Digital Commons Network^™

Distribution Mapping And Modeling Of The Invasive Japanese Knotweed, Jossalyn Rogalski

Masters Theses

This thesis investigates the distribution of invasive Japanese knotweed across Michigan. This plant poses significant challenges to land management due to its rapid growth, environmental impacts, and difficulty of removal once established. Using geographic information systems (GIS), remotely sensed data, and secondary environmental datasets, this research maps current infestations and analyzes key factors influencing the species’ growth and dispersal, such as soil composition, hydrology, land use, and a range of environmental variables, including climatic (annual mean temperature, temperature seasonality, annual precipitation, precipitation seasonality), elevation, vegetation and hydrological indices (NDVI, EVI, NDWI), percent tree cover, and distance to roads. Spatial analysis …

Assessing Tourism-Induced Impacts In Communities Around The Indiana Dunes National Park, Charles James Kovacs

Masters Theses

This project aims to examine the effects of the tourism industry in and around a new National Park within the United States’ National Park system (NPS). The Indiana Dunes National Park (IDNP) received National Park designation in 2019. The park, situated on the south shore of Lake Michigan, is a roughly fifty-minute drive east of Chicago. This project seeks to ask and answer how the tourism industry has grown and continues to impact the lives of residents near the IDNP. Two communities, Michigan City and Chesterton, serve as the primary study areas along with the park itself. Qualitative methods, centered …

(De)Composing Transhumanisms: Fungal And Trans Ecologies In Jeff Vandermeer's Annihilation, Miles Nives Qapevewni Enriquez-Morales

English (MA) Theses

This thesis project analyzes the novel Annihilation (2014) by Jeff VanderMeer and situates the biologist’s transformation and transition in the book in a trans ecological framework. By expanding on foundational texts such as Jackson Jesse Nash’s “‘I Am Not Returning Home’: A Transgender Reading of Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation”, this paper argues that representations of fungus in Annihilation present a possibility for trans futurity rooted in transformation, ecological entanglement, and a rejection of binary thought. Additional articles from Transgender Studies Quarterly and A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies orient this fungal transformation in the larger framework of rejecting normative …

The Southwest Black Artists Collective: Afro-Modern Ecology, Kinship, And Collectivity In The Desert Southwest, Bradley L. Petty

Art History Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the Southwest Black Artists Collective (SBAC) as a site of

Afro-diasporic kinship, artistic production, and spatial intervention within the Desert

Southwest. Operating within a region where Black populations are comparatively small

and institutional support is diffuse, SBAC emerges as both a response to and a

reconfiguration of the regional artistic landscape. The Collective constructs an affirming

community through shared artistic practice, exhibitions, and the maintenance of The

Projects/Space in Tucson, Arizona, where public engagement and private creative

exchange coexist.

Drawing on theories of human ecology, this study expands existing frameworks

by introducing the concept of Afro-modern ecology, …

Avoiding White Elephants: An Empirical Assessment On The Failure Of Airport Capacity To Drive Tourism Receipts, Somanithel Kheang

Theses

This study investigates the relationship between airport infrastructure capacity and international tourism receipts across 12 major Asian and European economies from 2000 to 2019. Using a Panel Fixed Effects framework, the analysis tests the "Supply-Led Growth" hypothesis to determine if physical infrastructure expansion independently drives tourism revenue. To address potential endogeneity and reverse causality, the study employs specification where all independent variables are lagged by one year.The empirical results yield a robust null finding: airport capacity does not exhibit a statistically significant impact on tourism receipts. Conversely, government consumption is identified as a potent driver of tourism performance, with a …

Ai×Life 2026: Advances In Computational Biology Across Scales For Life & Health Sciences, Suma Mohan S., Devika N. T., Pranavathiyani G.

Conference Proceedings

Book of Abstracts of the International Conference, AIxLife 2026: Advances in Computational Biology Across Scales for Life & Health Sciences, held on 17–18 April 2026, SASTRA Deemed to be University, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, INDIA 

About the Conference

Conventional computational biology laid the foundation for biological data analysis through statistical models, algorithms, and curated databases, enabling insights into genes, proteins, and pathways. Today, the integration of artificial intelligence, spanning machine learning, deep learning, and large language models (LLMs) is driving a transformative shift across biological scales, from atomic and molecular interactions to pathways, cellular systems, organisms, and populations.

AI-powered approaches …

Influence Of Pruning And Organic Fertiliser On 9-Month-Old Ginger Productivity In An Acacia Auriculiformis Agroforestry, Yuda Vatra Erlangga, Arom Figyantika, Cintya Nurul Apsari, Rizki Bagus Indratmoko, Muhammad Syahru Ramadhan, Anastasya Clara Srinila Tampubolon, Fanny Elisabeth Panjaitan

Jurnal Penelitian Kehutanan Wallacea

Acacia auriculiformis (formis) offers various advantages that can be integrated with agricultural crops like ginger (Zingiber officinale var. amarum) through agroforestry systems. Pruning and fertilisation are potential strategies to optimise this approach. However, existing research remains limited. Further quantification and analysis are required to elucidate the effects of pruning on the growth of 7-year-old formis trees 11 months after treatment. In addition, more comprehensive studies are needed to examine the combined effects of pruning and organic fertiliser on the growth, productivity, and gingerol content of 9-month-old ginger plants. This research employed a Split-Plot Randomised Complete Block Design, examining the …

Site Characterization And Integrated Irrigation-Forestry Solutions For Mangrove Restoration In The Red River Delta Biosphere Reserve, Vietnam, Manh Quy Do, Huy Quoc Nguyen, Minh Duc Nguyen, My Tra Ha, Tuan Anh Le, Luan Thanh Nguyen, Tu Ngoc Pham

Jurnal Penelitian Kehutanan Wallacea

The research was conducted in 2023 in a degraded mangrove forest area in Giao Hoa commune, Ninh Binh province, Vietnam. This area is part of the Red River Delta Biosphere Reserve (RRDBR), which was recognised by UNESCO in 2004. The study employed methods such as surveying topographical features, assessing soil and water characteristics, and evaluating the status of the mangrove forest. It also used GIS and The Analytic Hierarchy Process method to analyse and evaluate the current condition of the forest and its site characteristics. The research results show that, regarding the topographical features of the degraded mangrove area, it …

Dis/Remembrance: Expressions Of Intergenerational Memory And Where Legacy Lingers: American Warfare, 50 Years From Saigon, Eli(Se) Davidson

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Over fifty years from the Fall of Saigon, the United States continues to question its participation in unjust warfare, both as a nation and as a people. This study examines the transmission of war stories amongst families: specifically, what becomes negotiated in the thresholds of memory and narrative, and what might become of those spaces across past, present, and future. While prior discourse has centered on the authority and authenticity of war memory through political discourse, historical narrative, and public memorialization, the role of storytelling within families remains underexplored. This research addresses that gap through interdisciplinary inquiry and qualitative ethnography …

Gis-Based Trail Accessibility Assessment At Lime Hollow Nature Center, Ashley Siergiej

Honors Theses

Outdoor recreation, such as hiking, is an important component of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, especially in regions such as Central New York where natural areas are abundant. Hiking trails provide opportunities for people to connect with the environment, making it important that individuals of all abilities can access and experience these spaces. However, many environmental and physical factors can influence the difficulty and accessibility of hiking trails. This study evaluates trail accessibility at Lime Hollow Nature Center in Cortland, New York using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and field-based data collection. Field observations were collected along the Art Meadow Loop and …

Place, Democracy, Rule Of Law, And The Necessity Of Local News, Erin C. Carroll

University of the Pacific Law Review

No abstract provided.

Community Resilience In The Absence Of Aid: Recovery After The 2018 Father’S Day Flood In Houghton County, Michigan, Abby Heggem

University Honors Program Senior Projects

Community networks influenced resilience and recovery after the 2018 Father’s Day Flood in Houghton County Michigan, particularly in the absence of strong institutional support. The flood caused widespread damage to homes, roads, and infrastructure, forcing residents to rely on immediate local action before state or federal aid arrived. Rural locations like Houghton County are often neglected by government funding and support during disasters and are forced to rely on themselves. Community networks matter in disasters because neighbors, volunteer groups, and local leaders respond faster than formal institutions. This project uses a qualitative case study approach that includes content analysis of …

A Gift For The Emperor DawāʾIr Al-ʿUlūm Wa-Jadāwil Al-Ruqūm, A Mediaeval Graphic Encyclopaedia Of The 19th Century, Juan Acevedo, Inês Bénard Da Costa

Abdou Filali-Ansary Occasional Paper Series

The recent discovery of a 19th-century Arabic manuscript in the Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon, initiated a period of intense collaboration between the Museum and the Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, culminating in the 2023–24 exhibition ‘Power of the Word V: Circles of Knowledge.’ The first part of this article describes the manuscript, while the second part looks at its contents, a striking visual encyclopaedia, mostly from Safavid sources, entitled Tuḥfat al-Khāqān: Dawāʾir al-ʿUlūm wa-Jadāwil al-Ruqūm (A Gift for the Emperor: Circles of Sciences and Tables of Numerals). Its sections range from cosmogony and alphanumeric cosmology to geography, geomancy and the …

Elizabeth Gibson Drinko Honors Convocation, Honors College

Honors Convocation

The Elizabeth Gibson Drinko Honors Convocation Awards Program for Spring 2026, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia.

Maps, Links And The Globe: Using Linked Open Data To Improve Functionality In The Digital Humanities, Sunjay Hopkins

Theses & ETDs

No abstract provided.

Neutral Giant: The United States And The Costa Rican Civil War Of 1948, James Irving

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is a narrative microhistory of American diplomacy during Costa Rica’s transformative 1948 civil war. Emerging out of a contested presidential election, the war pitted the Costa Rican government of Teodoro Picado and its communist allies against an anticommunist, nationalist rebel movement led by José Figueres in a monthlong fight for political power. While existing histories of American policymaking have concluded almost unanimously that the United States intervened to support the rebels as part of its Cold War strategy in Latin America—labeling the civil war a precursor to the more infamous coup in Guatemala in 1954—this dissertation seeks to …

Beat Behind The Bark: Investigating The Effects Of Music Tempo On Canine Physiological And Psychological States, Marley Lanier

Honors Theses

This study explores how the tempo of music, measured in beats per minute (BPM), affects dogs' heart rate and oxytocin levels, adding to past research that shows that music affects physiological and behavioral states in dogs. Being able to understand these effects holds practical implications for improving overall well-being in canines in environments such as homes, shelters, and clinical environments. Using a within-subjects design, the dogs were exposed to slow and fast versions of one instrumental track, along with a white noise baseline condition before each randomized condition. Heart rate was recorded continuously throughout the session, and oxytocin saliva samples …

Public Policy And Food Security: A New England–Maritime Provinces Comparative Analysis Of Nutrition Assistance Programs, Kellie A, Therriault

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This study examines how differences in policy design and program administration influence food assistance access and potential food insecurity outcomes across Northern New England (Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont) and the Canadian Maritime provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island). Using a mixed methods comparative design, the analysis integrates 2023 administrative data with qualitative insights from semi-structured interviews with program administrators. Key indicators include program participation, household composition, benefit structure, and eligibility thresholds. Results indicate that SNAP participation varies widely across U.S. states and is associated with differences in average income levels, while Canadian provinces demonstrate more consistent …

Assessing Geomorphic Change From Large Wood Additions In An Intensively Monitored Watershed, Alexander Walt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Rivers across the American West are under stress. Over time, human activities have decreased riparian vegetation and removed naturally occurring large wood from fallen trees and beaver dams. Overgrazing, wetland drainage, and artificial barriers like levees and berms have further changed these ecosystems, leaving behind simple channels that lack varied habitat for aquatic species.

Efforts to restore rivers have made some progress, but many projects are small in scale and focus more on reshaping the river rather than restoring the natural processes that keep it healthy. This study evaluates a different approach—Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration (LTPBR)—which works with nature to rebuild …

Creating A Gis-Based Site Suitability Index For A Major Sports Stadium In Kansas City, Theodore E. Blair

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

There are many considerations taken when siting major sports stadiums. Most literature, though, has focused on the political and economic considerations, the negative outcomes of using public money for private projects. However, geographic considerations play a major part in deciding where to site a stadium. These considerations are wide-ranging and can change with the times. This thesis determines ten modern site suitability criteria, and with them, creates a site suitability index using GIS to determine and quantify more and less suitable areas for stadium development. It applies this index to the Kansas City area, as the city is currently in …

U.S. Shareholder Activism: Convergence With Japan, Nobuhisa Ishizuka

Faculty Scholarship

To many observers long accustomed to slow, incremental change, the current boom in shareholder activism in Japan comes as a surprise. The opening for U.S.-style activists was created by market conditions that eventually resulted in policy changes that attracted significant numbers of foreign investors. However, even the current market would not have emerged without a parallel evolution in U.S. hedge-fund tactics, which gradually shifted over a number of years to a sophisticated and more nuanced approach, one based on partnership and dialogue with target companies, in contrast to adversarial relationships and public campaigns. This article attempts to place current trends …

Do We Really Have The Right To Breathe Clean Air?, Rebecca Bratspies

UC Law Journal

Setting environmental standards involves judgment calls about what level of protection is “adequate,” what technical measures are “feasible” and even what level of pollution is consistent with “clean air, clean water and a healthful environment.” On his first day in office, Trump drove a truck through those judgment calls by repealing all the executive orders related to racial justice, environmental justice, and climate change that had been guiding agency exercises of discretion. Since then, his Administration has done its best to gut environmental protections—repealing long-standing regulations and abandoning customary decision practices. Overall, the Trump Administration has created a regulatory void, …

Cynthia Burress, Cynthia M. Burress

Faculty CVs

No abstract provided.

Energy Loss Hotspot Mapping In Power Distribution Networks, Abdulla Alhammadi

Theses

The electricity systems used in power distribution in the United States also consume a lot of electricity to warm up until it gets to homes, business or industries. These are technical losses which are caused by the physical resistance of the aging electrical equipment like transformers, conductors and distribution lines. With the aging of infrastructure, the resistance rises, and the amount of wasted energy increases. Although this is a large problem, most utility companies continue to use rough age estimations or customer complaints instead of using more direct and objective data-driven techniques to determine the concentration of the worst losses. …

Kosovo Pisa Monitoring Via System Signals Benchmarking 2015/2018/2022, Peer Clusters, Early-Warning Screening, And Mixed-Methods Triangulation In Grade 10 Mathematics, Leon Cana

Theses

This thesis develops a practical monitoring approach for Kosovo’s PISA outcomes by linking country-level benchmarking of PISA 2015, 2018, and 2022 with measurable system signals and a focused school-level triangulation. Quantitatively, it benchmarks Kosovo against Western Balkans Six (WB6) and selected European peers through mathematics mean scores, below-Level-2 shares, and top-performing shares. It then uses k-means clustering to define empirical peer groups and tests an early-warning screening exercise in which 2015/2018 information is used to classify held-out 2022 high-risk profiles. Qualitatively, it triangulates the statistical signal patterns with policy document analysis and a low-burden Grade 10 mathematics micro-study in Prishtina …

Material Selection In The Mountain West: A Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (Mcda) Based Approach For Architects, Melissa Bach

Theses

With modern advancements in technology and the expansion of a globally interconnected network, architects have access to a large range of building materials. Increasing public concern for the environment has prompted architects to prioritize materials that are more sustainable, but varying definitions of sustainability, coupled with unclear guidelines for material selection, repeatedly lead to uncertainty and decision-making challenges within the profession. To address this, a comprehensive methodology such as Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) is needed for the material selection processes. Furthermore, a gap in the literature demonstrates that the application of MCDA for material selection in the Mountain West region …

Ai In Action: Redefining Loan Default Prediction For The Digital Lending Era, Joe Vinson Ukken

Theses

Credit risk assessment remains a very important part of financial institutions, particularly within the rapidly evolving digital lending environment. The research explores the effectiveness of five machine learning models—Logistic Regression, Decision Tree, Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, and Support Vector Machine—in predicting loan default using both financial indicators and categorical borrower attributes. The study is motivated by the growing availability of structured borrower data and the need to evaluate whether advanced machine learning algorithms can be implemented over conventional credit scoring methods. A publicly available L&T Vehicle Loan Default Prediction dataset comprising 233,154 borrower records and 41 structured attributes, the CRISP-DM …

An Evidence-Based Ethical Risk Classification Framework (Ercf) For Ai Policies, Ahmad Almarri

Theses

This thesis develops and evaluates an evidence-based Ethical Risk Classification Framework (ERCF) for analyzing substantive ethical engagement in AI policy documents. The study addresses the gap between high-level AI ethics principles and reproducible computational methods for comparative governance analysis. A secondary dataset of AI ethics policy recordswas used as the starting point. After retrieval, text extraction, and validation, a corpus of 44 policy documents was constructed from an initial 112 records (110 link-bearing entries). Supervised classification was implemented for four core dimensions: Accountability, Bias & Fairness, Privacy, and Transparency. A TF-IDF + Logistic Regression baseline was evaluated using stratified 5-fold …

From There To There, Daniil Kolchanov

Theses

From There to There is a semi-fictional journey, an attempt to figure out what home is, that uses photography as the main medium. It started with the physical act of leaving my country, but quickly turned into an internal journey. In this project, I am interested in themes of displacement, lack of belonging, and home as a utopian idea. Combining different ideas of home, metaphors, symbols and everyday moments, I talk about an idealized home, ideas of stability, connection, and a sense of belonging in an ever-changing environment. From There to There questions the internal relationship between identity, memory, community, …

Migration Of The Spirit, Yaqub Shabazz

Theses

Migration of the Spirit examines interior transition through sustained painting practice. While migration is often understood as geographic displacement, this thesis reframes it as an interior reorientation shaped by halted time, disciplined solitude, and the act of reclaiming one’s own narrative. Grounded in lived experience within institutional systems and sustained decades of teaching and studio practice, the work reflects a movement from externally imposed narratives toward self-authored clarity. The paintings are marked by architectural compression, repeated motifs, and restrained palettes dominated by sienna, umber, and muted blues. Figures emerge within densely structured spatial fields shaped by assertive linear frameworks that …