Digital Commons Network^™

Nikolai Medtner's Skazki, Op. 51: Three Movements Transcribed For Wind Band With Commentary, Erin Nicole Duke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This dissertation contributes to the wind band’s long-standing tradition of transcription by producing a performable wind ensemble transcription of three movements of Nikolai Medtner’s Six Skazki, op. 51 (Nos. 1, 3, and 6) and documenting the orchestrational decisions that shape the transfer from piano to band. Although transcriptions have historically been a staple in wind repertoire, major composers and styles are still missing, and contemporary wind culture increasingly champions the revitalization of old standards. The selected skazki offer narrative and folk-like motives that can be heard as conceptually adjacent to early twentieth-century wind literature, while remaining singular to Medtner’s distinctive …

Tone And Resonance In The Congregational Singing Pedagogical Strategies For The Church Choir Context, Karen Zeferino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This study explores pedagogical strategies in vocal technique for church choir. In the context of church choral ensembles, congregational singing plays a crucial role in worship, fostering community building. Therefore, developing vocal tone and resonance is essential for enhancing both musical expression and participant engagement. This dissertation argues that, despite the limitations of weekly rehearsal time, church choir directors should prioritize specific vocal exercises to address members' interests in improving tone, blend, vowel, and resonance. By incorporating pedagogical strategies tailored to the church setting, directors can promote individual vocal growth without extending rehearsal sessions. Drawing on vocal pedagogy literature and …

The Legend Of Emanuel Loewner “Cap” Klingstein: “The Al Capone Of The Shenandoah Valley?”, Josh Payne

Honors Projects

Emanuel Loewner “Cap” Klingstein (1894-1971) was a notable Jewish entrepreneur in the area, owning multiple businesses and real estate between the 1920s and 1970s.  However, possible shady business practices and criminal activities, such as tax evasion and alcohol possession during prohibition, as well as local stories and legends, have raised questions about how he should be remembered. At times, he was even referred to as “the Al Capone of the Shenandoah Valley.” By utilizing primary source archival letters, genealogical records, court documents, and personal testimonies, as well as secondary sources on Jewish business in the area, organized crime, and the …

Book Bans In U.S. Prisons: A Legacy Of The Prisoners' Rights Movement, Allison Jansen

Honors Projects

The 1950s-1970s saw an unprecedented spike in organized resistance by American prisoners. This long era of rebellion, along with thousands of judicial appeals, made up the “prisoners’ rights movement”-- a political, legal, and social struggle that challenged the conditions of American incarceration and its penological paradigm. The timeline of the movement is abstract and difficult to measure. Nonetheless, what is certain is that it lost its momentum by the 1980s due to overhauling policy changes that quelled prisoner activism without achieving meaningful progress. This research examines the evolution of prison censorship policies within that paradigm shift and how they sought …

Research On The Impact Of Digital Transformation On Esg Performance Of Real Estate Enterprises, Lung Tim Tong

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

In the era characterized by the dual carbon goals driving the green transformation of industries and the exponential growth of the digital economy, the real estate sector is at a critical transformation juncture. From a policy-oriented perspective, building codes and energy consumption quota standards issued by the Ministry of Housing and UrbanRural Development and other regulatory bodies have rendered it imperative for real estate enterprises to reduce carbon emissions throughout the entire building life cycle. From the market demand side, consumers' preference for green and intelligent living environments has compelled real estate firms to break through traditional development models. The …

Compliance Supervision And Firm Performance: An Empirical Study On Digital Transformation Of The Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Industry, Jun Ma

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

The biopharmaceutical industry, characterized by stringent global regulatory oversight, faces a pivotal theoretical tension regarding the nexus between regulatory compliance and corporate performance. The traditional perspectives often frame compliance as an “operational burden”, while the emerging viewpoints posit it as a “strategic asset”. Grounded in an integrated framework of the Resource-Based View (RBV) and Dynamic Capability (DC), this study investigates the moderating role of digital transformation in the relationship between Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) compliance and corporate performance.

Employing a mixed-method design, this paper conducted two complementary studies. Study 1 adopted a grounded theory based on interviews with nine industry …

The Impact Of Private Label Product Choice On Consumers' Hedonic Consumption Behavior, Xiaosong Wang

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

The competitive landscape of the current retail market is changing rapidly, and private label products, as a unique product force, are playing a role in the fierce market competition. While extensive research has been conducted on why consumers purchase private label products, the behavioral outcomes of consumers’ private label choices have not been fully explored. Based on the business reality of private brand retailing in China, this study constructs a research model concerning the impact of private brand product choice on hedonic consumption behavior. Grounded in self-awareness theory, the paper proposes four scientific research hypotheses. Through seven empirical studies, it …

The Impact Of Brand Authenticity And Innovation On Stakeholder Behaviours, Jacky Xu

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This study employs a dual-perspective questionnaire survey, collecting data separately from corporate employees and brand consumers, and uses multiple regression analysis to test the hypotheses. The findings reveal the following: (1) both brand authenticity and innovation have significant positive effects on employee brand citizenship behaviour and consumer purchase intention; (2) brand commitment plays a negatively moderating role in these relationships, such that when stakeholders’ commitment levels are relatively low, the positive effects of brand authenticity and brand innovation on behaviour are stronger, whereas under conditions of high commitment, these effects are weakened, reflecting a substitution effect between emotional attachment and …

The Impact Of De-Familization Of Governance Structures On Corporate Performance During The Intergenerational Succession Of Family Businesses, Jing Qiao

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Intergenerational succession poses a vital challenge for family firms, with only 10% of global family businesses surviving to the third generation. Chinese family firms, growing alongside reform and opening-up, now face a critical succession period as founders average over 60 years old.

Based on 1932 A-share listed family firms from 2007 to 2024, this study theoretically and empirically examines how intergenerational succession affects corporate performance, investigates the mediating role of governance de-familization (management, ownership, control rights), and tests the moderating effect of intergenerational differences.

First, succession significantly harms financial and market performance: ROE falls by 1.330% and Tobin’s Q drops …

Ai-Assisted Thematic Analysis On Consumer Acceptance Of Upcycled Food In Asia, Oon Ling Lee

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Food waste overuses natural resources and is responsible for a considerable share of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Coupled with the growing global food insecurity, food wastage appears even more irresponsible and showcases the inefficiencies of the current food system. These escalating global environmental concerns and strained planetary resources have necessitated sustainable food innovation (James & Sheena, 2025; Upadhyay, 2025), particularly the production of upcycled food (UF), a novel food product category transformed from production byproducts such as Okara, barley grain, and beer spent grain (Zhang et al., 2023). This upcycling process supports waste reduction, achieves a circular bioeconomy (Ribeiro et …

How Do Investors View Mandatory Esg Disclosure? Evidence From China’S A-Share Market, Suk Wah Inessa Lee

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This study investigates the valuation effects of China's 2024 transition from voluntary to mandatory ESG disclosure across the Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Beijing stock exchanges. Using a two-stage event study surrounding the policy's draft and final confirmation, this research examines how investors price a regulatory reform affecting over 51% of A-share market capitalization. Anchored in Information Asymmetry Theory, the study evaluates whether the mandate acts as an information-enhancing mechanism or a compliance cost shock. The results indicate that mandated firms experience significant negative cumulative abnormal returns, suggesting investors primarily interpret the policy as a compliance-driven cost shock — consistent with the …

Research On The Impact Of Industrial-Financial Cooperation On Corporate R&D Investment, Jiayin Yin

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

The national industrial-financial cooperation pilot policy represents a key strategic initiative to implement China's strategy of building a "financial powerhouse" and guide financial resources toward empowering high-quality development in the real economy. In December 2016, four central government departments in China jointly announced the first batch of national industrial-financial cooperation pilot cities. Leveraging this quasi-natural experiment, this study comprehensively evaluates the impact of the pilot policy on corporate R&D investment activities using a sample of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2014 to 2019.

Research findings indicate: (1) The industrial-financial cooperation pilot policy significantly increases enterprises' R&D investment levels. Specifically, compared …

Bread, Work, Freedom! The Urgent Call For Action And Accountability In Afghanistan, Nancy J. Newman, Zubaida Akbar, Mahwish Moazzam, Sussan Tahmasebi

UC Law SF International Law Review

This Article examines the systematic degradation of women and girls in Afghanistan since the Taliban reclaimed power in 2021, and the resulting violations of international human rights law. To provide context for the legal analysis, the Article includes a historical perspective of women’s rights before the takeover, as well as first-hand accounts of life under the current regime. Centering its legal analysis on Afghan women’s demands for “Bread, Work, and Freedom,” the Article explains how the Taliban’s edicts have criminalized women’s education, employment, and mobility, erasing women from public life in blatant violation of multiple international treaties and obligations. It …

A Human Rights Approach To International Criminal Liability: From The Promises Of The 1990s Criminal Tribunals To Selective Impunity, Ilias Bantekas

UC Law SF International Law Review

Since the adoption of the UDHR in 1948, it has become clear that state responsibility for human rights violations ought to be complemented by perpetrators’ individual responsibility under criminal and civil law. The concept of individual responsibility suggests that criminal liability is the “natural” corollary of conduct considered to be a violation of human rights. Even if such criminal liability does not, for whatever reason, arise under national law, this is certainly the outcome under international law. The extent to which this concept is applicable to all violations of human rights involves an examination of the legal basis of human …

Sovereignty As A Shield? The Icc’S Role In Addressing War Crimes In Nagorno- Karabakh, Grigori Sahakyan

UC Law SF International Law Review

This Note argues that the International Criminal Court (ICC) should assert jurisdiction over atrocities from the 2023 Nagorno-Karabakh offensive and pursue prosecutions for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Proper International Humanitarian Law (IHL) classification places the situation in an international armed conflict—via direct interstate action and/or occupation—triggering the full Article 8 framework. Jurisdiction is grounded in Armenia’s ratification and retroactive Article 12(3) acceptance; admissibility is satisfied because Azerbaijan is unwilling to conduct genuine proceedings. While cooperation obstacles remain, targeted enforcement measures can strengthen execution of warrants. The bottom line is doctrinal, not diplomatic: sovereignty cannot shield atrocity crimes; the …

Denizens Of Dexit: Why Controlled Companies Are The First To Leave The First State, Jack Kanzler

Michigan Business & Entrepreneurial Law Review

A series of high-profile companies announcing plans to leave the state of Delaware and reincorporate out of state has sparked many commentators to predict a coming wave of corporate exodus from the First State called “DExit.” This paper seeks to explore the DExit “movement” with a particular focus on “controlled companies” and the recent doctrinal developments that have created a perception that Delaware law has become hostile to such governance arrangements. I will begin by discussing a brief history of Delaware’s corporate law and its current role in the American corporate legal system. I will then move to a robust …

Aggressive R&D Consulting Companies Fail To Align With The Purpose Of R&D And R&E Tax Incentives., Emily Belanger

Michigan Business & Entrepreneurial Law Review

Research and development (R&D) credits and research and experimentation (R&E) tax incentives have recently experienced legislative changes and litigation related to the questionable methods deployed by R&D consulting firms. Proponents of research tax incentives tout their potential to produce positive externalities and innovation. Critics have pushed back, questioning whether research tax incentives are successfully achieving their purpose. The shifting landscape, litigation over aggressive tax claims, and debatable success of tax incentives signal a need to reassess whether research tax incentives are properly claimed in the United States. This paper proposes stronger regulation of R&D consulting firms to ensure research tax …

The Corporate Transparency Act: Substantial Modifications Are Desperately Needed (And They Might Just Help The Law Withstand Judicial Scrutiny), Lawrence Bialek

Michigan Business & Entrepreneurial Law Review

For decades, the United States has had a reputation as the place to go for bad actors looking to launder money and fund criminal activities. Attempting to rectify this situation, Congress spent years drafting legislation to serve as a deterrent. The product, the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), was the culmination of years of work by legislators across the aisle and multiple Congresses. The CTA’s mandatory reporting requirement sought to create a centralized database of information about all entities doing business in the United States, both foreign and domestic, and the individuals in positions of authority for each of those entities. …

From Lino To Luxury: Class, Taste And Identity In The Mid-Twentieth Century Irish Provincial ‘Good Room’, Angela Mehegan

Irish Communication Review

The aim of this paper is to position issues of class and taste within the context of the home and through the lens of the domestic in mid-twentieth century provincial Ireland from the early 1950s to the early 1970s. This was a time of unprecedented economic growth and heralded a period of social and cultural change. Our homes and the artefacts we surround ourselves with are central to our sense of self and how we wish to be seen by others. Issues of class, taste, status, gender, and aesthetic possibilities are unpacked by focusing on the ‘Good Room’ as a …

The Middle-Class Rip-Off'? Subsiding Culture In Contemporary Ireland, Connell Vaughan Dr

Irish Communication Review

In the last few years (roughly since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic) there has been a noted increase in state-led cultural funding in Ireland. Key examples include the raise in the financial allocation to the Arts Council, the introduction of the Basic Income for the Arts scheme, and increased sports capital funding. With reference to the official communication documents of these cases (so-called ‘grey literature’) and deploying the classic 1982 episode of the British sitcom Yes, Minister, ‘The Middle-Class Rip-Off,’ which pitches sports funding against support for the arts, as a satirical lens, this paper reflects on the contemporary …

Gun Control In The United States Of America, Blessing Crowder

Distinguished Student Scholarship Collection

This paper examines the issue of gun control in the United States by analyzing the relationship between firearm accessibility and gun‑related crime, including homicide, suicide, and accidental deaths. Drawing on historical examples, scholarly research, legal cases, and public opinion data, the paper argues that restricting access to firearms can significantly reduce gun‑related violence. It explores how firearms often fall into unauthorized hands, the role of mental health and impulsivity in violent outcomes, and the disproportionate risks firearms pose in racially charged environments. The paper also addresses opposing arguments centered on self‑defense and deterrence, evaluating legal precedents and ethical justifications for …

Generative Ai As Artificial Audience, Chrystina Scoglietti

Distinguished Student Scholarship Collection

This paper examines generative artificial intelligence as a distinct communicative development that reshapes rhetorical practice and composition pedagogy. Situating generative AI within a historical framework of communicative revolutions—including primary orality, literacy, and secondary (digital) orality—the paper argues that generative AI constitutes a new form of literacy rather than a mere extension of digital media. By producing near‑human language and creative output in direct response to user input, generative AI functions not only as a compositional tool but also as an artificial audience to which rhetoric must be tailored. The analysis explores how this shift challenges traditional assumptions about audience, persuasion, …

Fit To Be Tried By Jury, But Not To Be A Juror: The Dilemma Faced By “Adults” Under Age 21, Kenneth Bell

SLU Law Journal Online

This article, “A Time To Speak: A Lifer’s Assessment of the Sentence of Death by Imprisonment” appeared in the 2025 Special Edition of The Writer’s Block under the longer title, “A Time To Speak: A Lifer’s Assessment of the Sentence of Death by Imprisonment and the Application of Roper v. Simmons and Miller v. Alabama.”  It is a four part discussion of the nature and continued viability of the sentence of life without parole particularly the need to end the imposition of that sentence upon persons between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one, i.e., emerging adults. This shorter piece extends …

Protecting Cultural Personality, J. Janewa Osei-Tutu

Articles

When companies use cultural symbols or cultural heritage from an indigenous or local community without their knowledge or permission, it can lead to claims of cultural appropriation, particularly in the fashion industry. Yet, the law provides little to no remedy. Trademarks and geographical indications can be used to protect collective cultural identities. However, these intellectual property laws are not helpful if the affected cultural group has not commercialized its identity by offering goods or services to the public. This Article contributes to the literature by theorizing a dignitary-based intellectual property model for protecting cultural identities. It draws on the U.S. …

When Should Breach Of Good Faith Beget Punitive Damages?, Krish Maharaj

Dalhousie Law Journal

This article highlights a recent trend towards claimants seeking, and courts awarding, punitive damages in contract cases predicated on a breach of contract in conjunction with an “independent actionable wrong”—a requirement since the Supreme Court’s decision in Whiten v. Pilot Insurance—in the form of a breach of the duty of honest performance (DHP) or the duty to exercise contractual discretion in good faith (DCDGF). The article considers when and whether a claim for breach of DHP or DCDGF should in fact be actionable, and thus when such a claim should be said to satisfy the independent actionable wrong requirement for …

Heterogeneity Of Treatment Effects In Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation For Knee Osteoarthritis Pain And Symptoms, Chiyoung Lee, Xiaoxiao Sun, Juyoung Park, Chen X. Chen, Christine Pellegrini Ph.D., Nan-Kuei Chen, David O. Garcia, Heewon Kim, C. Kent Kwoh, Hyochol Ahn

Faculty Publications

Introduction: Although heterogeneity of treatment effects (HTEs) is commonly observed in clinical trials, it has received little attention in studies on transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).

Objectives: This study identified the presence of HTE in tDCS treatment among participants with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and explored participant characteristics associated with this heterogeneity.

Methods: This secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial included 120 participants with symptomatic KOA who received 15 daily sessions of home-based 2-mA active or sham tDCS over 3 weeks. We used a multitrajectory analysis to identify distinct subgroups based on the longitudinal trajectories of KOA pain and …

Heterogeneity Of Treatment Effects In Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation For Knee Osteoarthritis Pain And Symptoms, Chiyoung Lee, Xiaoxiao Sun, Juyoung Park, Chen X. Chen, Christine Pellegrini, Nan-Kuei Chen, David O. Garcia, Haewon Kim, C. Kent Kwoh, Hyochoi Ahn

Faculty Publications

Introduction: Although heterogeneity of treatment effects (HTEs) is commonly observed in clinical trials, it has received little attention in studies on transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).

Objectives: This study identified the presence of HTE in tDCS treatment among participants with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and explored participant characteristics associated with this heterogeneity.

Methods: This secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial included 120 participants with symptomatic KOA who received 15 daily sessions of home-based 2-mA active or sham tDCS over 3 weeks. We used a multitrajectory analysis to identify distinct subgroups based on the longitudinal trajectories of KOA pain and …

Guns, Guardians, & Guilt: Analyzing Family Liability In Mass Shooting Cases, Alex Robinson

University of Baltimore Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Big Shortage: Affordable Housing, Michael E. Hornzell

University of Baltimore Law Review

No abstract provided.

Jurisdiction Fiction: Is International Shoe Due For A Pennoyer Moment? Part I, Peter B. Rutledge, E. Reed Lemasters, Caleb Z. Morris

Missouri Law Review

Personal jurisdiction doctrine is a mess. In an attempt to clarify personal jurisdiction doctrine, the Supreme Court has routinely obscured its underlying rationale. That rationale predates the Court’s landmark decision in Pennoyer v. Neff and continues to loom in the background of the most recent post-International Shoe cases. Instead of laying bare that rationale, the doctrine has devolved into a string of proxies built upon proxies—all laboring mightily to avoid stating the obvious: State authority lies at the heart of all personal jurisdiction inquiries. From “physical presence” to “minimum contacts” to “targeting” to “effects” to “relatedness,” all fictions strive to …