Digital Commons Network^™

Make Ready: Productive Disruption And Interstitial Sites Of Graphic Design Practice, Peter Maybury

Theses

This thesis draws on five publications produced between 2010–22: My 2020 film installation Landfall; a series of four museum and gallery-published books made with artist Gerard Byrne (2010–18); Gall, my practice enquiry with Tom dePaor which encompasses film, writing, books, sculpture, curation, and gallery works; releases and live performances by my band Thread Pulls during the period 2010–12; and my exhibition, conference talk, and book Make Ready (2015), the structure of which is taken as ‘armature’ for the writing of the thesis. Through these wide-ranging pursuits, this thesis articulates a non-normative role for the graphic designer. It identifies my operative …

Vincent De Paul And The Reform Of The Clergy, John E. Rybolt C.M.

Vincentian Studies

Vincent de Paul was an important reformer of the French Church, which faced several problems with its clergy. Liturgical practices were not standardized, and some priests lived corrupt lives. Because they received stipends for masses, they often celebrated them for that reason rather than out of piety. They tried to acquire several benefices (church offices) and dioceses at the same time to profit from them all, although this was against canon law, and these were sometimes essentially sold or hoarded by noble families. Church titles and their accompanying incomes were also auctioned off by monasteries, and these, too, were purchased …

Spotted Seal Coastal Haul Out Behavior In Arctic Alaska, Maeghan Connor

Biological Sciences

Hauling out - the act of exiting the water to rest, molt, breed, and pup on solid surfaces - is a key behavior of pinnipeds worldwide. Unlike other ice seals (i.e., ice-associated phocid species), spotted seals (Phoca largha) in Alaska frequently use terrestrial substrates to haul out during the summer and fall open-water period in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. Despite being a core aspect of spotted seal ecology, their terrestrial haul out behavior remains understudied. To address this, we analyzed data collected from 2020 - 2022 near two known haul out sites in Dease Inlet, Alaska, including time-lapse camera …

A Pan-Amazonian Dataset Integrating 20 Years Of Respiratory, Cardiovascular, Zoonotic And Vector-Borne Disease Cases And Landscape Changes, Julia Rodrigues Barreto, Florencia Sangermano, Ana Filipa Palmeirim, Farah Carrasco-Rueda, Benoit De Thoisy, Adrian González-Chaves, Maria Eugenia Grillet, Victoria Morpurgo-Dest, Catalina Zuluaga Rodríguez, Nerida Nadia H. Valero, Paula R. Prist

Geography

As anthropogenic pressures continue to impact the environment, human health is expected to be subsequently affected. This dataset provides a comprehensive view of the trends and burden of infectious diseases, along with environmental metrics, across the Amazon biome between 2000 and 2019. The dataset includes health indicators for respiratory, cardiovascular, and major zoonotic and vector-borne diseases (Chagas disease, hantavirus, cutaneous leishmaniasis, visceral Leishmaniasis, rickettsial diseases, and malaria), compiled as annual case counts at the municipal level. The innovation of this dataset lies in its unprecedented assembly of data for this transboundary biome—much of it requiring ground-level collection beyond available in …

A Gis Method To Analyze Trajectories Of Gross Changes Through Multiple Temporal Resolutions With An Application To Brazilian Soybean Cultivation, Thomas Mumuni Bilintoh, Robert Gilmore Pontius, Gustavo Oliveira, Julia Shimbo

Geography

Our manuscript presents Trajectory Analysis, which is a novel method to characterize patterns of gross changes during a time series of raster maps. This manuscript is our first article to elaborate on concepts and features of Trajectory Analysis that are necessary to analyze more than two time intervals. The method computes up to eight trajectories and three components of change: Quantity, Exchange, and Alternation. Quantity is the absolute net change between the two time points that bound the temporal extent. Exchange is the additional gross change between the same two time points. Alternation is the additional gross change that derives …

Neutrosophic Optimal Transport Of Rural Cultural Development Quality Under Rural Revolutionary Topological Constraints: A Strategic Evaluation Model, Yongjun Zhang

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Overcoming Title 42 And The 2022-3 Venezuelan Migrant Expulsion Spectacle: A Border Securocracy Case Study, Terence M. Garrett, Arthur Sementelli

School of Political Science, Public Affairs, Legal and Security Studies Faculty Publications

On October 12, 2022, the Biden administration abruptly changed course and announced that Venezuelan refugees would be immediately subject to Title 42—the policy that effectively means that those migrants would be summarily forced to return, or expelled, to Mexico. For FY 2022, Customs and Border Protection apprehended and/or expelled a total of 2,766,582 enforcement actions (CBP FY 2022). The resulting media spectacle illustrates another example of border securocracy—defined as the globalized border industrial apparatus oppressing the masses from the global south. We construct a case study based on Boje's narrative approach to illustrate how guided discussions of Title 42 …

Globalisasi Hukum Dalam Pluralisme Hukum Modern, Sulistyowati Irianto

The Indonesian Journal of Socio-Legal Studies

This article revisits the concept of legal pluralism, which continues to evolve alongside society and all its complexities. Knowledge of legal pluralism evolves in line with societal changes identified through scientific research and activities. Over the past two decades, developments have drawn attention to the globalisation of law, leading to the concept of modern legal pluralism. The intertwining and mutual influences, as well as the adoptions and reproductions, resulting from encounters between legal systems have become increasingly complex due to the presence of international and transnational law. This is particularly significant in the areas of human rights, democracy, clean governance …

The Librarian Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale, Maoria J. Kirker, David X. Lemmons

Communications in Information Literacy

Teaching self-efficacy is a critical factor in instructional success. Little research has been conducted on how academic librarians perceive their own teaching abilities. This study introduces and validates the Librarian Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale, a tool designed to measure self-efficacy beliefs among academic librarians engaged in information literacy instruction. By adapting established self-efficacy scales to the library instruction context, this study examines key factors influencing librarian teaching self-efficacy, including instructional strategies, lesson planning, and collaboration with faculty. Collective self-efficacy, which is perceptions of colleagues’ teaching confidence, is also examined. Statistical analysis indicates a reliable and valid scale which may benefit …

Seasonal Performance Of Mrms Qpe In Urban Hydrologic Modeling Using Epa-Swmm, Randall Kirk Bagwell

Theses and Dissertations

Accurate rainfall estimation is essential for effective hydrologic modeling, particularly in urban environments where infrastructure must withstand extreme precipitation. This study evaluates the EPA Storm Water Management Model (EPA-SWMM) using MRMS RadarOnly Quantitative Precipitation Estimation (QPE) 1-hour Accumulation as the primary rainfall input for a watershed in Little Rock, Arkansas. The region was selected due to its urban character and the limited availability of radar-based hydrologic studies in Arkansas. 21 storms were analyzed from 2022-2025: 10 in Winter, 7 in Spring, and 4 in Summer. Storms were selected due to their effect on flow. The model was calibrated using February …

Online Experiential Learning In Career And Technical Education, Matthew Bornak

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

This scoping review investigates the integration of OEL into Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. Using Arksey and O’Malley’s five-step scoping review framework, articles were identified through ERIC and Google Scholar and managed in Zotero. MAXQDA was used for coding, revealing thematic clusters related to modalities (synchronous, asynchronous, hybrid), technologies (LMS, AR/VR, simulation tools), and learner characteristics (nontraditional students, CTE-specific learning styles). The review highlights the conceptual anchors of Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory, Carver et al.’s Experiential E-Learning Model, and Baasanjav’s online experiential design. Findings reveal that while OEL in CTE remains underexplored, it offers potential to increase accessibility, inclusivity, …

Best Practices For Local Law Enforcement In Counterterrorism: Enhancing Interagency Communication & Developing Modern Information Sharing Systems, Michael G. Fitterman

Master's Theses

Local law enforcement agencies play a critical and increasingly central role in the United States’ domestic counterterrorism architecture. While federal agencies possess sophisticated intelligence capabilities, local officers are often the first to encounter early indicators of radicalization, pre-operational planning, and suspicious behavior. Despite this frontline role, communication between local, state, and federal agencies remains fragmented, inconsistent, and sometimes informal. These gaps weaken national situational awareness and limit the ability of agencies to identify emerging threats.

This thesis examines the structural, technological and cultural challenges hat impede effective information sharing among law enforcement agencies. It outlines best practices that local departments …

Deficiencies In Non-Emergency Medical Transportation For Aging Rural Residents Of Iosco County, Michigan, Richard L. Douglass, Donald Stansloski, James Mortimer, Sam Purdy, Dale Evilsizer, Scott Rice

Michigan Journal of Public Health

Introduction: The rural aging population in Michigan struggles to access medical care often available only at significant distances due to limited health system resources and provider shortages. Access to routine care is challenged by lack of non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT). The Iosco County Commission on Aging provides home-delivered meals to eligible county residents. The Rural Health Group investigated the needs of home-delivered meal recipients (aged ≥60 years) for healthcare transportation access. Utilizing data from this investigation, we examined if medical care needs were hindered by problems with transportation in rural Iosco County, Michigan.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey with …

Comprehensive Drought Analysis: Machine Learning-Based Meterological Drought Forecasting And Pca-Driven Agricultural Drought Monitoring., Bishal Poudel

Theses

Drought is a long-term natural disaster that affects many aspects of human life from health, water supply to ecosystems and agriculture. Drought’s occurrence and intensity has increased in recent years because of global warming, which urges for proper and accurate monitoring and forecasting of drought. For better understanding of droughts, this study uses two approaches. In first part, the study uses the historical temperature and precipitation data from period of 1960 to 2021 as input features for three different machine learning models – Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Random Forest (RF). The research focuses on calculating …

Flood Susceptibility Assessment Through Gis Integrated Analytical Hierarchy Process And Machine Learning Models, Sujan Shrestha

Theses

Flooding is among the most destructive natural disasters globally, and it inflicts severe damage on both natural environments and human-made structures. The frequency of floods has been increasing due to unplanned urbanization, climate change, and changes in land use. Flood susceptibility maps help identify at-risk areas, supporting informed decisions in disaster preparedness, risk management, and mitigation. This study aims to generate a flood susceptibility map for two regions: Davidson County of Tennessee using an integrated geographic information system (GIS) and analytical hierarchical process (AHP), and the Briar Creek watershed of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina using an integrated GIS and machine …

Can The New Literature About Debt Make A Real Difference In The Real World?, Norman I. Silber

Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law

Thank you for inviting me to participate in this symposium organized around a group of new books about “Debt in the Real World.” My discussion in Part I considers from a historical perspective the place these books occupy as part of a long tradition of consumer reform which has combined popular literature with scholarship to promote change. Part II then explores themes common to this new wave. Part III closes by arguing that as in earlier periods the new wave can make headway notwithstanding attacks on governmental interventions; that there may be space in our political geography for some of …

A Mixed Methods Study Of The Weather And Climate Science Curriculum Pilot In South Carolina K-12 Schools, 4-H, And Agricultural Education Programs, Emily B. Hood

All Dissertations

Weather and climate science topics in K-12 education are more important now than ever due to extreme weather and climate events happening worldwide. Most U.S. science teachers included climate science in their courses, but they may not have a sufficient background in the topic which can hinder their efforts, or there is no explicit curriculum for the teacher to utilize. Research indicates that there is a need for innovation in the curriculum to help prepare children to become the next generation of leaders and address complex problems, such as issues related to weather and climate science. There are a few …

Math For The Real World: Implementing A Standards-Based Math Curriculum With A Focus On Formative Assessment, Rachael Smilowitz

All Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between the Ongoing Assessment Project (OGAP) professional development and the fidelity of implementation of the Illustrative Math Middle School curriculum in Roseland County School District. The district adopted Illustrative Math in 2016; however, many teachers either implemented it inconsistently or used only select components. While prior research has demonstrated that OGAP training can improve student outcomes on standardized assessments in large urban districts such as Philadelphia, little is known about its impact on teachers’ use of high-quality curricula such as Illustrative Math.

The study addressed three guiding questions: (1) How does participation in OGAP professional …

An Income Subsystem As A Discrete Stochastic Leslie System: A Simulation-Based Approach, Fahd Nii Okantah Cobblah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis formulates the household-income engine of an integrated population sim- ulator as a Discrete Stochastic Leslie System (DSLS). The nonnegative state vector nt ∈ Rk + aggregates income, savings, debt, employment, and transfers. (Here, the subscript + denotes the positive cone, i.e., vectors with nonnegative components). Annual evolution is linear in state, stochastic in coefficients: nt+1 = Ttnt + εt, with Tt : Rk + → Rk + cone-preserving. Exogenous macro drivers (inflation, employment, tax, salary inflation, mortgage) are forecast via ARIMA; forecasts multiply entries of Tt, preserving linearity in expectation while introducing realistic temporal correlation. The discrete-event implemented …

Mountain Communities During A Time Of War: A Case Study Of The Hutsul Region In The Carpathian Mountains Of Ukraine, Pavlo Rybaruk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the ethno-ecological technologies employed by the Hutsul people within the highland agrarian economy of the Carpathian Mountains. Over centuries, the Hutsuls have developed ethno-ecological technologies that maintain ecological integrity while supporting community livelihoods.

The study addresses three primary research questions: What are the most important ethno-ecological technologies of the Hutsul highland economy? How might these traditional ethno-ecological practices be applied to economic, agricultural, and tourism development in the Hutsul region? How might these traditional ethno-ecological practices be combined with contemporary approaches to encourage sustainable development in the region?

The research explores the devastating impact of the Russian …

Clinical Phenotypes Of Motor Neurone Disease In A Kenyan Hospital-Based Population, Effie Nailah Kamadi, Jasmit Shah, Juzar Hooker, Thomas Jenkins, Dilraj Sokhi

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background: Motor neurone disease (MND) presentation is globally heterogenous and data on the clinical phenotype in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is scarce. We sought to address this by describing the profile of MND patients in a Kenyan hospital-based population.

Methods: The medical charts of all adult MND patients assessed in the facility between January 2010 and December 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. The biographical data and clinical features of these patients were captured from their electronic and manual health records and statistical analysis performed.

Results: In total, 160 patients had their data analyzed. The male to female ratio was 1.76:1. The median …

Taxonomy Of Endophytic Fungi Associated With Vallisneria Neotropicalis, Md. Arafat Rashid

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

This study presents the first comprehensive taxonomic and ecological investigation of endophytic fungi (EF) associated with the submerged aquatic macrophyte Vallisneria neotropicalis in the southern United States. Over a 12 month period, from April 2023 to March 2024, leaf samples were collected from two distinct sites in Mobile Bay, Alabama a disturbed, brackish Causeway location and a cleaner, less impacted site at Meaher State Park. Using culture dependent methods, a total of 257 fungal endophytes were isolated from 1,200 leaf segments. All isolates belonged to the phylum Ascomycota, distributed across 3 classes, 6 orders, 10 families, and 19 taxa. The …

Modeling Flood Risks For Small-Scale Coastal Watershed Across Shared Socioeconomic Pathway Scenarios, Sebastian Loschner

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Coastal flooding, driven by the mixture of natural processes and human activities such as precipitation, waves, sea level rise, and urbanization, remains a growing concern. While recent flood-risk studies use IPCC's Shared Socioeconomic Pathways with climate projections to assess future flood exposure, smaller coastal watersheds, < 120,000 acres, remain insufficiently studied. Projected sea level rise is expected to intensify these impacts in smaller systems, potentially causing more severe flooding than reported for larger watersheds. To address this gap, this study used the SRH-2D model integrated with Aquaveo's Surface-water Modeling System to simulate flooding in the lower Fish River basin, Alabama. A coastal watershed sensitive to both riverine and tidal influences. Simulations tested different sea levels based on SSP scenarios corresponding to low, moderate, and high emissions for the years 2050 and 2100. Results indicate that the midcentury scenarios remained even in inundation extent and volume, between 9.9-10.4% compared to the 2020 baseline, the latter scenarios had a wider range in results of between 25.9-50.3% compared to the same baseline. Across scenarios, the most vulnerable and inundated areas of the smaller coastal watershed were the narrow points where upstream flow convene with downstream backwater. These findings highlight the need for futuristic location-specific flood mitigation strategies.

Birds In Changing Landscapes: Community Diversity And Breeding Phenology, Lindsay Peria

Master's Theses

Humans are altering the environment in varied and widespread ways. Increasing urban and agricultural development causes changes to habitat and resource availability as well as changes to the sensory environment via light and noise pollution. Climate change also causes more extreme temperature anomalies, storms, and droughts that challenge birds in a multitude of ways. In this thesis, we assessed these impacts of these changes on a local and continental scale. In the first chapter, we assessed the impact of natural, anthropic, and structural characteristics of viticultural land on both taxonomic and structural avian diversity. Loss of habitat from agriculture is …

U.S. Military Veterans And Socioeconomic Opportunities: A Financial Lens On National Public Service, Corri Zoli, Linda Euto, Rosalinda Maury

The Lender Center for Social Justice

This brief offers policy-relevant insights into how military service is an important lever for socioeconomic opportunity and social mobility in the United States. Drawing on the social science literature and recent data from federal sources, this brief focuses on the many financial advantages that result from service, whether due to standardized military pay rates, military networks, or military and veterans’ benefits, from the GI Bill to housing allowances. Such financial advantages from service may also reduce socioeconomic disparities and create economic opportunities for military service members, from building intergenerational wealth to becoming homeowners, including for underrepresented minority service members.

A Grain Of Sand On The Beach : The Impact Of Sense Of Belonging On Black Community College Students, Michael D. Love

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This qualitative case study sought to examine the impact of the sense of belonging on Black community college students in the Umoja Program. Students who participated in this study were enrolled at a community college in Southern California. The students were interviewed using an online format. The data retrieved through interviews were transcribed, analyzed, and grouped into themes that illustrate the lived experiences of the student participants. This study explores the differences in a sense of belonging between Black men and Black women in the community college system.

There were three central themes that emerged from the analysis of the …

Un-Imagining The Anglo Southwest And The Impossibility Of Trans-Scription, Lynnette M. Maphies

Art & Art History ETDs

This thesis is an interrogation of the Anglo Southwest as a problematic and persistent regional and national construct. I propose that the Anglo Southwest emerged at a pivotal moment in the late nineteenth century during which Americanist approaches to geography, anthropology, and the arts, were being shaped to define the region and determine the production and distribution of knowledge. This resulted in an Anglo view of the Southwest as uninhabited, silent, and imaginary, which omitted the actuality of silencing Native voices, cultural appropriation, and the taking of resources and land. Army surgeon and amateur ethnographer Washington Matthews (1843–1905) serves as …

Civics Teachers’ Perceptions Of Disciplinary Literacy Strategies That Use Primary Sources: A Case Study, Whitney Williams

Dissertations

This study has been designed as a case study to examine teachers’ perceptions of document-based strategies when combined with primary sources as pedagogical tools. The participants were ninth grade civics teachers. Semi-structured interviews, focused observations, and artifact collection were the sources of collected data. As the researcher, my constructivism guided this study through the lens of Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory (SCT). Therefore, the participants’ perception will be interpreted through SCT concepts such as personal influences, behavioral influences, and environmental influences. Findings show a handful of disciplinary literacy strategies that occurred most often across all participants. Teachers valued an emphasis …

A Strategic Audit Of Live Nation Entertainment: Industry Position, Competitive Dynamics, And Long-Term Growth Outlook, William H. Wooden Iv, Owen B. Crone, Reece L. Flores, Grace A. Schaefer, Eric M. Jacob, Sydney A. Beck

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Live Nation Entertainment is the dominant global leader in the concert and live events industry, supported by a vertically integrated model that spans artist management, concert promotion, venue operations, ticketing, and sponsorship. This strategic audit evaluates Live Nation’s internal strengths, external threats, competitive position, corporate governance, and long-term strategic prospects based on comprehensive analysis of company reports, industry dynamics, and market trends. Live Nation benefits from unmatched scale, global venue ownership, exclusive artist relationships, and the substantial network effects generated by Ticketmaster, which collectively create high barriers to entry and sustained competitive advantage. The audit also examines significant challenges such …

Evaluating The Housing Disparities Surrounding 1890 Land-Grant Universities And 1862 Land-Grant Universities In The South, Jimmy Henry

All Dissertations

This dissertation investigated the disparities in housing and economic development surrounding 1890 and 1862 land-grant universities in the southern United States, highlighting the differences between Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) established by the 1890 Morrill Act, and Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) established under the 1862 Morrill Act. These Morrill Acts established the first federal support for higher education in agriculture and mechanical arts, granting land and, in the case of 1862 institutions, financial resources:

This dissertation was guided by six research questions, applied by both the Hedonic Price Model and comparative analysis: (1) How do housing structure types differ …