Digital Commons Network^™

The Intricacies Of Nimbyism: Exclusionary Zoning And The Fair Housing Act In Connecticut, Jill Warren

Connecticut Law Review

Connecticut is one of the wealthiest states in the country, yet there is an alarming shortage of affordable housing across the state. The regulatory schemes of Connecticut municipalities only exacerbate the issue. Many towns and cities employ exclusionary zoning policies and regulations that make it difficult for lower- income households to reside in an area. A prominent example is single-family, two- acre zoning, which makes it difficult or even impossible to construct high density housing conducive to the creation of affordable housing. As a result of exclusionary zoning policies, Connecticut has effectively become economically segregated.

This begs the question of …

New Hurdles To Redistricting Reform: State Evasion, Moore, And Partisan Gerrymandering, Manoj Mate

Connecticut Law Review

Proponents of fair districting reforms continue to face challenges in seeking to address the problem of partisan gerrymandering. Even in states that have successfully enacted redistricting reforms, state actors have been able to evade compliance, and state courts have been unable to guarantee fair districts. In addition, the Supreme Court’s decision in Moore v. Harper could also limit state court efforts to guarantee fair districts. This Article argues that state evasion and Moore threaten to undermine the efficacy of fair districting norms recognized by state courts or enacted through either state political processes. Moore could create a one-way ratchet by …

The Promise Of Contract Pluralism, Andrew Jordan

Connecticut Law Review

Many contract theorists argue that contracts are promises. This view is appealing because it can justify the institution of contract law—contract law allows parties to vindicate their promissory rights. But contract-as-promise advocates have seriously misunderstood how promises work. They assume a cartoon version of promises, one that is overly abstract, individualistic, and is singularly fixated on the obligation to do what one promised. Such theorists have failed to adequately attend to other important dimensions of promises: How stringent is the promise? Under what conditions is a person obligated to perform? How is an agent entitled to respond to a breach? …

The Effects Of The Hyper-Globalization Of Legalized Sports Betting On Match-Fixing And Competition Manipulation In The Olympics, Riley Helgren

UNLV Gaming Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Nursing News & Views - March 2024, Joanne Miller Rn

Nursing Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Ashley Kernicky Named Director Of Gardner-Webb’S Department Of Physician Assistant Studies, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

Interim Director Ashley Kernicky, a 2009 alumna of Gardner-Webb University, has been named the director of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies (DPAS). While making the announcement, Dean of the College of Health Sciences (COHS), Dr. Nicole Waters noted that the hiring process included a national search to fill this vital position within the COHS.

Avoiding Performative Climate Justice, Katrina F. Kuh

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

The Article first sketches the contours of precommitment strategies by identifying examples of precommitment strategies in existing climate change law, and contrasting them with other approaches for advancing justice that are not sticky, automatic, and early, and thus would not be considered precommitments. It then contemplates whether and why sticky, automatic, and early precommitments to justice may be an important strategy to advance justice goals in anticipation of and at high levels of warming. It concludes by analyzing the use of precommitments to justice in the context of the expedited siting and construction of renewable energy infrastructure.

“Together We Go Far”: Exploring The Motivational Dispositions Within Connected Fitness, Melissa Davies, Thomas Aicher, Brianna Newland, Eric Hungenberg

Journal of Applied Sport Management

This study examined the motivational profiles of connected fitness users to better position brands as they compete with the reopening of physical gyms and in-person classes. Using survey responses from 663 Peloton users, a K-cluster analysis was performed to identify three clusters of Peloton users (Wellness, Physique, and Social Performance), based on their motives for using the brand’s app. Findings suggest that connected fitness brands should leverage their ability to create social engagement and challenging opportunities to better their own past performance to differentiate themselves and retain users in a very cluttered and competitive marketplace.

Addressing The Adoption Gap: Exploring Resistance To Evidence-Based Practices Among Ncaa Coaches, Lawrence W. Judge, Jeffrey Petersen, Olivia Huffman, Selen Razon

Journal of Applied Sport Management

Athletic coaches strive to achieve optimal performance from their athletes and teams, yet many coaches fail to utilize new evidence-based practices (EBPs) with potential to improve performance. Many sport leaders and administrators seeking to assist and support positive change face resistance from coaches. This paper explores the lack of usage of EBPs among NCAA coaches and the subsequent effects on athlete performance and development. This problem is conceptualized through the theoretical underpinnings of diffusion of innovation theory and social cognitive theory. Application of resistance to change theories identifies action steps to help overcome barriers in the implementation of EBPs including …

Co-Creating The Pitch: An Exploration Of The Role Of Traditions On Co-Creation In European Soccer, Eric Hungenberg, Mark Slavich, Ricardo Cayolla

Journal of Applied Sport Management

As the sport of soccer continues to grow throughout the world – and particularly into North America – the current study assessed the causal effect fans’ sensory traditions have on co-creation. Data were collected by intercepting Portugese and Spanish soccer attendees outside of the stadium prior to the match’s start. A total of 282 useable surveys were retrieved from fans during the 2022-23 seasons. Path modeling results indicate that traditions relating to aesthetics, sound, and beverage provided the greatest means to co-create experiences for attendees. The study’s results align with previous research within retail and sport exhibiting the positive impact …

Sabin Center For Climate Change Law Annual Report 2023, Sabin Center For Climate Change Law

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

This year the Sabin Center for Climate Change introduces its first annual report, which highlights and synthesizes our cutting-edge research and innovative engagements in 2023.

Rereading Pico And The Equal Protection Clause, Johany G. Dubon

Fordham Law Review

More than forty years ago, in Board of Education v. Pico, the U.S. Supreme Court considered the constitutionality of a school board’s decision to remove books from its libraries. However, the Court’s response was heavily fractured, garnering seven separate opinions. In the plurality opinion, three justices stated that the implicit corollary to a student’s First Amendment right to free speech is the right to receive information. Thus, the plurality announced that the relevant inquiry for reviewing a school’s library book removal actions is whether the school officials intended to deny students access to ideas with which the officials disagreed. …

Ending Exemption 5 Expansion: Toward A Narrower Interpretation Of Foia’S Exemption For Inter- And Intra-Agency Memorandums, Ryan W. Miller

Fordham Law Review

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) creates a judicially enforceable right to access almost any record that a federal agency creates or obtains. Its crafters aimed to strike a careful balance in promoting disclosure of government records to increase transparency while still protecting the confidentiality of certain information. Although any person can request an agency record, FOIA’s nine exemptions allow agencies to withhold records if certain conditions are met. 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(5) permits agencies to withhold “inter-agency or intra-agency memorandums or letters” that would normally be privileged in civil discovery. Through this exemption, Congress sought to prevent FOIA from …

Incremental Improvement Of The Patentability Standard Of Nonobviousness, Kayla Siletti Brown

Fordham Law Review

Patents incentivize innovation, but the face of innovation has changed over the past several decades. Patent law is adapting to the radical growth of the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries, which produce drugs and biologics respectively. Research and development in these fields is largely incremental—new products are often derived from existing products. However, patents do not protect “obvious” improvements, those that anyone skilled in the relevant scientific field could have discovered through predictable, routine work. The line between incremental R&D and routine, obvious improvements is difficult to draw. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the Patent Trial …

Interventions To Optimize Spinal Cord Perfusion In Patients With Acute Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: An Updated Systematic Review, Nathan Evaniew, Benjamin Davies, Farzin Farahbakhsh, Michael G. Fehlings, Mario Ganau, Daniel E. Graves, James D. Guest, Radha Korupolu, Allan R. Martin, Stephen L. Mckenna, Lindsay A. Tetreault, Aditya Vedantam, Erika D. Brodt, Andrea C. Skelly, Brian K. Kwon

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Faculty Papers

STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review update.

OBJECTIVES: Interventions that aim to optimize spinal cord perfusion are thought to play an important role in minimizing secondary ischemic damage and improving outcomes in patients with acute traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCIs). However, exactly how to optimize spinal cord perfusion and enhance neurologic recovery remains controversial. We performed an update of a recent systematic review (Evaniew et al, J. Neurotrauma 2020) to evaluate the effects of Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) support or Spinal Cord Perfusion Pressure (SCPP) support on neurological recovery and rates of adverse events among patients with acute traumatic SCI.

METHODS: We …

An Umbrella Review Of Self-Management Interventions For Health Conditions With Symptom Overlap With Traumatic Brain Injury, Angelle Sander, Monique Pappadis, Tamara Bushnik, Nancy Chiaravalloti, Simon Driver, Robin Hanks, Kirk Lercher, Dawn Neumann, Amanda Rabinowitz, Ronald T Seel, Erica Weber, Rick Ralston, John Corrigan, Kurt Kroenke, Flora Hammond

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: To synthesize evidence for the effectiveness of self-management interventions for chronic health conditions that have symptom overlap with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in order to extract recommendations for self-management intervention in persons with TBI.

DESIGN: An umbrella review of existing systematic reviews and/or meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials or nonrandomized studies targeting self-management of chronic conditions and specific outcomes relevant to persons with TBI.

METHOD: A comprehensive literature search of 5 databases was conducted using PRISMA guidelines. Two independent reviewers conducted screening and data extraction using the Covidence web-based review platform. Quality assessment was conducted using criteria adapted from …

Wastewater Surveillance For Identifying Sars-Cov-2 Infections In Long-Term Care Facilities, Kentucky, Usa, 2021–2022, James W. Keck, Reuben Adatorwovor, Matthew Liversedge, Blazan Mijotavich, Cullen Olsson, William D. Strike, Atena Amirsoleimani, Ann Noble, Soroosh Torabi, Alexus Lori Rockward, Mohammad Dehghan Banadaki, Ted Smith, Parker Lacy, Scott M. Berry

UK CARES Faculty Publications

Persons living in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) were disproportionately affected by COVID-19. We used wastewater surveillance to detect SARS-CoV-2 infection in this setting by collecting and testing 24-hour compos- ite wastewater samples 2–4 times weekly at 6 LTCFs in Kentucky, USA, during March 2021–February 2022. The LTCFs routinely tested staff and symptomatic and exposed residents for SARS-CoV-2 using rapid antigen tests. Of 780 wastewater samples analyzed, 22% (n = 173) had detectable SARS-CoV-2 RNA. The LTCFs reported 161 positive (of 16,905) SARS-CoV-2 clinical tests. The wastewater SARS-CoV-2 signal showed vari- able correlation with clinical test data; we observed the strongest …

Uses And Limitations Of Big Data For Evaluating Transportation Equity, Tia Boyd, Taylor Dinehart, Kristine Williams

Research Reports

Social equity has come to the forefront in recent years as a hot topic and essential aspect of transportation planning. Technological advancements are allowing planners to collect more precise data and conduct analysis in real time, as well as improve visualization and forecasting abilities. “Big data” has immense potential to enrich transportation planning and our understanding of equity issues, even as it poses potential limitations regarding social equity. Examples abound of big data applications in transportation, including transportation equity analysis, yet these examples are dispersed in different agency studies, company websites, and publications. This synthesis project scanned and mined the …

Measuring Access Using Crowdsourced Travel Behavior Data: The Easy Button To Real Access And Equity?, Phil Lasley, Olivia Wang, Jack Kong, Jordan Gregory, Carly Venditti

Research Reports

Integrating accessibility into transportation planning seeks to improve policy and programming decisions that ensure congestion mitigation measures, encourage transportation equity, and improve urban livability. Traditional accessibility measures and methods have largely focused on modeling and/or estimation procedures, displaying a hypothetical universe of access—not where travel actually occurs. This research developed a suite of measures to assess accessibility, taking advantage of available crowdsourced origin- destination data to identify accessibility from real data rather than a modeled approach. The measures are calculated for all U.S. urban areas to inform congestion-mitigation decision-making based on actual travel behaviors. The results of this work will …

Manufacturing Supported Loose-Nanofiltration Polymeric Membranes With Eco-Friendly Solvents On An R2r System, David Lu, Kwangjun Jung, Ju Young Shim, Tequila A. L. Harris, Isabel Escobar

UK CARES Faculty Publications

In this study, loose nanofiltration membranes made of polysulfone dissolved in co-solvents PolarClean and gamma-Valerolactone were prepared via slot die coating (SDC) on a roll-to-roll (R2R) system by directly coating them onto a support layer or free standing. A solution flow rate of 20 mL/min, substrate speed of 17.1 mm/s, and coating gap of 0.1 mm resulted in the formation of membranes without structural defects. Pre-wetting the support layer with dope solution minimized shrinkage of membrane layer thickness and improved interfacial adhesion. Membrane samples produced using SDC exhibited properties and performance consistent with bench-scale doctor blade extruded samples; pre-wetted and …

Western Maine Addiction And Recovery Initiative's Substance Misuse Prevention And Wellness Day: Year 2 Planning Survey Summary For Ohchs, Evelyn Ali Bs, Tyler Egeland Ba, Mary Lindsey Smith Phd

Substance Use Research & Evaluation

The RCORP local evaluation team at the Catherine Cutler Institute deployed a survey to Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School (OHCHS). The purpose of the survey was to understand needs unique to OHCHS to plan for types of activities and information presented at the school’s Substance Use Prevention and Wellness Day. For more information, please contact Lindsey Smith at [email protected]

An Analysis Of The Framing Of Supreme Court Decisions And Their Impact On The Voting Rights Of Marginalized Citizens, Nicole Anna Barlia

Communication Studies

The purpose of this paper was to examine how news media convey the impact and severity of decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the voting rights of marginalized citizens. Specific articles that discussed the decisions of the cases were looked at using Entman’s framing theory (1993) and considering the watchdog perspective (Donohue et al., 1995). An inductive, thematic content analysis was conducted to find common themes throughout articles in the top five newspapers in the nation. Themes that emerged were (1) threats to voting, (2) politicization of the Court, (3) polarization, (4) watchdog perspective, (5) judicial activism, (6) vote …

Politics In The Classroom: A Survey On College Students’ Comfortability To Share Their Views, Ashley Rene Tuell

Communication Studies

The following study used theories of belongingness and spiral of silence to investigate students’ comfortability when sharing their political views in class. This study employed a survey distributed to a convenience sample of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo students. The survey contained multiple choice and free response questions that encompassed political affiliation, willingness to share political views in class, and demographics. The results of the survey were interpreted using SPSS statistics software, specifically ANOVA tests and Fisher’s LSD. The findings of this study ultimately indicated that liberal students feel more comfortable sharing their views than moderates and conservatives. Findings also …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Quad-Component Bioinspired Hydrogels To Model Elevated Fibrin Levels In Central Nervous Tissue Scaffolds, Jennifer Steele, Dany J. Munoz-Pinto

Engineering Faculty Research

Multicomponent interpenetrating polymer network (mIPN) hydrogels are promising tissue-engineering scaffolds that could closely resemble key characteristics of native tissues. The mechanical and biochemical properties of mIPNs can be finely controlled to mimic key features of target cellular microenvironments, regulating cell-matrix interactions. In this work, we fabricated hydrogels made of collagen type I (Col I), fibrin, hyaluronic acid (HA), and poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) using a network-by-network fabrication approach. With these mIPNs, we aimed to develop a biomaterial platform that supports the in vitro culture of human astrocytes and potentially serves to assess the effects of the abnormal deposition of …

Impact Of Intercropping On Nitrogen And Phosphorus Nutrient Loss In Camellia Oleifera Forests On Entisol Soil, Yi Zhang, Junjie Lei, Yuanying Peng, Xiaoyong Chen, Bowen Li, Yazhen Chen, Yichen Xu, Taimoor Hassan Farooq, Jun Wang, Wende Yan

Faculty Authors and Creators Reception

Soil and water loss represent a significant environmental challenge in purple soil cropland in China. However, the quantity and mechanism of nutrient loss from purple soil remain unclear. To understand water and soil conservation and address nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) mitigation in Camellia oleifera forest stands on purple soil slope farmland, this study aimed to explore the resistance control effect of forest stands on N and P loss in such agricultural landscapes. In the study, a runoff plot experiment was conducted in purple soil slope farmland. The experiment included three distinct treatments: intercropping of oil tea (Camellia oleifera) and …

Multiple Genetic Loci Influence Vaccine-Induced Protection Against Mycobacterium Tuberculosis In Genetically Diverse Mice., Sherry L Kurtz, Richard E Baker, Frederick J Boehm, Chelsea C Lehman, Lara R Mittereder, Hamda Khan, Amy P Rossi, Daniel M Gatti, Gillian Beamer, Christopher M Sassetti, Karen L Elkins

Faculty Research 2024

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb.) infection leads to over 1.5 million deaths annually, despite widespread vaccination with BCG at birth. Causes for the ongoing tuberculosis endemic are complex and include the failure of BCG to protect many against progressive pulmonary disease. Host genetics is one of the known factors implicated in susceptibility to primary tuberculosis, but less is known about the role that host genetics plays in controlling host responses to vaccination against M.tb. Here, we addressed this gap by utilizing Diversity Outbred (DO) mice as a small animal model to query genetic drivers of vaccine-induced protection against M.tb. DO mice are …

An Interdisciplinary Approach To Language Activism From Community Colleges: Linguistics Meets Communication Studies, Carlos De Cuba, Poppy Slocum, Laura Spinu

Publications and Research

This chapter describes the work of three linguists working in communication departments at two community colleges in the City University of New York system (CUNY) to counter deficit approaches toward dialectal variation in the field of communication studies (and beyond). The authors’ approach includes professional presentations, curricular redesign, identifying linguistic discrimination in textbooks, and conducting professional development workshops and seminars. They believe that the things they are doing are easily reproducible, so they are shared in this chapter in the hopes that more people will get actively involved in reducing/eliminating such harmful classroom pedagogies that involve deficit views of dialectal …

Nail-Plate Combination Treatment Of Ipsilateral Humeral Shaft And Distal Humerus Fractures - A Case Report., Mark Lagreca, Yash P Chaudhry, Thomas Falconiero, Thomas Muzzonigro, Daniel Lippe, Mitesh Shah

Orthopedic Surgery Resident Research

INTRODUCTION: Humeral shaft and distal humerus fractures have several different treatment options, including plate fixation and intramedullary nailing. Each has its own benefits, but typically, they are not used in conjunction. While nail-plate combinations (NPCs) have become more common in the lower extremity, literature on their use in upper extremity fractures remains scarce.

CASE REPORT: A 74-year-old right-hand dominant male presented after a fall with a closed left transverse midshaft humerus fracture and an associated supracondylar distal humerus fracture with intercondylar extension through a medial column. Due to the segmental nature of his injury, medial column plating was used in …

Assessing Concepts, Procedures, And Cognitive Demand Of Chatgpt-Generated Mathematical Tasks Chatgpt-Generated Mathematical Tasks, Bima Sapkota, Liza Bondurant

CoE Publications

In November 2022, ChatGPT, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) large language model (LLM) capable of generating human-like responses, was launched. ChatGPT has a variety of promising applications in education, such as using it as thought-partner in generating curricular resources. However, scholars also recognize that the use of ChatGPT raises concerns, such as outputs that are inaccurate, nonsensical, or vague. We, two mathematics teacher educators, engaged in a collaborative self-study using qualitative descriptive approaches to investigate the procedures, concepts, and cognitive demand of ChatGPT-generated mathematical tasks focused on fraction multiplication using the area model approach. We found that the ChatGPT-generated tasks were …

Equity Fund Monthly Report, March 2024, Archway Investment Fund

Archway Investment Fund

No abstract provided.