Digital Commons Network^™

Embryos On Ice: Issues With Estate Law And Assisted Reproduction In A Post-Dobbs World, Nicole Pomerantz

University of Florida Journal of Law & Public Policy

Will you have to share your property interests with an embryo in a petri dish? This Note explores the complex legal landscape surrounding the estate interests of cryopreserved embryos in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The piece delves into the implications of recognizing embryos as legal persons with rights, particularly in the context of estate law, where the classification of embryos can significantly impact property distribution, class-closing rules, and the application of the Rule Against Perpetuities. By examining case law, statutes, and the potential consequences of states adopting the Dobbs …

Vol 70 #4, Rebecca Chavez

MPLA Newsletter

No abstract provided.

"No One Leaves For Free": A Media Analysis Of The Lived Experiences And Cumulative Impacts Of The Flint Water Crisis., Jordan Leigh Gatewood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In April 2014, the city of Flint, Michigan changed their municipal water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River. The effects of this change have been felt far and wide as news broke across the nation that this water was contaminated with lead and residents of Flint were getting sick. This research analyzes 170 news articles from three local and three national news outlets over a 10-year span, 2014 to 2024, to determine how community voice is presented in news media to portray the lived experiences and cumulative impacts of the Flint Water Crisis. Applying a Critical Environmental Justice …

Will The Court Use Dobbs To Overturn Sullivan? Revisiting The Sullivan Decision In The Age Of Digital Media, Skylar Tess Ivey Detjen

University of Florida Journal of Law & Public Policy

New York Times Co. v. Sullivan is a landmark Supreme Court decision that significantly expanded protection for the press under the First Amendment by limiting public officials’ ability to sue for defamation. The ruling established the “actual malice” standard, requiring public officials to prove that defamatory statements were made with knowledge of their falsity or with reckless disregard for the truth. In recent years, Justice Thomas has repeatedly criticized Sullivan, arguing that the decision is more a product of judicial policymaking than of constitutional interpretation, with minimal grounding in the text or history of the First or Fourteenth Amendments. …

2024 Soybean Insect Losses In The United States, Fred R. Musser, Sebe A. Brown, Tim Bryant, Whitney D. Crow, Jeffrey A. Davis, Christina Difonzo, Chase Floyd, Scott H. Graham, Jeremy K. Greene, Kelly A. Hamby, David Kerns, Janet Knodel, David Owens, Dominic D. Reisig, Phillip M. Roberts, Nicholas J. Seiter, Adam J. Sisson, Benjamin C. Thrash, Kelley J. Tilmon, Raul T. Villanueva

Midsouth Entomologist

Estimated management costs and losses due to insects and other invertebrates in soybean during the 2024 growing season were collected and compiled from 19 states to provide a record of insect pressure and management practices for the year. These annual estimates provide a historical record of pest pressure and insect management and have been compiled in some states since 2004. Participating states represented 63% of soybean acreage grown in the United States, with near 100% participation in southern states. Overall, the stink bug complex was the costliest insect pest in soybean followed by corn earworm and soybean looper. Total insect …

Succinctness Meets Transparency A Linking Framework Combining Hyrax And Kzg, And Its Applications, Argha Sardar

Master’s Dissertations

The thesis begins by introducing the concept of zero knowledge and exploring its various paradigms. It then focuses on a interesting problem: the construction of linking proofs. Chap- ter 2 addresses the challenge of binding two distinct polynomial commitment schemes so that they are consistent at a common evaluation point. The chapter further introduces a method for equating two different polynomials with different domains using an affine line construction. By applying certain optimizations to the bulletproofs protocol, the work achieves a reduction in both the prover’s time and the number of rounds required for proving a large committed inner product. …

Rheumatic Heart Disease In Primary Aged Children In Samoa, Kallysta Lindquist

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a condition where the heart valves are permanently damaged by an autoimmune response to chronic strep infections. RHD remains extremely prevalent in Oceania - specifically Samoa. However, despite its prevalence, RHD is underexplored in Samoa and there are many disparities for medical care to treat RHD in Samoa. This research shifts the focus of RHD to early detection in children (5-18 years old) and provides critical insights into RHD and the geographic difference in RHD prevalence in Samoa. Our dataset was collected between 2013-2019 from the Rheumatic Relief program done by Brigham Young University. Data …

Oral History Of Dr. Carl Jón Denbow, Director Of Information For The College Of Osteopathic Medicine Conducted On 02/20/2025 By Angel David García García, Carl Jón Denbow, Angel David García García

HIST 4798/5798: Recording Memory: Methods and Uses of Oral History

Dr. Carl Jón Denbow discusses his history, how he became the Director of information for the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Ohio University, and his time in this position.

This interview was conducted as part of a class project for Recording Memory: Methods and Uses of Oral History, Spring 2025, Alexander G. Lovelace (Ph.D.) Instructor

Guide For Teaching Faculty 2025-2026, Coastal Carolina University

Guide for Teaching Faculty

The intention of the Guide for Teaching Faculty is to ensure that all faculty members have the requisite knowledge about University policies, procedures, and services to effectively carry out their instructional assignments.

Oyster Shell Recycling Efforts In Horry County, Corabella Dieguez

Goal 14: Life Below Water

No abstract provided.

Reducing Single-Use Plastic In Georgetown County, Alex Gaspar

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

No abstract provided.

Outsourcing, Labor Market Frictions, And Employment, Mayara Felix, Michael B. Wong

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We estimate the labor market impacts of Brazil’s 1993 outsourcing legalization us-ing North-South variation in pre-legalization court permissiveness, and comparing security guards to less-affected occupations. We find that outsourcing legalization persistently reallocated jobs from older incumbent guards to younger entrants. Total employ-ment of guards and their entry from informality persistently increased, while average demographic-adjusted wages remained constant. Meanwhile, a wave of occupational layoffs displaced some incumbent guards from high-wage firms. The evidence suggests that the rise of non-core activity outsourcing reduced labor market frictions, facilitated by firm-level economies of scale in human resources and spillovers to non-adopting firms.

College Application Mistakes And The Design Of Information Policies At Scale, Tomás Larroucau, Ignacio A. Rios, Anaïs Fabre, Christopher Neilson

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We examine whether large-scale information interventions can improve college application outcomes in a centralized admissions system. Using nationwide surveys from Chile, we document widespread information frictions and frequent application mistakes, such as omitting attainable preferred programs or failing to include safety options. To address these frictions, we partnered with the Ministry of Education to implement a large-scale field experiment that provided applicants with personalized information on admission probabilities and program characteristics through customized online platforms. The intervention increased the probability that previously unmatched students received an assignment by 44% and improved placement into higher-ranked programs by 20%. Building on these …

Msw Portfolio, Krystal F. Youngs

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

What Is Clinical Excellence, And How Do Healthcare Companies Achieve It?, Lorena R. Muller

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Clinical excellence is the benchmark for quality in modern healthcare organizations, encompassing safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable care. For organizations to develop excellent care facilities, they must clearly define the roles and responsibilities of their healthcare teams. These necessities include strong leadership, a structured staff, a functioning clinical support system, and finally, a focus and strategy to help their community's population health needs. By examining existing programs and developing them in response to the needs of healthcare organizations and communities, this article explores various ways to achieve excellence.

Using Geomorphic Change And Sediment Modeling To Calculate Debris Flow Volumes From The 2020 El Dorado Wildfire In The Southern San Bernardino Mountains, California, Sevag Injean

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Four years after the occurrence of the 2020 El Dorado Fire, Yucaipa Ridge and the surrounding communities of Oak Glen and Forest Falls still experience the devastation caused by debris flows. Wildfires can instigate a series of events leading to hydrophobic soils, loss of vegetation, and increased sediment availability which amplify post-fire debris flow risks. This study tested the hypothesis that post-wildfire geomorphic changes can be accurately quantified and predicted using high-resolution LiDAR-derived digital elevation models. To investigate this hypothesis, multi-temporal LiDAR datasets were analyzed to quantify geomorphic changes, including erosion and deposition, within two severely burned basins in the …

To Leave Or Not To Leave: Organizational Support Types, Utility And Employee Commitment, Zhe Dong

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Organizational support research has shown it to be a significant predictor of organizational commitment; however, specifying labeling support types and grouping them has rarely been done, let alone the utilization of the supports. In this study, undergraduate students were recruited to investigate how different types of organizational support and their utilization influence organizational commitment (OC), specifically the six types of support groups (monetary/financial, developmental, work-life balance, health and wellbeing, social, recognition, and reward). Using hierarchical regression and moderation analyses, this study examined 1. Whether specific support types predict organizational commitment, 2. Whether specific support types can explain more variance in …

Projecting Echoes: Valeria Luiselli's Writing On Immigration, Jacob C. Cisneros

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The growing concerns of immigration has been a fraught topic in both U.S. society and the American political landscape. Certain political narratives are formed which fuel the debate for and against immigration. This coincides with how immigrants are treated and how legal processes change throughout each term of presidency within the United States. This has sparked outrage from both advocates and adversaries of immigrants coming into the United States. Papers, speeches, news articles, and more have been created from both sides of the argument concerning how to handle the immigration crisis along with the question of how immigrants and asylum …

Association Between Social Participation And Nonmotor Symptoms Of Parkinson's Disease, Zackary B. Zanotelli

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Research has shown that social participation can aid in slowing cognitive decline and is associated with cognitive functioning in older adults. Being that Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder primarily known for its motor and cognitive symptoms, it is worth evaluating social participation in patients with Parkinson’s Disease. The aim of this project is to determine whether social participation is associated with more favorable trajectories of neuropsychiatric symptoms among patients afflicted with Parkinson’s Disease. More specifically, this project will seek to examine how specific social activities may be uniquely associated with cognitive decline.

Participants (N = 8,389) who were …

Medical Surveillance In Custodial Jsas: Preventing Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure, Kiara Gadea

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Custodians play an important role in maintaining our surroundings safe and sanitary. However, in doing so, they are their exposure to health hazards that put them at risk, yet these exposures are often overlooked. One major risk they face is contact with bloodborne pathogens, which put custodial staff at risk for infections such as hepatitis B. While Job Safety Analyses (JSA’s) outline various protective measures, many fail to incorporate medical surveillance as part of their risk management program. Overlooking this important detail leaves custodians vulnerable to health risks that can be prevented.

Adding a medical surveillance section to custodial JSA’s, …

Bilingual Budget-Friendly Hispanic Cookbook And Resource Guide For Food Pantries In San Bernardino County, Anasofia Garay Guzman

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

San Bernardino County is faced with a significant issue of food insecurity with its residents relying on food pantries to meet their food and nutritional needs. However, the food items offered at food pantries are often limited in quantities and the variety is inconsistent, which makes it a challenge for families wanting to prepare healthier budget friendly meals while maintaining its cultural relevance. This project consists of two main key components: a bilingual, culturally relevant budget-friendly Hispanic cookbook and a comprehensive resource guide about ways and ingredient substitutions adaptable to the recipe based on what is available.

The cookbook included …

Lgbt+ Poc Well-Being And Resilience, Terra Reynoso

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Historically, both LGBT+ individuals and People of Color have each been subjected to stressors linked to oppression, with those belonging to both groups experiencing a potentially higher degree of distress. This study examined factors that contribute to resilience and well-being in LGBT+ People of Color to highlight potential means to mitigate this distress, guided by queer theory and intersectionality theory in order to provide a relevant framework to inform preliminary research, interview questions, and content analysis. Interviews were conducted with twelve participants with subsequent content analysis revealing the use of social support networks, access to community, productive coping strategies, and …

Using The Dash Diet To Create Hypertensive-Friendly Dishes For People Of Chinese Heritage, Kady Li

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, associated with high sodium intake being a primary contributor to elevated blood pressure. The US Dietary Guidelines for sodium intake is 2,300 mg per day; however, studies indicate that the average daily sodium consumption among Chinese adults is 5,013 mg. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet is often recommended to those diagnosed with hypertension. This project aims to develop a cookbook featuring lower-sodium Chinese recipes following the DASH diet guidelines. Twenty-five traditional Chinese recipes were modified to align with DASH diet guidelines (25% reduction in sodium content). Nutrient analysis …

Breaking Barriers, Building Realities: Designing A Pedagogically Sound Onboarding Process For Immersive Media Classroom Integration, Esperanza B. Martinez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

As immersive media technologies such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) continue to gain traction in education, the need for a roadmap for educators to adopt these new learning technologies in a manner that enhances student learning increases. This project explores essential elements of an effective onboarding process for extended reality (XR)-enabled learning environments, focusing the recommendations for an anonymous virtual reality lab located at a public, 4-year university in Southern California. The study analyzes interviews from twelve students experiencing VR for the first time under three different onboarding contexts: no onboarding, Meta’s First Steps …

Exploring Commuter Cyclists' Experiences Commuting In And Around Clemson University, Trevor S. Romans

All Theses

Climate change is a global issue, and high rates of automobile usage contribute to substantial social, environmental, and economic issues. One potential partial solution is creating bicycle-friendly communities. Research suggests that bicycle use leads to benefits in physical health, environmental sustainability, economic savings, and social justice. Research supports the roles of infrastructure development, safety policies, and other transportation planning initiatives in increasing bicycling, but less research has been completed about what is needed to develop bicycle-friendly communities. While physical infrastructure affects willingness to commute by bicycle, research suggests that understanding psychological factors and other behavioral aspects is also important for …

Wires, Roads, And Real-World Challenges: An Interdisciplinary Case Study Bridging Roadway And Electric Utility Design, Juliann A. Lloyd

All Theses

Electric utilities are a foundational component of modern society and depend heavily on civil engineers for planning, design, construction, and maintenance. However, educational content related to this industry is often underrepresented in civil engineering programs. To bridge this gap, a case study activity was implemented in two transportation engineering courses at Clemson University. The case study introduced students to the integration between electric utility infrastructure and roadway design by simulating a realistic and common conflict scenario faced by Departments of Transportation (DOTs) nationwide.

Students were placed in interdisciplinary teams, with each member assigned a specialized role such as Land Agent, …

An Exploration Of Elderly Representation & Stereotypes In Animation, Tyler Kidd

All Theses

In the world of animated features, supporting cast members are often reduced down to simple character traits in order to give the audience a simple idea of their personality or role in the story, or to support the creation of a work that is easier to understand for people of all ages. However, this can often result in the application of negative tropes that do not reflect kindly on those being depicted. The elderly are a group that often get caught in these stereotypes, being depicted as wrinkly, clumsy, overweight villains. While you can still find many positive portrayals in …

The Effect Of Tort Liability For Prescribed Burns On Wildfire Severity: Evidence From Georgia’S 2000 Policy Reform, John Patrick Phillips

All Theses

This paper aims to estimate the effect of Georgia’s shift in its prescribed fire tort liability standard from simple negligence to gross negligence on the area burned by wildfires on privately owned land. In response to wildfire damage, some states in the Southeast relaxed their liability standards, aiming to promote more prescribed burns and to better control future wildfires. Using the variation of these policy changes, I construct difference-in-difference models to estimate the treatment effect of Georgia’s policy change in July 2000, using counties in North and South Carolina as the control group. I stagger my regressions, adding covariates and …

Exploring Factors Influencing Care And Outcome Among Stroke Patients In Tennessee, Omodele Agbejimi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in Tennessee. Socioeconomic variables influence the delivery of stroke treatment and its outcomes. Despite advances in acute stroke care, the burden of stroke keeps increasing. This study aimed to explore literature on factors contributing to stroke care and outcomes in the U.S., assess the determinants of stroke patients’ outcomes, and examine the geographical disparities in stroke hospitalization and stroke death rate and their association with stroke care accessibility in Tennessee.

Methods: A scoping review was conducted using socio-ecological models to explore literature on factors contributing to stroke care and outcomes. A …

The Diversity Of Our Weightlifting Uniforms: A Qualitative Analysis Of The Experiences Of Gender And Sexual Minorities In Gyms, Rachel M. Schott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gender and sexual minority (GSM) populations experience significant mental and physical health disparities compared to their cisgender, heterosexual counterparts. A particularly understudied modality that may contribute to these disproportionate health outcomes is decreased engagement in physical activity (PA). Gyms are a primary source for PA, yet understanding GSM experiences in these spaces is relatively understudied. The purpose of the present study is to better understand the experiences of GSMs in gym spaces with an emphasis on barriers and facilitators to their engagement. We conducted semi-structured phone interviews among self-identified gender and sexual minorities across the U.S. Thematic analysis was used …