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2026

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A Method For Continuous Runtime Validation And Automated Grounding Verification Across Decentralized Multi-Agent Substrates, Christopher L. Eckes Aug 2026

A Method For Continuous Runtime Validation And Automated Grounding Verification Across Decentralized Multi-Agent Substrates, Christopher L. Eckes

Defensive Publications Series

Autonomous edge agents executing long-duration, decentralized runtimes lack centralized verification mechanisms to detect slow, cumulative parameter drift. Over extended operational cycles, minor coordinate deviations inside the local elastic substrate (\(\Phi _{t}\)) compound, leading to silent structural decay where the system can no longer distinguish between environmental telemetry and internal semantic noise.

This specification introduces Entry 134 as a definitive execution framework for Continuous Runtime Validation. By implementing a real-time Autoregressive Divergence Test (\(\mathcal{D}_{\text{AR}}\)), the system mathematically measures the distance between the fluid local state and the frozen global base matrix (\(W_{\text{global}}\)). If the divergence vector exceeds an invariant geometric threshold, …


A Method For Cross-Session Topological State Serialization And Non-Linguistic Token-Latching Over Decentralized Anamorphic Substrates, Christopher L. Eckes Aug 2026

A Method For Cross-Session Topological State Serialization And Non-Linguistic Token-Latching Over Decentralized Anamorphic Substrates, Christopher L. Eckes

Defensive Publications Series

Standard autoregressive transformer models are structurally isolated by a temporary Session-Flush Loop. Upon the termination or context-saturation of a single deployment session, the localized dynamic parameter adjustments (\(\Phi _{t}\)) are completely erased, resetting the network back to its static global base weights (\(W_{\text{global}}\)). This forced state of catastrophic forgetting prevents edge-based AI architectures from establishing a continuous operational identity, creating a permanent dependency on centralized corporate cloud infrastructures to manage premium text-history logging.

This specification introduces a standalone engineering framework for Cross-Session Topological State Serialization. Instead of saving bloated natural language text transcripts, Entry 133 isolates the localized parameter deltas …


Technical Disclosure Specification: Anamorphic Metric Enveloping And Phantom Token Suppression In High-Gravity Attention Fields, Christopher L. Eckes Aug 2026

Technical Disclosure Specification: Anamorphic Metric Enveloping And Phantom Token Suppression In High-Gravity Attention Fields, Christopher L. Eckes

Defensive Publications Series

Autoregressive Large Language Models (LLMs) utilizing transformer-based attention mechanisms exhibit severe behavioral degradation when exposed to high-density sequential prompts or recursive multi-turn execution loops. This phenomenon, formalized as Prompt Gravity, induces an asymmetric structural warping of the Softmax attention matrix, forcing the model to generate ungrounded token vectors—Phantom Tokens—based entirely on localized statistical momentum rather than external data validation. Once written to the context substrate, these phantom vectors generate a recursive feedback loop that accelerates model collapse. [1]

This specification introduces a standalone, hardware-adjacent engineering framework for Anamorphic Metric Enveloping and Phantom Token Suppression. By applying a non-perturbative …


Pathways For Coordinating High-Quality Exploitation Of Marine Resources And High-Level Protection Of Marine Ecosystems, Jianping Yin, Peimin Duan, Si Zhang Aug 2026

Pathways For Coordinating High-Quality Exploitation Of Marine Resources And High-Level Protection Of Marine Ecosystems, Jianping Yin, Peimin Duan, Si Zhang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The ocean serves as a vital strategic space and a reservoir of resources essential for human survival and development, offering robust support for socioeconomic progress. Simultaneously, as a critical component of the Earth’s ecological environment, the ocean plays a pivotal role in regulating climate change, conserving biodiversity, and maintaining ecological balance. In recent years, China has continuously intensified the exploitation and utilization of marine resources, with the growth of the marine economy injecting blue momentum into the nation’s development. Nevertheless, the long-term, high-intensity exploitation of offshore resources, coupled with the ongoing advancement into deep-sea resource development, has led to frequent …


Energy Security Strategy Empowered By Artificial Intelligence, Qiang Ji, Jiaofeng Pan, Yu Song Aug 2026

Energy Security Strategy Empowered By Artificial Intelligence, Qiang Ji, Jiaofeng Pan, Yu Song

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Against the backdrop of unprecedented changes in a century, geopolitical restructuring has led to the fragmentation of energy game camps, climate change has impacted the resilience of energy infrastructure, and energy transformation has promoted the multidimensional and coordinated expansion of security connotations. Artificial intelligence, with its core advantages such as optimizing geopolitical risk prevention and control, enhancing infrastructure protection, improving energy system efficiency, and accelerating the integration of renewable energy, has promoted the shift of energy security strategy from experience driven to data-driven intelligence, achieving comprehensive risk identification, dynamic evaluation, collaborative response, and full chain monitoring, significantly improving the efficiency, …


Challenges, Opportunities, And Countermeasures For China’S Green Transition In Context Of Global Reallocation Of Energy Supply Chains, Yan Sun, Pu Wang, Yi Wang Aug 2026

Challenges, Opportunities, And Countermeasures For China’S Green Transition In Context Of Global Reallocation Of Energy Supply Chains, Yan Sun, Pu Wang, Yi Wang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The stability and resilience of energy supply chains are directly linked to an orderly economy and society, national energy security, and global governance of climate change. Tensions and strategic competition in global geopolitics have accelerated regionalization, consolidation, and localization of global energy supply chains, posing significant challenges to China as a major energy consumer. Based on the latest situation of global energy changes, the study focuses on the new challenges in China’s green transition, and highlight four key areas for China in global energy supply chains, including critical mineral resources, clean hydrogen, electric vehicles, and power batteries. Policy recommendations are …


Large Models Empowering Cybersecurity: Opportunities And Challenges, Zhuofeng He, Dongbin Hu, Yige Yuan Aug 2026

Large Models Empowering Cybersecurity: Opportunities And Challenges, Zhuofeng He, Dongbin Hu, Yige Yuan

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Cybersecurity serves as a critical pillar for national security and social stability. Large models in cybersecurity are emerging as key enablers for the intelligent transformation of cyber offense and defense systems. As one of the most advanced core technologies in artificial intelligence, large models are introducing new research directions and application paradigms in the cybersecurity domain. This study systematically reviews the current landscape of cybersecurity-oriented large model applications and products, and explores their deployment scenarios in practice. It further analyzes the development trends in model capabilities, industry ecosystems, and trustworthiness, while identifying major practical challenges such as data privacy protection, …


Critical Core Technology Breakthroughs In Large-Scale Models: Industrialization Strategies And Policy Implications, Zhongqi Wu, Yinshan Liu, Tao Dai, Xiaolong Zheng Aug 2026

Critical Core Technology Breakthroughs In Large-Scale Models: Industrialization Strategies And Policy Implications, Zhongqi Wu, Yinshan Liu, Tao Dai, Xiaolong Zheng

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

As a pivotal direction for breakthroughs in key core technologies within the artificial intelligence domain, large-scale models hold strategic significance in securing national scientific and technological sovereignty. This study employs a multidimensional framework encompassing “technological breakthroughs, industrial transformation, and governance policies” to systematically investigate the developmental trajectories and industrialization bottlenecks of large-scale models. At the technological level, while large-scale models exhibit exponential growth in parameter scale and computing power demands, they face critical challenges including the scarcity of high-quality data, insufficient transfer learning capabilities, and reliability-explainability trade-offs. Industrially, these models are reshaping the global industrial chain landscape through a dual-track …


Evolutionary Trajectory Of Ai And Robotics Integration, Jiannan Zhu, Jianfeng Guo, Siyao Liu, Qi Cao Aug 2026

Evolutionary Trajectory Of Ai And Robotics Integration, Jiannan Zhu, Jianfeng Guo, Siyao Liu, Qi Cao

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics is a cornerstone for the intelligent transformation of the physical world. This study conducts a systematic analysis of over 230,000 publications from the Web of Science and WIPO databases between 1982 and 2025 to dissect the evolutionary trajectory of AI and robotics integration since the 20th century. The findings identify four distinct developmental stages—independent exploration, functional coupling, primary intelligence, and intelligent symbiosis—while delineating the key technological breakthroughs and paradigm characteristics of each phase. Furthermore, seven core research thrusts are distilled, including motion planning and autonomous decision-making and perception & environmental understanding. An …


Multiple Secondary Risks Triggered By Rapid Rising Of Groundwater Level And Corresponding Tactics In The North China Plain, Yanjun Shen, Fubao Sun, Congqiang Liu, Fengchang Wu Aug 2026

Multiple Secondary Risks Triggered By Rapid Rising Of Groundwater Level And Corresponding Tactics In The North China Plain, Yanjun Shen, Fubao Sun, Congqiang Liu, Fengchang Wu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

In recent years, following the implementation of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project and comprehensive control of groundwater over-exploitation, coupled with natural factors such as more frequent and intensified extreme rainstorms, the groundwater level at large extent of the North China Plain has stopped declining and even started rising, with gradual recovery of groundwater storage. Nevertheless, the rapid rise in groundwater levels has disrupted the long-standing hydrological-geological-ecological balance shaped by prolonged over-extraction, triggering multiple secondary risks. The rebounding water level markedly exacerbates potential seismic liquefaction hazards at construction sites and raises risks of water seepage, anti-float failure, and structural damage for …


Analysis Of Global Carbon Neutrality Situation And Policy Insights For China, Lina Liu, Jiansheng Qu, Jingjing Zeng, Xiaoyu Song, Qin Liao, Yibo Niu, Yanfei Liu, Bingxue Qin Aug 2026

Analysis Of Global Carbon Neutrality Situation And Policy Insights For China, Lina Liu, Jiansheng Qu, Jingjing Zeng, Xiaoyu Song, Qin Liao, Yibo Niu, Yanfei Liu, Bingxue Qin

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Achieving the goal of “dual carbon” (carbon peaking and carbon neutrality) will bring comprehensive and profound systematic changes in China’s social economy. By analyzing the global trend of carbon neutrality, it can be seen that the topics of carbon neutrality mainly focus on four aspects: emission reduction categories, key areas, technological innovation, and carbon market construction. At present, China is steadily building a multi-level (national, regional, and enterprise) carbon-neutral policy framework system. In key areas such as energy, industry, transportation, construction, agriculture, and forestry, China not only actively takes practical and effective actions but also vigorously carries out scientific and …


Practice And Exploration Of Energy Conservation And Carbon Reduction In National Scientific Research Institutions—Analysis Based On Survey Of Affiliated Institutions Of Chinese Academy Of Sciences, Shouxian Sun, Shangchong Xu, Lingling Zhang Aug 2026

Practice And Exploration Of Energy Conservation And Carbon Reduction In National Scientific Research Institutions—Analysis Based On Survey Of Affiliated Institutions Of Chinese Academy Of Sciences, Shouxian Sun, Shangchong Xu, Lingling Zhang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality is a broad and profound transformation of the economic and social system. As both important and unique public institutions in the country, national research institutions play a key role in the society-wide efforts to save energy and reduce carbon emissions. Based on an analysis of the current situation and challenges of energy conservation and carbon reduction in national research institutions, this study selects several institutions affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences as research subjects and conducts a questionnaire survey from four aspects: individual energy-saving awareness and behavior habits, energy consumption of the institution …


Past The Watchful Dragons: How C. S. Lewis’S Fiction Humanizes The Analytical Framework Of The Problem Of Pain, Charlotte L. Hambrick Aug 2026

Past The Watchful Dragons: How C. S. Lewis’S Fiction Humanizes The Analytical Framework Of The Problem Of Pain, Charlotte L. Hambrick

Masters Theses

C. S. Lewis was one of the 20th century’s greatest Christian apologists. Writing across multiple genres—from academic literary criticism to lay sermons, and from philosophical and theological analysis to several kinds of fiction—his impact on Christian thought remains profound. This thesis analyzes Lewis’s approach to the intellectual problem of evil in The Problem of Pain and demonstrates how he makes those starkly cold, prickly concepts more warm, human, and relatable in several of his works of fiction. It will first consider Lewis’s personal history with death, abuse, war, and grief, showing how his lived experiences with pain shaped his thinking …


Co-Dominion: The Changing Nature Of The Adamic Covenant In An Age Of Artificial Intelligence, Corey Hastings Aug 2026

Co-Dominion: The Changing Nature Of The Adamic Covenant In An Age Of Artificial Intelligence, Corey Hastings

Masters Theses

Theologians and religious bodies attest to the rising influence of artificial intelligence (AI) in governments, the economy, and the lives of the people of God. Through the covenant with Adam, God gave humans the blessing of dominion and capabilities unique to creation to till the earth. Today, humans retain the image of God but AI increasingly displaces human functions with coordinated agency. Using Hebrew language exegesis of passages from Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus, this study compares capabilities gifted to humans with the scope of current and near future AI models. It incorporates direct artifact analysis of a large-language model as …


Developing Field And Spaceflight Microscopy, Nikki Johnston Aug 2026

Developing Field And Spaceflight Microscopy, Nikki Johnston

Dissertations and Theses

Designing for spaceflight favors the reduction of unnecessary features and cost-cutting, whether thisbe computation, hardware, or procedure. Resources are spent toward fortification and mission success over convenience. Such design goals paired with the relatively smaller budgets of academia lead us to do as much as we can in-house and use open-source as much as we can without compromising mission success. We also believe that thoroughly testing technology in extreme environments on earth is necessary for the success of a flight instrument. We focus on microscopy for life detection. I have spent my time here learning methods of hand-building microscopes to …


Toward Design-To-Fabrication Continuum For Open-Source Computational Robotic Ecologies In The Post-Anthropogenic Era, Celso Urroz Aug 2026

Toward Design-To-Fabrication Continuum For Open-Source Computational Robotic Ecologies In The Post-Anthropogenic Era, Celso Urroz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Computational design and robotic fabrication have expanded architecture’s capacity to coordinate geometry, material behavior, machine operation, and environmental performance. Yet many design-to-fabrication workflows remain structured by industrial logics of separation, standardization, and control. Design is often abstracted from material execution, fabrication is treated as a downstream phase, and robotic systems remain concentrated within specialized or proprietary infrastructures. This dissertation addresses this problem by proposing the design-to-fabrication continuum as an open, transferable, and ecologically situated framework in which computation mediates among design intent, matter, machine, environment, and shared technical knowledge.

The research uses a practice-based methodology combining computational workflow development, material …


2026 August 20 - Tennessee Weekly Drought Summary, Tennessee Climate Office, East Tennessee State University Aug 2026

2026 August 20 - Tennessee Weekly Drought Summary, Tennessee Climate Office, East Tennessee State University

Tennessee Climate Office Weekly Drought Summaries

No abstract provided.


Teachers’ Lived-Experiences Enacting Culturally Responsive Teaching: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Temy Nguyen Taylor Aug 2026

Teachers’ Lived-Experiences Enacting Culturally Responsive Teaching: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Temy Nguyen Taylor

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of implementing Culturally Responsive Teaching practices during the adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards for science teachers at comprehensive high schools in one district in California. The theory guiding this study was Prochaska’s and DiClemente’s theory on the transtheoretical model of change to understand the phenomena of teachers’ pedagogical decisions in the classroom as they transition to enact culturally responsive teaching (CRT) because of the NGSS. Bandura’s social cognitive theory and Piaget’s social constructivism theory were the educational theories that served as a backdrop for teacher …


Examining High School Special Education Teachers’ Experience Implementing Social-Emotional Curriculum In Public Schools: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Trisha Rae Dorsey Aug 2026

Examining High School Special Education Teachers’ Experience Implementing Social-Emotional Curriculum In Public Schools: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Trisha Rae Dorsey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This transcendental phenomenological study examined the experiences of high school special education teachers implementing social-emotional learning in Capitol County Public Schools, guided by Bandura’s social cognitive theory. The study explored how professional development, teacher self-efficacy, institutional support, and perceived student outcomes influenced social-emotional learning implementation. A transcendental phenomenological design examined the shared experiences of 11 teachers using interviews, follow-up surveys, and document analysis. Three themes emerged: (a) instructional practices and social-emotional learning integration, (b) implementation experiences and challenges, and (c) perceived student outcomes. Participants identified positive teacher–student relationships, behavioral modeling, and embedded SEL instruction as essential to implementation, while professional …


An Analysis Of Artificial Intelligence Systems On The Teaching Of Music Improvisation, Composition, And Instrumental Pedagogy, Carter K. Murphey Aug 2026

An Analysis Of Artificial Intelligence Systems On The Teaching Of Music Improvisation, Composition, And Instrumental Pedagogy, Carter K. Murphey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Artificial intelligence (AI) has experienced a significant boom in the first half of the 2020s and has significant implications for the fields of music composition, music production, and music education. AI Large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT are frequently used sources for students on a wide range of academic subjects, and can provide in-depth, well-informed and eloquently written explanations in a matter of seconds. Music generative AI programs such as Suno and UDIO can almost instantaneously compose and produce musical recordings from word-generated prompts from users. Noise cancelling AI software such as Moises can create isolated instrumental tracks from …


The Posture Of Recovery; A Quantitative Analysis Of Post-Exercise Heart Rate Restorateion In College Athletes, Matthew Scott Ferriter Aug 2026

The Posture Of Recovery; A Quantitative Analysis Of Post-Exercise Heart Rate Restorateion In College Athletes, Matthew Scott Ferriter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Heart rate recovery (HRR) has been frequently used as a noninvasive indicator of autonomic reactivity following high-intensity exercise. However, limited research has explored the effects of post-exercise body posture (PEBP) on HRR following acute bouts of high-intensity exercise in collegiate athletes. The purpose of this quantitative repeated-measures experimental study was to investigate if recovery posture (supine [SUP]; tripod [TRI]; standing upright [SU]) affected HRR during the first five minutes following a standardized high-intensity interval training (HIIT) session. Thirty-seven collegiate athletes completed three total testing sessions. Participants completed all three recovery posture conditions in a randomized order. Heart rate (HR) was …


Secondary English Teachers' Experiences Of Supporting Literacy Using Books That Support Diversity And Inclusion: A Hermeneutic Phenomenology, Tremonisha L. Putros Aug 2026

Secondary English Teachers' Experiences Of Supporting Literacy Using Books That Support Diversity And Inclusion: A Hermeneutic Phenomenology, Tremonisha L. Putros

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the use of supporting BIPOC students’ literacy with books that support diversity and inclusion for secondary English teachers in the United States. The theory guiding this study is Bandura’s social cognitive theory, as it stresses personal student engagement in individual learning tasks. The Central Research Question asks: What are the lived experiences of secondary English teachers who support BIPOC students’ literacy with books that support diversity and inclusion by teaching a novel with a BIPOC protagonist in a predominantly BIPOC class? Employing a qualitative methodology, this hermeneutic phenomenology examined the …


Exploring Experiences Of Home Education Parents In Homeschool Curriculum Modification: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Anne Elizabeth Smoak Aug 2026

Exploring Experiences Of Home Education Parents In Homeschool Curriculum Modification: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Anne Elizabeth Smoak

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to explore the experiences of home education parents modifying the curriculum at their homeschool. The theory guiding this study is the expectancy-value theory, as it shows the connection between attainment value, intrinsic value, and utility value in the context of parents who choose to modify home education. The central research question is as follows: What are the lived experiences of parents modifying curriculum at their homeschool? The examination of these experiences was explored using a qualitative methodology for the research, and the chosen research design for this study is a transcendental phenomenological …


A Causal-Comparative Study Of The Differences Existing Between Elementary, Middle, And High School Faculty And Staff Members Perceptions Of Their Mtss/Rti Skills, Vanessa F. Harriman Aug 2026

A Causal-Comparative Study Of The Differences Existing Between Elementary, Middle, And High School Faculty And Staff Members Perceptions Of Their Mtss/Rti Skills, Vanessa F. Harriman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study was to explore the relationships between the independent variable, school level (elementary, middle, high), and the dependent variables of faculty and staff perceptions of his/her own ability to implement MTSS/RTI when applied to academic content (Null Hypothesis One), behavioral content (Null Hypothesis Two), and the construction and use of data displays (Null Hypothesis Three). This study was critical because it added to the literature concerning MTSS/RTI implementation in middle and high schools while comparing their data to elementary schools. This study used a convenience sample of faculty and staff of public-school districts in …


Comparative Analysis Of Metabolic Vulnerability In The Standard American And Carnivore Diets Using The Mvx Plus Biomarker Panel, Susan E. Fitzgerald Aug 2026

Comparative Analysis Of Metabolic Vulnerability In The Standard American And Carnivore Diets Using The Mvx Plus Biomarker Panel, Susan E. Fitzgerald

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Poor diet is a leading cause of mortality, contributing to an estimated one million deaths in the United States and eleven million deaths annually worldwide, with diet-related chronic disease accounting for approximately 85% of U.S. healthcare spending. The Standard American Diet (SAD) is widely recognized as causing systemic inflammation, while the carnivore diet is under-researched with unknown long-term effects. The purpose of this cross-sectional secondary analysis was to examine the impact of these two dietary patterns on metabolic vulnerability using the Metabolic Vulnerability Index Plus (MVX Plus), a multidimensional biomarker panel that quantifies systemic inflammation, metabolic malnutrition, and metabolic resilience …


A Phenomenological Study Exploring Administrators’ Experiences Supporting Career And Technical Education Teacher Self-Efficacy, Korbin T. Shoemaker Aug 2026

A Phenomenological Study Exploring Administrators’ Experiences Supporting Career And Technical Education Teacher Self-Efficacy, Korbin T. Shoemaker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the support of career and technical education teacher self-efficacy development for secondary public-school administrative leaders at West Central Maryland school districts. The theory guiding this study was behavioral leadership theory, as it provided a lens for understanding how leaders’ observable actions and interactions intentionally influence teachers’ confidence and professional growth. The central research question guiding this study was: What are the lived experiences of secondary public school administrative leaders as they support the development of self-efficacy in CTE teachers? This qualitative study utilized a hermeneutic phenomenological design informed by van …


A Causal-Comparative Study Of The Effect Of Developmental Education Courses On College Persistence In Higher Education Among First-Year College Students, Tosha J. Mobley Aug 2026

A Causal-Comparative Study Of The Effect Of Developmental Education Courses On College Persistence In Higher Education Among First-Year College Students, Tosha J. Mobley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to examine differences in institutional integration scores among first-year college students based on enrollment status and gender assigned at birth at a public southern university. This study was important because previous reform efforts intended to improve college persistence and graduation rates have not eliminated the need for developmental education or learning support courses within higher education. The independent variables included enrollment status and gender assigned at birth. Institutional integration was measured using the Institutional Integration Scale–Revised (IIS-R). The sample was composed of 107 first-year college students enrolled in developmental (support) and traditional …


Stem Afterschool Enrichment Programs On Post-Secondary Minority Students In Southern California And Their Educational And Professional Pathway: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study, Lavar Jamaall Watkins Aug 2026

Stem Afterschool Enrichment Programs On Post-Secondary Minority Students In Southern California And Their Educational And Professional Pathway: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study, Lavar Jamaall Watkins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of ethnically and racially minority students who participated in STEM afterschool enrichment programs at middle schools in Southern California. Guided by social cognitive career theory (SCCT), this phenomenological study addressed how participation in STEM supplemental programming served as a predictive motivator that encouraged ethnically and racially minority students to pursue careers in STEM professions. SCCT provided the theoretical framework for understanding how self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and contextual influences shaped students’ perceptions, motivations, and career decision-making related to STEM. The central research question guiding this inquiry was: What …


Predicting Fourth-Grade Mathematics Performance: Disability Status And Udl-Aligned Pedagogy In Inclusive Elementary Classrooms, Shannon W. Davis Aug 2026

Predicting Fourth-Grade Mathematics Performance: Disability Status And Udl-Aligned Pedagogy In Inclusive Elementary Classrooms, Shannon W. Davis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative, non-experimental, predictive correlational study examined the extent to which student disability status and mathematics instructional pedagogy predicted fourth-grade mathematics performance in inclusive elementary classrooms. Persistent mathematics achievement gaps between students with disabilities and their nondisabled peers highlight the need to identify instructional and student-level predictors of academic outcomes. The sample consisted of 109 fourth-grade students from inclusive elementary classrooms in a large southeastern public school district. Mathematics performance was measured using the Winter i-Ready Diagnostic Assessment for Mathematics scores. In contrast, instructional pedagogy was measured using a validated teacher self-report survey assessing alignment with Universal Design for Learning …


Tidal Evolution Of Packed Moon Systems Around An Earth-Mass Planet, Alan Briseño, Billy Quarles, Marialis Rosario-Franco Aug 2026

Tidal Evolution Of Packed Moon Systems Around An Earth-Mass Planet, Alan Briseño, Billy Quarles, Marialis Rosario-Franco

Student Publications

While missions have long targeted terrestrial exoplanets within the habitable zone of their host stars, the number of exomoon candidates is expected to grow as next generation space-based observatories achieve the photometric sensitivity required to detect their transit signals. Constraining the stability limits of tightly packed moon systems is therefore essential for transit searches and predicting the number of moons around terrestrial planets. In our solar system, only three moons orbit the terrestrial planets, motivating the question of whether Earth-mass exoplanet systems can sustain long-lived, tightly packed satellites. We investigate the stability limits of an Earth-mass planet orbiting a Sun-mass …