“Dark” Narratives Of Venezuelan Migrants In Trinidad And Tobago: Voices Of Gratitude And Resilience In A Foreign Land, Susan Chand

Adventist Human-Subject Researchers Association

This study explored narratives of Venezuelan migrants in Trinidad during and post COVID-19 lockdown. Key themes of “gratitude” and “resilience” emerged despite exploitation and discrimination migrants faced in a foreign land. “Dark Ethnography” concept is applied to understand migrants’ lived experiences and the church’s role in integrating to new environment.

“Me Siento Como En Puerto Rico” : Puerto Rican Diaspora Communities’ Placemaking Through Urban Agri-Culture, Zuleima Esmeralda Vázquez-Carrillo

Theses - ALL

Puerto Ricans have a long history of migrating to the U.S., historically laboring as farmworkers, a result of colonial displacement and economic restructuring. Some Puerto Ricans who migrated to the U.S. engage in Urban Agriculture, helping them maintain ties to their cultural identity by growing Puerto Rican foods and creating gardening and farming spaces that resemble the Puerto Rican landscape. While critical food and UA scholars have vastly studied the connections between placemaking and food justice through the experiences of immigrants, the Puerto Rican diaspora has been largely overlooked. Drawing from interviews and landscape analysis from field visits in Puerto …

There Are No Good Landlords: Deconstructing Discourses Of The “Mom And Pop” Landlord In Syracuse, Ny, Natalie Mclaughlin

Theses - ALL

This thesis examines how landlords operating in Syracuse, NY’s high poverty neighborhoods use discourse to legitimize their class interests and reinforce their dominance in a postindustrial, neoliberalizing city. Drawing on interviews and participant observation with members of the Central New York Landlord Association, it explores how landlord narratives are shaped by, and help reproduce, the interconnected structures of urban neoliberalism, racial capitalism, and settler colonialism. While the City of Syracuse promotes redevelopment strategies to attract private capital and raise property values, many landlords continue to profit from long-term disinvestment and tenant confinement to the city’s poorest rental markets. Local landlord …

Bench Strength: How Powerful Are Supreme Courts In Common Law Countries Really?, Nilesh Sinha

Dissertations - ALL

This thesis examines the extent of judicial power exercised by the top constitutional courts in common law countries, using judicial review as a proxy for this power. I analyze three apex constitutional courts—the supreme courts of the United States, India, and Canada—as they all engage in strong-form judicial review and have been referred to at different times by various scholars as “the most powerful court in the world.” To frame my analysis, I explore how these courts have evolved in power throughout their histories. I employ comparative historical analysis (CHA) and construct a typology that accounts for how these courts, …

Stepping Into Who I Fully Am: A Creative Exploration Of Autistic Menopause, Mx Rose Matthews, Christine A. Jenkins, Margaret Janse Van Rensburg, Miranda J. Brady, Rachel L. Moseley, Julie M. Gamble-Turner

Faculty and Staff Publications

Research suggests that perimenopause can compound existing struggles for some Autistic people, with potentially catastrophic consequences. Barriers to self-expression due to communication differences are also well-documented. Acknowledging this, our neurodiverse research team invited creative submissions themed around Autistic experiences of menopause, receiving works from six Autistic participants including paintings, poetry, and graphic works. Engaging with the six creative submissions, Autistic Community Researchers on our team produced reflexive, polytextual response works. Creative exploration of Autistic menopause encouraged emotional catharsis, self-understanding, and activism/artivism. Autistic Community Researchers noted transcendent, almost “magical” dimensions of connecting with other Autistic people’s lived experiences. Our creative emancipatory …

Reparative Justice In Late Twentieth Century Africa: The O.A.U, Durban, And Accra Reparations Conferences, Franklin Donudenu Adorsu

Theses - ALL

This thesis explores the evolution of African-led transnational reparations campaigns from the final decade of the twentieth century through the early decades of the twenty-first. It examines how reparative justice initiatives have emerged in response to the enduring legacies of slavery, colonialism, and systemic racial oppression, and how these campaigns reflect both historical memory and contemporary demands for justice by Africans and people of African descent worldwide. While early reparations discourse often centered on the diaspora, this research argues that recent mobilizations on the African continent in attempts to seek redress for historical injustices, particularly the 1993 Abuja Conference, the …

Cultivating Post-Soviet Gardens: Seed Saving And The Household Plot In Rural Tajikistan, Katherine Macdonald

Dissertations - ALL

Over the last five years, local NGOs across Tajikistan have established community-based seed banks to support households cultivating agrobiodiverse kitchen gardens. While social movements to preserve local crop varieties are well-documented in other rural contexts, they are new to Central Asia and had gone without study. This dissertation brings together insights from political ecology, feminist political economy, and critical agrarian studies to explore how and why this effort emerged and what rural women’s participation in it signals about life-making in Tajikistan’s post-Soviet countryside. Drawing on qualitative fieldwork and document analysis, I argue that community-based seed banks are a response to …

Living Heritage, Resilience And Ethically Informed Infrastructures In Malawi, Martha B. Lerski, Frank Puluputu Mwale

Publications and Research

Rooted in a rural community’s needs, this paper explores how historically, and ethically informed infrastructures can support community engagement towards identification, documentation, and dissemination of local, traditional, and indigenous knowledge relating to climate change. The paper examines climate adaptation and sustainability issues through the lenses of community organizing and Library & Information Science best practices. It draws on a growing body of literature identifying a role for expanded epistemological and subject discipline perspectives. While the impacts of climate on material culture are increasingly recognized, intangible, and biocultural heritage have not received as much attention. Living heritage traditions and knowledge systems …

A4) Religious Tourism And Religiosity Among Generation Z From A Postsecular Context, Elzbieta Bilska-Wodecka, Justyna Liro

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Due to historical conditions and the social-cultural changes in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries among other factors, and despite secular processes, remarkably, religious and spiritual motives still continue to be common among travellers around the world. Therefore, the popularity of religious and spiritual travel cannot be simply explained by the growth in the religiosity of societies. It should be emphasized that this is postmodern phenomenon, reflecting one of the indirect aspects of post secularization, especially in European societies, and a way for individuals to affirm their faith. In contemporary societies, religiosity of Europe is experiencing profound transformations, especially among young …

Participatory Exhibitions As An Awareness-Raising Platform For Bird Window Collisions, Janina Carla Castro, Jelaine Gan, Nancy Longnecker

CSID Journal of Infrastructure Development

Bird window strikes pose a significant threat to avian populations in urban settings. Understanding public attitudes toward this issue is vital for communicating the problem and possible interventions, such as applying window stickers. Bird Window Strike Philippines, a citizen science initiative, has promoted awareness through online engagement and a public pop-up exhibition designed to leave a lasting impression and gather visitor feedback. The exhibition introduced Filipino audiences to bird-window collisions through educational and participatory elements, including interpretive panels, taxidermied bird specimens, and window models demonstrating prevention techniques. Its central message was: “Bird window strikes are a problem, and we can …

Profiling Of Physical Activity Usage In Selected Urban Green Spaces In Marikina City, Trizsa Jasmin C. Ty, Alberto L. Dimarucut, Camille B. Castro, Danielle Naomi L. Uy

CSID Journal of Infrastructure Development

Urban Green Spaces (UGS) play an important role in providing opportunities for physical activity in urbanized cities. This observational cross-sectional study aims to profile two selected UGS, namely Marikina River Park and Marikina Heights Park Complex, in Marikina City, in the context of their use for physical activity and recreation. Interviews with two government officials were conducted to collect data on the historical background of the selected parks. Systematic observation, using the System for Observation of Play and Recreation in Communities tool, was conducted to observe park visitors and their physical activity for four days in each park. Each park’s …

Agricultural Extension In An Urban Informal Settlement During Covid-19: The Effectiveness Of The “Tanimang Bayan” Initiative In Sitio San Roque, North Triangle, Quezon City, Patrice Bianca R. Yapjoco

CSID Journal of Infrastructure Development

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed deep inequalities in food access, particularly in urban informal settlements. This study examines the effectiveness of the “Tanimang Bayan” initiative, an urban agriculture project implemented in Sitio San Roque, Quezon City, as a form of agricultural extension during the pandemic. The research adopts a qualitative approach, drawing on data from key informant interviews, participant observation, and secondary sources. Findings indicate that the initiative provided a localized response to food insecurity by enhancing access to fresh produce and promoting community-led production. It also supported collective action and self-organization among residents, strengthening their autonomy in navigating structural limitations. …

Keynote 1: Sacred Landscapes And Pilgrimages: The Spatial Manifestation Of Religious Beliefs, Darius Liutikas

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This presentation explores the intricate relationship between religious practices and sacred landscapes, emphasizing how beliefs, rituals, and pilgrimage shape and transform these spaces. It examines the spatial expressions of faith and their impact on cultural landscapes, revealing the dynamic interplay between religion and the physical environment. Sacred spaces, including houses for worship and pilgrimage sites, serve as focal points for worship, contemplation, and communal rituals, linking the spiritual and material worlds.

The study highlights the existential cycle of sacred spaces, comprising five stages: creation, affirmation, preservation, reuse, and destruction. These phases demonstrate the evolving nature of sacred landscapes, reflecting shifts …

The Evolution Of Global Gold And Copper Trade Networks, Oleksandr Hulianskyi

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

Gold and copper have emerged as two of the most vital commodities in global trade. Despite serving distinct purposes, their international trade networks reveal interconnected patterns, critical to understanding the dynamics of global economics. This paper studies these attributes and their evolution during the last 36 years for both metals and finds correlations between them. The first part of the research is focused on the sustainability of networks through efficiency and robustness indexes; the second part is dedicated to interconnectedness – the Louvain and Bayesian SBM algorithms, partition, and modularity instruments are used. Community detection algorithms provide valuable insights into …

Geo-Historical Analysis Of Earthquakes In Palestine: Spatial Distribution And Risk Exploration To Enhance Contribution To Decision-Making, Yacoub Al-Qasasfeh

Journal of the Arab American University مجلة الجامعة العربية الامريكية للبحوث

This study examines the historical evolution of earthquakes in Palestine from 760 BCE to 2023 CE. The aim is to comprehend and provide insights for decision-makers regarding the seismic nature of the region. The study traces the movement of tectonic plates across various geological eras, analyzing the resulting changes in the geology of Palestine and their role in shaping its current morphology. Using a descriptive, historical, and analytical approach, the study relies on relevant reports and studies. The seismic movements, including medium, strong, and violent earthquakes, were tracked over an extended period. The study calculated the periodic average for each …

Urban Sprawl On Agricultural Lands In Marj Ibn Amer Plain (1973-2022) - Palestine (Using Modern Geographical Techniques), Mustafa Jarrar

Journal of the Arab American University مجلة الجامعة العربية الامريكية للبحوث

This study aims at the spatial analysis of urban expansion in the plain of Marj Ibn Amer at the expense of agricultural lands in the period between 1973 to 2022, using geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing RS, Depending on the Landsat satellite image, which were processed, improved, classified and analyzed, and then quantitative calculations were made for urban expansion , It has been shown by the results obtained that the volume of urban sprawl on agricultural lands in the Marj Ibn Amer plain has evolved from 53.59 km2 in 1973 to 164.22 km2 in 2022 , and the …

Harnessing Generative Ai And Large Language Models For Revolutionizing Cybersecurity In The Internet Of Things: Ethical And Privacy Implications, Harsha Sammangi, Aditya Jagatha, Jun Liu

Research & Publications

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs) have in- troduced transformative capabilities in cybersecurity, particularly in securing Internet of Things (IoT) environments. These technologies can synthesize vast datasets, support real-time anomaly detection, and generate predictive insights through simple prompts. However, their deployment also presents ethical and privacy-related concerns, including algorithmic bias, data leakage, and misuse for malicious content creation. This paper conducts a systematic literature review to evaluate how LLMs and generative AI contribute to IoT cybersecurity. We propose an ethical AI-IoT security framework, examine key challenges, and offer recommendations for integrating responsible AI governance. We aim to …

The Critical Definitions For Measuring Homelessness: Implication For Homeless Policy Formulation From Developed Countries To Thailand, Surasak Wongsa

Journal of Demography

Homelessness phenomenon is facing in countries. In the past, the definition of homelessness was based on a materialistic mindset or the principle of objectivity, which viewed problems as tangible and visible objects. Looking at social problems based on objectivity leads to a definition of homelessness that includes only those who are sleeping on the streets and people living in government shelters by identifying the causal factors of homelessness at the individual level, especially mental illness, crime, and drug use. Defining homelessness objectively also involves counting methods that measure the characteristics of homelessness using street counts from the locations where homeless …

A Comprehensive Systematic Review Of Machine Learning Applications In Assessing Land Use/Cover Dynamics And Their Impact On Land Surface Temperatures, Rasool Vahid, Mohamed Aly

Environmental Dynamics Faculty Publications and Presentations

In a world experiencing rapid urbanization, the phenomenon of land surface temperature (LST) variation has invited substantial attention due to its profound impact on the environment and human well-being. Changes in land use and land cover (LULC) within urban areas significantly influence the dynamics of LST and are a major driver of urban eco-environmental change. The complex connections between LULC dynamics, LST, and climate change are investigated in this systematic review, with a focus on the combined effects of these variables and the use of Machine Learning (ML) techniques. The data in this study, based on peer-reviewed publications from the …

Mapping Responsible Workflows For Geospatial Data Science: Developing The I-Guide Data Ethics Toolkit, Peter T. Darch, Kyra M. Abrams, Ivan Y M Kong

I-GUIDE Forum

AI workflows in geospatial data science offer significant societal benefits but raise ethical, transparency, and reproducibility challenges. Current ethical frameworks and tools are often hard to integrate into daily research practice. This paper introduces the I-GUIDE Data Ethics Toolkit (DET), a lightweight suite designed for users of the NSF-funded Institute for Geospatial Understanding through an Integrative Discovery Environment (I-GUIDE). Based on a longitudinal mixed-methods study, including surveys, interviews, and observations, we identified five design priorities: usability, anticipatory planning, distributed responsibility, comprehensive coverage, and policy compliance. We integrated existing AI and data research lifecycles into an eight-stage I-GUIDE Research Lifecycle, serving …

Evaluating The Evaluation Matrices: Integrating Spatial Assessment In Geospatial Ai Model Training And Evaluation, Fangzheng Lyu

I-GUIDE Forum

This paper examines the limitations of current evaluation metrics in GeoAI. Through two case studies on deep learning models—a building detection classification problem and a remote sensing image fusion regression problem—this paper demonstrates how traditional statistical evaluation matrices alone can be misleading in geospatial problems. The findings indicate that traditional metrics (e.g., RMSE, MAE) used in current GeoAI models can have difficulty capturing the spatial dimensions inherent to geospatial problems. This paper suggests that the model evaluation process in GeoAI should move beyond traditional evaluation matrices by integrating spatial thinking throughout the modeling pipeline—not only incorporating spatial accuracy in model …

Expanding Access To Cybergis-Compute Through Support For Heterogeneous Workflows, Alexander C. Michels, Ian Zhang, Anand Padmanabhan, John Speaks, Rebecca Vandewalle, Shaowen Wang

I-GUIDE Forum

CyberGIS-Compute is a geospatial middleware tool designed to lower technical barriers to High-Performance Computing (HPC) resources. It provides end-users with a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for submitting models to HPC and allows model developers to contribute their workflows by adding a manifest to their repositories. However, the simplification of the user interface and streamlining of model contribution have unintentionally limited the scope of models that could be run on CyberGIS-Compute. In this paper, we discuss recent developments to the CyberGIS-Compute project that are aimed at supporting a wider variety of workflows including performance enhancements, supporting additional configuration options for jobs, …

Assessing Vulnerabilities Associated With High-Risk Dams In Utah, Courtney Flint Dr., Michael Englert, Upmanu Lall Dr.

I-GUIDE Forum

Across the United States, the age of dam infrastructure presents a substantial threat. The potential for structural failure associated with these aging dams is exacerbated by increased climate uncertainty and the threat of dam overtopping due to extreme and prolonged precipitation events. These compound threats place downstream areas at pronounced risk. These downstream areas vary widely. Some are relatively free of vulnerable elements, while others have a complex mix of infrastructure, populations, and ecologically important elements. This paper highlights the risk situation associated with aging dams and hydroclimatic extremes, the methodological and geospatial challenges and opportunities associated with mapping the …

تقييم تجربة الإصلاح والتحديث السياسي في الأردن (2011-2023), Tamara Ahmad Yousef Aledwan, Mohd Khair Sulieman A.Eiedat

Journal of the Association of Arab Universities for Research in Higher Education مجلة اتحاد الجامعات العربية للبحوث في التعليم العالي

هدفت الدراسة إلى بيان مفهوم التحديث ومفهوم الإصلاح السياسي، وخصائصه وأهدافه، وإلقاء الضوء على أبرز مضامين الإصلاح السياسي في الأردن خلال الأعوام 2011-2023، ومحاولة تقييم تجربة الإصلاح والتحديث السياسي في الأردن خلال تلك الفترة. وقد توصلت الدراسة إلى أن التجربة الإصلاحية في الأردن تتميز بالتدرج والسلمية، حيث إنها مستمرة منذ عهد الاستقلال في العام 1946، ولكن هناك محددات إقليمية تحول دون استكمال هذه التجربة، ومن أهم المحددات الإقليمية التي أثرت بشكل كبير على الإصلاح السياسي كانت ثورات الربيع العربي التي دفعت النظام السياسي الأردني إلى القيام بإصلاحات كثيرة كان من أهمها تعديل ثلث الدستور الأردني، تبعه تعديلان في العام (2014)، …

Community Engagement In Digital Banking: Insights From Jakarta And Perth, Safaruddin Husada, Ulani Yunus, Latifa Ramonita, Mark Mcmahon

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: In the digital era, community engagement plays a pivotal role in driving market share expansion in the banking sector, yet the impact of such initiatives across diverse regulatory and cultural contexts remains underexplored. Purpose: This study examines the influence of community engagement on the digital bank market share in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Perth, Australia, while addressing disparities in digital access and customer experience. Methods: Employing a quantitative methodology, the study analyzed structured surveys from 300 respondents (150 each from Jakarta and Perth) to uncover relationships between community engagement and market expansion. Results: Findings reveal that robust community engagement significantly …

Nepaliness As Assemblage: Diasporic Belonging, Colorism, And Caste In The Associational Life Of Nepali Migrants In Florida, Shuvechha Ghimire Sharma

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The research fundamentally challenges romanticized ideas of migration—shedding older inequalities, idealizing “leveling up,” and being a part of “unified diasporic communities”—and unmasks a rather uneasy, far more intricate reality: the preexisting sociocultural and political structures and identities are not shed, rather actively reproduced and rigorously, often consciously, reconfigured within the transnational diasporic spaces. As such, the research reveals that Nepali diasporic associations in Florida play a vital role in perpetuating and reshaping social inequalities and contested national identities, significantly impacting transnational dynamics. The work contends that caste hierarchies persist in structuring associational life, influencing participation and resource distribution. Concurrently, colorism …

Ways Of Living And Knowing, Reem El Hassan Mohamed

Theses and Dissertations

After decades of sedentarization, the Muzeina tribe in South Sinai now has new generations born into sedentary lifestyles, never experiencing nomadism like their ancestors once did. This shift has impacted their knowledge system, traditionally shaped by interactions and kinship with nature. Exposure to social media is influencing younger generations' ways of living, raising the older generations’ concerns about their Bedouin identity. Despite being one of the largest tribes in South Sinai, the Muzeina are rarely represented in literature.

This ethnography explores the impact of sedentarization and contextual developments on the Muzeina's knowledge system, inherited from their ancestors. Muzeina’s relationship, and …

“Redefining The Fortress” Migrant Experiences, Adaptation And Connection Within Serbian Borderlands, Nicholas J. Leone

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract This thesis seeks to examine migrant experiences due to Serbia's geopolitical significance along the so-called Balkan route, and how this is specifically exemplified in the northern autonomous region of Vojvodina. Serbia’s position outside the external border of the European Union has caused it to be a strategic transit point for migrants en route to desired destinations, typically within Western and Northern Europe. However, the European Union’s externalization policies in partnership with Serbian authorities have played an extensive role in migration mobility patterns and humanitarian conditions for migrants traversing within the Serbian borderlands, specifically along the border with Hungary. The …

Ai Avatars In Hospitality Employee Training: Transforming Learning Through Innovation, Eulanda A. Sanders, Nikol K. Lopez Llantuy, Li Jiang

ICHRIE Research Reports

The hospitality industry faces challenges in delivering consistent, engaging, and scalable training. Traditional training often fails to address cost, efficiency, and learner engagement. Organizations are turning to technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance employee development, including AI-driven avatars. Drawing on recent literature in microlearning, avatar-mediated education, and technological adoption models, this study examines the potential of AI avatars to personalize instruction, enhance accessibility, reduce costs, and enhance learning outcomes. Content analysis of fifteen YouTube videos reveals ten themes associated with the use of AI avatars in real-world hospitality settings. The report includes implementation guidelines for integrating AI avatars into …

Planches, Cases, Bulles Entre Les Langues : Représentations Des Langues Dans Le Roman Graphique « Le Piano Oriental » De Zeina Abirached, Chiara Denti

Al-Kīmiyā

Published in France by Casterman in 2015, Le piano oriental is the fifth graphic novel by French Lebanese comic artist Zeina Abirached. Like her previous graphic works, this book is part of the autobiographical comics movement, although it takes a slightly different perspective. The author is no longer dealing with the facts of collective history, recounting the Beirut of her childhood ravaged by civil war, but she explores her linguistic biography, reflecting on her bilingualism and her dual heritage. Combining images and words, Le piano oriental retraces the author’s linguistic journey and the experience of a mother tongue that is …