Digital Commons Network^™

Let Them All Grow: Protecting Nebraska's Intersex Youth From Medical Intervention, Jori Peters

Nebraska Law Review

The Nebraska Legislature passed the Let Them Grow Act on May 22, 2023, which prohibits minors from receiving gender-affirming care in Nebraska. This Note argues that the Act violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment because it exempts intersex children—those born with ambiguous sex characteristics—from protections against unnecessary, irreversible, and nonconsensual medical procedures, while the Act protects those born with clearly male and female sex characteristics. This Note clarifies the distinction between the issues faced by intersex individuals and transgender individuals, and highlights the psychological and physical harms of early sex assignment surgeries. Further, this Note outlines the …

Lanthorn, Vol. 60, No. 13, March 16, 2026, Grand Valley State University

Volume 60, August 4, 2025 – April 20, 2026

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

The Prospects Of Car T-Cell Therapies In Changing The Therapeutic Algorithm Of Neurologic Autoimmunities, Marinos C. Dalakas

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

T cells, genetically modified to express chimeric antigen receptors (CAR T), successfully used in hemato-oncologic malignancies, are showing promising and sustained benefits in refractory autoimmune neurological diseases, including Myasthenia Gravis, stiff-person syndrome, neuromyelitis optica, myositis, autoimmune neuropathies, and multiple sclerosis. Several reported patients with a steadily progressive disease and evolving disability unresponsive to available therapies, including rituximab and new biologics, after 2-3 months of treatment with CARs targeting CD19-positive, antibody-secreting, long-lived plasma cells, and plasmablasts exhibit impressive, long-lasting, and drug-free clinical improvements with the potential for immune reset shifting immunity to a healthy state without the need for continuing more …

How Do People Maintain Consensual Non-Monogamy? An International Development And Validation Of The Multiple Relationships Maintenance Scale, Justin K. Mogilski, Geoffrey F. Miller, Peter K. Jonason, Katarzyna Grunt-Mejer, Jaroslava Varella Valentova, Rhonda Balzarini, David L. Rodrigues, Elisabeth Sheff, Laith Al-Shawaf, Zsófia Csajbók, Andrew G. Thomas, Tamas David-Barrett, Cezar Giosan, Daniel J. Kruger, David J. Ley, Justin J. Lehmiller, Heath A. Schechinger, Amy C. Moors, Stefano Ciaffoni, Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair, Stephen Whyte, Zuzana Štěrbová, Klára Bártová, Ryan G. Witherspoon, Magdalena Żemojtel-Piotrowska, Pavol Prokop, Virgil Zeigler-Hill, David P. Schmitt, Adil S. Saribay, Magdalena Lipnicka, Ivana Goláňová, Ezra Hampikian, William Costello, Limor Gottlieb, Cory J. Cascalheira, Michelle A. Larva

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Maintaining multiple intimate relationships entails some risks and complications beyond exclusive pair bonding (i.e., monogamy). Consensual non-monogamy (CNM; e.g., polyamory, swinging, or open relationships) allegedly reduces these risks and complications, but no one has tried to comprehensively document typical CNM risk management practices, nor analyzed the relationship outcomes of those who use these practices. We developed the Multiple Relationships Maintenance Scale (MRMS) to examine how engagement in common CNM practices predicts relationship quality among people with one or more partners. In Study 1, a community sample of people with CNM experience (N = 429) nominated the best practices for …

Fulfilling Higher Education’S Responsibility To Students And Democracy In A Challenging Political Environment, Abraham Goldberg, Dena Pastor, Kayla Dixon

International Journal on Responsibility

The American Association of Colleges and Universities and more than 70 higher education organizations have expressed their shared commitment to making civic inquiry and democratic engagement central to undergraduate education. A framework emphasizing the development of skills to address public issues through courses and practical experiences accompanied their prominent call. Yet, campuses currently are facing increases in educational gag orders and institutional policies aimed at limiting discussion of DEI topics and political protests. Although attacks on free speech would seem to conflict with efforts to prepare students for democracy, there has been little scholarly attention on what students know about …

Career Spotlight: Simon Pulman, Esq., Simon Pulman

Florida Entertainment and Sports Law Review

An interview with Simon Pulman. He is a leading entertainment law attorney, specializing in transactions and finance in the media and entertainment, film, TV, and podcast industries. Simon has extensive experience in commercial business affairs and sophisticated rights transactions for television, film, podcasting, and interactive clients. He often assists clients in negotiating complex development, production, financing, and licensing deals. Simon frequently represents high-profile clients, including Netflix, Amazon, Apple, NBC, and Peacock. On behalf of both rightsholders and acquiring parties, Simon has negotiated substantial deals for the adaptation of books, articles, video games, podcasts, and more.

Revisiting A Service-Learning Component In Aac Coursework: Design, Logistics, And Practical Challenges, Juhi Kidwai, Mohammad Al Rjoob, Maria Claudia Franca, Valerie E. Boyer

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

This scholarly teaching manuscript describes the design, implementation, and challenges of integrating a service-learning component into a graduate-level augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) course within a Communication Disorders and Sciences (CDS) program. The project sought to bridge academic instruction with real-world application while addressing unmet service needs in local schools. The 16-week course was divided into an eight-week didactic phase followed by an eight-week field-based practicum. Graduate students were paired with school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in a rural, midwestern special education cooperative district, to support children using AAC. Implementation included a pre-semester needs assessment, collaborative student–SLP matching, structured orientation, weekly …

From Answers To Understanding: Bridging The Gap Between Multiple-Choice And Open-Ended Questions, Kathleen A. Siren

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Assessment is central to effective teaching, and the structure of exam questions significantly influences both learning and instruction. Multiple-choice (MCQ) and short-answer (SAQ) questions are widely used and frequently studied, each offering distinct advantages and limitations for formative and summative assessment. This study examined a modified multiple-choice format, multiple-choice questions with explanation (MCQwE), for which students selected an answer and briefly explained their reasoning. Designed to combine the efficiency of MCQs with the diagnostic value of open-ended responses, MCQwE were implemented in an undergraduate speech science course and compared to traditional MCQs and SAQs in terms of student performance. Findings …

Teaching Through Disruption: Trauma-Informed, Community-Engaged Learning In A Graduate Csd Course, Teresa L. Boggs

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

This article explores how a graduate course in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) was rapidly redesigned in response to a natural disaster to integrate trauma-informed and community-engaged learning. Following Hurricane Helene’s impact on Appalachian communities, a standard literature review assignment was transformed into a collaborative project where students created low-cost, developmentally appropriate language-learning kits for young children affected by the storm. Grounded in adult learning theory, trauma-responsive pedagogy, and high-impact educational practices, the revised course structure enabled students to apply clinical knowledge in real time while supporting families in crisis. Outcomes included increased student engagement, empathy, and professional competency. The …

Teaching Students To Identify And Adjust Linguistic Bias In Speech-Language Pathology Clinical Writing, Ann K. Holland, Mary Riotte, Abby "Po Jung" Lee, Angela Ayre, Sarah Friel, Mirza J. Lugo-Neris, Laura L. Wolford

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Biased and stigmatizing language is pervasive in healthcare records and has negative effects on clients’ care. While some research has studied how medical students may be taught to reduce stigmatizing language in their writing, the impacts of such trainings on clinical writing are rarely directly assessed, and little has been done to address this problem in speech-language pathology (SLP). This study assessed how a training module on biased language in clinical writing impacted SLP masters students’ ability to identify and correct stigmatizing language in a clinical report. Across two years, 120 students took part in this module. During the second …

A Brief Case Report About Mentored Self-Reflection In A Communication Disorders Survey Course, Paul W. Cascella

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

This report describes and analyzes a 4 ½ hour experiential learning module for entry-level undergraduates majoring in communication sciences and disorders. The module emphasizes the importance of self-reflection to future audiologists and speech-language pathologists. It illustrates the curriculum planning process (i.e., content and self-rating tools) and introduces a mentored forum grounded in personalized and constructivist learning to foster three outcomes; foundational knowledge, caring, and the human dimension (Fink, 2021; 2001). As a result, students stated they learned about why self-reflection matters and how their own dispositions could be aligned with the professions’ expectations. Students found the activities engaging, interesting, and …

Online Recruitment For Interview Participants Impacted By The Criminal Legal System, Sarah Lageson, Carolina R. Caliman, Elsa Chen, Ericka Adams

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"As technology has altered communication, qualitative criminologists have turned to digital spaces for a cost-effective approach to recruit participants who have been impacted by the criminal legal system. This paper analyzes the limits and benefits of online recruitment, detailing our experience recruiting 93 interviewees online for a qualitative study of criminal record expungement. We compare three approaches: social media advertisements, Amazon’s crowdsourced MTurk platform, and the opt-in survey platform Prolific, and analyze the financial and labor costs associated with each. We detail our experience individually screening 685 interested participants to obtain 86 qualitative interviews suitable for analysis. Our experience shows …

Fragmented Responses: Variability In Law Enforcement And Prosecutorial Approaches To Sexual Assault Cases, Veronica Gonzalez

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Sexual assault (SA) remains a pervasive issue in the United States, marked by low reporting rates, inconsistent investigations, and limited convictions. In response, researchers and practitioners have promoted a range of best practices aimed at improving law enforcement and prosecutorial responses. This qualitative study draws on interviews with 13 law enforcement agencies and 12 prosecutors' offices to explore how recommended practices—such as victim advocacy, specialized units, interagency collaboration, and case reviews—are interpreted and operationalized in the field. Findings reveal substantial variability, shaped not only by resource availability but also by leadership priorities, organizational culture, and the ambiguity of guidance documents. …

"This Is Not A Scam!": Assessment Of An Awareness Raising Program Tackling Older Adults' Scam Victimization In A Multi-Method Study, Katalin Parti, Pamela Teaster, Susanna Rinehart, Charles Dye

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Interactive theatre has long been used to educate and empower communities and prevent crime across all age groups. Although older populations are disproportionately victimized through fraudulent online schemes, effective educational interventions, like interactive theatre, have not been utilized to increase crime awareness. This paper describes an explorational research project, analyzing the results of a theatre-based fraud awareness program aimed towards educating victims and their communities about scams targeting older people. The study employs a mixed-method research design to examine program impact. In applying multifaceted tools of data collection, such as survey, participant observation, and follow-up interviews, the research team identified …

Aging On Parole: A Thematic Analysis Of The Parole Officer’S Perspective, Angela Murolo

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"A growing proportion of people leaving prison are over 50 years old and will live at least temporarily under the supervision of a parole officer. While recidivism rates are lower for older people, there are physical, mental, and societal challenges that accompany advancing age that make successful reentry and reintegration a challenging experience compared to their younger counterparts. This presents novel challenges for parole officers who are tasked with supervising and counseling elderly people on parole. Surveys containing closed and open-ended questions were administered to N=25 parole officers to understand the differences in working with, counseling, and supervising older and …

Embodied Transcendence: Psychedelics And The Evolution Of Moral Abstraction, Emanuel Jas

Journal of Conscious Evolution

This paper explores the role of psychedelics in the context of evolutionary brain development and the conceptual capacity for moral realism. Drawing on theories from evolutionary anthropology, neuroscience, and moral philosophy, the first part provides a brief overview of human evolution and brain expansion. From here, recent empirical data from the neurosciences is assessed on the effect psychedelics have on the brain, along with speculations on the role of psychedelics in our hominoid evolutionary history—specifically, the capacity for phenomenologically rich, conscious, subjective experiences that are incredibly vivid and real. This imaginative capacity for transcendence and disembodiment could enable the realization …

Weaving Healthcare Needs Of Maine Law Enforcement Officers With Exercise Is Medicine, Patricia Hubel

Doctorate in Kinesiology

A law enforcement officer’s health is impacted by an occupation of high stress, shift work, sleep disruption, mental stresses, and primarily sedentary work which is interrupted by brief periods of highly intense physical demands (Adams et al., 2010; Boyce et al., 2008, 2009). This descriptive study explored the use of exercise is medicine by primary care practitioners on patients who are law enforcement officers in the state of Maine. It also examined physical activity and health of the law enforcement officers. An online survey collected demographic data, responses from two validated surveys, and information from their last physical examination. The …

Mind–Body Medicine Training For Incarcerated Men And Women, Julie K. Staples, Jesse Rice, Kathleen S. Farah, Sabrina N'Diaye, James S. Gordon

Student Publications

Background/Objective: Mind–body programs teaching mindfulness-based techniques have benefits for incarcerated people, as do programs in which individuals teach yoga to their incarcerated peers. However, there are no studies of comprehensive programs that combine a variety of self-care techniques with group support and enable people in prison to enhance their own well-being and then share what they have learned with their peers. This study evaluated the effects of such a training program in the United States. Methods: Thirty-eight incarcerated men and women began the 8-day mind–body medicine training and 31 completed the training. Mind–body techniques taught included soft belly breathing, meditation, …

The Effect Of An Educational Program Based On The Humanistic Approach On The Achievement In Social Studies Among Second Intermediate Grade Students, Ra’Aed Ahmad Salman Al Muhammadi, Ismael Hasan Abdullah

Alustath Journal for Human and Social Sciences

This research aims to identify (the effectiveness of a proposed This research aims to identify “The Effect of a Proposed Educational Program Based on the Humanistic Approach on the Achievement in Social Studies among Second Intermediate Grade Students.” To achieve the research objective, the researcher adopted the quasi-experimental design with partial control, specifically the design of a control group with pre- and post-testing. The research sample consisted of (60) second intermediate grade students, divided equally into two groups:(30) students in the experimental group and (30) in the control group. The preparation of the program went through three stages: planning, implementation, …

Investigating Efl Learners' Attitude Toward Emergency Remote Teaching: A Probe Into Learning Strategies, And Reading Achievement, Ihsan Dinnar Mohammad, Dariush Nejadansari, Zargham Ghabanchi

Alustath Journal for Human and Social Sciences

The experience of Iraqi university students with Covid-19 emergency remote learning – a situation compounded by political instability, substandard internet infrastructure, and scarce technological resources – remains a relatively underexplored area of academic study. To address this gap, the current study aimed to explore Iraqi EFL learners' attitude toward emergency remote teaching (ERT). Moreover, it sought to examine the relationship between learners' attitudes towards ERT and their reading achievement. Moreover, the researcher tried to find out the relationship between participants' reading achievement and learning strategies. Accordingly, 100 students from two leading universities in Iraq were investigated by focusing on their …

Translation Assessment Of The Conditional Sentences In “The Dream Of A Ridiculous Man” Story By Dostoevsky, Rana Sameer Abdulrahman

Alustath Journal for Human and Social Sciences

“The Dream of a Ridiculous Man” is a short story written by Fyodor Dostoevsky in 1877. This story is full of deep meanings about love, misery, responsibility and selfishness, and it is full of various grammatical structures. Due to its importance as an emotional story and as a literary text, it has been analyzed by a number of critics and researchers. Similarly, the translation is as important as its language, and it needs to be assessed systematically. The significance of the study is to identify whether the translator is familiar with the structure of Arabic conditional sentences and that he …

Utilising Reflective Journals As An Assessment Tool: A Case Study Of Kurdish Efl Post Graduate Students At Salahaddin University-Erbil, Qismat Mohammed Zahawi

Alustath Journal for Human and Social Sciences

This study accentuates the notion that reflection profoundly aids students to profit from their own experiences. It aims at revealing Kurdish post-graduate students' perceptions toward utilising journal writing as an assessment tool. It also tries to uncover their language progress, metacognition, and self-awareness as a consequence of journal writing. Finally, it elicits challenges encountered by students when writing their journals. The current study is of qualitative-interpretive nature. Students' journal writing is the main tool of the study. Thematic analysis is carried out on data collected from reflective journals and a focus group interview including twelve Kurdish post-graduate students. Journaling resulted …

The Effect Of A Proposed Strategy For Teaching Sociology In Developing High-Order Thinking Among Fourth-Grade Literary Students, Basheer Abdul-Kadhim Mohsen, Saad Ali Zair

Alustath Journal for Human and Social Sciences

The problem of the current research is summarized in the usual method adopted in most educational institutions (preparatory and secondary schools), which is limited to dictation, memorization and indoctrination and does not take into account individual differences between students, which leads to students not interacting with the material. Therefore, the objectives of the current research are determined by identifying the name (The effect of a proposed strategy for teaching sociology in developing high-level thinking among fourth-grade literary students). The research community represented the fourth-grade literary students, numbering (66 students), as the research sample. The researcher used the experimental design. Then …

Perceived Social Exclusion Among Mothers Of Autistic Children, Rahim Hamli Maraj, Zainab Hussein Dawood Salman

Alustath Journal for Human and Social Sciences

Interaction with the environment is one of the basic pillars of the process of building civilization, as it represents the vital relationship between man and the surrounding nature. Investing in natural resources and harnessing them to serve society is what ensures the continuity and growth of civilizations. Hence, it becomes clear that any civilization cannot be built in isolation from the environment, as it is the incubator that provides man with raw materials, and it is also the field in which he tests his abilities to innovate and develop.The ancient Egyptian civilization is a prominent example of how to interact …

The Multi-Hatted Court: Community Courts As Boundary Organizations, Peter Dixon, Hadar Dancig-Rosenberg

Northwestern University Law Review

As a variety of the problem-solving court model, community courts have received significant scrutiny and debate. Do they help individuals by addressing the underlying needs that contribute to criminal behavior? Do they extend an unjust criminal legal system by making help conditional upon judicial involvement? This Article moves beyond such debates to ask how community court professionals and the communities who engage with them manage these and other tensions that are inherent to the model itself. As the second in a series of articles drawing on semi-structured interviews and focus groups with diverse stakeholders at the Red Hook Community Justice …

High Dietary Fiber Is Associated With Improved Outcomes In Patients With Melanoma And Sarcoma Treated With Immunotherapy Regardless Of Gut Microbiome Dysbiosis And Social Vulnerability, Brittany C Fields, Raymond S Traweek, Kai Jiang, Russell G Witt, Ashish Damania, Yi-Ju Chiang, Nadim Ajami, Elise Nassif-Haddad, Emily Z Keung, Manoj Chelvanambi, Xiaotao Zhang, Christine B Peterson, Jennifer A Wargo, Carrie R Daniel, Christina L Roland, Ashley M Holder

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Social vulnerability, dietary fiber, and the gut microbiome have been individually implicated in clinical outcomes for melanoma and sarcoma patients. This study hypothesized that increasing social vulnerability is associated with insufficient dietary fiber intake and negatively associated with microbiome composition and clinical outcomes.

Methods: Clinicopathologic data, baseline fiber intake, and gut microbiome profiles were assessed in 153 patients with melanoma or sarcoma treated with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) and prospectively followed. Patients' social vulnerability index (SVI) and fiber intake were evaluated for associations with microbiome composition, treatment response, and overall survival (OS).

Results: SVI percentile was 0.4 (interquartile ratio …

Critical Reading Competencies In Short Stories Among Iraqi Efl Female Students In Colleges Of Education For Women, Ayat Muthana Flaifil, Hanan Dhia Alsalihi

Alustath Journal for Human and Social Sciences

Critical reading is important for students to comprehend, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate texts effectively, but EFL students often face challenges due to a lack of linguistic knowledge and cognitive understanding, particularly with literacy texts like short stories. This study aims at identifying the level of Iraqi EFL female students' critical reading competencies (comprehension, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation) in short stories. Finding out the differences in critical reading competencies across four categories. A sample of (200) female students is selected randomly from the Iraqi EFL second-year university students in English departments in the Colleges of Education for Women: University of Baghdad …

Pictures Of The Interactive Model Of The Saying Of The Original Model, A Reading Of The Qur’Anic Representations, Tahrir Qasim Saadoun, Nima Dahsh Farhan

Alustath Journal for Human and Social Sciences

The importance of this research comes in accordance with the research in cognitive psychology and cognitive linguistics related to the renewed concept, along with the work of Roche, which presented anthropological and mystical concepts that investigate the mystical constants that have a universal form. The concept of the saying in the theory of archetypes depends on the concept of mental image and referential connotation, to highlight the relationship between perception and language within the framework of experimental realism, which is the basic starting point in cognitive theory. The problem of the research appears from the possibility of considering the associative …

Intergroup Bias Among University Students, Abdul Halim Rahim Ali, Hassan Hamid Abdul Obeidi

Alustath Journal for Human and Social Sciences

The current research aimed to measure intergroup bias among university students, according to the variables of gender and nationality. The intergroup bias scale was prepared according to the social identity theory of (Henri Tajfel, 1982) and consisted of (29) paragraphs. The descriptive approach was employed. The research sample was selected using a simple equal random sample method, from (8) colleges distributed over (3) universities (Baghdad, Al-Qadisiyah, and Kirkuk). The scale was applied to the statistical analysis sample of (600) students. They extracted the psychometric properties of the scale from validity and reliability. The reliability of the scale reached (0.72) by …

Termination Of Conceptual Search: A Structural Account Of Meaning Stabilization And Conversion, Griselda Poe

Publications and Research

Conceptual definitions form a recursive structure: words are defined by other words, which themselves require further definition. Traversing such definitions produces an open-ended branching process. Because the lexical system contains no intrinsic endpoint, conceptual understanding requires a termination operation that stabilizes meaning. This paper proposes that conceptual processing functions as an open-ended search over a definition graph and that stabilization occurs when this search is terminated. The termination mechanism depends on which cognitive layer is foregrounded. When Empathic modulation is foregrounded, termination occurs through contextual translation: concepts are stabilized once they can be mapped onto socially recognizable meanings. When Core …