Digital Commons Network^™

Developing Confidence, Developing Skills: The Perceived Effect Of Professional Development On Online Teaching, Michael S. Hill, Cassandra M. D. Hart, Rachel B. Baker, Di Xu, Emily Alonso, Alyssa Nguyen, Kim D'Arcy, Cheryl Bailey, Tim Vannorman, Vivian Nguyen, Jennifer Pakula

Benerd College Faculty Articles

A large body of research has documented weaker student performance in online courses relative to face-to-face courses across multiple outcomes, including grades, course completion, and persistence. These gaps are particularly pronounced for underserved students. In response, colleges and universities have sought to improve the quality of online instruction by providing technology resources, student and faculty technical support, and, the focus of this study, professional development for faculty teaching online. However, despite the increasing popularity of professional development for online instructors, evidence on its effectiveness in shaping faculty practices and confidence remains limited. This study used survey data from 82 faculty …

Miscarriage Of Democracy: What Happened In Arkansas, Florida, Nebraska, And South Dakota To Defeat Abortion-Related Ballot Measures In 2024, Deborah Machalow

University of Baltimore Law Review

No abstract provided.

Money And Shame: Leaving Menstruators At Risk, Melissa Bosley

University of Baltimore Law Review

No abstract provided.

Child Development: A Developmentally Appropriate Practices Approach, Second Edition, D.R. Meece

Open Textbooks

The book follows a topical approach and covers children from prenatal to late childhood/early adolescence. The book follows a Developmentally Appropriate Practices approach, emphasizing that development results from the interaction of age-related expectations, culture and context, and individual child characteristics. The text is written for education majors, as well as others who will work with children and families in a variety of fields, including psychology, social work, nursing, and others.

Beyond The Aid Paradigm: Neocolonialism, Recolonisation And The Future For Africa’S Development, John Ringson, Manamela Johannes David Matshabaphala

Southern African Journal of Policy and Development

The persistence of poverty, inequality, and underdevelopment in Africa, despite decades of foreign aid and assistance, has raised fundamental questions about the efficacy and sustainability of the aid paradigm. This qualitative desktop research study, employing discourse analysis, critically examines the complex relationships between aid, neocolonialism, and recolonisation in Africa, exploring the implications for the continent's future development. Drawing on a critical discourse analysis of existing literature, policy documents, and online archives, this study reveals how the aid paradigm has perpetuated neocolonialism and recolonisation in Africa, undermining the continent's sovereignty, agency, and self-determination. The study illuminates the power dynamics and relationships …

Foreword

UC Law Constitutional Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Using Noninvasive Calibrated Cuff Plethysmography To Observe The Effects Of Lifestyle Habits On Arterial Compliance, Joshua M. Whitaker

Master's Theses

Cardiovascular disease remains as a leading cause of death for both sexes and across all racial backgrounds. Continuing to research causes, early predictors, and preventative actions are paramount to ensuring that cardiovascular disease starts to decrease in its activity. Endothelial dysfunction is the earliest known predictor of cardiovascular disease, therefore investigating early detection methods of endothelial dysfunction can improve health outcomes. This study revolves around a non-invasive calibrated cuff device that uses the principles of segmental plethysmography and oscilliometry to measure arterial compliance of baseline and induced hyperemic conditions in human subjects to determine how well arteries vasodilate in response …

Is Aboriginal Title To Submerged Land “Cognizable” To The Canadian Common Law? Lessons From Sea Country Litigation In Australia, Leila Nasr

UBC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Evaluating The Preparedness Of Local Zoning Regulations For Flood Risk Reduction In The Most Affected Local Jurisdictions In Nebraska, Md Asaduzzaman Noor

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses

Flooding has profound social, economic, and environmental impacts on local communities, and zoning plays a critical role in mitigating these risks. The 2019 Nebraska floods, among the most severe in the state’s history, highlighted the urgent need to strengthen local preparedness and mitigation strategies. This study assesses the extent to which local zoning regulations in Nebraska’s most affected jurisdiction, including rural areas, address flood risk reduction. A systematic review of 117 zoning ordinances from counties, cities, towns, and villages, we applied a structured analytical framework encompassing regulatory and permitting policies, voluntary and incentive-based measures, and nature-based solutions. The results show …

From Quid Post Quo To Quid Pro Quo: Toward An Evidentiary Standard For 18 U.S.C. § 666 After Snyder, Luke Henkel

University of Chicago Law Review

This Comment addresses a question left unanswered by the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Snyder v. United States. Snyder held that the federal funds bribery statute, 18 U.S.C. § 666, covers only bribes, not gratuities. That is, an agreement to exchange payment for an official act by a state or local government official is criminally prohibited (if the official’s agency receives a certain amount of federal funding). But § 666 does not prohibit payments made after official acts so long as there was no agreement to conduct a quid pro quo exchange beforehand. Thus, the key issue in cases with …

Pardoning Corporations, Brandon Stras

University of Chicago Law Review

In 1977, a company convicted of conspiring with the mob asked President Jimmy Carter for a pardon. Government officials speculated that the President could grant the request, but ultimately the President decided that the company did not deserve clemency. Nearly fifty years later, President Donald Trump pardoned a company and commuted the sentence of another. People are again wondering whether the pardon power covers companies, but no one can offer evidence either way.

History shows that the pardon power covers companies. Before the Founding, the King would often pardon corporations. Both the City of London and the Massachusetts Bay Company …

Sincerity Or Substantial Burden? Investigating The Proper Threshold Test For Prisoner Free Exercise Claims, David Wang

University of Chicago Law Review

When prison officials violate the free exercise rights of prisoners, prisoners can seek recourse under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. However, due to the specialized and restrictive nature of prisons, courts adjudicate these claims under a reasonableness test set out in the case Turner v. Safley instead of under a strict scrutiny standard. While circuits agree on using the Turner test for prisoner free exercise claims, there is a deep circuit split on the proper threshold test for these types of claims.

While some circuits hold that inmates need to show that their religious practice was substantially burdened, other circuits hold …

Applied Project Management Methodologies To Create A Volunteer Engagement Guide For New Hope Nonprofit Organization's Volunteer Program, Carlos San Miguel

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) rely on volunteers to sustain operations and fulfill their missions, yet many realize persistent challenges in recruiting, training, and keeping them. New Hope Compassionate Ministries (NHCM), a nonprofit organization in Alaska, has struggled to attract and keep volunteers for inventory and restock days—limitations that directly impact its ability to combat food insecurity. This project applies structured project management methodologies to find and address NHCM’s volunteer engagement gap. Through mixed-methods research, including surveys and interviews, the project analyzes current volunteer recruitment and retention practices to uncover underlying barriers. Findings inform the development of a Volunteer Engagement Guide designed …

Caring For Others And Self Care: Examining “Good” Care Among The Older Vietnamese Community In San José, California, Chloe Nguyen

Master's Theses

In this thesis, I present a study of the older Vietnamese community in San José, California. I explore the concept of "good" care through the anthropology of care, a conceptual framework that examines how care is understood and practiced across different cultural and social contexts. Using ethnographic methods, such as interviews and participant observation, I examine caregiving practices and experiences, as well as community members' perceptions of what constitutes "good" care. I draw on concepts of "good" care, reciprocal caregiving, and self-care to analyze themes that emerge from their caregiving practices and experiences. I also discuss caregiving at a distance …

Rna Binding Of Gapdh Controls Transcript Stability And Protein Translation In Acute Myeloid Leukemia., Sama Shamloo, Jeffrey L Schloßhauer, Shashank Tiwari, Kim Denise Fischer, Omar Almolla, Yohana Ghebrechristos, Lisa Kratzenberg, Aathma Merin Bejoy, Ioannis Aifantis, Francesco Boccalatte, Eric Wang, Jochen Imig

Faculty Research 2025

Dysregulation of RNA binding proteins (RBPs) is a hallmark in cancerous cells. In acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) RBPs are key regulators of tumour proliferation. While classical RBPs have defined RNA binding domains, RNA recognition and function in AML by non-canonical RBPs (ncRBPs) remain unclear. Given the inherent complexity of targeting AML broadly, our goal was to uncover potential ncRBP candidates critical for AML survival using a CRISPR/Cas-based screening. We identified the glycolytic enzyme glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) as a pro-proliferative factor in AML cells. Based on cross-linking and immunoprecipitation (CLIP), we are defining the global targetome, detecting novel RNA targets mainly …

Elucidating Differences In Constitutionally Isomeric Diamine- And Bisphenol-Based Polybenzoxazine Networks, Benjamin L. G. Morasch

Dissertations

This dissertation aims to expand the fundamental understanding of diamine-based benzoxazine chemistry by examining how synthesis influences the network properties of 4,4’-ddm and phenol-based (P-ddm) benzoxazine, compared to the constitutionally isomeric bisphenol-F and aniline-based (BF-a) benzoxazine. While bisphenol-based benzoxazines such as BF-a have been studied more extensively, diamine-based benzoxazines are still relatively unexplored due to the competition with the formation of 1,3,5-hexahydrotriazine intermediates and the inconsistent thermal and mechanical properties reported in the literature. These inconsistencies stem from factors including synthetic methods, curing conditions, and degradation during polymerization that have been overlooked.

To address these issues, this dissertation is organized …

General Education Teachers' Perspectives And Practices For Supporting English Language Learners In Memphis Charter Schools, Ijiah Hargrove

Dissertations

The growing enrollment of English Language Learners (ELLs) in U.S. schools, particularly within urban charter settings, presents unique challenges for general education teachers who are often underprepared to meet both linguistic and academic needs. The purpose of this study was to explore the instructional strategies, perspectives of their ability of self-efficacy, and institutional factors that shape how K–8 charter school teachers in Memphis support ELLs. This work is significant because teachers’ beliefs, preparation, and available resources directly impact ELL achievement and equity in education.

A qualitative single-case study design was employed, with twelve general education teachers recruited through purposeful sampling. …

Faculty Senate Minutes December 1, 2025, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Call to Order
• University Business
• Faculty Senate Business
• Information
• Report
• Honors Program Annual Report
• USUSA Annual Report
• Faculty Evaluation Committee
• Academic Freedom and Tenure
• Old Business
• New Business
• Adjourn - 4:30 pm

Exploring Faculty Perspectives Of Roadblocks To Accommodating Students With Disabilities In Community Colleges, Shalither S. Cushenberry

Dissertations

This qualitative study explores faculty perspectives on student accommodation in the community college setting. The one-on-one, semi-structured, in-depth interviews with faculty and perspectives of accommodation experts will result in outcomes that better prepare faculty, as a workforce, to support students with accommodations. The study utilized the social cognitive career theory (SCCT) to understand how increasing faculty awareness and engagement through professional development can enhance their ability to provide services to students with accommodation requests. The study underscores the critical importance of understanding the rationale for students with granted accommodations and faculty members supporting their academic success. The findings revealed gaps …

From Winans To Wallahee: Treaties, The Washington State Supreme Court, And The Pursuit Of A More Just Rule Of Law, Monte Mills

Washington Law Review

The relationship between the United States federal government, the states, and Native Nations has long been at the core of federal Indian law. From the earliest decades of its jurisprudence, for example, the United States Supreme Court struggled in its efforts to analyze and define the rights, authorities, and interactions of Native Nations within and in relation to the evolving structure of constitutional federalism. Treaties between the United States and Native Nations were central to those decisions and provided a necessary, constitutional check against state interests intent on eliminating sovereign Native Nations. Those constitutional and structural implications thus go well …

Who Counts As A "Reasonable Employee"? The Third Circuit's Bungling Of Section 8(A)(1) Violations, Ben Milstein

Washington Law Review

The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) protects private employees’ right to unionize and collectively bargain with their employers. Section 7 of the NLRA guarantees employees the right to self-organize labor unions, while section 8 outlines numerous unfair labor practices. Specifically, section 8(a)(1) bans employer interference, coercion, or restraint of any section 7 rights. In a 2022 case, FDRLST Media v. NLRB, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) finding that FDRLST Media’s executive officer’s tweet constituted a section 8(a)(1) violation. This Comment examines the history of section 8(a)(1) violations, specifically discussing the widely …

The Reasonability Rule For Medical Damages In Tort: In Defense Of Chargemaster Recovery, Avery E. Tunstill

Washington Law Review

In a personal injury suit, Washington law requires the plaintiff to prove that their medical costs are reasonable to recover damages for those costs. Tort reform proponents attempt to use this reasonability rule to limit tort damages awards. They argue that a plaintiff should only recover a portion of a hospital’s bill because most people do not pay a hospital’s sticker price—or the “chargemaster rate”—for medical care. Some reformers argue that recovery rates should instead be based on a set figure. Others argue in favor of eliminating the collateral source rule, which prohibits juries from reducing tort damages awards in …

Collective Action Under Repressive Conditions: Integration Of Individual, Group, And Structural Level Research, Recommendations, And Reflections, Arin H. Ayanian, Aya Adra, Fouad Bou Zeineddine, Rim Saab, Johanna Vollhardt, Nicole Tausch

Psychology

Social scientific research from different traditions on collective action under repressive conditions is fragmented across different levels of analysis. The current paper takes a first step toward remedying this fragmentation by reviewing research findings on repression and collective action and organizing them into a multilevel framework. We describe the impact of repression on antecedents of collective action at the (a) individual level (including grievances, emotions, efficacy beliefs, politicized identity, and individual differences), (b) group level (including community cohesion and norms), and (c) structural level (including political opportunities and socioecological conditions). We then present an integrative summary reflecting on the broad …

A Study On The Impact Of Ceos’ Financial And Technical Backgrounds On The Innovation Strategy Of The Enterprise, Jianyu Cheng

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Amid regional economic integration and market competition, innovation has become a key driver for enterprises to gain competitive advantages and ensure sustainable development. As primary decision-makers in corporate strategy and resource allocation, chief executive officers (CEOs) impact the selection and implementation of innovation strategies through their financial and technical backgrounds, which influence their strategic cognition and risk preferences, leading to heterogeneous innovation behaviors. While existing research has examined the relationship between CEOs and corporate innovation, studies have inadequately explored CEOs’ diverse background characteristics, particularly the interaction between financial and technical backgrounds. Given the rising trend of CFOs and CTOs advancing …

What Is The Standard Of Review For (Mixed) Constitutional Questions?, Anthony Sangiuliano, Mark Friedman

UBC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Essays On The Economics Of Farmland Valuation And Investment In U.S. Agriculture, Colson Tester

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents three empirical essays that collectively advance the understanding of farmland valuation in key U.S. agricultural regions, emphasizing the critical advantages of comprehensive, transaction-based data over traditional survey methods. Farmland represents a significant portion of agricultural wealth, and its accurate valuation is crucial for farmers, investors, and policymakers, influencing everything from credit access to investment strategies. Historically, research has often relied on subjective survey data, which can suffer from biases, inaccuracies, and insufficient granularity. This dissertation addresses these limitations by leveraging extensive datasets of arm’s-length farmland transactions, offering a more precise and market-driven perspective on land values. The …

“Starlight Suite”: A Compositional Exploration Of The Argo Navis Constellations In Three Movements, Adam Miller

Student Publications

This thesis explores a compositional technique in which stellar constellations are arranged upon musical staves in a variety of iterations to create a basis from which to draw melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic material. These raw extrapolations of unaltered notes are then arranged and orchestrated into thematic music for full orchestra, centered around elements from the mythological background behind the constellations used. An accompanying analysis explains the specific applications of this technique within each movement of the work, the significance of each, and the variety of ways in which musical inspiration was drawn from the raw materials. The objective of this …

Global Estimates Of Seagrass Blue Carbon Stocks In Biomass And Net Primary Production, Enric Gomis, Simone Strydom, Nicole R. Foster, Diana Montemayor, Miguel A. Mateo, Eduard Serrano, Karina Inostroza, Roisin Mccallum, Anna Lafratta, Chanelle L. Webster, Caitlyn L. O’Dea, Nicole E. Said, Natasha Dunham, Rachele Bernasconi, Axel Werner, Federico Vitelli, Viena Puigcorbé, Alexandra D’Cruz, Cristian Salinas, Kathryn M. Mcmahon, Glenn A. Hyndes, Paul S. Lavery, Albert Pessarodona, Carlose M. Duarte, Oscar Serrano

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Seagrass meadows play a key role in the global carbon cycle through storing carbon in their biomass and soils. However, the lack of global assessments of carbon stocks in seagrass biomass and net primary production (NPP) limits our understanding of their role in the carbon cycle. Here, we provide global estimates of biomass carbon stocks and NPP encompassing seagrasses with different life-history strategies, across bioregions and 66 countries. Seagrass meadows show up to 800-fold differences in biomass across different life-history strategies and bioregions (mean ± SE; 1551 ± 40 kg C ha⁻¹), whereas seagrass NPP (5833 ± 557 …

Source-Specific Nitrate Intake And Incident Dementia In The Danish Diet, Cancer And Health Study, Catherine P. Bondonno, Pratik Pokharel, Dorit Wielandt Erichsen, Liezhou Zhong, Jörg Schullehner, Cecilie Kyrø, Kirsten Frederiksen, Peter Fjeldstad Hendriksen, Frederik Dalgaard, Lauren C. Blekkenhorst, Stephanie R. Rainey-Smith, Samantha L. Gardener, Torben Sigsgaard, Ole Raaschou-Nielsen, Anne Tjønneland, Jonathan M. Hodgson, Christina C. Dahm, Anja Olsen, Nicola P. Bondonno

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: Dietary nitrate, through conversion to nitric oxide, which supports vascular and nervous system function, may lower dementia risk but may also form neurodegenerative N-nitrosamines, depending on the nitrate source. Methods: We investigated associations between source-specific nitrate and nitrite intake and incident and early-onset dementia (< 65 years) in 54,804 dementia-free participants from the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health Cohort Study over ∼27 years. Nitrate and nitrite intakes were derived from food frequency questionnaires and nitrate and nitrite databases. Results: Higher plant-sourced nitrate intake was non-linearly associated with lower rates of incident dementia (fifth vs first quintile hazard ratio 95% confidence interval: 0.90 [0.83, 0.98]), while increased risk was seen for higher intakes of animal-sourced, additive-permitted meat-sourced, and tap water-sourced nitrate. Similar associations were seen for source-specific nitrite intake and were more pronounced for early-onset dementia. No clear effect modification was observed. Discussion: These findings highlight the importance of nitrate source in dementia risk and warrant further investigation. Highlights: Plant nitrate is associated with a lower risk of incident and early-onset dementia. Animal and tap water nitrate are associated with an increased risk of dementia. Encouraging consumption of plant-based nitrate sources may lower risk of dementia.

As Effective As You Perceive It: The Relationship Between Chatgpt’S Perceived Effectiveness And Mental Health Stigma, Scott N. Hannah, Deirdre Drake, Christopher D. Huntley, Joanne M. Dickson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Individuals are increasingly using artificial intelligence chatbots, such as ChatGPT, to seek conversational support for their personal mental health difficulties. Heightened concerns about mental health stigma may make anonymous, on-demand chatbot interactions more appealing for some than traditional face-to-face support. This study examined if using ChatGPT-4 for personal mental health difficulties is associated with two distinct forms of stigma, anticipated stigma and self-stigma. Our main aim was to investigate if the perceived effectiveness of ChatGPT use for mental health issues mediates the relationship between ChatGPT usage and anticipated stigma and self-stigma. The sample comprised 73 participants, mostly undergraduate psychology students. …