Digital Commons Network^™

Granting The High Seas Personhood And Quasi-State Status, Jennifer Bass

Western New England Law Review

The Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction has now secured sufficient ratifications to enter into force. The enforcement mechanisms of the treaty could be strengthened to better protect biodiversity by granting the high seas personhood and providing the high seas quasi-statehood. The enforcement mechanism would be through the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea’s (UNCLOS) International Tribunal of the Sea. Specifically, enforcement could be strengthened by working with other entities such as Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs), the Fish Stocks Agreement, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna …

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 Room That Remembers: A Sanctuary Built From Silence, Kayla Brown

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This installation is a process-based paper artwork that seeks to protect, enlighten, and discover what healing can be in silence. Through the creation of immersive art objects and experiences, I seek understanding and resolutions for my lived experiences. I utilize the physicality of paper in conjunction with the fragility of topic to enhance the meaning behind my material choices. I transform the idea of a traumatic room into an activated space of healing: one that rest, time, and momentary silence exist as choice rather than by force.

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 …

Europe In The Indo-Pacific - Implications For The United States, Joshua G. Zinicola

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Within the last five years the Indo-Pacific has become a region of increasing interest to European NATO members. In particular, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy have assigned strategic importance for their national security to the region, signing cooperative agreements with regional allies of the United States and deploying significant forces to the region. These agreements include commitments to jointly develop new technologies and combat systems for employment in both Europe and the Indo-Pacific, such as the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), and the Trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States (AUKUS). They also include …

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

From Sediment To Mangrove: Tissue-Specific Metal Accumulation In Red Mangroves Of Southeastern Florida, Sophie Welch

Honors Theses

Coastal wetlands near industrialized waterways face increasingly heavy‐metal contamination, posing risks to benthic communities and food webs. Mangroves can influence metal cycling through sediment trapping, root‐zone sequestration, and internal physiological regulation, yet their effectiveness in urbanized systems remains debated. This study quantified concentrations of 17 heavy metals in sediments and mangrove tissues from four sites near Port Everglades, Florida, examined tissue‐specific partitioning, spatial and temporal contamination patterns, and examined the mangroves’ role in mediating metal loads. Ecological risk metrics identified STB as a contaminant hotspot with exceedances of TEL values across multiple elements (Ni, Pb, and Zn) as well as …

My Fifty Years, Bennett L. Gershman

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Managing The Mood: How Managerial Communication Shapes The Experience Of Emotional Labor Among Restaurant Employees, Brynn Olverson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Restaurant work is emotionally demanding work for servers and bartenders. Organizational Support Theory (Eisenberger et al., 1986) suggests that employees’ perceptions of their organizations’ support can bolster the negative side effects of such work. However, past instruments used to measure these perceptions do not distinguish between types of emotional experience, nor separate perceptions of emotional support from other forms of support. Likewise, OST notes that supervisors play a key role in influencing perceptions of organizational support, but more work is needed to determine specific communicative behaviors that can increase perceptions of organizational support. The study at hand proposes that managers' …

The Fertilization President: A Rhetorical Analysis Of The United States’ Rebirth Of Pronatalism, Kara Vetch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The United States experienced one of the lowest birth rates in decades in 2024 and has been blamed by policymakers for poor economic and societal outcomes. To combat this, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to encourage healthcare insurances to lower the cost of fertility treatments. Policies encouraging more births align with pronatalist ideologies, the belief that higher national birth rates are better for society. Furthermore, Vice President JD Vance and social media influencers, Malcolm and Simone Collins, have built a strong resurgence of pronatalist ideologies through public addresses and interviews long before Trump’s executive order. For an in-depth …

Computational Modeling Of Biophysical Transport: Respiratory Drug Delivery And Tissue-Level Physics, Md Tariqul Hossain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The nasopharynx, the upper part of the pharynx located at the back of the nose serves as a critical hotspot for initial respiratory infections via inhaled transmission, largely due to the presence of specific surface receptors that pathogens can exploit for cell invasion, combined with a relatively sparse local mucociliary substrate. To enhance the therapeutic efficacy against certain pathogens, such as the SARS and Influenza viruses, it is therefore essential to improve the targeted delivery of drugs to the nasopharynx. This study explores the use of intranasal sprays as a method for drug administration and models the transport of sprayed …

Cyber Security Related To Agricultural Data Encryption Using Edge Computing Devices, Mohammad Ashik Alahe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Smart Agriculture increasingly relies on image-based sensing, edge computing, and artificial intelligence to support data-driven decision-making in modern farming systems. While these technologies improve productivity and resource efficiency, they also introduce significant cybersecurity risks, particularly agricultural images transmitted and processed in real-time on resource-constrained edge devices. Unauthorized access, data manipulation, and interception of image data can lead to incorrect agronomic decisions and severe economic consequences. Despite this risk, efficient and practical cybersecurity solutions for real-time agricultural imaging remain limited. This study addresses these challenges by developing and evaluating encryption-based cybersecurity frameworks tailored for real-time agricultural image protection on edge computing …

Strong Foundations: Supporting Mental Well-Being In School-Age Youth, Skylar Simpson

Occupational Therapy | OTD Capstone Projects

School-age youth in the United States increasingly face stressors that disrupt their overall mental well-being, highlighting a need for accessible preventative interventions. To address this gap, this doctoral capstone project developed a program titled Strong Foundations: Supporting Mental Well-Being in School-Age Youth, an evidence- and occupation-based program consisting of various interventions designed to enhance the well-being of youth attending a San Francisco Recreation and Park (SFRPD) community-based summer camp. Through embedding occupational therapy-based programming into an environment that currently lacks dedicated mental well-being promotion methods, the Strong Foundations aims to foster mental well-being among school-age youth through occupational engagement that …

The Role Of Occupational Therapy In Developing Aquatic Programs For Children Diagnosed With Autism, Giavanna Stavros

Occupational Therapy | OTD Capstone Projects

There is a need for inclusion in therapeutic aquatic programming for children diagnosed with autism (ASD), as their increased participation in aquatic interventions and activities promotes safety and well-being for this population. Pediatric occupational therapists (OTs) are vital to fill this gap in skill, as pediatric OTs consistently work with children diagnosed with ASD (Jaicks, 2024), and core principles of the occupational therapy (OT) profession include enhancing one’s safety and well-being (American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), 2025). Children diagnosed with ASD must have the opportunity to engage in swimming and aquatic therapy, as this population is at a higher risk …

Promoting Postpartum Maternal Self-Efficacy Through Prenatal Pelvic Floor Health And Sensory Modulation Education, Cate Smith

Occupational Therapy | OTD Capstone Projects

Pelvic floor therapy, also called pelvic floor health care, is an emerging field for occupational therapy practitioners. Pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) is a common health outcome after pregnancy and childbirth. Although most women receive consistent prenatal health care, they do not receive the education they need to manage symptoms of PFD such as incontinence, pain, and sensory dysregulation during the postpartum period. Occupational therapy can play a meaningful role in educating and supporting women during the prenatal period, postpartum healing, and role acquisition. This doctoral capstone project researched educational strategies to improve self-efficacy among perinatal women. Albert Bandura defines self-efficacy …

Baking In The Disposition: The Wac/Wid World Through Translational Lenses, Joseph Franklin

Publications and Research

In a global perspective for WAC and other writing programs, the singular identifier of the nation still holds a dominance in articles, books, and conference presentations. But, how we understand relationships between different programs on the global writing studies map often demands a more nuanced unpacking than stable nation-markers can offer. Jonathan Hall (2023) calls us to take up “thinking with trans-” in WAC (p. 13). This chapter answers this call first by locating different pieces of global writing program scholarship along a spectrum from those that aim to establish a single, stable identity for a particular (often national) writing …

Remote Access Restrictions To Immigration-Related Court Records, Doris H. Zhang

Fordham Law Review

Journalists today often report on newsworthy federal court cases by remotely accessing the court records online. However, thanks to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2(c), remote access is not available by default in immigration-related cases. To obtain any court records in immigration cases, journalists must go to the courthouse, hire someone to go on their behalf, or ask the court to exercise its discretion to lift the Rule 5.2(c) remote access restrictions. These alternatives are burdensome, hindering the ability of the press and the public to keep track of immigration cases in federal courts. Despite the burdens on the press …

Virginia Commonwealth University Courses (2026), Virginia Commonwealth University

VCU Bulletins

Listing of courses for the 2026-2027 year.

Virginia Commonwealth University Undergraduate Bulletin (2026), Virginia Commonwealth University

VCU Bulletins

Undergraduate bulletin for Virginia Commonwealth University for the academic year 2026-2027. It includes information on academic regulations, degree requirements, course offerings, faculty, academic calendar, and tuition and expenses for undergraduate programs

Virginia Commonwealth University Graduate Bulletin (2026), Virginia Commonwealth University

VCU Bulletins

Listing of courses for the 2026-2027 year.

Empowerment Vs. Oversight: Student Perspectives On Classroom Genai Policies, Jessica A. Drass

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

The widespread availability of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools and their rapid evolution has prompted faculty and institutions to develop classroom policies in effort to manage use, yet little empirical research exists on how such policies impact students. This qualitative study sought to explore how higher education students define academic integrity and GenAI’s place within it, how they perceive and evaluate classroom GenAI policies, and how such policies shape their academic self-efficacy, motivation, and engagement. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with sixteen undergraduate and graduate students at a mid-sized public university located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Interview …

Beyond Superpowers And Stereotypes: Female High School Band Directors Navigating Gendered Expectations In Leadership, Rachael L. Urquhart

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Female high school band directors (FHSBDs) are significantly underrepresented (approx. 25%) in a male-dominated field. This inequity is sustained by societal gender stereotypes that create a double standard for traits like assertiveness and empathy. This mixed-methods study examined the leadership perceptions and career aspirations of female music teachers and highlighted the career obstacles and encouragements of female high school band directors (FHSBDs) by applying feminist theory to gender roles, self-concept, and leadership conceptualization. A survey of female music teachers yielded 89 responses. Then, 10 FSHBDs participated in a narrative-mapping activity and follow-up interview.

Survey data confirmed that leadership is a …

Geriatric Trauma Care: Closing The Gap Between Current Practice And Evidence-Based Data, Coleen Dever

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Trauma care for older adults, ages 65 and older, poses challenges for trauma centers and emergency departments. This age group accounts for nearly 20% of the population and is expected to continue growing, underscoring the need for rapid, efficient management after injury. Complex medical conditions and medications, such as anticoagulants, can worsen injuries even from low-energy mechanisms like a ground-level fall (GLF). As a result, trauma centers develop protocols to identify patients at the highest risk of serious injury and to allocate resources for assessment and treatment. Across the country, trauma centers have updated protocols to include anticoagulant use as …

Experiences With The Criminal Justice System: How Discriminatory Policing Impact Minorities Economically, Gerard I. Boykin

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Systemic racism is an ailment that has plagued the United States since its inception. This research will highlight previous studies on the topic of race relating to discriminatory policing and injustices within the criminal justice system. Solutions will be offered as to the best remedies to rid the criminal justice system of inequalities faced by those within minority communities. Over-policing is one tactic used within the criminal justice system that targets minorities. Further, minorities are significantly more likely to receive longer prison sentences than White male counterparts for otherwise similar crimes. This study will also engage recently released prisoners to …

The Evolution Of Ethical Conviction, Tracy Henry

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

There is a steady decline in public opinion polling when it comes to the public’s perspective of public officials. In 2023, the combined unfavourability rating of Congress was at 72%.  There are ongoing unfavorable ratings, by issue, for the judiciary, and by individual for the executive. The researcher went in search of the reasons behind the declining opinions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to identify those reasons and to answer the research question: To what extent do the ethical philosophies of consequentialism, deontology, and virtue inform the perceptions of the American public when they scrutinize the decision-making and conduct of public …

A Dual-Emission Polymer-Dots/Gold-Nanoclusters Nanohybrid For Ratiometric Fluorescence Detection Of Hg²⁺, Sha Wu

Dissertations and Theses

Heavy metals, such as Hg, Cd, Pb, and Cr, become a serious environmental problem because they are highly toxic, bioaccumulation, and long-term persistence, required a high sensitivity and selectivity detection method. Although laboratory testing instruments, such as inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, offer high sensitivity, their practical application is limited because they rely on large-scale equipment and complex sample pre-treatment processes. Single-emission fluorescence probes are simpler but can be affected by variations in probe concentration, excitation intensity, and measurement conditions. In this study, a dual-emission nanohybrid that consists of poly(9,9-di-n-hexylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl) (PDHF) and bovine serum albumin (BSA), termed as PDHF-Pdots/BSA-AuNCs nanohybrid, …

The Disenchanted Grove: Postcolonial Modernity And The Decline Of Ri’I Bamboo Governance In Flores, Indonesia, Handoyo Handoyo, Puji Hastuti, Lukas Rumboko Wibowo, Budiyanto Dwi Prasetyo, Surati Surati, Kresno Agus Hendarto, Lila Juniyanti, Dewi Ratna Kurnia Sari, Desmiwati Desmiwati, Sanusi Sanusi, Ane Dwi Septina, Ramawati Ramawati

Forest and Society

This article explores the erosion of ri’i, a traditional ecological governance system practiced by the Ngadha people in Flores, Indonesia, in the face of modernization and postcolonial development. Based on long-term ethnographic fieldwork and interviews with cultural elders, ritual practitioners, and local authorities, the study documents how ri’i—a ritual-based regulatory system for bamboo resource management—has been progressively dismantled through the combined pressures of technocratic governance, land commodification, and shifts toward individualism. Empirically, the main drivers identified are state land certification (including Sertifikat Hak Milik, SHM) and village modernization campaigns, which reconfigure communal tenure and everyday governance practices. Once embedded …

The Effect Of Different Nutrient Concentrations For Hydroponically Grown Pothos, Keaton Roether

A with Honors Projects

An experiment where Pothos plants are grown in three different solutions of water, NPK diluted into water, tap water, and distilled water. Data is recorded for multiple weeks and is then compiled into a comprehensible lab report of a minimum of 1000 words with graphs and data.

Wearable Biosensors For Continuous Monitoring Of Chronic Kidney Disease: Materials, Biofluids, And Digital Health Integration, Anupamaa Sivasubramanian, Shankara Narayanan, Gymama Slaughter

Center for Bioelectronics Publications

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive and irreversible disorder affecting over 850 million individuals globally and is associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and healthcare burden. Conventional diagnostic approaches rely on intermittent laboratory measurements, including serum creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and urinary albumin, which provide limited temporal resolution and fail to capture dynamic physiological changes. Recent advances in wearable biosensing technologies offer new opportunities for continuous, non-invasive monitoring of biochemical and physiological markers relevant to renal function. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of wearable biosensors for CKD monitoring, focusing on sensing mechanisms (electrochemical, optical, and field-effect transistor), …

Ion-Imprinted Polymer-Based Sensors For Toxic Metal-Ion Detection In Water: Coordination Chemistry, Transduction Strategies, And Environmental Applications, Ghita Yammouri, Gymama Slaughter

Center for Bioelectronics Publications

Toxic metal contamination in aquatic environments remains a persistent threat to human health and ecosystems. Yet, the high cost, infrastructure demands, and centralized nature of conventional analytical methods constrain routine monitoring. Ion-imprinted polymers (IIPs), a subclass of molecularly imprinted polymers, have emerged as promising synthetic recognition materials for metal-ion sensing because they generate coordination-defined binding sites with high selectivity, chemical stability, low cost, and reusability. This review summarizes recent advances in Ion-imprinted polymer (IIP)-based sensing technologies for toxic metal-ion detection in water from 2016 to 2026. It examines the fundamental recognition chemistry of IIPs, major synthesis strategies used to generate …