Digital Commons Network^™

Look What You Made Me Do: Common-Sense Inferences About Independent Decision-Makers In Standing Law, Eli Bartz

Missouri Law Review

On a rainy evening in 2009, John Coomer was sitting behind the visitor’s dugout at Kauffman Stadium. Between innings, Coomer looked at the scoreboard, and the Kansas City Royals’ mascot Sluggerrr threw a hot dog into the stands, hitting Coomer in the eye and detaching his retina. Coomer sued the Royals for negligence, but the jury found in the Royals’ favor. The Missouri Supreme Court overturned the jury verdict, holding that, while spectators assume the risks of balls and bats flying into the stands, they do not assume the risk of flying hot dogs. The ruling sparked controversy, with one …

Neither Here Nor There: The Small Business Creditor’S Discharge Nightmare Under Subchapter V, Kathleen Zimmerman

Missouri Law Review

A courtroom victory feels sweet, with damages finally awarded after long, exhausting litigation—until small business bankruptcy bounces the check. In 2015, a father and son duo began their small business in rural Wisconsin. They had started their company by selling drinking glasses made fully in the USA, crafted by hand in the family workshop. Years later, a competing company began selling imitations imported from China and falsely marketed as American-made. The knockoff products undercut the duo’s market, placing the family business in distress. The father-son team sued and were able to secure a verdict in their favor for willful and …

Teaching A Social Justice Approach To Leadership In Law Schools, Tamar Ezer

Articles

Leadership is critical for social justice. Our law students have the potential to serve as future social justice leaders, building strong organizations and movements to carry out this work. Drawing on both leadership theory and practical examples from clinical legal education, this piece argues for a broad definition of leadership, embracing diversity and encompassing the counter-cultural values of listening and humility. It further proposes a three-dimensional model of social justice leadership, engaging the mind, heart, and spirit, and suggests teaching practices to strengthen each component. The first dimension focuses on cognitive competencies, including substantive mastery of an area of law …

A Therapy Dog Intervention For Elementary School Teachers' Well-Being: Using Action Research To Bridge The Research-Practice Gap In Hrd, Kelly F. Moore

Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research (AR) study was to explore how AR can serve as a participatory research design for bridging the research–practice gap in Human Resource Development (HRD) by collaboratively designing, implementing, and evaluating a therapy dog intervention to enhance teacher well-being. One primary research question guided this study: How can action research serve as a participatory research design for bridging the research–practice gap in HRD through the collaborative design and implementation of a therapy dog intervention for elementary school teachers? I conducted a two-phase AR study consisting of a pilot study followed by a full-scale intervention. Data …

Smokejumper Magazine, April 2026, National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper and Static Line Magazines

This issue of the National Smokejumper Association (NSA) Smokejumper Magazine, contains the following articles:

Message from the President; What Would Life Be Without Electricity?; "Mighty Mouse": How a Man I Never Met Helped Me Shatter the Glass Ceiling; Richard Kathe and His Incredible Unforgettable Slogan; Smokejumpers and Healthcare; The War on Rural America; Mann Gulch: The Mother of All Wildland Fatality Fire Cover-Ups; My Friend Larry Cravens; I Must Have Done Something Right; Warren Downs Got His Dream Job Then the Magic Happened; The "Woos"--Matthew D. Woosley; 2025 NSA Scholarship & Educational/Training Grant Awardees; A Memory of Mark Motes; Sounding …

Cryptogatekeepers As A Response To Conflicts Of Interest In Decentralized Finance, Vanessa Villanueva Collao

Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property

Decentralized Finance (DeFi) emerged with the promise of eliminating traditional financial intermediaries and hierarchies, replacing them with trustless, automated, and decentralized systems. However, the reality of DeFi governance shows that disintermediation does not eliminate conflicts of interest or the need for trust. Cryptoenterprises—financial Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs)—operate without conventional governance structures such as boards of directors or managerial oversight, relying instead on code-based mechanisms. This absence of internal governance frameworks creates fertile ground for misaligned incentives, governance opacity, and unchecked internal controls, ultimately exacerbating conflicts between insiders (cryptopromoters) and investors (cryptoasset holders).

This Article examines the emerging role of cryptogatekeepers: …

Gendered Words And Patent Grant Rates: A Textual Analysis, Deborah Gerhardt, Miriam Marcowitz-Bitton, W. Michael Schuster, Avshalom Elmalech, Omri Suissa, Moshe Mash

Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property

Text is a vehicle to convey information that reflects the writer’s linguistic style and communication patterns. By studying these attributes, we can discover latent insights about the author and their underlying message. This article uses such an approach to better understand patent applications and their inventors.

While prior research focuses on patent metadata (i.e., filing year or gendered inventor names), we employ machine learning and natural language processing to extract hidden information from the words in patent applications. Through these methods, we find that inventor gender can often be identified from textual attributes—even without knowing the inventor’s name. This ability …

Addressing A Hidden Risk: Depression, Genital Inflammation, And Hiv Susceptibility, Lauren Seco, Mimi Ghosh, Heather J. Hoffman

GW Research Showcase 2021-2026

No abstract provided.

An Ethics Conundrum: What Am I? Coverage Counsel Or Claim Investigator Or Both?, Neil B. Posner

Connecticut Insurance Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Fair + Equitable April/May 2026, International Association Of Assessing Officers

Fair + Equitable

The April/May F+E issue reviews how some states are rethinking data center funding and property tax incentives.   Also in this issue:

• Conference schedule at a glance
• Conference keynote speaker
• Conference charity announced
• Conference registration opens April 28
• New online workshop offered in May
• Call for 2027 board candidates
• New ratio study standard updates
• New IAAO members
• IAAO Library guides
• AI is reshaping document intelligence
• Legal seminar program topics requested
• IRRV publications available
• New designees & Meet A Rep

Beyond Sequencing: Curriculum As Organizational Practice In Housing & Residence Life, Matthew M. Inman

Master of Education, Student Affairs Independent Study Projects

This study considers the factors influencing curriculum development in student affairs,  with a particular focus on housing and residence life contexts. Grounded in a constructivist and  interpretive framework, this qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with student  affairs professionals engaged in curricular work. Data was analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s  (2006) six-phase thematic analysis process to identify patterns in participant meaning-making.  Analysis shows that curriculum development is shaped by a set of interrelated organizational  dynamics, including tensions between flexibility and structure, the role of language in facilitating  understanding across staff roles, the influence of leadership and human resource capacity, and  the …

A Comparative Analysis Of State Legislation Prohibiting Gender-Affirming Care For Missouri Minors: A Policy Review, Hayley Lange, Benjamin Grin, Kaitlyn Crosby

Missouri Policy Journal

The Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act is a law enacted in August 2023 that banned gender-affirming medical care for individuals under 18 in Missouri. It states that any medical provider who provides medical gender-affirming care to a minor will have their professional medical license revoked. The purpose of this policy review is to evaluate and compare the content of the Missouri SAFE Act with similar legislation enacted in other states to provide an evaluative model.        

This policy assessment used a modified assessment tool that was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The assessment included a …

Fear, Parties, And The 2024 General Election: A Review Of Exit Poll Information From Missouri Voters, Jacob H. Tengelsen, Bronson P. Herrera

Missouri Policy Journal

Increased emotions mark current elections. Particularly, election-related anxiety has risen over the years, causing health and social concerns. Despite studying the risks of election-related fear, researchers have yet to delve into the existing partisan contrasts. We hypothesize that there will be a partisan difference in levels of fear in the 2024 election. We rely on exit poll data collected by the Northwest Center of Policy and Civic Engagement. We find more increased levels of fear among Democrats about the election of Donald Trump than we do among Republicans about the prospect of a Kamala Harris presidency. We reflect on the …

Editor’S Introduction, Joseph A. Cernik

Missouri Policy Journal

No abstract provided.

Pharmacy Matters April 2026, University Of Mississippi School Of Pharmacy

Pharmacy Matters Newsletters

Featured stories: Ole Miss Student Pharmacist Earns Top 10 Honors in National Patient Counseling Competition, Support Ole Miss Pharmacy on Giving Day, April 14, SOP Alumni Weekend: Honoring Alumni Who Lead, Mentor, and Serve, Match Day Success, Pharmacy Team Develops 3D-printed Bandage to Help Heal Chronic Wounds, Global Botanicals Conference Adds Cancer Focus, 2026 Charles W. Hartman Memorial Lecture, Dr. Aaron E. Carroll, 2026 Ronald F. Borne Endowed Lecture, Dr. Neha Pagidipati, MD, MPH, Applied Statistics Student Research Awards, CASE Workshop Selection, Image of Research Finalist, Kenvue APhA Scholarship, Alumni Insider's View Program, NACDS Rx Impact Day on Capitol Hill, …

Next-Generation Democratic Cyber Statecraft - Balancing The Signal: Shutdown Shocks And Democratic Digital Governance, Scott M. Di Panni

School of Public Policy Capstones

This paper develops Next-Generation Democratic Cyber Statecraft (NG-DCS), a unified strategic doctrine for democratic governments to contest the cognitive domain against authoritarian adversaries. Drawing on twenty-six years of cross-national panel data (1999–2024) spanning 213 countries, game-theoretic modeling, and qualitative case analysis, the paper establishes three interconnected empirical and theoretical foundations. First, cross-national OLS regression across 160+ countries demonstrates that regime type is the dominant structural determinant of internet freedom (R²=0.615, β=2.513, p< 0.001), explaining more than twice the variance attributable to per-capita wealth (R²=0.268). Democratic governance, not economic development, produces open digital environments. Second, a two-way fixed effects (TWFE) difference-in-differences study exploiting government-ordered internet shutdowns as discrete policy interventions finds that digital restrictions causally degrade V-Dem governance quality by 0.21–0.38 standard deviations (p< 0.001 across all specifications). Treatment effects are immediate (β=−0.302 at k=0) and persist through five post-treatment years (β=−0.246 at k=+5), indicating structural rather than transitory governance damage. Parallel trends validation (p=0.352) and Callaway–Sant’Anna heterogeneity-robust estimation (ATT=−0.230, SE=0.077) support causal identification. Instrumental variable triangulation (2SLS β=−0.949, p=0.005) confirms that simultaneity was attenuating, not inflating, the primary estimates. Third, formal game-theoretic analysis reveals that the current U.S.–adversary equilibrium is (Restrain, Escalate)—the risk-dominant but Pareto-inferior outcome of a Stag Hunt structure. China, Russia, North Korea, and Venezuela each occupy structurally distinct positions (Stackelberg commitment, asymmetric two-level, autarky, and reactive trigger, respectively), requiring differentiated doctrinal responses rather than a uniform strategic playbook. Generative AI and algorithmic governance are shown to accelerate cognitive vulnerability by collapsing influence operation costs and exploiting engagement-optimized platform architectures that systematically degrade deliberative capacity in democratic populations.

Traditional Masculine Ideology And Transphobia: An Examination Of A Predictive Relationship, Nikola Jensen

Psychology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

This paper examines the role of traditional masculine ideology in the continued prevalence of transphobia.  Drawing on established research, it follows the development of traditional masculinity in critical social and emotional aspects of men’s lives and explores the predictive relationship between endorsement of traditional masculinity and transphobic attitudes.  It emphasizes solution-based psychological research in addressing and challenging this belief system, particularly gender-transformative programs for boys and young men, where supportive role models and healthy representations of masculinity are presented. Overall, it investigates both the consequences of traditional masculinity, including harmful expectations for men themselves and transphobia, as well as mitigation …

Who Is A Champion Teacher? A Comparative Longitudinal Analysis Of Teacher Practices In Teacher Professional Development Programmes In East Africa, Jane Rarieya, Esther Kibga, Omari Abunga, Fredrick Mtenzi, Nyagwegwe Wwango

Institute for Educational Development, East Africa

This comparative mixed-methods study defines and profiles the “champion teacher” by synthesising primary longitudinal and cross-sectional data from two complementary teacher professional development (TPD) initiatives implemented across East Africa (Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda): the long-term, pre-service teacher-oriented Foundations for Learning (F4L) programme and the short-course, in‑service teacher Strengthening Education Systems East Africa (SESEA) programme. The champion teacher construct is operationalised through a Champion Teacher Index (CTI) comprising three integrated domains: head (cognitive pedagogical knowledge), hands (psychomotor instructional practice), and heart (affective, leadership, and gender-responsive dispositions). Quantitative analysis revealed statistically significant longitudinal differences between the programmes. F4L teachers demonstrated higher mean …

Virtual Reality As Pedagogical Space: A Usability Study Of An Interactive Exhibition For Culturally-Based Design Education, Abdul Bashiru Yussif

MFA Theses Exhibitions Final Papers

View the Digital Exhibition of Virtual Reality as Pedagogical Space

This research presents an immersive, culturally grounded pedagogical framework that integrates Virtual Reality (VR) with experiential and project-based learning. Despite the potential of immersive technologies to enhance engagement, contemporary design curricula often exhibit a disconnect between theoretical instruction and embodied practice. This study addresses that gap by aligning virtual reality and emerging technology with design theories, culturally responsive pedagogies and localized knowledge systems.

Drawing upon David Kolb’s experiential learning cycle, the research validates active engagement and reflection into interactive, three-dimensional environments. The research also adopted two other frameworks in the …

The Impact Of Sense Of Belonging And Christian Identity On Retention Intentions At Evangelical Christian Colleges And Universities, Corey R. Ross

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

No abstract provided.

Navigating Faith, Race, And Belonging: A Qualitative Study Of Students Of Color At A Private Christian University, Eunice Hong

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

No abstract provided.

From Discipline To Discipleship: Reframing Student Conduct As Spiritual Formation In Christian Higher Education, Andrew Degroot

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

No abstract provided.

The Problems With Sin, Steve Beers

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, Corey Ross, Eunice Hong, Steve Beers, Andrew Degroot, Rebecca Crowder, William Buhrow, Aundrea Paxton, Hannah Acquaye, Jacob Banks

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

No abstract provided.

An Exploration Of Spiritual Loneliness And Spiritual Well-Being And Friendship In Christian College Students, Rebecca Crowder, William Buhrow, Aundrea Paxton, Hannah Acquaye

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

No abstract provided.

The Hidden Power Of Citizenship: Political Identity In The Twilight Zone Of Equal Protection, Charles J. Anderson

Indiana Law Journal

More than half a century ago, in the landmark case of Graham v. Richardson, the Supreme Court held that the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment prohibits state-level blanket exclusions of noncitizens. That case ushered in a new rule: State classifications based on alienage are “inherently suspect” and subject to strict scrutiny. But Graham’s rule has a major exception. Just a few years after Graham was decided, the Court upheld several state laws excluding noncitizens from working as police officers, public school teachers, and probation officers. So was created what would later be termed “political function” doctrine. …

Information Law Pluralism, Hannah Bloch-Wehba

Indiana Law Journal

Information-intensive activities are reshaping political, social, and economic institutions. As they respond to these shifts, legislators and regulators are embracing information as a regulatory device for tech. Far from limiting themselves to public disclosure, consumer notice, and other traditional mechanisms of fostering transparency and information flows, however, legislators are using other, more nuanced tools to incentivize regulated entities to obtain, generate, and share information.

This Article maps the landscape of the emerging information-based regimes for regulating tech and assesses their conceptual and practical implications. It canvasses an extensive set of recently enacted laws regulating the information economy and shows that, …

Rethinking Objectivity: The Problem Of Pretext In The Fourth Amendment, Monu S. Bedi

Indiana Law Journal

Pretextual encounters continue to erode the legitimacy of the Supreme Court’s Fourth Amendment jurisprudence. Simply put, a police officer can act on personal bias or animus as long as the search or seizure is deemed “objectively reasonable.” Numerous scholars (e.g., Bennett Capers, Gabriel Chin, and David Harris) have critiqued this objective standard, contending it perpetuates discriminatory practices, particularly against communities of color. The late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg herself suggested that the Court might need to reconsider the legal precedent she helped establish. More recently, Orin Kerr has also argued that the Court’s reliance on objective determinations is inconsistent with …

The Addison C. Harris Lecture: Intellectual Diversity Mandates And The Freedom To Teach, Keith E. Whittington

Indiana Law Journal

This Essay provides the first examination of the Indiana Senate Bill 202, which was adopted into law in the spring of 2024. The new law imposes an “intellectual diversity” mandate on public university classroom teaching in the state. The law is novel in its approach but is part of a larger movement to intercede in what is taught in university classrooms. The intellectual diversity mandate raises difficult and unexamined conceptual, normative, and practical problems that will now demand attention from university officials in Indiana and that might soon confront university administrators in other states across the country if the Indiana …

The Plight Of Workers: Alj Independence In Arkansas Workers’ Compensation, P. Brock Hatfield

Indiana Law Journal

“Unfortunately, many of the changes made by this act were necessary because administrative law judges, the Workers’ Compensation Commission, and the Arkansas courts have continually broadened the scope and eroded the purpose of the workers’ compensation statutes of this state. . . . In the future, if [changes must be made to Arkansas workers’ compensation law], those things shall be addressed by the General Assembly and should not be done by administrative law judges, the Workers’ Compensation Commission, or the courts.”¹It would be hard to imagine a blunter statement of purpose to undermine the independence of administrative law …