Digital Commons Network^™

The Power Of Language To Devastate Or Restore The Environment In Atwood’S Oryx And Crake And Kimmerer’S Braiding Sweetgrass, Allison Marchand

Undergraduate Review

No abstract provided.

Victim Worthiness: How Demographics Impact The Search For Missing Children, Rory O'Connor

Undergraduate Review

No abstract provided.

In Right Relationship: Practicing And Teaching Trauma-Responsive Restorative Advocacy, Amy Dallas

Fordham Urban Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Design Of Chinese Medicinal “Curcumin” Ointment And Study Its Anti-Oxidant Or Anti-Bacterial Properties Compared With A Commercial Product, Mei Tsz Lai, Siu Kan Law, Sze Wing Ng

THEi Student Research Output

Background: Many cosmetic products possess anti-oxidant and anti-bacterial properties. However, they are chemically synthesized products. This research project focuses on “organic” and “natural” for skin care products. “Organic” is derived from living matter, such as the Chinese medicinal plant, “Curcuma longa L.” “Natural” exists in or is derived from nature, and is not made or caused by humankind, as these have some advantages. Purpose: The research aimed to design and develop a Chinese medicinal ointment using “natural curcumin extract powder (NCP)” with 98% purity of a bioactive ingredient, “curcumin,” as well as evaluate its anti-oxidant and anti-bacterial properties. The NCP …

Powdery Mildew On Crapemyrtle, Kripa Dhakal, Kaitlin Barrios, Karla M. Addesso, Fulya Baysal-Gurel Baysal-Gurel

Extension Publications

No abstract provided.

Water’S Effect On The Decomposition Of Baptisia Australis, Jackson Whiteside, Adeline Beckham, Jeremy Little, Reese Cobb, Darlene Panvini

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Detritus, dead organic matter, is an essential part of nutrient cycling in Earth’s ecosystems. If dead organic matter could not be decomposed, dead matter would be amassed everywhere, and its nutrients could not be returned to the soil to nourish living species. Detritivores decompose this dead matter and return its nutrients to the soil. How quickly matter decomposes is influenced by a variety of abiotic factors. One abiotic factor which is of interest to decomposition is water quantity and frequency. This study aimed to test if Baptisia australis decomposes faster in dry or wet conditions. The expected results are that …

Potential Impacts Of Construction On Bat Populations In Warner Parks, Nashville, Tennessee, Jackson Whiteside, Wyatt Fooks, Jeremy Little

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Human development continues to alter natural landscapes, often with significant consequences for wildlife populations. Among the most sensitive taxa to such disturbances are bats, which serve vital ecological roles as insect predators, pollinators, and seed dispersers. Because bats depend on specific roosting and foraging habitats, even minor environmental changes can strongly influence their activity and diversity. A new road is proposed through an area of Warner Parks, Nashville, Tennessee which is otherwise untouched. This may affect the biodiversity and the populations of bats as a result. Wildlife Acoustic MiniBat 2 acoustic monitoring equipment was used to gather echolocation calls of …

Functionalizing Silver Nanoparticles With Histamine, Noah J. Deblanco

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are of increasing interest in biomedical research due to their antimicrobial properties, biocompatibility, and high surface-area-to-volume ratio. A major challenge, however, lies in stabilizing AgNPs under physiological conditions and understanding how their surface interactions influence potential medical applications. This project explores the synthesis of AgNPs using the Turkevich method and investigates their behavior when exposed to varying biological conditions, including changes in pH and temperature. In addition, preliminary efforts are being made to functionalize AgNPs with small biological signaling molecules to evaluate their effects on nanoparticle stability and surface interactions. Characterization is performed primarily through UV-Vis spectrophotometry, …

Effects Of In-Stream Large Woody Debris Management On Riparian Salamander Population Dynamics, Sydney Hermann

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The addition of large woody debris (LWD) into streams is an increasingly common habitat restoration method used to support brook trout populations and other sensitive freshwater species. Wood jams create localized reductions of water velocity, increase organic matter retention, intensify overbank flows, and promote habitat heterogeneity. These changes enhance interaction between the floodplain and the stream which can influence forest habitat variables such as leaf litter, soil pH, moisture, and invertebrate abundance. Salamander demographics reflect the stability of these forest habitat variables, and population declines can be indicative of environmental disturbance, stress, or change. Evaluating how this trout-targeted management effects …

2024 Touro University System Faculty Publications, Touro University System

Faculty Publications Books

The 2024 edition of the Faculty Publications Book of the Touro University System. This bibliography contains the published works of affiliated authors during 2024, arranged by academic unit.

Neural Network Curriculum Development And Student Research In Electronics Engineering Technology, Erik Mayer

Posters

The development of neural network curriculum in the Electronics Engineering Technology (EET) program began as project for the Kansas National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program – Opportunities in NASA STEM FY 2020-2024 grant. In this grant, NASA funds supported curriculum development and research in affiliated universities. In the project, faculty and students met to explore online resources and participate in online courses on neural networks that focused on the Keras application programming interface (API).

A portion of the developed curriculum was first used in Spring 2022 in EET 549 Advanced Microcontrollers and EET 745 Advanced Microprocessor Systems and Applications. …

Structural Impacts Of Canonical And Non-Canonical Oligonucleotide Modifications, Deepak Shrestha

Wayne State University Dissertations

Nucleic acids, including DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acids), are the fundamental building blocks of living organisms. The events that cause modification of DNA/RNA are of interest because they impact the nucleic acid function. Targeting DNA is important for treating diseases such as cancer. Cisplatin (cisPt) is a well-studied drug that targets DNA and blocks replication, but its use is limited by adverse side effects and cellular resistance. Prevoius research addressed some of these challenges through development of platinum analogues such as carboplatin and oxaliplatin. Amino acid-linked platinum analogues (AAPt) are the focus of this thesis work. AAPt complexes …

Mass Spectrometry Combined With Chemical Biology To Study Human Ailments, Eric Thomas Jacquerio Davis

Wayne State University Dissertations

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) are essential as chemical changes that regulate protein function, activity, stability, interactions, and localization after protein synthesis. PTMs, such as phosphorylation, acetylation, and ubiquitination, can activate or deactivate proteins, influence their interactions with other molecules, and determine their cellular location. This regulation is vital for numerous biological processes, such as cell cycle control, signal transduction, and gene expression. Abnormal PTMs are linked to various diseases in humans, including parasitic infection, blood disorders, cancers, and neurodegenerative diseases, making their study crucial for understanding disease mechanisms and developing targeted therapies. In the Pflum lab, we are interested in the …

An Auto-Historia-Teoria Of Kismet Encounters: Building Bridges Between Multiple-Marginalized Identites - Queer, Latine, And Disabled - In A Colonial Education System, Rachel Torres

Wayne State University Dissertations

Existing education research has identified a series of factors that impact student identity formation, belonging, and academic performance in secondary and post-secondary education. Such research usually focuses on one to two identity groups - like ethnicity and gender or sexuality and disability. However, very few center on the experiences of queer, disabled, students of color. Using a decolonial methodological approach to qualitative research. This dissertation uses Chicana/Indigenous epistemologies as research methodologies to identify challenges students of multiple marginalized identities encounter in schooling and how they might find strength in their elders and cultural stories. The findings encourage educators to normalize …

The Bad And The Beautiful: Is It Moral To Patronize Immoral Artists’ Works?, Earl W. Spurgin

2025 Faculty Bibliography

Artists’ moral wrongs raise interesting questions about whether, and how, we should engage the artists and their works. Public discourse is replete with opposition to honoring immoral artists for their achievements and calls for boycotts of their works. I examine a specific moral question that artists’ moral wrongs raise: Is it morally permissible to patronize immoral artists’ works? After explaining some preliminary matters, such as the meanings of some of important terms, I argue that it is morally permissible to patronize immoral artists’ works. Then, I examine two possible objections that pose significant challenges to my argument.

The Role Of Radiation Therapy In Managing Brain Metastases, Kaylie Skovira

Medical Imaging Senior Posters

This project explores brain metastases and the critical role of radiation therapy in managing this condition. It provides an overview of general statistics, radiation therapy types, treatment options, expected outcome and prognosis. Brain metastases rank as the tenth major leading cause of death among men and women, and occur in 20-40% of patients diagnosed with cancer. Radiation therapy for brain metastases primarily involves external radiotherapy, which delivers ionizing radiation from outside of the body to targeted brain regions. Internal radiotherapy is less commonly used due to anatomical constraints.Common treatment options include: CyberKnife stereotactic radiation therapy, whole-brain radiation therapy, intensity-modulated radiotherapy, …

2025 Intersession Catalog, Illinois Math And Science Academy

Intersession Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of The 2025 Globe U.S. Virtual Srs, Eleanor M. Jaffee, Globe U.S. Coordination Office

Publications and Media

No abstract provided.

Research Annual Report Fy2025, Children's Mercy Kansas City

Research Annual Reports

Annual report of the research at Children's Mercy Kansas City in Kansas City MO, a pediatric medical center.

Data For Research Collaboration And Co-Authorship In The Gulf Of Mexico, 2000–2018, Owen Temby, Dongkyu Kim, Juliet Vallejo

Datasets

This dataset documents research collaboration and co-authorship among organizations engaged in environmental science in the Gulf of Mexico from 2000 to 2018. The data were compiled through bibliometric analysis of scientific articles, with each record containing publication-level and author affiliation information, as well as institutional and country codes. The dataset provides the basis for network analysis of collaborative patterns among institutions in the United States, Mexico, and Cuba. Variable definitions and data structure are described in the accompanying README file.

Event-Based Histogram Of Gradients For Lane Detection, Ganesh Gupta

Computer Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

In the rapidly evolving landscape of autonomous driving technology, lane detection systems stand as fundamental guardians of vehicular safety. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration identifies unintentional lane departures as responsible for approximately one-third of all road accidents—a sobering statistic that underscores the critical importance of robust lane detection methodologies. This thesis embarks on an academic exploration at the intersection of neuromorphic engineering and computer vision, examining how the distinctive properties of event-based cameras might be harnessed to enhance lane detection capabilities under challenging environmental conditions. Unlike conventional frame-based imaging sensors that capture entire scenes at fixed intervals, event-based cameras …

Centrality Algorithms For Weighted Homogeneous Multilayer Networks, Ayomide Ayowole-Obi

Computer Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

Applications need to be modeled for analyses. With the availability of many alternate data Models, choosing one needs to be done carefully by considering the complexity of data to be modeled and its analyses requirements. Social networks and other newer applications are primarily relationship-oriented and also have multiple types of entities and relationships. Although simple and attributed graphs have been used historically for modeling these applications, recently, multilayer networks (or MLNs) have been shown to be more effective in preserving the semantics of the application better and further provide flexibility of analyses. However, choice of MLN as a data model …

Crime Theory Informed Agent-Based Modeling For Crime Prediction And Patrolling Route Optimization, Shohreh Moradi

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Crime reduction remains a global priority, demanding both accurate modeling of criminal dynamics and efficient allocation of scarce policing resources. To address these needs, this study presents a two‐fold framework that (1) simulates street‐level crime patterns using an agent‐based model (ABM) grounded in Routine Activity Theory (RAT), Rational Choice Theory (RCT), and Crime Pattern Theory (CPT), and (2) optimizes patrol routing through a time-dependent, multi‐visit mixed‐integer linear programming (MILP) formulation.

In the first component, we integrate real‐world crime, environmental, and census data to reproduce realistic offender, citizen, and Police behaviors, capturing where and when robbery, burglary, and larceny occur across …

Guided-Mode Resonant Nanopatterns For Raman Generation And Photonic Devices, Renjie Chen

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

This dissertation explores advanced strategies for enhancing Raman amplification in silicon photonic devices, focusing on guided-mode resonance engineering and resonant mode manipulation. Silicon, despite its indirect bandgap, exhibits a strong Raman scattering coefficient, enabling it to function as a viable gain medium for integrated photonic systems. However, the realization of efficient, compact, and low-threshold silicon Raman amplifiers and lasers necessitates innovative design approaches that overcome inherent material and structural limitations.

The first chapter provides a fundamental overview of optics, including physical principles, spectral characteristics, guided-mode resonance, simulation methods, and nanopattern fabrication methods.

The second chapter delves into silicon-based Raman amplification …

Multi-Modal Model-Based Optical Flow Estimation For Event-Based Vision, Pritam Karmokar

Computer Science and Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Event cameras offer a fundamentally different sensing paradigm by asynchronously capturing brightness changes at high temporal resolution, directly encoding motion in the scene. However, their sparse and non-traditional data format poses significant challenges for dense motion estimation, particularly in the context of optical flow. Contrast Maximization (CM) has emerged as a powerful model-based framework for estimating optical flow from event data by optimizing the sharpness of motion-compensated event representations. This dissertation builds upon and significantly advances the CM framework through two complementary contributions.

First, we propose Edge-Informed Contrast Maximization (EINCM), a hybrid approach that augments the traditional events-only CM framework …

Synthesis And Application Of Cu-Based Ultrasmall Nanoparticles For Targeted Glioblastoma Treatment, Ryan T. Hart

Material Science and Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly malignant form of brain cancer with a bleak prognosis. Current maximal treatment involves surgical resection followed by chemo-or radiotherapy. Two critical barriers make treating GBM a formidable challenge. First, the tumor's tendril-like proliferation throughout healthy brain tissue often makes complete surgical removal and conventional radiation insufficient. Second, the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which protects the brain, unfortunately also shields GBM from life-saving anti-cancer drugs. Here, we develop a radioactive nanoparticle-based therapy that directly confronts these limitations, offering a new strategy for GBM treatment.

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a promising target for glioblastoma (GBM) treatment because …

Improving The Reliability Of Parts Produced Via Laser Powder Bed Fusion Through A Data-Driven Geometry Optimization Methodology, Federico Venturi

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dissertations - Archive

This research aims to qualify the effect of design geometry on quality metrics of additively manufactured (AM) components that define reliability. Through the use of a novel methodology to characterize these quality metrics, AM components are inspected for the presence of defects such as surface roughness notches and porosity. These directly hinder the high-cycle fatigue characteristics demonstrated through the Kitagawa-Takahashi diagram and the El-Haddad model. By demonstrating the effect of geometry through a designed experiment and the adoption of the Murakami square root area parameter and Arola-Ramulu model, the improvement to fatigue life can be quantified. Incorporating this data into …

Intelligent Microfluidic Systems For Precision Manipulation And Real-Time Recognition Via Dielectrophoresis And Deep Learning, Negar Danesh

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dissertations - Archive

This dissertation introduces intelligent microfluidic platforms by combining advanced DEP-based manipulation with real-time visual feedback. A DEP device featuring circular corral traps and dual-plane electrodes enables precise submicron particle trapping, high-resolution particle separation, and cell-particle co-assembly. Simulations and experiments confirm enhanced electric field control and stable confinement. To enable adaptive operation in EWOD systems, a deep learning model (U-Net) was developed for real-time droplet meniscus segmentation. The model achieved 98% accuracy and remained robust under noisy, low-contrast conditions. A live video pipeline was implemented, enabling consistent frame-by-frame feedback for closed-loop control. Together, these innovations establish a foundation for autonomous, high-performance …

Deep Neural Network Models For Heatsink Performance Prediction And Optimization In Single Phase Immersion Cooling: Framework For Future Design Tools And Digital Twin Integration, Braxton J. Smith

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

The rapidly rising computational power of modern computing components combined with the advanced packaging techniques being implemented has resulted in exponentially increasing thermal design powers (TDP) from CPUs and GPUs. Traditional air-cooling methods are approaching their effective cooling limits for many of these components, requiring lower supply air temperatures, higher supply air flowrates, and much larger heatsinks to remain feasible. Transitioning from air-cooling to single-phase immersion cooling offers numerous benefits in thermal performance, data-center size reduction, and energy efficiency. To leverage the merits of immersion cooling, the performance of a given heatsink must be predicted and optimized for best performance …

Validation Of Non-Invasive Methods For The Measurement Of Gonadal And Inter-Renal Steroid Hormones In A Desert-Adapted Amphibian (Scaphiopus Couchii), Alexander T. Baugh, Callie Cho , '23, Alice Onyango-Opiyo , '23, Sophie A. Rodner , '25, Senna Mieth , '25, Daniel Oakes , '24, Liam Halstead , '25

Biology Faculty Works

For aquatic and semi-aquatic vertebrates like amphibians, it is possible to estimate excreted hormone levels using non-invasive methods such as waterborne and salivary sampling. These techniques allow monitoring of endocrine activity over varying, repeated and simultaneous integration periods while minimizing handling-related stress that can ‘contaminate’ hormone estimates, including estimates of baseline glucocorticoids. Here we have validated the extraction and quantification of three steroid hormones (corticosterone, CORT; 17-b estradiol, E₂; testosterone, TST) in Couch’s spadefoots (Scaphiopus couchii)—a desert-adapted anuran of special interest for physiology, evolution and conservation—using non-invasive waterborne and minimally invasive salivary hormone methods. We combined extraction and …