Digital Commons Network^™

Ethics Training For Community Researchers Engaged In Participatory Research: An Analysis Investigating Current Practices In Low-Income Countries, Chioma Chukwunedu

Public Health Theses

Participatory Research (PR) involves individuals affected by a research problem as active collaborators rather than passive subjects. While this approach emphasizes ethical and contextually relevant practices, existing literature suggests that ethics training for community researchers in low-income countries is inconsistently implemented and often not culturally adapted. This study examines how ethics training is currently provided to community researchers engaged in PR in low-income countries.A secondary analysis was conducted using manuscripts identified through a prior systematic review of PR studies in low-income settings. Corresponding authors of included studies were invited to complete an online Qualtrics survey regarding ethics training, participatory research …

Intergenerational Meaning-Making In Cambodian Americans, Caitlin Gojuk

Public Health Theses

Background: Cambodian Americans face high psychological distress yet remain underrepresented in research, especially second-generation individuals. Intergenerational trauma, stigma, and family dynamics shape mental health understanding and expression. Objective: This study examines how Cambodian American young adults make sense of mental health and distress through cultural identity, family relationships, and inherited meanings of trauma. Methods: In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with six second-generation Cambodian American young adults residing in Massachusetts, United States. Participants completed brief measures of depression and anxiety symptoms (PHQ-8; GAD-7) to provide a descriptive context. Interviews were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis informed by relational, narrative, and ecological …

Clostridioides Difficile Infection Trends And Treatment Concordance With Idsa/Shea Guidelines In The Connecticut Emerging Infections Program Catchment Area, 2011-2024, Rachael Hopkins

Public Health Theses

Background: Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a gastrointestinal infection causing colon inflammation, diarrhea, and potential life-threatening complications. In 2021, treatment guidelines for CDI were updated by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA). This study analyzed Connecticut Emerging Infections Program (EIP) data to assess CDI incidence trends (2011-2024) and evaluate physician concordance with 2021 guidelines for incident cases (2022-2024). Methods: The Connecticut EIP conducted CDI surveillance in New Haven County (2011-2023) and South Central and Naugatuck planning regions (2024). Incidence rates were calculated using census data. Concordance was defined as treatment …

Using The Behavior Change Wheel To Understand The Role Of Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs, Siqi Jiang

Public Health Theses

Objectives: This review aimed to summarize recent antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) implemented in pediatric outpatient settings and analyze how these interventions influence appropriate antibiotic use.Methods: PubMed and Scopus were searched for studies published between 2016 and 2026 globally. Studies were included if they evaluated an antimicrobial stewardship intervention in a pediatric outpatient setting. Only English studies are included. Studies that describe the results of implementations and policies related to ASP are included, including randomized controlled trials, quasi-experiments, natural experiments, quality improvement studies and observational studies, and longitudinal studies. Interventions in selected articles were analyzed using the COM-B (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behavior) …

Maternal Sleep, Sleep Medication Use, And Birth Outcomes: A Pilot Study Of The Pregnancy, Environment, And Child Health (Peach) Cohort, Samantha Lydell

Public Health Theses

Pregnancy is often a period of poor sleep quality. Previous research has linked reduced sleep quality and difficulty sleeping during pregnancy to adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. However, little is known about how sleep medication use may influence these associations. This pilot study examines the relationships between poor sleep, sleep medication use, and birth outcomes in the Pregnancy, Environment, and Child Health (PEACH) cohort. This study included 136 participants from the PEACH cohort linked to Yale New Haven Health delivery records. Poor sleep and sleep medication use were self-reported. Outcomes were gestational age at birth (days) and birth weight (grams). …

Characterization Of Tick Exoproteins Interacting With Anaplasma Phagocytophilum, Yilei Qin

Public Health Theses

Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Ap) is an Ixodes-transmitted obligate intracellular bacterium thatinfects neutrophils and causes human granulocytic anaplasmosis. Ap alternates between an infectious dense-cored (DC) form and a replicative reticulate cell (RC) form, and successful transmission depends on coordinated interactions at the vector–pathogen interface. Tick extracellular and secreted proteins (the tick exoproteome) likely contribute to Ap survival and transmission, yet many proposed tick factors remain computationally annotated with limited experimental validation. In this thesis, I prioritize candidate tick exoproteins, identified from yeast- display screens using whole Ap organisms, and evaluate them using a two-step validation strategy. First, I quantify tissue-specific expression of …

Protecting Older Individuals From Age Discrimination Harming Psychological Well-Being: Role Of Neighborhood Cohesion, Tongyu Qiu

Public Health Theses

Age discrimination is known to harm older adults’ mental health, yet factors that may protect against this harm have received little attention. Prior studies have focused primarily on individual-level factors rather than community-level characteristics, such as neighborhood cohesion, which may be more amenable to large-scale interventions and policies. To our knowledge, no prior study has examined whether neighborhood cohesion buffers the association between age discrimination and worse psychological well-being in older adults. Participants aged 60 years and older were drawn from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study. We hypothesized that baseline age discrimination would predict worse psychological well-being …

Invasive Pneumococcal Disease: Outcomes And Vaccine Effectiveness By Risk Profiles Among A Pediatric Cohort From 2002 – 2025, Keyner Rojas

Public Health Theses

AbstractBackground: Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among children globally, despite the widespread use of protein conjugate vaccines (PCVs). While the introduction and implementation of these vaccines have drastically reduced the incidence of vaccine-type invasive disease, shifts in circulating serotypes raise concerns of serotype replacement. Methods: This study is a retrospective observational study of pediatric IPD cases in Massachusetts from 2002 – 2025. Over the course of these 23 years, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health has operated an enhanced population-based, statewide surveillance system for IPD. Isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae from normally sterile sites …

Perceptions Of Sexual Health Stigma Among Adolescents And Pediatric Primary Care Providers In The United States: A Qualitative Exploration, Avanti Shah

Public Health Theses

Background: In the United States (U.S.), young people aged 13–24 experience disproportionately poor sexual health outcomes. Sexual health stigma has been identified as a key barrier to uptake of sexual health services (e.g., STI/HIV testing), particularly for adolescents younger than age 18. This study aimed to describe and compare how U.S. adolescents and pediatric primary care providers perceive sexual health stigma and its potential influence on adolescent sexual health service access and utilization.

Methods: The study utilized existing data from two qualitative studies that explored pediatric primary care providers’ awareness of state laws regulating minors’ access to confidential sexual health …

Modeling Pfoa And Pfos Infant Intake Through Breast Milk And Formula In The United States, Ka Hei Tang

Public Health Theses

Background: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including PFOA and PFOS, may reach infants through breast milk and water used to reconstitute infant formula. However, current U.S. evidence is limited, and the absence of nationally representative breast milk PFAS data constrained estimation of early-life infant exposures.Methods: This thesis developed a state-level exposure modeling framework to estimate daily infant PFOA and PFOS intake across U.S. states at 3 and 6 months of age. Modeled intake included two feeding pathways, breast milk and formula-reconstitution water, using national maternal serum PFAS concentrations, state-level public drinking water PFAS concentrations, and infant feeding distributions. A total …

Asymptomatic Tb Duration And Transmission Models, Zhichao Zhou

Public Health Theses

Tuberculosis (TB) transmission is sustained in part by asymptomatic disease states that limit the effectiveness of passive case finding interventions that rely on symptom-based diagnosis. Here we develop a transmission model that represents the duration of asymptomatic disease with a gamma-distributed waiting time. By chaining multiple asymptomatic sub-states, we find that the gamma-distributed model provides a better fit to the observed distribution of the duration of asymptomatic disease than a simple one-state model which imposes an assumption of an exponentially-distributed duration of asymptomatic disease. Comparing the fitted gamma-distributed model and the simple model, we quantify how assumptions about the distribution …

Brokering Safety, Chinmayi Sharma, Thomas E. Kadri, Sam Adler

Faculty Scholarship

For victims of abuse, safety means hiding. Not just hiding themselves, but also their contact details, their address, their workplace, their roommates, and any other information that could enable their abuser to target them. Yet today, no number of name changes and relocations can prevent data brokers from sharing a victim’s personal information online. Thanks to brokers, abusers can find what they need with a single search, a few clicks, and a few dollars. For many victims, then, the best hope for safety lies in obscurity—that is, making themselves and their information harder to find.

This Article exposes privacy law’s …

Examination Of Awareness And Frequency Of Behavioral Masking/Camouflaging Based On Life Experiences, Elizabeth M. Smith

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Camouflaging behaviors are typically employed by individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to appear more in line with societal norms and avoid social ostracization. This study examined the connections between camouflaging and theatre experience, mental health diagnostic status, and levels of self-monitoring. In the study, participants completed a brief, 30- minute survey online examining camouflaging, autistic traits, self-monitoring, and life experiences across individuals of different age ranges. All participants were 18 years of age or older, completed a consent form, and received a debriefing. All responses were completely anonymous. The results showed significantly higher levels of camouflaging behaviors in participants …

Sexual Violence As A Strategy In Ethnic Conflict: A Comparative Study Of Myanmar And China, Olivia Wetzel

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Conflict Related Sexual Violence (CRSV) is a key element in an ethnic conflict. However, the use of CRSV in such conflicts are rarely addressed. This paper sheds light on the use of CRSV in two ethnic conflicts in Southeast Asia - Myanmar and China (2000-2020). In each conflict, there is a variation in how CRSV is used strategically. In the conflict in the Rakhine state of Myanmar, the Buddhists are using CRSV against the Rohingya Muslims. On the other hand, in the Chinese Xinjiang province, the Buddhists are using CRSV against the Uyghur Muslims. I will analyze these two conflicts …

Assessment Of The Antimicrobial Properties And Skin Microbiota Of Unisexual (Ambystoma) Salamanders Within Defensive Toxins, Sydney Stanton

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

As antibiotic resistance continues to pose a significant threat to public health, discovery of novel antibiotics could provide tools to combat this threat. Amphibian skin exhibits complex pathogen defense physiology and diverse skin microbiota, which suggests that it could be a potential source of novel antibiotics. A critical feature of amphibian skin is mucus, which is secreted as a defense mechanism and contains many immune system components such as symbiotic microbiota and antimicrobial peptides. To test the antibacterial properties of amphibian mucus, this study assesses whether mucus secretions from unisexual Ambystoma salamanders are effective at inhibiting the growth of safe …

Nicotine, Bdnf, And Ꞵ-Adrenergic Ligand Receptors Regulate Soluble E-Cadherin Signaling In Non-Small Cell Long Cancer, Stuti Goel

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

E-cadherin is a protein that normally helps cells adhere to each other. Sometimes, part of this protein is cleaved off and released outside the cell as soluble E-cadherin (sE-cad). When this happens, there is less E-cadherin left on the cell surface. Enzymes called matrix metalloproteases, especially MMP9, are responsible for this cleavage. In this study, we investigated E-cadherin in two non-small cell lung cancer cell lines, A549 and H1299. We found that treating these cells with brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), nicotine, or epinephrine increased the amount of MMP9 released into the surrounding media. When the cells were treated with propranolol, …

Through A Glass Darkly: Targeting Cyber And Space Infrastructure In The Law Of War, Michael D. Minerva

Chapman Law Review

As modern militaries become more capable in the cyber and space domains, much of the legal debate has focused on how to legally conduct cyber and space operations. While important, that discussion has largely overlooked the legal implications for the rapidly growing cyber and space infrastructure that exists in the physical domain—commercial satellites like Starlink filling the night skies and data centers like those popping up all over northern Virginia. Most of this infrastructure is commercially developed and privately owned—presumptively civilian in nature—and yet used by militaries all over the world.

The same way bridges form critical ground lines of …

Escaping The Labyrinth: Cutting Through The Maze Of Federal Sector Employment Laws To Streamline Appeals, Allow Faster And More Consistent Decisions, And Level The Playing Field Between Agencies And Employees, Christopher Ligatti

Chapman Law Review

Federal employees and their job protections have gained increased media attention due to the current presidential administration. Criticism has long been aimed primarily at the property interest and accompanying due process protections that federal employees have in their employment. However, this Article argues that while the federal sector employment law system is badly in need of reform, the issue is not the constitutionally required due process protections afforded to employees, but rather the additional statutory and regulatory protections Congress has granted employees. Currently, federal employees have multiple overlapping forums in which they can bring employment actions, may cross-appeal negative decisions …

Muted By The Machine: Expanding Ftc Authority To Address Algorithmic Review Suppression, Aubrey Adams

Chapman Law Review

As digital platforms increasingly shape consumer decision-making, the integrity of online reviews has become central to fair market competition. In 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a final rule prohibiting deceptive practices involving consumer reviews, including traditional forms of review suppression. Yet the rule fails to address a more subtle threat: algorithmic review suppression.

This Note argues that algorithmic review suppression, where platforms use automated systems to downrank or obscure negative reviews, creates a misleading impression of product quality while evading existing regulation. Unlike traditional suppression, these practices operate invisibly under the guise of content curation, distorting consumer perception …

Tilting The Playing Field: Executive Attacks On Big Law Firms As A Mechanism Of American Competitive Authoritarianism, Sajah Ali

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines how President Donald Trump’s executive campaign against elite law firms, collectively known as “Big Law,” serves as a concrete case study of competitive authoritarianism in action. Drawing on Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way’s framework in their work The Path to American Authoritarianism, this thesis applies their four pillars of competitive authoritarianism to the administration’s executive orders targeting major law firms and maps those pillars onto three distinct firm responses: fighting back, capitulation, and quiet retreat. Situating this case study within the broader political context of Trump’s second term, this thesis finds that while the United States has …

Prep’S Communications Strategy: A Ten-Year Plan From 2025-2035, Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (Prep)

PREP Reports & Publications

No abstract provided.

China-U.S Relations: Techno‑Nationalism, Strategic Entrapment, And Taiwan., Prince Y. Munya Mr.

Dissertations and Theses

Abstract

This thesis examines how China–U.S. relations evolved from a manageable strategic rivalry into a more rigid and increasingly difficult form of competition after the Obama administration’s “Pivot to Asia.” It argues that traditional explanations such as power transition theory alone cannot fully explain the deterioration of the relationship. Instead, the study introduces the concept of techno-nationalism, where technological leadership becomes tied to national identity, economic security, and geopolitical power, particularly in areas such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and supply-chain security. Through historical analysis and policy tracing, the thesis develops the concept of strategic entrapment to explain how both Washington …

The Limits Of Economic Sanctions: Why Western Efforts Did Not Fully Economically Isolate Russia After 2022 Invasion Of Ukraine, Jonibek Oblokulov

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

Examining Widely Held Propositions On Human Dietary Protein Needs And Benefits: A Critical Review Of The Science That Shapes Both The Data And Our Understanding Of An Essential Macronutrient, Mitchell M Kanter, Sally Aaron, Steven N Austad, Andrew W Brown, Nicholas A Burd, Wayne W Campbell, Mark Cope, Teresa A Davis, John W Erdman, Miguel Freitas, Kristen Hicks-Roof, Samuel Klein, Wantanee Kriengsinyos, Dudley W Lamming, Donald K Layman, Heather J Leidy, Kevin C Maki, Richard D Mattes, Shalene Mcneill, Daniel R Moore, Stefan M Pasiakos, Stuart M Phillips, David Raubenheimer, Wendy Reinhardt, Nancy R Rodriguez, Stephen Simpson, Hans H Stein, Luc J C Van Loon, Connie M Weaver, David B Allison

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

The essentiality of protein in the human diet is unequivocal. Yet researchers, clinicians, and lay people often believe numerous propositions about dietary protein despite insufficient supporting or refuting data in some instances. To address this disconnect, and to "pressure-test" current beliefs about dietary protein, the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington convened a workshop in February 2025 titled "Human Dietary Protein Needs and Benefits: A Critical Assessment of Postulated Propositions." More than 20 international experts discussed (1) methodologic issues affecting data acquisition and interpretation; (2) "optimal" dietary protein intakes and effects on muscle protein synthesis rates, muscle protein accretion, …

Regulating Space-Based Solar Power: Challenges Under Both Space Law And Energy Law, Anne-Sophie Martin, Steven Freeland

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

Space-based solar power (SBSP) is emerging as a potential catalyst for global decarbonisation, driven by advances in wireless power transmission, in-orbit assembly, and photovoltaic technologies. Programmes such as the European Space Agency’s SOLARIS initiative, China’s planned megawatt-scale demonstrator, and private projects including Constant Aperture Solid State Integrated Orbital Phased Array and Caltech’s Space Solar Power Project illustrate the shift from theoretical models to operationalisation. SBSP offers continuous, weather-independent renewable energy capable of complementing terrestrial solar, wind, and hydro generation, enhancing grid stability, energy security, and progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It also supports future space activities by providing …

Systemic Legal Scholarship For Systemic Ai, Kevin Frazier

Chapman Law Review

Artificial intelligence (AI) is triggering societal transformation at an unprecedented pace, yet our legal system struggles to keep up, often relying on incremental tweaks to outdated rules. This Article argues that such conventional legal thinking is not just inadequate but also a source of inconsequential scholarship. By failing to anticipate AI’s trajectory and address foundational issues, incrementalism allows “legal tech debt” to mount, increasing risks of policy failure, societal disruption, and erosion of the rule of law. We must leapfrog this dangerous inertia. This Article proposes and defines a necessary alternative: systemic legal scholarship. This forward-looking paradigm requires legal experts …

Death By Discretion: Executive Power And The Arbitrary Machinery Of Federal Capital Punishment, Reem Haikal

Chapman Law Review

This Article argues that the federal death penalty is not merely at risk of being cruel; it is increasingly at risk of becoming arbitrary and lawless. Despite the procedural safeguards embedded in the Federal Death Penalty Act (FDPA), executive practices have reintroduced many of the same constitutional flaws that the Supreme Court identified in Furman v. Georgia. Through detailed analysis of the FDPA’s structure, this Article shows that the statute fails to meaningfully constrain the Attorney General’s charging discretion, allowing life-and-death decisions to hinge on opaque and often politicized processes. The Trump administration’s revival of federal executions, culminating in sweeping …

Generational Differences In Dentistry And Dental Practice, Ellen Lee Dds, Brian Chin M.B.A., Hazel Hong, Daranthea Atmadja, Jong Soo Lim, Jamie Chen, Chloe Lin, Chloe Naeun Kim

The New York State Dental Journal

Society is composed of workers from different generations. These include the Silent Generation, or Traditionalists, Baby Boomer Generation, Generation X, Millennials and Generation Z. Generation Alpha will join the workforce in the next decade. The way each generation has approached dentistry depends on available materials and technology, as well as contemporary societal values. In addition, major historical events and the state of the economy may have been and are contributing factors in how each generation practiced or practices dentistry.

Gut And Blood Diversity Microbiota Of Tilapia (Oreochromis Niloticus) Reared In Aquaponic Systems: A Scoping Review, Ang´Elica Adiaç˜Ao Jossefa, Leonildo Dos Anjo Viagem, Brunno Da Silva Cerozi Brunno Da Silva Cerozi, Sebastian Wilson Chenyambuga Sebastian Wilson Chenyambuga Chenyambuga

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

Tilapia is commonly integrated with vegetables in aquaponics systems, where complex microbial interactions may have important implications for food safety. This scoping review examines the current evidence on the microbiota diversity of tilapia reared in aquaponics systems, analyzes its potential influence on food safety, and highlight direction for future research. The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Re- views and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines and included studies pub- lished between 2000 and 2025, retrieved from five scientific databases, including Google Scholar, Web of Science, Science Direct, PubMed, and Wiley Online Library. Only three studies met …

Implementing Climate Remedies, Camila Bustos

Vanderbilt Law Review

Climate change litigation has emerged as a powerful tool for addressing the climate crisis, particularly in the face of executive and legislative inaction. Across jurisdictions, courts have issued landmark decisions mandating stronger mitigation targets and recognizing rights-based claims against governments and corporations. While recent scholarship has examined the trends, legal theories, and broader effects of this relatively new phenomenon, it has primarily focused on bringing and winning legal challenges. Less attention has been paid to a crucial phase: the implementation and enforcement of judicial rulings. A deeper understanding of how climate remedies are implemented can provide valuable insights for climate …