Digital Commons Network^™

Lunch Shaming And The Right To Privacy, Ira P. Robbins

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

Lunch shaming is the practice of penalizing students who cannot afford to pay for their meals, resulting in them being denied food, served alternative meals, or publicly identified. The origins of lunch shaming can be traced to the financial pressures faced by school districts that struggle to balance tight budgets with the mandate to provide free or reduced-price meals to eligible students. Despite legislative efforts and advocacy campaigns aimed at mitigating the problems associated with lunch shaming, the practice persists, exacerbated by rising food costs and the expiration of pandemic-era food programs.

Many law journal and other articles have correctly …

Undermining Discretion: The Selective Attacks On Progressive Prosecutors, Angela J. Davis

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

Prosecutors are the most powerful officials in the criminal legal system. They decide whether to bring criminal charges and what those criminal charges should be. These decisions are totally within their discretion. The U.S. Supreme Court has consistently protected the power and discretion of prosecutors in making these decisions, and legal challenges to the exercise of prosecutorial discretion have been largely unsuccessful.

In recent years, a growing number of individuals have successfully run for chief prosecutor on platforms of reducing the prison and jail populations, consistent with public safety. They pledged to use their power and discretion to implement policies …

Ocular Surface Disease Following Lasik And Cataract Surgery: A Review Of Their Interrelated Complications, Matthew D. Spangler, Nila Kirupaharan, John D. Sheppard

Department of Ophthalmology Faculty Publications

Background: Ocular surface disease is a multifactorial condition that is very commonly caused by dry eye disease (DED). Ophthalmic procedures intended to improve visual outcomes, laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and cataract surgery, can paradoxically cause or exacerbate underlying ocular surface disease. This results in worsening vision and quality of life.

Areas covered: This review examines the pathophysiological mechanisms contributing to ocular surface disease development following LASIK and cataract surgery. Both procedures are associated with the transection of corneal nerves, leading to decreased tear production, surface instability, altered neurotrophin production, and impairment of the blink reflex. Furthermore, these incisional procedures …

Identifying Relevant Covariates In Rna-Seq Analysis By Pseudo-Variable Augmentation, Yet Nguyen, Dan Nettleton

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) technology allows for the identification of differentially expressed genes, which are genes whose mean transcript abundance levels vary across conditions. In practice, RNA-seq datasets often include covariates that are of primary interest in addition to a set of covariates that are subject to selection. Some of these covariates may be relevant to gene expression levels, while others may be irrelevant. Ignoring relevant covariates or attempting to adjust for the effect of irrelevant covariates can compromise the identification of differentially expressed genes. To address this issue, we propose a variable selection method that uses pseudo-variables to control the expected …

Utilizing Machine Learning Techniques For Computer-Aided Covid-19 Screening Based On Clinical Data, Honglun Xu, Andrews T. Anum, Michael Pokojovy, Sreenath Chalil Madathil, Yuxin Wen, Md Fashiar Rahman, Tzu-Liang (Bill) Tseng, Scott Moen, Eric Walser

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of rapid clinical decision-making to facilitate the efficient usage of healthcare resources. Over the past decade, machine learning (ML) has caused a tectonic shift in healthcare, empowering data-driven prediction and decision-making. Recent research demonstrates how ML was used to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper puts forth new computer-aided COVID-19 disease screening techniques using six classes of ML algorithms (including penalized logistic regression, random forest, artificial neural networks, and support vector machines) and evaluates their performance when applied to a real-world clinical dataset containing patients’ demographic information and vital indices (such as …

An Optimization-Driven Approach For Accurate Prediction Of Diabetes Mellitus, H El Bouhissi, Sb Xu, John H Wang

Department of Information Management and Business Analytics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Diabetes mellitus is a progressive metabolic disorder requiring timely identification to prevent severe complications and reduce healthcare burdens. This paper proposes an optimization-driven deep learning framework for accurate diabetes prediction, integrating Long Short-Term Memory selection and hyperparameter tuning. The framework is conceptualized as a decision-support system embedded within electronic health records and clinical workflows, supporting physicians, nurses, case workflow integration, governance, and privacy-are addressed to ensure alignment with real-world organizational contexts. The results demonstrate both technical feasibility and practical relevance, linking predictive analytics capability with human-AI collaboration, adoption factors, and operational decision-making in healthcare organizations.

Pubh 2200g : Health Citizenship, Public Health

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Nur 3608 : Nursing Informatics In Healthcare, Nursing

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Ksr 2860 : Teaching Health-Related Fitness, Ksr

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Nur 4900 : Integration Of Nursing Practice: Senior Clinical Practicum, Nursing

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Investigation Of Genx Exposure To Pathways Associated With Colorectal Cancer Risk, Emily J. Ferguson

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental contaminants widely detected in drinking water and food sources, resulting in chronic human exposure. Among these compounds, hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA), commonly known as GenX, has been introduced as a short-chain replacement for legacy PFAS such as perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). Although GenX is believed to be a safer alternative, emerging research suggests it can still affect human health.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States, highlighting the need to better understand environmental …

Uncovering The Mechanism Of Reep2-Mediated Emt-Driven Membrane Trafficking In Lung Adenocarcinoma, Kevin Fulp

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Membrane trafficking is frequently disrupted during cancer progression, and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Currently, no effective drugs target dysregulated membrane trafficking for cancer treatment. Recent evidence has demonstrated that epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) employs a membrane trafficking program to coordinate cancer cell invasion and immunosuppression. To further dissect the pro-tumorigenic membrane trafficking program, we initiated an in vivo CRISPRi screen to assess more than 2,000 membrane trafficking-related genes in a syngeneic mouse LUAD model. We identified REEP2, an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) shaping protein, as a novel regulator of EMT-driven membrane trafficking. High REEP2 expression is …

Reep2-Driven Pro-Metastatic Secretion Promotes Lung Cancer Progression, Oluwafunminiyi E. Obaleye

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Membrane trafficking plays a critical role in cellular function and is frequently dysregulated in cancer to promote metastasis. In lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) activating transcription factor, ZEB1, drives a pro-metastatic membrane trafficking program; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Using a CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) in vivo screen of 2,099 membrane trafficking regulators in a syngeneic mouse model of EMT-driven LUAD, we identified REEP2 — an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) shaping protein — as a critical regulator of tumor progression. REEP2 mRNA expression correlates with poor prognosis, EMT signatures, and an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment in LUAD patients. …

2026 Lynn University Student Research Symposium, Lynn University

Student Research Symposium Programs

The 2026 Lynn University Student Research Symposium was held Friday, April 24, 2026 on the 2nd floor of the Eugene M. and Christine E. Lynn Library.

Religion Recovers Its History: The Court Puts The Establishment Clause On A New Path, Patrick M. Garry

Missouri Law Review

For over a half-century, the First Amendment Establishment Clause jurisprudence was in disarray. Judicial decisions more often stemmed from social and cultural presumptions than from constitutional history. For years, if not decades, Supreme Court observers waited for a clarifying opinion on this troubled area of First Amendment law. In a 2022 decision upholding a football coach’s right to silently pray at mid-field after a game, the Court issued a momentous decision that not only overruled much of previous Establishment Clause jurisprudence but also suggested a new path forward. Given the Court’s desire to base future doctrines on the historical meaning …

Deepseek And The First Amendment: Assessing The Eighth Circuit And Missouri’S Legal Impact On Open-Source Ai, Alvin Hoi-Chun Hung

Missouri Law Review

The rise of open-source generative artificial intelligence (AI) models presents new challenges for First Amendment jurisprudence. Although computer code has been recognized as protected speech, the emergent nature of AI-generated outputs complicates the boundary between human expression and machine autonomy. This Article examines the constitutional and regulatory implications of compelled disclosures and content filtering, situating the analysis within the precedent of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and recent actions by the Missouri Attorney General targeting algorithmic opacity under consumer protection law. It further examines the limitations of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act in addressing liability for autonomous …

Rates Of 30-Day Emergency Department Visits And Readmissions In Adults After Tracheostomy, Mckenna Gervais, Kayley Anderson, H. Nichols, Jana L. Wardian, Wesley Zeger, Benjamin Mcintire, Elizabeth Lyden, Jayme Dowdall

Journal Articles: Hospital Medicine

OBJECTIVE: To quantify 30-day emergency department (ED) visits and hospital readmissions post-tracheostomy-distinguishing between tracheostomy and non-tracheostomy-related causes-and to identify revisit risk factors.

METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of adult patients undergoing all-cause tracheostomy within the system between April 1, 2018, and April 1, 2025. Electronic Medical Record review captured demographic variables, outcomes, and mortality. Fisher's exact test and Fine and Gray's subdistribution hazard modeling assessed associations with in-hospital death and risk of revisit.

RESULTS: Among 618 patients, 119/618 (19.3%) died prior to discharge. Of the 499 patients discharged alive, 23 (4.6%) died within 30 days, for a cumulative 30-day mortality of …

Keynote: Addressing American Wealth Inequality, Martha F. Davis

Western New England Law Review

As federal constitutional protections constrict and the Supreme Court sends critical issues back to the states, state constitutions offer vital tools for addressing wealth inequality. This article demonstrates how state constitutions—particularly the Massachusetts constitution—can serve as mechanisms for economic justice by examining three distinct pathways. First, it analyzes the Massachusetts Fair Share Amendment, showing how citizens can directly amend state constitutions to implement progressive taxation, generating revenue for education and transportation while redistributing wealth. Second, it explores underenforced constitutional provisions such as the state’s education clause, which establishes a mandatory duty to provide adequate and equitable schooling yet remains subject …

Counterman V. Colorado: Is Recklessness An Emerging Threat To Hate Speech Impunity?, Jason Zenor

Western New England Law Review

Many people believe that the First Amendment provides too much protection for harmful speech, as the legal system struggles to balance these free speech protections with the harms amplified by the digital era. In cases involving online threats, the U.S. Supreme Court’s true threats doctrine made prosecution difficult, as the government had to show beyond a reasonable doubt that the speaker intended to threaten a specific target. Then, in 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court lowered the constitutional bar for true threats. The Court held that the government only had to show that the speaker was reckless and understood that the …

Shot Caller: The Weight Of The United States Sentencing Guidelines, Max Birmingham

Western New England Law Review

The Federal Sentencing Guidelines have drawn ire, from attorneys to judges to scholars to commentators. The concern below is the deference afforded by courts to the United States Sentencing Commission, which consists of unelected officials. In United States v. Lewis, the First Circuit discerned that the Sentencing Commission is under the umbrella of the Judicial Branch. In turn, some judges are relinquishing their interpretive authority to the Sentencing Commission. Because they are viewed as part of the fabric of the judiciary, jurists may have a proclivity for adopting wholesale the Sentencing Commission’s ideas.

The Sentencing Commission has opined—i.e., “commentary”—that “conspiracy” …

Justice David Souter And His Care For First Amendment Freedoms, David L. Hudson Jr.

Western New England Law Review

Justice David Souter left a remarkable legacy during his time on the U.S. Supreme Court. Nowhere was this more evident than in his sensitivity and solicitude for First Amendment freedoms. This essay examines Justice Souter’s First Amendment legacy primarily through his jurisprudence in three areas: (1) the secondary effects doctrine; (2) public employee free-speech cases; and (3) Establishment Clause opinions.

Puberty Blockers And Classifications On The Basis Of Sex, Mark Strasser

Western New England Law Review

For the last half-century, the Court has recognized that discrimination on the basis of sex triggers equal protection guarantees. Those guarantees impose a heavy–but by no means insurmountable–burden on the State to justify its use of sex-based classifications. Recently, in United States v. Skrmetti, the Court refused to apply heightened scrutiny to a sex-based classification in a shocking opinion that bodes poorly form equal protection in particular and constitutional analysis as a general matter.

Good Cause Does Not (Necessarily) Equal Housing Stability: An Empirical Examination Of Holdover Evictions By Landlord Type, Victoria M. Esposito, Cynthia Bott

Western New England Law Review

In light of the ongoing housing crisis, several municipalities and states have passed or are considering measures to stem evictions and keep as many people as possible housed. One of the most prominent of these is the requirement that private landlords have good cause to evict their tenants. However, there is little scholarship analyzing how and whether good cause has worked in the settings where it has existed longest: public housing and publicly funded non-profit housing.

Good cause eviction protections are intended to protect tenants from holdover evictions—i.e., evictions due to the end or termination of a lease rather than …

From Scandal To Solution: A New Governance Model For The World Anti-Doping Program, Tazzeel Walker

Western New England Law Review

This Article examines the challenges the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) faces in providing a drug-free competitive sporting environment. WADA was established in the 1990s—at the height of the doping epidemic—to manage the fight against doping in sports. Today, WADA monitors over 140 countries and each of which has a National Anti-Doping Organization (National Agency) tasked with enforcing the World Anti-Doping Code (Code) domestically. Given that WADA oversees doping enforcement in so many countries, it relies heavily on the National Agencies to police themselves. However, many of these National Agencies have blatantly disregarded the Code, which makes it more difficult for …

The Ones Who Watched: Technology, Proxy Warfare, And The Testing Ground Hypothesis, Sean J. Oliver

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Great powers need laboratories for war. This thesis argues that great powers find these laboratories in proxy forces. Proxy warfare is not just a tool for strategic influence. It is a machine for experimentation. This study posits a central testing-ground hypothesis. It contends that great powers deliberately use surrogates to vet emerging technologies, doctrines, and mobilization schemes under the pressure of real combat. The analytical methodology is historical. It traces patterns from the ancient world's proxy forces and the innovations of the Crusades to the Cold War and the digital age. The thesis examines enduring patterns, including the tension between …

Corpus Meum, Mea Electio, Kara L. Coonrod

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The right to bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom is something I hold very close to my heart. Women who did not wish to embrace motherhood, or who grew beyond the walls of the hearth and home, have been far more often persecuted than praised. Over the past two years, I have created artwork borrowing the visual and material language of the Catholic church (along with personally relevant folklore) to elevate my freedom of choice and bodily autonomy in the face of religiously driven political oppression. Using a less frequently referenced organ from my reproductive system to represent my struggle against …

Remediation Impacts Metal Concentrations And Metal Tolerant Bacteria In Soils Of The Missouri Tri-State Mining District, Ophelia R. Pettington

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

After over 100 years of Zn and Pb mining in the Tri-State mining district (TSMD), former mines continue to be sources of metals. Metal contaminated soils can be remediated using plant-microbe interactions. Plants manipulate their microbiome and recruit microbes to increase metal tolerance. Remediating bacteria are site-specific and identifying native microbes can accelerate remediation efforts. Studies relating microbes and metal concentrations in remediated areas in the TSMD are scarce. I collected root and bulk zone soils associated with Andropogon virginicus from remediated and non-remediated sites in Webb City, MO. I used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to evaluate the bacterial …

Investigating The Effects Of Biodegradable And Non-Biodegradable Microplastics On Pea Plant (Pisum Sativum L.), Blessing Bisola Akinwande

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Microplastics have emerged as a significant environmental concern, particularly in agricultural soils where they can interact with plants and potentially affect crop productivity and quality. This study investigated the effects of biodegradable and non-biodegradable microplastics on the growth, physiology, and elemental and metabolite composition of Pisum sativum L. (pea plants). Plants were cultivated under greenhouse conditions and exposed to 2% (w/w) compostable bioplastic (CBP) as a biodegradable microplastic and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) as a non-biodegradable microplastic. Plant growth and physiological parameters, including plant height, seed biomass, chlorophyll content, and lipid peroxidation, showed no significant differences between treatments and control, …

A Geospatial Assessment Of Groundwater Salinization In A Multi-Aquifer System: Durango, Mexico, Juan Lopez-Sierra

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Groundwater salinization poses a critical environmental concern for water resource sustainability in arid and semi-arid regions. This study evaluates spatial and temporal patterns of groundwater salinity across the state of Durango, Mexico, using total dissolved solids (TDS), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), as salinity indicators and nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃–N) as an anthropogenic indicator. Groundwater quality data were obtained from (CONAGUA), a Mexican water agency. To assess salinity variations with respect to time, while minimizing interannual sampling bias, two multi-year sampling periods were selected: 2012-2013, and 2020-2021. Final datasets consisted of 122 wells for 2012–2013 and 131 wells for 2020–2021. The wells were …

Lsu General Catalog 2026-2027, Louisiana State University And Agricultural And Mechanical College

LSU General Catalog

The LSU General Catalog describes all undergraduate and graduate departments and programs with degree requirements and courses offered for each one. The LSU General Catalog includes information on registration and financial aid as well as academic services offered to all students