Digital Commons Network^™

Inhomogeneous Branching Random Walks: Incorporating Genealogy And Density Effects, Lauren Ajax, Beatrice Durham, Pratima Hebbar, Cade Johnston, Jiayi Zhang

Spora: A Journal of Biomathematics

We introduce a novel framework using inhomogeneous branching random walks (BRWs) to model biological processes, specifically by introducing genealogy-dependence in branching rates and displacement distributions to model bacterial colony growth. Current stochastic models often either assume independent and identical behavior of individual agents or incorporate only spatiotemporal inhomogeneity, ignoring the effect of genealogy-based inhomogeneity on the long-time behavior of these processes. Such asymptotics are of independent mathematical interest and are crucial in understanding the emergence of patterns. We propose several inhomogeneous BRW models in 2D space where displacement distributions and branching rates vary with time, space, and genealogy. A combined …

A Qualitative Phenomenological Study Of Faculty Members’ Experiences Developing Strategies For Fostering Student Engagement In Synchronous Online Graduate Courses, Cody L. Evans

Doctor of Education Program Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore college instructor strategies for fostering student engagement and managing digital distractions in synchronous online graduate-level learning environments. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five college instructors currently teaching synchronous online graduate-level courses across various disciplines. Data was analyzed via pattern coding to identify recurring themes. Four primary themes emerged from the data: establishing expectations, technology, balancing flexibility with professional standards, and barriers beyond technology. Findings revealed that effective engagement in synchronous online graduate-level learning environments requires intentional course design, relational presence, and adaptability to the professional and personal realities of adult …

Strategic Report: Pt@C60, Xavier Pillet

Defensive Publications Series

This document, produced with the assistance of GPT-5.2 Thinking and Gemini 3 Raisonnement, is released under the Apache License 2.0. It is a voluntary defensive publication (prior art) and therefore enters the prior art upon release under the applicable patent statutes : EPC Art. 54(2) (European Patent Convention), French IPC Art. L 611-11 (French Intellectual Property Code), 35 U.S.C. §102(a) (United States Patent Act), Chinese Patent Law Art. 22(5) (中华人民共和国专利法), and Japanese Patent Act Art. 29(1) (特許法). It discloses enabling synthesis (arc/laser), purification, QA/metrology, EHS containment, REACH/CLP compliance workflows, data interoperability, and health & electronics applications for Pt@C60 as claim-ready …

Report On The Market Deployment Of Endohedral Fullerenes Ag@C60, Xavier Pillet

Defensive Publications Series

This document, produced with the assistance of GPT-5.2 Thinking and Gemini 3 Reasoning, is released under the Apache License 2.0. It is a voluntary defensive publication (prior art) and therefore enters the prior art upon release under the applicable patent statutes : EPC Art. 54(2) (European Patent Convention), French IPC Art. L 611-11 (French Intellectual Property Code), 35 U.S.C. §102(a) (United States Patent Act), Chinese Patent Law Art. 22(5) (両匡丢氡儡吡嘡丣刡氢), and Japanese Patent Act Art. 29(1) (闘旧避). It defensively discloses enabling invention candidates (processes, systems, compositions, methods, software) spanning Ag@C60 synthesis/purification, industrial QA/qualification, diagnostics, imaging, aerospace structural health monitoring, digital …

Feasibility Study: Frugal Production Of Au@C60 (Gold Endohedral Fullerene), Xavier Pillet

Defensive Publications Series

This document, produced with the assistance of ChatGPT 5.2 Thinking and Gemini 3 Raisonnement, is released under the Apache 2.0 licence. It is a voluntary defensive publication (prior art) and therefore enters the prior art upon release under the applicable patent statutes : EPC Art. 54(2) (European Patent Convention), French PC Art. L 611-11 (French Intellectual Property Code), 35 U.S.C. §102(a) (United States Patent Act), Chinese Patent Law Art. 22(5)(中华人民共和国专利法), and Japanese Patent Act Art. 29(1)(特許法). It discloses frugal, industrializable routes to synthesize, purify, characterize, formulate, and deploy Au@C60 (helium arc discharge, composite anodes, arc control, gas recirculation, quench/soot collection, …

Sheep Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Biological Characteristics, Ethical Considerations, And Translational Applications, Hasan M. Agha, Mohammed A. Abdalqader, Oh Chin Kin Michelle, Sabaa M. Agha, Jantson Hoh, Abdulmutalib Alabeed Allaq, Amjad Abdulhadi Mohammed, Muneer Mohammed Saleh Alsayadi

AUIQ Complementary Biological System

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are widely used in regenerative medicine due to their self-renewal capacity, multilineage differentiation potential, and paracrine activity. Limitations associated with the sourcing and scalability of human MSCs have increased interest in xenogeneic alternatives, particularly sheep umbilical cord–derived MSCs (sUC-MSCs). These cells display high proliferative capacity, stable karyotypes, and a typical MSC immunophenotype (CD44, CD73, CD90, CD105), with low basal immunogenicity. sUC-MSCs exhibit osteogenic, chondrogenic, and adipogenic differentiation potential and secrete angiogenic and immunomodulatory factors, including VEGF, HGF, IGF-1, TGF-β, and IL-10. Owing to their biological similarities to human MSCs and accessibility from perinatal tissue, …

Strategic Report: Bscc-V1 Device For Preserving Epigenetic Integrity, Xavier Pillet

Defensive Publications Series

This document, produced with the assistance of GPT-5.2 Thinking and Gemini 3 Reasoning, is released under the Apache License 2.0. It is a voluntary defensive publication (prior art) and therefore enters the prior art upon release under the applicable patent statutes: EPC Art. 54(2) (European Patent Convention), French IPC Art. L 611-11 (French Intellectual Property Code), 35 U.S.C. §102(a) (United States Patent Act), Chinese Patent Law Art. 22(5) (両匡丢氡儡吡嘡丣刡氢), and Japanese Patent Act Art. 29(1) (闘旧避). This document consolidates an enabling extraction of sixty (60) potentially patentable/defensive ideas for the BSCC-V1 concept: coherent emissions (528 Hz and harmonics), silica micro-resonators, …

Strategic Distribution, Digital Marketing, And Open Innovation: Toward Integrated Capability Development For Sme Performance, Johannes Baptista Halik, Maria Yessica Halik, Septin Basongan, Jhoel Mapau

Asia Marketing Journal

This study examines the impact of Distribution Strategy on SME performance, with Digital Marketing and Open Innovation as mediating variables. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), data were analyzed from 250 SMEs in Makassar, Indonesia. The results show that Distribution Strategy positively affects performance, both directly and indirectly through Open Innovation. However, Digital Marketing does not serve as a significant mediator, indicating that its use among SMEs may still be limited to tactical functions. Open Innovation emerges as the strongest contributor, highlighting its role in converting distribution capabilities into performance gains. The study enriches Resource Advantage (R-A) Theory …

Mitigating Appearance Threats: The Differential Effects Of Compensatory Consumption On Self-Control, Yi-Seo Jo, Eunice Eun-Sil Kim

Asia Marketing Journal

Appearance threats, arising from gaps between one’s appearance and societal beauty standards, weaken self-control the capacity to favor long-term goals over immediate impulses. This research explores how compensatory consumption mitigates these effects, focusing on type (within-domain vs. across-domain) and timing (near-future vs. distant-future) across two studies. Rooted in symbolic self-completion and construal level theories, Study 1 examines how compensation type affects self-control under appearance threats, with rumination as a mediator. Findings show across-domain compensation sustains self-control by diverting focus from appearance concerns, unlike within-domain compensation, which heightens rumination and impairs self-regulation. Study 2 investigates how compensation timing moderates these outcomes, …

When And Why Managerial Responseswork: A Dual-Process Model Of Linguistic Cues, Review Rating, And Usefulness, Jungwon Lee, Cheol Park

Asia Marketing Journal

This research develops and empirically tests a contingency model explaining how specific linguistic characteristics of a firm's response to an online review influence the review's usefulness. We argue that the diagnostic value of different linguistic cues is contingent upon the reader's information processing mode-systematic versus heuristic-which is triggered by the valence of the original review's rating. An econometric analysis of 41,704 review-response dyads from TripAdvisor reveals that a conceptual cue (personalization, operationalized as topical relevance) and a perceptual cue (readability) both significantly increase review usefulness. In contrast, another perceptual cue (Linguistic Style Matching) decreases usefulness, a finding we interpret as …

“It’S A Dupe, Not A Counterfeit!” An Exploration Of Motives For Dupe Consumption Motives, Jungyong Ahn

Asia Marketing Journal

This study was designed to explore consumer motives for dupe consumption and to measure the influence of these identified motives on consumer satisfaction with dupe products and intention to sharing dupe products. Through a literature review and in-depth interviews, five key consumer motives were anticipated: (1) self-protection, (2) saving money, (3) anti-materialism, (4) mimicry, and (5) enjoyment. Corresponding measurement items were developed to assess these motives. A factor analysis conducted on survey data collected from 300 respondents successfully confirmed the extraction of these five motives as expected. Moreover, regression analysis further demonstrated the statistically significant positive impact of these motives …

The Impact Of Sense Of Power On Consumer Click-Through Intention Under Ai Personalized Recommendation, Li Li, Dhakir Abbas Ali

Asia Marketing Journal

This study investigates how consumers' sense of power influences their click-through intentions in AI-driven personalized recommendation systems. While prior research has explored personalized marketings impact on consumer behavior, the role of perceived power remains understudied. Through scenario-based experiments, we find that a heightened sense of power enhances engagement with AI recommendations, with self-efficacy as a key mediator. However, this effect weakens when privacy concerns are high, highlighting privacy as a critical moderating factor. Specifically, empowered consumers are more likely to interact with AI recommendations, but only when privacy risks are minimal. These findings deepen our understanding of consumer-AI interactions, emphasizing …

Research Report And Business Case: “Vcp-V1” Device For Detecting Non-Coherent Photonic Projections, Xavier Pillet

Defensive Publications Series

This document, produced with the assistance of GPT-5.2 Thinking and Gemini 3 Reasoning, is released under the Apache License 2.0. It is a voluntary defensive publication (prior art) and therefore enters the prior art upon release under the applicable patent statutes : EPC Art. 54(2) (European Patent Convention), French IPC Art. L 611-11 (French Intellectual Property Code), 35 U.S.C. §102(a) (United States Patent Act), Chinese Patent Law Art. 22(5) (中华人民共和国专利法), and Japanese Patent Act Art. 29(1) (特許法). This report discloses an optronic + software system (VCP-V1) designed to discriminate real objects from synthetic wavefronts/photonic projections using second-order intensity correlations g(2), …

Airbnb And The End Of The Local, Nadia Beyersdorf

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how second-home ownership and self-catered tourism reshape community life in Tenby, Wales. While gentrification research often focuses on permanent displacement, less attention has been given to the movement of temporary residents that erodes local culture, social ties, and transforms everyday relationships in coastal towns.

Negotiating Sacred Space: Monastic Endurance And The Spatial Politics Of Sistematizare In 1980s Bucharest, Symantha G. Byrd

Theses and Dissertations

Under Ceaușescu's 1980s Sistematizare program, Bucharest's Orthodox monasteries sustained sacred life through "negotiated resilience": ritual repetition and spatial adaptation under surveillance and constrained visibility. Văcărești, Mihai Vodă, and Antim map a spectrum—erasure, relocation/concealment, and institutional negotiation—complicating binaries of resistance and collaboration.

Fugitive Formalisms: Strategies Of Dissemblance And Dissent In The Work Of Queer-Identifying Artists, 1970–Present, Rowan Diaz-Toth

Theses and Dissertations

Utilizing case studies of works by Hélio Oiticica, Scott Burton, and Felix Gonzalez-Torres as points of departure, this thesis puts forth a speculative historical framework for reconsidering queer art practices up through the present day in opposition to regimes of visibility and transparency, exploring the subversive, fugitive potential of non-representational formalisms.

O Esqueleto De Um Romance, Lanna Leite

Theses and Dissertations

In O Esqueleto de um Romance: The Film (2025), a Berlin legal dispute between a mayor and evangelicals sparks filmmaker Lanna Leite’s reflection on faith, memory, and belief. Using archival, 16mm, and 8mm footage, the experimental film frames filmmaking as an ephemeral, performative practice resisting closure and conventional narrative finality.

The Double Gaze: Weaving Historical, Decolonial, And Indigenous Perspectives Through Maruch Sántiz Gómez’S Creencias., Elisa Gutiérrez Eriksen

Theses and Dissertations

The Double Gaze examines Maruch Sántiz Gómez’s series Creencias (1994-2000) at the intersection of sociopolitical changes in southeastern Mexico and the 1995 Johannesburg Biennial. Drawing on Rita Segato’s “capillary disobedience” and the Mayan philosophy of kab’awil, the research considers Creencias as a theoretical proposal for reading Indigenous art practices.

Structural Characterization Of Peptide Nanoaggregates At Varying Concentrations And Their Impact On Cellular Responses, Malika Rozmetova

Theses and Dissertations

Peptide nano-assemblies can regulate cellular pathways in a structure-dependent manner. Here, we show that the enzyme-responsive peptide NapFFK(NBD)Yp forms distinct nanoscale assemblies at different concentrations, triggering differential ER stress and extracellular vesicle release in MDA-MB231 cells. These results highlight the importance of supramolecular organization in peptide–cell interactions.

One Stone's Journey, Satoko Saito

Theses and Dissertations

One Stone’s Journey is a participatory, experiential thirty-minute documentary about uranium. By using an embroidered world map and appealing to participants’ senses—especially touch—the project explores the possibility of telling the story of radiation, which is invisible, intangible, and silent. Uranium is a radioactive material used by the United States in the development and production of the atomic bombs during the Manhattan Project. This year, 2025, marks the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident in 2011 was on a scale comparable to the Chernobyl disaster of 1986, and the threat …

"Catching Up": Christian Walker's Critical Lens, Noam Parness

Theses and Dissertations

“Catching Up” examines three bodies of photographic work that artist, critic, and curator Christian Walker (1953-2003) generated between 1984-1991. By reading each series against a corresponding text, “Catching Up” furthers an understanding of how Walker’s works reconstruct experiences and histories of race and sexuality in the United States.

I Know You Are Watching, Camilo Salas Kusulas

Theses and Dissertations

I Know You Are Watching is a short documentary film that examines the evolving history and scope of mass surveillance, and how to resist it. The film introduces two local New York City artists, Bill Brown from the Surveillance Camera Players, and Sam Lavigne, who misuse technologies designed to watch us, exposing these systems and fighting back through digital art and performance.

Blending interviews, observational footage, personal narration, archival images, and news clips from different eras, the film interrogates the mechanisms of control, and positions art as a method of both understanding and talking back to surveillance.

Juventino Rosas, Sobre Las Olas, And Their Place In Defining Mexican Music In The Porfirian Nineteenth Century, Catherine J. Langevin-Falcon

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the life and music of Juventino Rosas (1868–1894), the Mexican composer whose most enduring work is Sobre las olas (1888), a Viennese-style waltz. I ask the question: Why was Sobre las olas so well-known and why does it remain beloved with audiences around the world, even today, while Rosas is hardly known outside his native Mexico? I considered historical, social and cultural factors, as well as musical events of the day, that may have had bearing on the question. I describe the broad outlines of Rosas's life and the challenges he faced as an indigenous person, composer …

Risk And Public Judgments On Police Pursuits: A Nationally Representative Conjoint Experiment, Scott M. Mourtgos, Ian T. Adams, Kyle Mclean, Geoffrey P. Alpert

Faculty Publications

Police vehicle pursuits emphasize a central tension between law enforcement imperatives and public safety. While modern policies emphasize balancing apprehension needs against risks of continuation, little is known about whether public intuitions mirror this framework. We address this gap using a nationally representative conjoint experiment (N = 3,334) that varied eleven contextual factors across randomized pursuit scenarios. Respondents rated perceived risk, indicated whether pursuits should be terminated, and made forced-choice tradeoffs. Across all outcomes, high-risk situational factors (e.g., high speeds, adverse weather, heavy traffic, urban settings, etc.) increased perceived danger and termination support, while more serious underlying offenses, particularly …

Understanding The Chemical And Electronic Properties Of Sub-Monolayer Tio₂ On High Surface Area Silica For Jet Fuel Synthesis Applications, Mark A. Isaacs, Charalampos Drivas, Arthur Graf, Sasha Kroon, Santosh Kumar, Junxi Liu, Antonio Torres‐Lopez, Cameron Price, Edward Garland, Ines Lezcano‐Gonzalez, Christopher M. A. Parlett, Vannia C. Dos Santos‐Durndell, Lee J. Durndell

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

2.5% of global carbon emissions result from air travel, underscoring the need for sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) derived from second-generation lignocellulosic biomass to enhance the green credentials of the aviation sector. This study demonstrates the first solvent-free photocatalytic conversion of furfural (FAL) and cyclopentanone (CPO) to produce 2,5-bis(2-furylmethylidene)cyclopentanone (F2Cp), a jet fuel precursor, using Ti-SBA-15 catalysts, synthesized via alkoxide grafting and controlled titanium surface coverage. Sub-monolayer titania films on SBA-15 supports are achieved with tuneable Ti content, confirmed by XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy), UPS (ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy), REELS (reflectance electron energy loss spectroscopy), ISS (ion scattering spectroscopy), and Raman analysis. …

Trahant 5th Circuit Opinion

Catholic Dioceses in Bankruptcy

No abstract provided.

Reported Safety Practices Of Publicly Advertised Psychedelic Retreats, Amy L Mcguire, Logan Neitzke-Spruill, Jill O Robinson, Caroline S Beit, Nikita Singh, David S Mathai, Lynnette A Averill

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Importance: The availability of psychedelic retreats has grown to meet the demand for access to these substances. Despite centuries of use among Indigenous communities, psychedelics can pose serious risks for some users.

Objective: To determine safety precautions that retreat organizations that offer psychedelic substances currently use.

Design, setting, and participants: This qualitative study included structured interviews conducted by phone or email with representatives from 49 organizations publicly advertising psychedelic retreat offerings from July to October 2023. Organizations were eligible if they marketed their services in English, offered at least 1 psychedelic substance, and made contact information available online. Organizations were …

Nf2 Loss Malignantly Transforms Human Pancreatic Acinar Cells And Enhances Cell Fitness Under Environmental Stress, Yi Xu, Michael H Nipper, Angel A Dominguez, Chenhui He, Francis E Sharkey, Sajid Khan, Han Xu, Daohong Zhou, Lei Zheng, Yu Luan, Jun Liu, Pei Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) occurs as a complex, multifaceted event driven by the interplay of tumor-permissive genetic mutations, the nature of the cellular origin, and microenvironmental stress. In this study, using primary human pancreatic acinar 3D organoids, we performed a CRISPR-KO screen targeting 199 potential tumor suppressors curated from clinical PDAC samples. Our data revealed significant enrichment of a list of candidate genes, with neurofibromatosis type 2 associated gene (NF2) emerging as the top target. Functional validation confirmed that loss of NF2 promoted the transition of PDAC to an invasive state, potentially through extracellular matrix modulation. NF2 inactivation …

Public Support For Alcohol-Control Policies And Political Ideology In The Us, Joël Fokom Domgue, Robert Yu, Ernest Hawk, Sanjay Shete

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This cross-sectional study examines the role of US adults’ political affiliation, perception about alcohol use and cancer, and sociodemographic and behavioral factors in banning outdoor alcohol advertising and adding cancer warnings on alcohol containers.

Light Is Not Always Right: Peri-Iridial Lightness Reduces Attractiveness Via Perceived Sex-Typicality Across Human Populations, Vojtěch Fiala, Juan Olvido Perea-García, Petr Tureček, Sławomir Wacewicz, Juan David Leongómez, Šimon Pokorný, Ondřej Pavlovič, S. Adil Saribay, Farid Pazhoohi, Robert Mbe Akoko, Karel Kleisner

School of Psychology

Abstract: Evolutionary psychology views the human eye as special. In particular, it claims that the light peri-iridial tissues surrounding a relatively darker iris form a combination that sets us apart from other primates. From this perspective, much less attention has been paid to how eye colouration varies between humans, although evidence indicates that variations in peri-iridial and iridial colouration influence both perceived facial attractiveness and sex-typicality. To determine what aspects of eye colouration influence the perception of faces, we have measured the colour of peri-iridial eye tissues (‘the white of the eye’) and the iris in nine samples from seven …