Digital Commons Network^™

Crafting Power, Piety, And Memory: The Sabil-Maktab Of 'Abd Al-Rahman Katkhuda In Bayn Al-Qasrayn, Cairo (1157 Ah/ 1744 Ce), Nehal Hany Al-Shamy

Theses and Dissertations

Among hundreds of sabil-maktabs in Cairo, the one ʿAbd al-Rahman Katkhuda built in Bayn al-Qasrayn in 1157/1744 stands out as an iconic jewel, rising to be a symbol of the city itself. However, this sabil is more than just a beautiful building, for its beauty was only a means to channel political, commemorative, and spiritual connotations. This thesis is concerned with analyzing the raisons d’être of constructing the sabil through investigating the historical and political circumstances that influenced its patron at the time, and their reflections in the artistic choices he made. I argue that crafting the sabil as a …

Gender, Integration, And Labor Market Access: The Case Of Syrian Refugees In Germany, Feras Al-Mekhlafy

Theses and Dissertations

Germany hosts one of the largest populations of Syrian refugees in Europe, making their successful labor market integration critical for social and economic stability. This study investigates the gender gap among Syrian refugees in Germany within the broader refugee–native labor market gap. Using cross-sectional data from the 2022 SOEP refugee survey, it applies a Heckman two-step selection model to jointly analyze employment and wage outcomes while correcting for selection bias. Results reveal that structural barriers (e.g.: legal and bureaucratic) and compositional factors (e.g.: human capital) rather than wage discrimination drive most observed disparities. Female refugees face significantly lower employment probabilities, …

Facebook Interaction As A Potential Marker Of Cognitive Decline: Pilot Study, Esraa M. Qansuwa

Theses and Dissertations

One of the critical challenges in brain disorder research is the early identification of individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who may later develop Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or other dementias. MCI in older adults is frequently associated with diminished social engagement and observable behavioral changes. With the rapid expansion of social media platforms and advances in Machine Learning (ML), digital traces from online activity present a novel and scalable avenue for mental health screening. In particular, predictive ML approaches have demonstrated strong potential in building reliable classifiers for early detection of neurocognitive decline. This study introduces an innovative framework that …

The Indeterminacy Of Customary International Law, Mohamed Diaa Tawfik

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the judicial formation of customary international law and examines how international courts oscillate between interpretive and law-making functions. It analyzes key theoretical frameworks—including Kelsen’s Pure Theory of Law, Dworkin’s Law as Integrity, Kennedy’s radical indeterminacy, and Koskenniemi’s Descending-Ascending Approach—to understand how courts assert and shape customary norms beyond mere state practice and opinio juris. The work concludes that the International Court of Justice and other tribunals increasingly act as de facto lawmakers under the guise of interpretation, advocating the indeterminacy they try to avoid.

Artemisinin Partial Resistance Mutations In Zanzibar And Tanzania Suggest Regional Spread And African Origins, 2023, Sean V. Connelly, Julia G. Muller, Mohamed Ali, Billy E. Ngasala, Wahida Hassan, Bakari Mohamed, Kyaw L. Thwai, Jacob M. Sadler, Jacob Marglous, Abebe A. Fola, Abdallah Zacharia, Shija J. Shija, Safia Mohammed, Dominick C. Msolo, Hamza Said, Editruda E. Peter, Melic Odas, Isaack J. Rutha, Mwanaidi Nwange, Karamoko Naire, Shazia Ruybal-Pesántez, Robert Verity, Rebecca Crudale, Varun Goel, Barbara B. Choloi, Anders Björkman, Jeffrey A. Bailey, Jessica T. Lin, Jonathan J. Juliano

Faculty Publications

Artemisinin partial resistance, driven by Plasmodium falciparum K13 mutations, threatens malaria control. Zanzibar is vulnerable to artemisinin partial resistance spread but lacks recent molecular surveillance. We sequenced samples in Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania collected from 2022 to 2024. K13 mutations were found in 2 of 1440 participants (P441L, A675V) in Zanzibar and 6 of 3762 (R561H, P441L) in mainland Tanzania. Based on whole genome sequencing data, K13 mutations appear to be of African origin with regional spread. Frequent parasite importation appears to maintain partner drug mutation frequencies similar to the mainland, where artemether-lumefantrine selects for mutations favoring artesunate-amodiaquine sensitivity. Ongoing …

Effect Of Fintech Adoption On Commercial Banks’ Stability: Evidence From Gcc And North Africa, Ibrahim Ahmed

Theses and Dissertations

This paper looks at how financial technology (FinTech) adoption affects bank stability, measured by distance to default. It uses a unbalanced panel of listed banks from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and North Africa over the period from 2010 to 2024. To consider differences in bank risk and institutional traits, the study uses random-effects panel regressions along with quantile regression models and interaction specifications. These methods allow the effects of FinTech to change depending on the level of bank risk and the size of the bank. The results indicate that FinTech development does not have the same effect on banks’ …

Flexible Fault-Tolerant Multi-Die Fpga-Based Architectures For Varying Space Environments, Yosof Ali Seif El Din Ali Maklad

Theses and Dissertations

It is well-known fact that spacecraft’s electronic components operate in an extreme harsh and varying space environments, beside changing orbit or passing through Van Allan Belts during orbital course results of radiation levels change. This thesis focuses on SRAM-based FPGA systems on-board of such spacecrafts, that are commonly utilized in space applications’ critical applications due to their capabilities and flexibility to reconfigure, since these systems are vulnerable to frequent negative impacts of ionizing radiation, thus inducing soft and hard errors leading to disastrous failures that could jeopardize the entire spacecraft. The soft errors’ effects are frequent yet can be mitigated, …

Clinical, Genetic, And Familial Features Of Pot1 Tumor Predisposition Syndrome, Courtney D Dinardo, Jennifer Croden, Hiam M Abdel-Salam, Tapan Kadia, Matteo Molica, Alexandre Bazinet, Prithviraj Bose, Abhishek Maiti, Fadi Haddad, Jan Burger, Hagop Kantarjian, William Wierda, Nitin Jain, Alessandra Ferrajoli

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Protection of telomere 1 (POT1) tumor predisposition syndrome (POT1-TPD) is a hereditary leukemia syndrome that is identified in ∼5% of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and is characterized by a predisposition to other cancers, including gliomas, melanomas, and angiosarcomas. This study reports clinical and genetic characteristics of a large cohort of individuals with POT1-TPD.

Materials and methods: Individuals with pathogenic/likely pathogenic germline POT1 variants referred to the Hereditary Hematologic Malignancy Clinic at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center were included. Individuals with variants of uncertain significance were included if found to have telomeres >90th percentile of …

Epigenetic Age Acceleration In Young Adults With Congenital Heart Disease, Parag N Jain, Beryl C Zhuang, Joanne Whitehead, Julia L Macisaac, Kristy Dever, Mallory Gahm, Peter Ermis, Thomas W Mcdade, Michael S Kobor, Paul A Checchia

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD) having undergone palliative surgery experience chronic stress due to altered physiology and repeated surgical interventions since infancy.

Objectives: To investigate whether ACHD, who had experienced chronic physiological stress from their underlying condition and early-life cardiac surgeries, was associated with epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) and other DNA methylation (DNAm)-based biomarkers, and to assess the potential contribution of derived inflammatory markers to EAA.

Methods: A case-control study comparing ACHD patients and healthy adults. Whole blood DNAm profile was used to estimate DNAm-based blood cell type proportions, multiple epigenetic age measures, and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive …

Adolescent Math Anxiety: Teachers' Grouping Approach At The Intersection Of Multiple Student Identities, Dara Shifrer, Hannah Sean Ellefritz, David Hernandez-Saca, Allison Roda, Karla Santana Martinez

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Math anxiety represents a substantial barrier to many students’ math learning. In this paper, we apply interdisciplinary perspectives to data on over 13,200 ninth graders and their math teachers from the High School Longitudinal Study. Results suggest that being perceived as dis/abled relates to heightened math anxiety regardless of adolescents’ gender, or race and ethnicity. Our intersectional approach reveals that adolescents’ expressions of math anxiety do not always correspond with gender, racial, and ethnic stereotypes, with Black girls, Black boys, and Latine boys expressing relatively low levels of math anxiety. Finally, consistent with the principles of inclusion and universal design, …

Spatial Abilities In Aging Adults With Down Syndrome, Yingying Jennifer Yang, Romal Bhullar, Sonia Conde

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

INTRODUCTION

People with Down syndrome (DS) have a higher likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). Deficits in spatial abilities could serve as early indicators of AD. We examined age effects on visuospatial construction and visuomotor integration in DS and whether spatial tasks could distinguish various extents of cognitive decline in DS.

METHODS

We used the Alzheimer's Biomarkers Consortium–Down Syndrome project dataset, where 376 DS participants completed a series of cognitive measures.

RESULTS

Age effects were found in visuomotor integration but not in visuospatial construction. Both abilities declined with AD progression. While both abilities showed relatively poor discrimination between cognitively stable …

Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Tissue Classification From Pathology Slide Images: Detecting Phenotypes Using Computer Vision, Chloe Martin-King, Ali Nael, Louis Ehwerhemuepha, Blake Calvo, Quinn Gates, Jamie Janchoi, Elisa Ornelas, Melissa Perez, Andrea Venderby, John Miklavcic, Peter Chang, Aaron Sassoon, Brian Rubio, Ghislaine Barrigan, Kenneth Grant

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

Background and Aims

Methods

Results …

Dynamic Multi-Layered Hardware Obfuscation With Behavioral Drift Locking For Sat-Resistant Designs, Ahmed Yehia Salah Mohamed Emish

Theses and Dissertations

The globalization of the semiconductor supply chain has introduced critical vulnerabilities, including intellectual property (IP) piracy, reverse engineering, and hardware tampering. While traditional logic locking offers a baseline of defense, the emergence of powerful Boolean satisfiability (SAT) solvers has rendered many static obfuscation techniques ineffective. This work proposes a Dynamic Multi- Layered Hardware Obfuscation Framework that utilizes Behavioral Drift Locking (BDL) to provide a robust defense-in-depth against advanced adversarial models. The methodology integrates four synergistic layers: • Dynamic Key Management using a time-dependent rotation mechanism that updates keys every clock cycle to prevent static analysis. • Control Obfuscation through opcode …

Characterizing Indoor Surface Voc Contamination After The 2025 Los Angeles Fires, Brett W. Stinson, Emily Lei, Elliott T. Gall

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

We quantify volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from indoor surface swabs and portable air cleaner (PAC) filters collected in a home 30 days after the 2025 Los Angeles wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires. We calculate emissions for 17 fire-relevant compounds. Surface emissions exceeded those of clean controls, and emissions from a windowsill in a room without a PAC were ∼15× and ∼2× higher for benzene and toluene, respectively, than rates reported in the literature for comparable materials unaffected by smoke/soot. Particle filters installed in PACs at the start of the fire emitted aromatics at rates comparable to those reported in a …

The Language Matters In Restaurant Menus: The Saudi Arabian Marketing Perspective, Abdulaziz Khalid Alotaibi

UB Journal for Humanities

The study investigates the effect of variations of menu language on customer purchasing decisions in Saudi Arabian restaurants operating under fixed price systems. Furthermore, the study examines how different linguistic approaches used in menu descriptions impact customer ordering behaviors within the Saudi hospitality industry’s unique culture and multilingual setting. Thus, a cross-sectional quantitative survey employed experimental vignettes across four language conditions: basic descriptions, sensory-rich descriptions, culturally authentic words, and premium positioning phrases. Hence, through an application of stratified random sampling, data were collected from 447 restaurant customers living in Saudi Arabia’s five most significant metropolitan areas. The findings indicated that …

The Evolution Of Mro Outsourcing: Global Trends, Regulatory Challenges, And Strategic Considerations In Aviation Maintenance, David C. Ison

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

The maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) industry plays a critical role in ensuring the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of the global aviation sector. As airlines seek to reduce costs, optimize operations, and access specialized expertise, MRO outsourcing has become an increasingly prevalent strategy. This essay examines the key drivers of MRO outsourcing, including cost reduction, access to advanced technologies, and the focus on core competencies. The essay also explores emerging trends such as the rise of new MRO hubs in Asia and the Middle East, the integration of predictive maintenance and artificial intelligence, and the growing emphasis on environmental sustainability. …

Of Online Anger, Puppies, And Ice Cream, Daniel Nester

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

The Stories I Did Not Write, Inara Verzemmnieks

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

The Death Penalty: Righteous Anger Or Murderous Revenge?, Jill Patterson

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

Rebecca V. Mr. Wonderful, Mardi Jo Link

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

Encounter: Buzz Bissinger

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Structural Arrangements And Organizational Strategies By Urban Communes, William L. Smith

Communal Societies

No abstract provided.

Bolton Hall's Free Acres Experiment: The Single Tax And Anarchism In New Jersey, Martin A. Bierbaum

Communal Societies

No abstract provided.

Intergenerational Discontinuity In The Israeli Kibbutz, Jack Quarter

Communal Societies

No abstract provided.

Fact-Checking: The Devil’S In The Details, Lee Gutkind

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

Encounter: Susan Orlean

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

Communitarian Connections: Josiah Warren, Robert Smith, And Peter Kaufmann, Kit Firth Cress

Communal Societies

No abstract provided.

Trustees, Deacons, And Deaconesses: The Temporal Role Of The Shaker Sisters, 1820-1890, Karen K. Nickless, Pamela J. Nickless

Communal Societies

No abstract provided.

"Numbers Are Not The Thing For Us To Glory In": Demographic Perspectives On The Decline Of The Shakers, Priscilla J. Brewer

Communal Societies

No abstract provided.

Seed-Induced Uniqueness In Transformers: Subspace-Aligned Latent Keys For Authentication, Ayse Okatan

Student Research Symposium (SRS)

We introduce Model-Bound Latent Exchange (MoBLE), a decoder-binding property in Transformer autoencoders that we formalize as Zero-Shot Decoder Non-Transferability (ZSDN). In a controlled character-level identity task with iso-architectural models trained on identical data but different random seeds, we observe that self-decoding achieves 86-92% exact sequence match and ≈98-99% token accuracy, while zero-shot cross-decoding collapses to chance (≈ 1/vocabulary size) with 0% exact matches. This sharp separation persists despite identical architectures and training recipes, and is corroborated by weight-space distances and attention-divergence diagnostics. We argue that ZSDN is best interpreted as model binding-an authentication and accesscontrol mechanism for latent representations-on identity …