Digital Commons Network^™

Seeing The Humanity In Each Object: Finding Justice Amid The Law, Gideon Taylor, Ruth J. Weinberger

Fordham Law Review

The restitution of Nazi-looted cultural and religious property remains an important aspect of providing a measure of justice for Holocaust victims and their heirs. The United States has played a leading role, from early postwar restitution efforts to shaping international principles, such as the Washington Conference Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art (the “Washington Conference Principles”), the Terezin Declaration, and the recent Best Practices for the Washington Conference Principles. Yet restitution within the United States continues to rely largely on litigation, with varying outcomes and limited provenance research compared to some European countries. The following Essay examines America’s contributions and challenges and …

Oligarchy, State, And Cryptopia, Julie E. Cohen

Fordham Law Review

Theoretical accounts of power in networked digital environments typically do not give systematic attention to the phenomenon of oligarchy—to extreme concentrations of material wealth deployed to obtain and protect durable personal advantage. The biggest technology platform companies are dominated to a singular extent by a small group of very powerful and extremely wealthy men who have played uniquely influential roles in structuring technological development in particular ways that align with their personal beliefs and who now wield unprecedented informational, sociotechnical, and political power. Developing an account of oligarchy and, more specifically, of tech oligarchy within contemporary political economy therefore has …

Correctional System Involvement And Health Outcomes, Sarah Mason Eck ,Ph.D

All Materials

The Institute for Health Policy and Practice (IHPP) at the University System of New Hampshire commissioned Scientific Health to conduct an evidence-based review of the relationship between criminal justice system involvement and health outcomes. This research synthesized findings from recently published, peer-reviewed academic literature and relevant reports to examine how correctional system involvement affects physical health, mental health, and overall well-being among incarcerated individuals, their families, and communities. The review identified common themes related to behavioral health, chronic conditions, and systemic impacts, providing insight into the broader health implications of mass incarceration and deinstitutionalization. These findings aim to inform policy …

Multiscale 3d Whole Joint Cellular And Molecular Mapping Reveals Disease-Specific Neurovascular Plasticity Underlying The Structure-Pain Relationship, Peng Chen, Jiaxin Chai, Abirami Soundararajan, R. Glenn Hepfer, Benjamin Kheyfets, Jiaxin Hu, Ishraq Alshanqiti, Swarnalakshmi Raman, Ikue Tosa, Jun Tae Huh, Matthew Yee, Brooke J. Damon, Shangping Wang, Yu Shin Kim, Man-Kyo Chung, Mildred C. Embree, Janice S. Lee, Tong Ye, Hai Yao

Publications

Understanding musculoskeletal joints from a 3D multiscale perspective, from molecular to anatomical levels, is essential for resolving the confounding relationships between structure and pain, elucidating mechanisms regulating joint health and diseases, and developing new treatment strategies. Here, a musculoskeletal joint immunostaining and clearing (MUSIC) method specifically developed to overcome key challenges of immunostaining and optical clearing of intact joints are introduced. Coupled with large-field light sheet microscopy, this approach achieves 3D high-resolution, microscale neurovascular mapping within the context of whole-joint anatomy without the need for image coregistration across various joints, including temporomandibular joints, knees, and spines, and multiple species, including …

Harnessing Electrochemical Hydrogen Evolution In Α-Fe2o3/2h–Mos2 Heterojunction: A Theoretical And Experimental Study On Electronic Modulation And Basal Plane Activation, Mohamed Sayed, Ossama Metwalli, Sameh O. Abdellatif, Kai Yin, Mohamed Saber, Ahmed Khalil, Hossam Abdelwahan

Electrical Engineering

Hydrogen production through water electrolysis is a promising method for storing renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, the efficiency and stability of hydrogen production electrodes remain challenging issues. In this study, we present a rationally designed α-Fe2O3/2H–MoS2 heterojunction that unlocks the electrocatalytic potential of the inert basal plane of the semiconducting 2H–MoS2 phase. The heterostructure, synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method, features α-Fe2O3 nanocubes anchored onto flowerlike 2H–MoS2 nanosheets. The electrochemical performance of the α-Fe2O3/2H–MoS2 heterojunction electrode was evaluated by linear sweep voltammetry, Tafel polarization, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results showed that the α-Fe2O3/2H–MoS2 electrode exhibited lower …

Photochemical And Electrochemical Assessment Of Uio-66-Nh₂/G-C₃N₄ Thin-Film Heterostructures As Potential Candidates For Hydrogen Evolution: An Experimental Study Augmented By Dft Insights, Nour Abouseada, Maryam Galal, Sameh O. Abdellatif, Khaled Kirah

Electrical Engineering

The global shift towards carbon-neutral energy systems has catalyzed an intensified focus on sustainable hydrogen production, with photo and electrochemical water splitting emerging as a particularly promising pathway. This study elucidates the design, simulation, and synthesis of advanced photo and electrocatalytic materials tailored for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), concentrating on heterostructures formed by zirconium-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)— specifically, UiO-66 and its amine-functionalized derivative, UiO-66-NH₂—in conjunction with graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄). Employing density functional theory (DFT) simulations, we pre-screened the electronic properties of the MOFs, revealing that amine functionalization significantly narrows the bandgap and optimizes band alignment, thereby enhancing photocatalytic …

Transformative Solidarity: Confronting Neoliberal Hegemony In Urban Schools With Constructivism And Critical Pedagogy, Ryan J. Lundell, Pedro Nava, Jonathan Montoya

Educational Leadership

Neoliberalism is more than a bundle of economic policies; it is a hegemonic ideology that permeates institutions and relationships, creating isolation and inequality (Brown, Undoing the demos: Neoliberalism’s stealth revolution, Zone Books, 2017; Han, Psychopolitics: Neoliberalism and new technologies of power, Verso, 2017). Neoliberal hegemony in urban schools limits student learning and propagates the purpose of education as the creation of human capital, not a socially aware citizenry (Brown, Undoing the demos: Neoliberalism’s stealth revolution, Zone Books, 2017); this creates a depoliticized labor force that strives for self-optimization rather than solidarity (Han, Psychopolitics: Neoliberalism and new technologies of power, Verso, …

Une Library Services Quarterly Report November 2025, Une Library Services

Quarterly Reports

Highlights of accomplishments of the University of New England's Library Services department.

Sailors And Scholars: The History Of The U.S. Naval War College, 1884–2009, Vol. 2, John Hattendorf

Sailors and Scholars, Second Edition

Volume II, 1984–2009, brings this history of the Naval War College into the modern era. For over 125 years, the institution has left its mark on maritime strategy and the naval profession in the United States. This volume contains chronological appendices listing significant events, College leaders, and distinguished graduates.

Truck Drivers And Autonomous Trucks: A Topic Modeling Analysis Of Truck Driver Posts, Noah Britt, Amy M. Schuster, Shubham Agrawal, Chu-Hsiang Chang, Jenna A. Van Fossen, Elizabeth A. Mack, Sheila R. Cotten

Publications

Social media provides a rich, alternative data source to interviews or survey-based research to study hard-to-reach populations (e.g., truck drivers, because of their transient work structure and unique subculture). This study uses public social media posts from the largest trucking forum in the United States to examine truck drivers’ views on autonomous trucks (ATs), which are poised to transform the trucking industry. We expand on traditional qualitative strategies of analyzing social media data by combining newer methods, including BERT-based topic modeling, sentiment analysis, stance detection, emotion analysis, topic similarity, and location analysis through a social interaction network, to analyze a …

Bridging The (U)Rban And (I)Ndividual To Transform Cities, Lily Kong

Asian Management Insights

Urban transformation efforts are often focused on infrastructure and technology issues, overlooking how the individual experiences the city. An interview with SMU President Professor Lily Kong.

Delivering Urban Transformation For The Individual, Havovi Joshi

Asian Management Insights

The call for urban transformation has never been more pressing.

Modernizing Family Courts: How Technology-Driven Triage Improves Access To Justice For Self- Represented Litigants And Enhances Efficiency For Lawyers, Ayyoub Ajmi, Alicia Davis

Faculty Works

Family courts are overwhelmed by rising caseloads, increasing parental conflict, and limited judicial resources. With 80–90% of litigants self-represented (SRLs), case delays and inefficiencies affect all parties, including those with private counsel. High-conflict cases make up 10–30% of dockets, consuming judicial time and worsening outcomes for families, especially children. This article explores the Family Court Services Portal, a technology-driven triage tool designed to streamline family case processing, improve access to justice, and help courts allocate re- sources effectively. The portal integrates pre-screening triage automation, guiding parties through structured issue identification to support proportional judicial intervention and informed case management. Developed …

From Human To Mouse And Back Again: Genetic And Genomic Ta(I)Les Of Islet Dysfunction In Type 2 Diabetes., Romy Kursawe, Khushdeep Bandesh, Sai Nivedita Krishnan, Kevin S Liu, Redwan M Bhuiyan, Michael L. Stitzel

Faculty Research 2025

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a complex genetic disease with substantial environmental inputs leading to glucose homeostasis defects. Insulin production is central to proper glucose control, and islet cell dysfunction and death lie at the nexus of T2D genetics and pathophysiology. Comprehensive identification of genes and pathways contributing to these processes is essential for mechanistic understanding and therapeutic targeting. Here, we summarize the latest human and mouse T2D genetic and genomic studies and assess how these parallel variant-to-function efforts and associated data contribute convergent or complementary insights and new opportunities to dissect T2D islet (dys)function. We distill mechanistic and phenotypic …

Neurometabolic And Vascular Dysfunction As An Early Diagnostic For Alzheimer's Disease And Related Dementias., Juan Antonio K Chong Chie, Scott A Persohn, Ravi S Pandey, Gregory W. Carter, Olivia R Simcox, Paul Salama, Paul R Territo, The Alzheimer’S Disease Neuroimaging Initiative

Faculty Research 2025

INTRODUCTION: Recent studies suggest that the brain undergoes anatomical and functional restructuring, resulting in neurometabolic and vascular dysregulation (MVD) prior to amyloid beta accumulation, which begins at an early age and leads to the onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

METHODS: Using a retrospective clinical population (n = 403) from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, cerebral perfusion and metabolism changes across 59 brain regions were evaluated from clinical studies. Results were verified by transcriptomic signatures and clinical cognitive assessments.

RESULTS: Our findings suggest that disease progression follows a stage-dependent MVD pattern that can identify at-risk regions. Although each region progresses at …

The Ecological Genome Project And The Promises Of Ecogenomics For Society: Realising A Shared Vision As One Health., Benjamin Capps, Ruth Chadwick, Yann Joly, Claire Lajaunie, Iva Hauptmannova, Susannah Mackenzie, John J Mulvihill, Elizabeth Mumford, Sonja A Rasmussen, Kunal Sanghavi, Donrich W Thaldar, James Yeates, Maud C Quinzin, Zohar Lederman

Faculty Research 2025

This paper develops a vision for The Ecological Genome Project: an aspirational, global endeavour to connect human genomic sciences with the ethos of ecological sciences. The Project's goal is to strengthen interdisciplinary networks that relate to diverse initiatives using genomic technologies, with respect to shared ethical frameworks and governance structures. To this end, this paper proposes a practical definition of ecogenomics to align various methodologies and values in a single environmental field using principles used to safeguard all forms of life in their habitats. We achieve this by using a One Health approach as a pretext for disparate disciplines to …

The Ecological Genome Project And The Promises Of Ecogenomics For Society: Realising A Shared Vision As One Health., Benjamin Capps, Ruth Chadwick, Yann Joly, Claire Lajaunie, Iva Hauptmannova, Susannah Mackenzie, John J Mulvihill, Elizabeth Mumford, Sonja A Rasmussen, Kunal Sanghavi, Donrich W Thaldar, James Yeates, Maud C Quinzin, Zohar Lederman

Faculty Research 2025

This paper develops a vision for The Ecological Genome Project: an aspirational, global endeavour to connect human genomic sciences with the ethos of ecological sciences. The Project's goal is to strengthen interdisciplinary networks that relate to diverse initiatives using genomic technologies, with respect to shared ethical frameworks and governance structures. To this end, this paper proposes a practical definition of ecogenomics to align various methodologies and values in a single environmental field using principles used to safeguard all forms of life in their habitats. We achieve this by using a One Health approach as a pretext for disparate disciplines to …

Adaptation Of The Use Of The Makerspace Resources For The Improvement Of The Education System In East Africa, Mary Oluga, Jane Rarieya, Wachira Nicholas, Nyagwegwe Wango

Institute for Educational Development, East Africa

Adopting new teaching and learning methods to improve learning outcomes is a critical concern in contemporary education. In line with this, the Makerspace movement, accompanied by Design Thinking, is being ingrained into teacher education as a strategy to enhance the performance of teacher educators and the quality of pre-service teachers. Borrowing from constructivism theory, Makerspaces provide opportunities for tutors, student teachers, and school learners to develop artifacts that aid and demonstrate their learning. This paper examines how Makerspace materials might be incorporated into teacher education and school classrooms, emphasizing strategies, empirical findings, and actionable recommendations derived from a study across …

Analysis And Simulation Of The Effect Of Voids In Dually Reinforced Particle And Short Fiber Composites, Matthew Mckinley Luci

Graduate Theses - Mechanical Engineering

This thesis investigates dual-reinforced polymer composites tailored for flywheel energy storage, combining short, chopped carbon fibers for load bearing with iron particulates for multifunctionality. A unified experimental–computational workflow was developed: tensile coupons were fabricated and tested, machine compliance was quantified using neat resin and removed from all curves, and elastic moduli were extracted with robust MATLAB routines. Parallel finite-element models in ANSYS 2023R reproduced the dog-bone geometry with standardized meshing, named selections, and displacement-controlled loading. Four material states—neat resin, resin and iron, resin and short carbon fiber, and the iron and fiber hybrid— were evaluated. Results show carbon fibers dominate …

Smu To Build Open Legal Database With Support From Ministry Of Law, Singapore Management University

SMU Press Releases and News

The Singapore Management University (SMU) will be developing Singapore’s first open empirical legal database with support from the Ministry of Law (MinLaw). Housed at SMU’s Centre for Digital Law, the three-year project will compile and release machine-readable datasets containing key statistical information about Singapore court decisions, statutes, legal scholarship and court structures. Named Singapore Open Legal Informatics Database (SOLID), the database will be freely accessible to researchers worldwide through a public website and Application Programming Interface (API), positioning Singapore alongside leading jurisdictions around the world that have invested in building up their legal data infrastructure.

Is There An “I” In Team?: Racial And Gender Differences In Interdependent Teamwork, Lucy Z. Bencharit, Cade R. Creason, Julia Lee Cunningham, Isabella V. Gasparyan, Dia Dhariwal, Hazel R. Markus

Papers from the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology Conferences

The popular adage “There's no ‘I’ in team" aims to encourage Americans to place the team’s needs ahead of their individual goals, which research shows is essential to effective team functioning (Wageman et al., 2012). However, do Americans actually follow this recommendation in practice? Decades of research in cultural psychology has consistently shown that our cultural contexts (e.g., race, gender, and nation of origin) thoroughly influence the degree to which individuals hold independent (i.e., focus on one’s unique goals and preferences) and/or interdependent (i.e., focus on the needs of others and the environment) models of self and personhood (Markus & …

Baystate Health Nursing: Together In Excellence Newsletter - November 2025, Brenda Simpson Rn

Baystate Health Nursing: Together in Excellence Newsletters

Baystate Health Nursing: Together in Excellence Newsletter - November 2025

Composition Pedagogy As Ai‑Native Coding: From Design Kit To Scholarly Framework, Daniel Plate, James Hutson

Faculty Scholarship

This article advances a field-ready framework that reconceives first-year composition as AI-native coding, translating a complete “design kit” into scholarly method, evaluative protocol, and curriculum architecture. Background: Contemporary composition pedagogy emphasizes process, genre awareness, and collaborative revision; meanwhile, modern software practice operationalizes iteration through version control, test-driven development, and continuous integration. The uploaded kit demonstrates that these cultures are isomorphic: writing stages align with SDLC phases, and automated pipelines can lint prose, execute argument “tests,” and publish artifacts with auditable histories. Approach: The study systematizes that kit into (1) a conceptual map that recasts authorship as orchestration and verification, (2) …

Electromigration In Eutectic Gold-Tin (80au20sn-Wt%) Solder Joints, Whit Vinson, David Huitink

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Eutectic gold-tin solder joints (80Au20Snwt%) with a diameter of 300 mu m diameter were subjected to electromigration (EM) conditions of 10,000-20,000 A/cm2 in the ambient temperature range of 125-215 degrees C. The present work examines a set of 36 experimental test runs using two different test coupons (18 runs with each coupon type and a total of 90 joints tested). Seven of the 36 coupons survived the maximum test duration period of 500 h. One coupon type created a linear electric current pathway through two lengths of 254-mu m-diameter copper wire connected by a single gold-tin joint. The other coupon …

The Changing Landscape Of Eastern Montana: Trends And Insights 2024, Melissa Weddell, Glenna Hartman, Elena Bigart, Kara Grau, Matthew Pettigrew, Ava Worbets, Sophie Morris

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

The purpose of this study is to generate a comprehensive overview of tourism trends in Eastern Montana by leveraging existing data sources and integrating new survey insights. By analyzing county-level statistics, regional tourism data, and U.S. Census information, the study aims to create a detailed picture of visitor demographics, trip characteristics, and community dynamics over the past five years (2018-2023). This multifaceted approach illuminates local tourism patterns, highlights key differences between counties, and allows for comparisons with the more heavily visited western regions of the state. Specific objectives include identifying who visits Eastern Montana, how they plan and experience their …

Ai Companions And The Lessons Of Family Law, Clare Huntington

Faculty Scholarship

Virtual friends and lovers powered by artificial intelligence are rapidly moving to the center of our emotional and social lives. Millions of people turn to AI companions every day for conversation, romance, sexual intimacy, therapy, and education. AI companionship holds promise, potentially reducing loneliness, supporting people without access to mental health treatment, helping students learn, and offering a judgment-free space for sensitive conversations. But AI companionship also raises significant concerns. The technology's addictiveness may exacerbate loneliness and can undermine human relationships. Therapy bots may prove more harmful than helpful. AI companions can be emotionally abusive. And their access to the …

Wind Farm Dynamics Over A Diurnal Cycle: Analysis Of A Comprehensive Large-Eddy Simulation, Web-Services Accessible Dataset, Shuolin Xiao, Xiaowei Zhu, Ghanesh Narasimhan, Dennice F. Gayme, Charles Meneveau

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The atmospheric boundary layer undergoes significant changes throughout a diurnal cycle, affecting wind turbine performance and wakes in wind farms. Wind farm large-eddy simulations (LES) under such conditions provide rich datasets to study the underlying dynamics and identify important trends. Here, we describe a comprehensive open dataset generated using LES of an eight-turbine wind farm consisting of four rows of two turbines. To avoid specifying either prescribed surface temperature or heat flux, a local one-dimensional soil heat conduction model is used with time-periodic solar surface heating, coupled to LES. After several days of low-resolution LES, an approximately time-periodic behavior is …

Universal Crackling Noise Links Plasticity In Nanoindentation With Compression In Metallic Glasses, Jordan Sickle, Wesley H. Higgins, Kerry A. Baker, Mayisha Nakib, Xiaojun Gu, George M. Pharr, Wendelin Wright, Karin A. Dahmen

Faculty Journal Articles

For decades, compression tests have been a standard method for identifying materials properties. However, these tests are slow, destructive, and require fabricating multiple potentially expensive bulk samples. Nanoindentation is fast, almost non-destructive, and requires only a single sample, to which large numbers of indents can be applied. Furthermore, nanoindentation is widely applicable, even to materials that are too brittle for traditional compression tests. Here, we show that nanoindentation is sufficient for extracting much of the same information that is measured in traditional sample compression tests in metallic glasses. The dynamics and statistics of the plasticity of two types of metallic …

Enhancement Of Antimicrobial Activity Of Truncated Cecropin B Peptides With The Substitution Of Tryptophan Residues, Sarah Smith, Christopher Feudale, Josephina R. Vermillion, Joseph Feudale, Joshua Do, Sabrina Arroyo, Juan Barrera, Madeleine Whitsitt, Marion Duval, Colby Grames, Bret Hatzinger, Makenzie Hilling, Tia Kean, Jasayle Rivera, Mia Shum, Hannah Zyra, David Rovnyak, Moria C. Chambers

Faculty Journal Articles

Cecropins are a class of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) expressed by insects that have broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and low cytotoxicity. However, cecropins are also long (40–45 amino acids) peptides, making their adaptation for therapeutic use challenging. Here, we present a series of 16 amino acid-long peptides derived from cecropin B from Drosophila melanogaster. The native truncated peptide is cationic and expected to form an amphipathic α-helix, but does not have antimicrobial activity. The incorporation of two Trp residues, depending on the position in the peptide backbone, results in antibacterial activity compa-rable to that of full-length cecropin B against the gram-negative bacteria …

Sensory-Selective Peripheral And Neuraxial Nerve Blockade With 2',6'-Pipecoloxylidide, Claire A Ostertag-Hill, Shuanglong Chen, Tianrui Xue, Rachelle Shao, Matthew Torre, Bin Feng, Zahra Vahedi, Longtu Chen, Steven J Staffa, Yueqin Zheng, Daniel S Kohane

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Background: Safe sensory-selective local anesthetics would be a major advance in the management of acute and chronic pain. This articles describes the sensory-selective local anesthetic properties and the toxicity profile of a known metabolite of amino-amide local anesthetics, 2',6'-pipecoloxylidide (PPX).

Methods: PPX was synthesized and made into its hydrochloride salt. PPX or ropivacaine (ROP) were injected at the sciatic nerve or intrathecally in rats, who then underwent modified hotplate (sensory) testing and weight-bearing (motor) testing. Rats injected with PPX or ROP were assessed for clinical toxicity endpoints. Conduction blockade was studied with single-unit recordings in mice. Biocompatibility was assessed histologically. …