Digital Commons Network^™

The Shorthorn: January 18, 1980

The Shorthorn Newspaper Collection: 1980s

No abstract provided.

The Shorthorn: January 17, 1980

The Shorthorn Newspaper Collection: 1980s

No abstract provided.

Remixing Labor: The Lockean Proviso In The Age Of Ai, Xavier Schultze

Midwest Ethics Symposium

No abstract provided.

Model-Based Semantic Expansion Of Text Selections With Multi-Tiered Visual Rendering, Jerome Miglino, Brendan Hickey, Will Leszczuk, Mj Shi

Defensive Publications Series

Systems for contextual text analysis can provide results based on a user's selection but may lack transparency in their reasoning. This can be a challenge when a system misinterprets the semantic context of an ambiguous word or phrase. A described technique can address this by using a machine learning model to analyze a user's initial text selection along with its surrounding text. The model can predict an expanded, semantically coherent conceptual unit that may represent a user's likely intent. This system-generated expansion can be displayed to the user, for example, through a multi-tiered visual rendering that distinguishes it from the …

In-Application Transaction Retries For Failed Online Merchant Payments, Nishank Jain, Amish Patel, Vineeth Kumar, Sanket Jain, Varun Gupta, Abhishek Tyagi, Yogesh Agrawal, Piyush Ramuka, Prerna Singh, Paridhi Rawat

Defensive Publications Series

In online payment systems, even retryable transaction failures, such as an incorrect personal identification number entry, result in a failure on the payment app, requiring the user to restart the payment journey from the merchant checkout surface and contributing to transaction drop-off rates. A deferred notification strategy can be used to manage these failures. For example, upon a retryable failure, a user's payment application can signal the retryable nature of the error to the payment aggregator. The aggregator may then withhold the failure notification from the merchant for a configured time window. This approach provides the user an in-application opportunity …

Ai-Powered Socratic Dialogue System For Collaborative Problem Solving, Tamar Yakar

Defensive Publications Series

Complex problem-solving often faces limitations when automated tools provide immediate answers, which can bypass the critical thinking and reflection necessary for addressing intricate challenges. A method is disclosed for an interactive dialogue system that employs Socratic questioning to guide users through the cognitive process of problem resolution. The disclosed technology comprises a problem decomposition engine, an assumption identification module, and a persona-based perspective generator. These components are integrated with a first-principles thinking mode and a dynamic cognitive map visualization that tracks the structure of the dialogue. By systematically challenging underlying assumptions and breaking down complex issues into fundamental elements, the …

Terra2 Addendum 6 Svru4 Cascade Condensation And Diurnal Thermal Loop (Revised), Vesa Olavi Lius

Defensive Publications Series

This Addendum formally discloses three novel extensions to the ALLFROMAIR® TERRA² Tri-Generation Platform, with thermodynamically verified calculations for Desert (40°C/30%RF) and Tropical Max (40°C/80%RF) climate scenarios.

The first disclosure — SVRU4 Cascade Condensation — establishes a fourth condenser unit (SVRU4), constructed identically to SVRU1 (Heresite P-413, 316L SS), positioned after SVRU3 in the exhaust air stream. SVRU4 condenses moisture from the saturated exhaust (32–34°C/100%RF) using seawater or a pre-cooled buffer as cold medium, producing an additional 99,700–280,000 L/day in desert and 213,000–322,000 L/day in tropical conditions depending on cold medium temperature. This gain applies in both Mode A and Mode …

Zenbrain: A Neuroscience-Inspired 7-Layer Memory Architecture For Autonomous Ai Systems (V5), Alexander Bering

Defensive Publications Series

TECHNICAL DISCLOSURE: ZenBrain — A Neuroscience-Inspired 7-Layer Memory Architecture for Autonomous AI Systems (v5)

This disclosure describes ZenBrain, a memory architecture for AI agents that integrates fifteen neuroscience models into seven distinct memory layers (working, short-term, episodic, semantic, procedural, core, cross-context).

Version 5 adds the Predictive Memory Architecture (PMA): six new biologically motivated components for neuromodulated memory lifecycle management. These include a four-channel NeuromodulatorEngine (dopamine/norepinephrine/serotonin/acetylcholine dynamics), a prediction-error-gated ReconsolidationEngine, TripleCopyMemory with divergent decay dynamics (fast/medium/deep copies with logarithmic deep-copy consolidation), a four-dimensional PriorityMap with amygdala fast-path, a StabilityProtector (NogoA/HDAC3 analog for memory protection), and a MetacognitiveMonitor for bias detection.

New …

Automated Transactional Workflow Orchestration From Visual Documents, Dinoop Dayanand, Ravi Tejasvi, Nithya Kota, Hemen Chhatbar, Adam Chiu

Defensive Publications Series

Manual transcription of information from unstructured visual documents, such as utility bills or event flyers, for digital transactions may be inefficient and prone to error. A system is described for automating transactional workflows initiated from a visual input. A user may provide an image of a document to a multimodal large language model, which can analyze the image to perform semantic analysis, extract relevant transactional data like a payee and an amount, and infer a user's intent. This structured information can then be provided to an agentic controller that can programmatically orchestrate a sequence of actions. These actions can include …

Correcting Confusion Over Commandeering, Supremacy, And Preemption: A User’S Guide To Modern Federalism, Vikram David Amar

Pepperdine Law Review

Current disputes between state/local entities and the Trump administration, some of which build on flare-ups over the past few decades, place in sharp relief the key doctrinal features of modern federalism, many of which seem to confound the Supreme and lower courts, to say nothing of political actors and legal analysts. The mistakes being made run in both directions; sometimes states are wrongly confined, and in other episodes states are given (or are seeking) more than they are constitutionally due. In this Essay, I use several case studies—some from recent weeks or months and others from recent years or decades—to …

“The Future Of Executive Power”: An Overview, Robert J. Pushaw Jr.

Pepperdine Law Review

This symposium overview examines the rapid expansion of presidential power in the modern era, culminating in what the author and contributors describe as an unprecedented assertion of Article II authority during President Trump’s second term. It argues that the Constitution’s original separation-of-powers framework—designed to prioritize legislative authority and constrain the executive—has been inverted due to the growth of presidential control over foreign affairs, the administrative state, and policymaking. The article traces this shift through historical developments such as the New Deal, the rise of independent agencies, and the emergence of the “unitary executive” theory, while also analyzing recent Supreme Court …

Non-Esl Faculty Affective Responses To Grammar Errors In Ell Writing, Mark Makino

EnglishUSA Journal

No abstract provided.

The Importance Of Sla Training In The Development Of An Intensive English Program, Michael Olsen

EnglishUSA Journal

No abstract provided.

Full Issue - Englishusa, V. 13, English Usa

EnglishUSA Journal

No abstract provided.

Arum–D Nexus: Adaptive Reflexive Urban Metabolism For Complex Construction And Demolition Waste Governance In Bengaluru, Talat Naaz, Rosewine Joy

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

Urban material systems exhibit nonlinear dynamics governed by feedback, adaptation, and emergent coupling among institutions, markets, and behaviors. Construction and demolition (C&D) waste in Bengaluru is a great example of such complexity, where fragmented regulation, informal actors, and digital asymmetries coalesce into unstable waste flows and resource leakages. This study conceptualizes Bengaluru’s C&D waste system as a Complex Adaptive System (CAS), where institutional, market, behavioral, and metabolic subsystems co-evolve through nonlinear feedback interactions. A meta-analysis of secondary literature combined with benchmarking of government datasets is used to evaluate two key complexity indicators, i.e., response speed and feedback density. The advancement …

Site-Directed Mutagenesis Of The He1Α Subunit Of Human Branched Chain Α-Ketoacid Dehydrogenase Complex, Riley B. Corcoran, Isabel Wilson, Bálint Csuka-Nagy, Stephen Baron

ASPIRE 2026

No abstract provided.

“Conditional” Class Certification Under The Flsa: Violation Of Rule 23 And The Rules Enabling Act, Markham R. Leventhal

University of Miami Law Review

So-called “collective” actions under § 216(b) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (the “FLSA”) are nothing more than “opt-in” class actions. This Article exposes the unjustifiable failure to apply Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure to these actions, the erroneous conclusion by several circuit courts that these actions are not “representative” actions but rather some kind of “mass joinder,” and the resulting violation of the Rules Enabling Act when courts allow these “collective” actions to proceed without satisfying the requirements of Rules 23(a) and (b). The author explains why the vast majority of federal courts, using an …

They Write Themselves: Romancing The Vampire Of Lighthouse Landing, Dezi Vaile

Masters Theses

Many fantasy creatures have dark pasts; supernatural, often disturbing, stories that have been tossed in a sauce of romance to appeal to a wider palette. While vampires are typically regarded as creations of nightmares, these creatures of the night have been no exception to this cycle. Although legends of blood suckers far predate the birth of Bram Stoker, Dracula is arguably the most enduring and important example of vampire literature. By beginning with Dracula, alongside earlier works like The Vampyre and Carmilla, we will track what has and has not changed within the genre of vampire literature. With the passage …

Rhetorical Strategies In Writing-Based Suicide Prevention: A Qualitative Study For Navy Chaplains And Command Leadership In Region East, Herode Jean-Vilien Thomas

Masters Theses

Suicide prevention remains a critical challenge within military environments, particularly in operational settings where communication between leaders and service members often occurs under conditions of stress and urgency. While the United States Navy has implemented numerous prevention initiatives, limited attention has been given to the role of written communication as a relational and persuasive tool in crisis response. This study examines how rhetorical strategies influence writing-based suicide prevention communication within Navy Recruiting Command Region East. Drawing on classical rhetorical theory and contemporary communication research, the study explores how tone, clarity, message structure, and audience awareness shape the effectiveness of crisis …

Exploring The Possibility Of A Salary Floor In Major League Baseball (Mlb), Tyler Michael Jones

Masters Theses

This non-experimental quantitative study examined the relationship between team payroll disparities, fan engagement, and perceptions of fairness in Major League Baseball (MLB). Guided by Competitive Balance Theory, the study sought to determine if perceived fairness influenced fan support for the implementation of a salary floor, and whether those attitudes differed across demographic and team context. Data were collected from 200 adult MLB fans residing in the United States and Canada using an online survey distributed via social media platforms. The instrument included demographic items and Likert-scale measures assessing fairness perceptions, fan engagement, and policy support. Data were analyzed using hierarchical …

How To Transform Capitalism Through Law, Katharina Pistor

University of Miami Law Review

This essay is based on the presentation of my book, The Law of Capitalism and How to Transform It, at the University of Miami Law School on October 14, 2025. I am grateful for the opportunity to share a summary of this work in the University of Miami Law Review and to my colleagues Ingo Venzke and Martijn Hesselink, who were kind enough to offer their thoughts on it for this mini symposium.

Contractualizing Corporate Governance, Jonathan C. Lipson, Eli Alexander Evans

University of Miami Law Review

The relationship between fiduciary duty and contract has never been clear. The law of fiduciaries has long constrained discretionary control of other people’s property, notably in corporate governance, where directors owe a corporation duties of care and loyalty. Yet, contract has also had the capacity to modify these duties in important—but uncertain—ways because neither body of law contains a meta-rule specifying which would “trump” in the event of conflict. Uncertainty was rarely problematic, however, because directors lacked the power to fully contract away their control of the corporation or their concomitant fiduciary duties.

This has changed in the past thirty …

Administering Election Disputes, Rebecca Green

University of Miami Law Review

U.S. election administration has become supercharged with controversy. A process that should be mundane—casting and counting votes—has become the target of relentless litigation, much of which ends in non-merits rulings that risk perpetuating rather than resolving public concerns. The high volume of election litigation is costly, strains election officials, and risks eroding public trust in both elections and the courts. Recognizing the need to resolve election claims fairly and efficiently, Administering Election Disputes examines administrative remedies as an under-theorized alternative to judicial resolution. Increased use of well-designed administrative election dispute resolution (AEDR) could reduce pressure on courts, deliver faster and …

The Hypocrisy Of The Wizards—A Proposal To Correct Incentives In Higher Education Loan Financing, Caden Benedict

School of Public Policy Capstones

This paper explores the origins of the student loan debt crisis and proposes tying university incentives to graduates' repayment plans and disclosing median earnings for degrees before students apply. Specifically, while there are numerous factors explaining why the price of education has increased dramatically since the 1970s, this paper proposes solutions that will specifically target university moral hazards by requiring universities fund: (1) the current subsidies to federal student loan repayments under income-driven plans as the House of Representatives intended before the Senate removed "risk-sharing," and (2) bankruptcy law discharge amounts. Moreover, requiring universities to disclose the median earnings of …

Perceptions Of Parents And Guardians Surrounding The Inclusion Of Their Autistic Child In The General Education Setting, Alyssa L. Napier

Undergraduate Theses

The prevalence of autistic students being taught in general education classrooms continues to rise, which emphasizes the need for strong and purposeful inclusive education. The characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (e.g., resistance to change and routines, difficulty in relationship building, sensitivity to environmental stimuli, etc.) can create challenges in the classroom setting that ultimately may impede social and academic growth. Having adequate knowledge and understanding about these challenges is important for teachers as they plan high-quality, differentiated instruction. Considerable amounts of existing literature examine teachers’ perceptions of inclusion, suggesting many general education teachers feel unprepared to meet the needs of …

Examining Moderators In The Relationship Between Injury/Injury Anxiety And Eating Disturbances In College Women Athletes, Lydia M. Reichley

Undergraduate Theses

Introduction: Injury and injury-related anxiety are common in collegiate athletes and may contribute to maladaptive psychological and behavioral outcomes, including eating disturbances. This study examined the relationship between injury/injury anxiety and eating disturbances, and whether athletic identity, injury self-efficacy, and body shame moderated this relationship. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used with 57 female collegiate and club athletes from Bellarmine University (M age = 19.98 + 1.37). Participants completed an online survey including the Sport Injury Anxiety Scale (SIAS), Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS), Athletic Injury Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (AISEQ), Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), and the Objectified Body Consciousness Scale (OBC; …

Rising Numbers, Rising Risks: Population, Growth, And Natural Disasters, Sophia Becker-Toro, Yu Ouyang

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

How does population size and growth affect the risk of natural disasters? On October 7, 2024, before Hurricane Milton makes landfall in the Tampa Bay area, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor issues a dire warning to affected citizens: “I can say without any dramatization whatsoever. If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re going to die.” While there is an extensive literature which focuses on the impact of climate change and/or natural disasters, there is a dearth of works on how population affects the risks of natural disasters. As both the frequency and severity of storms and …

Multiple-Valued Quantum Automata For Robotics, Yuchen Huang

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation introduces a new type of quantum automata, their encoding and circuit realization. I concentrate on possible applications in robotics. Several methods and application of quantum automata and quantum circuit-based controllers for elementary robotic systems, with a focus on humanoid robot motion, emotion, and behavior generation are illustrated in detail. The research introduces several novel methodologies that bridge quantum computing principles with robotic control, aiming to overcome the limitations of classical deterministic and probabilistic approaches.

The dissertation first presents a quantum-circuit-based framework for generating non-repetitive and expressive (e)motions in a humanoid robot actor, using superposition and entanglement to produce …

Budget Transparency Report, Isaac Slaven, Barbara Carlsward, Steve Brantley

Faculty Senate Reports

This budget transparency report focused on the benefits and costs of EIU being a Division I athletics school, compared to the benefits/costs of being Division II or Division III.

Implications Of Leisure Activities On Veterinarian Mental Health Outcomes, Kevin Garuccio

Undergraduate Theses

While there are many professions that are stressful enough to be linked with negative mental health outcomes, few measure up to the mental dangers of veterinary medicine, with suicide rates twice that of the dental and medical professions and four times that of the general population (Stoewen, 2015). The current study aimed to focus on veterinarians and their mental health. While there have been a few studies done about the veterinary workplace, none thus far have investigated how veterinarians are spending their leisure time outside of work and how it could be impacting their mental health. The current study was …