Digital Commons Network^™

Prenatal Opioid And Alcohol Exposures: Association With Altered Placental Serotonin Transporter Structure And/Or Expression, Nune Darbinian, Nana Merabova, Gabriel Tatevosian, Sandra Adele, Armine Darbinyan, Mary F Morrison, C Lindsay Devane, Sammanda Ramamoorthy, Laura Goetzl, Michael E Selzer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Fetal exposures to many drugs of abuse, e.g., opioids and alcohol (EtOH), are associated with adverse neurodevelopmental problems in early childhood, including abnormalities in activity of the serotonin (5HT) transporter (SERT), which transports 5HT across the placenta. Little is known about the effects of these drugs on SERT expression. Pregnant women who used EtOH or opioids were compared to gestational age-matched controls using a structured questionnaire to determine prenatal substance exposure. Following elective pregnancy termination, placental membranous vesicles and exosomes were prepared from first and second trimester human placentas. Changes in EtOH- or opioid-exposed placental SERT expression and modifications were …

China's Response To The U.S. Call For Decoupling: The Foreign Investment Law Of 2020, Daniel C. Chow

Washington International Law Journal

Abstract: In response to the U.S.’s calls for U.S.-China decoupling by repatriating U.S. business operations and eschewing new investments in China, China introduced the Foreign Investment Law (“FIL”) in 2020. The FIL marks a new era of foreign investment in China. It eliminates the requirement of prior government approval for all foreign-funded enterprises, including joint ventures consisting of U.S. companies and domestic Chinese state-owned enterprises. Many U.S. companies found the approval process under the previous legal regime to be time consuming, arduous, and oppressive. This process has now been replaced by a simple registration process under the FIL and the …

Japan's Response To The Trade Conflict Between The United States And China, Rikako Watai

Washington International Law Journal

Abstract: Decoupling refers to the strategy of separating and disconnecting economies and markets between different nations. However, in the contest of the ongoing trade conflict between the United States and China, decoupling primarily refers to determining economic dependence on a specific nation as a national security risk, thereby reinforcing vulnerabilities in one’s supply chain. Japan views the United States as its primary partner in national security policy and China as a significant market because of its geographic proximity. As a result, ensuring economic security became a pressing concern for Japan.

Japan refers to the United States’ idea of economic …

Decoupling Defined: Four Theories And Four Illustrations From The Sino-American Trade War, Raj Bhala

Washington International Law Journal

Abstract: This article seeks to bring clarity to a much used, yet ill-defined, term “decoupling.” The article explores the theory and practice of “decoupling” in the context of the Sino-American Trade War, which, launched in March 2018, shows no sign of a ceasefire. As to theory, this article argues that conceptually, “decoupling” takes (at least) four forms. There is efficiency, jurisprudential, security, and values decoupling. As to practice, this article shows these four theoretical typologies of decoupling are obvious today. This theory and practice are illustrated (respectively) with respect to labor-intensive industries, commercial transactions in rule-of-man jurisdictions or …

Biden's Puppet And Mcconnell's Protege: Manipulative Political Communication Design In The 2023 Kentucky Govenors Race, Ryan Cheek, Samuel Allen

English and Technical Communication Faculty Research & Creative Works

Building on research identifying manipulative communication design (MCD) tactics, including clickbait and dark patterns, in the 2020 U.S. election, we analyzed the interface of political emails from the 2023 Kentucky gubernatorial contest between Andy Beshear (D) and Daniel Cameron (R). This extended abstract reports study results from a critical interface analysis of 291 emails to answer the question: How does political ideology influence the use of MCD tactics? Such tactics exploit cognitive biases to gain political advantage by maximizing the extraction of donations from supporters. Five MCD tactics were prominent in both campaigns (individualization and personalization, inverted authority appeals, political …

In The Eye Of Ai: Conspiracies Of Facial Recognition Software, Kira Courtois, Rachel M. Schneider, Carleigh J. Davis

English and Technical Communication Faculty Research & Creative Works

The intersections of power and conspiracy rhetorics represent complexities for scholars who seek to understand social engagement and its various discursive properties. Our study addresses these complexities through the lens of facial recognition technology (FRT), analyzing how conversations on the platform X (formerly Twitter) surrounding FRT mirror discourse in other places that have been called conspiracy theories. By gathering Tweets that contain discourse about FRT and coding them using features synthesized from previous literature, we work to understand the ways that populations express valid feelings of disenfranchisement through traditionally conspiratorial rhetorical tropes. Our results highlight the importance of traditionally conspiratorial …

"You Want Me To Teach What?!": Emerging Technologies, Required Knowledge, And Pedagogical Practice, Rachel Bryson, Ryan Cheek, Sam Clem, Hannah Stevens

English and Technical Communication Faculty Research & Creative Works

Being assigned to teach unfamiliar content is an experience that many technical communication (TC) instructors can relate to. In this experience report, four TC instructors describe their experiences teaching unfamiliar and emerging technology, providing takeaways for readers about how they might approach similar tasks, particularly when constrained by a lack of time and resources when teaching a class for the first time. The instructors had to adapt their pedagogical approaches to teach a range of technology and software. These approaches include building students' visual and rhetorical literacy, diving deep into ethics, explicitly teaching students how to learn, and humbly showing …

Effective Deep Brain Stimulation For Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder After Failed Anterior Capsulotomy: Illustrative Cases, Anthony K Allam, Nisha Giridharan, Mohammed Hasen, Garrett P Banks, Gabriel Reyes, Huy Dang, Katherine E Kabotyanski, Alyssa G Hertz, Sarah R Heilbronner, Nicole Provenza, Eric A Storch, Wayne K Goodman, Sameer A Sheth

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric condition characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions) performed to relieve distress related to the obsessions. For patients with severe illness refractory to first-line pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy, neurosurgical treatments such as deep brain stimulation (DBS) and stereotactic lesioning are an option. The choice between DBS and lesioning is often driven by patient preference, but these options are not mutually exclusive. Here, the authors highlight the success of one surgical therapy (DBS) after the failure of another (lesioning).

OBSERVATIONS: Two patients with severe, treatment-refractory OCD underwent DBS lead implantation targeting the …

Prompting Effective Learning Pathways: Applied Behavior Analysis In Practice, Brandie Ann Kretzschmar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this quantitative study was to contribute to the literature for prompting interventions in the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA). This study examined the clinical utilization of prompting strategies with verbal operant programming across currently credentialed practitioners. Evidence-based practices are well known, but clinical guidance regarding prompting strategies is still emerging. This gap is potentially related to the lack of a prompting assessment to assist practitioners in creating clients' programming. To collect data a 52-question survey was used in this ethnographic study. Data was collected from 62 respondents, with 55 overall completed surveys. Errorless learning was reported …

Inclusiveness Of English As A Second Language Nursing Students In The Academic Setting, Bahgat Youwakeem

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study explored the perceptions of English as a Second Language (ESL) nursing students regarding inclusiveness in nursing programs in the southern United States. The problem addressed is the limited research on how ESL nursing students perceive inclusiveness in academic environments, particularly in the Southern States, where diversity is increasing. Previous studies have focused on the general challenges faced by ESL students, but few have examined their specific perceptions of inclusivity in nursing programs. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study, guided by Whannell and Whannell’s identity theory, was to gain insights into ESL nursing students' lived experiences of inclusiveness. …

New Local Government It Employees’ Onboarding Perception Of Barriers, Solutions, And Expected Outcomes For Service Delivery Engagement, Ursula White-Oliver

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee onboarding and socialization experienced by local government information technology (IT) employees is an industry issue among those without prior public sector employment. This study entailed an evaluation of the onboarding process by gathering perspectives from a local government IT department to help an organization understand onboarding and socialization needs and desires of new employees. The purpose was to address public IT employees’ experiences and what they thought needed to change about their experiences. Surveys of employees and personal individual interviews with thirty-one managers and subject matter experts from across the organization were used to provide data about transitioning to …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of Chatbots In Providing Personalized Academic Advising And Support To Higher Education Students: A Narrative Literature Review, Manal Dawood

All Works

Academic advising is essential for university and college students to achieve success since it provides guidance in many aspects of their academic journey. According to Drake (2011), having a solid relationship with an academic advisor is necessary for students to succeed in university settings. Students often have questions about university policies, processes, and resources, and they seek assistance from their academic advisors, who may be lecturers or other staff members. However, these demands can sometimes overwhelm the advisors. Although modern technology has reduced these demands (Ghonmein et al., 2023), advisors continue to face challenging tasks. Artificial Intelligence (AI) conversational agents …

Evidencing The Challenges Of Care Delivery For People With Intellectual Disability And Epilepsy In England By Using The Step Together Toolkit, Rohit Shankar, Georgia Page, Bridie Kent

Peninsula Medical School

BackgroundPeople with intellectual disability (PwID) and epilepsy have increased premature and potentially preventable mortality. This is related to a lack of equitable access to appropriate care. The Step Together guidance and toolkit, developed with patient, clinical, charity and commissioning stakeholders, allows evaluation and benchmarking of essential epilepsy service provision for PwID in eight key domains, at a care system level.AimsTo evaluate care provisions for adult PwID and epilepsy at a system level in the 11 integrated care systems (ICSs) of the Midlands, the largest NHS England region (population: approximately 11 million), using the Step Together toolkitMethodPost training, each ICS undertook …

Resilience In Nursing Medication Administration Practice: A Systematic Review With Narrative Synthesis, Pollyanna Lr Kellett, Bryony Dean Franklin, Susie Pearce, Jonathan Benn

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Resilience in nursing medication administration practice: a systematic review with narrative synthesis. OBJECTIVE: Little is known about how nurses adapt medication administration practices to preserve safety. The capacity to adapt and respond before harm occurs has been labelled 'resilience'. Current evidence examining medication safety largely focuses on errors and what goes wrong. This review aimed to synthesise evidence for the application of resilience principles and practices in nursing medication administration. DESIGN: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guided the review, which was registered with PROSPERO. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO and CINAHL databases were searched from 14 …

Channel Selection Of A Hybrid Communication System Using Machine Learning, Julie C. Smith

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

As the need for “data on demand” increases, users are moving to hybrid communication systems to increase data throughput. Users in both commercial and government sectors are looking to integrate laser communication (lasercom) and W/V band (81-86 GHz / 71-76 GHz) solutions onto their platforms. These systems are subject to attenuation due to weather and atmospheric conditions. Employing a hybrid communication system requires knowledge of which system to utilize more heavily in given atmospheric conditions. This research investigates means to develop channel prediction algorithms for hybrid systems using weather imagery. Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) were adapted and trained with these …

Volume 46-2 Complete Issue, Lawrence Handley

The Geographical Bulletin

Volume 46-2 Complete Issue

Urban Street Systems In Nineteenth-Century Ohio Towns: An Analysis Of Diffusion, John M. Wegner

The Geographical Bulletin

This study considers the possible “migration” of urban street patterns associated with discrete east coast culture regions to America’s trans-Appalachian interior during the 19th century. Also examined was the possibility that these street patterns became less “culturallybound,“ or more admixed, over time. Ohio, one of the first (and most culturally diverse) trans-Appalachian states, was the focus of the study. To ascertain answers to the above questions, data pertaining to town platting throughout the state (as well as for four distinct survey regions associated with discrete east coast migration) was culled from county atlases and histories. Variables were selected so as …

Human Rights Abuses On The U.S.-Mexico Border, Emily J. Salava

The Geographical Bulletin

INTRODUCTION This study examines the current human rights abuses found at the United States and Mexico border. For the purposes of this paper, human rights are defined as found in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations in 1948, but other agreements may be cited for reference. What one person considers an abuse, another person may coin as a reality of life. The focus of this study is on the existence of human rights abuses, but does not specifically examine the historical causes. There are many agencies working in the region and abroad to protect the …

Of Mentors And Mentoring, O. Orland Maxfield

The Geographical Bulletin

Last Sunday afternoon I was at an auction out in the Boston Mountains, standing in line to get a bidder’s number while the man in front of me quarreled about giving information. Then the man behind me said, “I know my name but I don’t know who I am.” I feel a bit like that. It’s my name in the program but am I really the person being honored. I have spoken of this momentous event in my life as being the result of a conspiracy among friends. There is no way that I can thank them adequately for their …

Mentor—Mentoree, What Is In A Relationship?, Lawrence R. Handley

The Geographical Bulletin

What is a mentor? I serve as a mentor for two groups: one, to offer advice, to give counsel, and basically to help out new employees within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); and the other, as an advisor for the Louisiana Environmental Education Association working with new teachers. With USGS, the mentoring is a function of being designated a leader within the Bureau. Because of the size of the USGS, many individuals are mentored by long distance telephone conversations or email communication. These individuals are mostly interested in administrative issues, personal advancement, and misunderstood situations with their supervisors and co-workers. …

In Memoriam O. Orland Maxfield: A Biographical Sketch, Virgil Holder

The Geographical Bulletin

O. Orland Maxfield, born in 1925, was raised on a farm near Robinson, Illinois, and he always referred to Robinson as his home. His father was a Methodist minister who died when Orland was eleven. His mother, who graduated from Northwestern University, raised him in a disciplined manner. This shows in the fact that he earned his Bachelor’s degree at George Peabody College for Teachers in three years with a double major in Geography and English, graduating in 1945. He earned his Master’s of Arts degree in Geography at Ohio State University in one year.

(Un)Know Thy “Self”: Interconnected Consciousness And Different Ways Of Knowing, Laurel Waterman, Karyn Cooper

The Qualitative Report

This paper draws on preliminary data from a qualitative study in curriculum and pedagogy, “Stories of Teaching about Consciousness: An Inquiry into Worldviews and Wellbeing.” An emerging theme is the concept of the self and how it entwines with perspectives on consciousness. Analyzing consciousness and the self through The Five Contexts framework reveals assumptions at the heart of research and education that often go unquestioned. We wonder, what might alternative perspectives on consciousness and the self offer to researchers and educators? The study aims to inform a larger project of “consciousness education,” defined as education about perspectives on the source …

A Boring Supper: Looking Less Hard For Meaning In The Montana Constitution, Ben Mckee

Montana Law Review

No abstract provided.

Schola Cantorum, Department Of Music, University Of Richmond

Music Department Concert Programs

No abstract provided.

Something Stinks: Montana’S Compensable Inverse Condemnation Claims Circle The Drain In Wittman V. City Of Billings, Kathryn Zobeck

Montana Law Review

No abstract provided.

Toward A Theory Of Exposure, Brian Rappert, Gustav Kuhn

School of Psychology

Excited attention towards the disclosure of methods – what is termed ‘exposure’– infuses both popular and practitioners’ portrayals of entertainment magic. As an art associated with ‘doing the impossible’, the disclosure of methods is widely held as ruining the prospects for experiencing astonishment. For all its familiarity, however, exposure is rarely subject to extended consideration in the thoughts and theories of professional magicians. In line with a tradition of conceiving of magic as a form of social interaction constituted through the relations between audiences and performers, this article offers a theorization of exposure; one grounded in empirical research with magicians. …

The Contribution Of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps To Coagulopathy In Patients With Covid-19-Related Thrombosis, Carolyn Enochs, Gabriela Delevati Colpo, Lucy Couture, Lynae Baskin, Ana E Cahuiche, Eunyoung Angela Lee, Shahid Nimjee, Louise D Mccullough

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

COVID-19 is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and is associated with hypercoagulability and increased incidence of thrombotic events. In this study, we investigated the levels of neutrophil extracellular trap biomarkers and von Willebrand factor to assess if these could predict the occurrence of a thrombotic event in COVID-19 patients. We enrolled 202 patients hospitalized with symptomatic COVID-19 infection. Of those, 104 patients did not experience any type of thrombotic events before or during their hospitalization. These patients were compared to the other cohort of 98, who experienced thrombotic events before or during their hospitalization. In total, …

Volume 47-1 Complete Issue, Steven M. Schnell

The Geographical Bulletin

Volume 47-1 Complete Issue

Ideologies Of Land And Place: Gĩkũyũ And Settler Colonist Women In Kenya, Heidi G. Frontani, Rachel Rebecca Hewitt

The Geographical Bulletin

Gĩkũyũ and settler colonist women’s life histories were analyzed using textual analysis of first-person accounts to understand the ideologies behind women’s perceptions of land, place, and human-environment relationships, and to fill a gap in the literature on women in central Kenya. Earlier studies have focused on social relations between Gĩkũyũ and colonists, social issues affecting these groups, or land as an important, but nongendered construct. Our major finding was that the women’s understandings of humanenvironment relations and place reflected gender awareness, but overall were consistent with the dominant ideologies of men from their cultural background and time. Settler colonists took …

Radiomics-Based Machine Learning With Natural Gradient Boosting For Continuous Survival Prediction In Glioblastoma, Mert Karabacak, Shiv Patil, Zachary C. Gersey, Ricardo J. Komotar, Konstantinos Margetis

SKMC Student Presentations and Publications

(1) Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignant brain tumor in adults, with an aggressive disease course that requires accurate prognosis for individualized treatment planning. This study aims to develop and evaluate a radiomics-based machine learning (ML) model to estimate overall survival (OS) for patients with GBM using pre-treatment multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). (2) Methods: The MRI data of 865 patients with GBM were assessed, comprising 499 patients from the UPENN-GBM dataset and 366 patients from the UCSF-PDGM dataset. A total of 14,598 radiomic features were extracted from T1, T1 with contrast, T2, and FLAIR MRI sequences …