Digital Commons Network^™

Bradley Davis V. Wawa Inc

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Spaces Of Our Own: Reclaiming Community In Jaipur's Informal Settlements, Daisy Bhambhani

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

India’s rapid urbanization has resulted in fragmented urban fabrics, where women and children remain in vulnerable positions. They face systemic barriers in education, health, and social belonging due to under resourced environments. Despite the nation’s commitments to gender equality and the right to education, slum environments continue to lack adequate infrastructure that supports learning and collective well being. Architecture has the potential to combat these challenges by creating spaces that promote social inclusivity.

While architects and planners have recognized the increasing need for inclusive spaces, most projects do not explore how a built form itself can create empowerment within marginalized …

Biomimicry Of The Everglades, Angelica M. Moss

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The Everglades Ecosystem is a slow moving river of grasses, encompassing 1.5 million acres from Lake Okeechobee southward to the Florida Bay. The ecosystem is a constant mosaic of gradient habitats, flowing from fresh to saltwater and from grasslands to forest, creating both resiliency, but also an interdependence. All ecosystems possess keystone species, who help to define how the ecosystem is shaped and behaves. In my thesis, I explore several keystone species within the Everglades, namely the mangroves, the family crocodilia, and the roseate spoonbill, and how formal translations of these organisms can produce functional biomimetic buildings that give back …

The Case For A Measured Approach To Second-Generation Litigation Finance Reform, Robert Weber

Buffalo Law Review

For the past decade and a half, third-party litigation finance (TPLF) has become an important part of the U.S. civil litigation system, helping litigants (especially plaintiffs) relieve litigation-related financial stresses and prosecute claims to enforce their legal rights. In response to the industry’s appearance, a first generation of TPLF regulation unfolded from roughly 2010 until 2022. This first-generation reform program was a state law phenomenon, with a dozen or so states enacting a series of tentative and piecemeal reforms. Over the past three years, and in response to intense policy demands of business groups like the Institute for Legal Reform …

Hey Siri—Can The Police Search My Period Data?, Tyonna J. Acoff

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

“Justice” By Deception: The Immigration Regime’S Longstanding Reliance On Fraud And Coercion, Lori A. Nessel

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Back To The Drawing Board? Overdraft Fees, The Congressional Review Act, And The Cfpb’S Path Back To Consumer Protection, Kaitlin Ainsworth Caruso

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

From Classroom To Courtroom And Back: Exit, Voice, And The Struggle Over Public Education In America, Shai Stern

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Shadows, Not Substance: Trump V. United States, Presidential Criminal Immunity, And Bribery, Lennon Greco

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Magnifying Genius: Culturally Responsive Leadership And One School’S Story Of Teacher Empowerment Implementing An International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme, Ryan Hansen

LMU Theses and Dissertations

Limited research exists on how principal leadership has shaped teacher empowerment and collective efficacy in public schools implementing the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IB MYP; International Baccalaureate Organization [IBO], 2020a).This qualitative study was grounded in culturally responsive leadership (CRL; Khalifa et al., 2016) and leader–member exchange (LMX) theory (Graen & Uhl-Bien, 1995; Northouse, 2022) as interpretive lenses and examined a leadership problem of practice at Hiller School, a diverse, high-needs public K–8 campus serving students in Grades 6–8. The study centered on how leaders foster teacher agency, identity development, relational trust, and intentional co-leadership during the early stages of …

Climate Change Attributable Flooding And Post-Disaster Housing Market Dynamics: Evidence From Hurricane Harvey, Kaylynn Larrison

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, yet the social consequences of climate change attributable impacts remain relatively underexplored. This dissertation examines whether flooding attributable to climate change was associated with distinct post-disaster recovery outcomes following Hurricane Harvey in Harris County, Texas. To explore this link, parcel-level flood model outputs are integrated with Harris County Appraisal District parcel data and OpenFEMA records on tract-level flood insurance policies and post-Harvey aid. Response variables are operationalized as change scores to capture differences between pre- and post-storm conditions and outcomes are measured over a five-year post-storm period. Across …

Preston Walters V. Laurel Harry

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Middle District of Pennsylvania

The Lone Star Luminarias: 1880–1980, Dolores Atencio, Tracy C. Almanzán

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

The Lone Star Luminarias recovers and documents the lives, careers, and legal contributions of the first Latina lawyers licensed to practice law in the State of Texas. This article is a series of articles based upon the original research conducted by Visiting Scholar, Dolores Atencio (2016–2022) to identify and document the accomplishments of the first generation of Latina attorneys in the country, circa 1880–1980, Luminarias. The Luminarias Study involved archival research of 167 law

schools across the country, and a review of bar records, state bar records, past and contemporary news accounts, oral histories, and other records such as U.S. …

Left Behind: How The Ssi Program Fails To Support Young People With Disabilities, Caitlyn B. Acosta

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Program was created to protect people with disabilities from extreme poverty. However, its outdated rules and punitive structures trap millions in cycles of poverty and exclusion. For young adults with disabilities, the SSI system worsens existing barriers by limiting income and savings, discouraging work, and fostering dependence instead of independence. Drawing on personal narratives, historical context, and current policies, this Comment highlights how SSI reflects a long legacy of ableism and systemic neglect. The stories of individuals who have been denied dignity, family stability, and community belonging illustrate that reform is not just about policy, …

Statutes Of Unjust Limitations: An Argument In Favor Of Increasing The Statute Of Limitations For Civil Cases Of Adult Sex Crimes In Texas, Athina E. Castañon

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

This Comment argues that Texas’s current five-year statute of limitations for civil claims arising from adult sex crimes is unjust and misaligned with modern trauma research. While Texas has enacted meaningful legislation for child survivors, adult survivors who experience sexual violence after the age of eighteen remain subjected to an arbitrarily short filing window that fails to account for the psychological, social, and economic barriers to reporting and litigation. Drawing on historical context, trauma-informed research, and a comparative analysis of reform efforts, this Comment demonstrates how rigid statutes of limitations disproportionately harm survivors and undermine access to civil justice.

Landscapes Of Home And Maps Of The Heart: Using Art To Understand The Meaning Of Home For First And Second Generation Immigrants In Worcester Massachusetts, Sophie Sundaram

Fenwick Scholar Program

Landscapes of Home and Maps of the Heart: Using Art to Understand the Meaning of Home for First and Second Generation Immigrants in Worcester Massachusetts explores how individuals with histories of migration understand and experience “home,” and how those understandings can be translated into visual form through portraiture. Developed through conversations with Worcester community members, the project combines studio practice with methodological approaches drawn from sociological and anthropological fieldwork, including participant interviews, relational research practices, and community-based engagement.

Grounded in Worcester, a city shaped by multiple waves of migration and cultural diversity, the project investigates how senses of home are …

Book Review: The New Cold War And The Remaking Of Regions, Scott A. Silverstone

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Edited by T. V. Paul and Markus Kornprobst

Reviewed by: Dr. Scott A. Silverstone, professor of international relations, United States Military Academy

Great-power rivalry is reshaping the global landscape, and The New Cold War and the Remaking of Regions explores how this competition is redefining regional orders across the world. Edited by T. V. Paul and Markus Kornprobst, the book brings together leading scholars to examine how states respond to strategic pressures in a fragmented international system. It’s a timely and thought-provoking analysis of the new geopolitical realities facing regions from Europe to Asia.

©2026 Scott A. Silverstone

Book Review: Nothing But Courage: The 82nd Airborne's Daring D-Day Mission—And Their Heroic Charge Across The La Fière Bridge, Wylie W. Johnson

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Author: James Donovan

Reviewed by: Dr. Wylie W. Johnson, chaplain, US Army War College class of 2010

In this riveting account, James Donovan tells the dramatic story of the 82nd Airborne Division’s mission to seize and hold the La Fière bridge—an unassuming but vital link in the success of the D-Day invasion. Dropped behind enemy lines hours before the beach landings, these paratroopers faced overwhelming odds in a brutal three-day battle that culminated in a near-suicidal charge across a narrow causeway. Blending firsthand accounts, archival research, and battlefield visits, Donovan honors the courage and sacrifice that helped turn the tide …

Book Review: Proxy Wars From A Global Perspective: Non-State Actors And Armed Conflicts, Joshua O. Lehman

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Edited by Paweł Bernat, Cüneyt Gürer, and Cyprian Aleksander Kozera

Reviewed by: Lieutenant Colonel Joshua O. Lehman, academy professor, United States Military Academy

States are increasingly turning to non-state actors to fight their battles, reshaping the nature of modern warfare. Proxy Wars from a Global Perspective, edited by Paweł Bernat, Cüneyt Gürer, and Cyprian Aleksander Kozera, offers a sweeping analysis of this trend through case studies from Mali, Ukraine, Syria, and beyond. With insights from international relations and security experts, the book challenges outdated Cold War frameworks and introduces a new paradigm for understanding outsourced conflict in a multipolar …

The Impact Of Trump Administration Immigration Policies On Connecticut Educators And Families, Elena C. Bielesz

Honors Scholar Theses

Anti-immigrant rhetoric, policies, and practices, which have grown increasingly prevalent due to the current national political climate, have adverse effects on the mental health of immigrant families and the teachers that support them in Connecticut. This study seeks to represent the opinions of Connecticut K-12 MLL (Multilingual Learners) Education Teachers and Administrators whose daily lives are impacted by the anti-immigrant and anti-refugee policies and procedures. The study employed a human subjects-based approach supported by a review of related literature. MLL Educators from around the state of Connecticut were interviewed. These interviews found that while immigration-based trauma and stressors are common …

The Impact Of Nurse-Led Universal Depression And Suicide Risk Screening On Adolescent Mental Health Outcomes In Pediatric Primary Care, Malu-Kanoa Hewitt, Briana Morris, Dolly Ukpong, Lula Teklehaimanot, Preet Kamal Singh, Latasha Scott, Charity Msamalia Chimwala-Selico

General Submissions: Clinical Settings Materials

Background: Adolescent depression and suicide are critical public health concerns in the United States. Approximately 20% of youth aged 12–17 experience a major depressive episode annually, yet fewer than half receive treatment (NIMH, 2023). Suicide is a leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults (CDC, 2023). The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening for major depressive disorder (MDD) in adolescents aged 12–18 when adequate systems are in place for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up, but concludes that evidence is insufficient to recommend routine suicide risk screening in children and adolescents (USPSTF, 2022).

Purpose: This literature review evaluates …

Rebel Commons: Reimagining Commoning, Connectivity, And Civic Space Through The 2025 Gen-Z Uprisings, Corbin Austin

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

In September 2025, Nepal’s Generation Z, those born roughly between 1997 and 2012, mobilized one of the largest horizontally organized youth rebellions in South Asia, using digital platforms to coordinate mass protests against corruption, unemployment, restricted opportunity, and failures of public governance. These grievances are exacerbated by Nepal’s unique geographical conditions, leading to severe physical disconnection due to the country’s extremely mountainous terrain. In tandem with this physical fragmentation, the nation has experienced years of political instability following the 1996 to 2006 civil war. As a result of these factors, young people face limited mobility, deteriorating infrastructure, and weak institutional …

The Effect Of Set Volume Autoregulation On Hypertrophy And Exploratory Relationships With Subjective Feedback Metrics, Jacob F. Remmert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Purpose: This study examined whether autoregulation (AR) of set volume led to different hypertrophy outcomes compared to following a fixed training program. We hypothesized that AR would lead to superior hypertrophy. Further, we examined relationships between various subjective feedback metrics and hypertrophy in an exploratory fashion.

Methods: Thirty-four trained men and women had their upper limbs randomized to either an AR condition (AUTO) or a fixed condition (FIX) for unilateral biceps curl training over 10 weeks. Biceps muscle thickness (MT) and upper arm circumference (AC) were assessed at baseline, four midpoints, and post-intervention. Data were analyzed using a mediation framework …

Kattam Choreography- A Facade Of The Virgin Islands, Kiyani J.M. Ottley

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Kattam Choreography reimagines a historic building in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI as a vibrant cultural hub that celebrates dance, memory, and commerce. Rooted in the embodied traditions of the qudrille folk dance, this project explores adaptive reuse as a performtive act—where architecture becomes a living archive of movement and heritage.

The design treats the building’s layered history not as a static artifact, but as a choreographic score. Quadrille’s spatial logic—its symmetry, rhythm, and communal gestures—informs circulation, program, and atmosphere. The building unfolds as a triptych: a dance pavilion, multi-purpose educational spaces, and a gift shop. Each element responds to …

302 Mott Street Llc V. Bresler

All Decisions

In this holdover-licensee proceeding, the landlord sought possession of a rent-stabilized apartment. The tenant asserted succession rights as a non-traditional family member of the deceased prior tenant. Despite the absence of documentary evidence like joint bank accounts or wills, the court found the tenant proved the requisite family member relationship and co-residency through compelling testimony from four disinterested witnesses. The court determined that two years of signing lease renewals in the prior tenant's name after his death did not prejudice the landlord, especially given a 2023 amendment to the Public Housing Law. The court dismissed the proceeding with prejudice, finding …

Speech Acts In Children With Autism: A Pragmatic Study Of Communication Skills In Selected Igbo Autistic Teenagers, Oluchukwu Ann Anueyiagu, Ngozi Christiana Ikegwuonu

Journal of Innovation and Teacher Professionalism

This study examines the speech acts of selected Igbo autistic teenagers from a pragmatic perspective, with the aim of understanding how culture influences their communicative competence. The study is anchored on Searle’s Speech Act Theory and Hymes’ Ethnography of Communication framework. It investigates how autistic teenagers within the Igbo socio-cultural environment produce and interpret communicative functions such as requesting, informing, apologizing, questioning, and expressing emotions. A qualitative case study design was adopted, involving three autistic teenagers purposively selected from special schools and therapy centres in Anambra State, Nigeria. Data were collected through naturalistic observations, audio and video recordings of spontaneous …

Political Will In Decentralized Forest Governance: Developing A Typological-Relational Model From The Formalization Of Customary Forests In Indonesia, Antonius Mulyadi, Yeremias Keban, Hakimul Ikhwan, Ahmad Maryudi

Forest and Society

Political will is widely recognized as a decisive determinant of policy reform; however, its relational and institutional dynamics in decentralized governance remain insufficiently understood. This study examines how political will is generated, sustained, and operationalized in the recognition of customary forests (hutan adat) in Indonesia, focusing on the interaction between institutional configurations, actor networks, and advocacy coalitions. The research is anchored in an integrated typological-relational framework that combines Brinkerhoff's four dimensions of political will (initiative, alignment, commitment, and policy solution) with core mechanisms of the Advocacy Coalition Framework. An embedded comparative case study design was applied to two …

Automation, Migration, And Development: Geography Of Job Precarity In South Asia And North Africa, Keshav Bhattarai, Ambika P. Adhikari

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

This article examines how accelerating automation and the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in advanced economies reshape labor markets across the Global South through interconnected channels of production, migration, and remittances. Drawing on the theories and practices of economic geography, labor economics, and development studies, the analysis conceptualizes automation as a transnational shock that contracts demand for migrant labor while simultaneously amplifying employment precarity in labor-surplus economies. The article advances a geographically grounded framework linking technology adoption in core industries with labor displacement, youth unemployment, and urban labor saturation in South Asia and North Africa. It further highlights the macroeconomic …

Guilty Until Proven Innocent: Stories Of The Unfulfilled Promise Of The American Criminal Justice System, Abigail Clark

College Honors Program

Enshrined in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution is the promise that all persons within the jurisdiction of the United States “shall receive equal protection of the laws.” For Black Americans, this promise has been routinely unfulfilled– not only during the “Jim Crow” era, but also continuing after the Civil Rights era into the present. Instead of equal justice under law, Black Americans have been subjected to systematic dehumanization and the erasure of constitutional rights, often leading to a presumption of Black guilt rather than innocence within the criminal justice system and within white public rhetoric. Broken promises of equal …

Ide Negara Korporatis Menurut Soepomo & Benito Mussolini Suatu Rejleksi Kritis Ataspengaruh Dan Implikasi Gagasan Korporatisme Dalam Undang-Undang Dasar 1945, E. Fernando M. Manullang

Jurnal Hukum & Pembangunan

Abstract