Digital Commons Network^™

Enterococcus Abundance, Distribution, And Environmental Controls At A Sandy Shoreline, South Carolina, Usa, Helen Kehoe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Water quality monitoring crucially protects the health of beachgoers around the world. However, water-adjacent sediments, such as sandy beaches, are known to harbor harmful bacteria, yet are not monitored despite their intensive recreational use. This project monitored the abundance of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), specifically Enterococci, in sandy beach sediments at beaches routinely monitored for water quality in Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Surface sediment core sampling (0-5 cm) in the swash zone was conducted once per month for 4 months at 24 beaches in tandem with state-accredited surf-water FIB monitoring using IDEXX’s Enterolert test (Standard Method …

Can Ai Pass The Us Army War College?, Kevin M. Boyce, John A. Nagl, Kristan J. Wheaton

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

The US Army War College oral comprehensive examination serves as the institution’s capstone, measuring its senior officers’ strategic thinking. In early 2026, three faculty panels applied that standard to four leading commercial artificial intelligence (AI) systems: ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Grok. Prompted without core curriculum materials, all four models passed. Unlike static benchmarks, the examination’s impromptu dialogue format revealed meaningful performance differences that were invisible in general-purpose evaluations, with one model performing at a statistically significant advantage. These findings challenge how the Department of War assesses commercial AI for strategic applications and point toward domain-specific, dialogue-based benchmarking as a more …

Intellectual Interoperability: Lessons From Afghanistan For Security Cooperation, Sae Schatz, Scott C. Buchanan

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article argues that intellectual interoperability—the cognitive and conceptual alignment necessary for multinational partners to coordinate decision making effectively—is a critical, yet undervalued, dimension of security cooperation. While considerable scholarship already explores technical and procedural interoperability, this piece examines its human dimensions and demonstrates their significance through an evidence-based analysis of gaps observed in Afghanistan (2001–21). Drawing on policy documents, doctrine, scholarly literature, and one author’s firsthand experience as a Ministry of Defense adviser in Afghanistan, this article offers military and policy practitioners three actionable lessons for building security partnerships resilient enough to withstand strategic pressure.

Neural Network Driven By Electrochemical Performance Data For Predicting The Discharge Termination Time Of Seawater Electrolyte-Based Metal-Air Batteries, Peng-Peng Shen, Yi-Chi Pan, Yu-Rong Liu, Lu-Dan Zhang, Ning Niu, Guan-Jun Wang, De-Kun Yang, Xin-Long Tian, Peng Rao

Journal of Electrochemistry

Seawater electrolyte-based metal-air batteries exhibit great promise for marine energy supply systems. However, conventional statistical analysis methods, though applicable to seawater metal-air battery lifetime prediction, have inherent limitations of insufficient prediction accuracy and large error. Herein, a deep time-series regression framework based on InceptionTime and incorporating prior-biased attention pooling is proposed to construct a nonlinear mapping between electrochemical performance sequences and the discharge termination time of catalysts. Specifically, chronoamperometric profiles are employed to extract long-term stability features, while prior knowledge derived from linear sweep voltammetry is introduced to strengthen the attention weighting over critical potential regions. Under a nested leave-one-catalyst-out …

Microwave-Assisted Synthesis Of Core-Shell Structured Pd@Pdptcufe Recessed Truncated Octahedral Nanocrystals For Multifunctional Electrocatalysis, De-Zhong Hu, Wen-Dan Jiang, Wei Keat Ng, Jun Yang, Xiong-Wu Kang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Developing cost-efficient and durable multifunctional electrocatalysts of hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction is crucial for improving energy conversion efficiency in electrolytic water splitting electrolyzer and advancing rechargeable zinc-air batteries. Polyhedral shaped nanocrystals with well-defined crystal facets represent a type of model catalysts that enables the exploration of structure-activity relationships. However, it is still very challenging to prepare alloy nanocrystals with multiple metal components due to their complicated redox potentials and mixing enthalpy. Herein, we report a rapid microwave-assisted polyol reduction method for syntheses of core-shell Pd@PdPtCu, Pd@PdPtCuNi, Pd@PdPtCuCo and Pd@PdPtCuZn octahedral nanocrystals, and recessed truncated-octahedral …

Mitochondrial Trna-Derived Fragments As Candidate Metastasis-Modifying Rna, Katy L. Swancutt, R. Mckinnon Walsh, Sydney Quijano, Emily Schueddig, Devin C. Koestler, Adam D. Scheid, Tony Vanden Bush, Yi Jing, Isidore Rigoutsos, Danny R. Welch

Computational Medicine Center Faculty Papers

UNLABELLED: How mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) polymorphisms influence complex phenotypes remains poorly understood. Using mitochondrial-nuclear exchange mice, we previously showed that mtDNA single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) modify metastasis, cardiovascular disease, and epigenetic marks independently of metabolic differences. The only mtDNA SNP correlating with these phenotypes resides in the gene encoding mitochondrial transfer RNA (tRNA)-arginine [mt-tRNAArg (UCG), mt-TR], suggesting a role for non-protein-coding loci. In this study, we identify and preliminarily characterize previously undescribed tRNA-derived fragments (tRF) generated from mt-TRs. Northern blotting revealed distinct tRF that are differentially expressed among mtDNA SNPs, between lung and liver, and between sexes. Surprisingly, small RNA sequencing …

Maximize Your Returns: The Critical Need For Red-Team Capabilities At All Echelons Of Command, Lex Oren Jr.

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article argues that the US Army’s underuse of red teaming at echelons below flag-officer levels hinders effective decision making and operational adaptability. Unlike existing literature that primarily focuses on red teaming at higher command levels, this article emphasizes the need to integrate red-team capabilities at the division, brigade, and battalion levels. The methodology includes a comprehensive analysis of current Army doctrine, historical case studies, and interviews with military experts to assess the impact of red teaming on operational outcomes. The findings suggest that embedding professionally trained red-team members at lower echelons enhances critical thinking, identifies potential vulnerabilities, and improves …

Book Reviews, Usawc Press

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

From Reliability To Fit: Trust, Adaptation, And Distributed Cognition In Ai-Enabled Mission Command, C. Anthony Pfaff

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This special commentary argues that military articificial intelligence integration must pivot from model reliability to a “cognitive fit” within human-machine teams to ensure decision advantage under uncertainty. It advances beyond traditional artificial intelliegenceintelligence metrics by focusing on dynamic operational adaptation, and systemic resilience. The research employs an eco-cognitive framework, synthesizing John Boyd’s evolutionary theories with modern cognitive science and risk management principles. This analysis offers policy and military practitioners a crucial blueprint for designing command structures that preserve human judgment and mitigate risk.

Parameters Autumn 2026, Usawc Press

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Amended Disclosure Statement (4th Amended Plan)

Catholic Dioceses in Bankruptcy

No abstract provided.

Biki: Design Overhaul, Meg Rawson

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

For children from bilingual households, kindergarten can represent both an introduction to formal mathematics education and a period of increased exposure to the English language. Students may therefore be learning foundational mathematical concepts while simultaneously developing the English vocabulary used to describe those concepts. BiKi (Bilingual Math for Kindergartners) was developed to help bridge this gap through an educational application that combines visual, auditory, and interactive learning activities to reinforce mathematical vocabulary in both English and a student’s home language.

This work builds upon the existing BiKi application while maintaining its original educational goals and intended audience. The primary focus …

Hkc09 - Climate Change Increases Bilateral Trade Costs, Maximilian Huppertz

Oberlin College Kasper Economics and Business Working Paper Series

It is well established that climate change affects productivity, but its effects on trade costs have not been studied. I combine international trade and weather data covering 190 years and show how an augmented gravity framework can be used to estimate the impact of climate change on bilateral trade cost. I find that climate change, as measured by decadal temperature shifts at the origin or destination country, increases them. Adaptation to these changes seems slow. They appear to be driven by impacts on maritime trade in particular, perhaps due to the vulnerability of seaports to climate change. Combining these results …

Personal Experiences With Remarkable Outcomes Of Stage 4 Cancer: A Phenomenological Study, Gail Firman Porter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prayer as a source of improved physical outcomes for individuals with medically diagnosed Stage 4 cancer has not been thoroughly addressed in recent academic literature, despite an increase in individual reporting within nonacademic sources.. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of individuals in the United States who experienced remarkable healing from Stage 4 cancer after receiving Christian prayer for healing. Using the biopsychosocial-spiritual model as the conceptual framework, this study investigated the lived experiences of participants regarding their decision to seek prayer to heal their Stage 4 cancer, and its subsequent effects on their …

The Post-Covid Experiences Of Low-Income Single Mothers In Maintaining Social Capital And Informal Social Support, Marissa L. Goldman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Low-income single mothers often manage financial, caregiving, emotional, and logistical demands with limited resources and rely on informal support networks that may be inconsistent. This problem matters to social workers, community-based practitioners, and researchers because a greater understanding can guide interventions that reduce isolation and role overload and improve resource access. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore how low-income single mothers used trust, reciprocity, social norms, and collective support to maintain informal networks in the post-COVID era. Guided by Bourdieu’s social capital theory, the study included 10 English-speaking U.S. mothers with household incomes at or below …

The Influence Of Familiarization On Countermovement Rebound Jump Metrics In Division Iii College Athletes, Kevin Kirschbaum

Doctorate in Kinesiology

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of familiarization on the strategy, outcome, and kinetic variables of the countermovement rebound jump (CMRJ) and compare these responses with those of the traditional countermovement jump (CMJ) in Division III collegiate athletes. A randomized controlled design was used in which participants were assigned to either a familiarization group that completed five consecutive CMRJ testing sessions or a control group that completed baseline and final testing only. The analyzed variables included rebound ground contact time, rebound stiffness, rebound reactive strength index (RSI), CMRJ jump height, peak propulsive force, and peak braking …

Usa V. Elvis Ortiz

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Webster Senior Building V. Davis

All Decisions

Post-eviction court grants tenant's OSC under RPAPL § 749(3) and restores tenant to possession forthwith. HRA one-shot-deal checks for rent arrears were mailed to wrong address after management companies changed. Court finds it inappropriate to keep tenant out of possession given HRA approval, tenant's age, longevity of rent stabilized tenancy, and the bureaucratic error. Warrant re-execution stayed pending HRA reissuance of checks.

Final 2026 Interim Site-Wide Surface Water Monitoring Quality Assurance Project Plan, Woodard & Curran

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Final 2026 Interim Site-Wide Groundwater Monitoring Quality Assurance Project Plan, Woodard & Curran

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Cheap Talk, Deepfakes, Epistemic Injustice, False Light, And Free Speech, Cosim Sayid

Idaho Law Review

Defamation is a more or less effective tool in tort law to stop damage to one’s reputation, which can be grievous and even lead to a death of despair, but its scope is limited to content that’s literally false. Much reputational harm does not proceed via literally false content; it is a matter of images or what’s implied. Against this opponent an effective False Light tort is of much use when properly understood as a reputational—rather than privacy—tort. False Light can be wielded against conversational implicature as well as deepfakes. It fulfills our moral imperative to not succumb to cheap …

Great Crypto Vanishing Act: Illusory Contracts And The Economic Loss Rule, Henry H. Perritt Jr.

Idaho Law Review

Cryptocurrencies have gained respectability with enactment of the federal GENIUS Act, which lays a regulatory foundation for the safest type of cryptocurrency, stablecoins, while leaving significant uncertainty with respect to unbacked crypto assets like Bitcoin and other cryptomoney and crypto investments that do not come within the GENUIS Act’s scope. The vulnerability of cryptocurrencies to wild fluctuations in value and to outright collapse are legion. The GENIUS Act may tame some actors who choose to operate within its framework, but many questions remain.

Legal remedies available to victims of cryptocurrency mishaps, from exchange collapses to issuer fraud, depend heavily on …

Child Protection Across Cultural Borders: Is Child Neglect Culture-Specific? Should It Be?, David Pimentel, Meeka C. Woods

Idaho Law Review

No abstract provided.

Vt‑Tce V1.0 — Standalone Buildable Disclosure Vortex‑Tube Thermal Conditioning Engine A Passive Hot/Cold Separation Thermal‑Conditioning System For Remote Energy Installations, Michael Victor Caldwell Mr.

Defensive Publications Series

VT‑TCE v1.0 is a builder‑ready, open‑hardware, standalone thermal‑conditioning engine based on:

• vortex‑tube hot/cold separation

• passive thermal routing

• synthetic‑coolant compatibility

• hot‑stream buffering

• cold‑stream electronics/sensor cooling

It is designed for remote energy installations, providing:

• cold‑stream electronics cooling

• hot‑stream thermal buffering

• auxiliary heat routing

• passive thermal stabilization

This version contains no external invention references and is fully buildable and testable by engineering teams.

An Innovative Surgical Simulator For Globe And Orbit Procedures, Anuj U. Patel, George Lin, Rishi Hoskeri, Chelsea L. Reighard, Marguerite C. Weinert, Zahra Nourmohammadi, David Zopf

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: Increased access to procedural opportunities for trainees in ophthalmology is needed to refine critical surgical skills, including manipulating and suturing the conjunctiva and sclera.

Purpose: To develop an in vitro high-fidelity globe and orbit model, made from synthetic materials and 3D-printing techniques, and to report our experience using the model in a structured wet lab training session on conjunctival and scleral suturing.

Methods: The model was implemented into two resident wet lab courses. Trainees and expert evaluators were asked to perform the same procedures. Evaluators were asked to incise and repair the simulated conjunctiva and sclera …

Development And Delivery Of A Novel Psychologically Informed Resident Wellness Curriculum, Marguerite C. Weinert, Alice Lorch, Ethan Lester

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: Residents in training are at increased risk for burnout, depression, and suicide. Wellness efforts are widespread, but common practices are often transient, ineffective, or dependent on additional time from residents.

Purpose: To describe the development, delivery, and reception of a structured wellness curriculum aimed at providing residents psychoeducation, coping skills, and community building opportunities.

Methods: Residents PGY1-4 were surveyed on our wellness curriculum. This included how helpful the curriculum was in achieving its goals (providing a space for resident concerns and challenges, teaching coping tools and skills, reducing burnout, strengthening bonds between coresidents), impressions of the …

Virtual Introductory Summer Course In Ophthalmology (Visco): Implementation Of A Novel Online Course To Address Gaps In Ophthalmology Education, Katherine Lucy Jung, Cody Lo, Anne Xuan-Lan Nguyen, Sherif R. El-Defrawy, Jonathan A. Micieli, Michael Thai Binh Nguyen

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: Ophthalmology education in medical schools worldwide has declined over the past 20 years, despite an aging global population with increasing ocular concerns, highlighting a critical gap in physician training. All physicians must be adequately trained to provide basic ophthalmic care when specialists are unavailable.

Purpose: To describe and evaluate the Virtual Introductory Summer Course in Ophthalmology (VISCO), an open-access live virtual program conducted in 2021 and 2022.

Methods: VISCO was created by Canadian ophthalmology faculty, residents, and medical students. The course utilized a “reverse classroom” format where participants were supplied with a reading guide of high-quality …

A Curriculum-Based Approach To Enhance Medical Student Confidence And Performance With Slit Lamp Funduscopy And Indirect Ophthalmoscopy, Matthew C. Johnson, Jia Jia Zhang, Ryan S Meshkin, Ankoor S. Shah, Grayson W. Armstrong

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: As ophthalmology instruction in medical school curricula continues to decrease, opportunities for structured training in slit lamp funduscopy and indirect ophthalmoscopy remain scarce. Furthermore, most educational interventions in ophthalmology rely heavily on self-reported confidence rather than objective measures of technical performance.

Purpose: To validate a slit lamp funduscopy and indirect ophthalmoscopy educational curriculum for medical students.

Methods: Third- and fourth-year medical students enrolled in an ophthalmology elective were invited to participate in a slit lamp funduscopy and indirect ophthalmoscopy teaching session. Students’ subjective confidence levels were assessed via Likert-scale questions on pre- and post-teaching questionnaires (1 …

Independent Associations With Research Productivity Among U.S. Academic Ophthalmologists Using The Us-Aofd, Brenton T. Bicknell, Josephine Rudd Zhong Manis, Yejin Heo, Haley Chishom, Lance Dzubinski, Taylor L. Aaserud, Alvina Liang, Shayan Massoumi, Thanushri Srikantha, John Stoffer, Guihua Zhai, Basil K. Williams Jr, Steven E. Brooks, Robert Tauscher

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: Scholarly productivity is a key marker of achievement in academic ophthalmology, influencing promotion, research support, and leadership opportunities. Prior studies have reported variation by gender, subspecialty, and rank, but few applied regression methods to identify independent predictors.

Purpose: To evaluate demographic, academic, and subspecialty factors associated with research productivity among U.S. academic ophthalmologists and to identify independent predictors through multivariable regression.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 4,028 ophthalmologists across 126 accredited U.S. residency programs using the U.S. Academic Ophthalmology Faculty Database (US-AOFD). Faculty demographics and academic information were obtained from institutional websites, and bibliometric data (publications, …

Exposure To A Vision Screening Program In A Community-Based Clinic Improves Medical Student Confidence And Funduscopy Skills, Karanpreet S. Multani, Jibran A. Sharieff, Justin D. Dvorak, Kai Ding, Tammy Yanovitch

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

Background: Vision is critical to overall health, yet ophthalmology training in medical education has declined over the past 50 years, leaving many graduates underprepared to manage common eye conditions. The Johns Hopkins ViSION program demonstrated that structured participation improved students’ confidence and knowledge in ophthalmology, suggesting that integrating vision screening into medical training may enhance medical students’ confidence in performing ophthalmic examinations and recognizing common ophthalmic conditions.

Purpose: To evaluate whether participation in community-based vision screening programs enhances medical students’ ophthalmic examination confidence, examination proficiency, and diagnostic performance.

Methods: Thirty-eight medical students from the University of Oklahoma …