Digital Commons Network^™

Legislating With An Expiration Date & The Duty To Reevaluate: Sunset Provisions As A Safeguard In Self-Defense Laws, Samantha Morales

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

Self-defense laws have a long history in the jurisprudence of many countries around the world, reflecting the essential right to protect oneself from harm. At their core, self-defense laws seek to balance the rights of individuals against one another in threatening, violent, or high-risk scenarios, presenting a classic legal dilemma—one person’s rights end where another’s begin.

Through a comparative and analytical lens, this Note explores the origins, current state, and impact of self-defense laws, focusing specifically on the United States and the United Kingdom. Tracing the development of self-defense doctrine from its roots in the common law, the analysis highlights …

Ecuador Medical Immersion Trip Exposes Students To Cross-Cultural Health Care, Elisabeth Watson

College of Arts and Sciences Newsroom

A week in Ecuador pushed students to look past biological symptoms and see how culture defines healing.

Role Of Kif4a In The Fxa-Induced Phenotypic Modulation Of Pleural Mesothelial Cells, Sudishna Khanal

Biotechnology Theses

Pleural injuries can disrupt the organization of the pleural surface, leading to pleural remodeling and fibrosis (PF), characterized by the proliferation of myofibroblasts expressing alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and the deposition of extracellular matrix proteins, primarily due to the mesenchymal transition of pleural mesothelial cells (PMCs) (MesoMT). It is well established that various external stimuli, such as TGF-β, thrombin, and factor Xa (FXa), induce MesoMT. Our laboratory found that myocardin, a transcriptional co-activator, was dramatically up-regulated during MesoMT, and that gene silencing of myocardin (MyoCD) diminished MesoMT. RNA sequencing data showed that FXa activated a set of genes not upregulated …

Examining The Learns Act And Its Effect On Teachers' Pursuit Of Advanced Degrees In Arkansas, Demetre Calhoun

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

The focus of this study was to examine the relationship between the Arkansas LEARNS Act and public-school teachers’ choices on their intent to pursue an advanced degree. The results provide insight into the potential impact of changes to the salary structure and financial incentives for completion of an advanced degree and the implications for teachers, school districts, and higher education programs.

The results indicated that while salary considerations were significant factors for teachers in their thinking about advanced degree completion, professional goals and career plans for teachers were ultimately the guiding factors. This suggests that compensation reform will not sufficiently …

Perceptions And Experiences Of The Mentees And Mentors Of The Arkansas Superintendents Mentoring Program From 2020-2025, Joshua R. Shepherd

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

This qualitative phenomenological study examines the perceptions and experiences of mentees and mentors participating in the Arkansas Superintendent Mentoring and Induction Program from 2020 to 2025. As the role of the school superintendent has evolved into a complex orchestration of political, managerial, and instructional leadership, new administrators stepping into the role of the superintendent face significant challenges. This study explored the effectiveness of the program’s curriculum and the impact of the mentoring relationship.

Data analysis revealed six major themes, highlighting that the program serves as a critical emotional and professional lifeline that bridges the gap between theoretical preparation and the …

Improving Esi Triage Accuracy In The Emergency Department, Taibat Mursal Verdi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Staff Education To Improve Interpretation And Documentation Of Category Ii Fetal Heart Rate Patterns In Labor And Delivery Nurses, Lizette Girado

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Improving Diagnostic Accuracy Through Implementation Of An Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Ambient Scribe In Skilled Nursing Psychiatric Practice, Ernest Glenn Gorleski

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Using Forensic Psycholinguistic Analysis To Detect Dark Tetrad Traits In Police Interviews Of Murder Suspects, Amanda Janette Borman-Ballard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Examining Financial Literacy And The Impact Of Education And Certification On Rural Hospital Administrators, Austin Scott Crowe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

The Implementation Of A Home Blood Pressure Monitoring Program, Michelle Oxendine

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Inner City Black Male Mentors’ Narratives Of Emerging Adulthood And Civic Engagement, Andrea Maria White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Orthographic Representations In American Sign Language Fingerspelling, Zed Sehyr, Lauren Fillet, Kiana Billot-Vasquez, Emily Saunders, Karen Emmorey

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Articles and Research

This study examined fingerspelling accuracy and error patterns in deaf American Sign Language (ASL) signers and written spelling in hearing English speakers to investigate how orthographic representations are shaped by phonological, visual, and motor encoding strategies. Deaf participants (n = 39) completed a fingerspelling repetition task, while hearing participants (n = 35) completed a written dictation task using the same word and pseudoword stimuli. While overall accuracy did not differ significantly between groups, deaf participants exhibited qualitatively distinct error patterns, including higher rates of deletions and transpositions, compared to hearing participants who made more substitution errors. Deaf participants also produced …

Left Out And At Risk: Post-Pandemic Continuation Of Organizational Service Reduction In Metropolitan New York City Coincides With Rise In Opiate Use And Mental Health Problems For Latinos, Ruth Lin Campbell, Smita Ekka Dewan

Publications and Research

Increasing opiate use and mental health problems among younger and older Latinos in urban US contexts prompted this investigation into the organizational resources that facilitate help-seeking efforts of Latinos in New York State (NYS). Guided by a Vulnerability Model and a framework of organizational enabling resources, this study used complementary longitudinal and cross-sectional designs. The longitudinal component examined changes in levels of organizational facilitators for Latino substance use disorder (SUD) help-seeking in Downstate NYS across three time periods, while the cross-sectional component compared post-pandemic facilitator levels across service types and regions. A convenience sample of 241 SUD clinicians participated in …

Cultural Identity In Transition: A Comparative Study Of Self-Defining Memories And Personality In American And Russian-American Students, Sebastian Parilov

CISLA Senior Integrative Projects

This study examined cultural differences in Self-Defining Memories (SDMs) and personality traits among American and Russian-American college students. Participants included 39 college students (19 Russian-American and 20 American) aged 18-24 who completed the Self-Defining Memory Task and the Big Five Inventory to test for Openness, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Extraversion, and Neuroticism. Memories were coded for overall themes, agency versus communion, and redemption versus contamination narratives. Results showed no significant differences between groups on overall Big Five personality traits. However, there were many differences in the two groups' memories. Russian-American participants reported significantly more positive and fewer negative self-defining memories than American …

Financing A Cooler Future: Sustainable Finance And Environmental Justice In The Bronx, Akhila M. Dissanayake

Student Theses 2015-Present

This thesis examines the ways in which sustainable finance and green marketing might be used as instruments to address climate injustice, using the Bronx as a case study of a neighborhood that is disproportionately impacted by the urban heat island effect. The research intends to demonstrate how creative financial mechanisms and successful messaging tactics may promote more equitable adaptation to climate change in urban contexts by fusing ideas from environmental history, economics, and communications. The concept of environmental justice is presented in Chapter 1, which also describes how the Bronx's demographic groupings are disproportionately affected by climate change, including excessive …

The Legacy Of Lead: Lead Exposure's Harmful Effects And Its Concentration In Poc Communities, Layla Sophronia Barber

Student Theses 2015-Present

This thesis examines the disproportionate burden of lead exposure carried by low income, POC communities. The systemic nature of this problem is a symptom of a longstanding legacy of environmental injustice in the United States. Decades of federal neglect are reflected in the higher statistics of lead exposure and poisoning in predominantly black communities. While it is understood that lead exposure poses a serious threat to physical health and early cognitive development, there is a discouraging lack of urgency to remove the toxin from non-wealthy communities. The material covered by this thesis aims to identify and correct the discriminatory social …

Analyzing Sun Bucks Program Experience Among Southwestern Pennsylvania Families With Just Harvest, Olivia Mae Gifford

Public Health Capstone Projects

1. Objectives: This project primarily seeks to identify the common barriers preventing vulnerable families from accessing the SUN Bucks Program. The SUN Bucks program is an optional program through the United States Department of Agriculture that works in conjunction with the state of Pennsylvania in order to provide school-aged children families with supplemental funds to supply greater nutrition during the summer months. This research supports the work of a local non-profit, Just Harvest, in order to better inform their advocacy and outreach efforts as they fight against food insecurity in Western Pennsylvania.
2. Methods: All data was collected electronically via a …

Vision Remediation And Functional Participation For Individuals With Acquired Brain Injuries, Alina Randall

OTD Capstone Projects

This doctoral capstone project was completed in partnership with Neuro Therapy Nashville (NTN), a privately owned, outpatient neurologic rehabilitation clinic in Brentwood, TN. NTN offers occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, and counseling services to individuals with acquired brain injuries, with an emphasis on stroke, concussion, and vision remediation. The goal of the project was to increase access and availability of evidence informed resources for vision remediation and occupational therapy for individuals with acquired brain injuries. The outcomes of the project include a pilot research study which will be used to inform future analysis of vision remediation in occupational therapy, …

Understanding Our Emotional Gatekeepers: A Qualitative Study Of Teacher Attrition In Diverse Catholic Schools, Lionel Garcia

LMU Theses and Dissertations

In the post-pandemic era, educators in Catholic schools in diverse communities serve as emotional gatekeepers, vital social justice agents who act as the final filter between vulnerable students and a landscape of poverty, immigration fears, and digital disinformation. This study centers the voices of these highly capable educators to investigate the factors that led to their departure from the profession despite a strong vocational commitment. By listening to the stories of eight former teachers through narrative inquiry, the researcher identifies the specific factors that led to the teachers’ departures. The findings reveal that the decision to leave is driven by …

A System That Runs On Beef: The Effects Of Modern Cattle Farming On The Environment, Sean E. Fitzgerald

Student Theses 2015-Present

Abstract

This paper discusses the economic, ethical, and environmental impacts of modern cattle ranching in the United States, as well as e4orts taken to mitigate environmental damage as a result of agriculture. With the world population on the rise, and society becoming more disconnected from their food than ever, is important to understand the history of how modern-day agriculture came to be as it is, and how we can combat some of the unique challenges it poses. Chapter 1 covers the current problems in modern day cattle farming, as well as the ecology of cattle, both behavioral and biological, and …

Front Matter And Table Of Contents

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.

Expanding “We The People”: Constitutional Language And Gender (In)Equality In The United States, France, Germany, And Sweden, Sophia Elaine Ward

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

While the U.S. Constitution opens with the inclusive promise of representing “We the People,” it remains silent on gender equality. That silence leaves gender-based rights dependent on judicial interpretation rather than constitutional command, producing uneven, unstable protections that shift with changing courts and political regimes. Although the U.S. Supreme Court addresses sex discrimination through the Equal Protection Clause, its jurisprudence relies on a formal equality framework that fails to confront structural and systemic gender inequality and offers no durable constitutional guarantee.

This Note argues that the U.S. can no longer rely on judicial interpretation alone to secure gender equality. Instead, …

Human Rights In The Americas Symposium: An Examination Of Past, Present, And Future, Caroline Bettinger-López, Tamar Ezer, Shantanice Vaxter, Hannah Garry, Alexzandrea Bartle, Austin Brewster, Brittany Findley, Ana Garcia-Velez, Andrew Kiliment, Christian Kruger, Ana Luiza Potgornik Ferreira, Abigail Matherne, Genice Nadal, Lucia Niño Junyent, Yasmin Rizvi, Amanda Sarmientos, Megan Schutzen, Roberta Spehl, Sara White, Meg Williams

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

Human Rights in the Americas Symposium: An Examination of Past, Present, and Future documents a week-long convening hosted by the University of Miami School of Law in November 2025, held in conjunctions with the 194th Period of Sessions of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The Symposium brought together scholars, advocates, policymakers, students, artists, and community members to assess the evolution, current challenges, and future trajectory of human rights in the Americas.

Through interdisciplinary panels, thematic hearings, artistic exhibitions, and community-based engagements, participants examined pressing regional issues, including democratic backsliding, migration, housing justice, racial and gender inequality, environmental harm, and …

Protection Of The Human Rights Of Older Persons In The Americas And The Caribbean, Gloria Monique De Mees

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

The Americas and the Caribbean are undergoing rapid demographic aging amid structural inequality, widespread informality, and fragile social protection, exposing older persons to heightened risks of disease, poverty, exclusion, and abuse while reinforcing their construction as dependents rather than autonomous rights-holders. Grounded in the Inter-American Human Rights System, and complemented by empirical evidence, the analysis situates demographic aging as a structural human rights priority and traces the evolution of regional standards culminating in the Inter-American Convention on Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons. It then examines advances and gaps in national protection systems in Latin America and the Caribbean …

True North: Full Issue Download

Quill & Scope

Silence is embedded into the life of medical students. Silence pierces the air when you are standing in the back of a patient room observing the conversation, feet aching, wondering if your presence is unnecessary and overwhelming for the patient. We are transient members of the healthcare team. We contribute to patient medical records with out notes and bedside conversations, yet we lack power in the system---the authority to sign orders, be responsible to true coordination of care, the autonomy that residents wield to make healthcare decisions.

It is easy to lose your sense of self in this silence. We …

Feeding The Desert: From Food Insecurity To Food Sovereignty In Rural And Urban America, Megan Scalera

Student Theses 2015-Present

This thesis examines the realities of food insecurity in the United States. Through comparing rural and urban hotspots of insecurity, it aims to address the frameworks that create the inability for certain regions to access safe, nutritious food. Chapter 1 details the current status of food insecurity in the United States and reveals the relevance these issues hold in regard to ecosystem services. Chapter 2 summarizes the environmental history of both rural and urban areas now described as food insecure or considered food deserts. This chapter uses small case studies, rural Appalachia and urban Detroit, MI, to assist in describing …

The Rise Of A New Dawn: Solar Energy And Us-China Relations, Regina Miller

Student Theses 2015-Present

This thesis addresses the challenge of aligning a renewable energy transition with the pursuit of US-China relations in a period defined by climate change and growing energy demand. Using quantitative and qualitative data in Chapter 1, the global problem is introduced by describing key differences in the impact of renewable and nonrenewable energies on ecosystem services, outlining the justifications for an energy transition focused on sustainability. Chapter 2 draws on historic and political perceptions of solar power to examine the shift toward renewables. This chapter highlights differences between the US and China to show how solar energy systems emerge under …

The Prospect Of F.E.W. Resources: How Food, Energy, And Waste Management Workforce Programs Address Global Equity And Sustainability, Quincy P. Biddle

Student Theses 2015-Present

As a global society, the issues affecting a specific city or country are no longer isolated; instead, they impact other places in myriad ways. Over the past few decades, environmental degradation and economic inequality, both within and between countries, have caused shortages of necessities like food and water, inadequate access to safe energy sources, and increased pollution, impacting people’s prosperity and the well-being of the planet. It is of global interest to remediate these issues for the betterment and progress of society, and thus, an approach to addressing these complications collectively and comprehensively is of utmost importance. This paper investigates …

Secondhand Or Second-Class? Environmental Injustice In Global Textile Waste Trade, Wendy S. Escalante

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper addresses the issue of textile waste dumping, specifically how secondhand clothing exports from the Global North create environmental, social, and public health burdens in the Global South. The study focuses on case studies in Chile’s Atacama Desert, where shipments of used clothing overwhelm local waste infrastructures and worsen patterns of environmental injustice. Chapter 1 describes the global flows of textile waste, including trade volumes, landfill accumulation, and the impacts of discarded clothing on ecosystem services such as clean water, fertile soils, and breathable air, alongside health risks from microplastic pollution, toxic runoff, and respiratory hazards from textile fires. …