Digital Commons Network^™

Why Do Indonesians Travel Abroad For Medical Treatment? A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Lucky Sarjono Buranda, Aries Wahyuningsih, Steven Busby

Journal of Indonesian Health Policy and Administration

More than one million Indonesian citizens travel abroad for medical treatment each year, generating financial transactions exceeding IDR 180 trillion (USD 11.5 billion). This study aimed to explore the reasons why Indonesians seek medical treatment overseas. A qualitative phenomenological approach was employed using in-depth interviews with Indonesian citizens who had received or were currently receiving medical treatment outside Indonesia. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed through coding to identify themes, subthemes, and related properties. Interviews were conducted with 18 participants from three major Indonesian cities (Makassar, Surabaya, and Batam), as well as individuals receiving treatment in Singapore and Malaysia. …

Reducing Drag Of Vehicles With Half-Stepped Cylinder Surfaces Part I: Numerical Optimization, Ryan Moffit, Hamid Rahai, Komal Gada

Mineta Transportation Institute

Aerodynamic drag is a major source of energy loss for vehicles, increasing fuel consumption, reducing the driving range of electric vehicles, and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. For a vehicle, the major components of its drag are pressure and viscous drag. Engineers have developed a variety of strategies to reduce drag, including streamlined vehicle designs, surface modifications, and devices that alter airflow around the vehicle. This research focuses on reducing the viscous drag. Specifically, this study investigates whether microscopic surface features called half-stepped cylinder arrays can reduce skin friction by altering the turbulent boundary layer and promoting smoother airflow near …

Performance Evaluation Of Fiber Reinforced Hot Mix Asphalt Containing Reclaimed Asphalt Shingles, Hani Alzraiee, Ashraf Rahim, Shadi M. Saadeh, Aaditya Ojha, Adam Mansara

Mineta Transportation Institute

Reclaimed asphalt shingles (RAS) offer a promising avenue for increasing recycled content in hot mix asphalt, but the aged, stiff binder they contribute tends to reduce cracking resistance, particularly at intermediate temperatures. This study investigated whether polymer fiber reinforcement can offset that brittleness while preserving rutting and moisture performance in mixtures containing both reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and RAS. Fourteen asphalt mixtures were designed using a base blend of 25% RAP combined with RAS at either 3% or 5% by total mix weight. Two commercially available polymer fiber types, designated Fiber A and Fiber B, were added at dosages of …

Mapping Coastal Community-Based Tourism Empowerment: Public Policy And Sustainable Development On Bangka Island, Putra Pratama Saputra, Hadiyanto Abdul Rachim, Arie Surya Gutama, Moch. Zaenal Hakim

Jurnal Wacana Politik

This study analyzes the conceptualization and practice of community-based tourism empowerment on Bangka Island, serving as a strategic approach to promote sustainable and inclusive coastal tourism. Employing a qualitative descriptive approach, data were gathered through interviews with nine key informants, observations, and policy document analysis. Findings reveal that these empowerment initiatives significantly strengthen individual and institutional capacities, enhance community participation in tourism planning, and drive economic diversification from extractive industries to sustainable tourism. Furthermore, this approach facilitates economic transformation through the development of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and coastal ecotourism, concurrently reinforcing environmental conservation and cultural preservation. However, …

Regulating Religious Coexistence : The Intricacies Of Interfaith Cooperation In Coastal Kenya, Erik Meinema

Ohio University Press Open Access Books

Regulating Religious Coexistence offers a compelling ethnographic analysis of how Muslims, Christians, and practitioners of indigenous African religions negotiate coexistence in Kenya’s coastal region. The book conceptualizes religious diversity as a dynamic field shaped by multiple partly intersecting and partly conflicting models of interaction. These include the political secularism promoted by the Kenyan state and civil society organizations focused on interfaith harmony, forms of competition between religious groups, and pluralistic practices in which individuals draw on multiple traditions to meet spiritual needs.

Through a close examination of civil society initiatives funded by Western donors to foster peacebuilding and to counter …

Ai-Based Environmental Code Checking Tool For Sustainability Best Management Practices Of Infrastructure Construction Projects, Joseph J. Kim, Pooja D. Chavan

Mineta Transportation Institute

Infrastructure construction and operation are major contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions, which account for approximately one-third of global CO₂ emissions and add to long-term environmental and air quality challenges. Sustainability rating systems such as Envision for infrastructure construction projects provide structured guidance to help teams reduce these impacts, but verifying compliance requires reviewing large volumes of project documents by hand, making the process time consuming and difficult to scale. Therefore, this research develops an AI-based environmental code checking tool that automates the interpretation of project documents and evaluates compliance on lifecycle GHG assessment under Credit CR1.2 of Envision—in other …

Sensing Safety: Developing A Flexible, Portable Alcohol Detection Patch For Community Wellness, Ava Hedayatipour, Ryan Huynh, Wahaab Ademola

Mineta Transportation Institute

Alcohol-impaired driving remains one of the leading causes of traffic fatalities and serious injuries in the United States, posing significant challenges to transportation safety and imposing substantial social and economic costs. Although breathalyzers and wearable alcohol monitoring devices can help detect alcohol consumption, many existing technologies are expensive, bulky, or impractical for continuous, long-term monitoring. This study investigates a lowcost electrochemical sensing platform that could support future wearable alcohol monitoring systems for transportation safety applications. Specifically, the report presents the design, fabrication, and experimental evaluation of a custom screen-printed electrode (SPE) integrated with the Texas Instruments LMP91000 potentiostat. Each disposable …

Hands-On Ransomware: An Experiential Wannacry Case Study For Undergraduate Cybersecurity Education, Eli Creek Richmond, Thomas R. Devine

Military Cyber Affairs

Ransomware represents one of the most disruptive threats in the cyber landscape, yet hands-on malware analysis remains rare in undergraduate cybersecurity curricula. This paper presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of an experiential learning module centered on the WannaCry ransomware case study, deployed in a senior-level course at West Virginia University. Students performed static and dynamic analysis using industry-standard tools. Pre- and post-module assessments demonstrated measurable gains in self-reported competency across seven technical dimensions. The module's competencies align directly with DoD Cyber Workforce Framework Work Role 212, Cyber Defense Forensics Analyst, supporting education-to-workforce pipeline development.

Are We Prepared? A Qualitative Multiple Case Study On Multijurisdictional Readiness And Response Capabilities For Atypical Complex Coordinated Incidents Involving Mass-Casualty Cbrne Threats In The State Of Washington, Christopher J. Gard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Complex coordinated terrorist attacks involving chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) elements, along with active shooter threats, pose significant challenges for first-responding law enforcement officers. Responding to active threats where civilian lives are at immediate risk of serious injury or death requires an immediate, decisive response from the initial officers on the scene. When responders learn that perpetrators have dispersed one or more CBRNE-related weapons during an ongoing violent spree, on-site law enforcement personnel must be appropriately trained and adequately equipped to quickly and decisively confront and neutralize the attacker(s). Because prolonged federal CBRNE response assets can be delayed …

Book Review: Security In The 21st Century Europe, Ionut Popescu

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Author: Andrew Cottey

Reviewed by: Ionut Popescu, associate professor of political science, Texas State University

Europe’s security landscape has shifted dramatically, shaped by new threats like terrorism, energy dependence, and climate change. Security in the 21st Century Europe by Andrew Cottey offers a comprehensive analysis of how traditional interstate conflict has given way to complex policy dilemmas on the continent’s periphery. With a blend of theory and real-world case studies, this essential text explores how NATO, the EU, and national governments are adapting to a transformed strategic environment.

©2026 Ionut Popescu

Identification Of At-Risk Rail Network Segments And Development Of Fragility-Based Resilience Metrics, Haizhong Wang, Brian M. Staes, Benyamin Ghoreishi

Mineta Transportation Institute

This report presents a multi-hazard risk and resilience assessment of the U.S. rail network. The research identifies at-risk rail segments exposed to flash flooding, riverine flooding, extreme heat, and landslides using historical hazard records, federal accident and incident data, and meteorological datasets spanning 2000–2024. Flood exposure is mapped nationally by linking storm records to rail alignments and estimating the frequency and intensity of events at the segment level. For extreme heat, a fragility analysis of 153 documented thermal buckling derailments reveals that a significant share of failures occurred under relatively mild environmental conditions, pointing to infrastructure and maintenance factors rather …

Analysis Of Tiktok Content Marketing Strategy In Building Brand Awarness For Sana Tour Trekking Tour, Sechan Shamic

Journal of Indonesian Tourism and Policy Studies

The paradigm shift in tourist behavior post-COVID-19 has altered market preferences from mass tourism toward a more personalized and quality-oriented special interest tourism, such as outdoor trekking. This phenomenon compels micro-enterprises like Sana Tour to transition their marketing strategies into the digital ecosystem to build brand awareness. This study aims to analyze the organic content packaging formulas on the @sanatourtrekkingbogor TikTok account, map the customer journey path using the 5A Customer Journey framework, and identify the supporting and inhibiting factors of content effectiveness. The research approach employed is qualitative descriptive utilizing Robert Kozinets' Netnography model. Data were gathered through in-depth …

Cyberspace Collaborative Awareness: A Model For Unity Of Effort In Homeland Defense, Mike Knapp, Sean Atkins, Matthew Mclaughlin

Joint Force Quarterly

The increasing frequency and severity of cyberattacks against U.S. critical infrastructure continue to confound homeland defense efforts. Defending against state cyber campaigns that threaten the nation’s most critical systems requires a new awareness model that can enable unity of effort across public and private actors. Examining homeland defense awareness in other domains reveals principles and approaches that can inform the development of a collaborative awareness model in cyberspace. This new framework acknowledges the interconnectedness of government and commercial networks and the independent goals of each player in the domain. Doing so provides a viable path to achieving shared domain awareness …

Boot Camp For The Mind: The Role Of Jpme In Developing National Security Strategists, Joseph Gagliano, Nick Gvosdev, Derek Reveron, Rebecca Russo, Dana Struckman

Joint Force Quarterly

Joint professional military education (JPME) plays a deliberate and pivotal role in an officer’s operational and strategic growth. JPME provides a structured environment for officers to develop the intellectual agility, critical thinking, and collaborative skills necessary to lead complex decisionmaking at headquarters away from the battlefield. Translating broad strategic guidance into employable strategies and executable plans requires (1) assessing the international security environment and (2) analyzing domestic policymaking system constraints. This approach stresses that a comprehensive education in national security affairs must acknowledge that a well-crafted security strategy is meaningless if not informed by the domestic policymaking system that develops …

Building The Mental Golden Dome: Arming The Joint Force For Defensive Cognitive Warfare, James Davitch

Joint Force Quarterly

Modern conflict increasingly hinges on mental strength, yet current military thinking lacks a clear defense for the mind. This article introduces a vital new concept: protecting military personnel from an adversary's attempts to distort their perceptions, disorient their judgment, and degrade their decision-making. Building on established research into behavioral psychology, the essay integrates this defense into existing military functions, proposing practical steps. It offers a precise explanation of this protective strategy, suggests pre-deployment exercises for joint personnel, and outlines ways to measure effectiveness even under pressure. A detailed, multi-year plan describes how to update joint doctrine, create training programs, and …

Examining The Lavelle Affair 54 Years Later: An Injustice That Needs To Be Rectified Now, Mark Clodfelter

Joint Force Quarterly

Mark Clodfelter reexamines the case of U.S. Air Force Major General John D. Lavelle, who was relieved as commander of Seventh Air Force in 1972 and reduced in retired rank following allegations that he ordered unauthorized airstrikes against North Vietnam and the falsification of mission reports. Drawing on documentary and recorded evidence, including materials that remained classified until 2015, Clodfelter challenges the findings of earlier congressional and official reviews. He argues that Lavelle acted within an ambiguous command environment shaped by evolving North Vietnamese air defenses, unclear rules of engagement, and guidance from senior military and civilian leaders. The article …

Determining Operational Objectives, Milan Vego

Joint Force Quarterly

Full knowledge and understanding of the true meaning of operational objectives are the main prerequisites for sound planning and execution of major operations A major operations (on land, at sea, in the air) is aimed at accomplishing a single operational objective. They can be conducted predominantly by a single service or two or more services. A campaign in a high-intensity conventional war consists of a series of related major/joint operations (on land, in the air, at sea) plus numerous tactical actions aimed to achieve a single military- or theater-strategic objective. Yet despite their importance, relatively little attention is …

From Data To Victory: The Race For Analytic Superiority In Warfare, Robert Grossman, Emily Goldman

Joint Force Quarterly

Artificial intelligence technologies have reached a tipping point after decades of development. They are diffusing widely across defense and national security applications. Twenty-first century warfighters rely on analytic models in all systems, at all echelons, and in all domains. As more powerful models built on ever larger data sets become ubiquitous, militaries are in a new competition to deploy artificial intelligence. Operational art must embrace “analytic superiority.” This is the operational advantage from collecting and ingesting data, building robust models and computing infrastructure, deploying the models into operational systems, and denying adversaries' ability to do the same

This article explains …

Executive Summary, William T. Eliason

Joint Force Quarterly

In his executive summary for Joint Force Quarterly 120, Editor in Chief William T. Eliason reflects on the 40th anniversary of the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 and its enduring influence on jointness, military command relationships, and defense reform. He examines General David C. Jones’s role in advancing reforms that strengthened the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, streamlined the operational chain of command, and improved cooperation among the military Services. Eliason also considers continuing debates over the law’s effectiveness and the future organization of the joint force. He then introduces the issue’s articles on cyber …

Joint Force Quarterly, Issue 120, 3rd Quarter 2026, National Defense University Press

Joint Force Quarterly

Joint Force Quarterly 120, 3rd Quarter 2026, focuses on contemporary defense strategy, joint warfighting, professional military education, operational innovation, and military sustainment. The issue opens with Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge A. Colby’s discussion of the logic underlying the 2026 National Defense Strategy and an executive summary reflecting on the 40th anniversary of the Goldwater-Nichols Act and the future of jointness. Forum articles address analytic superiority in warfare, the development of operational objectives, and new evidence concerning the Lavelle Affair. Contributions on joint professional military education explore defensive cognitive warfare, strategist development, and cyberspace collaboration for homeland defense. …

Child Care Deserts In Mountain West Congressional Districts, 2024, Cason Noll, Yash Kalla, Yiselle Olivas Ruiz, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet presents data on child care deserts across 28 congressional districts in the five Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah as of 2024. The percentage of young children residing in a child care desert and the urban, suburban, or rural designation of each congressional district are included. The Center for American Progress (CAP) report, ‘America’s Child Care Crisis Leaves Many Families Without Access to Licensed Care,’ includes data on all 435 U.S. congressional districts.

Multimodal Solutions For The Detection Of Safety-Related Railroad Objects Under Adverse Weather: Architectures, Proof-Of-Concepts, And Performance Results, Hayder Radha

Mineta Transportation Institute

The emergence of high-resolution automotive grade lidar sensor technologies and the development of advanced deep- learning frameworks open the door for accurate and real-time perception of the surroundings of mobile trains for improved safety and operational efficiency. Under this project, we developed key components and proof-of-concepts of lidar-based multimodal solutions that rely on advanced deep- learning methods and utilize object detection approaches to demonstrate the feasibility of real-time detection of objects and events that could represent major safety issues for moving trains. The detected objects could be vehicles or people trespassing a railroad track, or they could be hazardous objects …

Without A Map: A Lived Experience Study Of The Paths People Create Through Homelessness, Kathleen P. Conte, Susan Avila, Desiree' J. Duboise, Carlton Bone, Marisa A. Zapata, Transformational Research For Equity And Experience In Shelter (Trees) Committee

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

The Pathways to Housing Study examines how people experience and navigate homelessness and the systems intended to help them move toward stable housing. Conducted in Multnomah County, Oregon, the study used a participatory mixed-methods design co-led with the TREES lived experience committee. The first phase was reported in April 2026 included surveys with 541 people with current or recent experience of homelessness. The second phase, reported here, used in-depth interviews and journey mapping with 29 participants to explore how pathways through homelessness unfold over time and across service systems.

Findings demonstrate that homelessness pathways are rarely linear. Participants described entering …

“As The Developing Situation Warrants”: U.S. Counterterrorism Policy Considered Through The 1994 Gerry Adams Visa Debate, Olivia T. Sullivan

Swarthmore Undergraduate History Journal

This thesis analyzes the 1994 U.S. decision to grant Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams a visa and what it reveals about American counterterrorism policy in the immediate post–Cold War period. Long suspected of senior involvement in the Provisional Irish Republican Army during the Troubles (1968–1998), Adams had previously been denied entry under terrorism-related immigration provisions. His case became a flashpoint inside the U.S. government: officials debated whether diplomatic opportunity, domestic political incentives, and momentum toward peace in Northern Ireland warranted a departure from the prior “no concessions” posture toward IRA-linked figures. Situating the controversy within U.S. terrorism discourse from the …

Cost Analysis Of Integrated Genderaffirming And Sexual Health Services For Transgender Women In Thailand: Evidence From The Tangerine Clinic, Braprut Sawatwipachai, Kunncadah Anuwong, Nittaya Phanuphak, Rena Janamnuaysook, Kritima Samitpol, Sujin Nitadpakorn

The Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Background: Transgender women experience a disproportionate burden of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) globally and in Thailand. Integrating gender-affirming care into sexual health services may improve uptake of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) testing, treatment, and prevention. Cost data are essential to inform program planning and policy decisions regarding inclusion of such services within Thailand’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) system.
Objectives: To estimate the full and unit costs of trans-led, integrated gender-affirming and sexual health services along the HIV care cascade.
Methods: Costs of Tangerine Clinic services in 2021 were assessed from the provider perspective, using standard and activity-based costing …

Studying Extreme Weather Event Impacts For Transit-Reliant Unhoused Populations, Costanza Rampini, Serena Alexander, Jeff Wootton, Amruta Ashish Gandhi

Mineta Transportation Institute

No abstract provided.

Healthcare System Barriers To Somali Refugees In Kenya, Zahra Sharif Hashim

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Access to health care is a fundamental right of every refugee, yet gaps in implementing Kenya's Refugees Acts of 2006 and 2021 continue to limit access for Somali refugees in Dadaab camp. Existing research has documented resource constraints, movement restrictions, and other barriers to refugee health care, but how policy implementation gaps shape access in Dadaab has not been well explored. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to understand barriers to health care access for Somali refugees resulting from gaps in implementing Kenya's refugee health policies. The narrative policy framework guided the study. Data from semistructured interviews with …

Youths' Responses To Street-Level Bureaucratic Failures In Lebialem, Division Cameroon, Forchenmbin Charles Abessoh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

A Study On Police Budgets And Impact On Public Safety, Vera Thompson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Law enforcement agencies face ongoing organizational and resource challenges, yet there is limited research on how changes in police funding relate to crime rates and violent crime. There has been increased public awareness concerning police related encounters with civilians, and this has intensified debates about reducing law enforcement budgets. Current literature indicates that although police funding, staffing, and community trust are closely associated with public safety outcomes, empirical evidence on the relationship between police budget reductions and changes in violent crime and overall crime rates remains limited and insufficient to support definitive policy conclusions. The purpose of this quantitative study …

Authoritarianism, Hostility And Threat: An Analysis Of American Political Podcasts Surrounding The 2024 Presidential Election, Noah D. Cohen

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Political rhetoric surrounding key events has seen sharp increases in emotionally affective speech, intergroup sentiment, and rhetoric unbecoming of democratic societies in recent years. Similarly, semi-democratic and ideologically driven speech has become increasingly normalized within an era of political polarization and hardline beliefs in modern media. Within this economy of outrage, sensational and largely unmoderated media formats, particularly podcasts, have become a mainstay of political information and discourse. This raises an important question: how does rhetoric surrounding political events construct intergroup sentiment and authoritarian rhetoric within political media, particularly American political podcasts? Further, given political podcasts’ growing social influence in …