lacks a monolithic legal definition of 'terrorism,' creating a dangerous 'motive gap' between federal statutes. This Article analyzes the friction between the motive-heavy definition of 'domestic terrorism' in Title 18 (which includes a mens rea aspect) and the conduct-focused definition of 'terrorist activity' in Title 8 (which focuses on overt acts). Using the hijacking of Flight 93 and the Columbine shootings as case studies, we demonstrate how Title 18's political requirement creates a coverage void for …

Void In Space: How Loper Bright And The Major Questions Doctrine Affect The Federal Communications Commission’S Regulatory Authority Of Orbital Debris, Hernan Valles

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

Since the dawn of the space race, countries have been reaching for the stars. Recently, companies have joined the race. The space race and technological advancement of near-Earth orbital satellites have caused a buildup of debris in near-Earth orbit. The exponential increase of orbital debris in Earth’s orbit threatens the environmental system of the planet, the safety of astronauts aboard the International Space Station, the structure of other spacecraft, and modern economies relying on operational satellites to provide rapid communication, navigation, and weather forecasting information.

Yet there is a void among U.S. regulators in setting rules that mitigate orbital debris …

Critical Feminist Editorial Praxis: My Tenure As The First Journal Editor Of Color Of Communication Monographs, Srivi Ramasubramanian

Media Studies - All Scholarship

In this essay I theorize about Critical Feminist Editorial Praxis, which envisions journal editing as a site for scholar-activism. I use the term activism because to counter the hegemonic whiteness and coloniality of Communication knowledge requires active efforts to go against the taken-for-granted processes and practices. Journal editing is a significant location for interventions because this is often where we learn what is considered cutting-edge scholarship within our discipline. This significance is especially clear when the journal in question is a flagship publication of a leading professional organization. As I end my tenure as the first editor of color of …

The Role Of Media Literacy In Shaping Campus Student Leaders’ Perceptions Of Media Activism, Online Risks, And Social Support, Srivi Ramasubramanian, Minnie Mcmillian, Shumaila Bhatti, Shannon Burth, Julius Matthew Riles, Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz, Melody Wilson

Media Studies - All Scholarship

Campus activism by student leaders has historically played a significant role in social movements. Within contemporary contexts, media is an important site through which campus student leaders raise awareness, share relevant information, distribute online petitions, and shape public discourses on various social issues. Media literacy is an essential skill for student leaders to be effective in their activist initiatives and be able to cope with the inevitable pushback through trolling and cyberbullying that such activism would likely bring up. This survey (N = 855) with college student leaders across three universities explores how they rate themselves on media literacy skills, …

Spa 309 - Spanish Advanced Grammar, Beatriz Lado, Evelyn Duran-Urrea, Tania Avilés

Open Educational Resources

This syllabus is a work in progress developed by Tania Avilés, Evelyn Durán Urrea, and Beatriz Lado. We adapt the traditional grammar-focused course to introduce the study of the Spanish language through a critical sociolinguistic and language-education lens. This approach responds more directly to the needs of our students, many of whom speak language varieties that have historically been stigmatized or marginalized and are training to become Spanish-language teachers.

Students will examine the structure and grammar of Spanish across key domains, including phonetics, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, discourse, and variation. At the same time, the course situates this structural knowledge …

Enhancing Phonemic Awareness Through Explicit Instruction In A Kindergarten Classroom: An Action Research Study, Emily M. Caylor

Graduate Research Papers

This action research study examined the implementation of early phonemic awareness exposure and the impact of an Elkonin Box multisensory Tier II support focused on segmentation, blending, isolation, and manipulation. The study involved a small group of kindergarten students with varied backgrounds over a fifteen-week period. Data collection included a pre-assessment, four bi-weekly progress checks, and a post-assessment. Results indicated a connection between the implementation of the Tier II support and student growth over time. The researcher recommends this Tier II support as a complement to core instruction to strengthen phonemic awareness development. For classroom teachers, the study highlights the …

Assessing Interactions Between Wild Host Plants And Stemborer Species In East Africa, Elie Ntirenganya, Venuste Nsengimana, Bonoukpoè Mawuko Sokame, Simon Boniface Boni, Yoseph Assefa, Janvier Uwayezu, Muluken Goftishu

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

Lepidopteran stemborers are among the most destructive pests of maize, sorghum, and sugarcane in Africa. Yet, data on their species composition and host range in Rwanda remain limited. This study provides the first comprehensive assessment of stemborer diversity, seasonal dynamics, and altitudinal distribution across eastern (low altitude), central (mid-altitude), and northern (high altitude) Rwanda. Surveys were conducted during both the rainy (maize growing) and dry seasons of 2023–2024, targeting infested maize fields and surrounding wild vegetation. A total of 2691 stemborer individuals were recovered from nine host plants, with 1474 (54.8%) from wild and fodder vegetation and 1217 (45.2%) from …

Gut And Blood Microbiota Of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis Niloticus) Reared With Lettuce (Lactuca Sativa) And Challenged With Escherichia Coli And Vibrio Cholerae In Aquaponic Systems, Ang´Elica Adiaç˜ Ao Jossefa, Leonildo Dos Anjo Viagem, Brunno Da Silva Cerozi, Sebastian Wilson Chenyambuga

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

Aquaponics, a bio-integrated system that combines fish farming and vegetable cultivation, has gained significant attention due to its rapid expansion and potential for sustainable food production. In aquaponics, along with plants and fish, both beneficial and harmful microorganisms are also present. This study was conducted to assess the microbiota diversity of Nile tilapia reared with lettuce in aquaponic systems, with a focus on food safety implications. A total of 144 Nile tilapia juveniles with an average initial weight of 30.7 ± 0.03 g were randomly stocked and allocated to three treatments, each with three replicates. In treatment one, the fish …

Improving Accuracy Of Wind Speed Forecasted With Power Law And Multiple Layer Perceptron: A Case Study Of Aneho, A Coastal Area Of Togo, Maklewa Agoundedemba, Raphael Nyenge, Nicholas Musila, Kicoun Jean-Yves N’Zi Toure, Chang Ki Kim, Hyun-Goo Kim

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

Wind speed forecasting is critical for optimizing wind energy generation, especially in regions with complex and variable weather patterns. This study focuses on improving the accuracy of wind speed forecasting using Multiple Layer Perceptron (MLP) models, with specific application to Aneho, a coastal area in Togo. The Power Law (PL) extrapolation or interpolation method is commonly used to estimate wind speeds at different heights. However, PL tends to show significant performance variability, particularly in periods with complex wind conditions. This study aimed to assess the accuracy of the PL method and enhance it using MLP for bias correction. We used …

Agroclimatic Sensing, Communication, And Computational Systems-Based Methods And Technologies For Precision Irrigation Management: Current State And Prospects, Aminata Sarr, Abhilash K. Chandel, Lamine Diop Lamine Diop, Yrébégnan Moussa Soro, Alain K. Tossa, Smrutilipi Hota, Arunachalam Manimozhian

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

Agriculture uses most of the world’s fresh water. Given that the worldwide population is expanding at an alarming rate, more land cultivation is apparently in demand. As a result, much more water would be required to irrigate cultivable lands. However, fresh water is becoming scarce at a faster rate due to climate uncertainties and over-exploitation. Several controlled irrigation techniques, such as drip and sprinkler irrigation, have been introduced to safeguard water resources. However, these techniques do not readily meet crop water demands and often end up causing overapplication of water. Under these circumstances, smart precision irrigation is the best solution. …

Occurrence And Levels Of Multiple Veterinary Antibiotics In Broiler Chicken Processed And Sold In Southern Mozambique, Noemia Andre Mugabe, Jamal Kussaga, Abdulsudi Issa-Zacharia

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

Antibiotic residues in chicken meat pose a health risk to the general public, particularly to sensitive consumers. The aim of this study was to determine the level of antibiotic residues in on-the-market dressed chicken in the Southern Region of Mozambique. A total of 160 samples were randomly collected from eight markets located in five districts in the provinces of Maputo, Gaza, and Inhambane. The residues of β-lactams, quinolones, tetracyclines, and sulfonamides in chicken breast muscle were separated, identified, and quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), coupled with ultraviolet light (UV–VIS). Results revealed that 26.9% of the analyzed samples displayed detectable …

Quantifying Power Quality In Stand-Alone Minigrids Using Fuzzy Power Quality Indices: A Case Of Illaut Minigrid In Sub-Saharan Africa, D. E D. E. Nkolokosa, Sebastian Waita, Mutugi Kiruki, Walbermark Marque Dos Santos

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

Recently the concept of power quality in stand-alone minigrids is gaining wide recognition. The inherent uncertainties and dynamic operating conditions of the decentralised energy systems have promoted calls for increased research activities in power quality assessment and improvements. This study proposes an innovative approach for quantifying power quality in stand-alone minigrids. The existing conventional power quality indices have limited operational capacity; hence, they require improvement in terms of accuracy, reliability and versatility. The proposed methodology incorporates a hierarchical evaluation index comprising harmonic distortion, frequency fluctuation, voltage variation, dips and interruptions. Results indicate that interruptions got the lowest power index (0), …

Reliability-Aware Federated Ordinal Learning For Weekly Irrigation Management Zone Prediction On Edge Nodes, Rehema Mwawado, Jimmy Nsenga, Marco Zennaro, Damien Hanyurwimfura, Antonios Morellos, Muhammad Qaswar, Abdul Mounem Mouazen

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

The vision of smart agriculture depends on systems that can autonomously integrate distributed sensor data to support on-farm decisions such as precision irrigation and nutrient management. In variable-rate irrigation (VRI), this requires timely, high-resolution information to generate management zones that adapt to within-field variability throughout the season. However, current practice often relies on static zone maps and centralized processing, both of which are poorly suited to dynamic field conditions where sensors may fail, or drift and internet connectivity is often limited in resource-constrained environments. This study presents a reliability-aware edge-learning pipeline for weekly VRI zone prediction using federated learning (FL). …

Investigating The Impact Of Climate Change On Physical And Chemical Hydrology Of A Michigan Wetland, Emmalynn Boulton

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Wetlands support biodiversity, regulate water cycles, and sustain ecological health. Understanding their functions and the relative contributions of groundwater and precipitation are key to conserving these ecosystems effectively, especially under changing climate conditions. Fish Lake Environmental Education Center (FLEEC) is 240 acres of diverse, glacially-influenced wetlands located near Lapeer, Michigan. This site encompasses a bog consisting of sphagnum moss and peat underlain by clay, as well as many glacial kettles that form ephemeral vernal pools during periods of frequent precipitation. Previous studies have shown that groundwater flows from the north to the southeast, from the bog towards Fish Lake. The …

No Harm, No Foul: Investor Loss And The Future Of Sec Disgorgement, Evan Barth

Western New England Law Review

It is a foundational principle of law that no one should profit from their own wrong. In the securities context, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforces that principle through disgorgement, a remedy designed to deprive violators of unjust enrichment and deter misconduct. Although disgorgement has long played a central role in securities enforcement, its legal scope has recently become unsettled. In Liu v. SEC, the Supreme Court held that disgorgement must maintain traditional equitable principles. Shortly thereafter, Congress amended the securities laws providing the SEC its authority for disgorgement.

These developments have led to a circuit split over how …

Paying Up To Uncle Sam: Fbar Penalties, The Eighth Amendment’S Excessive Fines Clause, And A New Circuit Split, Christopher J. Nasta

Western New England Law Review

The Bank Secrecy Act requires those with foreign financial accounts to file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) with the United States Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Those who do not file are subject to a variety of criminal and civil penalties.

The Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution provides that excessive fines cannot be levied by the American government against individuals. How does this apply to those with foreign financial accounts who willfully choose not to file the required reporting forms with the United States government? A circuit split has arisen …

Evolving Execution Methods: The Constitutionality Of Nitrogen Hypoxia Through Pain, Precedent, And Practicality, Reem Haikal

Western New England Law Review

Method-of-execution challenges have intensified as lethal injection protocols face chronic instability. This Article evaluates whether execution by nitrogen hypoxia violates the Eighth Amendment and argues that it does not. The analysis applies Baze and Glossip to two questions: whether nitrogen hypoxia presents a substantial risk of severe pain and whether a feasible and readily implemented alternative would materially reduce that risk. This Article synthesizes historical Eighth Amendment principles with the contemporary record from executions by nitrogen hypoxia, related litigation materials, medical testimony, and physiological literature on inert-gas hypoxia.

The evidence indicates that nitrogen hypoxia typically produces rapid loss of consciousness …

A Cautionary Tale: A Case For Abolishing The Addict-Inpossession Statute On Constitutional Grounds, Jonathan Bruce

Western New England Law Review

Are drug users second-class citizens under the Second Amendment? The Federal Government enacted the Gun Control Act in 1968 which imposed heaps of new regulations relating to private gun ownership, including enacting criminal statutes, namely 18 U. S. C. §922(g), which allows an individual to face charges if that individual is categorized under any of § 922(g)’s enumerated subsections. In 2010, the United States Supreme Court issued its landmark decision in District of Columbia vs. Heller, establishing the right of the people to own and possess firearms for self-defense, regardless of any association with “the militia” as described in the …

Essay – Rethinking The Fund Termination Sanction, Samuel R. Bagenstos

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

Essay – When Disability Is Different: Reasonable Accommodations And Higher Education Dei, Katherine A. Macfarlane

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

Discrimination Through The Direct Threat Defense: A Case Study Of Healthcare Providers With Hiv, Melinda R. Week

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

Banned, Burned, And Bound: Increasing Protections Surrounding Students’ Right To Receive Information In K-12 Schools, Catherine A. Mcclure

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

When Money Moves In: The Consequences Of Housing Wealth, Darren Aiello, Jason Kotter, Gregor Schubert

Faculty Publications

We construct a novel dataset of millions of household moves over 25 years to examine how housing wealth affects purchase decisions. We find that a $1 exogenous increase in housing equity leads movers to pay a $0.06 premium on their next home, controlling for property characteristics and time-varying local prices. This behavior is driven by search frictions— wealthier households pay a premium rather than incur additional search costs. In aggregate, these decisions spill over to the broader housing market and cause upward regional price pressure. A 10% increase in equity gain among incoming movers increases local house price growth by …