Digital Commons Network^™

Treading Water: Why The U.S.-Mexico Stalemate Over Transboundary Waters Necessitates Amendment Of The 1944 Water Treaty, Candace Dasanna

Minnesota Journal of International Law, Vols. 28:2 onward (2019-present)

No abstract provided.

Taking Stock Of Investor-State Disputes Involving Energy Transition, Chen Yu

Minnesota Journal of International Law, Vols. 28:2 onward (2019-present)

The influence of Investor-State Dispute Settlement (“ISDS”) on energy transition has sparked significant debate among commentators. While ISDS can theoretically protect sustainable investments from political risks, investors have extensively used it to challenge states’ energy transition policies. Against this backdrop, this paper tackles a critical yet overlooked question in the literature: how exactly has ISDS interfered with governmental regulatory activities concerning energy transition? It examines all ISDS cases involving energy transition issues up to 2023 and analyzes the regulatory measures at stake, the legal grounds for disputes, and the reasoning of investment tribunals. It identifies two notable problems: the lack …

The 1923 Hague Rules Of Air Warfare: Can Interwar Aerial Bombardment Rules Work In A 21st Century War?, Alec R. Casey

Minnesota Journal of International Law, Vols. 28:2 onward (2019-present)

No abstract provided.

The Monist Doctrine As A Catalyst For Integration In Africa, Rose Rameau, Abdul Baasit Aziz Bamba

Minnesota Journal of International Law, Vols. 28:2 onward (2019-present)

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) aspires to establish a unified market across Africa, integrating approximately 1.2 billion people and generating a cumulative Gross Domestic Product (GDP) exceeding US $3.4 trillion. A key challenge in this endeavor is the legal divergence among African nations, particularly the coexistence of monist and dualist legal systems, which affects the domestication and implementation of international treaties.

In dualist jurisdictions, international treaties require domestic legislative enactment before assuming legal force, a process that often results in delays and inconsistencies. Conversely, under the monist doctrine, international agreements acquire immediate domestic applicability, eliminating the need for …

“Who Am I Now As A Mother?” Maternal Identity Negotiation During Children’S College Transition, Si Wang

School of Professional Studies

This study employs narrative positioning analysis to examine how two Chinese mothers in transnational contexts discursively negotiate their maternal identities during their children’s transition to college. Drawing on longitudinal narrative interviews, the analysis advances three interrelated theoretical propositions. First, maternal identity work is revealed as a process of selective cultural bricolage, wherein mothers strategically blend elements from competing scripts of child-centered sacrifice, filial reciprocity, and autonomous individualism to construct a hybrid, workable parental logic. Second, the liminality of this transition precipitates a crucial recentering of the self, a core psychological process as intensive child-focused demands recede. Third, the transnational context …

Constitutionalizing Parents’ Rights, Akshat Agarwal

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

Tax Breaks For Debt Cancellation, James M. Puckett

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

Calibrating Agnosticism In Administrative Law: Qualitative Bayesian Reasoning On Bureaucratic Motivation, Kenta Tsuda

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

Toward A Modern Implementation Of In Re Ratti And A Patent’S Principle Of Operation, Benjamin Fugate

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

Call For Return: Does The Fourth Amendment Resolve Retentions?, Owen Stickney

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

Role Of Mkp-2 In Pancreatic Beta Cell Function & Development Of Diabetes, Nabin Ghimire

Dissertations

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by persistent hyperglycemia. Type 1 diabetes results from autoimmune destruction of β-cells, whereas Type 2 diabetes is associated with obesity and insulin resistance. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) are closely linked, as individuals with T2D are twice as likely to develop MAFLD. Previous work from our lab demonstrated that overexpression of MKP-2 in obesity promotes hepatic steatosis, diet-induced obesity, reduced insulin sensitivity, and increased body weight. However, the role of MKP-2 in the onset and progression of diabetes remains unclear. The objectives of this study were to …

Mechanisms Of Interface Formation In Bi-Metallic Components Fabricated Using Additive Manufacturing Processes, Michael P. Santangelo

Dissertations

As the expansion of metal additive manufacturing (MAM) brings forward new techniques and processes, compatibility between combinations of materials in multi-material components needs to be considered. Currently, the process by which compatibility between various metal alloys are evaluated is through laborious characterization of representative samples, which are products of both the additive manufacturing (AM) process used as well as the material chemistry. If a methodology for understanding the driving mechanisms behind formation of a compatible metallic interface can be created with the use of a predictive model, then wider implementation of multi-material MAM can be achieved. The objective of this …

Human Rights On Pause: Assessing The Cbp Digital Metering Process And Obligations Of Non-Refoulement Beyond Borders, Brandon Delia

Journal of Law, Technology, & the Internet

Migrants are once again being told to wait in line before seeking their right to the asylum process. In 2023, the Biden administration introduced the CBP One app as a new requirement for asylum seekers approaching the US-Mexico border. Not long after, it evolved into a strict legal prerequisite where without a CBP One appointment, migrants faced either immediate turnbacks or, if they nonetheless attempted to seek asylum defensively after entry, expedited removal and a potential five-year bar on reentry. Those who managed to register often waited months in cartel-controlled border towns, risking extortion, kidnapping, or worse. Paired with CBP’s …

Artificial Intelligence And Automated Decision-Making In Employment: The Future Of The Embattled Disparate Impact Theory Of Discrimination Under Title Vii, Daniel S. Alcorn

Journal of Law, Technology, & the Internet

Artificial intelligence now makes core employment decisions—from resume screening and video interviews to promotion and termination—yet Title VII’s disparate impact doctrine was built for paper tests, not black-box models. This Article argues that, while under attack by the Trump Administration and a minority of the U.S. Supreme Court, disparate impact remains indispensable but increasingly inadequate without adaptation. We show how algorithmic opacity frustrates causation, vendor delegation diffuses liability, predictive-accuracy claims distort “business necessity,” and trade-secret barriers impede proof of less-discriminatory alternatives. Drawing on emerging U.S. and comparative regimes, we propose a practical toolkit: (1) treat the algorithmic system as the …

A Law Enforcement Paradigm For The New Form Of Money, Jim Harper

Journal of Law, Technology, & the Internet

Over the last two centuries, transfers of money have evolved from movements of tangible things to digital communications events. Over the last half-century, financial surveillance law has taken root. The product of the two trends is a comprehensive, global financial surveillance regime that has substantial costs in both dollar terms and in values such as privacy, free speech, and autonomy. Those costs appear to vastly outstrip the benefits of such surveillance. Along with its infirmity as policy, general financial surveillance stands on shaky constitutional ground in the United States. It impedes the full development of digital forms of money and …

Northeastern Illinois University, Academic Catalog 2026-2027, Northeastern Illinois University

Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Open Casket: The Black Press And The Unmasking Of America, Clarence J. Hood

Masters Essays

No abstract provided.

The Speculative Mode Of The Image: Destabilizing Reality In Crash, Invisible Man, And Beloved, Steven Connors

Open Access Dissertations

In an exploration of the dimensions of speculative fiction, which is a prominent cultural and academic apparatus wanting definition in the twenty-first century, this dissertation examines the speculative mode of the image in various transatlantic novels, ranging from J. G. Ballard’s Crash to Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man to Toni Morrison’s Beloved. The image in itself is a multivalent term that warrants analysis. As a concept, the abstract nature of the image serves to destabilize reality. It is always in conversation with the notions of reality. Indeed, images inform our senses of reality. In part, they constitute our social forms. …

Dosage Sensitivity And The Evolution Of Dosage Compensation: Tests Of The Insensitive Sex Chromosome Hypothesis In Flour Beetles, Shana Pau

Biology Dissertations

Sex chromosome evolution generates imbalances in gene dosage that can disrupt gene expression and organismal function. These imbalances are often resolved through dosage compensation mechanisms, yet the factors that drive the emergence and diversity of these systems remain poorly understood. This dissertation addresses a central question in evolutionary genomics: what governs the evolution of dosage compensation?

Focusing on dosage sensitivity as a potential driver, I evaluate the Insensitive Sex Chromosome Hypothesis (ISCH), which predicts that chromosome-wide compensation is more likely to evolve in genomic contexts that are not depleted of dosage-sensitive genes. Using flour beetles (Tribolium spp.) as a …

Coordinating The Layers: Regulation Of Peptidoglycan Synthesis And Cell Wall Assembly In Mycobacterium Smegmatis By Murj And Pgfa, Karen Emmanuella Samaga-De-Tembiwa

Biology Dissertations

The mycobacterial cell envelope consists of three covalently linked layers whose synthesis must be coordinated to maintain structural integrity during polar growth. While the biosynthetic enzymes for each layer are well characterized, the molecular mechanisms that coordinate synthesis across layers have remained poorly understood. This thesis investigates two essential transmembrane proteins, PgfA and MurJ, that regulate peptidoglycan metabolism in Mycobacterium smegmatis and provide new insight into how mycobacteria synchronize cell wall assembly.

We present evidence that PgfA functions as a bifunctional regulator that links peptidoglycan metabolism to the availability of trehalose monomycolate (TMM), a key mycolic acid precursor. Through epistasis …

Analysis Of Loss Of Engine Power Events In General Aviation, Saloni Satappagol

2026 Research Poster Competition

Among different parts of aviation, general aviation (GA) stands out as one of its largest and most vital sectors. GA is defined as any civil aviation activity excluding scheduled commercial flights and military operations. While loss of engine power is a serious subset of general aviation accidents, accounting for more than 200 fatal accidents per year, several gaps remain in our current understanding of these accidents. While current literature includes older studies from 2000-2014, new data from the past decade have not been analyzed for trends yet. With this significant gap of more than a decade in understanding, it is …

The Role Of Ombudsman And Social Work Protecting Rights, Roni Alicia Werner

Selected Full-Text Master Theses Collection 2018-

This thesis examines the role of the Ombudsman as an independent and impartial mechanism for addressing complaints, resolving conflicts, and promoting accountability within organizations. It explores how ombudsmen function across institutional contexts—such as higher education, government, and corporate settings—to provide confidential, informal, and accessible pathways for dispute resolution.

The study analyzes key principles guiding Ombudsman practice, including neutrality, independence, confidentiality, and informality, and evaluates their effectiveness in fostering trust and organizational transparency. Through a review of relevant literature and case examples, the thesis highlights how Ombudsman offices contribute to early conflict resolution, reduce formal grievances, and support ethical decision-making.

Additionally, …

To Examine The Effects Of Integrating Cultural Responsive Teaching (Crt) Into Special Education Classrooms, Nkem Akaemeh

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis writer examined the Cultural Responsive Teaching (CRT) strategies for working with students who are identified with special education needs in particular emotional behavioral disabilities and autism spectrum disabilities (EBD & ASD). The strategies have been reviewed throughout this thesis. It is a very well organized instructional system which considers a number of learning areas namely: academic, social/emotional, and cultural aspects. This method has been defined from a variety of references/writers and supported by a review of the literature. The system incorporates a number of strategies addressing academic, social/emotional, cultural and other areas/needs as indicated in this thesis.

Public Relations Ba, Communication And Journalism

Program Revisions/Additions

No abstract provided.

Journalism Major, Communication And Journalism

Program Revisions/Additions

No abstract provided.

Examining Institutional And Personal Barriers To Women's Participation In The U.S. Foreign Service, Isabella Thompson

2026 Research Poster Competition

Gender equality and equal representation for women have become heavily debated topics in the global community over the last few decades. Some countries have constitutional policies in place that promote gender equality, while others have extreme gaps between the rights of men and women. One area commonly used to assess how far a country has progressed toward gender equality is women’s representation in government and politics. A growing body of scholarly research in International Relations and Foreign Policy Analysis examines the representation of women in foreign policy and diplomacy. Descriptive statistics show wide gaps between countries in women’s representation in …

Hostile But Lawful? Examining The Elements Of “True Threats” In Rhetoric Toward Election Officials, Kayleigh Gwiazdowski

2026 Research Poster Competition

Threats of violence have become increasingly visible, yet they remain understudied compared to acts of violence themselves. This project examines death threats directed at U.S. election administrators following the 2020 Presidential Election. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 26 current and former U.S. election administrators, I analyzed 580 hostile messages received in the aftermath of the election to understand how threats function as a tool of intimidation and coercion. Messages were examined for markers indicating (1) whether the sender expressed the intent to threaten, (2) whether the language specified a concrete act of violence or identifiable target, and (3) whether a …

Bridging The Gap: Strategic Leadership For Student-Centered Advising And Retention At A Community College, Dina Abdul Rahman, Wenjun Chi, Katelynn Jarrells, Janet Ping

Doctor of Education Capstones

Community colleges serve as the most accessible gateway to higher education for millions of Americans, yet persistent dropout rates continue to undermine both student opportunity and institutional mission, particularly for first-generation students, students of color, adult learners, working students, and those experiencing financial precarity. This dissertation in practice examined high dropout rates at Delaware County Community College (DCCC), a multi-campus institution serving diverse communities across Delaware and Chester Counties in Pennsylvania. Guided by improvement science and grounded in critical pragmatism, Team RISE partnered with DCCC's Student Affairs division to investigate the systemic roots of student attrition and retention to develop …

Metamorphosis, Allegra Codamon

Theses and Dissertations

Relevance to Interior Design Research

In Richard Sennett’s The Craftsman, he starts from the premise that thinking and feeling are contained in the process of making. This thesis builds on that premise, arguing that through the embodied process of glassworking, making constitutes a form of interior knowledge—where perception, memory, and bodily awareness are formed through material resistance and responsiveness. Drawing on Sennett and Juhani Pallasmaa, this work positions glassmaking as a mode of thinking-through-doing, in which interiority is produced through sustained material engagement.

Research Question

What does interiority embodied through the making process look like? This question will be investigated …

What Is School For? Interpreting Purpose And Practice In A Microschool Case Study, Cammie D. Justus-Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines how one microschool interprets and enacts the purposes of schooling through a qualitative case study of Summit School, an Acton Academy affiliate in a mid-sized Southern city. Situated within broader debates about school choice and alternative education, the study explores how Summit’s vision, structures, and participant experiences illuminate enduring tensions in schooling: civic versus economic aims, public good versus private benefit, and innovation versus institutional continuity. Drawing on interviews, focus groups, observations, and school documents, the study treats Summit not as representative of microschools broadly, but as a bounded case through which larger questions about educational purpose …