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Between Borders And Bodies: Sovereignty, Universality, And The Crisis Of Enforcement In International Law, Aliaa Riad Hassanien Aliaa Riad

Theses and Dissertations

Atrocities such as genocide and war crimes persist not despite international law, but within its very structure. Although international law is designed to protect humanity, it repeatedly fails to do so due to its inability to enforce its most fundamental norms. In the absence of enforcement, the law exists—but merely stands still. This failure stems from the structural contradictions embedded in the system—specifically, the tension between the principles of sovereignty and universality. As a result, international law has become a selective, politicized, and ineffective framework. Incidents such as the Rwandan genocide and the civil wars in Syria and Sudan demonstrate …

Disinterestedness In Bankruptcy Cases: Does It Really Matter?, Michelle M. Harner

BYU Law Review

The title of this Essay asks whether disinterestedness (of professionals) in bankruptcy cases really matters. Spoiler alert: Yes, it really does.

In Pursuit Of Culturally And Socially Respectful Research: Relational Theory And Practice, Gregory Smith, Mark Hammersley, Leslie Stanley

The Qualitative Report

Our article supports researchers committed to culturally and socially respectful practices, irrespective of the setting. When involved in social research, we are challenged by differences in culture, society and individual experience. These differences impact directly on peoples we are seeking to support through research, on ourselves as researchers and the design and conduct of the research project. These can involve perplexing and demanding challenges to respectful practice. In recent decades social research methodologies have sought to respond to these challenges. We describe a framework of relational theory that supports research practices seeking to reflect the experiences, knowledges and priorities of …

The Role Of Reflexivity In Collecting And Selecting Leds In A Phenomenological Study, Pilar Folgueiras, Valeria De Ormaechea, Amanda Aliende Da Matta

The Qualitative Report

This article addresses the methodological tension between description and interpretation in a phenomenological study on young women's political participation. The researchers explore how this tension influenced decisions about data collection and selection in applied hermeneutic phenomenology. A reflexive, meta-analytic approach is employed to examine research materials—epistemological diaries, team discussions, working documents, and researchers’ accounts—tracing how empirical material was produced and selected. Four distinct stages in the data collection process are identified and reveal how interpretative dilemmas emerged in the formulation of interview scripts, data gathering strategies, and narrative selection. The findings indicated that participants’ descriptions already contain a first level …

Negotiating Tradition And Modernity: An Ethnographic Study Of Leadership And Collaboration In Acehnese Islamic Higher Education, Basri Basri, Mujiburrahman Mujiburrahman, Mohammad Nasir, Muhammad Nazar

The Qualitative Report

This ethnographic study explored the relationship between State University Institutes (SUIs) and Ulama Dayah (Islamic scholars) as mutual co-existing beneficiaries in an Islamic educational organization in Aceh, Indonesia. While the relationship is characterized by a shared commitment to Islamic education, tensions simmer regarding leadership styles and the balance between tradition and modernity. This study is guided by the following research questions: (a) How do SUI leaders in Aceh perceive and manage the inherent tensions between upholding Islamic values and adapting to contemporary demands? (b) How do these leaders reconcile the potentially competing expectations of religious and secular stakeholders? (c) How …

Expressing Experiences Of Being Gender Non-Conforming In The “Ladies” Restroom Through Autoethnography-Based Research Poetics, Ellen D. B. Riggle

The Qualitative Report

Three research poems are created as an autoethnographic response to feedback on a research article on the author’s experiences as a gender non-conforming person in women’s public restrooms.  The feedback loop includes the sharing of lived experiences by others and theoretical (why?) discussions in the context of the gendered policing and politicalization of women’s restrooms.  The first found poem includes words, phrases, and descriptions of images used to label spaces designated as women’s restrooms.  The second prose poem recounts the author's experiences through a reframing of risk to women’s health, understanding the cultural context of male entitlement and White supremacy, …

Cancer Vaccine Targeting Mutated Gnaq-Expressing Uveal Melanoma, Vitali Alexeev, Mizue Terai, Sergei Koshkin, Olga Igoucheva, Takami Sato

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

Background/Objectives: Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common intraocular malignancy in adults. Although brachytherapy of the primary tumor provides an approximate 80% five-year survival, with time, nearly half of patients experience predominant liver metastases. It was proposed that malignant cells migrate early and stay dormant as they adapt to the liver microenvironment. We propose that cancer vaccine-mediated activation of UM-targeted immunity in primary UM patients could prevent progression of metastatic disease from dormant cells or malignant seeds. Thus, this study explored DNA vaccination as a measure to educate the immune system to recognize the most common UM-associated Q209L tumor driver …

A Community-Based Participatory Research Approach To Evaluating Perceptions Of Bilingualism Among Latino Parents Of Autistic Children, Ana C. Ramirez, Philip Gerard Gasquoine, Amy A. Weimer, Gabriel González Núñez, Juan R. Maldonado-Coronado, Sarah Surrain, Ana M. Gonzalez-Barrero, Cecilia Montiel-Nava

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Bilingualism has multiple benefits, however, non-native English speakers in the United States often lose their minority language. Nevertheless, language attrition is preventable, as parental perceptions of bilingualism (PoB) contribute to a child’s active use of each language and influence proficiency. At present, there is a significant gap in understanding how different cultures and belief systems might influence the language development of autistic children from bilingual Latino families. Furthermore, research on PoB among parents of autistic children has mainly been qualitative in nature. The purpose of this study was to (a) employ a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to develop a …

Red Bumps, Red Flags: A Case Series Of Four Neoplasms Masquerading As Inflamed Cutaneous Cysts, Jared Hensley, Smaran Marupudi, Kelly Maedo, Saba Suleman, Eric Sandrock

School of Medicine Publications

Red, inflamed cutaneous nodules are frequently diagnosed as epidermal inclusion cysts in both primary care and dermatology settings. However, several benign and malignant entities can closely mimic an inflamed cyst, leading to delayed diagnosis and suboptimal management. We present four patients who initially presented with erythematous nodules clinically suspected to be cysts; final histopathologic diagnoses included dermatofibroma, amelanotic melanoma, dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, and undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma. For each case, we describe the clinical presentation, histopathology, and management. The presence of a central punctum and superficial mobility strongly favors an epidermal inclusion cyst. In contrast, the absence of a punctum, rapid growth, …

Thoracic Aorta Calcification And Risk Of All-Cause Mortality And Cardiovascular Outcomes: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Yasir Salah Jumah Alam, Hussein Nafakhi, Alaa Salah Jumaah, Akeel Abed Yasseen, Zahraa Alaa Salah Alam, Ali Athir Abdulraheem

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

This review aimed to assess thoracic aorta calcification (TAC) as a predictor of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality across various clinical settings using different imaging modalities. Medical databases were systematically searched up to mid-July 2025 for studies linking TAC with mortality and CV outcomes. A total of 43 studies involving 176,738 participants were included. TAC was associated with higher risks of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.614), CV mortality (HR = 2.130), coronary events (HR = 1.423), major adverse cardiac events (HR = 2.011) and stroke (HR = 1.450. Computed tomography showed the strongest associations (all-cause mortality …

Salivary Protein Quantity, Ionic Value, And Protein Movement In Stunted And Non-Stunted Children In Indonesia, Munifah Abdat, Sri Rezeki, Putri N. Zulkifli, Mela R. Adinda, Ardiansyah S. Pawinru, Eka Setyawardana

Journal of Dentomaxillofacial Science

Objective: This study aimed to analyze total salivary protein quantity, ionic activity, and protein molecular movement in children with and without stunting.

Material and Method: Saliva samples were collected from 30 children aged 4-6years (15stunted and15 non-stunted). Proteins were extracted using 0.1 M HCI. The total protein quantity was determined using the Bradford assay and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Salivary ionic activity (dissolved oxygen, conductivity, and total dissolved solids) and salivary viscosity were measured using an ionic meter and an Ostwald viscometer, respectively. Statistical analyses included independent t-tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and Spearman correlation analyses (a=0.05).

Results: Stunted children had …

Facial Shape And Craniofacial Anthropometry Associated With Masticatory Muscle Pain: A Clinical Study, Mohammad Gazali, Fuad H. Akbar, Acing H. Mude, Maya Marisa, Muhammad Ruslin

Journal of Dentomaxillofacial Science

Objective: The present study aimed to examine the relationship between facial morphology and cranial anthropometric parameter; with masticatory muscle pain, notably in the masseter and temporalis muscles.

Material and Method: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted involving 69 adult participants aged 18-50 year. Craniofacial dimensions, including head length, width and height, were measured using standardized anthropometric techniques. Facial shape was classified visually into round, oval or square types. Pain in the masticatory muscles was assessed using standardized palpation protocols based on the diagnostic criteria for temporo-mandibular disorders (TMDs), along with the visual analogue scale and numeric rating scale. Statistical analysis …

Thresholds Of Wave Forcing: Implications For Atoll Reef Dynamics Under Sea Level Rise, Mathilde Lindhart, Gerd Masselink, Ashley Holsclaw, Tim Scott

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

We investigate the response of shallow reef flow to tidal variability and wave exposure during a 4-month field campaign in southern Huvadhu Atoll, Maldives. Incident waves breaking on steep fore reefs and reef crests generate a setup proportional to offshore wave height that drives a cross-reef flow. We emphasize a critical threshold—where the depth on the reef flat equals the depth at wave breaking—that separates two distinct reef flow regimes: one dominated by strong, unidirectional flow from the ocean into the lagoon and another where wave breaking ceases, flow rates decrease, and occasionally reverse direction. Recognizing the relative importance of …

Determinants Of Severe Financial Distress In U.S. Acute Care Hospitals: A National Longitudinal Study, James R Langabeer, Francine R Vega, Audrey Sarah Cohen, Tiffany Champagne-Langabeer, Andrea J Yatsco, Karima Lalani

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Financial sustainability remains a central challenge for U.S. hospitals as rising operating costs, shifting federal reimbursement, and policy uncertainty intensify economic pressures. This study estimates the prevalence and recent changes in financial distress among U.S. short-term acute care hospitals.

Methods: We conducted a national longitudinal analysis of all U.S. short-term acute care hospitals from 2021 to 2023 using financial and operational data from Medicare cost reports linked with community-level data from the American Community Survey. Financial distress was measured using the Altman Z-score, with severe distress defined as Z ≤ 1.8. Logistic regression models were used to …

Factors Associated With Upstaging In Patients With Resectable Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Modern Institutional Sample, Sneha Alaparthi, Hamza Rshaidat, Luke Meredith, Scott H. Koeneman, Christina Grindley, Jacob Heilizer, Purab Kothari, Prarthna Chandar, Tyler Grenda, Nathaniel R. Evans Iii, Olugbenga T. Okusanya

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: There is significant value in predicting and better assessing patients who are at risk of post-surgery upstaging in lung cancer. The objective of this study is to review patients who were upstaged following resection and evaluate their clinical and demographic data to elucidate which factors portend an increased risk of pathologic upstaging at our institution (the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital).

METHODS: A retrospective review of institutional data was performed between 2011 and 2023. Patients with stage I-II non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were included. Patients were excluded if they received neoadjuvant systemic therapy, including chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy, and were …

Student Mentees’ Perceptions Of Research Proposal Mentorship Using The Critical Incident Technique, Hendrik Jacob Maruanaya, Corneles Rubenaser Apalem, Karolis Anaktototy

The Qualitative Report

This qualitative study explored how undergraduate student mentees in an English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) context perceive effective research proposal mentorship. Conducted within the English Education Study Program at Pattimura University, Indonesia, the study employed the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) to capture student reflections on specific mentoring experiences. Seven undergraduate students who had completed their research proposals participated in in-depth interviews, sharing both effective and ineffective mentoring incidents. Thematic analysis reveals three key characteristics of effective mentorship: (a) supportive mentorship that fosters emotional safety and sustained motivation; (b) effective guidance, characterized by dialogic, actionable feedback and modeling of research practices; and (c) mentor …

The Voices Of Educators And Elders: Examining A Supplemental Educational Program Through A Culturally Responsive Lens In Gullah Geechee And African American Communities, Kelly D. Shelton

Dissertations

African American students in South Carolina experience historical educational suppression (Anderson, 1988; Bowers et al., 2018; Fabel, 2019). This qualitative case study investigated how the use of African Diaspora and Gullah Geechee culture in supplemental education programs supported the academic success of youth. Using a culturally and historically responsive literacy and critical race theoretical framing (Gay, 2013; Hammond, 2015; Ladson-Billings, 2014; Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1997; Mills, 1997; Muhammad, 2020), this study captured the voices and insights of community elders and program directors of The Village Group, that makes use of Gullah Geechee cultural, academic, and vocational practices to engage and …

Harmonization And Ambiguity In Regulations For Physicians With Family Medicine Competence Post-Law No. 17 Of 2023, Danar Wahyu Giwang Katon, Dumilah Ayuningtyas, Purnawan Junadi, Wahyu Sulistiadi, Roberth J. Pattiselanno, Fitria Fitria, Ika Fitri Alfiani

Journal of Indonesian Health Policy and Administration

Strengthening primary care services in Indonesia requires that community health centers, namely Pusat Kesehatan Masyarakat (Puskesmas), involve medical personnel with family medicine competence. However, the fulfillment of physicians with this competence, especially Primary Care Family Medicine Specialists or Spesialis Kedokteran Keluarga Layanan Primer (Sp.KKLP), still face significant obstacles. This qualitative research uses the integrated Easton's System Model and Buse's Policy Framework to analyze the dynamics of this policy. The findings reveal a gap between the strong legal foundation and weak implementation mechanisms on the ground. First, there is ambiguity in terminology and lack of harmonization among regulations, especially concerning the …

The Relationship Between Accessibility Factors And Post-Inpatient Control Visits Among Non-Jkn Participants At Hospital X, Putri Candaika, Desy Kartika Ningsih, Risky Kusuma Hartono

Journal of Indonesian Health Policy and Administration

The rate of post-inpatient control visits remains relatively low due to various factors, including accessibility. At Hospital X, 220 of non-Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional (JKN) participants scheduled for post-inpatient control visits between January and March 2025, 71.82% attended, and 28.18% did not. Patients who did not attend control visits were twice as likely to be readmitted. This study aimed to determine the relationship between accessibility and post-inpatient control visits for non-JKN participants at Hospital X. This quantitative study employed an analytical cross-sectional design, with a population of 220 patients and a sample of 142 patients selected using probability sampling. Bivariate …

Preoperative Malnutrition Is Associated With Increased Postoperative Complications Following Lumbar Fusion: A Propensity-Matched Analysis, Ali Mehaidli, Muaaz Wajahath, Jad Lawand, Omar Abdalla, Lorenzo Deveza, Noah Hodson, Ryan J Berger, Kevin Taliaferro

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Lumbar fusion (LF) is a common surgical intervention for degenerative spinal conditions but carries significant short- and long-term risks. Preoperative malnutrition, characterized by low serum albumin or leukocyte counts, impairs wound healing and increases susceptibility to infection, yet its influence on LF outcomes remains underexplored. This study evaluates the association between preoperative malnutrition and long-term postoperative outcomes following LF.

Methods: Adult patients undergoing LF between 2003 and 2023 were identified in the TriNetX US Collaborative Network. Malnutrition was defined as serum albumin < 3.5 g/dL or leukocyte count < 1,500/mm3 within 1 year preoperatively. A 1:1 propensity score match was performed for demographics, comorbidities, surgical approach, and body mass index (BMI), yielding two cohorts (n=20,693 each). Ninety-day and 5‑year postoperative outcomes were compared using hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results: Malnourished patients experienced significantly higher 90‑day rates of transfusion (8.4% vs. 4.5%; HR 1.87, 95% CI: …

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Decreases Cerebral Cystic Encephalomalacia And Parvalbumin Interneuron Degeneration In A Pro-Inflammatory Model Of Mouse Neonatal Hypoxia-Ischemia, Benjamin Miller, Alexander Crider, Bhooma Aravamuthan, Rafael Galindo

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is an immunoregulatory and neurotrophic glycoprotein of potential clinical utility in the neonate at risk for cerebral injury. However, hCG has not been demonstrated to affect the pro-degenerative actions of inflammation in neonatal brain injury. Here we utilize a neonatal mouse model of mild hypoxia-ischemia (HI) combined with intraperitoneal administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to evaluate the neuroprotective actions of hCG in the setting of systemic inflammation. Intraperitoneal treatment with hCG significantly decreased tissue loss and cystic degeneration in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex of term-equivalent neonatal mice exposed to LPS and HI. Noting that parvalbumin immunoreactive …

Sequential Platinum And Parp Inhibition Enhances Pd1 Immunotherapy Efficacy In Murine Brca2 Mutated Pancreatic Cancer, John C Mcvey, Max M Wattenberg, Heather Coho, Kayjana Infante, Kelly Markowitz, Devora Delman, Cynthia Clendenin, Emma E Furth, Rashmi Tondon, Ben Z Stanger, Robert H Vonderheide, Kim A Reiss, Gregory L Beatty

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a challenging malignancy to treat, but emerging evidence suggests that specific subtypes may respond more favorably to certain therapies. BRCA-mutated PDAC represents a distinct subtype that is particularly sensitive to DNA-damaging therapies. The current standard of care for advanced BRCA-mutated PDAC involves induction platinum-based chemotherapy followed by maintenance therapy with a poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor (PARPi). However, the randomized phase III POLO trial, upon which this standard is based, did not demonstrate an improved overall survival in patients who received olaparib compared to those who received placebo, highlighting the need for new therapeutic approaches. Additionally, …

Leveraging The Pedsnet Clinical Research Network And Electronic Health Record Data To Enhance Efficiency Of Trial Enrollment For A Rare Pediatric Rheumatic Disease, Pamela F Weiss, Levon Utidjian, Mitchell Maltenfort, Hanieh Razzaghi, Timothy G Brandon, Cassandra Muir, Cora Sears, Edward J Oberle, Jennifer Cooper, Kevin Baszis, Mary B Toth, Esi M Morgan, Christopher B Forrest

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the PEDSnet clinical research network for study enrollment of juvenile spondyloarthritis, a rare rheumatic disease that includes enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). METHODS: An electronic health record (EHR)-based typology was developed by an interdisciplinary team to query EHR data for a spectrum of pediatric rheumatic diseases (2009–2023) from 8 PEDSnet centers. The prevalence, characteristics and drug exposures for juvenile spondyloarthritis was explored to gauge feasibility of leveraging the network for study enrollment. Next, the typology was adapted to identify subjects for a clinical trial; the efficiency of EHR typology query was compared to standard screening …

Ai-Driven Stratified Modeling For Early Liver Disease Detection: A Comparative Study Of Ensemble And Conventional Machine Learning Classifiers, Ghadeer Murtadha Ali, Ali Aqeel Hadi, Mustafa Abdulkareem Abbas, Abdullah Alkarar Mohammad, Ahmed Fadhil Abdulhussein

AUIQ Technical Engineering Science

Background: Early prediction of liver disease remains challenging in routine clinical diagnostics due to the multifactorial nature of hepatic dysfunction and the limited discriminative capacity of conventional laboratory-only assessments.

Objective: This study aims to develop and rigorously evaluate a robust machine learning framework for binary liver disease classification, emphasizing predictive stability, diagnostic balance (sensitivity–specificity), and statistical reproducibility across repeated experiments.

Methodology: A structured dataset of 1,700 records with 11 features representing demographic, behavioral, genetic, and clinical determinants was used to train and compare five supervised models: CatBoost, AdaBoost, Random Forest, Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Decision Tree. Performance was assessed …

Rethinking The Mindfulness And Mindlessness In Media Evocation Of Human-Machine Communication: A Case Study On The In-Car Robot “Nomi”, Bing Wang, Longxiang Luo, Weizi Liu

Human-Machine Communication

The commonly used Media Equation framework in human-machine communication research exhibits limitations when explaining human-machine relationships in the AI era, giving rise to the Media Evocation paradigm. Based on the Media Evocation framework, this study employs in-depth interviews to investigate whether interactions between humans and the in-car robot Nomi are mindful or mindless, while also examining whether these interactions prompt reflections on the machine’s ontology. The findings indicate that most participants perceive Nomi as a human-like actor and interact with it mindfully. Highquality social cues, such as voice and facial expressions, can trigger mindful anthropomorphic responses in human-machine interaction, eliciting …

Human-Machine Communication: Complete Volume. Volume 12

Human-Machine Communication

This is the complete volume of HMC Volume 12.

Normalizing Ai: The Evanishing Effect And Rethinking The Machine Heuristic, Bumju Jung, Cameron W. Piercy, Patric R. Spence

Human-Machine Communication

This study examines how people evaluate factual claims attributed to human journalists versus artificial intelligence (AI) news bots, and how these evaluations are shaped by individual endorsement of the machine heuristic. An online experiment (N = 233) used a 2 (Agent: human vs. AI) × 2 (Information Veracity: accurate vs. inaccurate) design in which participants viewed a short tweet embedded in either a human or AI profile and then rated perceptions of source credibility, objectivity, bias, and accuracy. Endorsement of an AI-focused machine heuristic was significantly associated with higher source credibility, perceived objectivity, and perceived accuracy, and lower perceived bias, …

Ai Humanizers, Pragmatists, Skeptics: A Cluster Analysis Of Normative Attitudes For Ai’S Capabilities And Roles, Kate K. Mays, Ekaterina Novozhilova

Human-Machine Communication

This study explores people’s attitudes about artificial intelligence’s (AI) capabilities through a normative lens. Drawing from literature on phenomenological, ontological, and heuristic judgments about machines, we aim to better understand what capabilities people think AI should be able to have and how that relates to enthusiasm about having AI take certain roles in their lives. Survey participants (N = 601) were grouped via two-step clustering based on their attitudes, revealing three clusters: AI humanizers, who expect empathy and social interaction from AI; AI pragmatists, who expect cognitive capabilities; and AI skeptics, who prefer AI with limited human-like traits and emphasize …

Explain. Write. Edit. Summarise: An Exploratory Study On Agency Negotiations In Student-Chatbot Conversations, Árni Már Einarsson Mr, Ekaterina Pashevich

Human-Machine Communication

LLM-based chatbots such as ChatGPT have given technologies that traditionally operated on the back end a user-friendly, conversational interface. Their rapid adoption among students has prompted universities worldwide to issue guidelines and re-examine existing practices. Supplementing prior research based on discourse analysis and self-reported measures (e.g., surveys and interviews), we propose an approach for analyzing naturally occurring student–chatbot interactions, rooted in conversation analysis of chats (n = 503) donated by eight current Danish university students. The analysis identifies conversational patterns across three main types of activities and examines how agency is negotiated across the structural dimensions of signification, domination, and …

Two Years To Madness: A 30-Month Journal Of Human–Machine Communication And Second-Hand Reality, Andrew Prahl

Human-Machine Communication

Drawing on a 30-month analytic-autoethnography of the first author’s journal as an earlyaccess OpenAI user, this study examines how sustained communication with generative AI affects everyday lived experience and identity. Inductive content analysis of 166 entries by independent coders is followed by theory-driven coding with the extended-mind and sensemaking frameworks. Three interlocking themes emerge. Enabled and Degraded captures the tension between new capabilities and efficiency versus creeping skill atrophy. Scary New World charts rising anxiety as productivity gains erode competitive and relational distinctiveness. The findings also show a growing, pervasive doubt about the human authorship of texts, images, and other …