Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Effective Technological And Innovation Strategies For Sustaining Fintech Startups In Nairobi, Kenya, Beyond 5 Years, Esay Kollie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some small financial technology, or fintech, startup leaders in Nairobi, Kenya, lack the technological and innovation strategies required to sustain operations beyond 5 years. High failure rates among fintech startups in the early stages of operation affect financial inclusion and economic development in the region. Grounded in resource-based view theory, this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore effective technological and innovation strategies fintech startup leaders in Nairobi use to sustain operations beyond 5 years. Data was collected through semistructured interviews with eight fintech startup leaders from different firms. Thematic analysis revealed seven major themes: (a) leveraging technological infrastructure, (b) innovating …

Exploring Challenges Of Parents With Disabilities Affecting Custody Of The Children, Kendyll King

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 promoting equality for people with disabilities, parents with developmental and intellectual disabilities experience high rates of involvement with child welfare services due to outdated terminology, information about disabilities, and policies. The purpose of this study was to identify the challenges of parents with intellectual and developmental disabilities and determine if they differ from those of parents without a disability. This was a generic qualitative study grounded in intersectionality theory. Education, employment, health and safety concerns, independence, assistive technology, social services involvement, and supports or resources were examined through the perspective of the …

Spartan Daily, October 21, 2025, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2025

Volume 165, Issue 25

Where Have You Been? Backtracking Microplastic To Its Source Using The Biomolecular Composition Of The Ecocorona, Amanda L. Dawson, Utpal Bose, Sophia Escobar-Correas, Kuok Yap, David J. Craik, Cassandra L. Pegg

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Microplastics are a diffuse contaminant with various global sources, pathways, and sinks. This study aimed to backtrack microplastics across environments using metaproteomic and eDNA metabarcoding information stored within the ecocorona. Pristine polyamide (PA) fibers, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers and fragments, and PET and PA preincubated in bovine serum albumin (BSA) were deployed into a tank housing Penaeus monodon to develop an ecocorona. Upon collection, BSA was detected within the ecocorona, along with P. monodon proteins, using mass spectrometry. BSA preincubation influenced the diversity and abundance of ecocorona proteins with pristine microplastics having more significantly enriched proteins. Most ecocorona proteins reflected …

High-Stakes Exams Inflate A Gender Gap And Contribute To Systematic Grading Errors In One Introductory Physics Series, David J. Webb, Cassandra Paul

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Previous research has suggested that changing the percentage of the course grade associated with exam grades in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics courses can change the gender gap in the course. It has also been shown that high-stakes assessments yield the lowest (relative) scores for female students. Previous research by the authors has shown that implementing retake exams can eliminate the gender gap in introductory physics courses. This paper explores several different hypotheses for why retake exams are associated with a zeroed gender gap. Two independent measurements comparing exams with different stakes are used in support of the argument that …

2025-10-21 Master Of Education Arts - Middle Grades Revision, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate., University Graduate Committee.

Faculty Senate Records

Proposed revisions to the Master of Arts Education for the Middle Grades track approved on October 21, 2025.

Contextualizing Introductory Computer Science: Insights From African Faculty, Ethel Tshukudu, Ismaila Temitayo Sanusi, Oluwakemi Ola, Sally Hamouda, Linda Marshall, Oluwatoyin Adelakun-Adeyemo, Emma R. Dodoo, G. Ayorkor Korsah, Sandani Luvhengo, Jack Parkinson

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Contextualizing computer science education has been recognized as a key factor in enhancing student engagement and learning outcomes. This study investigates the initial perceptions of university computer science faculty in Africa regarding the benefits, adoption challenges, and institutional support required for the successful integration of contextually relevant materials into introductory computer science (CS1) courses. Faculty then assessed a set of previously developed contextually tailored materials, grounded in Banks' Additive Approach to curriculum reform and aligned to the CS curricula 2023. The research adopted qualitative methods, gathering data through open-ended surveys from 22 CS faculty across 9 African countries. Thematic analysis …

An Investigation Of Corrective Approaches For Uncertain Winds And Analysis Of Impacts On Smoke Model Performance, Zongrun Li, Susan M. O'Neill, Rime El Asmar, Yongtao Hu, Adam K. Kochanski, Angel Farguell, Jan Mandel, David J. Tanner, L. Gregory Huey, Armistead G. Russell, Rodney J. Weber, M. Talat Odman

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

In wildland fires, wind affects fire propagation, emission intensity, and smoke transport; therefore, uncertainties in wind simulations can critically impact PM2.5 concentration produced by coupled fire-atmosphere models or chemical transport models. These uncertainties must be addressed prior to assessing other parameters that may affect model-predicted PM2.5 concentrations through comparisons with observations. This study simulated prescribed fire events with accurate ignition pattern design and high spatial-temporal resolutions using the coupled fire-atmosphere model WRF-SFIRE. We designed, implemented, and evaluated various wind bias reduction and smoke model evaluation methods to quantitatively capture the impacts of wind uncertainty on simulated smoke concentrations. For the …

[Keynote Presentation] Who Owns Our Knowledge? Rethinking Publishing In A Scholar-Led World, Juan Pablo Alperin

Open Access Week Events

The UNI community is invited to attend a lecture by Juan Pablo Alperin, Simon Fraser University. The event is hosted by the Scholarly Communications sections of the three Iowa Regent institutions [Iowa State University, University of Iowa, and University of Northern Iowa].

Details:

• Lecture: "Who owns our knowledge? Rethinking Publishing in a Scholar-Led World," by Juan Pablo Alperin
• Date: Monday, October 20, 2025
• Time: 12 noon (Central Time) to 1 pm
• Location: Room LIB ScholarSpace 301 (Light refreshments) or via Zoom (Registration required)

Description: This presentation will discuss how the proliferation of open access …

History In Our Backyard: Youth Podcasting About Jimmy And Rosalynn Carter’S Georgia, Katherine A. Perrotta, Hao Ran Li, Prinsha Chanda, Anvitha Battu, Shaurya Attal

Teaching Social Studies in the Peach State

The purpose of this article is to highlight the curriculum development and recording of a special episode about Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter for the student-created History in our Backyard: The Names of Places in Georgia podcast. The students’ research process for writing and recording the podcast are highlighted, as well as pedagogical strategies that social studies teachers can use to engage students in creating their own podcasts. Insights from the student researchers are included to provide teachers with actionable steps for promoting historical thinking and inquiry through podcasting.

Camp David Accords Lesson Plan With Simulation, Natalia Burgess

Teaching Social Studies in the Peach State

The Camp David Accords resulted in a peace between Egypt and Israel that lasted 45 years, but failed to achieve the broader effect that Jimmy Carter was aiming for which was peace in the Middle East. With this lesson plan students taking U.S. History at the secondary education level will analyze U.S. international and domestic policies including their advancements and social changes during the Carter administration. Students will evaluate key issues between Egypt and Israel by analyzing the successes and/or failures of the Camp David Accords. Students should be able to identify conflict and change by understanding when there is …

Maloney Decision, Walter H. Maloney Jr.

Justice for Farah Strikers Committee Records

A copy of the decision passed by Judge Walter H. Maloney, Jr. on the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America and Farah Manufacturing Company dispute.

Dft Prediction Of Adsorption Properties Of Chrysene On Si(001) Surface, Çağil Kaderoğlu

Turkish Journal of Physics

In this study, DFT calculations were carried out in order to reveal the adsorption properties of chrysene molecule on the Si(001)−(2×1) surface. For this purpose, structural, electronic, and optical properties were calculated for five different adsorption configurations. The results show that the electronic and optical properties vary depending on the adsorption configuration of the molecule. In general, the chrysene molecule was found to reduce the work function of the Si(001)−(2×1) surface and affect its optical absorption and reflection properties in the IR and UV regions. These results indicate that the Chrysene + Si(001) hybrid could be quite useful in molecular …

Charge Asymmetry Phenomenon For The Leptonically Decaying W Γ Pair At Nnlo Qcd, Kadi̇r Saygin

Turkish Journal of Physics

The paper presents for the first time a phenomenological assessment which focuses on the charge asymmetry phenomenon for the W γ production process with subsequent leptonic decay modes W⁺γ → l⁺ν_lγ and W⁻γ → l⁻ν_l^¯γ in proton-proton (pp) collisions. Charge asymmetry for the leptonic W γ process is predicted by the inclusion of genuine next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) corrections in the QCD perturbation theory. NNLO predictions of asymmetry distributions are assessed for the key observables, including the decay lepton and photon pseudorapidities η_l and η_γ, …

Reflecting On Teaching Together And Alone: Preservice Teachers’ Processes Of Knowledge Construction In Writing And Discussion, Ulrike Hartmann, Marcus Kindlinger, Kati Trempler, Anna-Lena Molitor, Helenrose Fives

Department of Educational Foundations Scholarship and Creative Works

Understanding how preservice teachers (PSTs) engage with knowledge of educational sciences through reflective practice is critical to improving teacher education. This study investigates how PSTs construct knowledge when analyzing a complex classroom situation and explores how a reflective task format—individual essay writing or collaborative group discussion—shapes the types and quality of knowledge construction processes involved. Drawing on frameworks of reflective practice and epistemic cognition, we developed a coding scheme to identify five knowledge construction processes and three levels of implementation quality. Using data from a university-based teacher education course, we applied this scheme to PSTs’ written essays and transcribed group …

2025 October 20 - Faculty Senate Agenda And Minutes, Faculty Senate, East Tennessee State University

Faculty Senate Agendas and Minutes

No abstract provided.

Path Planning Of Improved Rrt Algorithm Based On Deep Reinforcement Learning, Xiuman Liang, Ziliang Liu, Zhendong Liu

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To address the low planning efficiency, poor safety, and limited practicability of the RRT algorithm in global path planning within complex three-dimensional environments, which fail to meet the requirements of planning the safe flight path of UAVs, an improved SAC-RRT algorithm was proposed, which fused SAC deep reinforcement learning algorithm and RRT algorithm. A target point bias strategy and a dynamic step size based on the SAC decision-making network were designed to reduce the blindness of RRT. A random point correction process was designed to optimize the position of random points based on actions from the decision network and …

Impact Of Information Security Awareness Training On Knowledge, Attitude, And Behavior: A K-12 Case Study, Michael S. Robbins, Christopher Robbins

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Abstract— Information security breaches remain a serious threat across all sectors, often exploiting human factors rather than technical flaws. This study examines how a structured Information Security Awareness (ISA) training program influences employees’ knowledge of security policies, attitudes towards those policies, and self-reported security behaviors within a K-12 educational environment. A quantitative pre-test/post-test design was employed with 201 staff members (administrators, teachers, and support personnel) in a public school district. Participants completed the Human Aspects of Information Security Questionnaire (HAIS-Q) before and after undergoing an interactive cybersecurity training program. Statistical analysis revealed a significant improvement in information security knowledge, attitudes, …

Fostering Efl Students’ Writing Strategy Using Metacognitive Instruction, Hanan N/A Al Sultan Dr.

Journal of Arabic Sciences and Humanities

This study aims to enhance the writing strategy skills of Saudi female EFL students by integrating metacognitive instruction into essay writing tasks. With a one-group quasi-experimental design, the research included 34 participants. A pretest and post-test were conducted, followed by a questionnaire to explore participants’ experiences with the intervention. The instructional approach emphasised students’ awareness and regulation of metacognitive processes during writing – specifically planning, monitoring, and evaluating. Data were collected and analysed using a sequential mixed-methods explanatory design, beginning with quantitative analysis and followed by qualitative insights to enrich interpretation. The findings revealed a statistically significant improvement in students’ …

Medtronic And The Interminable Problem Of Transfer Pricing Litigation, Reuven S. Avi-Yonah

Articles

On September 3 the Eighth Circuit issued its decision in Medtronic II, rejecting both the unspecified method that the Tax Court applied in its 2022 decision and the comparable uncontrolled transaction method preferred by the taxpayer, and remanding the case to the Tax Court for the second time. The decision means that a final determination of Medtronic’s tax liability for the 2005 and 2006 tax years will be delayed once again, and a Medtronic III decision might be appealed again, which could take several more years. The original Medtronic decision was rendered by the Tax Court in 2016 and reversed …

Influences On Emergency Clinician Use Of Health Information Exchange: Interview Study, Brian E. Dixon, Umesh Ghimire, Benjamin Richter, Corinne Bowditch, Saurabh Rahurkar, John T. Finnell, Joshua R. Vest

Division of Internal Medicine Faculty Papers & Presentations

BACKGROUND: Health information exchange (HIE) supports clinical decision-making in emergency medicine settings. Despite evidence and policies that encourage the adoption of HIE, use by clinicians is limited. Moreover, few studies examine HIE use years after adoption by hospitals or clinics.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to examine the perceptions and use of a mature, operational HIE system by emergency department clinicians years after its implementation.

METHODS: We interviewed 21 clinicians in various roles (eg, attending physician and nurse practitioner) across multiple health systems that participate in a statewide HIE network. We asked questions about their use of the HIE system and …

Mcsa Forum Minutes 10/20/2025, Morris Campus Student Association

Morris Campus Student Association

No abstract provided.

Relative Stare Decisis, Andrew Coan

Utah Law Review

Stare decisis stands at a crossroads. The Supreme Court has recently overturned landmark precedents on abortion rights, affirmative action, and administrative deference, while signaling its willingness to reconsider other long-settled doctrines. Amid this tumult, one principle appears to command broad consensus: Stare decisis carries heightened force in statutory cases, where Congress can override the Court’s decisions through ordinary legislation, and less force in constitutional cases, where override can only be accomplished through the onerous Article V amendment process. Yet this doctrine of “relative stare decisis” rests on remarkably fragile foundations. The principal justifications offered by its adherents are underdeveloped or …

An Ugly Common Ancestor: Dred Scott, Roe And Enumerationism, David S. Schwartz

Utah Law Review

The Dred Scott case holds a deserved place in the constitutional “anticanon” of Supreme Court decisions that exemplify rejected constitutional views. But the complex history of the case, the convolution of the opinion by Chief Justice Roger Taney, and the complicated relationship between its two primary holdings have generated multiple, often conflicting arguments about its negative “lessons.” Such arguments—particularly that of Robert Bork arguing that Dred Scott is the “very ugly common ancestor” of Lochner v. New York and Roe v. Wade—have masked an important element of the Taney opinion: its central reliance on “enumerationism,” the doctrine of limited enumerated …

Navigating New Technology: A Phenomenological Study Into Technology Coaches’ Experiences During Ai Expansion In Schools, Elizabeth K. Wrzesinski

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly influencing instructional practices in K–12 education, yet most states have not issued clear, binding policies to guide its integration. As a result, local school systems and support staff must interpret emerging guidance and determine how AI should be used in classrooms. This study examined how system-level technology coaches in the Deep South experience and support AI adoption in contexts where state guidance is advisory rather than mandatory. This qualitative phenomenological study used questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with technology coaches, and a content analysis of AI-related state and local policy guidance. Participants included technology coaches who …

The Free Press Vol. 57, Issue 5, 10-20-2025, Julz Levesque, Caraline Squires

Free Press, The

Crewe Center Opens Its Doors To The Public--USM M.A.S.H. Hosts BBQ and Resource Fair--Osher School of Music Begins iPad Pilot Testing--Campus Events Dwindle in Students Attending--The Deaf Culture Festival--Maine Senate Race Heats Up--DOJ's Voter Data Grab Meets Resistance from Maine--The Legality and Possibility of a Third Presidential Term--You Should Still Get Vaccinated This Year

The Echo: October 20, 2025, Taylor University

2025-2026 (Volume 113)

No abstract provided.

Goals Reconsidered: From Brute Prelusory States Of Affairs To The Lusory Complexity Of Sport, Francisco Javier López Frías

Kinesiology and Health Science Faculty Publications

In this paper, I examine Bernard Suits’ conceptualization of goals in his influential definition of gameplay, focusing on how his account falls short of capturing the complexity of sporting practices. Suits famously describes games as voluntary attempts to overcome unnecessary obstacles in achieving an identifiable state of affairs. By referring to this state of affairs as the prelusory goal of games, he frames gameplay as structured teleologically around this goal, converting it into the most fundamental element of his notion of gameplay. Although elegant and very intuitive, this conception of games raises tensions when applied to the complex, multilayered activities …

Rejecting The Unitary Executive, Christine Kexel Chabot

Utah Law Review

Critics have dismissed originalism as an empty methodology. They claim it is incapable of resolving our most important constitutional disputes, including the debate over the unitary executive. While unitary scholars assert that Article II grants the President an indefeasible power to remove all subordinates at will, their purportedly originalist interpretation conflicts with significant historical evidence. The Supreme Court’s apparent move toward an indefeasible removal power has proceeded as though this underlying historical indeterminacy is either irrelevant or does not exist. This Article offers a new way to bridge the disconnect between historical disputes over the unitary executive and public meaning …

Ultra Vires Review Of Federal Agency Action Made Simple(R), Richard W. Murphy

Utah Law Review

The law governing ultra vires review seeking injunctive relief to challenge statutory violations by federal agencies is a mess. Although administrative law generally limits judicial review to final actions, a substantial body of caselaw holds that this type of ultra vires review can reach interlocutory actions, vastly expanding judicial reach. Although administrative law now insists that federal courts must exercise independent judgment when reviewing agency statutory interpretations, caselaw limits this type of ultra vires review to correcting only the most spectacular statutory violations. In addition, caselaw ignores or garbles the problem of determining which types of plaintiffs qualify to invoke …