Digital Commons Network^™

Characterizing Gut Microbial Communities And Symbiont-Mediated Detoxification In Herbivorous Insects, Rachel C. Vargas

Biology Dissertations

Insect gut bacteria are vital contributors to host physiology, yet the broader prevalence and fitness implications of symbiont-mediated detoxification remain poorly understood. This thesis investigates these dynamics across three research chapters. Chapter 1 uses 16S rRNA sequencing to characterize how grasshopper gut microbial communities vary across species, dietary breadths, and gastrointestinal segments. Chapter 2 evaluates the detoxification capacity of over 150 bacterial isolates from diverse herbivores against the plant allelochemicals phenethyl isothiocyanate, rutin, and chlorogenic acid to determine if host dietary specialization predicts microbial metabolic ability. Finally, Chapter 3 employs fitness bioassays to test whether inoculating generalist herbivores with detoxifying …

Adolescent Girls’ Experiences Of Digital Dating Abuse Through Social Media: A Scoping Review, Kiara E. Rodriguez

Social Work Theses

Teen dating violence (TDV) is a prevalent adverse childhood experience with lasting psychological and behavioral consequences. As adolescents increasingly engage with social media, with 95% of teens aged 13-17 reporting using it, digital spaces have become a significant context in which dating abuse can occur. Digital dating abuse (DDA) refers to patterns of abusive behaviors that are directed toward a dating partner through digital technologies, including social media and mobile phones. Despite the growing role of social media in adolescent relationships, research on how adolescent girls experience DDA in these contexts remains limited. The central question for this scoping review …

Why Does The U.S. Still Practice The Death Penalty? An Application Of Waltz's Three Images, Anika Tracy

University Honors Program Senior Projects

The United States is the only Western democracy that still practices the death penalty, and legal scholars, domestic politics scholars, and comparativists have written extensively about American capital punishment. In this thesis, I will synthesize this scholarship to present a multifaceted explanation for America’s uniquely continued use of the death penalty through Kenneth Waltz’s three “images” or levels of analysis. While Waltz’s three levels of analysis is an established theory in the field of international relations (IR), the utilization of IR theory for an analysis of American capital punishment is particularly enriching because death penalty abolition is a norm in …

Leveling The Playing Field: The Atlantic Coast Conference’S Settlement With Florida State University And Clemson University, Emma Lloyd Best, Kyre Dane Lahtinen

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

This Article examines the legal disputes and subsequent settlement between the Atlantic Coast Conference and two of its prominent member institutions, Florida State University and Clemson University. The conflicts centered on the Atlantic Coast Conference’s extension of its media rights agreement with ESPN, which both universities argued were not properly approved under conference bylaws and imposed an unconscionable withdrawal penalty. Florida State University sought to challenge the enforceability of the Grant of Rights and its associated penalties, while Clemson University pursued a narrower interpretation, aiming to limit broadcast rights and financial obligations upon exit. The …

A Third Possibility: The Press Clause At The Founding, Matthew L. Schafer

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

With the rise of history and tradition at the Supreme Court, scholarship purporting to define historical fact is likely to have outsized influence on the development of constitutional law. Underdeveloped constitutional rights like the First Amendment’s Press Clause are especially susceptible to such influence as they lack a precedential counterweight. While Press Clause jurisprudence is shallow, historical research about the Press Clause is not. For decades, scholars who have considered the Press Clause’s historical meaning have generally concluded that the record is quite vague, and, for that reason, cautioned against absolutist conclusions as to its original understanding. …

Leveling The Playing Field: The Atlantic Coast Conference’S Settlement With Florida State University And Clemson University, Emma Lloyd Best, Kyre Dane Lahtinen

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

This Article examines the legal disputes and subsequent settlement between the Atlantic Coast Conference and two of its prominent member institutions, Florida State University and Clemson University. The conflicts centered on the Atlantic Coast Conference’s extension of its media rights agreement with ESPN, which both universities argued were not properly approved under conference bylaws and imposed an unconscionable withdrawal penalty. Florida State University sought to challenge the enforceability of the Grant of Rights and its associated penalties, while Clemson University pursued a narrower interpretation, aiming to limit broadcast rights and financial obligations upon exit. The Article delves into the history …

A Third Possibility: The Press Clause At The Founding, Matthew L. Schafer

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

With the rise of history and tradition at the Supreme Court, scholarship purporting to define historical fact is likely to have outsized influence on the development of constitutional law. Underdeveloped constitutional rights like the First Amendment’s Press Clause are especially susceptible to such influence as they lack a precedential counterweight. While Press Clause jurisprudence is shallow, historical research about the Press Clause is not. For decades, scholars who have considered the Press Clause’s historical meaning have generally concluded that the record is quite vague, and, for that reason, cautioned against absolutist conclusions as to its original understanding. More recently, though, …

Deregulating The Song: The Case For Free- Market Licensing Of Musical Works In The Digital Streaming Era, Bailey Alberton

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

This Note takes as its starting point that songwriters are inadequately and unfairly compensated for the streaming of their music and argues that the unique and pervasive government regulation of musical composition licensing exacerbates this problem. To address this problem, this Note argues that both the compulsory mechanical license and the performing rights organizations consent decrees should undergo reform to permit songwriters to negotiate with music streaming services in the free market.

The Invisible String: How Litigation Funders In Patent Suits Pose A National Security Risk, Cosette Mclaughlin

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

This Note will address why the Supreme Court should modify Rule 7.1 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure to require third-party litigation funding (TPLF) funders and agreements to be disclosed to the judge and the opposing party. This amendment would mitigate the national security risk posed by foreign adversaries acting through TPLF in patent suits by eliminating the veil of secrecy. The semiconductor industry acts as an illustration of the benefits of this modification.19 In addition, if TPLF funding were required to be disclosed to all involved, conflict identification would become significantly easier. Full transparency in patent litigation TPLF …

Doctrine, Data, And The Death Of Dupont, Thomas A. Reichert

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

For fifty years, trademark opinions have claimed to apply a comprehensive thirteen-factor test for trademark confusion. They are deeply mistaken. Using AI-powered analysis of over 4,000 TTAB inter partes decisions (2000–2025), this Article proves what practitioners have long suspected: in Section 2(d) adjudication, the test has collapsed to just two factors.

A simple categorical rule predicting confusion if and only if both mark similarity (Factor 1) and goods/services relatedness (Factor 2) (hereinafter “F1” and “F2” in figures, tables, and formulas) favor confusion achieves 99.55% accuracy across 4,651 comparisons. Cross-validated logistic regression confirms the pattern: a two-factor model achieves 99.46% accuracy, …

Discrimination In The Trademark Id Manual, Rachael Dickson

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

Using evidence drawn from the USPTO’s treatment of 221 identifications submitted for inclusion in the Trademark ID Manual (including 43 this Author submitted on their own and as part of a team), this Article, the first ever written on the ID Manual, argues that the USPTO’s administration of the Manual systematically disadvantages trademark applicants offering lawful but socially disfavored goods or services, such as those relating to cannabis, sexual health, or “vice.”

By deliberately refusing to include identifications of goods and services relating to entire categories of commerce in the ID Manual, the USPTO imposes higher costs, greater uncertainty, and …

Music Is Medicine: Addressing Legal Challenges In An Emerging Clinical Practice, Basha Goldwater

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

Music is universally experienced, and most will recognize its profound personal impact; yet, music’s broader influence on society is yet to be fully explored. People may listen to music when they are sad, when they are seeking motivation, or as a way to relax. However, music extends beyond expression, entertainment, and an outlet for emotions. Research indicates that music can offer substantial benefits to patients in a plethora of medical situations.

Part I of this Note will explain the usefulness of music as medical care, its advantages, and the broad range of institutional support music-based medicine has garnered. Part II …

Post-Secular Revitalization Of Religion: Ukranian Experience Of Social Initiatives By Churches As A Moral Alternative To The Russian "Theology" Of War, Iryna Horokholinska, Sviatoslav Vaskul, Oleksandr Brodetskyi, Andriy Kvik

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article examines the processes of religious revitalization in Ukrainian society under wartime conditions and their institutional manifestations. It explores how religious institutions engage with the public sphere and their role in the ethically oriented transformation of suffering, turning individual trauma into socially constructive practice. The study draws on innovations in the activities of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, other Christian denominations, as well as Muslim and Jewish communities in Ukraine. It presents the Ukrainian model of religious revitalization as a social practice shaped by institutional autonomy and interfaith coordination. Particular attention is given to …

Coloring Outside The Lines: Antiracist Aesthetics In The Detective Novels Of Chester Himes, Kam Shapiro

Faculty Publications – Politics and Government

In a series of detective novels published between 1957 and 1969 Chester Himes portrayed diverse individuals struggling for survival, wealth, and status in a fictionalized postwar Harlem, combining what Richard Wright called a “bio-social” perspective with an antiracist aesthetics that falsified simplistic racial categories. In this essay, I trace Himes’s renderings of bodily difference and transformation, highlighting features neglected by contemporaries such as Ellison and Baldwin as well as more recent critics and readers who frame Himes’s writings as protests against anti-Black violence. I conclude that Himes’s Harlem novels did not simply reflect violent realities of African American lives but …

2026 Oer Deep Dive, Caterina B. Azzarello, Cassendra Bergstrom, Kirsten Gilderhus

About OER

The Affordable & Open Educational Resources (AOER) Committee at UNC, in collaboration with the Colorado Department of Higher Education, UNC’s Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, and the University Libraries, hosted an in-person OER Deep Dive professional development workshop on Tuesday, May 19, 2026. This full-day event was created for faculty and staff interested in learning more about Open Educational Resources (OER) and exploring ways to incorporate them into their instructional practices.

Throughout the workshop, participants examined the foundations of OER, discussed distinctions between openly licensed and freely available materials, and explored the role of affordable course content …

How Effective Is Online Teaching Of Physiology Modules? Perception Of Rwandan Health Sciences Students, Abdullateef Isiaka Alagbonsi, Mojeed Akorede Gbadamosi, Mathieu Nemerimana, Makinde V. Olubiyi, Olufunke Onaadepo, Akaninyene Ubong Ime, Abdul-Rahuf Aderemi Feyitimi, Ruth Wanjiru Mungai, Florent Rutagarama, Simiat Elias

Biomedical Sciences, East Africa

Background: While blended teaching is approved in Rwandan medical education, the perceived effectiveness of online-only delivery for physiology modules remains unclear. This uncertainty limits its continued use. The present study assessed Rwandan health sciences students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of online teaching for physiology modules.

Methods: A total of 528 students from medicine and surgery (n = 300), pharmacy (n = 99), dentistry (n = 89), and clinical psychology (n = 40) programs at the University of Rwanda completed an online questionnaire. Data were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression and non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis) with corresponding effect …

Examining The Drivers, Consequences, And Depoliticization Strategies Of Greenhouse Gas Emission Polarization Among The American Public, Lauren Wilner

Environmental Studies Honors Theses

This thesis examines the politicization of greenhouse gas emissions within the American public, tracing its evolution from a consensus based scientific topic to a deeply polarized partisan issue. While early research established a clear link between greenhouse gases and global warming, the late 20th century saw a strategic rise in skepticism fueled by conservative think tanks, contrarian scientists, and industrial interests. This study analyzes the psychological mechanisms and media practices that have exacerbated this divide and decline in public environmental concern, which has resulted in negative social and environmental effects due to a slowed federal response to the climate crisis. …

Match Or Mismatch? : The Effects Of Fingerprint Evidence And Expert Testimony On Jury Decisions, Kassie N. Thallas

Dissertations

Fingerprint evidence is widely perceived as objective and reliable, yet is typically presented to jurors through expert testimony rather than directly evaluated. The present study examined how fingerprint match status and expert testimony influence juror decision-making. Participants (N = 225) read a mock criminal trial summary and were randomly assigned to one of five conditions. Four conditions were derived by crossing Expert Condition (fingerprint expert alone vs. conflicting experts) and Match Status (match vs. no match), with an additional control condition without fingerprint evidence. The participants made verdict decisions and rated the credibility, honesty and believability of the expert. The …

Icipe Annual Report 2025, International Centre Of Insect Physiology And Ecology (Icipe)

icipe Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

Optimized Nano-Bilosomes Loaded Ocular Insert As A Promising Approach For Boosting Voriconazole Ocular Bioavailability: In-Vitro, Microbiological, And In-Vivo Assessments, Eman Gomaa, Eman Gomaa

Nanotechnology Research Centre

The eye possesses numerous physiological barriers that significantly limit the absorption of administered drugs, as only < 5 % get through. These barriers restrict drug bioavailability, often necessitating multiple dosing, which can lead to poor patient compliance. The study goal is to efficiently incorporate Voriconazole (VRC), a widespectrum antifungal candidate with a short half-life, into stable, biocompatible, non-irritating bile salt nanoparticles (Bilosomes, BLOs) to enhance its ocular delivery. Bilosomes were prepared by the ethanol injection method. Experimental (33 ) Box–Behnken Design (BBD) was employed; the amount of bile salt, cholesterol, and span-60 were chosen as independent variables, while entrapment efficiency (EE%), cumulative VRC release (Q8h), particle size (PS), zeta potential (ZP), and polydispersity index (PDI) were the dependent variables. The formula of optimization showed EE% (59.04 ± 1.88 %), cumulative release after 8 h (81.35 ± 0.69 %), PS (222.53 ± 2.04 nm), ZP (− 72.53 ± 1.75 mV), and PDI (0.225 ± 0.03). It was chemically characterized using DSC and FTIR. Its spherical arrangement was confirmed using TEM. For ophthalmic application, the optimized formula was included in ocular inserts to extend ocular residence time while minimizing dosing frequency. The optimal VRC-loaded bilosomal ocular insert met the acceptable physicochemical criteria, was sterilized using UV radiation for conducting microbiological assay, in-vivo study, and pharmacokinetic analysis. For safety evaluation, an eye irritation study and histopathological examination were conducted. The results confirmed its effectiveness as evidenced by a significantly larger inhibition zone and 8.39-fold enhancement in VRC bioavailability compared to its suspension. These findings support the potential of bilosomes-loaded ocular insert as an effective ocular delivery of VRC.

Comparing Microgrids With Nuclear Energy: Which Is Better To Catapult New York Toward Its Green Energy Future?, Justin R. Ochs

Natural Resources Journal

This Note examines New York’s climate goals under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) by comparing two pivotal energy solutions: nuclear energy and microgrids. Microgrids remain notably underexplored in legal scholarship, particularly their potential to achieve compliance with the CLCPA. By analyzing the economic, environmental, regulatory, and public perception challenges associated with nuclear energy and microgrids, this Note argues that microgrids offer a safer, more flexible, and sustainable option for accelerating New York’s path toward its green energy future. This Note evaluates microgrid projects across New York, along with common critiques regarding the scalability and viability of hybrid …

Domestic Violence Prevention Through Offender-Side Interventions, Eva Kohn

Gender, Sexuality, and Intersectionality Studies Honors Papers

No abstract provided.

Sainik Vol 1 Issue 2, Sastra Deemed To Be University

SAINIK

No abstract provided.

Between Two Worlds: Acculturation And The Self In The Disaffiliation From Ultra-Orthodox Judaism, Gitel Perel Gordon

Selected Full-Text Dissertations 2020-

Disaffiliates from the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community exhibit particularly high rates of psychopathology and face a variety of social, psychological, and cultural challenges when they step away from their insular religious communities. The present study built on the disaffiliation-as-immigration framework to explore how disaffiliates negotiate acculturation to mainstream secular society. Specifically, the study investigated how a sample (N=256) of U.S.-based Ultra-Orthodox disaffiliates relate to both the mainstream (secular society) and heritage (Ultra-Orthodox) cultures, and how these processes shape identity and psychological adjustment. Participants completed a series of self-report measures assessing aspects of their acculturation process, self-concept, and psychological well-being, as well …

Ai, Experimental-Based Discovery And Preclinical Ind-Enabling Studies Of Selective Bmx Kinase Inhibitors For Development Of Cancer Therapeutics, Rwan Wael Elsanhoury

Selected Full-Text Dissertations 2020-

The current work aims to design and provide a preliminary IND-enabling study of selective BMX inhibitors for cancer therapeutics development. BMX is an emerging target, more notably in oncological and immunological diseases. In this work, we have employed a predictive AI-based platform to design the selective inhibitors considering the novelty, IP prior protection, and drug-likeness properties. Furthermore, selected top candidates from the initial iteration of the design were synthesized and chemically characterized utilizing 1H NMR and LC-MS. Employing a panel of biochemical (enzymatic) and cancer cell lines, the selected molecules were tested against these assays. In addition, we used artificial …

Development Of A Semi-Mechanistic Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic Model For Beta-Lactam Antibiotic Combination Against Enterococcus Faecalis Based On Time-Kill Assays To Predict Drug Disposition And Guide Dosing Strategy In A Severe Renal Impairment Population, Ruhma Zia Khan

Selected Full-Text Dissertations 2020-

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics continues to be a global health problem, limiting antibacterial therapy against infective endocarditis caused by Enterococcus faecalis. To overcome increasing resistance, dual beta-lactam therapy has been advocated as an alternative regimen for treatment – the synergistic activity against E. faecalis demonstrated to be effective. Currently, ampicillin plus ceftriaxone is the standard of care, but the practical application of this therapy is limited by ampicillin’s poor stability in solution at room temperature. A synergistic combination of penicillin plus ceftriaxone shows promise due to penicillin’s superior stability at ambient temperature, but ceftriaxone’s potential to cause hepatoxicity further limits …

How Attitudes About Sexual Orientation Affect Relationship Satisfaction Among Lesbian And Bisexual Women, Shiyun Chen

Selected Full-Text Dissertations 2020-

This analogue study examined how two different types of therapist self-disclosure (TSD) influenced the assessment of the working alliance and real relationship by observer participants, and how these variables were impacted by a participant’s race and experience of cultural mistrust. A sample of N = 339 Black and White adults watched one of two mock therapy videos, depicting either a non-immediate TSD or an Alliance- Focused Training (AFT)-consistent immediate TSD in response to the patient’s rupture markers. Based on the video, each with the same White therapist and bi-racial patient, participants rated the observed working alliance and real relationship. Participants …

Prescriptive Behaviors: Tracking The Social Impact Of Film Portrayals Of Black Men, Garfield Ronald Benjamin

Theses and Dissertations

Cinematic and televisual media express the thoughts and emotions of people and cultures with the potential of unifying people through the social realities that are created around the visuals, narratives, and on-screen interpersonal interactions. Through media like film, television, and short-form online video, people interact with others in ways that, because of barriers like physical distance and/or social structures, they may not be able to in real life. The images, sounds, and stories depict their own realities, which are consumed, interpreted, and understood by viewers and can inform their perceptions and interpersonal interactions. Stuart Hall, Jamaican-British, cultural theorist, and political …

Climate, Energy, Economy: Interconnected Perspectives From Politics, Business, And The Public, Isabella Harper Heinzen

Theses and Dissertations

When considering the economic and social costs and benefits of a global, intergenerational, and environmental issue, rigid analysis often falls short. The topics discussed in this thesis aim to address the complex moral, economic, and political concerns regarding climate change to provide a holistic view of the issue and the role humans play. The first section on the scientific consensus addresses concerns regarding the existence and severity of climate change, finding where the responsibility lies for humans. The second section analyzes the energy context in modern society to understand the call for a transition from oil and gas to renewable …

African American Women’S Engagement In The Black Liberation Struggle At Home And Abroad 1910-1977, Ryhaan Ameena Shakoor

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation studies the major social and political events of the twentieth century as seen through the eyes of seven African American women, Mary Church Terrell, Amy Jacques Garvey, Claudia Jones, Salaria Kea, Eslanda Robeson, Maida Springer and Shirley Graham Du Bois. It brings to light the significance of their efforts in the fight against racism, fascism, colonialism, apartheid and neo-colonialism in the United States and abroad. As the history of the Black liberation struggle was mostly dominated by male historians and writers, this work demonstrates that amongst others, these seven African American women made gender an important component to …