Digital Commons Network^™

Circular Economies: Sustainable Transformation Of Workshop Waste Into Educational Tools, Tom Whitfield, Maceij Sidor, Ceri Almrott, Keith Colton

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

This paper presents the Circular Economies in Design Workshops project, an initiative focused on transforming plastic waste into educational resources to advance sustainability within the university and help align with broader EU sustainability goals. Through hands-on processes like desktop injection moulding, students repurpose plastic waste into tools and components for educational purposes whilst also promoting sustainable practices in design workshops. The paper will discuss the project’s objectives, methods, and student involvement and consider the broader implications for sustainability, education and student-championed institutional change. Ireland ranks among the EU’s highest offenders for unrecycled plastic waste. Of the 53.1 million tons of …

Winter Supplementation Of Beef Cows In The Intermountain West, David Secrist

All Current Publications

Feed costs are the most significant expense of most ranching operations in the Intermountain West. Year-round grazing opportunities, hay cost and availability, calving season, cow size, milk production, and feeding logistics are all considerations in a supplementation program. The key to effective winter feeding is to balance the cost/benefit ratio of the supplementation programs while meeting nutritional demands at a minimal cost.

The Hidden Link Between Hiv And Cardiomyopathy: Unraveling Hiv's Impact On The Heart, Toluwalase Awoyemi, Oluwaremilekun Zeth Tolu-Akinnawo, Andrew Greek, Oluwakemi Adenuga, Chukwuebuka Asogwa, Isaac Ekundayo, Olamide Odusola, Oyinlola O. Fasehun, Mercy Ajayi, Onyinye Ugoala

School of Medicine Publications

This comprehensive review examines the complex relationship between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and cardiomyopathy, focusing on the underlying molecular mechanisms, clinical manifestations, diagnostic approaches, and treatment strategies. It highlights the significant global health burden posed by HIV and its potential to cause long-term cardiovascular complications. The review investigates the pathogenesis of HIV-associated cardiomyopathy. It elucidates the intricate cellular and molecular pathways involved, including the actions of neutrophils, monocytes, macrophages, and lymphocytes in cardiac inflammation. Key signaling pathways such as TNF-NF-κB and the caspase-1 inflammasome are detailed, as they contribute to cardiac infection and injury. The clinical manifestations of HIV-associated cardiomyopathy …

Human-Centred Supervision: Shaping Future Designers Through Coaching In Final Year Projects, Ina O'Connor, Ceri Almrott

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Our most significant products require a designer whose understanding of human empathy matches their technical skills; therefore, design education must evolve to reflect this crucial balance. In this context, the supervisor’s role in Product Design final year projects is not just crucial but pivotal in preparing students to meet modern industry challenges. This paper argues that the most effective supervisors act not just as instructors but also as coaches – cheerleaders who push each student to navigate creative challenges, grow personally and professionally and reach their individual potential. The supervisor's influence has a considerable transformative effect, extending beyond the boundaries …

Temperature And Pressure Shaped The Evolution Of Antifreeze Proteins In Polar And Deep Sea Zoarcoid Fishes, Samuel N. Bogan, Nathan Surendran, Scott Hotaling, Thomas Desvignes, Iliana Bista, Luana S.F. Lins, Mari H. Eilertsen, Nathalie R. Le François, Tait Algayer, Scott L. Hamilton, Paul B. Frandsen, Federico G. Hoffmann, Joanna L. Kelley

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) have enabled teleost fishes to repeatedly colonize polar seas. Four AFP types have convergently evolved in several fish lineages. AFPs inhibit ice crystal growth and lower tissue freezing point. In lineages with AFPs, species inhabiting colder environments may possess more AFP copies. Elucidating how differences in AFP copy number evolve is challenging due to the genes' tandem array structure and consequently poor resolution of these repetitive regions. Here, we explore the evolution of type III AFPs (AFP III) in the globally distributed suborder Zoarcoidei, leveraging six new long-read genome assemblies. Zoarcoidei has fewer genomic resources relative to …

Aisstream-Mcp: A Real-Time Memory-Augmented Question-Answering System For Maritime Operations, Sien Chen, Ruoxian Zhao, Jian Bo Yang, Yinghua Huang

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Ports and maritime operations generate massive real-time data streams, particularly from Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals, which are challenging to query effectively using natural language. This study proposes a prototype AISStream-MCP, a memory-augmented real-time maritime question-answering (QA) system that integrates live AIS data streaming with a Model Context Protocol (MCP) toolchain to support port operations decision-making. The system combines a large language model (LLM) with four MCP-enabled modules: persistent dialogue memory, live AIS data query, knowledge graph lookup, and result evaluation. We hypothesize that augmenting an LLM with domain-specific tools significantly improves QA performance compared to systems without memory or …

Assessing Reliable Change, Mcid, Treatment Response, And Remission Using The Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale (Pars) In Youth With Anxiety Disorders, Matti Cervin, Philip C Kendall, John C Piacentini, Elizabeth A Gosch, Jeffrey J Wood, Sophie C Schneider, Alison Salloum, Boris Birmaher, Andrew G Guzick, David Mataix-Cols, Eric A Storch

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Youth anxiety disorders are common and heterogeneous. The Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale (PARS) is a clinician-administered tool designed to assess overall anxiety severity, independent of specific symptoms. The thresholds on PARS for the reliable change index (RCI), the minimal clinically important difference (MCID), treatment response, and full and partial remission remain unclear. Using the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scales and diagnostic interviews as benchmark measures, several thresholds for the 6-item PARS were estimated using data from 904 youth with anxiety disorders, of which 36 % had an autism diagnosis. Data were drawn from 9 clinical trials conducted in the United …

Editorial: A Step-By-Step Statistical Decision Framework For A Gender-Inclusive Approach In Sport And Exercise Science Research, James W. Navalta, Dustin W. Davis, Jafra D. Thomas, Whitley J. Stone

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 18(1): 1010-1029, 2025. The conflation of sex and gender in sport and exercise science research has led to gaps in representation and understanding of gender-inclusive outcomes. This invited editorial presents a framework to guide researchers in conducting statistical analyses that account for multiple gender identities beyond the traditional binary classification. The invited editorial guides deliberation on whether to test for sex or gender differences in sport or exercise science research. It prompts investigators to answer the question, “Is there a valid, literature-supported rationale for investigating sex or gender differences?” If “yes”, we propose approaches that …

Strategies For Managing Interruptions: Improving Task Efficiency And Patient Safety, Ginger Schroers, Kathryn Vanderzwan, Laura Klenke-Borgmann, Susan Kilroy, Jill Pfieffer, Jenny O'Rourke

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Introduction: Worldwide, interruptions to nurses are prevalent during medication administration^1,2 and handoff.³ Interruptions decrease task efficiency^3,4 and increase risks for errors.^1-3 The use of interruption management strategies (intentional behaviors to handle interruptions) may improve the efficiency and safety of interrupted tasks.⁵

Purpose: To describe the investigation of the Stay SAFE interruption management strategy.

Theoretical Framework: Stay SAFE is based on the memory for goals cognitive science model5 which posits that use of associative cues (retrieval cues) when interrupted can improve task efficiency and decrease errors. Stay SAFE is an acronym for: Stay where you are, …

Nurses’ Lived Experiences During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Descriptive Phenomenological Study, Kala Mayer, Jo Anne Bennett, Elizabeth Reifsnider, Jeanie Skibiski, Soojung Jo

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

The COVID-19 pandemic presented unprecedented challenges for nurses, including confronting end-of-life decisions, witnessing patient suffering, and burnout. Nevertheless, many nurses demonstrated resilience and personal growth despite adversities. Notable gaps in the literature include limited exploration of the long-term impacts of the pandemic on nurses, variations in experiences based on geographic, gender, and cultural factors, as well as the role of leadership and organizational response. Likewise, how nurses adapted to innovations such as new technologies and the impact of their pandemic experiences on patient outcomes and care quality remain underexplored. This study employed a phenomenological descriptive approach to capture nurses’ lived …

Instituting Nonjudicial Foreclosure In Florida: When It Comes To Foreclosure, Florida's Judiciary Should Let Lenders Lead, Brian Tackenberg

Florida Law Review

The State of Florida has the highest inventory of foreclosed homes in the nation, the highest payment delinquency rate in the nation, and the slowest foreclosure system in the nation. This combination of factors has created a foreclosure crisis in Florida that eclipses the problems experienced by any other state. Florida's inability to work through this crisis has crippled any potential recovery in the housing market and is putting Florida at an economic disadvantage. Based upon current analysis, the number of foreclosures is only predicted to rise in the near future. Unless Florida is able to reform its foreclosure system …

Autonomous Versus Collaborative Online Professional Development: Discovering The Differences In Teacher Learning And Perceptions, Michelle Thomas, Heather Tellier, Jennifer Urbach, Corey Pierce Ph.D., Holly Baker-Hill

Journal of Educational Research and Innovation

Online, asynchronous professional development (PD) offers flexibility for learners, yet what is the most effective way to provide online PD? While current research suggests online platforms can be effective for learning, there is a lack of studies examining differences between fully autonomous, asynchronous modules and those that are asynchronous but still collaborative. This mixed-method study examined the learning differences and perceptions between two cohorts of special education teachers as they went through an eight-unit online course on dyslexia. One cohort received an autonomous platform without interaction among the students or instructor. The other cohort received the same content, but online …

Training A Multimodal Llm As A Customized Product Support Agent, Manoj Muthamizh Selvan

Defensive Publications Series

While users routinely use multimodal conversational agents powered by a large language model (LLM) as tools to obtain answers related to use or troubleshooting of a product (product support queries), general purpose LLMs may on occasion provide inconsistent and/or inaccurate responses. This can lead to a poor customer experience and a higher number of escalations to a human product support team. This disclosure describes techniques to train or fine-tune a generic multimodal large language model (LLM) to function as a specialized product support agent. The custom training uses help articles and documentation, product training/ testing videos, and other product-related materials …

The Effect Of Disaggregated Country Risk On Foreign Portfolio Investment Flows In South Africa, Paul-Francois Muzindutsi, Tristan Kyle Govender, Nokwanda Nkwanyana, Sanelisiwe Zulu, Nondumiso Myeni, Sinegugu Khuzwayo, Fikile Dube

Economic and Business Review

This study explores the relationship between disaggregated country risk and foreign portfolio investment (FPI) flows in South Africa, focusing on both the long-run and short-run effects of economic, financial, and political country risk measures on net foreign purchases of shares (NFPS) and net foreign purchases of bonds (NFPB) during the period from 1995 to 2019. We employed autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) and nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) models to assess the relationships between the variables. The results indicate that all disaggregated country risk measures have a long-run effect on NFPS and NFPB, and the impacts of these risks are asymmetric. …

Self-Organization In Metal Plasticity: An Ilg Update †, Avraam Konstantinidis, Konstantinos Spiliotis, Amit Chattopadhyay, Elais C. Aifantis

Michigan Tech Publications

In a 1987 article of the last author dedicated to the memory of a pioneer of classical plasticity Aris Philips of Yale, the last author outlined three examples of self-organization during plastic deformation in metals: persistent slip bands (PSBs), shear bands (SBs) and Portevin Le Chatelier (PLC) bands. All three have been observed and analyzed experimentally for a long time, but there was no theory to capture their spatial characteristics and evolution in the process of deformation. By introducing the Laplacian of dislocation density and strain in the standard constitutive equations used for these phenomena, corresponding mathematical models and nonlinear …

Energy-Aware Optimal Reconfiguration Of A Heterogeneous Connected And Automated Vehicle Cohort On A Limited-Access Highway, Pruthwiraj Santhosh, Darrell Robinette, Daniel Knopp, Jeffrey Naber, Jungyun Bae

Michigan Tech Publications

This paper presents an optimized vehicular reordering methodology designed to minimize energy consumption within heterogeneous cohorts operating at constant velocity on limited-access highways. The approach addresses the challenge of optimizing vehicle sequencing by considering both aerodynamic drag reduction benefits and the energy costs of reconfiguring a cohort from a stochastic initial state. This study provides empirical validation through on-road vehicle tests, demonstrating significant energy savings, achieving up to 10% reduction in axle energy for optimally configured cohorts compared to independent operation. A System of Systems (SoS) simulation environment, integrating micro-traffic, validated powertrain, and aerodynamic drag reduction models, was developed to …

The Parthenon, September 10, 2025, Baylee Parsons, Kaitlyn Fleming, Ashton Pack, Nate Harrah, Caden Adkins, Scott Price, Lilli Ross, Wade Sullivan

The Parthenon

No abstract provided.

Ronald Koons V. Attorney General New Jersey

2025 Decisions

USDC for the District of New Jersey

Usa V. Jerome Edmond

2025 Decisions

USDC for the Middle District of Pennsylvania

Yvonne Maddox, Yvonne T. Maddox Ph.D.

We Are NIH Oral History Project

No abstract provided.

Remote Sensing-Based Soil Erosion Rate Estimation Using The E30 Model And Sentinel-2 Imagery, Badaruddin, Syamani D. Ali

Jurnal Penelitian Kehutanan Wallacea

Estimating the rate of soil erosion generally takes time, money, and energy. There are many parameters that must be accommodated, such as the physical properties of the soil, land cover, rainfall, topography, and so on. One alternative method for estimating erosion rates is to use a remote sensing approach. The aim of this research is to estimate the rate of soil erosion in the Special Purpose Forest Area of the University of Lambung Mangkurat (KHDTK ULM) Mandiangin, using the E30 model and Sentinel-2 imagery. The erosion rate are measured directly in the field with a number of sample points. According …

Commonwealth Times 2025-09-10

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Terra Lunaris: Assessment Of A Lunar Habitat For Scientific Astronauts, Space Miners, Or Space Tourists, Dirk Schumann, Robert A. Goehlich

Publications

This conceptual paper explores ground- based habitable space modules for various applications. The Terra Lunaris concept serves as the baseline and is evaluated in comparison to existing and theoretical studies in this field. Terra Lunaris is a compact hybrid habitat that expands to offer nearly four times its transport volume by combining rigid modules with an inflatable shell. With most interior elements pre-installed and foldable, setup time and complexity are minimized. The design integrates technical zones, living quarters, and shared spaces, while also supporting psychological well-being under extreme conditions. The paper provides both qualitative and quantitative analyses of lunar habitation …

September 10, 2025 Faculty Senate Minutes, University Of South Carolina

Faculty Senate

No abstract provided.

In Re: Whittaker Clark & Daniels

2025 Decisions

USDC for the District of New Jersey

Biomechanicalperformanceofimplant-Tooth-Supportedprostheses:Anumerical3dfiniteelementanalysis, Basma Refaat Fayad, Islam Heiba Dr, Al Hassan Diab

Dentistry

Objective:Toassessthebiomechanicalbehaviourofimplant-tooth-supported(hybrid)pros-theses,comparedwithanimplant-implant-supportedprosthesis,utilisingtwodifferentprostheticmaterials,employingfiniteelementanalysis(FEA).Method:Threedigitalmodels,derivedfromaCBCT-scannededentulousmandible,weredesigned:twohybridconfigurations(M1:distalimplant-firstpremolar;M2:mesialimplant-firstmolar)andanimplant-implant-supportedprosthesis(M3).Abiomechanicalmodellingworkflowwascarriedout(Mimicsforsegmentation,3-Maticforbone/mucosallayerrefinement,ExocadDentalCADandSolidWorksforimplants,abutmentandprosthe-sisintegration,andANSYSformeshingandFEA).Assumingisotropic/elasticmaterialproperties,zirconiaandpolyetherketoneketone(PEKK)wereselectedasprostheticmateri-als.Modelsweresubjectedtoastaticverticalload(100N).vonMisesstressandtotaldefor-mationwereanalysedtoevaluatestructuralresponses.Results:M3demonstratedthemostfavourablebiomechanicalprofile,exhibitingthelowestvonMisesstressmagnitudesalongsidethehighestoveralldeformation.Inhybridmodels(M1,M2),stressmaximawerelocalisedatthepontic−toothconnectorregionsand,inM1-PEKK,reached261MPainthescrew.Corticalboneandpreparedteethexhibitedhigherstressindis-tallyanchoredhybridsystems(M1)comparedtomesiallysupporteddesigns(M2),regardlessoftheprostheticmaterial.Comparativeanalysisrevealedthatzirconia-basedprosthesesgen-eratedhigherstressconcentrationsinbone(≤35MPa)comparedtoPEKK,whereasthePEKKprosthesisitselfexhibitedgreaterstructuraldeformation(70mminM1-PEKK).Conclusion:Hybridimplant-tooth-supportedprosthesescanactasareliablealternativetoimplant-implantonesandeliminatecantileverextensions;however,theiruseshouldbereservedforcarefullyselectedcasestoavoidbiomechanicalincompatibilities.

National Alliance Of Sickle Cell Centers Consensus Standards For Transition To Adult Care In Sickle Cell Disease, Stephanie Howe Guarino, Akshat Jain, Mohan Madisetti, Kenneth Rivlin, Payal C. Desai, Julie Kanter, Sophie Lanzkron, Deepa Manwani

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Sickle cell disease (SCD), an autosomal recessive hemoglobinopathy, affects ∼100 000 people in the United States.1 The process of transitioning from pediatric to adult SCD health care systems can be disjointed and poorly coordinated, contributing to the high morbidity and mortality seen in this population. There is no universally accepted definition of a successful SCD care transition, nor are there existing standards and recommendations for SCD clinicians. National Alliance of Sickle Cell Centers (NASCC) uses a described modified Delphi process to reach consensus among its members, through which we defined standards and recommendations for transitioning care from pediatric to adult …

Sustainable Supply Chains 2.0: Insights And Lessons From My Research And Emerging Trends (2011-2025), Mark Yang Dr.

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Dr. Mark Yang, Management, presents "Sustainable Supply Chains 2.0: Insights and lessons from my research and emerging trends (2011-2025).

Y You Go Scale (Yygs): A Tool For Measuring Religious Commitment, Camron Angell, David Heath, Noah Perry, Taylor Hales

Student Works

Psychology historically has underplayed the role of religion and has not considered its importance in treatment and research. As such, the field is in need of measures of religious commitment and a greater understanding of the religious experience. There have been general measures of religious commitment such as the Religious Commitment Scale (RCS) and the Religious Commitment Inventory (RCI-10) (Dyer et al., 2023; Fox & Bouffard, 2015; Worthington, E., 2003). The issue with general scales is that religious commitment looks different for each religion. In this context, the present study sought to develop a scale of religious commitment for students …

The Association Of Acute Stress And Lower Quarter Emg During A Single Leg Balance Dexterity Task, Ted W. Gehrig Iii, Robert I. Dudley, Jo Armour Smith, Lida Gharibvand, Lee S. Berk, Everett B. Lohman Iii

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Research Question

Methods