Digital Commons Network^™

Should We Watch The Watcher Or The Watched? The Transparency Debate In Auditor Regulation, Sarah Williams

Faculty Scholarship

Federal law has mandated the use of outside auditors by public companies since 1934. For much of that time, the audit industry watched itself. It monitored audit quality and decided how to address auditor misconduct. In 2002, Congress created the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB” or “Board”) to watch the auditors. The legislation designed a regulatory scheme that presumed audit performance could be improved through an open and cooperative relationship between the regulator and the regulated audit firm. Congress created accountability for the agency by mandating that it disclose its oversight activities to the public (an approach characterized as …

From Ambiguity To Accountability: The Case For A Legal Definition Of Antisemitism In Academia, Andrea Martin

Faculty Scholarship

Following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, U.S. college campuses experienced a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents, driven by an antizionism movement aimed at demonizing and delegitimizing the Jewish state and its supporters. A congressional investigation found that antisemitism persisted at prominent universities because administrators repeatedly failed to denounce antizionist conduct that functions as a vehicle for harassment of Jewish students and neglected to enforce their own nondiscrimination policies. The congressional committee, as well as several university antisemitism task forces, identified antizionism as a primary driver of campus antisemitism and strongly recommended that university leaders recognize and address …

Effects Of Interventions For The Prevention And Management Of Maternal Anemia In The Advent Of The Covid-19 Pandemic: Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, John Kyalo Muthuka, Diana Kageni Mbari-Fondo, Francis Muchiri Wambura, Kelly Oluoch, Japheth Mativo Nzioki, Everlyn Musanga Nyamar, Rosemary Nabaweesi

Faculty Publications

Background:The COVID-19 pandemic presented many unknowns for pregnant women, with anemia potentially worsening pregnancy outcomes due to multiple factors.

Objective:This review aimed to determine the pooled effect of maternal anemia interventions and associated factors during the pandemic.

Methods:Eligible studies were observational and included reproductive-age women receiving anemia-related interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Exclusion criteria comprised non-English publications, reviews, editorials, case reports, studies with insufficient data, sample sizes below 50, and those lacking DOIs. A systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, and Google Scholar identified articles published between December 2019 and August 2022. Risk of bias was evaluated …

Prioritization Among School Nurses: An Integrative Review Of The Literature, Melissa Calvillo, Susana J. Calderon, Maureen Rabbitte, Cherrill Stockmann, Sheryl Henry

Faculty Publications - Mennonite College of Nursing

With a median caseload of 750–1,000 clients, school nurses face setting-specific challenges involving multiple, competing demands. This necessitates effective prioritization to prevent missed opportunities to provide appropriate care. This integrative review synthesizes the current state of the literature related to prioritization among school nurses in the United States. Three themes were identified relating to prioritization among school nursing: knowledge, attitudes and values; self-efficacy and intention to act; and the nursing process. The prioritization behavior of school nurses can be facilitated by organizational and community collaboration and strong evidence-based practice recommendations. High workloads and inadequate resources among school nurses are the …

Digital Health Literacy On Diabetes Knowledge Among Older Adults In The United States, Jung Eun Kim, Susana J. Calderon, Myoungjin Kim

Faculty Publications - Mennonite College of Nursing

Purpose

This study examines the relationship between selected socio-demographics and digital health literacy on diabetes knowledge among older adults in the United States.

Design

Cross-sectional study

Methods

The eHealth Literacy Scale and the Short Diabetes Knowledge Instrument were used. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s r, point-biserial correlation coefficient, Kendall’s tau, ANOVA, and Poisson regression were used for data analysis.

Findings

The mean age was 71. The mean sum score for digital health literacy was 28.32 (SD = 7.95; range, 8–40), and the mean score for diabetes knowledge was 8.8 (SD = 2.3; range, 2–13). The education level, annual income, number of digital …

Role Call: Can A Backbench Legislator Practice As A Criminal Defence Lawyer? A Legal Ethics Analysis, Andrew Flavelle Martin, Brandon Trask

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

Legislators come from a range of backgrounds. Many legislators happen to be lawyers. Parliamentary rules typically allow legislators who are not members of Cabinet to practice a profession part-time. However, the part-time practice of law poses special legal ethics challenges. In this article, we consider the legal ethics issues that arise when a backbench legislator of the governing party practices criminal defence law part-time. We argue that such a dual role engages three serious, unavoidable, and perhaps even unresolvable legal ethics issues. The first issue is the time constraints imposed by outside interests. The second issue is conflicts of interest, …

Legal Ethics For Government Lawyers: Lessons From Nunavut, Andrew Flavelle Martin

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

While government lawyers face legal ethics issues unique to that practice context, those issues are overlooked in the rules of professional conduct in all but one Canadian jurisdiction: Nunavut. In this comment, I canvass several provisions that are unique to the Code of Professional Conduct of the Law Society of Nunavut. These provisions are inexplicably overlooked in the Canadian legal ethics literature to date. I then assess how these provisions address the legal ethics issues unique to government lawyering. Finally, I argue that the Nunavut provisions should be considered a starting point and I consider additional changes that could be …

Crown Prosecutors And Government Lawyers: A Legal Ethics Analysis Of Under-Funding, Andrew Flavelle Martin

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

Crown prosecutors and government lawyers are reliant on governments for their funding but exert no meaningful influence or control over such funding decisions. Nonetheless, this article demonstrates that as a question of law, under-funded Crown prosecutors and government lawyers risk violating their professional duties. If so, they must promptly inform the government, refuse new matters and, if necessary, withdraw from existing matters. If the government purports to block such refusal or withdrawal and does not provide adequate funding, resignation will become necessary. While law societies will likely not prioritize disciplinary action against such lawyers, the policy reasons to forego such …

Crown Attorneys, The Attorney General, And Judicial Discipline: A Comment On Lauzon V Ontario (Justices Of The Peace Review Council), Andrew Flavelle Martin

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

Should the consequences for judicial misconduct be different depending solely on the identity of the person who makes a complaint? In a surprising decision, the Ontario Court of Appeal in Lauzon v Ontario (Justices of the Peace Review Council) holds that dispositions downstream from complaints by Crown attorneys (or any other member of the executive branch of government) should be lower than other dispositions because the vindication of such complaints is inherently dangerous to judicial independence and the separation of powers. In this comment, I look closely at the reasoning in Lauzon and respectfully suggest that that reasoning is problematic. …

Legal Ethics For Crown Attorneys On Appeal, Elizabeth Matheson, Andrew Flavelle Martin

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

While there is extensive legal literature and case law addressing the role and ethical responsibilities of Crown attorneys, questions about that role and those responsibilities at the appellate stage are largely absent from the literature and somewhat scattered across the case law. In this article, the authors seek to address this gap by answering four key questions. The first is whether the ethical obligations of the Crown, as expressed in R. v. Boucher, apply at the appellate stage. Against the backdrop of this first question, the authors discuss when an appellate Crown may bring an appeal from an acquittal or …

Copyright In The Age Of Artificial Intelligence: Navigating Access To Algorithmic Training Materials And The Three‐Step Test For Text And Data Mining In Nigeria, Morris Odeh

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

Over the past decade, the Nigerian government has sought to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) to drive socioeconomic transformation and improve the welfare of its citizenry. Recent initiatives, such as the establishment of the National Centre for AI and Robotics (NCAIR) and the development of several strategic AI policies, highlight the country's commitment to this objective. This article explores the often‐overlooked issue of how the Nigeria's copyright regime hinders these initiatives, revealing that the regime permits only fair dealing and the transient or incidental reproductions of copyrighted materials for limited technological purposes. This study argues that this regime is unduly restrictive …

Allocative Justice As A Constraint On Fiscal Imperialism In International Tax, Okanga Ogbu Okanga, Kim Brooks

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

Taxpayers’ cross-border activities often result in two (or more) states claiming the right to tax their income. To address concerns about how those tax liabilities might aggregate and suppress international activities, states typically agree to split the tax base between them. But how can states fairly share tax revenue from cross-border activities? Tax scholars and policymakers offer different normative perspectives to address this inter-nation equity conundrum. In this article, we conceptualize these normative perspectives into two types. One centres on identifying where the economic factors that lead to the ability to produce the income are located (and uses that determination …

Sentencing Vulnerability: Conceptualizing The Incorporation Of Personal Characteristics And Experiences At Sentencing, Adelina Iftene

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

Social inequalities that lead to criminal conduct are often not considered in sentencing; individuals subject to structural inequities receive the same formal sentence as those convicted of like crimes irrespective of the latter’s social advantage. Individual characteristics may also affect how a sentence will be experienced by an individual. While Characteristics and Experience-Sensitive Sentencing (CESS) already exists in various forms and to various degrees in sentencing theory and praxis, a more cohesive, comprehensive, and principled CESS remains wanting. Building on existing approaches, this article locates CESS as a necessary response to equality-based concerns arising from current mainstream sentencing practice. Thus, …

Tax Treaty Arbitration: An Unacceptable Surrender Of National Sovereignty Or An Expression Of Sovereign Power?, Kim Brooks, Richard Krever

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

The release in 2016 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development of a draft multilateral treaty to modify thousands of global bilateral tax treaties was met with surprisingly strong support by the international community, with many states signing, ratifying, and implementing the treaty. One of the treaty’s most contentious elements is the addition to the dispute resolution measures in bilateral treaties, a process known as mutual agreement procedure, of a mandatory arbitration procedure that is to be available where agreement cannot be reached under the conventional process. In contrast to the mutual agreement procedure, which includes no requirement that …

The Invisibility Of Tpms In Academic Libraries How Digital Content Protection Has Become Part And Parcel Of Platform Design, Anthony D. Rosborough, Katherine Silins

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

This article investigates a growing divide in how TPMs are understood and encountered across two domains: digital content access and software-dependent device controls. Through legal and qualitative empirical lenses, it reveals that TPMs guarding digital content access across Canadian academic institutions (particularly relating to e-books, journals, and streaming media) have become seamlessly embedded into platform design and licensing schemes. This facilitates their ubiquity and invisibility, while at the same time making them difficult to challenge from a law and policy reform perspective. It also makes content TPMs difficult to identify, measure, or challenge in furtherance of lawful exceptions and limitations …

“I’M Not Really Sure Of What Exists Here”: Frontline Perspectives On Services For Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence, Jennifer L. Mcarthur, Kayla J. Goruk, Julie Blais, Alexa Dodge, Suzie Dunn

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

Technology-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV) is a pervasive issue, yet research on the availability, accessibility, and effectiveness of services for TFSV victimsurvivors remains limited, particularly in Canada. This qualitative study examines the state of service provision for TFSV in Nova Scotia, drawing on insights from 12 interviews with service providers specializing in sexual violence prevention and response. The study explores the availability and nature of services offered to TFSV victim-survivors and the key challenges faced by professionals in providing support. Thematic analysis highlights significant gaps in service provision, including a reliance on generalized approaches, restrictive eligibility criteria that exclude certain victimsurvivors, …

What's Law Got To Do With It? The Role Of The Law In Creating And Exacerbating Racial Disparities In Colonial Land Grants After The War Of 1812, Melisa Marsman

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

While the reciprocal relationship between law and race is complex and multifaceted, it has deep historical roots in colonial legal systems that played a crucial role in producing and perpetuating racial inequalities. The effects of these historical injustices persist today, evident in the numerous examples of racial disparities across various aspects of life, including land ownership. This article aims to uncover the role of settler-colonial land laws in creating and exacerbating land-based racial inequalities in colonial land grants, with a specific focus on those affecting the Black Refugees of the War of 1812.

Determination Of Structural Factors Contributing To Protection Of Zinc Fingers In Estrogen Receptor Α Through Molecular Dynamic Simulations, Patricia B. Lutz, Wesley R. Coombs, Craig A. Bayse

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The ERα transcription factor that induces tumor growth is a potential target for breast cancer treatment. Each monomer of the ERα DNA-binding domain (ERαDBD) homodimer has two conserved (Cys)₄-type zinc fingers, ZF1 (N-terminal) and ZF2 (C-terminal). Electrophilic agents release Zn²⁺ by oxidizing the coordinating Cys of the more labile ZF2 to inhibit dimerization and DNA binding. Microsecond-length molecular dynamics (MD) simulations show that greater flexibility of ZF2 in the ERαDBD monomer leaves its Cys more solvent accessible and less shielded from electrophilic attack by sulfur-centered hydrogen bonds than ZF1 which is buried in the protein. In the …

Unraveling Visible Spectra Of S-Type Stars: The F3Δ–A3Δ (Α System) And E3Π–A3Δ (Β System) Band Systems Of Zro, Manish Bhusal, Peter Bernath, Jacques Liévin

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

ZrO has many low-lying states, and its spectra are essential for the characterization of S-type stars. A high-resolution emission spectrum recorded with a Fourier transform spectrometer at the National Solar Observatory is used for the analysis. The 0–0 and 1–0 bands of the f³Δ-a³Δ system (α system) and the 0–0 band of the e³Π-a³Δ system (β system) have been rotationally analyzed using the modern spectral fitting program PGOPHER. New ab initio calculations of transition dipole moments have been performed to determine the band strengths. These band strengths are used to produce line lists that are suitable for the …

Phytochemical Analysis, Antioxidant, And Antibacterial Properties Of Partition Fractions Of Adansonia Digitata And Annona Muricata Extracts Using Chloroform, Ethyl Acetate, Ethanol, And Aqueous Solvent Systems, Fagbohun Oyenike Bushirat, Hassan Abdusalam Adewuyi, Sakariyau Adio Waheed, Maryam Nana Musa, Timothy God-Giveth Olusegun, Ayomide Babatunde Ishola, Agumage Idoko, Adeola Victor Kolawole, Adesanmi Adefunmilayo Oluwatuyi, Sarah Ngozi Agwasim

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Adansonia digitata and Annona muricata are traditionally used medicinal plants with reported pharmacological properties. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the phytochemical composition, antioxidant activity, and antibacterial properties of partition fractions of Adansonia digitata and Annona muricata extracts obtained using chloroform, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and aqueous solvent systems. The plant extracts were successively partitioned using chloroform, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and aqueous solvent systems. Phytochemical analysis was performed using standard methods. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using FRAP and DPPH assays. Antibacterial activity was assessed using agar well diffusion and MIC determination. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of alkaloids (10.2-15.6%), flavonoids …

The Importance Of Solution Studies For The Structural Characterization Of The Enterovirus 5' Cloverleaf, Morgan G. Daniels, Meagan E. Werner, Xiaobing Zuo, Steven M. Pascal

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Enteroviruses initiate genomic replication via a highly conserved mechanism that is controlled by an RNA platform, also known as the 5' cloverleaf (5'CL). Here, we present a biophysical analysis of the 5'CL conformation of three enterovirus serotypes under various ionic conditions, utilizing CD spectroscopy, size-exclusion chromatography, and small-angle X-ray scattering. In general, a tendency toward a smaller monomeric hydrodynamic radius in the presence of salts was observed, but the exact structural signature of each 5'CL varied depending upon the serotype. Rhinovirus B14 (RVB14) exhibited at least two monomeric conformations and a low propensity for dimerization, while poliovirus 1 (PV1) showed …

Investigation Of Sleep Disorders And Related Influencing Factors Among The Elderly In Southeast Coastal Regions Of China: A Cross-Sectional Survey Analysis, Yaopian Chen, Fu Su, Haixia Xiang, Jinhong Xia

Student Publications [Scholarly]

Objective: To assess the sleep status and prevalence rate of the elderly in southeast coastal areas of China, and analyze related factors. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted among elderly individuals in Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, situated in the southeast coastal areas of China, using a multi-stage random sampling method. A total of 903 elderly people aged ≥ 60 years were selected for the survey. The questionnaire aimed to assess their sleep status using PSQI and to evaluate related factors using Self-designed General Information and Health Behavior Questionnaires, SAS, GDS-15, ESS, AD8, SHAP, WHOQOL-BREF, among other tools. Logistic regression was …

University Of Central Florida Libraries 2023-2024 Annual Report, Cynthia S. Dancel

Libraries' Documents

No abstract provided.

Vesting Villainy: The Call To Ban 401(K) Vesting Schedules, Samantha Prince

Faculty Scholarship

The American employee’s efforts to accumulate retirement wealth have been stunted by 401(k) plan vesting schedules for over half a century, yet vesting schedules continue to be legally permissible and pervasively used. Empirical research now exists to show the astronomical number of American workers that annually lose their employer contributions due to vesting schedules—over 1.8 million across 909 plans in 2022 alone. The same research also reveals that in 2022, workers forfeited over $1.5 billion in retirement savings. Critically, employers recycled over 82% of these funds, directly reducing their own contribution obligations. Many private-sector employees in the United States rely …

Factors Affecting In-Hospital Mortality After Sudden Cardiac Arrest In The Emergency Department: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Erkan Boğa, Abdullah Algın

Mansoura Medical Journal

Giriş: Ani kalp hastalıkları (SCA), özellikle acil serviste (AS) yüksek hastane içi ölüm tutarları ve önemli bir tıbbi acil durumları. Prognostik bilgilerin belirlenmesi, sonuçların değiştirilmesi için çok önemlidir. Amaç: Acil serviste SCA'lı hastane içi ölümle sağlanan klinik ve demografik oranların belirlenmesi. Yöntemler: Bu retrospektif kohort çalışmaları Ocak 2023 ile Aralık 2024 arasında üçüncü basamaktaki bir hastanenin AS'sinde SCA'nın 345 yıl boyunca geçirdiği süre dahil edildi. Demografik özellikler, türü olmayan yayılma, durma özellikleri, resüsitasyon süresi, laboratuvar gelişimi ve patoloji durumuyla ilgili veriler toplandı. Bağımsız ölüm öngörmelerini belirlemek için lojistik regresyon kaydı. Sonuçlar: Hastane içi ölüm %38,3 idi. Çok değişkenli analiz, resüsitasyon …

Book Of Abstracts Of The Wmu International Conference 2025 : Advancing The Blue Economy Through Gender Equality, World Maritime University, Momoko Kitada, Francis Neat, Renis Auma Ojwala

Conference Papers

The 2025 World Maritime Theme by the International Maritime Organization, “Our Ocean, Our Obligation and Our Responsibility,” underscores the global need for an inclusive and sustainable approach to ocean health and maritime economic activity. In alignment with this, the World Maritime University organized the 2025 International Conference on Achieving the Blue Economy Through Gender Equality, highlighting the critical role of gender equality in advancing a sustainable blue economy. A call for case studies yielded 102 abstracts from 206 authors across 46 countries, representing diverse maritime sectors such as shipping, fisheries, and ocean sciences. The abstracts were reviewed by both internal …

Conference Report Of Wmu Maritime Affairs Conference 2025 : Transforming A Maritime Future : Digitalization And Decarbonization, World Maritime University

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Does Mean Arterial Pressure Augmentation Improve Neurological Recovery Of Blunt Spinal Cord Injuries: An East Multicenter Trial., Aimee Lariccia, Stephanie Doris, Bhairav Shah, Tanisha Kashikar, Erik Teicher, Lindsey Perea, Jennifer Huber, Malia Eischen, H Akin Erol, Michael Steven Farrell, Lauren Colom, Stephanie Scott, Brian Daley, James Bardes, Gregory Schaefer, Melissa Moncrief, William Devoe, Ryan Peter Dumas, Caitlin Anne Fitzgerald, William Brigode, John D Berne, Dalier R Mederos, Scott Armen, Melissa Linskey Dougherty, Asanthi Ratnasekera, Emily Alberto, Alison Smith, Bradley M Dennis, Stephen Gadomski, Jeffry Nahmias, Claudia Alvarez, Salina Wydo, Jennifer Schweinsburg, Carlos H Palacio, M Chance Spalding, Joshua Hill

Trauma and Acute Care Articles

BACKGROUND: Treatment of blunt traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCIs) often includes maintaining elevated mean arterial blood pressures (MAP) to enhance perfusion to the spinal cord. Optimal hyperperfusion protocols and treatment algorithms have yet to be delineated due to a paucity of large volume prospective studies. This study aims to identify predictors of neurological improvement in American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) impairment score following blunt SCI.

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective (January 10, 2021 to June 1, 2023) multicenter study included blunt SCI patients age >18 with complete neurological examination documented on hospital arrival. Patients were divided into two groups: neurological improvement and …

Modeling And Numerical Simulation Of A Lifting Surface Controlled Ocean Current Turbine, Kiran Mital

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

As a relatively novel source of energy extraction, many design concepts for ocean current turbines (OCTs) still lack the analyses required to mature their technological readiness. This study addresses this issue as it provides a numerical simulation tool for lifting surface controlled OCTs. The performance of a 1.4 MW moored, dual-rotor, lifting surface-controlled OCT operating in a total water depth of 375 m is then numerically evaluated using this tool. Algorithms are based on published OCT research with modifications developed for the present design. Performance is evaluated at varied flow velocities, turbulence intensities, and control surface positions to represent normal …

Geospatial Methods For Interpreting And Managing Coastal Landscape Dynamics, Nithish Manikkavasagam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Coastal landscapes are dynamic interfaces shaped by natural forces and human activity, requiring precise, multiscale monitoring for effective conservation. This research investigates some of the coastal monitoring challenges related to shoreline erosion, terrain modeling, and mangrove species classification at the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area (ONA), a 120-acre coastal preserve in southeast Florida. The first study applies conditional entropy and partial correlation to assess the relationship between shoreline retreat and environmental variables using UAS-derived shoreline data collected from 2017 to 2023. The second study enhances Digital Terrain Model (DTM) accuracy, a critical factor in erosion assessments, by applying RandLA-Net, …