Digital Commons Network^™

Key Factors To Promote Successful Comprehensive Reentry Initiatives, Jeff Mellow, Kevin Barnes-Ceeney

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

From page 22: "In this article we describe key features of CRIs, their goals, and critical implementation indicators identified from the literature and experience that must be considered to ensure the short- and long-term success of high-quality multifaceted reentry initiatives. The factors will provide a roadmap to policy makers, program and initiative developers, and practitioners when they consider the time, resources, and engagement levels to successfully implement a new reentry initiative."

Achieving Totally Local Anticoagulation On Blood Contacting Devices, Rana Gbyli, Anna Mercaldi, Harihara Sundaram, Kagya Amoako

Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

The recent years have witnessed an increased activity in biocompatibility research aimed at limiting biomaterial-induced blood coagulation. From 2008 to 2016, a total of $36,946,764.00 USD was awarded in grants to 213 research proposals and as large as 50.4% ($18,627,854.00) of that award monies were distributed to 101 proposals over the fiscal years of FY14 to FY16 alone. However, the complexity in blood responses to biomaterials, variability in blood function between individuals and animal species, and differences in medical device application and test setting all continue to pose difficulties in making a breakthrough in this field. This review focuses on …

Morphologically-Directed Raman Spectroscopy For Forensic Soil Analysis, Brooke Weinger Kammrath, Andrew Koutrakos, Josemar A. Castillo, Cathryn Langley, Debbie Huck-Jones

Forensic Science Publications

Morphologically-directed Raman spectroscopy (MDRS) is a novel yet reliable analytical technique that can be used for a variety of forensic applications, enabling scientists to gain more information from samples than they obtain using more traditional methods. In soil forensics, MDRS delivers particle size distribution and microscopic morphological characteristics for the particles present, and at the same time allows secure mineral identification. In this article, we explore the benefits of utilizing soil in forensic investigations, and demonstrate the value of applying MDRS. Two case studies illustrate the real-life potential and applications of this technology.

Some Remarks On Ricci Solitons, Ramesh Sharma, S Balasubramanian, N. Uday Kiran

Mathematics Faculty Publications

We obtain an intrinsic formula of a Ricci soliton vector field and a differential condition for the non-steady case to be gradient. Next we provide a condition for a Ricci soliton on a Kaehler manifold to be a Kaehler–Ricci soliton. Finally we give an example supporting the first result.

The International Reit’S Time-Varying Response To The U.S. Monetary Policy And Macroeconomic Surprises, Hardik Marfatia, Rangan Gupta, Esin Cakan

Economics & Business Analytics Faculty Publications

International real estate markets and the ever increasing role of the U.S. economic and policy developments have played a central role both in international portfolio management as well as broader economic policy making. In this paper, we measure the extent of time-varying impact of the U.S. monetary policy and macroeconomic news on the international Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) stock returns. Results suggest that there has been significant variation both across time and across countries in the impact of U.S. news on the global REIT stocks. Further, the country’s stock market capitalization to GDP ratio has strong connections with the …

Antimicrobial Activity Of Bee Venom And Melittin Against Borrelia Burgdorferi, Kayla Socarras, Priyanka A. Theophilus, Jason Torres, Khusali Gupta, Eva Sapi

Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications

Lyme disease is a tick-borne, multi-systemic disease, caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Though antibiotics are used as a primary treatment, relapse often occurs after the discontinuation of antimicrobial agents. The reason for relapse remains unknown, however previous studies suggest the possible presence of antibiotic resistant Borrelia round bodies, persisters and attached biofilm forms. Thus, there is an urgent need to find antimicrobial agents suitable to eliminate all known forms of B. burgdorferi. In this study, natural antimicrobial agents such as Apis mellifera venom and a known component, melittin, were tested using SYBR Green I/PI, direct cell counting, biofilm …

A Hierarchical Approach For Creating Electrically Conductive Network Structure In Polyurethane Nanocomposites Using A Hybrid Of Graphene Nanoplatelets, Carbon Black And Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes, Pashupati Pokharel, Dequan Xiao, Folarin Erogbogbo, Ozgur Keles, Dai Soo Lee

Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Faculty Publications

Hierarchical organization of carbon nanomaterials is the best strategy to combine desirable factors and synergistically impart mechanical and electrical properties to polymers. Here, we investigate the relaxation behavior of carbon nanofillers filled polyurethane (PU) with special reference to particle size and aspect ratio, filler morphology, filler loading to understand the conductive network formation of fillers in the PU matrix. Typically, an addition of 2 wt% hybrid fillers of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), conductive carbon black (CB) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in PU at 1:1:2 mass ratio (GCM112-PU2) showed lowest surface resistivity ~10^6.8 ohm/sq along with highest improved mechanical properties. …

Sasakian Manifolds With Purely Transversal Bach Tensor, Amalendu Ghosh, Ramesh Sharma

Mathematics Faculty Publications

We show that a (2n + 1)-dimensional Sasakian manifold (M, g) with a purely transversal Bach tensor has constant scalar curvature ≥2n(2n+1), equality holding if and only if (M, g) is Einstein. For dimension 3, M is locally isometric to the unit sphere S³. For dimension 5, if in addition (M, g) is complete, then it has positive Ricci curvature and is compact with finite fundamental group π₁(M).

A Comparative Analysis Of Protein And Peroxidase Blood Enhancement Reagents Following Laundering And Their Impact On Dna Recovery, Gabrielle Hartley, Claire L. Glynn

Forensic Science Publications

Blood is a commonly encountered biological fluid in criminal investigations concerning a violent incident, and visual traces of the fluid on a suspect’s clothing can be diminished through laundering. This study aims to analyze the effects of laundering and the application of commercially available blood enhancement reagents commonly used to improve visualization of dilute bloodstains and their impact on DNA recovery. Enhancement reagents Hungarian Red, Coomassie Blue, Amido Black, luminol, Bluestar® Forensic Magnum, and aqueous Leuco Crystal Violet (LCV) were used to enhance human blood on cotton, polyester, denim, and wool following laundering. DNA was extracted from these samples using …

Forensic State Acquisition From Internet Of Things (Fsaiot): A General Framework And Practical Approach For Iot Forensics Through Iot Device State Acquisition, Christopher S. Meffert, Devon R. Clark, Ibrahim Baggili, Frank Breitinger

Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

IoT device forensics is a difficult problem given that manufactured IoT devices are not standardized, many store little to no historical data, and are always connected; making them extremely volatile. The goal of this paper was to address these challenges by presenting a primary account for a general framework and practical approach we term Forensic State Acquisition from Internet of Things (FSAIoT). We argue that by leveraging the acquisition of the state of IoT devices (e.g. if an IoT lock is open or locked), it becomes possible to paint a clear picture of events that have occurred. To this end, …

Breaking Into The Vault: Privacy, Security And Forensic Analysis Of Android Vault Applications, Xiaolu Zhang, Ibrahim Baggili, Frank Breitinger

Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

In this work we share the first account for the forensic analysis, security and privacy of Android vault applications. Vaults are designed to be privacy enhancing as they allow users to hide personal data but may also be misused to hide incriminating files. Our work has already helped law enforcement in the state of Connecticut to reconstruct 66 incriminating images and 18 videos in a single criminal case. We present case studies and results from analyzing 18 Android vault applications (accounting for nearly 220 million downloads from the Google Play store) by reverse engineering them and examining the forensic artifacts …

The Effect Of Fabric Type And Laundering Conditions On The Detection Of Semen Stains, Tyler G. Schlagetter, Claire L. Glynn

Forensic Science Publications

There has been little research into the effect of fabric type and different laundering conditions on the ability to detect semen stains on washed fabrics. This study aimed to investigate three potential factors affecting semen identification on laundered clothing: fabric type, water temperature during washing, and whether the stain was dry at the time of washing. Following laundering, semen stains on four fabric types (cotton, polyester, denim, and wool) were examined and tested with three common methods used to detect semen; screening with an alternate light source, acid phosphatase press test, and histological staining of spermatazoa. It was determined that …

Performance Study On Evacuated Tubular Collector Coupled Solar Still In West Texas Climate, Roy Issa, Byungik Chang

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Experimental study was performed on a single basin active solar distillation system augmented with a solar collector using evacuated solar tubes. Field tests were conducted over several days under the climatic conditions of West Texas to evaluate the effect evacuated solar tubes have on the daily distillate yield rate. To investigate the feasibility of the solar tubes, active and passive solar stills with and without exterior insulation were examined. The maximum daily production rate for the active distillation system using evacuated solar tubes and the passive distillation system was 3.6 and 1.4 kg/m²day, respectively. The results showed the …

Understanding Shoplifting Of Fast-Moving Consumer Goods: An Application Of The Craved Model, Brian T. Smith

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

This study examines the variation in theft of shoplifted fast-moving consumer goods. Typically, shoplifting is estimated using shrinkage—a composite of several causes of lost retail merchandise. This study, however, benefits from access to a retailer’s database, in which extraordinary steps are taken to identify and record losses due to shoplifting only. This study is unique because of the more valid measure of shoplifting. A 1-year cross-sectional sample of 7468 products, sold in 204 U.S. chain supermarkets, was drawn from the retailer’s specialized database. Using Clarke’s (Hot products: understanding, anticipating, and reducing demand for stolen goods. Policing and Reducing Crime Unit, …

Impact Of Integrated E-Learning Modules In Developing An Entrepreneurial Mindset Based On Deployment At 25 Institutions, Nadiye O. Erdil, Ronald S. Harichandran, Jean Nocito-Gobel, Cheryl Q. Li, Maria-Isabel Carnasciali

Engineering and Applied Science Education Faculty Publications

In this paper, we describe an innovative curricular model employed at the University of New Haven to develop an entrepreneurial mindset in engineering students. The entrepreneurial mindset in this model is characterized by the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN)’s 3C’s, which are curiosity, connections and creating value. The core of the model is the integration of short, self-paced, e-learning modules into courses spanning all four years of all engineering and computer science programs. A flipped classroom instructional model is used to integrate the modules into courses. We are in the third year of implementation on campus, and following a pilot …

Influencing Student Motivation Through Scaffolded Assignments In A Quality Analysis Course And Its Impact On Learning, Nadiye O. Erdil

Engineering and Applied Science Education Faculty Publications

This paper discusses the impact of various class assignments and activities that build upon each other with the aim of increasing student motivation and student learning in a Quality Analysis course. Scaffolding is an instructional strategy that aims to reduce the amount of cognitive effort that students have to make to learn the materials by breaking down the material into more manageable components. In this study, critical thinking scaffolding is applied in the quality analysis course by structuring several elements to lead students to an assignment that is more complex. At the end of the semester, the impact assessment of …

Establishment Of Innovative Shared Departments To Advance Interdisciplinary Education, Ronald S. Harichandran, Brian Kench, Summer Mcgee, Michael A. Collura, Jean Nocito-Gobel, Charles David Skipton

Engineering and Applied Science Education Faculty Publications

More and more universities are pursuing interdisciplinary academic activities that span across department and college boundaries. Administrative structures to facilitate such programs are difficult to establish within traditional university frameworks consisting of disciplinary departments and colleges. Often interdisciplinary programs are housed in a traditional disciplinary department or college, or in a standalone center reporting to a college dean or the provost. The difficulty of these structures is obtaining broad buy-in from faculty across departments and having disciplinary degree programs include interdisciplinary coursework.

To overcome the difficulties described above, an innovative shared department structure that fosters collaborations to advance interdisciplinary education …

Fishing As Therapy: Impacts On Job Satisfaction And Implications For Fishery Management, Tarsila Seara, Richard Pollnac, John J. Poggie, Carlos Garcia-Quejano, Iris Monnereau, Victor Ruiz

Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications

"This study presents unique comparisons, across space and time, regarding aspects of fishers’ perception of their job satisfaction and well-being between two geographic areas where fishing constitutes integral part of the local economy and culture: the Northeast Region US and the Caribbean. Examining differences in aspects of job satisfaction and well-being in such highly different environments (both human and natural) will provide information for developing models to understand how different stressors (e.g. changes in the natural, socio-cultural, economic and managerial environments) affect those whose livelihoods depend directly on fishery resources. Models elucidating relationships between environmental and anthropogenic changes and the …

Strategic Level Proton Therapy Patient Admission Planning: A Markov Decision Process Modeling Approach, Shengfan Zhang, Ridvan Gedik, Chase Rainwater

Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

A relatively new consideration in proton therapy planning is the requirement that the mix of patients treated from different categories satisfy desired mix percentages. Deviations from these percentages and their impacts on operational capabilities are of particular interest to healthcare planners. In this study, we investigate intelligent ways of admitting patients to a proton therapy facility that maximize the total expected number of treatment sessions (fractions) delivered to patients in a planning period with stochastic patient arrivals and penalize the deviation from the patient mix restrictions. We propose a Markov Decision Process (MDP) model that provides very useful insights in …

Financial Reporting And The Accounting Expectations Gap, James Mohs

Finance Faculty Publications

The overall goal of financial reporting is to provide high quality financial information regarding reporting entities that is useful for informed decision making. Considering most organizations have multiple groups of stakeholders which often have differing and competing informational needs, as well as expectations and desired outcomes, the accounting expectations gap has become a topic of current debate in many business circles. Historically, the accounting expectations gap has centered around the role of the auditor and audit responsibility. The financial accounting expectations gap encompasses what the preparers of the statements and auditors believe they should contain and includes what stakeholders believe …

A Three-Year Study Of Adult Undergraduate Engineering Students, Maria-Isabel Carnasciali, Shannon Ciston, Tressa Kay Mikel, Aida Marie Morales, Sanya Sehgal, Melissa L. Whitson

Engineering and Applied Science Education Faculty Publications

Adult learners belong to a large group of individuals for whom lifelong learning is both a desire and a necessity and for whom career changes are or will be the norm. This topic is not exclusive to engineering, but impacts many STEM professionals. Adult learners also include those who may have significant family responsibilities, medical issues, work obligations, returning veterans/active service military people, or those who lack financial resources to commit to fulltime studies. While online education opportunities may fill some of the gaps, acquiring an identity as a professional in a field or discipline grows with personal connections. The …

A Constraint Programming Approach For The Team Orienteering Problem With Time Windows, Ridvan Gedik, Emre Kirac, Ashlea Bennet Milburn, Chase Rainwater

Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

The team orienteering problem with time windows (TOPTW) is a NP-hard combinatorial optimization problem. It has many real-world applications, for example, routing technicians and disaster relief routing. In the TOPTW, a set of locations is given. For each, the profit, service time and time window are known. A fleet of homogenous vehicles are available for visiting locations and collecting their associated profits. Each vehicle is constrained by a maximum tour duration. The problem is to plan a set of vehicle routes that begin and end at a depot, visit each location no more than once by incorporating time window constraints. …

Vulnerability Of Coastal Connecticut To Sea Level Rise: Land Inundation And Impacts To Residential Property, Rebecca Andreucci, Can B. Aktas

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Vulnerability indices at the global or national scales require considerable data aggregation where local economic and social impacts remain unnoticed. The goal of this study was to analyze the extent of inundated land from sea level rise and its economic impacts to residential property in coastal communities. Geographic data were integrated with economic and social data at parcel level resolution through GIS. Cumulative land inundation in seven coastal municipalities was calculated as 15 and 25 km², while direct economic costs to residential property was estimated to be $1.3 billion and $2.2 billion for 1 and 2 m sea …

Development Of The Attitude Towards Women’S Sports Scale (Atws), Ceyda Mumcu, Scott Marley

Sport Management Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to develop a survey instrument “Attitude toward Women’s Sports (ATWS) Scale” to measure attitude toward women’s sports, and seek various validity and reliability evidences for the instrument. First, item pool of ATWS scale was reviewed by subject matter experts to collect evidence on content validity of the instrument and to refine the instrument. Second, items were tested with two pilot studies to assess effectiveness of the items within the ATWS scale by performing item analyses. Total of 49 items were deleted in two pilot studies as a result of item analyses. The remaining items …

Human Capital And Collegiality In Academic Beehives: Theory And Analysis Of European Economics Faculties, João R. Faria, Franklin Mixon, Jr., Kamal Upadhyaya

Economics & Business Analytics Faculty Publications

This study investigates the importance of the quality of human capital investment and collegiality (i.e., good colleagues) in achieving the type of acclaim in economics captured by receipt of the Yrjö Jahnsson Award, arguably the second-most prestigious award that a European economist can receive as recognition of the importance of his or her research endeavors. We provide an economic model as a foundation for both qualitative and quantitative analyses. Our results indicate that four institutions, namely the Toulouse School of Economics, University College London, University of Oxford and the London School of Economics generally rank highest in supporting a position …

Application Of Gis To Prioritize Brownfield Sites For Green Building Construction Based On Leed Criteria, Can B. Aktas, Paul Bartholomew, Sabrina Church

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Although there are many initiatives to create incentives for investors and developers to invest in and redevelop brownfield sites, efficient prioritization of brownfields by taking into account environmental, economic, and social constraints remains a challenge. This study introduces a method to screen numerous brownfields over large geographic areas by using geographic information systems (GIS) and to assess and prioritize such sites for green building suitability based on leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED) criteria. A case study was completed for the greater Bridgeport, Connecticut region. With 279 brownfield sites, the city has among the highest number of brownfields in …

Life Cycle Environmental And Economic Performance Of Biochar Compared With Activated Carbon: A Meta-Analysis, Hashim A. Alhashimi, Can B. Aktas

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

As the commercial production and distribution of biochar continues to grow internationally, and its applications diversifying from its early uses as soil amendment, it is important to study the environmental impacts and economic performance of biochar in comparison to activated carbon in order to assess its value. The goal of the study was to assess, through a meta-analysis, the environmental and economic performance of biochar in comparison to activated carbon under an equivalent functional unit to adsorb heavy metals. More than 80 data points on adsorption capacity of biochar and activated carbon were identified through literature, which were statistically analyzed …

Are Fans Proud Of The Wnba's Pride Campaign?, Ceyda Mumcu, Nancy Lough

Sport Management Faculty Publications

In May 2014, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) launched its Pride campaign and became the first professional sport league in the US to explicitly reach out to gay fans. As the public opinion toward homosexuality has been changing, sport marketers need to understand how to reach and respond to heterosexual and gay fans without alienating one or the other. The purpose of this study was to investigate heterosexual and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) fans’ attitudes toward the Pride campaign, and the impact of fandom, attitude toward the Pride campaign and sexual orientation on consumption intentions. One-way ANOVAs, …

Quality Improvement Of Acidic Soils By Biochar Derived From Renewable Materials, Deok Hyun Moon, Inseong Hwang, Yoon-Young Chang, Agamemnon Koutsospyros, Kyung Hoon Cheong, Won Hyun Ji, Jeong Hun Park

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Biochar derived from waste plant materials and agricultural residues was used to improve the quality of an acidic soil. The acidic soil was treated for 1 month with both soy bean stover-derived biochar and oak-derived biochar in the range of 1 to 5 wt% for pH improvement and exchangeable cation enhancement. Following 1 month of treatment, the soil pH was monitored and exchangeable cations were measured. Moreover, a maize growth experiment was performed for 14 days with selected treated soil samples to confirm the effectiveness of the treatment. The results showed that the pH of the treated acidic soil increased …

A Study Of Willingness To Participate In The Development Of A Global Human Community, Eric C. Marcus, Morton Deutsch, Yangyang Liu

Psychology Faculty Publications

The need for the development of a global human community has been outlined in recent literature. This study examined the willingness of individuals to endorse and act upon values embodied in a global community. A sample of U.S. adults was asked to indicate commitment to values embodied in the United Nations’ Declaration of Human Rights and Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms, through a formulated message. Participants were also asked of actions they can take to support these values, barriers to such action, and related questions. Results were looked at through different demographic and attitudinal factors. Over half of all participants, …