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One Is Not Enough: Session, The Social Status Provision, And Consistent And Definitive Constructions, Miles C. Skedsvold

Mercer Law Review

Originalism really is “a theory working itself pure.” But most of the blood, sweat, and tears in the enterprise are spilled over the federal constitution. At least partially as a result of those efforts, though, more and more important legal questions are examined under state law—and in particular, state constitutions. And so it is more important than ever to work through the hard methodological questions that will help produce answers. Presiding Justice Nels S.D. Peterson’s landmark article “Principles of Georgia Constitutional Interpretation” breaks key ground in this area—and this Article aims to take the shovel and keep digging. ...

Thus, …

Premises Liability And Third-Party Attacks: A Path Forward, Pamela A. Wilkins

Mercer Law Review

Recently, in Georgia CVS Pharmacy, LLC v. Carmichael, the Supreme Court of Georgia recognized a totality of circumstances approach for determining whether a landowner owes a duty to protect patrons from third-party attacks. So right now, in Georgia, the poor lighting, high-crime surroundings, and absence of functioning panic boxes are relevant considerations for the duty calculus.

Many members of the Georgia General Assembly find this outcome intolerable. Only months after the court’s ruling in Georgia CVS Pharmacy, several state senators, focusing on the supposed “unfriendliness to business” of the current totality of circumstances rule, introduced a bill that …

Insurance, Maren R. Cave, Jessica Phillips, Rebecca Strickland

Mercer Law Review

During this Survey period, the most important development was the Georgia General Assembly’s enactment of critical changes to the statute related to pre-suit demands in automobile cases. These changes to O.C.G.A. § 9-11-67.1 may very well mark the ultimate end of litigation in Georgia’s appellate courts related to what constitutes a binding settlement in automobile cases involving time limited demands. The Survey period also saw a number of decisions in the “first party” area where Georgia courts strictly upheld the insurance contract provisions related to suit limitations and reformation of those policies, and another decision related to “recoupment” of defense …

Torts, Scott Key

Mercer Law Review

2023—2024 brought significant changes to the law of torts in the Supreme Court of Georgia, the Court of Appeals of Georgia, and the Georgia General Assembly. The most significant changes involve precedent loosening the reasonable foreseeability standard in negligence cases and the end of direct actions against insurers in motor carrier cases. This was a busy year in tort law, with sweeping changes from the courts and the legislature.

Workers' Compensation, H. Michael Bagley, J. Benson Ward

Mercer Law Review

This Survey period (2023–2024) was relatively calmer than most years, with no significant legislation and fewer decisions from Georgia’s appellate courts addressing workers’ compensation law. Nonetheless, the courts still wrestled with factually intensive disputes on issues such as authorized treating physician releases to return to work and concurrent dissimilar employment, and with the frequent appellate issue of the exclusive remedy provision.

Composites Developed By The Reaction Of Elemental Sulfur With Biologically Derived Fats And Oils, Katelyn Tisdale

All Dissertations

Human civilization’s modern infrastructure relies mainly on cement and petrochemical products. However, the production of these building materials have harmful ecological effects such as green gas emissions, therefore intensifying the need to develop alternative, sustainable structural materials from renewably sourced or waste material precursors. The work presented herein investigates various biomass derived resources that serve as the olefin source for reaction with elemental sulfur, another abundant waste source, via inverse vulcanization to form high strength composites competitive with that of traditional building materials.

Chapter one reviews various techniques that have been developed and executed in an effort towards lignin valorization …

Evaluating The Duckweeds Lemna Minor And Spirodela Polyrhiza As Alternative Aquatic Hosts For The Spread Of The Bacterial Wilt Pathogen, Ralstonia Solanacearum, Irelynn Smith

Honors Theses

Ralstonia solanacearum is a plant pathogen that causes bacterial wilt disease in major crops such as tomatoes and potatoes. Recently, this bacterium was discovered in floating pennywort (Hydrocotyle ranunculoides) and Pennsylvania smartweed (Polygonum pennysylvanicum), two previously unsuspected aquatic plants. Duckweed is an aquatic plant with a high level of resilience and short doubling time. Common duckweed (Lemna minor) has previously demonstrated its capability as a versatile high-yield infection model for other types of pathogenic bacteria. Given this newfound branch of aquatic hosts and the fact that duckweed is a common pond weed previously identified in several ponds located nearby infected …

Barriers In Reporting Sexual Violence On College Campuses, Amber Hartman

Honors Theses

This thesis is designed to examine the underreporting of sexual violence on college campuses by exploring the systemic, cultural, and logistical barriers that hinder victims from disclosing their assault. Using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, the research identifies three overarching influences for non-reporting. Fear, shame, and lack of resources are presented as the basis of the decision that victims make to not report. Meta-analysis of the research concludes that there is a profound impact of internalized victim-blaming narratives, fear of repercussions and institutional deficiencies in providing accessible support. Recommendations for solutions emphasize creating trauma-informed policies, improving communication and accessibility of …

Comparison Of Two Learning Methodologies: Virtual Reality And Osce Simulation, Connor Blackwell, Tabor Mcgee

Doctoral Projects

Anesthesia education has evolved immensely over the past twenty years, and with the new virtual reality (VR) simulations created by SIMVANA, the exponential growth can continue. The anesthesia program at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) currently utilizes an educational platform known as the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) for their students’ clinical curriculum. With the development of technology and education models, the purpose of the doctoral project is to determine if VR simulation can produce more effective learning than the OSCE modules. To determine the effectiveness, pharmacologic lessons for intraoperative hypotension were administered through both platforms and then tested …

Improving Consistency Of Quality-Of-Life-Assessments In Schizophrenia Patients Through Structured Education For Healthcare Providers, Dorothy Stewart

Doctoral Projects

Schizophrenia is a chronic and debilitating mental disorder that significantly impacts patients' quality of life (QoL). Effective management of schizophrenia requires not only symptom control but also a comprehensive assessment of QoL to guide treatment plans. The Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale Revision 4 (SQLS-R4) is a specialized tool designed to evaluate the unique challenges faced by patients with schizophrenia. However, inconsistencies in the administration and interpretation of the SQLS-R4 by healthcare providers have led to variability in patient care. This doctoral project aimed to address this gap by implementing a structured educational intervention for healthcare providers that focused on …

Utilization Of Quantitative Monitoring To Promptly Detect And Reduce The Occurrence Of Residual Paralysis In The Post-Anesthesia Care Unit, Kathryn Elizabeth Nokes, Erin Moran Travis

Doctoral Projects

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of an educational workshop using an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) on quantitative neuromuscular monitoring. The goal was to improve the knowledge and skills among certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) and student registered nurse anesthetists (SRNAs) in identifying residual paralysis. The specific aim was to determine the effectiveness of quantitative monitoring in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU).

Background: Residual paralysis following the administration of neuromuscular blocking drugs (NMBDs) is a significant postoperative complication. Neuromuscular blocking drugs (NMBD) facilitate airway management and manipulation of surgical fields. Quantitative monitoring can be crucial in early detection and …

Influence Of Glycopolymer Structure On Amphiphilic, Hybrid, Linear Branched Block Copolymer Properties For Use In Biomedical Applications, Kevin Green

Dissertations

The focus of this dissertation is evaluating and adding fundamental knowledge regarding the structure-property relations of glycopolymers used in the design of hybrid block copolymers (HBC) that are cable of self-assembling into delivery vehicles for biomedical applications. A shift to the utilization of natural materials in the design and fabrication of drug-delivery vehicles has garnered significant attention. Understanding the effects of linear glycopolymers content and composition on the resulting HBCs properties can provide valuable insight into how these materials may be tailored for use in targeted biological applications.

The first chapter introduces current literature on the need for improvement in …

A Near-Wall Methodology For Large-Eddy Simulation Based On Dynamic Hybrid Rans-Les, Michael Tullis, D. Keith Walters

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Attempts to mitigate the computational cost of fully resolved large-eddy simulation (LES) in the near-wall region include both the hybrid Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes/LES (HRL) and wall-modeled LES (WMLES) approaches. This paper presents an LES wall treatment method that combines key attributes of the two, in which the boundary layer mesh is sized in the streamwise and spanwise directions comparable to WMLES, and the wall-normal mesh is comparable to a RANS simulation without wall functions. A mixing length model is used to prescribe an eddy viscosity in the near-wall region, with the mixing length scale limited based on local mesh size. The …

Investigation Of Social Networks Upon Academic Performance And Mental Health, Rachel Izenson

Master's Theses

It has been shown that computing students have a statistically significantly lower overall sense of belongingness compared to other science students. A sense of community is important for many reasons. For example, there are studies that show that a student's sense of belonging correlates with improved academic performance. Our research aims to analyze the sense of belonging among computing students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo through a network science lens. We surveyed for their sense of belonging, as well as their social network, to understand how friendships impact one's sense of belonging. When student responses were split by gender, …

How Millennials Make Investment Decisions: Financial Literacy And Financial Behavior, Dewi Tamara, Anita Maharani

Economics and Finance in Indonesia

This study investigates the effect of financial literacy, financial attitude, risk perception, and financial behavior on investment decisions. Employing a survey method with 342 respondents in Jakarta, the findings reveal that financial literacy has a negative and insignificant effect on investment decisions. In contrast, risk perception plays a crucial role in influencing investment decisions. Furthermore, financial behavior has an indirect mediating effect between financial literacy and risk perception on investment decisions but does not affect financial attitude. This study concludes that risk perception and financial behavior are important factors in investment decisions. Future research may consider incorporating other variables such …

Clusteredlog: Optimizing Log Structures For Efficient Data Recovery And Integrity Management In Database Systems, Mariha Siddika Ahmad, Brajendra Panda

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

In modern database systems, efficient log management is crucial for ensuring data integrity and facilitating swift recovery from potential data corruption or system failures. Traditional log structures, which store operations sequentially as they occur, often lead to significant delays in accessing and recovering specific data objects due to their scattered nature across the log. ClusteredLog addresses the limitations of traditional logging methods by implementing a novel logical organization of log entries. Instead of simply storing operations sequentially, it groups related operations for each data item into clusters. As a result, ClusteredLog enables faster identification and recovery of damaged data items …

Assessing The Impact Of An Individual Diabetic Education Program And Big Data App On Three Generations Of Patient Populations, Avery C. Carpenter, Rechendia C. Carpenter, Ester M. Felipe

Doctoral Projects

Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects numerous people worldwide. Diabetic education assists people with understanding the nature of diabetes, its side effects and how to successfully deal with the condition. The doctoral project incorporates finding out how glucose monitoring, prescription administration, dieting propensities, and the significance of customary activities. With proper education the impact on one’s health with this chronic condition can improve for the better.

The nature of this doctoral project is to assess the impact that a diabetic education program and big data app have on three generations. Members of the group partnered with Hutton Healthcare in …

Chain Extension Of Blocked Isocyanates For The Creation Of Covalent Adaptable Networks, Catherine Sarantes

Dissertations

From mattresses to car coatings, polyurethanes and polyureas (PUs) are ubiquitous thermoset materials with tunable thermo-mechanical performance. This tunability is afforded through the extent of crosslinking or covalent linkages established by the formation of urea bonds. Traditionally, urea bonds are highly stable yet through the blocked isocyanate, hindered urea bond (HUB) mechanism this bond is thermally labile allowing for re-processing of normally non-recyclable PU materials. The overarching focus of my dissertation is the exploration synthetic pathways to access secondary diamines to enable re-processing of covalent adaptable networks (CANs) with tunable re-processing through the diamine moiety and the molecular weight of …

Sedimentary Characteristics Of Flood Deposits In Coastal And Fluvial Environments: Examples From Washover Fans (North Carolina, Usa) And Floodplain Deposits (Mississippi, Usa), Shara Gremillion

Dissertations

Extreme flooding from severe and prolonged meteorological events and / or overbanking rivers are some of the most deadly and expensive disasters globally, impacting millions of lives, the environment, and property. People living in vulnerable areas, such as near coasts and rivers, are the first to be impacted with effects of these flood hazards. Scientific studies and their results can aid communities and officials in planning and preparing for those flood impacts. In this three-part study, flood impacts from coastal storms in North Carolina, and flooding along the Mississippi River (MSR) in the state of Mississippi, USA are assessed from …

The Grapes Of Roth, Bruce E. Boyden

Washington Law Review

Shortly after Roth Greeting Cards was decided in 1970, its offhand reference to the “total concept and feel” of the cards at issue became the dominant standard in copyright law for determining whether two works were substantially similar. That is a remarkable achievement for a phrase that, in the words of the influential Nimmer treatise, “threatens to subvert the very essence of copyright.” It nevertheless had enormous appeal for federal judges, and the reason extends well beyond copyright law. “Total concept and feel” appeared at a critical juncture for the federal judiciary, as an older model of decision-making, based on …

Toxic Narratives, Toxic Communities, And Enforcement Of Environmental (In)Justice, Alyse Bertenthal

Washington Law Review

The United States has committed to enforce environmental justice in ways it never has before. A spate of new policies aims to increase resources for environmental agencies’ enforcement sections, improve training for environmental enforcement staff, and ensure community engagement in environmental enforcement decision-making. Yet there exists mounting evidence that enforcement of environmental laws happens less frequently and less vigorously in low-income and minoritized communities.

We need to understand why that is happening. Many commentators, opining from a distance, point to insufficient resources for environmental enforcement and legal and political constraints on environmental agencies. While not discounting these reasons, this Article …

Vavanga, Vavalo, And Fakakaukau With Vā-Tā, Siosiua F.P. Lafitani

Pacific Studies

This article addresses the profound cognitive and cultural significance of vavanga (contemplation) and vavalo (contemplation), which are contempla- tive frameworks deeply rooted in the concept of vā (space) within Tongan language and culture. These frameworks serve as gateways to expansive cogni- tive exploration, stretching the boundaries of imagination and contemplation. Fakakaukau (thinking), double or dual actor (named because it bridges the realms of cognition and practicality), uses instrumental concepts such as fifili (inquisitiveness) and fekeli (meticulous exploration) to navigate the landscapes of inquiry. Throughout this exploration, a critical distinction emerges between tā as tempo and the cognitive concepts of contemplation …

Modeling Instrument Design Risks In Medical Device Reprocessing, Manuel Andres Gutierrez

All Dissertations

Medical device reprocessing is an essential practice in healthcare delivery. While FDA regulations require device manufacturers to develop and validate reprocessing procedures, the increasing complexity of medical device designs and their use environments can increase the risks of inadequate reprocessing and associated device malfunctions and potential patient injury. While some design features present known difficulties for reprocessing, critical information needed to define relative risks or feature-specific parameters that increase or decrease risks of inadequate reprocessing is lacking. There is an urgent need for tools to quantify and predict reprocessing risks associated with design features used in surgical instruments.

The broad …

Charge Transport In Two Dimensional Systems With Arbitrary Rashba And Dresselhaus Interactions, Abhishek Khanal

All Dissertations

In this thesis we discuss two different transport phenomena that occur in a two-dimensional electron system endowed with linear Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit interactions of arbitrary values. First, in a semiclassical formalism we calculate the non-linear charge currents that appear in response to the simultaneous application of in-plane electric and magnetic fields. Working in a rotated system of coordinates that introduces $\alpha \pm \beta$ as effective couplings on perpendicular directions, we formulate a transport theory that relies on a second order distribution function derived in a local energy approximation and on chiral dependent relaxation times to show that the currents …

Analysis Of The Impact Of Economic Integration Of Regional Trade In African Countries, Dr. Hussaini Abdullahi

CBN Journal of Applied Statistics (JAS)

This study assesses the impact of economic integration on regional trade in African countries from 1980 to 2023. Employing a panel Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) technique, we analyzed trade patterns and integration policies using data from World Development Indicator (WDI), the findings reveal a negative association between economic integration and regional trade, suggesting that integration efforts may not be achieving the desired increase in regional trade. Economic integration may cause trade diversion, leading countries to import from less efficient regional producers, thus reducing overall trade volume. Non-tariff barriers and structural similarities among economies can limit the benefits of integration. …

Quality Of Life After Myocardial Infarction In The Pakistani Population – Insights From A Single-Center Cohort Study, Javerya Hassan, Manzar Abbas, Hajra Arshad, Angelina Jessani, Izza Tahir, Shiza Qazi, Jasmit Shah, Zul Merali, Zainab Samad

Brain and Mind Institute

Background Health-related Quality of life (HRQoL) assessment is essential for optimizing patient care, treatment adjustments, and medical decision-making, particularly in post-Myocardial Infarction (MI) patients, but limited data exists on HRQOL post-MI from Pakistan. This study aimed to assess HRQoL and its determinants in the Pakistani population.

Methods A single-center cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Patients≥18 years old with a primary diagnosis of acute MI (ICD-9 codes: 410.0-410.9 and ICD-10 codes: 121.0- 121.9) discharged from the Cardiology Service from January 2019 to December 2020 who could be contacted and consented to participate were included. …

Predicting Different Psychological Profiles Amongst Substance Users., Zach J. Gray

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Substance use disorders (SUDs) are some of the most prevalent issues facing society. As SUDs are highly individualized in how they manifest, recent work has attempted to classify distinct profiles of drug users to better understand what factors put someone at risk for shifting from casual substance use to developing a substance use disorder (SUD). Common risk factors for SUD development include stressor exposure, difficulties with emotion regulation, personality, and risky decision-making. As many of the behaviors that constitute SUDs are exhibited prior to potential diagnosis, developing “profiles” that combine these traits and experiences could eventually predict SUDs. The current …

Encapsulation Of Probiotics By Cellulose Nanocrystal-Alginate Composite Beads For Ph Stimuli-Responsive Delivery, Akrip Jati

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Microencapsulation has garnered significant interest, with oral probiotics delivery systems showing enormous potential to help restore the gut microbiome. This method holds vast potential to protect and release specific microbial strains to the desired target site (i.e., colon) within the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). However, current encapsulation methodologies, utilizing either synthetic or biological materials as carriers, encounter challenges such as suboptimal encapsulation efficiency, premature probiotic release, and inadequate control over release kinetics. In this work, hydrogel microsphere (HM) composites of different cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) forms (i.e., colloidal (c), and crosslinked (x)) and alginate (ALG) were used as advanced controlled release systems …

A Single Session Of Acceptance And Commitment Therapy In A Group Format To Promote Health-Related Behavior Change In Nutrition And Sleep: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Thi Anh Tran

Dissertations

Nutrition and sleep are important health-related behaviors for which only a small percentage of the population meet recommended guidelines. To impact population-health it is important to develop focused, flexible, efficient, and efficacious interventions. This study examined the efficacy of a 60-minute Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention in a group presentation format to initiate change in nutrition and sleep related behaviors in college students. Thirty-two collegians (M age = 18.55 [.85], 66% female, 34% Hispanic, 25% white) were randomized to receive ACT focusing on nutrition (n = 18 participants across 4 groups) or sleep (n = 14 participants across 3 …

Aars Online: A Collaborative Database On The Structure, Function, And Evolution Of The Aminoacyl-Trna Synthetases, Jordan Douglas, Haissi Cui, John J. Perona, Oscar Vargas-Rodriguez, Henna Tyynismaa, Claudia Alvarez Carreno, Jiqiang Ling, Lluis Ribas De Pouplana, Xiang-Lei Yang, Multiple Additional Authors

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

The aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRS) are a large group of enzymes that implement the genetic code in all known biological systems. They attach amino acids to their cognate tRNAs, moonlight in various translational and non-translational activities beyond aminoacylation, and are linked to many genetic disorders. The aaRS have a subtle ontology characterized by structural and functional idiosyncrasies that vary from organism to organism, and protein to protein. Across the tree of life, the 22 coded amino acids are handled by 16 evolutionary families of Class I aaRS and 21 families of Class II aaRS. We introduce AARS Online, an interactive Wikipedia-like …