Digital Commons Network^™

Championing Weight-Neutral Healthcare: A Review Of Resources From Medical Students For Size Inclusivity, Samantha Guss

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

Medical Students for Size Inclusivity (MSSI) is a volunteer-led organization of medical students across the United States challenging weight bias in healthcare and advocating for equitable, weight-inclusive care (https://sizeinclusivemedicine.org). Recently MSSI has developed three “informed consent resources” about intentional weight loss interventions, focusing on glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist medications (such as Ozempic©), bariatric surgery, and pediatric weight management. The three resources are grounded in weight-neutral care and are designed to supplement information from healthcare providers by sharing more nuanced information about the research on the interventions, potential alternatives, and approaches to health that are not focused on body weight. …

The Gut-Skin Connection: How Microbes Shape Atopic Dermatitis, Hailey Soares

Student Research Design & Innovation Symposium

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder characterized by impaired epidermal barrier function and immune dysregulation. Emerging evidence suggests that the gut microbiome plays a key role in immune signaling pathways involved in AD development and severity, particularly during early life. This project examined how the gut microbiome influences skin inflammation to determine key immunological mechanisms mediating AD symptomology and possible therapeutic strategies. Reduced microbial diversity and decreased abundance of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)‚ producing anaerobes are consistently associated with increased AD risk. Dysbiosis disrupts immune tolerance by impairing regulatory T cell (Treg) function and promoting Th2 and …

Big Tech As Transnational Spyware Regulator, Natalie R. Davidson

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

Spyware has emerged as a potent tool for leaders to shrink dem- ocratic contestation. In response to calls for constraints on the trade in spyware, states have updated the principal multilateral agree- ment on export controls, civil society groups have employed strate- gic litigation, and the European Union has altered its regulation, in each case with the aim of limiting exports where there is a risk of human rights violations. Yet, scandals involving the Israeli company NSO, among others, have made clear that even the updated regula- tory landscape is inadequate. Many actors are currently debating the reasons for existing …

When The “Public Interest” Violates The First Amendment: Jimmy Kimmel And Fcc Chair Brendan Carr, Joel Timmer

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

Following the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, comments made by late-night ABC host Jimmy Kimmel sparked controversy after some interpreted his remarks as implying conservative responsibility for the crime. The backlash intensified when Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr publicly suggested that Kimmel’s statements were misleading and potentially inconsistent with FCC policy, warning that broadcast stations airing the program should address the matter or risk regulatory consequences, including fines or license revocation. Shortly thereafter, major broadcast groups suspended the program, followed by ABC’s temporary suspension of the show. These events raised serious concerns about whether the FCC Chair’s …

Glial Cytokine Modulation Improves Sleep And Circadian Disruption In Female Saa Knock-In Mice Of Alzheimer’S-Related Pathology, Teresa Macheda, Margaret R. Hawkins, Carrie E. Johnson, Madison G. Lapid, Haleigh R. Whitlock, Savannah M. Shepard, Makayla F. Cox, Kelly N. Roberts, Leke Bytyqi, Heather M. Hash, Omar A. Abou El-Ezz, Mohammed Abou El-Ezz, Katharina Kohler, Sridhar Sunderam, Bruce F. O'Hara, Linda J. Van Eldik, Michael Paul Murphy, Marilyn J. Duncan, Adam D. Bachstetter

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

Introduction: Sleep and circadian disturbances are early Alzheimer's disease (AD) features, yet mechanisms linking amyloid pathology, neuroinflammation, and sex differences remain unclear.

Methods: We longitudinally assessed sleep, circadian rhythms, and cognition in female and male hAPP^SAA knock-in and control mice from 2 to 19 months using piezoelectric monitoring. Aged mice (15 months) received MW151, a glial cytokine inhibitor (2.5 mg/kg, every other day, 6 weeks).

Results: Only females exhibited midlife reductions in light-phase sleep, increased rhythm fragmentation, and reduced rhythm stability, coinciding with selective reversal learning deficits, effects independent of amyloid or cytokine burden. MW151 increased light-phase sleep and …

Atypical Antipsychotic-Induced Weight Gain Preventive Bundle: A Quality Improvement Project, Jocelyn Urbano

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

Antipsychotic-induced weight gain (AIWG) is a common, clinically significant adverse effect associated with second-generation antipsychotic medications and contributes to increased cardiometabolic risk among individuals with serious mental illness (SMI; Carolan et al., 2025; Hegde et al., 2024). Individuals experiencing homelessness or social instability often encounter additional barriers to maintaining healthy lifestyle behaviors and consistent engagement in healthcare, further increasing metabolic risks and treatment issues (Hamel et al., 2024; Kelly et al., 2025). This preventive care bundle, designed to reduce the risk of AIWG, was implemented in an outpatient behavioral health clinic serving an underserved urban Texas population.

As metformin may …

Introduction To Issue 2, Arti Sahajpal

Loyola University Chicago Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Ai In The Vault: Ai Act's Impact On Financial Regulation, Maria Lucia Passador

Loyola University Chicago Law Journal

The AI Act, a pioneering legislative framework, classifies AI systems based on their risk levels and mandates stringent requirements for high risk systems to ensure transparency, accountability, and protection of fundamental rights. This Article further addresses the critical intersection of AI technology and prudential supervision, highlighting the significant roles of the AI Office, and the AI Board in the governance and oversight of AI applications in finance.

Despite existing literature focusing on the integration of AI in banking supervision and the associated risks, gaps remain in understanding how these regulatory frameworks can effectively oversee AI's transformative impact on financial markets. …

Online Learning, Children's Health School Services

School Guides

Parent guide about online learning school services.

Advancing Research Appointments: Enhancing Patron Satisfaction Through Assessment, Kytt Everdeen Moore, Tera A. Ray, Laura B. Wright

The Southeastern Librarian

As research appointments continue to be a service offered across reference departments, it is important to regularly assess their effectiveness at meeting patrons’ needs and to seek improvement. To do this, patrons were surveyed after scheduling a research appointment to understand their reasons for scheduling an appointment, preferred formats, expectations, knowledge gained, and overall satisfaction. The findings revealed that most patrons were students, and the most common way to learn about appointments was from instructors. Patrons primarily scheduled appointments online, citing convenience and location as main reasons for their choice. Their main expectation was to learn effective search strategies. Recommendations …

Evaluation Of The Physical Properties And In Vitro Safety Of Chitosan-Quercus Infectoria Topical Gel, Rani Naga Rakshitha Tillapudi

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Due to ongoing inflammation, inadequate blood flow, oxidative stress, and reduced tissue regeneration, chronic diabetic wounds heal slowly, which is a serious health concern. It is important to examine novel strategies that tackle these issues because conventional treatments frequently fail. Therefore, this study examined the physical properties and biocompatibility of a novel topical gel formulated with chitosan and Quercus infectoria gall extract.

Over 28 days, pH, spreadability, texture, homogeneity, color, and drug concentration were assessed. UV-visible spectrophotometry and FTIR analysis were used to establish chemical stability. The MTT assay was used to test its safety in human dermal fibroblast adult …

Tax Laws And Proportionality: Analyzing Implementation And Advocating For Reform, Moshe A. Jaffe

SJD Dissertations

The application of judicial review to tax legislation presents unique challenges and inconsistencies. This study contends that the proportionality doctrine, widely used in numerous legal systems, offers the best framework for reviewing the constitutionality of tax laws. By examining the implementation of proportionality in countries such as Germany, Israel, and Canada, this research argues that adopting this doctrine—excluding the Stricto Sensu sub-test—could provide a more consistent and fair method for judicial review of tax legislation. Specifically, this approach avoids the indeterminacy and subjectivity often associated with open-ended balancing, while still ensuring that tax measures serve legitimate aims and employ means …

Ransomware As Organization: A Comparative Analysis Of Corporate And Criminal Structures In Conti, George Urling

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Cybercriminal groups continue to pose major threats to global cybersecurity. One of the most common types of cybercriminal groups are, “Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS)" groups, who create and sell ransomware. While research is conducted into the development of ransomware, there is limited reporting on the organizational structure and habits of RaaS groups. In 2022, prominent RaaS group Conti had their chat logs leaked, with the logs ranging from 2020 to 2022. This study seeks to provide a deeper understanding of RaaS group structures by utilizing the Conti leaked logs as a case study. The study, entitled “Ransomware as Organization: A Comparative Analysis …

Seagrassnet Monitoring In The Great Bay Estuary, Nh/Me Field Season 2025, Kalle Matso, Lara Martin, Christopher Whitney, Trevor Mattera, Amanda Giacchetti, David M. Burdick, Thomas Gregory

PREP Reports & Publications

No abstract provided.

Choco Pies, Economic Gains, And The Opening Of North Korea:, Quinci Rasband

BYU Asian Studies Student Journal

Since the armistice was signed putting a hold on the Korean War (July 27, 1953) and officially created two separate entities, has there ever been a time when North Korea and South Korea—two diametrically opposed countries— worked together towards a common goal? If there really was such a time when North Korea and South Korea collaborated, one can wonder how this was received in the minds of North Koreans and South Koreans. While it is challenging to understand North Korean citizens’ perceptions of events, delving into accessible sources can shed light onto South Korea’s viewpoint of inter-Korean relations. One such …

Memories Of The Low-Income Elderly Of South Korea, Jacob Gilbert

BYU Asian Studies Student Journal

Rain pattered against my umbrella as I walked down the small alleyway near Tapgol Park. An elderly man carrying a black umbrella hobbled past me. Rain dripping from the gutters made puddles at my feet. I carefully avoided several puddles in the pavement making my way to the end of the alleyway. As I drew closer to the end, loud voices echoed down the alley. Around the corner a crowd of elderly people huddled underneath the roof of the front gate to the park. Some stood, while others sat on the ground leaning their backs against the walls of the …

The Hallyu Hexagon:, Katherine Linton

BYU Asian Studies Student Journal

From the opening credits, Crash Landing On You1 captured the attention and adoration of millions. The show follows a South Korean chaebol heiress, Yoon Se-ri, who crash lands into the North Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone. She is discovered by North Korean soldier, Ri Jeong Hyeok, who mercifully decides not to kill her on the spot. Over the course of 16 episodes and 23 hours, as Ri Jeong Hyeok betrays loyalty lines by evading the North Korean Military Police and helping Yoon Se-ri return to the south, the two’s fateful meeting evolves into a cross-border romance.

Korean dramas are …

Silencing The Party, Amplifying The Music:, Brian Lewis

BYU Asian Studies Student Journal

The 2024 dissolution of the MFP marked a turning point in Thai electoral politics, catalyzing a cultural contest over political expression through music. The court’s decision to dissolve the MFP was perceived as a direct attack on free political discourse, intensifying state-led censorship efforts against musicians who critiqued the establishment. In response, political music became not only a means of protest, but a crucial space for youth to form their political identities and express dissent. This escalation in censorship and the concurrent surge in musical activism cannot be directly attributed to long-standing political trends; rather, they were significantly increased by …

Full Issue

BYU Asian Studies Student Journal

No abstract provided.

Colonial Legacy And National Identity:, Nina Harris

BYU Asian Studies Student Journal

The island of Taiwan occupies an unusual political position in the world today. Taiwan is viewed primarily in relation to its complicated relationship with the People’s Republic of China. While Taiwan considers itself distinct from the Chinese mainland, with its own constitution and democratically elected leaders, China’s government claims the island is an inalienable part of China and has been for centuries. Taiwan’s history, however, is more complicated and diverse than China allows. Unbeknownst to many, Taiwan was a Japanese colony from 1895 to 1945, and it was an era of highly significant change for Taiwan. The Japanese occupation was …

Connecting To The Motherland:, Grace Truett

BYU Asian Studies Student Journal

India was the crown jewel of the British Empire and, despite the oppressive colonialism between 1857 and 1947, it produced citizens who cared for the future of their nation. Jamini Roy is one such citizen who envisioned his rich cultural Motherland untouched by Western forces. Although India had been dominated by Britain economically, socially, and even artistically, Roy was an anti-capitalist artist who used materials native to India to perpetuate Bengali artistic traditions and reinvent Christian folklore; his work aims towards unification of Hindu, Muslim, and Christian Indian viewers through nationalism and connection of Indian citizens to their land, as …

Made For War, Abandoned In Peace:, Michelle Parada-Gonzalez

BYU Asian Studies Student Journal

Amid a raging blizzard in the mountains of 1907 Hokkaido, Sugimoto Saichi shelters inside the still-warm carcass of a freshly killed deer, huddled beside his companion, Asirpa. As she asks if his wounds still hurt, he brushes it off, insisting that the man he killed earlier had no human heart and felt little pain. When Asirpa reprimands him, Sugimoto concedes—war has changed him. The person he once was had been left behind on the battlefield. Some men, he says, can return to their old lives, but others like him remain stuck in the past. Asirpa, only twelve years old, considers …

Harmony In Transit:, Bridget Eddy

BYU Asian Studies Student Journal

Japan’s public transportation system is famous for its speed and efficiency. But it is more than just a way to travel. Trains and buses shape daily life and behavior in Japan. They reflect pertinent historical and cultural values, which provide a significant connection to society. Similar to sewing a new piece of fabric onto an old kimono, modern technology has become a part of the cultural garment–not a replacement for it–all while the existing fabric has continued to give it meaning and structure. The Japanese have woven older cultural threads into the new systems; concurrently and reflexively, the new technology …

The Second Great Reform:, Margaret Jeppesen

BYU Asian Studies Student Journal

Beginning in 1978 under Deng Xiaoping’s leadership, China launched the Great Economic Reform, also known as the Opening-up, as the nation transitioned from a centrally planned system to a market-oriented economy. In a single generation, millions were lifted out of poverty establishing China as a global economic superpower. Since then, China has placed great emphasis on maintaining a continuous economic upward trend and achieving technological self-sufficiency.

The development of artificial intelligence plays a prominent role in China’s second great reform to become a technological superpower. In 2017, President Xi Jinping introduced the New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan (AIDP) —a …

Adapting Sherlock Holmes:, Victoria Ho

BYU Asian Studies Student Journal

Sherlock Holmes is one of the longest standing detectives in the world of crime and detective fiction, evident in the recreation of his character in various media. In Detective Conan, or Case Closed—a Japanese anime series adapted from a Japanese manga—the writer, Gosho Aoyama, creates his version of Sherlock Holmes in the form of Shinichi Kudo, a high school detective. However, parts of Holmes’s character can be problematic for Aoyama to adapt for Japanese society, particularly Holmes’s role as a disrupter of order. Thus, Aoyama provides a liminal space as a solution for Shinichi to preserve social order by turning …

Havens For Corporate Lawbreaking, William J. Moon

Faculty Scholarship

Whether corporations are obligated to maximize profits or if they ought to consider societal interests more broadly remains one of the most highly contested debates in corporate law. Yet even the fiercest defenders of the firm’s profit motive concede that the corporation’s profit-seeking function cannot justify breaking the law. As a matter of American corporate law, directors and officers are in breach of their fiduciary duties if they facilitate or engage in profit-maximizing illegal activities. Or so we thought.

This Essay reveals a troubling trend of jurisdictions undercutting the legal compliance obligations of directors and officers. The current legal architecture …

Development Of A Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic (Pbpk) Simulation Model For Nicotine, Brian Kim, Sung Hun Bae, Mohamed Bashar, Bofang Yi, Mohammad Asikur Rahman, Prince Awuah, Matthew Hartog, Rony Panarsky, Tao Zhang

Pharmacy Faculty Scholarship

Tobacco is a major cause of chronic diseases such as lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease worldwide. Nicotine, the primary psychoactive component in tobacco, is highly addictive and while not the primary driver of such tobacco-related diseases, poses various health risks, particularly those affecting the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems. Although nicotine-based therapies, such as nicotine replacement products, are widely utilized in smoking cessation efforts today, the impact of newer, tobacco delivery systems such as electronic nicotine delivery systems, or ENDS, remains uncertain and warrants continued evaluation. This study aims to develop and validate a physiologically based pharmacokinetic …

Monroe, New Hampshire Annual Report Of The Monroe Town Officers For The Year Ending December 31, 2025, Monroe Town Representatives

Monroe, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Meta-Analysis: Diabetes Mellitus And The Risk Of Endometrial Cancer, Tricia Ho, Marika Ongpauco, Han Ha Ngoc Nguyen

Physician Assistant Studies | Graduate Research Papers

Background: Many studies have looked at the relationship between diabetes mellitus and development of endometrial cancer. This study provides an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of the estimated effect of diabetes and the risk of endometrial cancer.

Methods: Some studies were found on databases such as PubMed and Iceberg. The remaining studies were extracted from the initial studies found. Binary data was collected and the raw data was imputed into a Fixed Effects Model.

Results: A total of 25 studies were included in this meta-analysis, generating statistically significant results (p < 0.001, OR 2.05, 95% Cl 1.92-2.19).

Discussion: Diabetes is found to be …

The Effects Of Antidepressant Medications On Sleep Quality In Dominican University Of California Students, Natalie L. Davis, Kenna Wohlford, Stephanie Lee

Physician Assistant Studies | Graduate Research Papers

We spend approximately one third of our life time sleeping or attempting to sleep. The quality of our sleep is equally, if not more important than the amount of sleep we get. This study assesses the effects that medications, specifically antidepressants, can have on sleep quality in Dominican University of California students. 118 participants completed a Qualtrics survey including questions regarding stress, sleep quality, medication lists, and demographics. This study utilized the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to quantify participants’ sleep quality as the outcome. Participant stress levels were assessed with a Likert scale question asking for stress levels on …