Digital Commons Network^™

Sme Ai Outreach In Finland—A Case Study, Kaj Mikael Björk, Anton Akusok, Amaury Lendasse, Leonardo Espinosa-Leal

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a project (work in progress) where entrepreneurship and higher education in AI (from Master level to postdoc level) are integrated in order to produce a dual effect; helping SMEs to gain insight in how AI can aid in the corporate environment and to expose AI researchers to the real-life situations in the company world. If successful, the companies are made ready for the AI revolution and the researchers more equipped for corporate settings. The project is ongoing, so this paper addresses a work-in-progress project. The paper reflects on the project as well on some aspects that need …

Preparing Future Occupational Therapy Practitioners To Provide Culturally Responsive Care For Hispanic Populations, Abraham Ramirez

Occupational Therapy Student Scholarship

As the United States becomes increasingly culturally diverse, occupational therapy practitioners must be prepared to provide culturally responsive, client-centered care to individuals and families from diverse backgrounds. This doctoral capstone addressed an identified gap in occupational therapy education related to students’ preparedness to work with Hispanic/Latino populations through the development and dissemination of educational resources grounded in cultural humility. Guided by Agner’s Cultural Humility Framework, the project emphasized lifelong self-reflection, recognition of personal biases, collaboration, and openness to clients’ lived experiences rather than mastery of cultural knowledge. A mixed-methods approach was utilized, incorporating a literature review, needs assessment, faculty consultation, …

School-Based Sensory Room Education Program: An Occupational Therapy Approach, Makenzie Stiles, Bonnie Fischer-Camara, Tracie Ostrander, Elizabeth Young, Sophia Theodorou, Jacie Schneider

Occupational Therapy Student Scholarship

Sensory rooms are commonly used within school settings to support students' self-regulation, behavior, and participation in educational activities. However, evidence suggests that special education teachers and teacher aides often receive limited training on the appropriate use of sensory rooms, including identifying students who may benefit and selecting activities based on individual sensory needs. The purpose of this mixed-methods, pre-experimental capstone project was to develop, implement, and evaluate a school-based sensory room education program for special education teachers and teacher aides at Deposit Central School District. Guided by Ayres Sensory Integration® and Adult Learning Theory, the project included a needs assessment, …

Design Of Novel Gating Systems For Steel Castings, K. Balasubramanian, Laura Bartlett, M. Xu

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Gating systems play an important role in determining the quality and mechanical properties of castings. To understand the efficiency of gating systems, four systems, namely pressurized system, non-pressurized system, naturally pressurized system with a side riser and a naturally pressurized system with a top riser, were studied. The naturally pressurized systems were provided with overflows which collected the incoming metal swirl. Parameters like velocity of metal flow, air entrapment, microporosity and Niyama criterion were considered, and a design was developed with a common pouring basin. 8630 alloy was poured into two molds using a teapot ladle. The inclusion analysis revealed …

Microstructure And Properties Of Oxide Dispersion-Strengthened Alloys, Ertugrul Demir, Seung Min Ha, Anish Ranjan, Xingshuo Zhang, Aaron Penders, Mukesh Bachhav, Xiaochun Li, Lin Shao, Alexander Demblon, Haiming Wen, Enrique Lavernia

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Oxide dispersion-strengthened (ODS) alloys are a critical class of structural materials for extreme environments, owing to their unique combination of high-temperature strength, thermal stability, and radiation tolerance, enabled by a very high density of nanoscale oxide dispersoids. These features make ODS alloys attractive for advanced nuclear systems, aerospace applications, and other harsh-service conditions where conventional alloys rapidly degrade. Despite decades of development, key challenges remain in understanding how nanoscale oxides interact with matrix microstructures, alloy chemistry, and irradiation-induced defects to control macroscopic performance. This review provides a focused, mechanism-based synthesis of the microstructural features that govern the properties of ODS …

Catalytic Hydropyrolysis Of Beetle Killed Trees For The Production Of Transportation Biofuels, Oluwanisola Makinde, Fernando L.P. Resende, Michael Asama, Demian F. Gomez

Jasper Department of Chemical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

We conducted catalytic hydropyrolysis of beetle-killed trees: Pine, Ash tree, and Redbay in a micro-pyrolyzer (Py/GC–MS) and investigated the performance of heterogeneous catalysts like HZSM-5, NiMo-HZSM- 5, and NiRe-HZSM- 5. We also investigated the effects of temperature, catalyst-to- biomass ratio, and hydrogen pressure on product yield. Our findings reveal that aromatic yields increase with temperature and catalyst-to- biomass ratio but decline at higher hydrogen pressures; additionally, higher catalyst acidity enhances both total hydrocarbon production and selectivity toward C7–C8 aromatics, with each feedstock exhibiting distinct optimal conditions. The type of metal doped on the HZSM-5 zeolite plays an important role in …

The Effects Of Mold Flux Contamination On Oxide Scale Formation And Hydro-Descaling Efficiency During Steel Processing, Tochukwu Princewill Ojiako, Richard Osei, Mario Buchely, Haiming Wen, Simon Lekakh, Ronald O'Malley

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Oxide scale formation during thin-slab continuous casting has a complex structure, which is influenced by mold flux contamination, that modifies interfacial reactions during solidification, subsequent reheating, and descaling. While individual aspects of the oxidation behavior of carbon steel have been previously examined, the synergetic effects of mold flux contamination during continuous casting and subsequent reheating on scale modification and the efficiency of hydraulic descaling remain inadequately studied. This study quantitatively examines the effect of flux composition on oxide scale evolution, adhesion, and hydraulic removal in low-carbon steel under simulated industrial conditions. Slab samples with as-cast, cleaned, and flux-coated surfaces were …

A 'Healing Process'? The 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement, Paul Arthur

New England Journal of Public Policy

No abstract provided.

'Another Munich Accord?': The Anglo-Irish Agreement And The Reframing Of Ulster Loyalism, James W. Mcauley

New England Journal of Public Policy

No abstract provided.

Reaching The Anglo-Irish Agreement 1: An Outline Of Factors, Graham Spencer

New England Journal of Public Policy

No abstract provided.

Perception Matters: A Case Study Exploring How Belief Systems Affect Family-School Partnerships And Family Literacy Initiatives In A Title I School, Kwtay Calvin

Dissertations

Family-school partnerships have been shown to have positive effects on students’ overall performance in school. However, in many instances schools have not used partnerships effectively to support literacy learning, particularly for Black families. Teacher bias, negative perceptions, and lack of cultural responsiveness hinder teachers’ effort to build meaningful relationships with Black families to best support family literacy. This qualitative study aimed to examine family-school partnerships through the experiences of school principals, teachers, and Black families to gain insight into the factors that impact collaborative relationships and family literacy support. This study is framed in critical race theory, the theory of …

Digital Colonialism In Ai-Enhanced Sustainability Education: A Decolonial Systematic Review, Matthew Sauber

Faculty Scholarship 2026

As artificial intelligence reshapes higher education globally, its integration into sustainability programs raises urgent questions about equity, epistemological justice, and the reproduction of colonial power structures through technological systems. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is premised on inclusive, justice-oriented pedagogy, yet the AI tools increasingly deployed in these programs originate predominantly from the Global North and embed Western epistemological assumptions. This study investigates how AI integration in higher education sustainability programs operates as a form of digital colonialism, creating systematic inequities that contradict ESD’s foundational commitments. We conducted a decolonial systematic review synthesizing 61 empirical studies identified through structured searches …

A Culturally And Linguistically Responsive Multi-Tiered System Of Supports For Emergent Bilingual Students With And Without Disabilities, Ben Christensen

Graduate Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Judge Me Not: Exploring Black Mothers’ Perceptions Of Maternal Health Care Services And Structural Racism In South Carolina, Julisa Tindall, Teri Browne Ph.D., Msw, Tisha M. Felder Phd, Msw, Bongki Woo Ph.D., Bree Alexander-Richardson

Publications

Black women in the United States face disproportionately high rates of maternal mortality, driven by structural racism, patient-provider mistreatment, and gendered and racial discrimination. However, little research has explored Black mothers’ perceptions of maternal health care services and structural racism in the Southeastern U.S. This study aims to address this gap by examining Black mothers’ maternal health care experiences in South Carolina. Using semi-structured interviews conducted during the summer of 2023 with Black mothers who had given birth within the previous five years, this qualitative study employed grounded theory to analyze recurring themes in their maternal health care experiences. The …

Infimum Dimension Nash Embeddings For 2d Projective Shape Analysis, Robert L. Paige, Vic Patrangenaru

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Vector embeddings make complicated data extracted from networks, words and images, more amendable to data science applications. At the present time, the Veronese-Whitney (VW) matrix embedding of the real projective space is the state of the art for making inference about digital images from an uncalibrated camera, such as a cell phone or security camera. In this work we consider vector embeddings for the projective shape data and in particular determine the minimum dimension isometric (distance-preserving or Nash) vector embedding for a projective space. We determine such an embedding for the projective plane in closed-form. From this embedding we determine …

A Fully Discrete Semi-Implicit Numerical Scheme And Its Optimal Error Estimates For Cahn-Hilliard-Mhd Model With Variable Density, Dongmei Duan, Fuzheng Gao, Xiaoming He, Yanping Lin

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper proposes and analyzes a fully discrete semi-implicit unconditionally energy stable numerical scheme to solve the Cahn-Hilliard Magnetohydrodynamics (Cahn-Hilliard-MHD) model with variable density. The unconditional energy stability and optimal L² error estimates are established for the fully discrete scheme. Major challenges in error estimation arise from the variable density, the strong nonlinearities, and the multi-physics coupling of the model. Under the mathematical induction framework, the Ritz quasi-projection and the Stokes quasi-projection, proposed in [SIAM J. Numer. Anal., 61(3):1218-1245, 2023], are utilized to avoid the gradient terms of the projection errors. The H⁻¹ superconvergence error estimates of Ritz …

Post-Approval Study 3-Year Outcomes Of The Neuroform Atlas Stent For The Treatment Of Wide-Necked Intracranial Aneurysms, Brian Jankowitz, Ashutosh P. Jadhav, Bradley Gross, Tudor G. Jovin, Abdulnasser A. Alhajeri, Justin F. Fraser, Ricardo A. Hanel, Eric Sauvageau, Amin Aghaebrahim, Donald Frei, Richard Bellon, David N. Loy, Ajit S. Puri, Adel M. Malek, Ajith J. Thomas, Gabor Toth, Demetrius Klee Lopes, R. Webster Crowley, John Reavey-Cantwell, Eugene Lin, Adnan Siddiqui, Michael J. Alexander, Ahmad Khaldi, Geoffrey P. Colby, Justin M. Caplan, Sudhakar R. Satti, Aquilla S. Turk, Alejandro M. Spiotta, Richard Klucznik, Danial K. Hallam, David Kung, Michael T. Froehler

Neurology Faculty Publications

Introduction The ATLAS trial was a prospective, multicenter, single-arm, investigational device exemption (IDE) study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Neuroform Atlas Stent System for the treatment of widenecked bifurcation aneurysms. This analysis presents the 36-month follow-up data for the anterior and posterior cohorts. Methods Of the 182patients in the IDE anterior cohort, 146 consented to participate in the post-approval study (PAS) and, of the 116patients in the IDE posterior cohort, 101 consented to participate in the PAS. The primary effectiveness endpoint was core laboratory adjudicated (Raymond–Roy 1; RR1) without retreatment or parent artery stenosis (>50%) at …

Law's Shifting Circles, Ela A. Leshem

Faculty Scholarship

This Article undermines two myths in American legal history: first, that the law’s circle of moral concern has steadily expanded; and second, that legal protections have always centered on human persons. As to the first, the law contains multiple, shifting circles of moral concern, expanding along some dimensions and contracting along others. As to the second, U.S. law and the English common law on which it was based have long attributed moral status to nonhuman beings and inanimate objects.

The Article shows that U.S. legislators, judges, and advocates have for centuries treated a wide range of entities as deserving of …

Why Are Executions Becoming Crueler?, Deborah W. Denno

Faculty Scholarship

Since the modern death penalty era, this country’s six execution methods have become crueler over time. This article details the execution procedures adopted across death penalty states up to the end of 2025, analyzing their societal and cultural underpinnings and explaining how they were implemented, including their shared flaws, unscientific origins and protocols, and reliance on untrained, unqualified, or unknown executioners. While legislatures and courts claim that states move from one technique to the next to enhance greater humaneness, history shows that such switches are primarily propelled by constitutional challenges to a state’s particular technique. In theory, rendering a state’s …

Women's Work And Wealth: Measuring The Impact Of Incremental Liberations, 1850-1870, Hannah Kelly

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Using a two-way fixed effects difference-in-difference model, this project analyzes data from the IPUMS Full Count census for 1850, 1860, and 1870 at a state level for 48 states. Four models assess the impact of property laws on women's real property holdings, labor force participation, household types, and real property values.

By quantifying the impact of various legal reforms on women's economic empowerment, this project fills a gap in the understanding of the intersection between law, society, and women's economic agency during a transformative period in pre-industrial American history. These impacts can implicate the effectiveness of legislative measures in advancing …

Stanislavski And Operatic Acting: What Caused The Divide Between Stanislavski’S Ideals And The Opera World?, Max Smith

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

There is a difference between the realism of acting in opera and in other theatrical art forms. One reason for this might be due to theatre practitioner Konstantin Stanislavski’s ideals not being readily adopted in the opera world. Due to translation and publication issues in both the West and in the USSR, his work on opera has been largely neglected by theatre and opera historians. Certain demands of opera as an art form limit or make more difficult the ability for realism in portraying a character, but Stanislavski and others show that it is possible. A look at literature reflecting …

The Impact Of Night Shift On New Nurses: Effects On Mental Health And Work-Life Balance, Avery Windham, Abby Maruskin, Elizabeth Yoder

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This research examines the impact of night shift schedules on new nurses' mental health and work-life balance as they transition into professional practice. The transition from nursing school to the workforce presents challenges that are further compounded by shift work, which can disrupt circadian rhythms and contribute to stress, fatigue, and reduced job satisfaction. The purpose of this research is to evaluate how starting on night shift versus day shift influences nurses’ self-evaluation of work-life balance within their first year of practice. This systematic review synthesizes findings from peer-reviewed sources to assess the physical, emotional, and professional consequences of night …

“It Feels Like A Safe Container”: Experiences Of Finding Solid Ground Groups For Adults With Dissociative Disorders., Laura Hawkins, Sarah Chipps, Kim Foreman, Stephanie Johnson, Aimee Mccann, Rebecca Braughton, Abidemi Mary Ajuwon, Dongjuan Xu

School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Objective: Dissociative disorders (DD) are trauma-related conditions marked by disruptions in memory, identity, and consciousness. Despite high prevalence, DDs are underdiagnosed and undertreated. This study explores the experiences of adults with DD participating in a 31-week Finding Solid Ground (FSG) psychoeducational group. Method: Participants (N=72) were mostly women (81%), who experienced a DD or PTSD dissociative subtype, along with multiple mental health comorbidities. Eight groups (seven virtual, one in-person) completed 31 weekly 90-minute sessions based on the FSG curriculum as adjunctive to individual psychotherapy. Thematic qualitative analysis was used to analyze participants’ hopes, challenges, helpful and unhelpful aspects, and perceived …

Breech Baby, Madison Kaufman, Cassidy Allen, Lilian Mills

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Our project aims to develop a non-invasive device to assist in turning breech babies to a head down position before delivery. Pregnant women facing breech presentations often need safe and effective solutions, yet current options like external cephalic version (ECV), maternal positioning techniques, and cesarean sections can present challenges. Key barriers include variability in maternal and fetal anatomy, patient comfort, compliance, and training for healthcare providers, along with cost and insurance concerns.

Our innovative device will address these issues by providing clear guidance and support throughout the process. It will prioritize minimizing discomfort and risk, ensuring adaptability for various stages …

Magnifying Mental Health In The Perinatal Population: A Systematic Review, Kasey E. Arnold, Alyssa M. Maki

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Pregnant individuals often experience significant anxiety, which can negatively affect both pregnancy and fetal outcomes. This systematic review evaluates the effectiveness of pharmacologic versus non-pharmacologic anxiety-relieving interventions, primarily focusing on the labor period. The PICOT question is: In perinatal patients, do non-pharmacologic anxiety-relieving measures, compared to pharmacologic anxiety-relieving measures, have a greater impact on ease of delivery and overall mental health during pregnancy and the perinatal period? PRISMA (2020) guidelines were used with inclusion criteria of human subjects, English language, and published within the last six years. Databases included PubMed, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library. Twenty-three studies were analyzed to examine …

High School Students’ Uses Of Ai In The Writing Process: A Qualitative Study, Sydney S. Thomas

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this Honors Research Project was to examine how Artificial Intelligence (AI) impacts the quality of student writing and to provide educators with insight into how AI-assisted work may differ from independently produced writing. This study includes a review of current literature on the growing use of AI in education, along with concerns related to student dependence and the limitations of AI-detection software. Anonymous archived student writing samples were then analyzed using a researcher-developed rubric that measured grammatical accuracy, sentence complexity, vocabulary, organization, use of evidence, and voice/originality. Results showed that AI-assisted writing consistently performed strongly in grammatical …

To Treat Or Not To Treat: Evaluating Antipyretic Use And Patient Outcomes In Febrile Care, Nico Teodosio, Brynley Harris

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This honors project aims to critically examine the evidence-based practice use of antipyretics in fever management, questioning whether suppressing fever is truly in the patient's best interests and if it benefits patient outcomes. Grounded in nursing, past nursing courses, and emerging research, this project aims to answer the following PICOT question: In febrile patients, how does withholding, or not administering, antipyretics compared to administering antipyretics affect patient outcomes during hospitalization? Through a literature review, this project will analyze studies from databases like PubMed and Google Scholar, focusing on outcomes like recovery time, symptom severity, complications, and mortality. Using the PRISMA …

An Exploration Of The Status And Legacy Of The Latin Language, Jean M. Allison

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The Latin language, widely referred to as a "dead language," has historically held a great influence throughout various cultures and dialects, still holding some of this importance in the contemporary world. This project intends to explore these influences, both modern and historical, as well as how the language is now considered dead. A variety of written material spanning several centuries will be utilized to examine these aspects of the project posed within the presented overarching theme. All of the relevant information from these texts will ultimately be summarized and critically detailed within a written report that displays the findings of …

Locked And Loaded: The Truth Behind Gun Violence, Alana N. Shroyer

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Gun control remains one of the most controversial policy issues in the United States. While gun reform advocates argue for stricter firearm regulations to reduce gun violence, pro-gun advocates contend that crime is driven more by individual behavior, socioeconomic conditions, and mental health than by gun availability alone. This research project examines gun control laws in the United States, analyzes gun violence data, explores illegal firearm trade markets, compares international approaches, and evaluates whether gun control laws effectively reduce violence while preserving constitutional rights.

Honors Project In Business Admin Group 2, Matt R. Howell, Richard W. Black, Kale R. Kochman, Anthony J. Mast

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Our team is performing a strategic analysis on Project Learn, Summit County's non-profit that provides resources to adult learners to complete their GED. Our goal is to provide recommendations for them to expand their market and improve the product that they currently offer. This includes exploring new partnerships, adding additional services, and various other initiatives that we hope will improve the organization's wellbeing.