Digital Commons Network^™

Martha Stringer V. County Of Bucks

2025 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

John Seitz, Iv V. East Nottingham Township

2025 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Kenneth Crandall V. Denis Mcdonough

2025 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Characterization Of Ultra-High-Speed Friction Stir Welds Made In Thin Sheet Aa6061-T4 Material, Todd Grant Lainhart

Theses and Dissertations

Friction stir lap welding (FSLW) of thin aluminum sheets in industry and in research has faced challenges in weld quality that limit welding speeds. Interfacial defects such as hooking and thinning are common defects that appear at the interface of FSLW, and researchers and process operators have traditionally reduced process parameters such as feed rate and spindle rotation to fully eliminate the defects. While such measures are successful in creating fully consolidated FSLW, feed rates for FSLW have stagnated around 1 mpm with the fastest feed rates recorded at 3 mpm, making it difficult for manufacturers to implement FSLW in …

Diversifying Cybersecurity: Evaluation Of An Internet Of Things (Iot)-Based Cybersecurity Training Course Designed To Bridge The Diversity Gap, Maureen Namukasa, Bhoomin B. Chauhan, Carlie Swords, Curtice Gough, Weronika Dymanus, Catherine Diresta, John Vitali, Vivek Sharma, T J. Oconnor, Meredith Carroll

Aeronautics Faculty Publications

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an eight-module Cybersecurity course at increasing the learning outcomes of middle and high school students with little to no experience, including underrepresented minorities (URMs) in Cybersecurity. Twice we administered and evaluated the Cybersecurity course, which included hands-on IoT-based activities, utilizing collaborative learning, scaffolding, and representation-based learning strategies. Using a quasi-experimental, within-subjects, repeated measures design, each participant experienced a pretest, the course, and a post-test to evaluate the impact on learners’ self-efficacy, interest, and knowledge. The results revealed that (1) at pre-test, female (p = .001) and in one course administration minority …

Effects Of Antecedent Choice On Academic Engagement And Disruptive Behavior In The Classroom, Ivy Grace E. Morgan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The number of students enrolled in public school systems receiving special education services continues to increase. Students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and those classified with emotional disturbance (ED) often engage in challenging behaviors such as inappropriate outbursts, disruptive behaviors, and off-task behavior that distract other students from learning. These behaviors can negatively impact educational outcomes for both the student and their classmates. Unfortunately, teachers often lack adequate training in addressing disruptive behavior in the classroom and have limited access to feasible interventions. Across-activity choice is a feasible antecedent intervention teachers can use in the classroom. It allows students …

China’S Role In A Future Korean War, Jake Rinaldi

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article argues that China’s intervention in a Korean conflict will hinge more on North Korea’s ability to hold territory than on bilateral ties. Rather than treat Chinese intervention as a yes-or-no proposition, this study models three scenarios—full intervention, sustained support, and limited support—based on North Korean resilience. Using Chinese-language sources and scenario-based analysis, it assesses how each model would shape key functional areas such as ISR, cyber, materiel, and force posture. The findings offer US defense planners a framework for anticipating variable People’s Liberation Army involvement in a future Korea contingency.

Improvisation In Agile Environments To Manage Disruption From Vuca Events, Christopher J. Remediani

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) events have always existed and demonstrated increases in regularity as well as damage. Management’s ability to mitigate and manage VUCA events has been challenged as they and nonmanagement employees are required to engage in rapid problem analysis and decision-making outside of standard procedures to identify and implement solutions. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore lived experiences of Agile practitioners in the information technology (IT) industry regarding their integration of improvisation techniques to mitigate and manage VUCA disruptions. Semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions were used to guide the study and address …

Computational Advances For Single-Cell Proteomics, Hannah Boekweg

Theses and Dissertations

The overarching goal of biologists is to characterize biological systems. When the workings of a system are understood, they can be fixed, broken, preserved, mimicked, and even replicated. The field of proteomics seeks to characterize systems through the lens of proteins. Proteins are referred to as the 'workhorse' of the cell to illustrate that they perform most functional tasks within the cell. These tasks are highly varied, including enzymatic activity, structural support, transport, storage, cell signaling, gene regulation, immune response, and more. Proteomics has been instrumental in new biological discoveries by characterizing the functional state of cells. A new area …

Measurement, Modelling And Optimisation Of Renewable Technologies And Energy Storage Systems On Dairy Farms, Fergal Buckley

Theses

Advancing the economic and environmental performance of dairy farms requires a comprehensive assessment of renewable energy systems (RES), energy storage technologies, and demand side management (DSM) techniques. This thesis aimed to address these needs by conducting a thorough assessment of RES, DSM techniques, and energy storage systems on dairy farms, through the development of a state-of-the-art simulation tool, trained and validated using modern energy data collected from a range of commercial dairy farms as part of this project. The research was conducted in three stages. Firstly, extensive data collection was undertaken across 26 commercial dairy farms employing herringbone and rotary …

Secure Composite Digital Twin For Collaborative Ecosystems, Pasindu Kuruppuarachchi

Theses

The rise of collaborative digital ecosystems and the growing adoption of Digital Twins (DTs) in sectors like smart manufacturing, energy, and autonomous sys- tems underscore the need for secure, interoperable frameworks. This research proposes a Secure Composite Digital Twin Architecture (CDT) that enables seam- less integration and collaboration among DTs, addressing key challenges in trust, interoperability, and governance. The architecture features a trust analyser to assess DT behaviour and a repu- tation model to enhance security as the ecosystem scales. It supports centralised, decentralised, and hybrid governance via distributed ledger technology, enabling dynamic policies and secure, token-based asset management. For …

Ways Of Living And Knowing, Reem El Hassan Mohamed

Theses and Dissertations

After decades of sedentarization, the Muzeina tribe in South Sinai now has new generations born into sedentary lifestyles, never experiencing nomadism like their ancestors once did. This shift has impacted their knowledge system, traditionally shaped by interactions and kinship with nature. Exposure to social media is influencing younger generations' ways of living, raising the older generations’ concerns about their Bedouin identity. Despite being one of the largest tribes in South Sinai, the Muzeina are rarely represented in literature.

This ethnography explores the impact of sedentarization and contextual developments on the Muzeina's knowledge system, inherited from their ancestors. Muzeina’s relationship, and …

Opportunistic Networks On The Move: A Context-Aware Framework For Opportunistic Networking Under Heterogeneous Mobility Settings, Sara Elsingergy

Theses and Dissertations

Most computer networks require continuous end-to-end connectivity between sending and destination nodes for data transfer. However, in certain scenarios—such as disaster zones, geographically remote areas with intermittent or no connectivity, or regions facing peak network loads—such continuous communication paths may be unavailable. A notable example of this challenge occurred during Hurricane Milton in 2024 and the Los Angeles wildfires in 2025, where Starlink provided free satellite internet to support disaster relief efforts and enable communication in affected areas. However, while offering satellite services at no cost can be effective in emergencies, it may not always be feasible on a global …

The Sealed Palace: How Direct Access To The Supreme Constitutional Court Can Bridge The Gaps In Constitutional Review In Egypt, Ahmed Sameh Fahmi

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the limitations of Egypt’s current constitutional review system and argues for the introduction of a direct access mechanism to the Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC). Under Egypt’s centralized model of judicial review, individuals are restricted to indirect access through ordinary courts, which has resulted in significant procedural and substantive inefficiencies. The referral-based mechanism of judicial review of legislation has caused delays in adjudicating constitutional claims, the insulation of certain laws from review, legislative omissions, and excessive gatekeeping by lower courts. Through a comparative analysis of direct access models in Colombia, Germany, Turkey, and South Africa, the thesis identifies …

A Tragedy Of Incommensurability: Indigenous Rights And The Limits Of Human Rights Law, Zeina Ali

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the tragedy of incommensurability between indigenous rights and international human rights law. Despite the emergence of frameworks like the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), indigenous calls for sovereignty remain fundamentally unintelligible within a liberal order structured to preserve settler-state legitimacy. Tracing the historical and theoretical evolution of indigenous advocacy, this study critiques the strategic shift from demands for self-determination to claims of cultural rights. It argues that this shift offers no real alternative: self-determination and cultural rights are functionally equivalent, as both are ultimately filtered through legal and political frameworks that cannot …

Texture Classification Through Deep Residual Networks And Feature Interpretability, Ankit Kumar

Master’s Dissertations

Texture classification plays a critical role in various real-world and industrial applications such as material recognition in manufacturing, medical image diagnostics, surface defect detection, and agricultural monitoring. The ability to distinguish textures reliably enables automation and enhances the precision of intelligent systems. Traditional methods like Local Binary Patterns (LBP), Gabor filters, and wavelet-based descriptors have been used extensively for texture analysis. While these techniques are effective under controlled conditions, they suffer from limited robustness to changes in illumination, scale, and viewpoint. Moreover, handcrafted features often fail to capture the intricate texture structures present in real-world surfaces. The KTH-TIPS2a dataset introduces …

The Enduring Lessons Of Vietnam: Implications For Us Strategy And Policy, Martin G. Clemis

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article argues that the Vietnam War is a useful case study for assessing an enduring flaw in America’s approach to war. The United States suffered defeat in Vietnam because it privileged military strength and the pursuit of victory on the battlefield over other elements of national power. As in Vietnam, the wars America will likely face in the future will blend conventional and unconventional methods and use a carefully calibrated mixture of military and non-military means. The United States must situate its demonstrated strengths in conventional war fighting within a holistic framework or face similar strategic outcomes.

Matter Of Karpen V. Andrade

All Decisions

In a holdover proceeding, the court addressed the retroactivity of the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (HSTPA)'s "personal use" exception, which limits landlords to recovering one unit and requires "immediate and compelling necessity." The Appellate Division held that where a landlord had not obtained a judgment of possession prior to HSTPA's enactment, the new law applies. This reversed the Appellate Term and affirmed the Civil Court's dismissal, finding no impermissible retroactive effect since the landlord had no vested right to multiple units.

Diversifying Cybersecurity: Evaluation Of An Internet Of Things (Iot)-Based Cybersecurity Training Course Designed To Bridge The Diversity Gap, Maureen Namukasa, Bhoomin B. Chauhan, Carlie Swords, Curtice Gough, Weronika Dymanus, Catherine Diresta, John Vitali, Vivek Sharma, Tj Oconnor, Meredith Carroll

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an eight-module Cybersecurity course at increasing the learning outcomes of middle and high school students with little to no experience, including underrepresented minorities (URMs) in Cybersecurity. Twice we administered and evaluated the Cybersecurity course, which included hands-on IoT-based activities, utilizing collaborative learning, scaffolding, and representation-based learning strategies. Using a quasi-experimental, within-subjects, repeated measures design, each participant experienced a pretest, the course, and a post-test to evaluate the impact on learners’ self-efficacy, interest, and knowledge. The results revealed that (1) at pre-test, female (p = .001) and in one course administration minority …

Implications Of The Mind’S Active Participation In The Formation Of Perception, Maikel Adel Samy Michael

Theses and Dissertations

The mind-body problem, particularly the issue of qualia, remains a fundamental challenge in understanding the nature of the mind and its relation to the body. In this thesis I argue that the problem is epistemic, stemming from how we perceive and know ourselves as physical and mental beings. This argument will be explored through the respective of idealisms proposed by George Berkeley and Immanuel Kant. Berkeley's idealism suggests that reality is rooted in perception, offering a major steppingstone by demonstrating the major role perception plays in understanding and acquiring knowledge. Kant contributes by asserting that the "thing-in-itself" is beyond our …

Preschool Teachers’ Perspectives Regarding Children’S Lack Of Social Skills Needed For Success In Preschool And Kindergarten, Janet S. Grigg

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed through this study was many preschool students in the United States lack the social skills needed to be successful in kindergarten. The study’s purpose was to explore preschool teachers’ perspective regarding some children’s lack of social skills needed for success in kindergarten and the efforts teachers made to promote development of these skills. Using Flavell’s theoretical framework of metacognition and cognitive monitoring, 2 research questions were developed to address teachers’ perspectives and efforts to improve children’s social skills. Twelve preschool teachers from Louisiana with one to twenty years of experience in early childhood were interviewed via Zoom, …

Crispr-Dcas9 Genomic Engineering For Boosting The Therapeutic Potential Of Extracellular Vesicles, Iker Martinez Zalbidea

Theses

Degenerative disc disease is a major contributor to low back pain, characterized by inflammation of the intervertebral disc (IVD), degradation of the extracellular matrix, loss of hydration, and cell death. Current therapies fail to address these underlying mechanisms, underscoring the need for regenerative strategies. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) exhibit immunomodulatory and regenerative potential, but their efficacy is hampered by the harsh microenvironment of the degenerated IVD. Acellular MSC-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) have shown therapeutic potential and offer a promising alternative for IVD regeneration. Here, we explore CRISPR-dCas9 mediated activation of TSG6 and STEAP3 to boost the therapeutic potency and biogenesis …

Final 2025 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) Quality Assurance Project Plan (Qapp) Annual Update (Residential Parcels), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Final Unreclaimed Sites Quality Assurance Project Plan (Qapp), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Final 2025 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) Quality Assurance Project Plan (Qapp) Annual Update (Non-Residential Parcels And Residential Daycares), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Interplay Between Kidney Dysfunction And Cardiovascular Disease, Rajesh Yadav, Aqsa Kaim Abubakar, Richa Mishra, Saurabh Gupta, Neelesh Kumar Maurya, Vivek Kashyap, Sarvesh Rustagi, Deependra Pratap Singh, Sanjay Kumar

School of Medicine Publications

This article reveals the various types of complications that are associated with dialysis and kidney-associated disease, including left ventricular hypertrophy, heart failure, vascular heart disease, arrhythmias, diabetes mellitus, intradialytic hypertension, and coronary heart disease. The molecular mechanisms underlying the development of cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), including the role of nitric oxide (NO) signaling, have been extensively studied. Patients suffering from CKD need treatment with hemodialysis at the end stages. The kidney is considered the chief excretory organ in humans, which excretes various types of waste materials from the body and balances the acid–base ratio, due …

Digital Strolls Using Unicdent Toolkit-Part 2: Reimagining The Walking Method For Online Participation, Prashanti Eachempati, John Martin, Sally Hanks, Mona Nasser

Peninsula Dental School

Distance and remoteness no longer pose barriers to conducting meaningful research, as the adaptation of participatory methods can address these challenges effectively. This article examines the transformation of the UniCDent Toolkit, originally designed to capture patients' perceptions of uncertainty in dental environments, for online participatory interactions with dentists. The toolkit, which uses the walking method, incorporates components such as imagery, gallery walks, quadrant mapping, and trade-offs to explore uncertainty in dental practice. Initially, dentists expressed discomfort in sharing their uncertainty in a group setting, prompting a shift to an online format that maintained participant engagement and created a safe space …

Matter Of Hudson Val. Prop. Owners Assn. Inc. V. City Of Kingston

All Decisions

The Court of Appeals affirmed the City of Kingston's declaration of a housing emergency and its opt-in to the ETPA, rejecting the property owners' challenge to the vacancy study's methodology as insufficiently proven unreliable. The Court also upheld the Kingston Rent Guidelines Board's "fair market rent" guideline and rent adjustment guideline, finding no impermissible retroactivity under *Regina Metro.* The petitioners' claims regarding the 15% rent reduction were not preserved for appeal. This landmark decision clarifies municipal authority to implement rent stabilization under HSTPA.

Munjal V. Ziebke

All Decisions

A landlord's holdover petition was dismissed because it failed to properly plead the Good Cause Eviction Law (GCEL) status of the premises. The landlord attempted to amend the petition to claim a "small landlord" exemption, but the proposed amendment was deemed conclusory and lacked specific details required by RPAPL § 741(5-b) and RPL § 214(1), such as the names of all owners, the number of units they own statewide, and their addresses (excluding principal residences). The court held that proper pleading of the GCEL exemption is an essential element of a landlord's prima facie case.

Learning To Support Science: Gender Differences In How Scientific Literacy Mediates Formal Education's Effect On Us Adults' Public Support For Science, Kevin Mark Roessger, Arie Todd Greenleaf

Counseling, Leadership, and Research Methods Faculty Publications and Presentations

Introduction Scientific literacy is targeted by the knowledge deficit model, which predicts that increased scientific literacy improves public support for science. The model, in part, assumes formal education drives scientific knowledge, which, in turn, drives support for science. To date, though, this relationship is unclear, and research shows that, while formal education is associated with adults' public support for science, scientific literacy maintains only a small relationship with support for science, one that may differ by gender.Methods Using a conditional process analysis, we drew on 2018 General Social Survey data to examine whether scientific literacy mediates education's effects on support …