Digital Commons Network^™

Reimagining Constitutional Democracy For Human Flourishing: A Re-Reading Of Augustine’S Social Love, Ubuntu Ethics, And Cst For The Zambian, Boyd Kapyung Nyirenda

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

Comparable to the person battered and left for dead and lying by the roadside, the poor in Zambia epitomized by the story of Regina Mukuka Nyirenda, a former civil servant, attest to the socioeconomic, political, and gender injustice ordinary suffer despite Zambia being a constitutional democracy and a Christian nation since 1991. Although, in theory, it ascribes to the dignity and rights of everyone without discriminating, the liberalist human rights regime (framework) underlying Zambia’s constitutional laws since colonialism promotes the flourishing of the elite neoliberalist class while perpetuating socioeconomic, political, and gender injustice. Conversely, it undermines the thriving of the …

Eviction-Driven Infanticide And Sexually Selected Adoption And Infanticide In A Neotropical Parrot, Steven R. Beissinger, Karl S. Berg

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Significance

Infanticide and adoption are puzzling forms of sexual conflict and cooperation, respectively. However, both may be explained by sexual selection, where an individual later reproduces with the parent whose offspring it killed or adopted. While sexually selected infanticide is well known, evidence for sexually selected adoption is anecdotal. Our long-term study of a parrotlet in Venezuela found infanticide attacks were mostly enacted by nonbreeding pairs attempting to evict parents from their nests to usurp the cavity. Infanticide attacks occurred less often at nests where a parent died, and adoption by stepparents was as common as infanticide. Becoming an adoptive …

Therapeutic Advances In The Management Of Type Ii Diabetes, Ashfod Mukula

Senior Honors Theses

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic disorder characterized by persistent hyperglycemia. This condition occurs due to two main factors: β-cell dysfunction and reduced response to insulin by cells and tissues with insulin receptors (insulin resistance). Insulin resistance occurs when the body fails to respond to insulin; therefore, cells and tissues are impaired in transporting glucose, leading to abnormally high glucose levels in circulation. Insulin resistance is a multifactorial condition; thus, the eminent cause is not fully known. Individual health conditions and genetic predisposition have been postulated to cause it. Molecularly, insulin resistance has been associated with complications in …

Ndls Communicator: Week Of 05.06.24, Notre Dame Law School

NDLS Communicator

The Latest News

• Faculty profile: Professor Paolo Carozza, leading expert in international human rights and comparative constitutional
• Notre Dame Law School's three 2024 Bank of America Foundation Fellows to address a wide range of social issues
• ND Law’s 2024 Shaffer Fellow will focus on international humanitarian law research
• ND Law Graduate Justice Fellows Lead Charge for Justice Research at the Center for Social Concerns
• ND Law 3L Jack Ferguson receives University of Chicago Federalist Society Eaton Award
• ND London Law Professor Katherine Reece Thomas publishes pioneering book on state immunity
• Apache Stronghold seeks full-court rehearing to save sacred land

Faculty …

Investigating The Involvement Of Gabaergic Interneurons And A Gene Therapy Strategy For Epilepsy In Cln2 Disease, Keigo Takahashi

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs) are a group of neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disorders affecting children and young adults. CLN2 disease, or classic late infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis, is one of the most common forms of NCL and is caused by a deficiency of tripeptidyl peptidase 1 (TPP1). Although an FDA-approved enzyme replacement therapy for CLN2 disease now exists, a poor understanding of pathophysiology has hampered the development of more effective and persistent therapy. While Cln2R207X/R207X knock-in mice which carry one of the most common pathogenic mutations in human patients were developed in 2017, this genetically accurate mouse model for CLN2 …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet May 2024, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The May 6, 2024 monthly packet includes the May agenda, appendices, and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held May 6, 2024.

Reading Mood In The Post-Oslo Palestinian Novel: Shame, Melancholy, Hope, Sayed Qashou

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Modern Palestinian literature was born diasporic. Produced from different positions in the Palestinian diaspora, multilingual Palestinian literature maps itself onto Palestinianess as a state of mind. In dialogue with affect theory, the dissertation supplements this understanding of Palestinianness with an account of mood in post-Oslo Palestinian literature. Specifically, I analyze shame in Ayman Sikseck’s Hebrew novel Tishrin (2016) and melancholia in Adania Shibli’s Arabic novel Minor Detail (2020 [2017]). By “reading the mood,” this dissertation examines how iltizam (commitment) in Palestinian literature registers the social and political ruptures that the collapse of the Oslo accords brought upon the Palestinian experience.

Can Investment Treaties Defeat Pillar 2?, Reuven S. Avi-Yonah

Articles

In their excellent recent Tax Notes International article, “Using Investment Treaties to Prevent Pillar 2’s Revocation of Promised Tax Incentives,” Javier Rubinstein, Lauren Friedman, and Tamsin Parzen make an interesting new argument about the interaction between bilateral investment treaties (BITs) and pillar 2. They argue that an investor benefiting from an existing BIT can rely on it to prevent the imposition of a qualified domestic minimum top-up tax (QDMTT) even without resorting to treaty arbitration. This argument is problematic, however, because it does not fully address the likely reaction of other countries that are not party to the BIT.

Historical Journey Of Asian Americans: From Departing Homeland To Political Engagement And Voting Rights, Phuc Thai Le

INRW/Coreq Student Showcase

Spring 2024 Showcase

A Hierarchical Decision Model For Evaluating The Strategy Readiness Of Quantitative Machine Learning/Data Science-Driven Investment Strategies, Mohammadsaleh Saadatmand

Dissertations and Theses

Big data and computational technologies are increasingly important worldwide in asset and investment management. Many investment management firms are adopting these data science methods and technologies to improve performance across all investment processes. Researchers actively use these methods to develop more effective systematic investment strategies and produce more reliable outcomes less vulnerable to human decision-making biases. However, the success of such a strategy depends heavily on the scientific rigor applied throughout the process. "Best practices involve understanding how to make better decisions in the research design process. A good question is whether we can make better decisions in developing quantitative …

Permission To Play: A District's Initiative To Innovate Kindergarten And Promote Developmentally Appropriate Practices, Cristin Mcdonough

Dissertations and Theses

Kindergarten's original purpose was to promote socialization skills for young children using play. However, recent research has shown an increased focus on teaching literacy and math skills, combined with pronounced increases in more advanced academic tasks and activities. Given this shift in kindergarten, as well as a lack of professional development for teachers to assist them in promoting developmentally appropriate practices, the Kindergarten Innovation Cohort was created in the Portland School District to address these needs for both students and teachers. Using findings from interviews and field notes, the current study addresses the question: What does the implementation of the …

“Feeding” The Cloud: Reducing Carbon Emissions From Social Media And Streaming Services Through Private Information Disclosure, Madison Hoover

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Despite their well-known negative aspects, social media and streaming services have become integral for consumers’ daily entertainment and social connection. Although most users have some idea of these services’ harmful mental impacts, they are typically unaware of the carbon emissions that result from them. This dissonance is not an accident, but rather the direct result of incomplete data and the omission of individual user-level estimates for carbon emissions in private governance reports published by social media and streaming companies. Where these governance reports do include user-level figures, they are not provided in a meaningful way such that users could consequentially …

The Impact Of Heterogeneous Voting Strategies And Candidate Issue Adaptation On Elections: An Agent-Based Model, Harmony Peura

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

Political candidates in a democracy articulate positions on the issues of the day, but they are also highly aware of voter sentiment on those issues, and tailor their campaigns accordingly as they seek to win elections. Voters, too, adjust their political opinions based on (among other things) interactions with others in their social network. I present an agent-based simulation that models this dynamic interplay between candidates and voters, in order to shed light on what outcomes candidates can expect to result from a policy of “chasing” votes. The voters in the simulation differ from one another in the decision procedure …

Jtc 24: Navigating School And Parenthood As A First-Gen, Bailee Harris, Joy Arwood

University of Mississippi News

This story is part of the 2024 Journey to Commencement series, which celebrates the pinnacle of the academic year by highlighting University of Mississippi students and their outstanding academic and personal journeys from college student to college graduate.

2024 Annual Awards, University Of Dayton. School Of Education And Health Sciences

School of Education and Health Sciences Blog Archive

Congratulations to all of the students, faculty and staff who are honored with awards from the School of Education and Health Sciences.

The Perfect Model: Exploring Gender Differences Within Commercial Graphic Design Preferences, Adeline Roberts

Undergraduate Theses

Personal preferences within graphic design are heavily shaped by social factors, including cultural practices. This project explores the effect of gendered-based experiences on visual design preferences, through investigating men’s and women’s preferences regarding graphic design elements, and the source of these opinions. The data was then used to create two educational images, which mimic contemporary magazine covers, visually illustrating the effects of gendered marketing and experiences on personal design preferences. These images were then attached to an interactive website, so that the findings and pieces from this project can be easily accessed by future audiences.

International Engagement Newsletter, May 6, 2024, University Of Northern Iowa. Office Of International Engagement.

Office of International Engagement newsletter

In this issue:

--- Our Year In Review
--- Cultural Celebrations
--- Community Engagement
--- CIEP Programs

Between The Stacks, 05-2024, Anna Swearengen, Michelle Dry

Between the Stacks

The May 2024 edition of the University Libraries monthly newsletter honors the 44 year career of Dr. John Evans, the University Libraries former Executive Director who retired in April. In addition, the newsletter presents information about the UM3D Summer Institute, the Dissertation Writers Retreat Summer Retreat, and other library-related announcements.

Exploring A Tailored Approach For Coordinated Early Intervening Services ( Ceis ) Designed To Address Struggling General Education Students Targeted For Special Education, Denise Lynch

Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative causal-comparative study examined whether early recuperativeDepartment of Education (DOE) Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) could significantly impact the number of underperforming general education students targeted for special education services resulting from not meeting Math and Reading grade-level state standards. Approximately 1400+ students were randomly selected from several elementary, middle, and high schools and enrolled for four years in CEIS in the Equliebeh School District. This study's findings were generated in response to several research questions that provided valuable insights into CEIS factors that impacted students' academic performance within the context of its programming. For instance, although some data …

Ada News - 05/06/2024, American Dental Association, Publishing Division

ADA News

Established in 1970 as the official newspaper of the American Dental Association, the ADA News serves practicing dentists and others allied to the dental profession in the U.S. and internationally. It is the No. 1 source of news and information about the many benefits and services the ADA delivers to members daily as well as timely information on scientific, social, political and economic developments affecting dentistry and health care.

Measuring The Effects Of Selenium Exposure On Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis (Bd) Growth In Vivo In Larval American Bullfrogs (Rana Catesbeiana)., Taylor Morrison

Honors Thesis

Most amphibians in today’s world are exposed to a variety of environmental stressors. This project’s main objective was to determine any effects of selenium on Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and infection levels in South Dakota amphibians. I selected American bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) as they are susceptible to Bd and are found throughout eastern South Dakota. The secondary objective of this project was to measure any impact of Bd and selenium, combined, on growth measures of the frogs. The third objective was to see if survival rates were reduced when amphibians were exposed to Bd and selenium. Tadpoles were collected (n=225) from …

On The Stability Of Norms And Norm-Following Propensity: A Cross-Cultural Panel Study With Adolescents, Erik O. Kimbrough, Erin L. Krupka, Rajnish Kumar, Jennifer M. Murray, Abhijit Ramalingam, Sharon Sánchez‑Franco, Olga L. Sarmiento, Frank Kee, Ruth F. Hunter

Economics Faculty Articles and Research

Norm-based accounts of social behavior in economics typically reflect tradeoffs between maximization of own consumption utility and conformity to social norms. Theories of norm-following tend to assume that there exists a single, stable, commonly known injunctive social norm for a given choice setting and that each person has a stable propensity to follow social norms. We collect panel data on 1468 participants aged 11–15 years in Belfast, Northern Ireland and Bogotá, Colombia in which we measure norms for the dictator game and norm-following propensity twice at 10 weeks apart. We test these basic assumptions and find that norm-following propensity is …

Cn Stretches Around 4.4 Microns Dominate The Ir Absorption Spectra Of Cyanopolycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Vincent J. Esposito, Ryan C. Fortenberry, Christiaan Boersma, Alexandros Maragkoudakis, Louis J. Allamandola

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Anharmonic quantum chemical computations reveal a strong, narrow (width = 0.075 μm) band in the 4.3–4.5 μm region of the absorption spectra of the cyano-substituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (CN-PAHs) cyanonaphthalene, cyanoanthracene, c yanophenanthrene, and c yanopyrene. This narro w windo w with intense IR lines implies that CN-PAHs of various shapes and sizes offer little variation in both wavelength and intensity in this region. Subsequently, this band can be used as a tracer for CN-PAHs. The distinct features making up the band are assigned to mixed vibrational states consisting of the CN stretch fundamental and various combination bands, including in-plane …

Ddx173.2 User Centrerd Design: Ui Design Example 1, Sae University College

Exemplars

The presentation showcases how the website's user interface (UI) design responds to the findings of the user experience (UX) report and improves its usability.

Effects Of Urbanization On Eutrophication Parameters In Three Tidal Creeks, Ella Swantek

Honors Theses

Marshes and swashes are vital environments as a controlling barrier between land affected by various pollutants and the ocean. Eutrophication and the effects of this process can be detrimental for the areas experiencing it. I am interested in ways areas that have little contact with human interactions compare to areas that are heavily urbanized, and whether either of these locations is at a higher risk for eutrophication. Using spectrophotometry and fluorometry, I analyzed samples collected from the relatively undeveloped and restricted-access locations of Waities Island Beach and Dunn Sound monthly for dissolved nutrients, and chlorophyll. At the time of sampling, …

Investigation And Synthesis Of 2-Deoxy-Pyr(Mp), Juanita Monteiro-Pai

Poster Presentations

Cellular energy metabolism is complex, and NAD, or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, plays a huge role as an organic redox cofactor, driving metabolic reactions. The abundance of pathways dependent on NAD has led to an increase in the studies of NAD and its precursors. As a result, NR, or nicotinamide riboside, is now a popular nutraceutical taken to increase levels of NAD in the body. NR is a precursor to NAD inside cells. Metabolites with the same molecular formula as NR are found in urine and blood. Yet, NR is usually associated with these species in extracellular regions although NR is …

Examination Of Sex-Differences In Neuromuscular Function Following Acute Bouts Of High- And Low-Load Resistance Exercise, Avery S. King

Honors Theses

High-load resistance training (>70% 1 repetition maximum (RM)) is commonly believed to be the superior method for producing neuromuscular adaptation with a resistance exercise program. Recent research has shown that lower-load resistance training (<50% 1RM) could produce similar responses when taken to failure. However, nearly all the existing research has been completed in males, making it unclear if this holds true across sexes. The purpose of this investigation, therefore, was to examine sex-differences in neuromuscular function and fatigue following acute bouts of high- vs low-load unilateral leg extension taken to volitional failure. Twenty-nine (16 females) resistance-trained subjects completed unilateral high-load (HL) and low-load (LL) resistance exercise bouts. The condition and leg utilized for the first visit was randomized and the opposite condition was completed on the other leg 24 hours (±1 hr.) after the first session. Surface electromyography (EMG) of quadriceps, exercise performance, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured during each visit. The present data suggests a more pronounced accumulation of fatigue in the muscle throughout LL, as indicated by greater reductions in repetitions completed with each set and more pronounced reductions in EMG median power frequency (EMGMDF). Despite similar patterns of EMG amplitude (EMGAMP) across the exercise bouts, the present data suggest that HL produced significantly greater muscle excitation than LL when collapsed across all other factors. Overall, males completed more repetitions across sets and during each condition when compared to females. Consequently, males also reported a greater set RPE/repetitions in reserve (RPE/RIR) and session RPE (sRPE).

Lmpact Of Salmonella Enterica Effector Proteins On Plant Physiology And Immunity, Sara Qader

Honors Theses

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium are primarily recognized as pathogens associated with foodborne illnesses in humans. Salmonella also can colonize plant tissue effectively. The pathogen relies on type III secretion systems (T3SS) to infect mammals and plants successfully and counteract the immune response. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying Salmonella’s interactions with plants is essential for developing effective strategies to reduce its impact on human health and agriculture. Effector proteins, known for their role in modulating host-pathogen interactions, have been implicated in the virulence and pathogenicity of Salmonella. However, their specific functions and contributions to Salmonella’s interactions with plants remain largely unknown. …

Engineering And Business Merge To Create Sustainable Ocean Drifter, Aaron Sanborn

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Jtc 24: Taking An Unexpected Road, Jonathan Scott

University of Mississippi News

This story is part of the 2024 Journey to Commencement series, which celebrates the pinnacle of the academic year by highlighting University of Mississippi students and their outstanding academic and personal journeys from college student to college graduate.