Digital Commons Network^™

Rethinking Appeals In Arbitration, Abdi Aidid

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

The question of whether arbitration awards should be appealable, or at least subject to enhanced judicial review, is heavily contested in the scholarly literature. This Article explains that arguments favoring or rejecting appellate review have focused on stylized conceptions of arbitration either as a species of contract or as a substitute for adjudication. This Article argues that these two dominant approaches—termed here the “contractarian” and “arbitration-as-adjudication” models—fail to adequately describe modern arbitration practice. Thus, any argument for or against appellate review that rests heavily on either of the two conceptions is unconvincing. Instead, this Article argues that the question of …

Thou Shalt Not Castrate: The Conflict Between Louisiana’S Surgical Castration Law And The Principles Of Medical Ethics, Morgan Ambrosecchia

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

In 2024, Louisiana became the first state to permit courtordered surgical castration for sex offenders who have been convicted of certain sex crimes against children. Under the law, an offender who refuses to submit to the procedure will face an additional three to five years in prison without the possibility of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. The court’s order is contingent on confirmation by a court-appointed expert that the offender is an “appropriate candidate for surgery.” However, the statutory language is vague and does not clearly define who can serve as an expert nor does it define the scope …

“This One Time At Band Camp”: Reexamining The Use Of “War Stories” In Trial Advocacy Pedagogy, Todd A. Berger

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

“War stories,” i.e., the retelling of an event from the teacher’s experience as a practicing lawyer to illustrate a teaching point, have long been a part of law school pedagogy. In this regard, faculty teaching doctrinal courses recognize that the use of war stories can work as an effective teaching methodology. Interestingly, however, the use of war stories to teach trial advocacy has proven far more controversial. To that end, the most dominant approach to teaching trial advocacy in American law schools, known as the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA) method, embraces an approach to war stories that ranges …

Analyzing Apoe Genotypic Variants And Expression Of Associated Genes And Mirnas In Alzheimer's Disease, Angelica Mendez

Theses (2016-Present)

One of the neurodegenerative diseases that affect the human brain is Alzheimer's disease (AD). It progressively destroys memory, thinking skills, and other critical mental functions of the brain. It is the most common cause of dementia due to the loss of cognitive functions. However, it differs from dementia, which includes other diseases resulting in cognitive deterioration and causing a person to lose independence and functionality. The apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene influences Alzheimer's risk. APOE protein transports cholesterol and other types of fat in the bloodstream. When the process fails, it contributes to the development of AD. Three genotypes of APOE …

Cytotoxic Effects Of Microplastics On A549 Lung Cancer Cells, Tykel Eddy

Theses (2016-Present)

Investigation of cytotoxic effects of 10μm polystyrene based microplastics on A549 lung cancer epithelial cell line utilized multiple in-vitro assays. Cell viability was analyzed and compared between the control and treated groups using MTT assay using three separate doses (25, 50, and 100 μL). Results indicated that dosage was not a factor, but mainly, a significant time dependency of exposure to microplastics for treated cells compared to control group. Live/Dead assay gave a visual representation of microplastic cytotoxic effects as over the course of three days there was an increase of dead cells withing the treated group, as confirmed by …

Beyond The North Star: The Southward Flight Of Enslaved People To Mexico, Kayro Gonzalez

Theses (2016-Present)

When most people think of the Underground Railroad, they often picture brave individuals escaping the slave-owning South, seeking safety in the northern United States or Canada. However, it's essential to recognize that the fight for freedom went far beyond those regions. In 1830, Mexico abolished slavery, leading many escapees from enslaved areas across the United States. With freedom just a few miles away, hundreds of American slaves established several secretive and advanced routes into Mexico’s northern states, settling in newly founded free black colonies like San Lorenzo de los Negros and El Nacimiento de los Negros, among others. Using data …

The Lack Of Representation Of Black Women In The Sports Industry & Media, Rylan A. Harvey

Theses (2016-Present)

This thesis examines how Black women navigate and thrive within white, male- dominated sports media and industry spaces, utilizing the frameworks of Black Feminist Rhetoric and Co-Cultural Communication Theory. Using rhetorical and media discourse analysis of public figures, including Jemele Hill, Maria Taylor, Pam Oliver, Serena Williams, and Venus Williams, the study examines how Black women employ communicative strategies such as assimilation, accommodation, and separation, alongside rhetorical acts of voice, resistance, and representation, to navigate systemic inequities. These cases illustrate how language, credibility, and identity function as tools of survival and empowerment within institutions designed for exclusion. Findings reveal that …

An Evaluation Of Reading Proficiency Examination College Completion Among Black Neurodiverse Women, Makayla J. Graham

Theses (2016-Present)

This study establishes the college completion experiences of Black neurodiverse women (n=53), a population historically rendered invisible in higher education research. Grounded in Dis/ability Critical Race Studies (DisCrit), Black Feminist Thought, the Black Feminist Disability Framework, and the Neurodiversity Paradigm, the research documents how intersectional identity, structural barriers, and mental health outcomes shape degree attainment. Data was collected through a mixed-methods online survey targeting this specific demographic. The findings demonstrate that college completion for this population is an act of resistance against racialized sexist ableism. Thematic analysis identified six central themes: Systemic Barriers in Higher Education, Intersectional Identity Burdens, Internal …

Using Advanced Artificial Intelligence Techniques In Pavement Marking Detection For Asset Management, Paul Clement Akpabio

Theses (2016-Present)

Pavement markings are essential roadway assets that enhance driver guidance, reduce collision risks, and support the operational reliability of autonomous and connected vehicle systems. Maintaining adequate marking visibility, particularly retro reflectivity as required by FHWA MUTCD Section 3A.05, is critical for nighttime safety and for minimizing crash severity in adverse conditions. Traditional assessment methods, including manual inspections, retro reflectometers, and service life estimates, offer useful baseline information but remain slow, labor intensive, and unsuitable for large scale or real time asset management. These limitations have increased interest in artificial intelligence solutions capable of automating pavement condition evaluation with greater consistency …

Morphometric Analysis Of Spina Bifida After Fetal Repair Shows New Subtypes With Associated Outcomes., L K Mann, S Pandiri, N Agarwal, H Northrup, K S Au, Elin Grundberg, E P Bergh, M T Austin, R Patel, B Miller, S Zhu, J S Feinberg, D Lai, K Tsao, S A Fletcher, R Papanna

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

OBJECTIVES: The binary classification of spina bifida lesions as myelomeningocele (with sac) or myeloschisis (without sac) belies a spectrum of morphologies. This study aimed to characterize types of spina bifida lesion and correlate them with preoperative presentation and postoperative outcome.

METHODS: This was a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort of patients referred for fetal spina bifida who underwent fetoscopic repair between 2020 and 2023 at a single center. We evaluated lesion morphology on high-resolution intraoperative images and videos to categorize lesions based on placode exposure and nerve root stretching. The reproducibility of lesion classification was assessed using the Kappa …

Changes In Antiviral Prescribing For Children With Influenza In Us Emergency Departments., Tess Stopczynski, Olla Hamdan, Justin Z. Amarin, James W. Antoon, Laura S. Stewart, Haya Hayek, James Chappell, Andrew J. Spieker, Eileen J. Klein, Janet A. Englund, Geoffrey A. Weinberg, Peter G. Szilagyi, John V. Williams, Marian G. Michaels, Julie A. Boom, Leila C. Sahni, Mary Allen Staat, Elizabeth P. Schlaudecker, Jennifer E. Schuster, Rangaraj Selvarangan, Ayzsa Tannis, Heidi L. Moline, Samantha M. Olson, Natasha B. Halasa

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

IMPORTANCE: Despite national recommendations, antiviral prescribing in emergency departments (EDs) for children at higher risk of severe influenza, such as those younger than 5 years and those with specific underlying conditions, remains low.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether there were changes in antiviral prescribing for children at higher risk of severe influenza in academic pediatric EDs before the COVID-19 pandemic (2016-2020) vs the late pandemic period (2021-2023).

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This multicenter, cross-sectional study included influenza-positive children younger than 18 years presenting to the ED at 1 of 7 US pediatric academic hospitals participating in the Centers for Disease Control …

Assessment And Management Of Magnesium And Trace Element Status In Children With Ckd Stages 2-5, On Dialysis And Post-Transplantation: Clinical Practice Points From The Pediatric Renal Nutrition Taskforce., Jetta Tuokkola, Caroline E. Anderson, Sheridan Collins, Pearl Pugh, Molly R Wong Vega, Matthew Harmer, Lyndsay A. Harshman, Christina L. Nelms, Barry Toole, An Desloovere, Fabio Paglialonga, Nonnie Polderman, José Renken-Terhaerdt, Rukshana Shroff, Evelien Snauwaert, Stella Stabouli, Johan Vande Walle, Bradley A. Warady, Vanessa Shaw, Larry A. Greenbaum

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Children and young people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at risk for deficiency or excess of magnesium and trace elements. Kidney function, dialysis, medication, and dietary and supplemental intake can affect their biochemical status. There is much uncertainty about the requirements of magnesium and trace elements in CKD, which leads to variation in practice. The Pediatric Renal Nutrition Taskforce is an international team of pediatric kidney dietitians and pediatric nephrologists, formed to develop evidence-based clinical practice points to improve the nutritional care of children with CKD. PICO (patient, intervention, comparator, and outcomes) questions led the literature searches, which were …

The Impact Of Long-Term Exposure To Lip Cosmetics On The Fertility Of Female Drosophila Melanogaster, Neeka Oghli

Holster Scholar Projects

Are products marketed as safe to use, truly safe to use? Inspired by an article exposing the dangers of Tampax tampons, this study examines potential reproductive risks from consumer lip products marketed as natural and safe18. Drosophila melanogaster, a model organism with genetic and reproductive similarities to humans, was utilized to test the impacts of Rhode and Avène lip cosmetics. Avène’s Cicalfate + Lips Repair Lip Balm is the closest alternative to Rhode’s unscented peptide lip treatment, which was mindfully chosen to test if affordability comes at the expense of safety. Various concentrations of these products will be exposed to …

Filipino Military Professionalism And Leadership Within The Context Of The Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Strategy, Leslie Advincula-Lopez, Sharon A. Caringal, Julian V. Advincula Jr.

Development Studies Faculty Publications

The study examines how expertise, responsibility, and identity are developed and maintained by the services formally and informally and provides an updated understanding of how military professionalism functions today among the members of the AFP. The research results provide an updated understanding of how the members of the AFP dynamically construct military professionalism and leadership within the context of more complex and global security challenges. Specifically, it examines the construction and practice of professionalism and leadership across the different branches of service, the Philippine Army, the Air Force, and the Navy, as well as their geographic locations. Given the fluid …

The Role Of Social Capital In Enhancing Organizational Effectiveness, Participation, And Sustainability: Insights From Service-Learning Evaluation Reports, Mark Anthony D. Abenir

Development Studies Faculty Publications

Social capital, encompassing networks, trust, and shared norms among community members, underpins the success of community development initiatives. This study examines how deliberate efforts to strengthen social capital influence organizational effectiveness, participant engagement, and long‐term sustainability in four urbanbased service‐learning projects in Metro Manila, Philippines. Through a qualitative review of comprehensive endof‐project evaluation reports spanning a junior educator tutoring program, a disaster preparedness intervention, a women’s leadership and organization development project, and project management capacity‐building workshop for conditional cash transfer beneficiaries, the research applied a three‐dimensional social capital framework: structural (network coordination and information exchange), cognitive (shared norms and collective …

Research Nexus : Volume 30 - 2025, Office Of Research And Graduate Studies

Office of Research and Graduate Studies

• Researcher Spotlight
• Research Milestones & News
• Research 2024
• AKU Faculty Named Among World's Top 2% Most-Cited Scientists
• Research Townhall - East Africa
• A New Addition to the Team
• Research Townhall – Pakistan and United Kingdom
• Capacity Building Initiatives
• Effective Project Management
• Navigating Grant Opportunities

Trichome Density And Herbivore Behaviour On Tomato Is Influenced By Herbivory, Plant Age, And Leaf Surface, Sunil Aryal, Manish Gautam, Justin George, Gadi V.P. Reddy, Rupesh Kariyat

Entomology and Plant Pathology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Leaf trichomes in plants act as the first line of physical defence against herbivory, in addition to many other reported functions. Although trichomes have been found to vary intraspecifically and can be induced by herbivory, their interactive effects under additional factors, such as plant age and abaxial vs. adaxial leaf surfaces, are less understood. Here, using five common tomato varieties, we explored the effects of these factors and their interactions on trichome type and density. We quantified the densities of Type VI glandular trichomes, non-glandular trichomes, and total trichomes on abaxial and adaxial leaf surfaces, and total leaf trichomes with …

Exploring Undergraduate Early Childhood Education Students' Conceptualizations Of Stem In Early Learning Contexts, Melany Spiehs

Educational Leadership Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

Early childhood is widely recognized as a critical stage for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) learning, yet many teachers feel underprepared to support children’s foundational knowledge and skills. This study examines how undergraduate students in early childhood education conceptualize STEM within early learning environments through an analysis of their coursework and field experiences. The investigation explores both students’ articulated beliefs about STEM (espoused theories) and how they enacted STEM teaching and learning in practice (theories-in-use). Data were drawn from course artifacts including journals, reflections, learning stories, lesson plans, and field observation notes. While much of the existing literature emphasizes …

Charting The Course: Understanding Key Elements, Stakeholder Insights, And Professional Perspectives In Establishing A Community College Court Reporting Program, Sherman P. Willis

Educational Leadership Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

There is a national shortage of court reporters. This study investigates which elements and essential factors, according to industry criteria and stakeholder feedback, should form the foundation of a community college court reporting program. The research question was decomposed into two components: examining key elements from existing programs; and identifying best practices from judge surveys and essential program components from court reporter interviews.

A mixed analysis included National Court Reporters Association (NCRA)–approved program document review, quantitative surveys of Nebraska judges, and qualitative interviews with Nebraska court reporters. The survey evaluated judicial perspectives on fundamental program components. Semi-structured interviews gathered information …

Venturing Into Health, Rachel E. Sachs

Fordham Law Review

In recent years, the landscape of venture capital (VC) investment in healthcare technologies has been altered by the introduction of new types of VC firms: those that have emerged from hospital systems and health insurers. However, the legal literature has not yet analyzed these new VC firms, the role they may play in healthcare innovation, and how innovation law and policy ought to consider their involvement. Hospital system and health insurer VC firms operate very differently than traditional VC firms, even those that have historically developed healthcare specializations. Instead of simply investing capital into start-up firms, hospital system and health …

Sharksrx Newsletter Fall 2025, Nova Southeastern University

NSU Sharks Rx

No abstract provided.

Subsistence As Resistance: Reconceptualizing The Theory Of Progressive Property To Incubate Resistance To Consumerism, D.S. Pensley

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

This Article reconceptualizes the theory of progressive property by juxtaposing legal theory with the empirical study of a subsistence economy in the U.S. Subarctic. Progressive property holds that owners are bound by obligations to non-owners as a means to achieve human flourishing. The theory is constrained by the primacy of private property in Western thought, and it also lacks the ecological ethic required for sustainability. Drawing from my fieldwork, I suggest that human flourishing must additionally incubate resistance to consumerism.

Federal statute, 16 U.S.C. § 3113, defines subsistence as “the customary and traditional uses by rural Alaska residents of wild, …

Let's Bee Pragmatic: The Economic Case For Neonicotinoid Regulation In Conservative States, Annie Rosenstein

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

The importance of bees in our ecosystem and to our food system in the United States cannot be overstated. In fact, 35% of global crop production depends on bees and other pollinating insects. Pollinators not only influence the production of many foods that we hold dear and rely on, such as apples, chocolate, potatoes, and coffee, but also influence the quality of these products.

Currently, the most insidious threat against bees in the United States is neonicotinoid pesticides (neonics). While neonics are effective at killing the target populations of beetles, aphids, and flies, they are equally effective at killing pollinators, …

Environmental Bankers: States Are Billing Fossil Fuel Companies For Extreme Weather Disasters, Kelly A. Adam

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

For decades, common law has been the pathway to remediation for environmental tragedies. Victims of traditional environmental harms can pursue justice through legal challenges like nuisance, negligence, and violations of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). However, climate change–induced natural disasters have led to the normalization of the “Act of God” exception; a policy provision commonly used in insurance law that excludes coverage for damage caused by unforeseeable natural disasters. Even so, real cities suffer the consequences of the real harm, whether insurance accepts it or not; so, who bears the burden of funding the recovery?

Maryland, …

The Lone Dissent, Grant Christensen, Anne Mullins

Washington and Lee Law Review

What can be learned when a Supreme Court Justice decides to write a lone dissent? There exists a powerful set of incentives for Supreme Court opinions to achieve consensus. Although closely divided cases grab news headlines, unanimous opinions are actually the most commonly issued judicial alignment, and cases in which a single Justice dissents are the most unlikely. Despite voluminous academic discussion of judicial behavior, no legal scholarship has focused on the lone dissent. This Article is designed to insert consideration of lone dissenting opinions into the broader discussion of judicial behavior.

Looking at the set of Supreme Court opinions …

Look What You Made Me Do, Russell M. Gold

Washington and Lee Law Review

We have understood for centuries that crime is both the product of social forces and individual choice. We know now that crime is affected by economic deprivation, addiction, trauma, and mental health issues. But American criminal legal processes hide this reality by coercing defendants into expressing a profoundly simple narrative: crime is solely individual choice to do wrong. This coerced narrative finds defendants during a plea colloquy standing up in court saying that they are pleading guilty because they are guilty and for no other reason. A defendant who goes off-script to tell the judge that they have been repeatedly …

Double Dosing: How Brand-Name Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Manipulate Patent Rules To Extend Market Exclusivity, Elizabeth Hertzberg

Washington and Lee Law Review

A robust patent system is important for spurring innovation, but it is not without risk. Because a patent owner has exclusivity over the patented subject matter for a specific term, there is incentive to extend that monopoly however possible. Identical subject matter is unpatentable, but obvious variants of an existing patent may be allowed if the applicant agrees to the same expiration date for both patents. This agreement is called a terminal disclaimer. While patents tied together with terminal disclaimers may not necessarily lead to unjust patent term extensions, an army of terminal disclaimers directed at one invention presents a …

Volume 12 Issue 1 (Oct 1912)

The Soul Winner

No abstract provided.

From Disruption To Renewal: Harnessing Divine Interruptions And Strategic Leadership For Transforming Church Culture, Ryan Johnson

Great Commission Research Journal

Church revitalization is a field that addresses refreshing the church’s mission and vision by leaders who assess internal and external factors affecting the congregation’s current state. However, researchers in organizational culture argue that refreshed strategies will be ineffective without also addressing underlying cultural issues. This essay addresses the need for and the process of transforming church culture during the revitalization process. Pastors and leaders bring about cultural change by disrupting the status quo. This disruptive leadership is achieved through two approaches. First, leaders proactively and incrementally disrupt the status quo to influence cultural change through faithful pastoral practices. Secondly, leaders …

A Brief History Of The American Society For Church Growth And Great Commission Research Network, Gary Mcintosh

Great Commission Research Journal

This article surveys the 40‑year history of the Great Commission Research Network, originally founded in 1985 as the American Society for Church Growth. It traces the Society’s origins in the vision of C. Peter Wagner, its early development alongside emerging academic and consulting roles in the Church Growth Movement, and its subsequent evolution through changing leadership, themes, and institutional partnerships. The narrative outlines major milestones, including organizational restructuring, name changes, expanding conference formats, and increasing collaboration with seminaries, denominations, and the Society for Church Consulting. Across four decades, the Society has produced significant research, cultivated key leaders, supported academic scholarship, …