Digital Commons Network^™

Annual Report (Fy23), Tennessee. Department Of Children's Services

Juvenile Justice Reports

The Office of Juvenile Justice (OJJ) is a division of the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, which provides oversight of custody and non-custodial services for justice-involved youth, including John S. Wilder Youth Development Center and all juvenile justice (JJ) placements. OJJ manages the Interstate Compact for Juveniles (ICJ), Absconder, Electronic Monitoring and Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) units in addition, provides funding to juvenile courts and other community programs to help divert youth from entering states custody. This annual report provides an overview of OJJ during the period of July 1, 2022, thru June 30, 2023 (FY23).

The State Of The Child In Tennessee 2024, Tennessee Commission On Children And Youth

Kids Count/State of the Child in Tennessee Reports

This report provides an overview of information on healthy infants, children and teens; child/teen well-being; education; economic security; and demographics.

Living Datasets: Towards Data-Centric Ai Explainability And Bias Mitigation, Akib Zaman

Computer Science and Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Benchmark datasets are critical to the evolution of AI efforts yet often embed unintended biases that influence the models that drive human-AI interactions. A deeper inspection and awareness of data is needed to understand the biases datasets may contain. In this dissertation, I introduce the Tag-and-Release method, inspired from wildlife research, that treats data as an organism and examines how different environments (i.e., CNNs) select for unique traits or characteristics that ultimately impact data's survival. Using the canonical MNIST handwritten digit dataset as a case study, I describe how the Tag-and-Release method can be used to analyze how dataset imbalance …

The Budget, Fiscal Year 2024-2025, Tennessee. Department Of Finance And Administration

Budget Volume 1

This document is the final budget for the coming fiscal year.

Annual Statistical Report, For The Scholastic Year Ending June 30, 2024, Tennessee. Department Of Education

Annual Statistical Reports

This document contains the statistical summaries for the 2023-2024 school year.

Assessing The Human Right To Water And Sanitation In International Law And The Conflict In The Nile Basin

Fordham Environmental Law Review

Ethiopia’s construction and operation of the Grand Ethiopian

Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile has intensified the long-

standing water conflict involving Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan, and

highlights the urgent need for a new legal framework for the Nile

Basin’s governance. This article traces the history of the international

human right to water and sanitation and previous attempts to govern

water use in the Nile Basin. We argue that outdated colonial-era

treaties, which Egypt and Sudan insist on using as a baseline for

negotiations, are a significant obstacle to resolving the Nile conflict

and managing the region’s water resources …

Debts And Desertion: Bankruptcy Law And The Orphan Well Crisis

Fordham Environmental Law Review

The issue of orphan wells—unplugged and unproductive oil and

gas wells with no responsible operator—poses a significant

environmental and public health threat in the United States. The scale

of this crisis is alarming: there are over 120,000 documented orphan

wells and potentially millions more undocumented. These wells are

often significant sources of methane emissions and other toxins that

exacerbate climate change and endanger the health of surrounding

communities. This paper examines the orphan well crisis, exploring

how wells become orphaned and the environmental and health

impacts associated with them. Furthermore, it delves into how the

situation is likely to worsen …

Interrupting Cyclical Trauma: Transitional Justice In The Philippines, Maria Jardeleza

Human Rights Brief

To interrupt the cycles of human rights abuses in the Philippines, the approach to transitional justice must incorporate an understanding of its unique history of abuses. A reliance on both domestic and international justice systems, as well as the promotion of leaders that will build a foundational respect for the rule of law can position the nation to effectuate a more peaceful future.

Cruel And Unusual Punishment: A Human Rights-Based Argument For Extending The Eighth Amendment To Capital Punishment Methods, Brittany Walker

Human Rights Brief

Though Americans generally support capital punishment, there are many issues with how states currently choose to execute individuals, including concern that the different execution methods used by states to carry out capital punishment violates the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, lack of regulation of states and lack of accountability. Further, certain execution methods may violate the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). This article suggests recommendations for state legislatures, the United States Congress, and the Supreme Court for ensuring the humane treatment of individuals during an execution.

Advocating For Equality: Restoring Same-Sex Marriage Recognition In Bermuda, Coleman Watts

Human Rights Brief

In May 2017, Bermuda made significant strides towards marriage equality by legalizing same-sex marriage. Following the general elections in mid-2017, Bermuda’s newly elected PLP (Progressive Labour Party) government enacted legislation in December 2017 to replace same-sex marriage with domestic partnerships. This article suggests arguments that may be used to challenge the revocation of same-sex marriage rights in Bermuda.

The Inter-American Court Of Human Rights Address "Obstetric Violence" In Rodriguez Pacheco Et Al. V. Venezuela, Lily Cantor

Human Rights Brief

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (“the Court”) decision on reparations and costs in the case of Rodriguez Pacheco et al. v. Venezuela is one of several that the Court analyzed in recent years relating to women’s obstetric health, indicating a rising interest in the area of reproductive rights.

Truth Or Accountability: The Human Rights Violations Of The Northern Ireland Troubles Legacy And Reconciliation Act Of 2023, Mckenzie Gallagher

Human Rights Brief

On January 17, 2024, the Republic of Ireland lodged an inter-state complaint in the European Court of Human Rights (“ECtHR”) against the United Kingdom. The complaint came after the United Kingdom passed the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act of 2023. Among other things, the Legacy Act grants immunity to persons who provide information related to any crimes committed during the Troubles, an intense period of political unrest and violence in Northern Ireland between Catholic Republicans and Protestant Loyalists.

To hold the United Kingdom accountable for human rights violations stemming from the Legacy Act, an ECtHR ruling paired with …

Forced Disappearances In Latin America Are Not Relics Of The Past, Taylor Potenziano

Human Rights Brief

Forced disappearances were endemic to Latin American dictatorships in the late twentieth century. During the Cold War and beyond, more than one hundred thousand Latin Americans were subjected to forced disappearances under authoritarian governments. To date, more than 200,000 people have gone in Brazil alone between 2019 and 2021. Because disappearances are not criminalized in Brazil, Brazilian legislatures do not feel the need to specify the cause of the disappearances.

Human Rights Lawyering In The 21st Century, Gemma Muirhead, Adrian Niedermann, Ailsa Ferland, Gloria Nunez, Kate Beckham, Leena Alsayab

Human Rights Brief

On Friday, March 8, 2024, the Human Rights Brief at American University Washington College of Law (WCL) held its annual symposium entitled Human Rights Lawyering in the 21st Century. It was organized by the Symposium and Education Editor Gemma Muirhead and the Junior Staff Symposium team including Adrian Niedermann, Ailsa Ferland, Gloria Nuñez, Kate Beckham, and Leena Alsayab. Together, the team curated a day full of empowering lectures, inspiring panels, and insightful attendee questions posed to the panelists. The following article is intended to be a resource documenting the event.

Legal Reforms And Women’S Rights Advocacy In Africa, Emelyne Calimoutou Dr.

Human Rights Brief

Although Gambia enacted the Women’s (Amendment) Act in 2015, which criminalized female genital mutilation and imposed penalties of up to three years in prison, the parliament is currently deliberating on a bill to overturn the Act.

The prospect of Gambia becoming the first country to reverse legislation against female genital mutilation is alarming, not only for its immediate implications on women’s health, but also for the precedent it could set for other states. It serves as a reminder of the fragility of women’s rights protections in the face of deeply entrenched social practices and underscores the urgent need for a …

Forging Ahead: Protecting Against Forced Labor In Global Supply Chains And The Evolving Landscape Of Labor Rights, Gemma Muirhead

Human Rights Brief

Historically, trade agreements primarily focused on facilitating economic exchange between nations, with little direct consideration given to the treatment of individuals within those countries. Issues of human rights were often addressed through separate channels such as boycotts, NGO campaigns, international pressure, and United Nations interventions, but were not inherently linked to trade agreements themselves. Over time, the adoption of sanctions and other unilateral trade measures aimed at enhancing transparency concerning human rights abuses in foreign supply chains has gained traction, particularly in the United States and the European Union. These jurisdictions frequently apply sanctions for diverse purposes, including fostering democratic …

A Multidisciplinary Approach To Managing Financial Toxicity In Oncology Patients, Katelin Muse

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Patients with a cancer diagnosis are counseled at length about the standard of care treatment options, which may include surgery, radiation, anticancer medications, and chemo/immunotherapy through an informed consent process. Unfortunately, the potential economic burden and the accompanying psychological burden is seldom discussed up front. There is a significant need for routine screening and a multidisciplinary approach to the prevention of financial toxicity for the oncology patient. The purpose of this doctoral project was to lead an interprofessional team in the development of a clinical practice guideline for routine financial screening using the Comprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity (COST) tool …

The Emerging Crime Of Persecution Based On Sexual Orientation, Anthony J. Colangelo

Northwestern Journal of Human Rights

This Article argues that persecution based on sexual

orientation constitutes a crime against humanity under international law.

Unlike other scholarship that has focused on the definition of crimes against

humanity in the 1998 Rome Statute for the International Criminal Court—

which does not explicitly enumerate “sexual orientation” as a protected

classification—this Article looks to customary international law made up by

the practices of states.

Diligent research has revealed that between 1998 and 2022, at least 107

states enacted laws or revised existing laws decriminalizing sexual

orientation and/or categorizing sexual orientation as a protected

classification from discrimination. This is in addition …

Mentoring Month, Raquel Estrada

Library Display Posters

No abstract provided.

Author Spotlight: Gabriel García Márquez, Raquel Estrada, William Flores, Stephanie Reyna

Library Display Posters

No abstract provided.

Neo-Brandeisianism's Democracy Paradox, Thomas A. Lambert, Tate Cooper

Faculty Publications

Neo-Brandeisians, including the current heads of the U.S. antitrust enforcement agencies, have declared contemporary antitrust a failure. Among their chief complaints is that prevailing antitrust doctrine has failed to protect democratic values because it has allowed business enterprises to amass excessive economic power. Such economic power, they assert, breeds undue political power as large firms have the resources to sway policymakers and may thereby thwart majority will. Outside the political realm, NeoBrandeisians say, massive industrial concentration undermines effective self-governance by rendering citizens beholden as consumers, suppliers, and laborers to a small group of powerful firms. To preserve democratic values, defined …

Volume Xxxi (2024)

The Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Journal of Florida Literature

No abstract provided.

"Through A Bourbon Bottle Darkly": Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings And Norton Baskin Discuss Love And Alcohol, Florence Turcotte

The Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Journal of Florida Literature

No abstract provided.

Black Males’ Experiences Of Resilience: A Narrative Study On College Students Experiences During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Keshia R. Graham

Theses and Dissertations

Black men’s resilience has historically been discussed, interwoven, and disguised by deficit-based models rather than strength-based ones. The current study examined Black men's resilience using a strength-based model for Black male students in higher education institutions. Specifically, the experiences and resilience of Black men before and during the COVID-19 pandemic were explored. This study targeted Black male students from an urban institution, with the aim to find out what key elements supported their resilient behavior throughout the most challenging times in their college career. The African American Male Theory and Resiliency Theory used as the theoretical framework. A narrative methodology …

Spatial Relations Between Conscious And Unconscious Thought, John Shannon Hendrix

Architecture, Art, and Historic Preservation Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Rater Training And Mfrm On Rater Effects For Direct Behavior Ratings Over Time, Abigail Pruitt

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Measures of academic engagement and disruptive behavior in students are strong predictors of social, academic, and lifelong career outcomes. Educators need a measurement tool that is feasible, accurate, and cost-effective in order to identify students who may be in need of additional behavioral support. Direct Behavior Ratings (DBRs) offer a solution, but are prone to rater effects, threatening the psychometric properties of the tool. Two methods are proposed for the mitigation of such rater effects: rater training and statistical adjustment. Previous studies have demonstrated mixed results regarding the effectiveness of rater training on DBRs, and no studies have investigated the …

Factors Associated With Human Trafficking: A Quantitative Analysis, Thomas Mejdrech

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Human trafficking appears in many forms and affects millions of people every year. In addition to the direct consequences of human trafficking, the crime violates international laws and universally recognized human rights while providing a lucrative revenue source for criminals. The full effects of human trafficking remain unknown due to several challenges to collecting accurate information. Victims of human trafficking are reluctant to seek assistance from law enforcement for fear of punishment from traffickers, arrest, incarceration, or deportation from immigration officials. Additionally, victims’ documentation is frequently confiscated by their traffickers to maintain control. Which measurements are the best for tracking …

Lung-Delivered Il-10 Therapy Elicits Beneficial Effects Via Immune Modulation In Organic Dust Exposure-Induced Lung Inflammation, Aaron D. Schwab, Todd A. Wyatt, Amy J. Nelson, Angela Gleason, Rohit Gaurav, Debra J. Romberger, Jill A. Poole

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

Efficacious therapeutic options capable of resolving inflammatory lung disease associated with environmental and occupational exposures are lacking. This study sought to determine the preclinical therapeutic potential of lung-delivered recombinant interleukin (IL)-10 therapy following acute organic dust exposure in mice. Here, C57BL/6J mice were intratracheally instilled with swine confinement organic dust extract (ODE) (12.5%, 25%, 50% concentrations) with IL-10 (1 μg) treatment or vehicle control intratracheally-administered three times: 5 hr post-exposure and then daily for 2 days. The results showed that IL-10 treatment reduced ODE (25%)-induced weight loss by 66% and 46% at Day 1 and Day 2 post-exposure, respectively. IL-10 …

Single-Cell Profiling Reveals A Conserved Role For Hypoxia-Inducible Factor Signaling During Human Craniotomy Infection, Zachary Van Roy, Gunjan Kak, Lee E. Korshoj, Joseph P. Menousek, Cortney E. Heim, Rachel W. Fallet, James Campbell, Carol Reynolds Geary, Bo Liu, Santhi Gorantla, Larisa Y Poluektova, Bin Duan, Walter S. Campbell, William Thorell, Tammy Kielian

Journal Articles: Pathology and Microbiology

Neurosurgeries complicated by infection are associated with prolonged treatment and significant morbidity. Craniotomy is a common neurosurgical procedure; however, the cellular and molecular signatures associated with craniotomy infection in human subjects are unknown. A retrospective study of over 2,500 craniotomies reveals diverse patient demographics, pathogen identity, and surgical landscapes associated with infection. Leukocyte profiling in patient tissues from craniotomy infection characterizes a predominance of granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells that may arise from transmigrated blood neutrophils, based on single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) trajectory analysis. Single-cell transcriptomic analysis identifies metabolic shifts in tissue leukocytes, including a conserved hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) signature. The …

Diamond's Hidden Gems - Introduction, Diamond R. Williams

Libraries' Documents

No abstract provided.