Digital Commons Network^™

An Hplc-Ms/Ms Method For The Quantification Of Heat Stress-Related Milk Metabolites In Milk From Holstein-Friesian Cross-Bred Cows In Tanzania, Vincent Habimana, A.S Nguluma, Z.C Nziku, C.C Ekine-Dzivenu, G Morota, R Mrode, S.W Chenyambuga

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

The main objective of this study was to develop and validate a high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) method for the determination and quantification of three metabolites in raw milk samples: creatinine, citrate, and β-hydroxybutyrate (3-BHB). The effect of the temperature-humidity index (THI) on the concentrations of these metabolites was also investigated. The study used 29 Holstein-Friesian × Tanzanian Shorthorn Zebu cross-bred cows of two genotypes from the Tanzania Livestock Research Institute in Tanga, Tanzania. The cows were in their second or third parity and their second or third month of lactation. Chromatographic separation of the three metabolites was performed …

Climate-Driven Shifts In The Geographic Distribution Of Fodder Trees In West AfricaʼS Grazing Landscapes, Idrissa Sawadogo, Philippe Bayen, Larba Hubert Balima, Charles Lamoussa Sanou, Faustine Akossoua Kouassi, Omonlola Nadine Worou

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

West African pastures host several valuable fodder tree species which are essential for livestock rearing. Among these, Cordyla pinnata and Boscia senegalensis play a particularly significant role in the region’s landscape, providing both food products and high-quality fodder for livestock. However, these species face an increase anthropogenic threat, which compromises their long-term availability. Despite their importance, little is known about their spatial distribution under changing climatic conditions in West Africa. This study, we assessed the impact of climate change on the geographic distribution of Cordyla pinnata and Boscia senegalensis in Burkina Faso. Presence data comprising 306 records of C. pinnata …

Petrophysical And Petrographic Characterisation Of The Reservoirs In Niger Delta For Carbon Capture And Storage, Itai Mutadza, Sunday Ikiensikimama, Ogbonna F. Joel

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

The unprecedented levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are linked to the rising average temperatures that the world is experiencing. Carbon sequestration in geological formations is one of the key strategies to combat climate change. However, it is essential to characterise these geological formations to assess the potential success of environmentally friendly carbon sequestration. Controlling carbon sequestration and its migration within porous sandstones is largely dependent on the textural and geometrical characteristics of the pore networks, including tortuosity, connectivity, pore size distribution, and pore shape. Microstructural analysis of the reservoirs helps reduce risks and uncertainties associated with carbon …

Estimation Of Genetic Parameters For Physiological And Milk Production Traits Of Holstein Friesian Crossbreds Reared In Tanzania, Vincent Habimana, Chinyere Charlotte Ekine-Dzivenu, Athumani Shabani Nguluma, Zabron Cuthibert Nziku, Gota Morota, Sebastian Wilson Chenyambuga, Raphael Mrode

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

The main objective of this study was to estimate the genetic parameters for physiological traits, milk yield, and milk composition in Holstein Friesian crossbred cattle raised at the Tanzania Livestock Research Institute’s (TALIRI) Tanga dairy farm. A total of 29 lactating Holstein Friesian × Zebu crossbred cows with 50% (HF50) and 75% (HF75) Holstein Friesian gene levels in their second and third months of lactation were included. Breed composition was determined based on the animal recording system at TALIRI, Tanga. A series of univariate and bivariate repeatability (r) test-day models was used to estimate genetic parameters, genetic (rg) and phenotypic …

Development Of High-Performance Basalt Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite Using A Nanocellulose-Based Surface Modification Strateg, Abdulrahman Adeiza Musa, Junha Park, Gonui Hong, Soon Ho Yoon, Azikiwe Peter Onwualu, Minkook Kim

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

Basalt fibers (BFs) have emerged as a promising alternative reinforcement material for developing fiberreinforced polymer (FRP) composites, due to their lower environmental impact compared with traditional fibers such as carbon and glass. However, the weak interfacial bonding between BFs and the polymer matrix limits the mechanical performance of basalt fiber-reinforced polymers (BFRPs). In this work, nanocelluloses (NCs), including cellulose nanofiber (CNF) and cellulose nanocrystal (CNC), were investigated as bio-based interfacial modifiers to enhance fiber–matrix adhesion and improve the mechanical performance of BFRP. While direct incorporation of NC into epoxy resin is challenging due to its poor dispersibility in hydrophobic media, …

Effect Of Malt Barley Cluster Farming On Food Security In Amhara Region, Ethiopia, Betelhem Tsedalu Adane, Irene Susan Egyir, Edward Ebo Onumah, Ama Asantewah Ahene-Codjoe, Taeyoon Kim

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

Cluster farming is the practice of merging neighbouring farms into a unified production unit to grow specific crops collaboratively. This is a promising method to enhance food security by improving agricultural productivity through coordinated resource use and enabling access to inputs, technologies, and markets. Despite this benefit, no empirical studies have examined how malt barley cluster farming affects smallholder farmers’ food security. This study adopts descriptive and econometric analysis, including the endogenous switching regression model (ESRM) and control function approach to account for selection bias and endogeneity in estimating the causal effect of malt barley cluster farming. Cross-sectional data were …

Preliminary Investigation On Nigerian Lithium Ores For Efficient Lithium Oxide Extraction, Olajuyi Seun Isaiah, Afolayan David Oluwasegun, Ogunmodimu Samuel Olumide

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

This paper assesses the compositions of the lithium-rich minerals and the quantity of extractable lithium oxide in the minerals. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) shows 17% - 34% of spodumene and 9% to 30% of lepidiolite. Similarly, atomic absorption microscopy (AAS) indicates that the lithium-rich minerals contain 0.820% - 3.051% and 0.040 - 2.395% of lithium oxide (Li2O). Further results confirm the presence of lithium-rich minerals in Nigeria, and a high quantity of lithium-rich minerals suggests that high lithium oxide can be extracted. This information is useful for miners, mining and mineral processing industries, and investors in lithium for different industrial …

Mechanistic Insights Into Nigerian Lithium Ores: Implications For Energy And Industrial Applications, Seun Isaiah Olajuyi, Hassan Adamu Abubakar, O. S Ogunmodimu, D. O . Afolayan

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

Lithium is a critical element in battery technology for renewable energy storage applications. The mineral offers potential solutions to the current surge in global energy demand and can position Nigeria as a potential key player in the lithium supply chain. However, little to nothing is known of the lithium deposits in Nigeria. This review explores the formation, geology, and ongoing exploration activities of lithium in Nigeria. The study provides an overview of the geological settings and mineralogical characteristics of the Nigerian lithium-bearing pegmatites and ores, comparing them with global deposits. It also examines current lithium mining and processing techniques, identifies …

The End(S) Of Bankruptcy Exceptionalism: Purdue Pharma And The Problem Of Social Debt, Pamela Foohey, Jonathan C. Lipson

Scholarly Works

The Supreme Court’s recent 5-4 decision in the controversial chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization of opioid-maker Purdue Pharma ends the use of nonconsensual third-party “releases,” which discharge (eliminate) liabilities of non-debtors who may share liability with a corporate debtor. Although the majority opinion is correct that the Bankruptcy Code does not permit this, it failed to recognize the problematic exceptionalism of the lower courts which approved those releases or the “social” qualities of Purdue Pharma’s mass tort liability.

Bankruptcy exceptionalism has been a contested concept since it emerged over fifteen years ago, and reflects a willingness to bend the rule of …

Confession And Confrontation, William Ortman

Scholarly Works

The constitutional law of confessions has a critical blind spot. In theory, the law serves two interests. First, it protects the autonomy of suspects by stipulating that they can be questioned while in custody only with their consent. Second, it restrains official misconduct by forbidding interrogation methods that overbear a suspect's will. Even if the law adequately safeguards those interests, something is missing: reliability. As false confessions emerge as a major source of wrongful convictions and as social scientists expose how standard interrogation tactics prompt innocent people to confess, the Supreme Court and conventional wisdom insist that the reliability of …

Using Public Nuisance Litigation To Address Industrywide Misconduct: Common-Law Statutes, Nondelegation, And Regulation, Hillel Y. Levin, Timothy D. Lytton

Scholarly Works

In this Article, we assert that broad, open-ended public nuisance statutes offer a legitimate legal tool to curb public health harms caused by the unreasonable design, marketing, and distribution practices of product manufacturers. We argue that these statutes are "common-law statutes" by which legislatures authorize courts to apply the concept of public nuisance to new situations using common-law-style reasoning. We demonstrate that this understanding of public nuisance statutes is consistent with well-established interpretive traditions regarding the codification of common law. Statutory delegation of broad interpretive discretion to courts concerning the application of public nuisance law constitutes a legislative choice to …

The Regulation Of Presidential Elections, Lori A. Ringhand

Scholarly Works

There is an unresolved dispute lingering just beneath the surface of a host of laws regulating our elections: does Congress have power under Articles I and II of the Constitution to legislate the nuts-and-bolts rules governing presidential elections? The issue exists because of a textual gap in congressional authority. Article 1 section 4 of the Constitution gives Congress the power to override a state's choices about the "times, places, and manner" of congressional elections held in the state. Article II section 1 gives the legislature of each state power to determine the “manner” in which its presidential electors are appointed, …

Global Tax Wars In The Digital Era, Assaf Harpaz

Scholarly Works

The digital economy fundamentally disrupts international tax principles that rely on physical presence. When a business earns income abroad, the country of residence (where the taxpayer resides) and the country of source (where income is generated) both have legitimate, competing claims to tax that income. The international tax system tends to favor residence-based taxation. The source country has the right to tax business profits only if the enterprise carries on a permanent establishment within its borders, which typically requires physical presence. The permanent establishment standard becomes flawed in a digital economy where profit shifting practices are abundant and businesses no …

Charting New Frontiers: A Legal Literature Review Of Social Entrepreneurship And Impact Investing 2018–2023, Anne M. Tucker, Deborah Burand

Scholarly Works

This Article surveys 177 articles published in U.S. law reviews and journals between 2018–2023 that contribute to the fields of social enterprise, social finance and impact investing. The Article extends our earlier legal literature review of the same fields from 2007-2017.Our collective 17-year review of this span of legal literature documents the legal issues examined by scholars with respect to the development of sophisticated alternative business forms, like the Delaware Public Benefit Corporation; the growth in impact investing; the enduring academic interest in corporate purpose; and the effects that developments related to ESG and corporate sustainability are having on the …

Absolutely Unnecessary Immunity, Eileen R. Prescott

Scholarly Works

Prosecutors, like judges, cannot be sued for their professional misconduct in most jurisdictions. As long as their actions are sufficiently tied to their job duties, their actual malice does not matter, even if they had demonstrable malice-a prosecutor could bring baseless charges against an ex-spouse specifically to harass them, with absolute immunity from suit. This immunity allows prosecutors to abuse the power of their office without civil recourse. In theory, absolute immunity aims to protect the office by resolving cases simply and quickly, but in reality, courts get bogged down litigating whether a prosecutor's specific action was sufficiently tied to …

Business Risk, Capital Markets, And Sustainable Companies, Christopher Bruner

Scholarly Works

Corporate sustainability is inherently bound up with corporate risk, and particularly with risk-taking incentives of various corporate actors – including directors and officers who manage the business, and shareholders who can exert pressure upon corporate governance in various ways. This article sets out a framework for thinking about corporate risk-taking incentives and how they might be reformed to curb excessive risk and externalization of costs, thereby improving corporate sustainability.

Corporate Personhood, Corporate Rights, And The Contingency Of Corporate Law, Christopher Bruner

Scholarly Works

Corporate personhood and corporate rights are co-constitutive in nature, meaning that they are mutually constructed – there is no singular, one-way causal path between a conception of corporate personhood and a conception of corporate rights. Consequently, modes of reasoning that purport to deduce the substance and extent of corporate rights from the mere fact of corporate personhood are logically circular. Although the relationship between corporate personhood and corporate rights is real and significant, this relationship cannot, in and of itself, comprehensively specify the content of corporate rights; their substance can only be specified by reference to external normative criteria. The …

Transunion, Vermont Agency, And Statutory Damages Under Article Iii, Randy Beck

Scholarly Works

The Supreme Court concluded in TransUnion LLC v. Ramirez that a plaintiff may not sue to collect statutory damages under a statute like the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) simply because the defendant violated a right Congress conferred on the plaintiff. Instead, Article III requires the plaintiff to show that the statutory violation resulted in a “concrete” injury with “a ‘close relationship’ to a harm ‘traditionally’ recognized as providing a basis for a lawsuit in American courts.” The TransUnion Court made no effort to explain how its conclusion could be reconciled with Vermont Agency of Natural Resources v. United States …

Food Finding Ability Does Not Predict Annual Survival In Winter Resident Birds, Aidan Hand

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Small non-migratory birds in temperate locations face many challenges to survive the winter. They must be able to find enough food, which is in decreased supply, to fuel the energetic demands of staying warm. Prior work has demonstrated that birds show individual variation in their foraging behaviors that could contribute to the discovery of new foraging patches, such as novel environment exploration. A better ability to discover new food sources could increase a bird’s chance of surviving the winter by increasing its access to new food patches. To test this hypothesis, we used radio frequency identification (RFID)-enabled bird feeders to …

All About Over-The-Counters: The Use Of Public Health Principles In Health Education, Himanshu Gandhi

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The transition from high school to college can be extremely tough on students. There is a massive restructuring in schedules, academics, social lives, and even health. While many students come to college prepared to tackle their respective majors and courses, many of them aren’t prepared to handle the challenges of independent living. One of these challenges is self-healing and preventative care. As part of the University Honors Program, I have had the privilege of taking the first step of many in tackling this challenge. My project consisted of researching several common over-the-counter medications, utilizing my pharmaceutical and biochemical background to …

Mcdonald’S Corporation Case Analysis Fall 2025, Madalynn Janousek

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

McDonald’s Corporation has experienced rapid growth and expansion across the United States and globally, entering diverse markets despite evolving regulations, dietary trends, and consumer preferences. The company’s marketing strategies and ability to adapt have been strongly influenced by the leadership of its CEOs over time. Most recently, CEO Chris Kempczinski has been tasked with guiding the company through a post–COVID-19 market marked by staffing shortages, economic pressures, declining customer service, and rising consumer expectations. While McDonald’s continues to hold a significant share of the market, it must invest in improved customer service, innovative marketing, and healthier menu options to remain …

Experimental And Simulation Of Compression After Impact (Cai) Tests For Thermoplastic Composite Materials, M. M. Shahzamanian, Sydney Houck, Li Ai, Md Mushfiqur Rahman Fahim, Sourav Banerjee, Wout De Backer, Paul Ziehl

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Damage caused by low velocity impacts in composite materials may go undetected, resulting in significant damage being unnoticeable. This phenomenon has been studied using experiments and simulations on a typical composite material, Toray T1225 LM-PAEK UD Tape, following impacts with varying energy levels. To the authors’ knowledge, there is a lack of information on thermoplastics and compression after impact (CAI) in the publicly available literature, and there have been insufficient results and discussions regarding CAI tests on thermoplastic composite materials at the relatively high levels of impact used, especially with the rise in the use of thermoplastic materials for the …

“Take Eight Bits And Call Me In The Morning” Video Games, Well-Being, And The Psychology Of Nostalgia, Nicholas Bowman

Media Studies - All Scholarship

For nearly 60 years, video games have arrested the attention of players, inviting us to interact and interface with on-screen content. More than just short-term entertainment experiences, video games are part of a broader cultural milieu—they are the most profitable media entertainment sector (global revenues nearly $400 billion USD in 2023) with more than 3.5 billion players globally (Clement, 2023). Similar to other entertainment media, some video game intellectual properties have transcended generations and, in many cases, grown beyond the medium itself: common cultural touchstones include Super Mario Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog, along with seemingly endless subcultures of devoted …

J.A.C. Redford’S Variations On The Incarnation: Looking Back And Forward With Piano Theme And Variations, Nathaniel Brown

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This senior thesis consists of a lecture recital and research regarding the development of the theme and variations form in piano literature. It will trace the way the types of pieces that use theme and variations have developed from era to era and composer to composer. The culminating lecture recital will present my research on the topic and will end with a performance of J.A.C. Redford’s Variations on the Incarnation, one of the most recently published theme and variations pieces for solo piano. Redford’s piece was commissioned by Dr. Paul Barnes.

The composers and pieces featured in this project …

What Lawyers Could Learn From The Corporate Practice Of Medicine, Melissa D. Mortazavi

Faculty Articles

Proponents of the United States’ domestic experiments in non-lawyer ownership (NLO) of legal practice justify them in terms of increasing “access to justice.” But what if opening ownership of legal practice to investment capital only exacerbates market failures (leading to further consolidation and increased costs to clients), while also compromising professional autonomy and fiduciary duty? The legal profession must be clear-eyed about who are the real winners and losers of such a shift and avoid being blinded by wishful thinking. Prominent legal scholars have repeatedly touted NLO as a solution to the access to justice crisis. However, there is scant …

Artificial Intelligence And The Hipaa Privacy Rule: A Primer, Stacey A. Tovino

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Homelands Not Graveyards, M. Alexander Pearl

Faculty Articles

Within the last five years, the U.S. Supreme Court has taken up several transformative cases affecting Native nations and federal Indian law jurisprudence. The Supreme Court’s decision in Arizona v. Navajo Nation is no different. This Article examines that decision and situates it within that legal history as well as the realities of present-day water resource availability. While recent decisions have shown the Court’s willingness to confirm fundamental components of federal Indian law, such as the legal tests for determining the persistence of reservation and the authority of Congress to enact the Indian Child Welfare Act, the Court’s examination of …

An Unreliable Reporter, Jon J. Lee

Faculty Articles

As part of the legal profession’s tradition of self-regulation, attorneys have an ethical obligation to ensure that those within it are fit to practice. Given the gravity associated with accusing another lawyer of misconduct, it is not surprising that many are reticent to speak up. But what would happen if attorneys were pressured to vigorously pursue sanctions against their opponents, even if those sanctions may be unwarranted? President Trump’s recently-issued memorandum arguably does just that, mandating the Attorney General to seek court and disciplinary sanctions for lawyers and law firms that appear to violate ethics rules. This Essay explains how …

The First Amendment, Global Corporate Responsibility Standards, & The Quest For Online "Speech Nirvana", Evelyn Aswad

Faculty Articles

With large and powerful social media companies operating as worldwide speech regulators, it is unsurprising that governments have attempted to not only regulate how these companies address platform speech but also pressure them to deliver preferred speech outcomes. In 2024, the Supreme Court decided two cases addressing both themes in the U.S. context. In Moody v. NetChoice, the Court explained how legislation regulating private platform curation of usergenerated content runs afoul of First Amendment protections. And, in Murthy v. Missouri, the Court appeared to erect significant hurdles to challenging alleged governmental coercion of such platforms. These cases have left many …

Increasing Congressional Oversight Of Fisa Section 702 After Risaa, Noah C. Chauvin

Faculty Articles

In April of 2024, Congress passed the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act ("RISAA"). This bill reauthorized Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act ("FISA'), an important counterterrorism authority that was intended to make it easier for the government to spy on foreign terrorists but which has been repeatedly abused to spy on Americans. While RISAA enacted modest surveillance reforms, it also included substantial expansions of the government's spying powers. Moreover, it largely left intact the existing oversight regime for Section 702, which is deficient as a matter of law, policy, and fact.

This article assesses the extent to …