Digital Commons Network^™

Ranked Choice Voting And Condorcet Failure In The Alaska 2022 Special Election: How Might Other Voting Systems Compare?, Jeanne Clelland

The Mathematics Enthusiast

The August 2022 special election for the U.S. House of Representatives in Alaska featured three official candidates and was conducted by the single-winner ranked choice voting system known as “Instant Runoff Voting.” The results of this election displayed a well-known but relatively rare phenomenon known as “Condorcet failure:” Nick Begich was eliminated in the first round despite being more broadly acceptable to the electorate than either of the other two candidates. More specifically, Begich was the Condorcet winner of this election: Based on the Cast Vote Record, he would have defeated each of the other two candidates in head-to-head contests, …

The Topology Of Simple Games, Leah Valentiner, Ismar Volić

The Mathematics Enthusiast

We initiate the study of simple games from the point of view of combinatorial topology. The starting premise is that the losing coalitions of a simple game can be identified with a simplicial complex. Various topological constructions and results from the theory of simplicial complexes then carry over to the setting of simple games. Examples are cone, join, and the Alexander dual which have interpretations as familiar game-theoretic notions and objects such as the arithmetic of games and dual games. We also provide some new topological results about simple games, most notably in applications of homology of simplicial complexes to …

Redistributing Votes When Candidates Drop Out Of An Election, Stanley R. Huddy, Michael A. Jones, Jennifer M. Wilson

The Mathematics Enthusiast

The U.S. Presidential Primary is a series of statewide primaries and caucuses used by the Democratic and Republican parties to winnow a pool of candidates to arrive at their nominees. As unsuccessful candidates leave the race, there is a question as to how voters who planned to vote for the candidate reassign their votes in the upcoming primaries/caucuses. When a profile of voters’ preferences is independent of elimination under plurality, then voters whose first-place candidate has dropped out of the race have their votes distributed to the remaining candidates in the same proportion of the remaining candidates’ first-place votes. For …

Instructive Misadventures When Calculating Election-Related Probabilities, David Mccune

The Mathematics Enthusiast

This article describes an interesting error I committed in the course of my research in voting theory. While embarrassing, the error has led to productive discussions about mathematical failure with my students in my probability and statistics course. I describe my mistake and discuss how the incorporation of such mistakes into the classroom can enhance student trust and engagement.

States Of Disarray: Cleaning Data For Gerrymandering Analysis, Ananya Agarwal, Fnu Alusi, Arbie Hsu, Arif Syraj, Ellen Veomett

The Mathematics Enthusiast

The mathematics of redistricting is an area of study that has exploded in recent years. In particular, many different research groups and expert witnesses in court cases have used outlier analysis to argue that a proposed map is a gerrymander. This outlier analysis relies on having an ensemble of potential redistricting maps against which the proposed map is compared. Arguably the most widelyaccepted method of creating such an ensemble is to use a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) process. This process requires that various pieces of data be gathered, cleaned, and coalesced into a single file that can be used …

The Irrationality Of The California Gubernatorial Recall System, Wesley H. Hollday, Eric Pacuit

The Mathematics Enthusiast

We analyze California’s gubernatorial recall system using basic ideas from the mathematical theory of social choice. We expose some pathologies of the system, use computer simulations to explore how often these pathologies might occur, investigate the effects of strategic voting on the analysis, and suggest changes to the system that cure the pathologies.

From Withdrawal To Impact: Smu Libraries’ Book Rehoming Initiatives, Kai Leong Heng, Eng Ling Lynn Yeo

Research Collection Library

Academic libraries are no strangers to large-scale deselection exercises. Driven by space constraints, evolving curricula, and the shift towards digital resources, the question is no longer whether to withdraw print materials, but what comes next. In the past year, SMU Libraries explored a different answer: instead of recycling withdrawn books, could we reimagine their next chapter, and rehome them to create meaningful impact for the community?

Quantitative Analysis Of Blue 1 Dye In Commercial Sports Drinks By Uv -Vis Spectroscopy And Hplc-Dad, Mikayla Bush

Forensic Science Master's Projects

Food dyes are natural or synthetic substances added to foods, beverages, and cosmetics to enhance color and visual appeal. Although they provide no nutritional value, they are widely used to attract consumers, particularly children. Concerns have been raised about the potential health effects of synthetic dyes, including links to hyperactivity in children, tumor formation at high doses, and possible impacts on gut and brain function. In response, regulatory efforts are ongoing. In April 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced an initiative to phase out petroleum-based food dyes, including …

Alchemy Today! Critical Perspectives On Digital Hermeneutics: The Fifth Annual Conference Of The European Culture And Technology Laboratory., Connell Vaughan, Ioana Cecălășan, Mick O'Hara, Noel Fitzpatrick

Books/Book Chapters

The 5th Annual Conference organized by the European Culture and Technology Laboratory ‘ECT Lab+’ and this year hosted by Baltan Laboratories, Eindhoven, Netherlands aims to bring together experts from the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Technology, and other fields exploring ways of enquiry that enrich (non-)positivist ways of knowing as well as post-structuralist critiques. The digital age is transforming the nature and practice of interpretation raising questions that range from the status of digital objects to the challenges of ethical practice.

Informed by the attitude of the alchemist as a proto-scientist, bridging disciplinary boundaries as well as the mystical and the …

Ecu-Malnett V2, Matthew G. Gaber, Mohiuddin Ahmed, Michael N. Johnstone

Research Datasets

ECU-MALNETT (ECU MALware NETwork Traffic) is a real world, reproducible dataset of labeled benign and malicious network flows built from the Peekaboo execution corpus. Peekaboo runs evasive malware with dynamic binary instrumentation and records raw host-level PCAPs while granting full Internet access, yielding noisy, real-world captures with background OS activity and concurrent processes. To derive trustworthy labels from these traces, we apply Construct, a baseline aware, zero-trust labeling framework. Construct first ingests a baseline capture to establish reference sets (DNS qnames, HTTP hosts, TLS SNIs, and socket endpoints) and grows a conservative benign IP pool only via whitelisted DNS resolutions. …

2026 Report On The State Of Great Salt Lake Social Science, Creed Jones, Avyrlie Smith, Shae Barber, Stacia Ryder, Mufti Nadimul Quamar Ahmed, Georgie Corkery, Jennifer Givens, Anna Mcentire, Carla Trentelman, Jessica Ulrich-Schad, Kirsten Vinyeta, Bryn Watkins

Publications

Great Salt Lake (GSL) faces rapid decline that presents more than just a hydrological risk; it poses an existential social hazard. As water levels decline, ecosystems, economies, cultures, and societies face irreversible harm. Since the lake reached its lowest levels in 2022, this issue has specifically gained increased attention in Utah and beyond. Given both the degree to which human consumption contributes to the problem, and the potential risks that the drying of the lake poses for community health, social science research is a crucial for informing successful water management policies and mitigating impacts. The purpose of this report is …

Stat 216.50: Introduction To Statistics, Scott Davis

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2026-2030

No abstract provided.

Introducing The Math Narrative Project, Liza Bondurant, Sarah Salisbury, Darolyn Flaggs, Belinda Edwards, Uchenna Miles, Daniel Kaufmann

Publications

Whether you teach calculus to engineering students, algebra to future teachers, or developmental math to first-generation college students, the students in your classroom carry narra- tives about mathematics—about whether they belong, wheth- er it matters, and whether asking for help is safe. You carry narratives too. We authors are mathematics educators who work across university classrooms, secondary schools, and teacher preparation programs in Mississippi, Georgia, Texas, and Pennsylvania. In this piece, we introduce the Math Nar- rative Project (2026), a professional development initiative led by the Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity ([BranchED], n.d.) that we participated in as field testers. …

Building Wellbeing Through Nature And Adventure For Justice-Involved Youth, Lewis Kogan, Meagan Ricks, Janna Coulter, Miranda Margetts, Lori Butterfield, Ben Ukoh-Eke

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

Justice-involved youth often experience elevated levels of stress, mental health challenges, and reduced access to positive developmental opportunities. A nature- and adventure-based youth development program designed to strengthen resilience, self-efficacy, nature-connectedness, and well-being among justice-involved youth was piloted in 2025 to address these challenges. Pilot findings indicated improvements in resilience, self-efficacy, hopefulness, and connectedness to nature.

Undergraduate Commencement Address 2026: Let's Go Exploring, Tom J. Clark

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

Theology As The Queen Of The Sciences? Kuyper, Bavinck, And Dooyeweerd, Steve Bishop, Renato Coletto

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

Mechatronics: Fundamentals, Design, Integration, And Validation, Guoming Zhu

Mechatronics

This textbook is a product of Co-DREAM OER (Collaborative Development of Robotics, Mechatronics, and Advanced Manufacturing Open Educational Resources), an initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Education to develop open educational resource textbooks on robotics, mechatronics, and advanced manufacturing processes. The texts are written for students enrolled in 2-year associate’s, 4-year bachelor’s, and graduate-level courses. This specific text has been created by a team of scholars, students, support staff, and other professionals from across the country. It is intended for mechatronics courses for 4-year bachelor’s and graduate-level programs.

Trustworthy And Explainable Malware Threat Intelligence Through Social Media Analytics And Nature-Inspired Optimization, Feras Al-Obeidat, Muhammad Saad Rashad, Muhammad Amin, Waqas Ali, Bilal Khan, Sajid Anwar

All Works

The convergence of media analytics, Cyber threat Intelligence (CTI) and trustworthy artificial intelligence has become essential for modern cybersecurity systems operating over large-scale, heterogenous data sources. In particular, Social Media Intelligence (SOCMINT) and Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) provide high-volume, real-time signals that complement structured CTI frameworks for early-stage malware and adversarial threat detection. However, integrating these unstructured and dynamic sources with Structured Threat Information Expression (STIX) remains challenging due to its hierarchical complexity, semantic redundancy, and computational overhead in resource-constrained environments. This paper proposes an explainable and optimized intelligence pipeline (BERT-STIX) that unifies SOCMINT, OSINT, and STIX-based CTI using deep …

The Unintended Consequences Of Metaphors On Navigating Careers In The U.S.: Focus On International Students And Women Of Color, Yeongbin (Ellen) Jeon

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

This paper examines how workplace metaphors such as the glass ceiling, sticky floor, maternal wall, and motherhood/fatherhood penalty continue to illuminate structural inequality in the contemporary U.S. labor market. Focusing on the experiences of international students and women of color, it argues that these metaphors are not merely symbolic descriptions but practical frameworks for understanding how race, gender, immigration status, and caregiving expectations shape unequal career outcomes. Drawing on class readings, policy analysis, and personal experience, the paper shows how visa-based hiring restrictions, limited parental leave protections, and racialized gender stereotypes constrain access to employment, advancement, and leadership. It further …

The Instability And Unsustainability Of Our Planned, Or Imagined Media Future, Thom Gencarelli

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

In the face of the growth and planned growth of industrial developments in artificial intelligence, embodied AI, immersive media/virtual reality, and the fintech industry and cryptocurrencies – and the energy requirements for each of these and all of them together – this paper examines the question of whether the plans for growth and future development in these areas is probable, possible, problematic, or impossible.  Additionally, the examination is situated atop both state-based and criminal threats to use the Internet and mobile Internet to wreak havoc and instability.

Braids On The Stranded Cellular Automata Model, Alexa Renner

Mathematical Sciences Technical Reports (MSTR)

The Stranded Cellular Automata (SCA) model is a grid of cells such that each cell can contain 0, 1, or 2 strands, together with two cellular automata that control when and how strands turn and cross. It was developed to study patterns occurring in fiber arts. We define a notion of what it means for a braid, in the sense of an element of a braid group, to be represented by an SCA pattern, and provide several algorithms to determine when a braid has an SCA representation with certain additional properties.

Bathurst Burr And Its Control, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

Bathurst burr (Xanthium spinosum) is a declared pest in Western Australia (WA). This factsheet describes the nature of the plant, requirements land owners/occupiers must adhere to, control methods, and how to search, detect, and report it.

Bathurst burr is a summer growing annual shrubby plant originating in South America. In south west Australia, some mature plants survive well into winter, with the result that burrs may be found for most of the year. The weed spreads entirely by burrs, which are usually carried by people or animals, attached to clothes, fur, or other fibre by their hooked spines. They may …

Noogoora Burr And Its Control, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

Noogoora burr, also known as cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium), is a declared pest in Western Australia (WA). This factsheet describes the nature of the plant with links to requirements that land owners/occupiers must adhere to and control methods.

Native to western United States of America. Locally abundant in parts of the Kimberley, especially near water courses. Occasionally found in the South West region of WA.

Never Say Never: The Interdependence Of No-Till And Strategic Deep Tillage In Sustainable Production Systems, Therese Mcbeath, Stephen Davies, John A. Kirkegaard

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

No-till (NT) farming systems are a defining feature of modern conservation agriculture (CA), providing benefits for soil and water conservation, operational efficiency, and resource use efficiency. However, long-term NT adoption across Australian dryland cropping systems has also intensified inherent and emergent soil constraints, including subsurface compaction, topsoil water repellence, acidity, and nutrient stratification. These constraints limit crop water use and yield potential. In the sandy soils of southern and western Australia, strategic deep tillage (SDT) has been developed in otherwise NT systems to alleviate these constraints. Advances in machinery design and controlled traffic systems have enabled deeper, more effective amelioration …

Shadowless In A World Of Shadows: Diminishing The Refraction Of Light Via Nanoconfinement, Vuk Uskoković

Administration and Staff Articles and Research

This paper presents a physicochemical study that merges science and art in the context of exploring the refractive index of water under nanoconfinement. Using a simple and economical experimental approach, it is shown that confinement within the micropores of a zeolitic structure, characterized using electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, paradoxically reduces the refractive index of water, bringing confined water droplets closer to a shadowless state. Counterintuitively, water under confinement, as indicated by vibrational spectroscopic analyses performed in the transmittance mode in the IR range and reflectance mode in the near-IR range, exhibits greater structural freedom than in its bulk or …

Skin Carotenoid Scores Are A Valid Approximation Of Fruit And Vegetable Intake Among Adults With Obesity, Stephanie B Jilcott Pitts, Qiang Wu, Elizabeth Gates, Melissa N Laska, Andrew R Dinardo, Nancy E Moran

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Skin carotenoid score (SCS) as measured using pressure-mediated reflection spectroscopy has been validated among adults with normal and overweight body mass index, with little validation research among adults with obesity. Therefore, the purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the validity of SCS as an approximation of fruit and vegetable intake among adults with obesity. We used samples from adults with obesity from three prior studies: The first study examined the validity of SCS among 213 adults, 34 with obesity; the second, examined sensitivity of SCS to a β-carotene-rich juice intervention among 162 adults, 14 with obesity; the third …

Bayesian And Multi-Objective Decision Support For Incident Mitigation In Cyber-Physical Systems, Shaofei Huang, Christopher M. Poskitt, Lwin Khin Shar

Research Collection School of Computing and Information Systems

Cyber-physical systems increasingly rely on interconnected physical and digital systems whose security incidents can escalate rapidly into safety and operational failures. Existing decision-support approaches struggle to support incident response because they rely on static assumptions, incomplete vulnerability data, and single-objective risk models that do not adequately capture trade-offs between attack success likelihood, impact severity, and system availability. This paper proposes an adaptive decision-support framework for incident mitigation in cyber-physical systems that integrates hierarchical Bayesian Network modelling, confidence-calibrated exposure estimation, and multi-objective optimisation into a unified, adaptive pipeline. The framework constructs probabilistic models from system architecture and vulnerability data, incorporating complementary …

Prune: A Patching Based Repair Framework For Certifiable And Privacy-Robust Unlearning Of Neural Networks, Xuran Li, Jingyi Wang, Xiaohan Yuan, Peixin Zhang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Machine unlearning has emerged as a key mechanism for enabling the “right to be forgotten” in neural network models, allowing the selective removal of specific training data upon request. Existing approaches typically rely on retraining models with the remaining data, which is computationally expensive and difficult to verify, especially when deployed models are distributed or resource-constrained. To address this challenge, our prior conference work introduced PRUNE, a patching-based framework that formulates unlearning as a neural network repair problem. PRUNE achieves targeted forgetting by learning lightweight patch networks that redirect model predictions on the data to be unlearned while preserving performance …

Neural Symphony Of Flow Experience: Evidence For High-Dimensional Metastable Dynamics, Abdelrahman B. M. Eldaly, Kris Zhangguang Kang, Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah, Leanne Lai-Hang Chan, Keng Siau, Xiao Fan Liu, Richard Huskey, Langtao Chen, Tejaswini Yelamanchili, Rene Weber

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Flow, an optimal experience characterized by deep immersion and engagement in an activity, has been extensively studied in behavioral research. However, its neural dynamic mechanism remains poorly understood. In a within-subject video gaming experiment, we captured neural activity underlying flow, boredom, and anxiety using a 64-channel electroencephalogram (EEG) system. Compared to boredom and anxiety, flow exhibits the highest global functional connectivity, metastability, and dimensionality of dynamic functional connectivity patterns, suggesting that flow is a highly adaptable process that is supported by high-dimensional neural dynamics. Unlike previous studies that focused on identifying static or localized brain activity, we examine the neural …

September 2026 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.