Digital Commons Network^™

Doctrinal Intent Versus Institutional Reality: The Gulf Countries' Antitrust Objectives, Nora Memeti

Yearbook of Antitrust and Regulatory Studies

This paper examines the intriguing contrast between the ambitious goals of antitrust laws in the Gulf countries and the reality of their enforcement. While this region seeks to protect competition and curb monopolistic practices, only Kuwait and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) have made significant strides in achieving these ideals.

Through a comparative legal analysis, this paper examines how the statutory objectives of competition law in Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and the UAE often remain more rhetorical than substantive, with enforcement primarily symbolic. In contrast, Saudi Arabia demonstrates some enforcement activity, although its alignment with legislative objectives remains uncertain. Kuwait's …

Multiparent Recombinant Inbred Lines Crossed To A Tester Provide Novel Insights Into Sources Of Cis And Trans Regulation Of Gene Expression, Fabio Marroni, Alison M Morse, Adalena V Nanni, Nadja Nolte, Patricka Williams-Simon, Luis G León-Novelo, Rita M Graze, Paul Schmidt, Elizabeth King, Lauren M Mcintyre

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

To understand the relative importance of cis and trans effects on regulation, we crossed multi-parent recombinant-inbred lines (RILs) to a common tester and measured allele-specific gene expression in the offspring. Testing the difference of allelic imbalance between two RIL × Tester crosses is a test of cis or trans, depending on the RIL alleles compared. The study design also enables to separation of two sources of trans variation, genetic and environmental, detected via interactions with cis effects. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach in a long-read RNA-seq experiment in female abdominal tissue at two time points in Drosophila melanogaster. …

Staff Education On Standardized Appointment Reminder & Follow-Up Protocol, Sambila V. Zangre Congo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Inconsistent staff performance in making appointment reminders and follow-up calls contributed to workflow variability and reduced patient engagement in outpatient primary care settings. This DNP Quality Improvement Project intended to enhance staff knowledge, confidence, and consistency in implementing standardized reminder and follow-up call protocols using an evidence-based educational intervention. A quantitative pre/posttest design was used to evaluate changes in staff competency, supported by descriptive and comparative analyses of test scores, percentage changes, and qualitative feedback. Seven clinic staff members attended the PowerPoint education session, and pretest and posttest data were used to address a practice-focused question about standardized communication workflows. …

Engaging Clinical Teams Through Leadership, Workplace Culture, And Job Satisfaction, Garidanielle Matsey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Current literature does not adequately address the factors that lead to and prevent burnout and poor work performance among inexperienced clinicians and clinical supervisors working in group private practice. Exploring supervision experiences, specifically leadership style, employee engagement, and internal communication, may provide insight into the experiences of novice mental health professionals and their supervisors in addressing burnout and enhancing work performance. Through a qualitative single-case study design informed by interpretative phenomenological principles, data were collected in semistructured interviews with five behavioral health leaders from a two-location group private practice who hold dual roles as clinicians and supervisors. The interview data …

Staff Education On Implementing Exercise For The Management Of Depression In Adults In A Comprehensive Mental Health Facility, Afolasade Jarrett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In a comprehensive mental health facility, patients diagnosed with major depression continue to experience depressive symptoms despite treatment. Despite using standard treatment with antidepressants and psychotherapy, facility data showed that 40% of these patients are still experiencing depression symptoms that negatively impact their overall functioning and quality of life. There is evidence supporting exercise as an effective strategy for depression treatment. Therefore, a staff education project was proposed to educate staff about exercise for depression management in adults. A thorough literature search in four databases yielded 12 articles with high quality evidence supporting educating staff to use exercise for depression …

Relationship Between Perceived Leadership Styles And Millennial Membership Growth In Nonprofit Churches, Larry Latham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the widespread decline in church membership and attendance among all mainline denominations, there was a particular concern about retaining the millennial generation. Church leaders need to understand this concern as a key indicator of millennial retention in nonprofit churches. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between millennial membership growth and perceived leadership styles, including authoritative, partnership, democratic, team oriented, relationship oriented, serving, people oriented, task oriented, and goal oriented leadership. The social exchange theory and resource-based view theory grounded this study. The archival data from 2011 to 2022 comprised 17,012 Millennial participants from 665 …

Staff Education To Enhance Nursing Knowledge Of Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection Prevention Bundles On A Solid Organ Transplant Unit, Amina Cole-Kangbai

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

I conducted this staff education quality improvement project to develop and implement an education program addressing nurses’ knowledge gaps on evidence-based, central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) prevention bundles on a solid organ transplant unit. CLABSIs are preventable infections disproportionately affecting immunocompromised transplant patients, increasing morbidity, mortality, and costs. Addressing this issue is critical because nurses provide frontline central line care, and their knowledge directly influences patient safety.

Protocol For Personalised Prediction Of Persistent Postsurgical Pain, Katherine J Holzer, Harutyun Alaverdyan, Ziqi Xu, Madelyn R Frumkin, Karen A Frey, Stephen H Gregory, Thomas L Rodebaugh, Chenyang Lu, Christopher R King, Denise Head, Thomas Kannampallil, Simon Haroutounian

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Persistent postsurgical pain (PPSP) affects up to 15% of patients after major surgery, impairing physical function, quality of life and increasing risk for long-term opioid use. Current PPSP prediction models rely on static or retrospective data and fail to incorporate dynamic perioperative factors. The Personalised Prediction of Persistent Postsurgical Pain (P5) study aims to develop individualised, multimodal prediction models by integrating preoperative behavioural, psychophysical and neurocognitive assessments and high-frequency symptom monitoring.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS: P5 is a prospective, single-centre cohort study enrolling 2500 adults aged 18-75 undergoing major surgery at a tertiary academic hospital. Participants complete baseline surveys, cognitive …

Social, Environmental And Policy Contexts Affecting The Feasibility And Acceptability Of Improving Household Flooring For Better Health In Rural Kenya, Ulrike Fillinger, Victoria A. Ochwal, Hugo Legge, Sharon Muli, Karisa Kazungu, Carlos Mcharo, Jacinta Mwongeli, Charles Mwandawiro, Katherine Halliday, Doris Njomo, Rachel Pullan, Lynne Elson, Stella Kepha

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

BACKGROUND: Homes with unimproved floors (earth, sand, or clay) are associated with increased risks of soil-transmitted parasites and enteric infections, leading to higher morbidity and reduced quality of life. This study explored the enablers and barriers to adopting improved flooring (sealed, washable, and durable) in three culturally diverse regions of Kenya - Narok, Bungoma, and Kwale - to mitigate disease burdens. METHODS: Between August 2021 and July 2022, we conducted 24 focus group discussions with homeowners, stratified by age, gender, and floor type. Additionally, 28 key informant interviews with local government officials, microfinance representatives, and masonry trainers in Kwale and …

Exploring Leadership Strategies To Foster Effective Employee Engagement, Antonwaun Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee disengagement is an organizational disruption that erodes trust, weakens culture, and undermines the performance systems leaders depend on to drive results. Functional leaders are concerned with employee disengagement because it can lead to poor organizational performance and affect organizational success. Grounded in leader–member exchange (LMX) theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore effective strategies functional leaders use to foster employee engagement in a working environment to enhance organizational success. The project participants were six functional leaders working in an e-commerce order fulfillment center in the southeastern United States. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and …

Staff Education On Vital Sign Assessment And Electronic Health Record Documentation For Acute And Critical Care Nurses And Patient Care Technicians, Natalie Brock

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A staff educational quality improvement initiative aimed at enhancing the knowledge and accuracy of acute care nurses and patient care technicians (PCTs) in vital sign documentation was the focus of the doctoral project. Gaps in vital sign obtainment and electronic health record (EHR) documentation were identified through organizational serious safety event reviews, highlighting risks to patient safety and clinical decision-making. The project addressed the question of whether, in the inpatient hospital setting, a staff educational training program for acute and critical care nurses improves their knowledge of accurate vital sign documentation in the EHR. I analyzed pre- and posttest assessments …

Education To Nursing Staff On Evidence-Based Lifestyle Interventions For Hypertension, Meagan Deese

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was a staff education project that addressed a practice gap in a primary care setting related to limited nursing knowledge of evidence-based lifestyle interventions for hypertension management. Hypertension is a prevalent chronic condition and a major contributor to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Although clinical guidelines recommend lifestyle modification as first-line management, nurses may receive limited formal training in nonpharmacologic interventions. The practice-focused question was, in a primary care setting, does a nursing education program on evidence-based lifestyle interventions for hypertension improve nursing knowledge as measured pre- to post education? The purpose of the …

Tumor Radiosensitization With Gold Nanoparticles: Evolving Strategies To Improve Tumoral Gold Uptake And Catalyze Future Clinical Translation, Prapannajeet Biswal, Geraldine V Vijay, Gabrielle Krouse, Phuoc Minh Quan Mai, Bhoomika Muruvekere Lakshmisha, Sanaz Keshavarz Shahbaz, Mahdieh Yousefi Taba, Aria Sabbagh, Lydia Wt Cheung, Yuri Mackeyev, Khadijeh Koushki, Sunil Krishnan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Radiation therapy is integral to the treatment regimens of over 50% of cancer patients. However, it is not biologically targeted to just the tumor, leading to adverse effects in peritumoral normal tissue. Selective uptake of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) by tumors realizes tumor-specific radiosensitization via increased secondary electron release from high atomic number gold atoms. Here, we review AuNP-mediated radiosensitization and outline strategies to optimize tumor-targeted AuNP delivery. Modifying the physicochemical characteristics of AuNPs, including size, shape, charge, and surface chemistry, can increase their ability to evade the reticuloendothelial system (RES) and penetrate the dense tumor stromal architecture, thereby promoting tumor …

Associations Between Big Five Personality Traits, Facets, And Sexual Fantasies, Emily Cannoot, Amy C. Moors, Wiliam J. Chopik

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

The present study investigated associations between Big Five personality traits, their facets, and the frequency and variety of sexual fantasies in a sample of 5,225 adults (M = 58.30 years old; 56.5% men). People high in conscientiousness and agreeableness report fewer sexual fantasies across exploratory, intimate, impersonal, and sadomasochistic domains; these effects were primarily driven by respectfulness and responsibility facets. Negative emotionality, particularly the depression facet, was associated with more frequent sexual fantasizing. Extraversion and open-mindedness showed minimal relationships with sexual fantasy frequency. These results underscore the importance of personality dimensions in understanding sexual thoughts, emphasizing the heterogeneity of …

Repurposing Of The Macrolide Antibiotic Clarithromycin For The Prevention Of Lung Cancer, Shanshan Deng, Tabish Hussain, Thais F Bartelli, Manu M Sebastian, Melody Zarghooni, Walter V Velasco, Brandon Somerville, Linda Phan, Michelle I Savage, Yurong Song, John L Clifford, Humam Kadara, Florencia Mcallister, Powel H Brown, Seyed Javad Moghaddam, C Marcelo Aldaz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Drug repurposing is the process of reusing existing pharmaceuticals for novel clinical purposes, which offers advantages such as streamlined clinical trial access and reduced drug development costs. Clarithromycin (CAM), a member of the macrolide antibiotics family, is a promising candidate for repurposing in cancer therapy due to its known preclinical and clinical immunomodulatory and anticancer properties. In the current study, we investigated whether CAM could be repurposed as a preventive treatment for KRAS-mutant lung cancer, a subtype of lung adenocarcinoma that is strongly associated with heavy smoking. CCSPCre; LSL-KrasG12D mice at an early stage of tumor development were treated with …

Geochemical Fate Of Lead In Contaminated Residential Soils Following Application Of Amendments For Lead Immobilization, Hadeer Saleh, Washington Braida, Zhiming Zhang, Rupali Datta, Dibyendu Sarkar

Michigan Tech Publications

Background: Lead (Pb) persists in urban soils, where its partitioning among geochemical fractions governs mobility, bioavailability, and human health risk. These fractions are strongly controlled by soil physicochemical properties, necessitating site-specific remediation strategies. Methods: This study developed a site-specific Pb immobilization framework linking amendment selection to soil geochemistry and sustainability considerations. Pb-contaminated residential soils from three U.S. cities, San Antonio (alkaline), Baltimore (acidic), and Detroit (near-neutral), were treated with gypsum, biochar + lime, and alum, respectively. Changes in Pb speciation were tracked using sequential extraction over 7, 30, and 90 days. Results: All amendments significantly reduced exchangeable Pb (F1) and …

Seeing Beyond The Words: What Interdisciplinary Methodologies Reveal About International Law, Matthew S. Erie, Mark Pollack, Wolfgang Alschner, Beth Simmons, Katerina Linos

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

INTRODUCTION: On April 24, 2025, the International Law and Social Science Interest Group debuted at the ASIL Annual Meeting with a panel that posed a deceptively simple question: how can social science tools advance the work of international lawyers? Chaired by Chantal Thomas, the session brought together Matthew Erie, Wolfgang Alschner, Beth Simmons, and Katerina Linos— scholars who bridge doctrinal and empirical inquiry—to show how ethnography, computational text analysis, counterfactual inference, and mixed-method design can illuminate legal puzzles that doctrine alone cannot solve. The four short essays in this symposium provide parallel illustrations of this core theme: Erie’s ethnographic approach …

Newsletter 2026.02.04, Fcrh Honors Program

What's Going On, Honors? (2025-26)

No abstract provided.

Spartan Daily, February 4, 2026, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2026

Volume 166, Issue 6

The Parthenon, February 04, 2026, Baylee Parsons, Kaitlyn Fleming, Abby Ayes, Ella Hatfield, Davina Synder, Scott Price, Lilli Ross, Trista Honaker

The Parthenon

No abstract provided.

Time Trends In The Male To Female Ratio For Autism Incidence: Population Based, Prospectively Collected, Birth Cohort Study, Caroline Fyfe, Henric Winell, Joseph Dougherty, David H Gutmann, Alexander Kolevzon, Natasha Marrus, Kristina Tedroff, Tychele N Turner, Lauren A Weiss, Benjamin H K Yip, Weiyao Yin, Sven Sandin

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVES: To examine changes in the male to female ratio in diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) over a 35 year period, providing temporal trends in diagnosis (incidence rate), the male to female ratio, and the age-cohort specific cumulative male to female ratio (cMFR).

DESIGN: Population based, prospectively collected birth cohort study.

PARTICIPANTS: 2 756 779 liveborn children recorded in the Swedish medical birth register between 1985 and 2020.

SETTING: Sweden.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Age-period cohort analysis investigating associations between ASD and age at diagnosis, calendar period, birth cohort, and sex, quantified by incidence rate ratios and associated two sided …

Comparing Community-Based Monitoring To Hospital-Based Care Of Patients With Quiescent Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Qualitative Study Of Patient And Practitioner Perspectives On Acceptability And Access, Sofia Vougioukalou, Simon M Read, Judit Katalin Csontos, Aled Jones, Alijazy Jaber, Anitta Sharma, Konstantinos Balaskas

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Objectives This process evaluation explores patient and healthcare professional acceptability of community-based monitoring versus hospital-based care for patients with quiescent neovascular age-related macular degeneration (QnAMD). Design Qualitative process evaluation was conducted as part of a randomised controlled trial. Setting Six hospitals and six community-based practices. Participants 25 patients and 16 healthcare professionals (ophthalmologists and optometrists). This approach helped differentiate between common issues and those specific to community-based monitoring. Intervention The Quality-Assured Follow-Up of QnAMD by non-medical practitioners trial aimed to examine whether non-medical practitioners follow-up patients with QnAMD in the community in a safe and clinically and cost-effective way. The …

Mapping The Mechanism For Trade Dispute Resolution In The Bilateral Free Trade Agreement Between Indonesia And Partner Countries, Garuda Wiko, Fatma Muthia Kinanti

Indonesian Journal of International Law

Indonesia actively promotes international trade liberalization through various free trade agreements (FTAs) with partner nations. This study focuses on the dispute settlement mechanisms (DSM) within Indonesia’s bilateral FTAs, given that most partners are members of the World Trade Organization (WTO), making this relevant comparison. The research is divided into three main parts: explaining international trade dispute settlement mechanisms, mapping DSMs in Indonesia’s FTAs, and a comparative analysis. It aims to answer how dispute settlement mechanisms are structured in Indonesia’s bilateral FTAs. Based on the mapping, it is found that the majority of Indonesia’s bilateral FTAs align with WTO dispute resolution …

Divorce Of International Mixed Marriage And Marriage Held Abroad And Indonesian Private International Law, Tiurma M. Pitta Allagan

Indonesian Journal of International Law

The unstoppable tide of globalism not only brings an increasing commercial interconnectivity between nations, but also bonds of matrimony, and in turn, the chance of divorce. Indonesian courts entertaining international divorce cases is certainly not a rarity, neither divorce of the international mixed marriage nor the marriage that was held abroad. With two recent divorce cases having a foreign element, Indonesian courts declared having no jurisdiction under grounds of “litis pendentie” and forum non-convenience, including one by the Indonesian Supreme Court. In three other cases, the courts, after addressing the preliminary question of marriage, applied the “lex fori”, or Indonesian …

Investment Arbitration: On The Availability Of The State Counterclaim, Syamsul Maarif, Latif Mustofa, Alfi Husni

Indonesian Journal of International Law

This paper explores the availability and significance of state counterclaims in international investment arbitration, a mechanism typically perceived as favoring investors. While investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provides foreign investors with powerful legal recourse, it has led to concerns over the asymmetry in investor-state relations, often perceived as skewed against host states. By allowing states to file counterclaims, a more balanced and sustainable arbitration framework can be achieved, discouraging baseless claims and promoting fairness. The analysis draws on arbitration rules of major tribunals, including the ICSID and UNCITRAL frameworks, and reviews notable cases such as Metal-Tech v. Uzbekistan, Al-Warraq v. Indonesia, …

Emergency War Arrangements In Asean: A Comparative Analysis, Ardi Susanto, Qurrata Ayuni

Indonesian Journal of International Law

The Hague Conventions include a general participation clause and is regarded as customary international law, meaning that ASEAN countries are considered bound by the norms contained within the convention. The declaration of war as stated in the Hague Convention III of 1907 was adopted in Article 11 paragraph (1) of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, which, to date, has not provided further regulations governing the implementation of legislative and executive powers concerning the declaration of war. Therefore, it is necessary to look at the constitutional arrangements for the state of war in ASEAN countries through comparative law …

Legal Implications Of The Mauritius V Maldives Case On The Delimitation Of Archipelagic States, Aishath Ruhsha Nasheed, Mohd Hisham Mohd Kamal

Indonesian Journal of International Law

Maritime boundary delimitation is a complex field of international law characterized by uncertainty and unpredictability. Historically, States have relied on case law to develop and elaborate on the ambiguous provisions stipulated under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) concerning maritime boundary delimitation. However, case law related to the maritime delimitation of archipelagic States is limited, leading to conflicting interpretations of the basic principles of maritime delimitation in the context of archipelagic States. This paper aims to examine the legal implications of the latest Mauritius v. Maldives case on the maritime boundary delimitation of archipelagic States. …

The Structural Obligations Approach To Human Rights, David Birchall

Indonesian Journal of International Law

This paper starts from the observations that access to socio-economic rights is retrogressing in many wealthy states and that human rights argumentation is failing to address the causes of this retrogression. The paper locates a core reason for this failure in an imbalance between narrow but forceful claim rights and inclusive but imprecise structural approaches. It builds a form of rights practice that merges the strength of each approach. It is predicated on five key principles: structural obligations should identify discrete rights-based problems that engender specific obligations upon feasibly obligated duty-bearers to make practicable changes to conduct to realise rights …

Rethinking Jewish Representation Amid Rising Antisemitism, Dereck Daschke

Journal of Religion & Film

A report on a panel that occurred at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, "Rethinking Jewish Representation Amid Rising Antisemitism: Leveraging Insights from Our Groundbreaking USC “Jews on Screen” Study to Advance Narrative Change," presented by JITC (Jewish Institute for Television & Cinema) Hollywood Bureau.

Paralyzed By Hope: The Maria Bamford Story, Sheila Nayar

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story (2026), directed by Judd Apatow and Neil Berkeley.