Digital Commons Network^™

Bitcoin Prediction System Usind Machine Learning Techniques, Carolina Azevedo De Castro

ICT

This project investigated the use of machine learning techniques to predict short-term Bitcoin price direction using historical market data obtained from Yahoo Finance. Following the CRISP-DM methodology, the dataset was analysed, prepared, and transformed through feature engineering techniques including moving averages, volatility indicators, return measures and price position metrics. Multiple classification algorithms were evaluated, including Bayesian Classification, K-Nearest Neighbour, Decision Tree, Random Forest, Logistic Regression, Support Vector Machine and XGBoost. Several optimisation strategies were also tested, including feature selection, hyperparameter tuning, feature scaling and class weight balancing. Results showed that predicting short-term Bitcoin price movements remains challenging, with most models …

Predicting Loneliness Among Older Adults In Ireland Using Supervised Machine Learning, Ariadne Chaves Miranda

ICT

Over the last two decades, technology has grown exponentially and has facilitated communication that helps individuals remain connected. However, this has also contributed to social isolation and lack of physical interaction. One consequence of this phenomenon is loneliness, which is understood as an unpleasant subjective state of discrepancy between the desired amount of companionship or emotional support and what is available in the person’s environment (Prohaska and Burholt, 2020). In the European context, Ireland has emerged as the loneliest country in Europe with 20% of its population that have reported feeling lonely most or all the time (Schnepf et al., …

Southern Adventist University Annual Report 2025-2026, Southern Adventist University

Annual Reports

The Annual Report for Southern Adventist University for 2025 to 2026.

Transforming Lives For Eternity: 2026-2031 Strategic Plan, Southern Adventist University

Strategic Plans

Southern Adventist University's 2026-2031 Strategic Plan.

Animator Becomes Animated: A Short Film Uniting Animation And Traditional Film As One, Peter Francis Stahr

Honors Program Theses

Traditional filmmaking has been around since the late nineteenth century, where filmmakers would utilize black and white film and tedious developing processes, including the manual handling of chemicals, to create a feature film. Shortly after the turn of the twentieth century, the first few 2D animated films came to life. Then, almost 100 years later, the digital age struck, bringing with it the ease of access for anyone to take out a camera and snap a picture, take a video, or even create a movie. In parallel with the development of digital filmography came 3D software, opening the creative capacity …

The “Multi-Normative” Biological Weapons Convention: A Study Of The 2022 Article V Meeting In Geneva, Robert Lawless

Emory International Law Review

In September 2022, States parties to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) held a Formal Consultative Meeting in Geneva pursuant to Article V of the Convention, following Russia’s allegations that the United States and Ukraine had developed biological weapons in violation of BWC prohibitions. Although largely overlooked in public discourse, the Geneva meeting provides a revealing example of the BWC in practice. This article examines the Geneva meeting to assess the Convention’s normative role in contemporary international relations. It argues that States parties reaffirmed their commitment to the BWC’s core prohibition against the hostile use of biological agents against humans. Moreover, …

Consensus Decision-Making: Decision-Making Model Of Chinese Constitutional Review, Songfeng Li

Emory International Law Review

The judgment model of constitutional review in China adopts a consensus-based judgment model involving multiple stakeholders, including review authorities, drafting authorities, relevant interest parties, and the general public. Through multi-level, multi-stage, and multi-round interactive communication and negotiation, consensus is reached on constitutional judgments. This judgment model aligns with the power division political system under the NPC system, reflecting the institutional concept of people’s sovereignty and the cultural foundation of valuing harmony. It is also a result of the decentralization of constitutional review authority leading to insufficient power for actual reviewers, the parallel nature of factual and normative judgments in constitutional …

Hazel A. Oxenford, Ph.D., Nancy Brown-Peterson

Miscellaneous Documents

No abstract provided.

“I Love What I Do, I Just Don't Love Where I Do It,”: An Exploration Of Job-Related Tension And Well-Being Of Professional Academic Advisors, Cynthia Cruger

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the intersection of job-related tension and workplace well-being among professional academic advisors through the lens of the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model. The purpose of the study is to address a gap in advising scholarship by exploring job demands and resources in advisors’ experiences in different advising models and institution types. A scoping literature review addresses advising as a profession, positive organizational psychology frameworks such as the PERMA model, and job-related tension concepts like role overload and ambiguity. Existing research indicates advisors have high job satisfaction despite job tension, and the JD-R theory is used to set a …

Unbundling 17 U.S.C. § 1202: Construing The Law’S Scope In Light Of Its Text, Purpose, And Remedies, Samuelson, Pamela, Stallman, Erik, Urban, Jennifer M.

Santa Clara Law Review

The Ninth Circuit will soon decide if five anonymous programmers can claim as much as $9 billion in statutory damages from OpenAI and GitHub for violations of an obscure law outlawing infringement-enabling removal or alteration of “copyright management information” (CMI). This Article closely analyzes that law, which is codified as §1202 of Title 17 of the U.S. Code. The law is remarkable in several respects. Statutory damages available for §1202 violations far exceed those available for actual copyright infringement. Copyright infringement need not be alleged, let alone found, for liability under §1202 to attach. Indeed, it is not even necessary …

Racial Disparities In Maternal Mortality: The Role Of Explicit And Implicit Bias In U.S. Healthcare, Lailah Allen

Capstone Showcase

Maternal mortality in the United States remains a critical public health crisis, with disproportionately high rates among Black and other minority women. Despite advances in obstetric medicine, racial disparities in pregnancy-related deaths persist due to structural inequities, implicit bias in healthcare delivery, unequal access to prenatal and postpartum care, and broader social determinants of health. Nationally, Black women are significantly more likely to experience severe maternal morbidity and mortality compared to White women, reflecting longstanding inequities embedded within the healthcare system. This paper examines the relationship between race, healthcare access, and maternal outcomes through a focused case study of and …

America’S Spectacle: The Business Of Female Beauty In Professional Cheerleading, Marlene Adelman

Capstone Showcase

The National Football League (NFL) is built on values that also represent the deep rooted patriarchal structures within the country it exists in. The NFL is more than a game; it’s a mirror of America’s powerful subjugation of its women. Using one of the most recognizable cheerleading teams, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, this thesis aims to illustrate how gender is constructed and commodified in professional sports media, which reinforces the male gaze, furthers racial and gender inequalities, and contributes to women’s mental health and body image issues. This paper uses several theories, including male gaze, gender, and intersectionality, along with …

Visual Aids And Numeracy In Healthcare: Leveraging The Drawing Effect, Zephyr J. Markley

Capstone Showcase

Healthcare decisions often require patients to interpret numerical risk information under stress, yet many struggle with low numeracy, which can distort comprehension and undermine informed consent. Well-designed visual aids can improve diagnostic inference, calibrate confidence, and support better choices, especially for patients with limited numeracy, but their impact depends on whether users can actually interpret the format accurately. Drawing may further enhance these tools by adding a tactile, generative layer that engages visual, semantic, and motoric processing while helping patients organize information into concrete models.

Passive visual aids appear useful but limited because they often position patients as observers rather …

Effect On C5 Myotome Distribution After Cervical Spinal Surgery: A Case Report On Early Neuromuscular Re-Education, Nicole Eder Asebias

Capstone Showcase

Background and Purpose: Postoperative C5 palsy is a known problem after cervical spinal surgery and is characterized by upper extremity weakness that can significantly limit the ability to perform daily tasks. Despite its clinical relevance, limited literature describes physical rehabilitation-focused interventions strategies for this condition. The purpose of this case report is to describe the presentation, physical therapy intervention, and outcomes of a patient with postoperative C5 palsy managed with neuromuscular re-education.

Case Description: The patient is an adult who developed left upper extremity weakness consistent with C5 palsy following cervical spinal surgery. Primary impairments included decreased shoulder abductor and …

Roll The Dice: Do Fostered Youth Stand A Chance In Juvenile Justice?, Marina Rios

Capstone Showcase

Foster youth remain dramatically overrepresented in the juvenile justice system, accounting for up to almost a quarter of system-involved youth despite comprising less than 5% of the general population. Prior research on this subject indicates that foster youth tend to face disproportionately punitive responses, systemic challenges linked to trauma, placement, and instability, as well as limited access to diversion programs. This project aims to examine the disparities that foster youth face that result in juvenile justice involvement, as well as focusing on how structural barriers influence detention rates, sentencing outcomes, and opportunities for rehabilitation. Through an analysis of current literature, …

From County To Commonwealth: A Study Of Kentucky County Election Office Websites And Collaborative Solutions For Strengthened Voter Information Accessibility, Marissa A. Robinson, Marina E. Smart

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

In 2022, the League of Women Voters discovered inconsistencies across Kentucky county clerk websites in how they offer voter information and in website accessibility and clarity. County clerk websites serve as an important source of accessible voting procedural information, trusted by constituents. Through an audit of county clerk websites and interviews with county clerks, this project identifies how county election office websites can better provide equitable, accurate, comprehensive, and consistent voting information. Recommendations based on the findings include linking the Kentucky State Board of Elections Voter Information Portal universally, adding website training, and state-established website guidelines.

The Political Economy Of Pfas Treatment And Water Regionalization In Harrison County, Kentucky, Jackson S. Patru, Rajan Sampat

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The discovery of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the water supply of Harrison County, Kentucky has prompted an urgent reevaluation of local treatment infrastructure. This situation has exposed a complex political economy between the City of Cynthiana, which owns and operates the municipal water plant, and the Harrison County Water Association (HCWA), which represents the majority of the ratepayers supplied by the plant. Using a qualitative research design grounded in inductive thematic analysis, semi-structured interviews were conducted with leadership from both Cynthiana and HCWA, as well as operators at the treatment plant, to evaluate two proposed solutions: a $14 …

Kentucky Space Futures: Defining The Driving And Limiting Factors Of Growth In The State Aerospace Industry, Ashley M. Grospitch, Isabella A. Sibold

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Kentucky’s aerospace industry has quietly become one of the state’s most significant economic drivers, generating almost $19 billion in exports in 2024 and ranking third nationally in aerospace exports in 2023 (Mattingly, 2025; Babbage & Hartsough, 2024). Despite this, Kentucky remains largely invisible as an aerospace state, both to Kentuckians and national audiences. This work was conducted on behalf of our client, Kentucky Space Futures, to identify the factors shaping the growth of Kentucky’s aerospace industry, including its driving and limiting factors, and provide actionable guidance for policymakers and industry leaders.

Using a qualitative research design, this study triangulated findings …

Narrowing The K-12 Excellence Gap In Kentucky Schools: Lessons On High Achievement From High Achievers, Jimmy M. W. Bartlett, Johnathan K. Hurley

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Disparities in high-level academic achievement – known as excellence gaps – remain a persistent equity challenge in K–12 education, particularly in access to advanced mathematics learning. This study examines school-level practices associated with narrower excellence gaps in Kentucky public schools. Principals of schools demonstrating higher-than-expected advanced achievement and relatively small gaps by gender and economic status were invited to semi-structured interviews. The interviews cover seven schools, spanning grade levels and other characteristics. Guided by the Excellence Gap Intervention Model, a hybrid inductive–deductive thematic analysis reveals that narrower excellence gaps are not driven by isolated programs or policy mandates, but by …

Comparing Economic Development And Blight Remediation Tax Increment Financing: Design, Governance, And Measurable Outcomes, Leigh Compton

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is a widely used local government tool for redevelopment and economic growth, yet its expanding application has raised questions regarding its design, governance, and measurable outcomes. This study compares two primary uses of TIF: blight remediation and economic development. While remediation-focused TIF is intended to address identifiable market failures in distressed areas, economic development TIF is typically used to attract or accelerate private investment in more competitive environments.

Using a structured comparative analysis of selected Kentucky TIF districts, this research evaluates how differences in statutory justification, financing mechanisms, governance structures, and performance measures align with each …

Kentucky Is Working: An Examination Of Higher-Than-Expected Labor Force Participation Rates In Kentucky, Grace E. Coleman, Gabriel M. Kalla, Joseph S. Matthews

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

This client-based capstone examines the drivers of higher-than-expected labor force participation rates across five counties in Kentucky, i.e., Kenton, Pendleton, Owen, Taylor, and Monroe counties. Our client, the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, requested a qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with local stakeholders to identify and contextualize factors contributing to the five counties’ overperformance. Our findings suggest that factors such as collaboration and partnership; education and career pathway initiatives; and community champions all play important roles in supporting strong labor force participation. These insights can be used by other counties seeking to strengthen their local workforce.

Protecting The Vulnerable: Elderly Population Change In Kentucky & Nursing Home Floodplain Proximity, David M. Stevens, Austin Matthew Mullen, Nicklaus P. Hammond

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

This study explores Kentucky’s changing vulnerability to flooding. Relying on America Community Survey (ACS) survey data estimates for 2019 and 2024, we illustrate how Kentucky’s elderly population has changed over this five-year period. Using nursing home data and floodplain spatial data, provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and FEMA respectively, we identify all 269 facilities and their proximity to floodplains across Kentucky. To narrow the scope of our study, we highlight counties that (a) have seen the largest percentage increase in elderly residents and (b) have a large total elderly population. Using a quartile ranking system, we …

Federal Housing Policy Influences And Impacts On Urban Municipalities As Seen In The City Of Paterson, New Jersey, Jennifer L. Beggs

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

This paper examines federal affordable housing policy from the early twentieth century to the present, focusing on the City of Paterson, New Jersey. In presenting an overview of policy and decision-making in Paterson, this paper explores how federal policy has aided urban communities that lacked the opportunities afforded to suburban municipalities through FHA mortgage underwriting and single-family homeownership programs, also considering how New Jersey State housing policy has affected the city. Utilizing a case-study methodology and employing extensive archival research, this project examines how federal housing policy structured differential access to homeownership and rental housing in Paterson, and how these …

Patient-Centered End-Of-Life Care: Balancing Ethics, Communication, And Quality Of Life, Alexis N. Courtney

Integrated Studies

Abstract

End-of-life care is not just a medical treatment, but can be the turning point in someone’s life to end unnecessary suffering and honor their wishes to have quality over quantity in life. This paper will discuss end-of-life care from the perspectives of patient autonomy, communication, ethical decision making, and system influences. It will explore the impact of honoring patient preference. Not to mention how speaking honestly and compassionately may affect enhancing the quality of life of patients experiencing terminal or life-limiting illnesses.

One of the key aspects of this paper is the significance of communication in end-of-life care. Specifically, …

Substance Abuse: Causes, Effects, And Treatment Approaches, Ambrea A. Watkins

Integrated Studies

Abstract

Substance abuse continues to be one of the most significant public health and social challenges facing the United States. Substance use disorders affect millions of individuals each year and have serious consequences for families, communities, and public systems such as healthcare and criminal justice. Addiction is widely recognized as a chronic brain disease that can alter behavior, decision making, and impulse control. Many individuals who struggle with substance abuse also experience related issues such as mental illness, homelessness, poverty, and involvement in the criminal justice system.

This research paper examines the causes, impacts, and treatment approaches related to substance …

More Than Medical Care: How Social Determinants Shape Health Disparities In The United States, Aiyanna N. Burton

Integrated Studies

Health disparities within the United States continue to intensify despite advancements in technology and medical practices. This paper reflects on societal factors that contribute to the persistence of healthcare disparities beyond clinical settings. Factors such as housing stability, transportation access, education, neighborhood conditions, and income play a significant role in how healthcare needs are met outside of hospital care. While clinical care focuses on treating immediate health concerns, recurring health issues are often influenced by social and structural conditions rather than bedside care alone. Through an examination of peer-reviewed research, this literature highlights how social determinants of health impact long-term …

The Importance Of Pedal Acceleration Time (Pat): A Case Study, Kelly N. Bui

Bachelor of Science in Diagnostic Ultrasound Projects

Lower extremity ischemia is a limb threatening condition that can result in tissue loss, infection, and amputation; particularly in older patients with existing peripheral vascular disease or diabetes. Pain, delayed recognition of injury, and social determinants of health often complicate management and influence patient decision making. This case study reviews a 73-year-old male who presented with a severe thermal burn injury to the right foot after prolonged exposure to a heating device during their sleep. The patient's protective sensation was impaired due to diabetic peripheral neuropathy. He also has a history of a left below knee amputation (BKA) and poorly …

Supporting Students With Learning Differences: A Dyslexia Educator’S Perspective, Hailey S. Mason

Integrated Studies

Dyslexia is a common neurobiological learning difference that affects reading, writing, and language processing skills, often despite average or above-average intelligence. This project examines dyslexia from an educator’s perspective, focusing on its characteristics, impact on student learning, and effective strategies for support. A review of current scholarly literature highlights the importance of early identification and intervention in improving academic outcomes and reducing negative emotional effects such as low self-esteem and anxiety. The findings emphasize that dyslexia extends beyond reading difficulties, influencing writing, comprehension, and overall academic performance. Evidence-based instructional approaches, particularly structured literacy and multisensory teaching strategies, are identified as …

Kentucky Probation And Parole: Recognizing The Need For A Larger Workforce, Brent T. Burgess

Integrated Studies

Abstract

Kentucky’s Department of Probation and Parole needs additional officers. While officers are being added, caseloads continue to rise and officers in Kentucky are feeling exhausted. This research project focuses on examining some of the main issues behind the cause and effects that probation and parole officers are facing in Kentucky. The research lists the different aspects of both probation and parole and the dissentions between state and federal probation, since parole was abolished by the federal system 1987. The project includes new legislative reform movements taking place in attempts to reduce the high populations of Kentucky’s jails and prisons …

The Kawa Model Of Occupational Therapy And Disability, Benjamin A. Siress

Integrated Studies

The Kawa Model of occupational therapy offers a culturally responsive, holistic framework for OT that benefits individuals within the disabled community profoundly. By integrating the individuals’ relationship with their environment and social context, the Kawa model challenges Western, task-oriented approaches and promotes better inclusion, resilience, and meaningful participation by aligning individualized therapy with each person’s life experiences and cultural identity.

Keywords: Kawa Model, occupational therapy, disability, cultural responsiveness, holistic care, client-centered care, social context, inclusion, meaningful participation, rehabilitation