Digital Commons Network^™

Continuity Of Government And The Separation Of Powers Doctrine, Andrew Parco

California Western Law Review

No abstract provided.

De-Escalation By Design: Addressing Police Misconduct Involving People With Hidden Disabilities Through Ada Amendments, Bryan Ableman

California Western Law Review

No abstract provided.

Extreme, Outrageous, And Reawakened: Reforming Iied To Address Stalking And Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Abuse, Tatijana Brienza-Underwood

California Western Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Unrealized Fears Of "Too Much Justice": Disparate Impact And The Future Of Equal Protection In Criminal Sentencing, Janan Burni

California Western Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Zero-Sum Reorganization: Realigning The Code For Hospital Sale-Leasebacks, Belecia Villafan

California Western Law Review

No abstract provided.

Array Signal Processing And Machine Learning In 5g/6g Networks, Roopesh Kumar Polaganga

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

This dissertation investigates advanced methodologies in Array Signal Processing (ASP) and Machine Learning (ML) to enhance the performance, efficiency, and intelligence of next-generation wireless networks, with a primary focus on 5G and emerging 6G systems. As wireless networks face rapid traffic growth, increasingly heterogeneous service requirements, and more complex propagation environments, conventional design and optimization approaches become insufficient to meet evolving demands in reliability, capacity, spectral efficiency, and energy efficiency. On the network intelligence side, this work develops data-driven frameworks for causal discovery, scheduler enhancement, session-duration prediction, and Radio Resource Control (RRC) state optimization using real-world telecommunication network data. On …

The Patroon System Of New Netherland And Its Lasting Influence On Landlord-Tenant Law, Liam Edward Cronan

Mitchell Hamline Law Review

No abstract provided.

Lifetime Tenure, Aging, And Cognitive Decline, David H. Churchwell

Mitchell Hamline Law Review

Aging is a fact of life. We all go through it, and we all experience it. But not all of us are federal judges, and not all of us hold positions of power for life. Aging impacts each of us differently, and there are good reasons to have experienced, elder individuals in roles that benefit from such experience, such as serving as a judge. However, age correlates with an increased prevalence of cognitive decline, and that correlation risks harming the judiciary’s legitimacy. This Article argues that constitutional incentives for federal judges permit lengthy judicial tenures, which increases the risk of …

Put Me In, Coach: Enhancing Foundational Lawyering Skills Across The Curriculum With Neurodivergent Law Students In Mind, Erica M. Lux

Mitchell Hamline Law Review

As more adults discover that they are neurodivergent, the law student population is likely to be no different, and legal education must adapt to support the skill development needs of neurodivergent students as they prepare to enter the profession. Neurodivergence is a non-medical term that refers to a variety of conditions resulting from changes to a person’s brain structure and function. More commonly, academic discussions around neurodivergence focus on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)—both of which have not been properly diagnosed over the past several decades. However, neurodivergence also incorporates anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), …

A Tribute To Professor Marie Failinger

Mitchell Hamline Law Review

No abstract provided.

Amicus Incorporated, Adam N. Eckart

Mitchell Hamline Law Review

Attorneys have long advanced change through the court system—including through high-stakes, high-profile litigation in front of the Supreme Court of the United States. Attorneys appearing before the Court often represent individuals, nonprofit organizations, or the gov-ernment, and often seek to drive social reform through the platforms of their organizations. But attorneys representing big businesses also advo-cate for change through action at the Supreme Court. While businesses are not new to speaking out in front of the Court, they have become in-creasingly active in cases focused on social issues, including by submit-ting amicus briefs to the Court in support of a …

Justice For The Accomplice: Minnesota's 2023 Accomplice Liability Amendment And Its Shortcomings, John M. Thompson

Mitchell Hamline Law Review

No abstract provided.

Vicarious Liability In Sexual Misconduct Cases In Minnesota, Mike Steenson

Mitchell Hamline Law Review

Employers are vicariously liable for torts committed by their employees acting within the course and scope of their employment. The predominant test turns on whether the employee acted, at least in part, out of a desire to serve the employer’s interests. That test is problematic in cases involving intentional torts committed by an employee, particularly in sexual assault cases. Existing vicarious liability rules have been heavily criticized for the motive rule’s limiting effect, even where the nature of the employment may facilitate the tort. A minority of jurisdictions impose vicarious liability in cases where the tort is a characteristic risk …

Premium Injustice: Addressing The Harms That Cash Bail Premiums Inflict On The Non-Convicted, Jeffery L. Young

Mitchell Hamline Law Review

No abstract provided.

Combating Forced Labor: Why Trade Laws Work Better, Julia Steggerda-Corey

Mitchell Hamline Law Review

Nearly twenty-eight million people across the globe are coerced into involuntary work or service. This forced labor occurs in virtually every industry and at every stage of supply chains and goods production. Nation-states have sought to address this epidemic for decades through anti-slavery, trade, and human rights laws. These mechanisms have largely failed and forced labor in the supply chain remains an underpin-ning of modern capitalism. To be effective, legal mechanisms must in-centivize businesses to make strategic decisions that bring about an end to forced labor. This Article is the first to analyze the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence …

Rebalancing The Milk Market: A Shared-Burden Framework For Dairy And Plant-Based Producers, Isabelle Ulrich

Mitchell Hamline Law Review

This Note examines the structural and regulatory differences between traditional dairy products and the rapidly expanding plant-based milk products in the United States. Through analysis of historical Federal Milk Marketing Order policies, mandatory checkoff programs, and contrasting labeling standards in the United States and European Union, this Note reveals how plant-based milk producers enjoy competitive advantages without sharing the financial or regulatory burden that traditional dairy producers face. This Note argues for a shared-burden policy requiring all entities marketing “milk,” whether dairy or plant-based, to contribute to promotional and regulatory funds. This framework will restore market fairness, preserve consumer choice, …

Preventing Teen Pregnancy Through Expanded Contraceptive Access In Mccreary County, Kentucky, Dacey B. Chitwood

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

This capstone project proposes a school-based Condom Availability Program to reduce teen pregnancy risk by expanding discreet contraceptive access for adolescents in McCreary County, Kentucky. Teen pregnancy remains a persistent public health concern in rural communities where stigma, privacy concerns, transportation barriers, and limited healthcare access can prevent adolescents from obtaining reproductive health resources. McCreary County faces elevated teen birth rates, socioeconomic disadvantage, and limited maternal healthcare infrastructure, making teen pregnancy prevention an important local priority. The proposed program would place free latex and non-latex condoms in student restrooms at McCreary Central High School, with QR-code-linked information connecting students to …

The Impact Of Food Insecurity And Associated Variables On Colon Cancer In Kentucky: An Ecologic Study, Claire E. Lynch

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Objective: Given colorectal cancer incidence rates are increasing, especially in socioeconomic disadvantaged areas, this study aims to determine if there is an association between specific socioeconomic variables, such as food insecurity, and colon cancer at the county-level in Kentucky.

Methods: Colorectal cancer age-adjusted incidence rates at the county-level were collected from the Kentucky Cancer Registry. Conty-level data was collected from County Health Ranking, The U.S Census Bureau, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from 2019 to 2023. R was used to run statical analyses such as a linear regression and a …

Dear Vincent, James H. Stone Iv

Playwriting (MFA) Theses

Dear Vincent is a play written for J. Harvey Stone’s MFA in Playwriting from Hollins University. The play is inspired by the life of Vincent van Gogh and his letters with his brother Theodore. The artist Vincent van Gogh was an avid writer to his brother Theodore. This play is inspired by, but not dictated by, the letters Vincent van Gogh wrote to his brother. Connected by hymns in Act I and by the news of the 1980s in Act II, this Vincent lives through his letters as well but ultimately has to make a decision regarding this life in …

Amorphous Selenium Photodetectors For Liquid Noble Detectors, Michael Rooks

Physics Dissertations - Archive

Physics offers a way to connect deeply with the mysteries that surround us. Advances in detector physics, particularly in neutrino experiments and rare-event searches, have expanded our ability to probe phenomena that challenge how we describe the universe. Each discovery brings us closer to understanding the unknown, returning us to a sense of wonder that motivates exploration. My work on detector technology was inspired by a concept paper from Professor David Nygren, in which he noted the speculative possibility of integrating photon detection into a charge readout for pixelated liquid argon time projection chambers (LArTPCs) using the photoconductor amorphous selenium …

Hika - 2025-2026

HIKA Literary Magazine

No abstract provided.

Community Place Attachment As A Significant Correlate Of Motivation To Change Substance Use Behavior Among Adults Who Inject Drugs In Rural U.S., Janet K. Otachi, Shawndaya S. Thrasher, Keith J. Watts, Juma S. Mwenda, Hilary L. Surratt

Social Work Faculty Publications

Introduction: While motivation is critical for substance use disorder (SUD) recovery, many individuals fail to engage in treatment. The need to belong is a fundamental human motivation, yet the role of community place attachment (CPA) as a social asset in fostering motivation to change substance use behaviors (MCSUB) among people who inject drugs (PWID) is understudied. This paper examines the effect of CPA on PWIDs’ MCSUB.

Methodology: Cross-sectional data were collected from 350 PWID recruited from syringe service programs in rural Appalachian Kentucky (2018–2021). We used hierarchical multivariable linear regression to assess the association between CPA and MCSUB, controlling for …

"Just Friends:" The Linguistics Of Queerness In Lady Audley's Secret And Carmilla, Kelley A. Peters

English

Many queer studies scholars have debated the legitimacy of queer coding within Victorian literature, such as Marc Milton Ducusin, who wrote Queer Doubles: The Victorian Sensation Novel and English Sexology, and Sharon Marcus, the author of Between Women: Friendship, Desire, and Marriage in Victorian England. These authors analyze real-life and fictional behaviors of those within Victorian England to argue that queerness is present in certain Victorian works. However, these arguments do not adequately address the linguistic significance of the queer coding present in these works, and they specifically ignore the label of “friend” and its many meanings in Victorian …

Hepatitis C Virus Transmission Among People Who Inject Drugs In Rural United States: Mathematical Modeling Study Using Stochastic Agent-Based Network Simulation, Lin Zhu, Jennifer R. Havens, Abby E. Rudolph, April M. Young, Golnaz Eftekhari Yazdi, William W. Thompson, Liesl M. Hagan, Liisa M. Randall, Jianing Wang, Rebecca Earnest, Shayla Nolen, Benjamin P. Linas, Joshua A. Salomon

Center on Drug and Alcohol Research Faculty Publications

People who inject drugs (PWID) account for the majority of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in the United States. The injection-equipment-sharing network likely plays an important role in shaping the dynamics of HCV transmission. Recognizing the emerging HCV epidemic in rural communities, we developed an agent-based network simulation model of HCV transmission via injection equipment sharing and used data on rural PWID networks to inform model parameterization and calibration. We then simulated an array of networks that varied key network properties to understand their impact on the magnitude and distribution of HCV incidence. The results show substantial heterogeneity in HCV …

A Qualitative Interpretive Meta-Synthesis On The Lived Experiences Of Labor Trafficking Survivors, Paola T. Chavez Reyes

Social Work Theses

Across the globe, an estimated 27.6 million people are in forced labor. Despite this widespread prevalence, labor trafficking (LT) in the United States remains difficult to identify and is often overlooked. This study aims to synthesize LT experiences of survivors and providers accounts at the point of recruitment and during victimization to inform identification efforts. A qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis was conducted using directed content analysis guided by Social Cognition Theory. Peer-reviewed studies documenting LT survivor experiences from 2013-2025 were systematically analyzed to identify the interaction between cognitive processes, environmental influences, and behavioral responses. Across seven studies, the findings reveal that …

Lived Experiences Of Special Education Teachers Of Color In Minnesota Charter Schools: A Phenomenological Study Of Factors Influencing Retention, Gigi Krause

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Special education faces a critical shortage of licensed educators, a crisis intensified for teachers of color, who remain underrepresented and experience disproportionately high attrition rates. Although Minnesota has implemented initiatives to diversify the teaching workforce, the retention of novice special education teachers of color, particularly within charter school settings, remains underexamined. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of novice special education teachers of color in Minnesota charter schools to identify factors influencing their decisions to remain in or leave the profession. Guided by Critical Race Theory and Mentorship Theory, the study employed a transcendental phenomenological approach. Semi-structured interviews …

Tackling The Societal And Regulatory Challenges Of Emerging Technologies: A Case Study Of Deepfake, Jingyao Li

2026

Governing emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) poses enduring challenges for policymakers, industries, and societies. Early-stage governance is often hindered by limited understanding of technological implications, rapid innovation cycles, and resistance from powerful industry actors who favor minimal oversight. Yet, timely and effective governance is essential, as new technologies are most malleable in their formative stages. This dissertation examines how emerging technologies can be governed effectively by using deepfakes technology as a focal case. This dissertation comprises three interrelated studies.

The first paper reviews the literature on deepfakes and emerging technology governance, identifying the distinct characteristics of deepfake technology …

The Relationship Between Culturally Responsive Teaching (Crt) Training, Teachers’ Children’S Book Choices, And Perceptions Of Censorship In Kuwait, Norma Gina Lombardi Sciarra

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teachers who are culturally responsive use classroom materials that reflect their students' ethnicities, traditions, and values. Western teachers have access to diverse books and classroom tools. They have the agency to choose materials that support the curriculum. However, when Western educators work abroad, they must adapt their teaching methods and tools to local norms. Working abroad may require censoring or omitting information and content they believe in and support. As a result, teachers may feel dissonance or conflict when censoring. Censoring may impact their ability to teach comprehensively. Little research examines the relationship between culturally responsive teaching (CRT), perceptions of …

The Relationship Between School Climate And Academics, Discipline, And Attendance At Rural Midwest Middle Schools, Hannah Pagel

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

School climate is a necessary aspect of school improvement. There are many different areas of school climate, making it challenging for schools to focus improvement efforts. Previous research identifies safety and relationships as being two of the main components of school climate. These two components relate to student grades, behavior, and attendance. Framed by Bronfenbrenner and Cole’s (1979) social-ecological perspective, Plutchik and Kellerman’s (1980) emotion theory, Bandura’s (1977) social learning theory, and Maslow’s (1943) needs theory, this research study examined school climate and student success in a middle school setting. For this quantitative study, data from the 2025 Minnesota Student …

The Relationship Between Principals' Servant Leadership And The Retention Of Mid-To-Late-Career Elementary Teachers In Minnesota Public Schools, Teresa Widen

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teacher attrition, particularly among experienced educators, significantly impacts school stability and student outcomes. This quantitative study examined the relationship between mid-to-late-career elementary teachers’ perceptions of their principals’ servant leadership behaviors and their own retention decisions within Minnesota public schools. Grounded in servant leadership theory, the research also explored whether perceptions of leadership varied significantly based on teacher gender or teaching position. Utilizing a non-experimental, correlational design, data were collected via an online survey administering the Servant Leadership Scale and the Turnover Intention Scale (TIS-6). The final sample consisted of 410 experienced elementary teachers. Data were analyzed using JASP employing descriptive …