Digital Commons Network^™

Pluralist Justice And Liberal Constitutionalism: A Reply To Critics, Michel Rosenfeld

Cardozo Law Review

An author is privileged to have his work seriously considered and evaluated by a group of preeminent scholars from different disciplines and parts of the world. This is even much more the case with respect to my book, A Pluralist Theory of Constitutional Justice: Assessing Liberal Democracy in Times of Rising Populism and Illiberalism, which was written in times of self-isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, thus lacking the input of the customary testing of ideas in conversations with colleagues with whom one habitually interacts while on campus. I am grateful for the live symposium on my book that …

The Chronic Growing Problem: Environmental And Social Justice Concerns With Indoor Cannabis Grows, Gina S. Warren

Cardozo Law Review

The rapid legalization of recreational marijuana across states has created environmental and social justice issues, particularly with indoor cultivation. Despite its federal illegality, twenty-four states and various territories have legalized marijuana, igniting a surge in indoor cultivation that bears significant environmental and social consequences. Indoor cultivation facilities require massive energy inputs, resulting in grid strain, pollution, and an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, the placement of these facilities often occurs in historically marginalized low-income communities, furthering environmental injustice and social harms, as these areas are disproportionately affected by the pollutants emitted from the cultivation processes, such as molds, bacteria, …

A Survey On Homomorphic Encryption Based On The Learning With Rounding Problem, Jose Manuel Montoya

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Much of modern day cryptography deals with the notion of security and efficiency. The main concern with any cryptosystem deals with the practicality of being able to implement any encryption algorithm over large data sets. In this paper, we will look at the various properties of the Learning With Rounding problem (LWR) which comes from the Learning With Errors problem (LWE) first introduced by Oded Regev. We will also present the topic of Homomorphic Encryption (HE) as well as its three variants: Partially Homomorphic Encryption (PHE), Somewhat Homomorphic Encryption (SHE), and Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE). This paper also highlights SABER, …

Managing Medicaid Managed Care, Lance Plunkett Jd, Llm

The New York State Dental Journal

There is a system in place to ensure Medicaid managed care organizations operate properly. How effective these controls are is a different issue.

N Y State Dent J August-September 2024

The New York State Dental Journal

In the August-September 2024 issue, the reader will find the following feature articles:

• Success of Implant Placement in Patients with Human Immunodeficiency Virus
• Effects of Mandatory COVID-19 Testing Policy on No-Show Rates for Aerosol-Generating Procedures
• Heterotopic Bone Formation after TMJ Surgery
• Rural Oral Health Access Disparities in New York State

This issue includes regular columns with regional news impacting the New York membership including editorial and perspectives columns, legal, association activities, component news, continuing education opportunities, and classifieds.

Can Generative Ai Help Solve Functional Illiteracy?, George Goga

Artificial Intelligence, 2024-25

This two lecture module with an associated student assignment explores how technology can both support and complicate literacy development.

Lecture 1 “An Introduction to Functional Illiteracy and Generative AI” provides a foundational understanding of functional illiteracy, exploring its causes, impacts, and implications for education and society. This lecture sets the stage for understanding the intersection between functional illiteracy and AI, offering a critical perspective on how technology can both support and complicate literacy development.

Lecture 2 “Bridging the Literacy Gap Using Generative AI” focuses on practical strategies for leveraging generative AI technologies to enhance literacy instruction and address disparities in …

Robust Hydropower Planning Balances Energy Generation, Carbon Emissions And Sediment Connectivity In The Mekong River Basin, M. Tangi, Rafael Schmitt, Rafael M. Almeida, S. Bossi, Alexander S. Flecker, F. Sala, A. Castelletti

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

We present a framework for strategic dam planning under uncertainty, which includes GHG emissions mitigation as a novel objective. We focus on the Mekong River Basin, a fast‐developing region heavily relying on river‐derived ecosystem services. We employ a multi‐objective evolutionary algorithm to identify strategic dam portfolios for different hydropower expansion targets, using process‐related and statistical models to derive indicators of sediment supply disruption and GHG emissions. We introduce a robust optimization approach that explores variations in optimal portfolio compositions for more than 5,000 state‐of‐ the‐world configurations, regarding sediment origins and trapping and GHG emissions. Thus, we can rank dam projects' …

An Investigation Of Continued Contact Between Victim And Perpetrator After Sexual Violence, Maria Bates

Student Theses

Given the prevalence of sexual violence and child sexual abuse (CSA) it is imperative to accurately conceptualize victim experience following sexual violence. Rape myths do not provide an adequate understanding of victim behavior post-abuse/assault (e.g., Denne et al., 2013; Harsey & Freed, 2023; Romero-Sanchez et al., 2018; Russel & Hand, 2017), such as prescribing that victims of sexual violence would never hold contact with a perpetrator post-abuse/assault (e.g., Maurer, 2015; Shepp et al., 2019; St. George et al., 2022; Smith, 2023). Since research shows that many victims, particularly CSA victims, know the perpetrator, (e.g., Basile, 2020; Gewirtz-Meydan & Finkelhor, 2020; …

Human Trafficking Screening Tools Amongst Migrants And Refugees: Current Tools And Future Outlooks, Audra Fox

Student Theses

While various human trafficking screening tools exist to help stakeholders identify indicators and risk of trafficking, few tools are designed specifically for use amongst migrants and refugees. Via interviews with anti-trafficking stakeholders, the following qualitative study describes what tools stakeholders currently use to asses trafficking amongst migrants and refugee, and if stakeholders desire a new tool specific for migrant/refugee populations. Thematic results indicate that most stakeholders are not using validated tools for trafficking victims, let alone migrants and refugees (n=5, 38.5%). Of the total sample, 62% of participants (n=8) reported various screening discrepancies across stakeholders. Additionally, …

A Constructivist Grounded Theory Exploration Of Intergenerational Trauma Among Lgbtq+ Bipoc Individuals, Satveer Kler

Dissertations

Many scholars have argued that existing conceptualizations of trauma such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th Ed.; DSM-5) conceptualization are inapplicable for individuals of marginalized communities. Individuals of marginalized communities may experience historical trauma, racial trauma, identity-related trauma, or collective trauma. Moreover, the effects of these forms of trauma may persist throughout different generations via biological transmission (e.g., epigenetics) or via interpersonal transmission (e.g., emotion socialization, cultural socialization, attachment, communication styles, behavioral socialization). The generational effects of these forms of trauma are referred to as intergenerational trauma. There has been a paucity of empirical explorations of …

Effects Of Increasing Cycling Cadence On Post-Cycling Gait Velocity: An Experimental Study, Nitu Lama

Master's Theses

Previous research has shown that increasing cycling cadence, rather than the workrate, can result in improved post-cycling gait velocity. However, the specific threshold of cycling cadence required to bring about clinically meaningful changes in gait velocity remains unknown. To address this knowledge gap, our study aimed to determine the minimum incremental increase in cycling cadence that would lead to a significant improvement in post-cycling gait velocity. A total of 42 young adults participated in our study and were randomly assigned to one of three groups: TEN, TWENTY, and THIRTY. Each group was assigned to cycle at a cadence at the …

Japan’S “Big Lie": The Negation Of Oral Testimony Of Sexual Violence, Robert O'Mochain, Yuki Ueno

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

In recent years, powerful actors in Japan’s political elite have consistently denied the oral testimony of so-called “comfort women.” The denial of this and related historical crimes is made in the service of a claim we denote here as the “big lie.” This is the erroneous assertion that the Asia-Pacific War was a straightforward war of liberation by the Japanese Imperial Army, inspired by a blameless Emperor and carried out by morally exemplary military forces. This denial of historical realities, especially those related to “comfort women,” has constituted a contributory factor for a pattern of denial regarding all historical crimes. …

Mass Media Exposure And Sociodemographic Factors Associated With Malaria Vaccine Awareness Among Women Of Childbearing Age In Ghana, Emmanuel Angmorteh Mensah, Henry Ofori Duah, Charles Olomofe, Megan Quinn

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Background The development, approval and adoption of the malaria vaccine has provided effective supplemental protection against malaria for children in Ghana. However, heightened awareness of the new vaccine will play a critical role in its mass deployment and acceptance among potential recipients. This study therefore determined the sociodemographic characteristics associated with malaria vaccine awareness and ascertained the influence of traditional media exposure on awareness in Ghana. Methods The study used the Demographic and Health Survey 2019 Malaria Indicator Survey Data. After necessary recoding, chi-square and complex survey bivariate/multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed using STATA 18.0. Results Among the participants, …

Psychological Science And Immigration Today: Apa Task Force Report On Immigration And Health, American Psychological Association, Alfonso Mercado, Amanda Venta, Dina Birman, German Cadenas, Gail Ferguson, Luz M. Garcini, Giselle A. Hass, Maryam Kia-Keating, William Martinez

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

The report emphasizes the importance of culturally competent mental health services and explores the impact of anti-immigration policies on mental wellbeing. In today’s climate in which immigration is often met with hostility, it is crucial that we, as researchers and mental health professionals, understand the unique challenges faced by immigrants and use this understanding to foster positive change. Together, we can better support the wellbeing and resilience of our immigrant communities by using psychological research to inform and advance practice and policy.

The Incoherence Of Evidence Law, G. Alexander Nunn

Faculty Scholarship

What is the purpose of evidence law? The answer might seem intuitive. Evidence law exists, of course, to foster verdict accuracy, legitimacy, and efficiency. But these kindred aims often come into conflict. Policy tradeoffs are inescapable in evidence law, meaning that an evidentiary regime must clarify how its normative objectives cohere. Do accuracy, legitimacy, and efficiency work together on equal footing, such that the goal of a code is to maximize each objective to the extent possible? Or does one of evidence law’s aims take precedence over the rest? And if one goal takes priority, what is the role of …

Pl 93-638: Utilizing The Indian Self Determination And Education Assistance Act (Isdeaa) To Enhance And Improve Oral Health Outcomes In A Tribal Community, Adriann Darlene Ricker

Theses and Dissertations

American Indians and Alaskan Natives experience the worst oral health outcomes. However, we are transitioning to a new era where Indigenous communities are reclaiming the narrative and health. This dissertation in practice was inspired by tribal self-determination and reclamation of health found through the newly established Fort Peck Tribal Health Dental Department utilizing the Indian Self Determination and Education Assistance Act (PL 93-638). The guiding framework for the Fort Peck Tribal Health Dental Department and this dissertation is the Indigenous Primary Health Care Delivery Model which illuminates elements of community, empowerment, and self-determination with culture as center to all healthcare …

How Threat Mobilizes The Resurgence And Persistence Of Us White Supremacist Activism: The 1980s To The Present, Pete Simi, Robert Futrell, Adam Burston

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

Despite a centuries-long history of violent mobilization, white supremacist activism (WSA) has received relatively little sociological attention outside a small, specialized subfield. Disciplinary interest began to change after Trump's 2016 election; the 2017 violent attack in Charlottesville, Virginia; and the January 6, 2021, insurrection. In recognition, this review article focuses on what has been learned about contemporary WSA since the 1980s. We categorize studies by their unit of analysis—individual or micro, meso, and macro levels—to highlight analytic commonalities and distinctions and to underscore the central role that threat plays in the ebb and flow of WSA. As part of our …

Black, White, And Red All Over: Tougaloo College And The Southern Red Scare, Simeon Gates

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to explain the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission’s use of red baiting tactics against civil rights activists. Civil rights activists in Mississippi weathered countless physical, economic, and reputational attacks. The movement took off during the 1950s at the same time as the nation entered the Cold War. White supremacist southerners fought to preserve segregation through violent and nonviolent means. As the rest of the nation slowly came out of Cold War-fueled hysteria known as the second red scare, segregationists in the south were influenced by it. They cast the entire civil rights movement as a …

Criminalizing Ecocide, Rebecca Hamilton

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

Amid widespread acknowledgment that we live on a planet in peril, the term “ecocide” packs a powerful rhetorical punch. Extant regulatory approaches to environmental protection feel insufficient in the face of the triple threat of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. International criminal prosecution for ecocide, by contrast, promises to meet the moment, and a recent proposal to introduce ecocide into the canon of core international crimes is gaining traction. Assuming the push to criminalize ecocide continues to gain momentum, this Article argues that the primary (and perhaps, sole) benefit that international criminal law can offer in this context is …

Delineating Metastasis In Mss Colorectal Cancer By Single - Cell Rna Sequencing, Shuangjie You

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Colorectal cancer Colorectal Cancer (CRC) is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, with the majority of these deaths occurring after metastases. In this study, we used single-cell RNA transcriptome sequencing to characterize the cellular and molecular features of primary CRC and colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). Analysis of 130 samples revealed significant heterogeneity in the tumor microenvironment (TME) characterized by a diversity of cancer-associated fibroblasts, immune cells, and endothelial cell populations. Notably, we identified different CAF subtypes, including inflammatory (iCAFs), matrix(mCAFs), complement (cCAFs), and vascular (vCAFs). iCAFs were enriched in primary tumors expressing higher levels of inflammation-associated genes, whereas mCAFs were …

Single Cell And Spatial Analysis Characterize Metabolic Dpep1+ Fibroblasts In Pdac, Yuanyuan Zhu

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is highly malignant and exhibits aggressive progression patterns, resists conventional treatments, and poses significant challenges to patient survival, necessitating urgent research and development of novel therapeutic approaches. Understanding cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) metabolism reprogramming in PDAC tumor microenvironment (TME) may uncover novel therapeutic targets. Here, we used single cell and spatial transcriptomics to comprehensively characterize the TME content of human PDAC. We characterized CAFs metabotypes and a novel CAF population expressing DPEP1, COMP, CST1, which involved in glutathione metabolism, termed "gluCAFs” and was associated with poor clinical outcomes and advanced PDAC stages. We also validate the existence …

Placental Co-Transcriptional Activator Vestigial-Like 1 (Vgll1) Drives Tumorigenesis Via Increasing Transcription Of Proliferation And Invasion Genes, Heather Sonnemann

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Vestigial-like 1 (VGLL1) is a co-transcriptional activator that binds to TEA domain containing transcription factors (TEADs). Its expression is upregulated in a variety of aggressive cancer types, including pancreatic and basal-like breast cancer, and increased transcription of VGLL1 is strongly correlated with poor prognosis and decreased overall patient survival. In normal tissues, VGLL1 is most highly expressed within placental trophoblast cells, which share the common attributes of rapid cellular proliferation and invasion with tumor cells. The impact of VGLL1 in cancer has not been fully elucidated and no VGLL1-targeted therapy currently exists. The aim of this study was to evaluate …

Exploring The Role Of The Arginine-Methylation Writer-Reader Pair Prmt5/Snd1 In Jak2-Mutant Myeloproliferative Neoplasms, Rocio Rubiano

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are a hematopoietic disease characterized by hyperproliferation of cells of the myeloid lineage for which current therapeutic options are limited. Discovered in 2005, the JAK2V617F mutation is the most common driver mutation in BCR-ABL negative MPNs, resulting in constitutive activation of the JAK2 protein and the JAK-STAT signaling pathway. A role for the methyltransferase activity of Protein Arginine Methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) has been proposed in JAK2-mutant MPN, highlighting both a mechanism through which this mutation can drive disease progression and a potential mode of therapeutic intervention. Staphylococcal Nuclease Domain-Containing Protein 1 (SND1) is the effector molecule responsible …

The Role Of An Ultraconserved Long Non-Coding Rna In B-Cell Lymphomagenesis, Swati Mohapatra

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Ultraconserved regions (UCRs) are genomic segments with perfect (100%) conservation between the orthologous regions of human, rat, and mouse genomes. UCRs can be transcribed into mono-exonic long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) known as transcribed ultraconserved regions (T-UCRs). These regions, despite lacking protein-coding potential, are increasingly recognized for their regulatory roles in gene expression, including the modulation of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) transcripts. NcRNAs play crucial roles in cellular processes, including oncogenic transformation, with emerging evidence revealing their ability to encode small peptides known as ncRNA-encoded peptides (ncPEPs). These peptides, originating from small open reading frames (smORFs), contribute to diverse cellular functions and …

The Role Of The Circadian Clock In Disease And Tissue Function, Marvin Wirianto

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The mammalian circadian clock responds to the 24-hour daily cycle and regulates tissue-specific gene expression and downstream physiology. The central pacemaker located in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) synchronizes the peripheral clocks in different tissues. This dissertation aims to uncover specific circadian regulatory mechanisms in the brain and skeletal muscle.

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia. It has previously been shown that there is a strong correlation of disease progression with circadian rhythm decline. We showed that circadian modulation by a small molecule Nobiletin (NOB) was able to mitigate AD pathogenesis. Furthermore, NOB significantly alleviated the …

Vesicle-Associated Membrane Proteins In Airway Mucin Secretion, Boxuan Yang

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Mucus plays a vital role in shielding the lungs against harmful substances such as particles, pathogens, and chemicals inhaled from the environment. It captures these harmful elements, and ciliary action helps to expel them from the lungs. Paradoxically, malfunctioning of mucus induces the development of various respiratory illnesses, including asthma, cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and interstitial lung diseases. Despite extensive research on controlling mucin production and hydration, the process of secretion is not yet fully comprehended.

Mucin undergoes regulated secretion at two rates: a low baseline rate and a high stimulated rate. Over the past 25 years, …

Chancery Court Demonstrates Willingness To Apply Context-Specific Tests In Assessing Challenges To Advance Notice Bylaws, Robert S. Reder, Noah Nance

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

It is well established," under Delaware law, "that stockholders have a fundamental right to 'vote for the directors that the s[tock]holder[s] want [] to oversee the firm.'" Sternlicht v. Hernandez, 2023 WL 3991642 (Del. Ch. June 14, 2023) ("Sternlicht"). Moreover, "[s]ubsumed within that fundamental right to vote is the right to nom- inate a competing slate." Despite this recognition, the Delaware Gen- eral Corporation Law "is silent as to how a stockholder may propose a nominee for election." Strategic Inv. Opportunities LLC v. Lee Enters., Inc., 2022 WL 453607 (Del. Ch. Feb. 14, 2022) ("Strategic Investment Opportunities"). "[T]o fill this …

Investigating Institutional Support For A Minority Engineering Program At A Historically White Institution, Stephanie Damas

All Dissertations

Engineering programs at historically White institutions (HWIs) often perpetuate stereotypes and racism against Black students, impacting their experiences and opportunities in the field. Minority engineering programs (MEPs) provide support and resources to minority students in engineering, challenging stereotypes and fostering positive identity development. MEPs push back on cultural norms by rejecting the stereotypical narrative of what it means to be Black in engineering. Despite their significance, MEPs face challenges in garnering institutional support and recognition within engineering departments. It is imperative to understand what institutional support for MEPs looks like to mitigate barriers identified in the literature. To address these …

Voices From The Countryside: Unveiling The Stories Of Rural Teachers In Stem Education, Devan A. Jones

All Dissertations

This narrative study delves into the overlooked perspective of rural communities within the broader educational landscape, highlighting their unique and vital role in education. It primarily aims to gain insights from K-8 teachers working in multigrade, multi-curricular Sustained Deep Rurality (SDR) schools situated in the challenging terrain of the Northern Rocky Mountain area. Employing a methodology centered around episodic narrative interviews and small story analysis, the study uncovers the intricacies and challenges inherent in teaching under the extreme conditions of rural environments.

These SDR schools, situated in remote and isolated regions, serve as vital pillars in rural education, embodying qualities …

Investigating The Etiology, Epidemiology, And Ecology Of Blackberry Yellow Vein Disease In South Carolina, Wanita Dantes

All Dissertations

Blackberry production is growing in popularity in the southeastern U.S. However, blackberry growers in this region report major problems with productivity and longevity due to viruses. First, the state of knowledge on blackberry yellow vein disease (BVYD) complex, associated with mixed infections of a diverse group of viruses, is discussed. Specific viruses associated with symptom types are unknown. Therefore, the etiology of BYVD is not fully understood, which makes BYVD diagnosis challenging. My research focused on improving BYVD diagnosis, etiology, and epidemiology. Second, I developed a farm-level diagnostic protocol to improve virus disease surveillance. High throughput sequencing detected 17 known …