Digital Commons Network^™

"Taking" Photographs: Settler Aesthetics In 20th Century Hawaiian Postcards, Elena Lee, Rebecca Koerselman

Celebration of Research

Due to colonization, Hawaii’s economic, political, and societal structure were changed to fit the white American standard. Colonization also caused a shift in their aesthetics, including the exclusion from participation in the creation of art, and poor visual representations of Hawaiian culture in settler art, which is known as “settler aesthetics.” Settler Aesthetics is a term and theory that seeks to define how a culture’s art and beauty has been influenced by settler colonialism. Many historians have analyzed this theory in Hawaiian literature, music, and visual art, but have left untouched the field of deltiology; the study of postcards. Though …

Shellfish Regulation: Conservation And Discrimination, Maine Law Review

Maine Law Review

The economy of many coastal states depends heavily upon the shellfish industry. Shellfish such as lobsters and clams are an especially important marine resource for these states. In recent years, however, the supply of shellfish has experienced substantial declines. State laws that permit the harvesting of lobsters prior to sexual maturity, for example, have made the lobster industry dependent on the yearly additions to the lobster supply. The increasing demands for shellfish as well as the pollution of areas such as coastal clamflats have also contributed to the serious depletion of the shellfish resources in many areas. Despite the possible …

Boundary Delimitation In The Economic Zone: The Gulf Of Maine Dispute, Maine Law Review

Maine Law Review

In an ideal world of abundant natural resources, homogeneously distributed among nations, the issue of marine boundary delimitation would have little significance within the international community. However, the realities of randomly concentrated and limited resources, complicated by the political geography of the oceans, have made maritime boundary delimitation a crucial international issue. In a world of more than 130 coastal nations, the determination of standards for allocation of living and non-living ocean resources within the fertile offshore areas has become an issue of widespread economic importance. Nonetheless, the international community has developed few concrete and specific rules for marine boundary …

A Geospatial Approach To Measuring Economic Activity, Anton Yang, Jianwei Ai, Costas Arkolakis

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We introduce a new methodology to detect and measure economic activity using geospatial data and apply it to steel production, a major industrial pollution source worldwide. Combining plant output data with geospatial data, such as ambient air pollutants, nighttime lights, and temperature, we train machine learning models to predict plant locations and output. We identify about 40% (70%) of plants missing from the training sample within a 1 km (5 km) radius and achieve R² above 0.8 for output prediction at a 1 km grid and at the plant level, as well as for both regional and time series …

Drivers Of Effective Laws For Automated Vehicles, William Hubbard

Villanova Law Review (1956 - )

No abstract provided.

April 3, 2025, James Madison University

The Breeze, 2020-

The Breeze is the student newspaper of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Lists Of Selected Full-Text Databases By Subscription In East Asian Studies, Michiko Ito, Ellie Kim, Jian P. Lee, Anlin Yang

Journal of East Asian Libraries

No abstract provided.

Reshaping U.S. Imports: An Analysis Of How Shifting Indicators Impact International Manufacturing Location Decisions & The Apparel Industry, Emilia Wojciechowska

Honors Projects in Global Supply Chain Management

United States imports have grown in recent years due to various geographic sourcing strategies. Each company that chooses to participate in manufacturing whether in-house, offshore, or nearshore has contributed to the economic growth of the US. In recent years, internal and external factors have affected the results of international trade. Indicators have been identified, but they are historically indicators that have not adapted due to the frequent changes in supply chains. The measurement of indicators allows for identification of the most influential indicators that impact the trends within U.S. imports. Significant indicators are dependent on the country and its available …

The Role Of Gender Equity In Olympic Success Using Panel Data, Anusha Khan

Honors Projects in Mathematics and Economics

This study investigates whether gender equity is one of the determinants of Olympic success at the country level. Using panel data with 766 observations from six Olympic years (2012–2022), it examines the relationship between gender equity and national medal counts. Three Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) models were estimated using total, men’s, and women’s medal counts as dependent variables. While the findings vary across models, results suggest that gender equity may be positively associated with Olympic performance, though its significance is limited when controlling for other social and economic variables.

April 2, 2025 Faculty Senate Minutes, University Of South Carolina

Faculty Senate

No abstract provided.

The Lived Experiences Of Rural Nurses In The Post-Covid-19 Era, Amy Schultes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Approximately 60 million people, or one in five Americans, live in rural areas across the United States. Despite this, there is a lack of information about the experiences of critical access nurses working in rural hospitals that serve small towns and rural areas. The goal with this research was to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of rural nurses in the post-COVID-19 era. Using hermeneutic phenomenology and rural nursing theory, the lived experiences of eight nurses working in critical access hospitals in Iowa were explored through semi-structured interviews. The qualitative data was analyzed using the hermeneutic circle for phenomenological …

Successful Leadership Strategies Hotel Managers Use To Reduce Employee Turnover, Sean Reid

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee turnover remains a significant challenge in the hotel industry, impacting service quality and increasing operational costs. Hotel managers are particularly concerned with this issue as it affects their ability to maintain a financially sustainable business. Grounded in the transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore successful leadership strategies hotel managers use to reduce employee turnover. The participants comprised four hotel managers from four different hotels in the Caribbean. Data were gathered from semistructured interviews, interview notes, and a review of documents provided by the participants. Four themes emerged from the use of …

Jessica "Decky" Alexander, Oral History Interview, 2025, Kat Hacanyan

Oral Histories

Decky Alexander is a professor of drama and theater education and the Director of Engage@EMU. Alexander has become a well known community member across Washtenaw County through her theater education programs and work with organizations like the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor. She is the founder of CloseUp theater troupe and has been another long time supporter and board member of the Center for Jewish Studies at EMU. In this interview, Alexander talks about her Jewish upbringing in Chicago, the strengths of a good community network, and why having a center like this is especially important at EMU.

Hedging Energy Transition: Green Hydrogen, Oil, And Low-Carbon Resilience As State Strategy In Namibia, Meredith J. Deboom

Faculty Publications

Policy frameworks increasingly portray energy transition as a mechanism for achieving a range of resilience- related goals, including socio-economic development and energy security. Energy transition is often character ized as a particularly important resilience strategy for lower-income states in the Global South, which face the simultaneous challenges of decarbonization and development. Yet these states, many of which have fossil fuel resources, face distinct constraints and risks in navigating energy transition, including the possibility that promised funding for low-carbon energy projects will never come to fruition or that global decarbonization will be deferred or abandoned completely. This article uses the case …

Development And Application Of Self-Supervised Machine Learning For Smoke Plume And Active Fire Identification From The Fire Influence On Regional To Global Environments And Air Quality Datasets, Nicholas Lahaye, Anastasija Easley, Kyongsik Yun, Hugo Lee, Erik Linstead, Michael J. Garay, Olga V. Kalashnikova

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality (FIREX-AQ) was a field campaign aimed at better understanding the impact of wildfires and agricultural fires on air quality and climate. The FIREX-AQ campaign took place in August 2019 and involved two aircraft and multiple coordinated satellite observations. This study applied and evaluated a self-supervised machine learning (ML) method for the active fire and smoke plume identification and tracking in the satellite and sub-orbital remote sensing datasets collected during the campaign. Our unique methodology combines remote sensing observations with different spatial and spectral resolutions. With as much as a 10% …

The Significance Of The Malvinas Issue In The Politics Of President Javier Milei, Reagan Mccain

Honors Theses

This research investigates the Malvinas (Falklands) issue within contemporary Argentinian political discourse, focusing on the rhetoric of Javier Milei, the recently elected president. Known for his populist and provocative style, Milei has surprisingly adopted a more moderate approach to the Malvinas, raising questions about how this aligns with his broader political agenda.

This study analyzes public statements from Milei from the presidential campaign to the present, analyzing them in the context of Argentinian politics and his political ideology. Javier Milei reframes Argentina’s sovereignty claim over the Malvinas by shifting public frustration away from the territorial dispute and toward criticism of …

Another Gap On The Rota: A Scoping Review Of Attrition From Specialty Training In Secondary Care, Hannah Gillespie, Megan E.L. Brown, Nicola Brennan, Bryan Burford, Gillian Vance

Peninsula Medical School

Background The healthcare workforce is in crisis. Despite a competitive selection process, a substantial number of doctors leave specialty training (ST) programmes prematurely. This attrition causes increased costs for the National Health Service, exacerbates workforce shortages and threatens quality and safety of care. It also increases pressure on trainees who remain, further compounding the risk of attrition. There is an urgent need to understand why doctors leave ST in order to find ways to maintain the training pipeline from ST to consultant. Objectives We aimed to understand what is known about why doctors choose to leave ST programmes in secondary …

A Labor Of Love: Wall-E'S Redemption, Rosamund M. Gammie

Journal of Religion & Film

Inaugurated into the Criterion Collection in 2022 this paper re-examines some of the initial responses to the 2008 Disney-Pixar animated film, WALL-E. The movie received a mixed reception, largely celebrated (but occasionally viewed as “too leftist” by others) for its environmental, anti-capitalist message by many public critics, yet disparaged or dismissed as being superficially empty, shallow, and hollow in academic circles. Labor has been the focus of some academic criticism of the film, particularly as it relates to commoditisation, but this paper recontextualises labor not with capitalism, but with love. By viewing the film through the dynamic of labor and …

Securing The Future Of Ai: A Deep Compliance Review Of Anthropic, Google Deepmind, And Openai Under Soc 2, Iso 27001, And Nist, Ramkumar Bharathan

Defensive Publications Series

As foundation models like Claude, Gemini, and OpenAI become integral to enterprise AI solutions, the need for rigorous, standards-aligned security evaluation grows. This paper presents an expert-level comparative audit of the SOC 2 controls implemented by Anthropic, Google DeepMind, and OpenAI, drawing from public attestations, model cards, and technical documentation. Going beyond traditional compliance, the assessment incorporates frameworks from ISO 27001, NIST, and AI-specific risk models to benchmark each provider’s security maturity across five domains: organizational governance, infrastructure controls, operational security, data protection, and AI-specific safeguards.

Key findings indicate that Google demonstrates enterprise-grade maturity with advanced automation, zero-trust architecture, and …

Decolonizing Memory: Omnibus Life Writing In Post-1989 Romania, Ioana Luca

Kritika Kultura

This essay conceptualizes omnibus life writing—collective autobiographical volumes—as a means of decolonizing memories of communism and the transition in Romania. I argue that omnibus life writing offers a viable framework for challenging entrenched postcommunist narratives and fostering a relational and intersectional model of remembering the recent past. Through an analysis of Ioana Pârvulescu’s Și eu am trăit în communism [I’ve Also Lived under Communism, 2015], Dan Lungu and Amelia Gheorghiţă’s Cărţi, filme, muzici şi alte distracţii din communism [Books, Movies, Music, and Other Entertainment under Communism, 2014] and Cartea copilăriilor [The Book of Childhoods, 2016], and the Prima dată series …

Decolonizing Memory And Examining The Naga Identity In The Works Of Easterine Kire, Paloma Chaterji

Kritika Kultura

Colonization can be twofold: external and internal. For a socio-geographic space like Nagaland, a state in the Northeast of India, colonialism has presented itself through Britain, and even India itself; these multiple faces of colonialism have influenced and destabilized this hilly state. It was the British who had the maximum influence on Nagaland. India, even after its independence from the British in 1947, implemented certain strategies that smelt of British imperialism, whichultimately affected Nagaland and Northeast India as a whole. Thus, referencing the novels by the Naga woman writer, Easterine Kire, namely, Sky is My Father: A Naga Village Remembered …

Alaála: Tropical Memory, Christian Jil R. Benitez

Kritika Kultura

This essay considers a moment in José Rizal’s novel El Filibusterismo (1891)—namely, the substitution of the Spanish figure of “black King Melchor” with the folk “King of the Indios,” Bernardo Carpio, in the eyes of a native coachman—with a critical attention to how such an instant of comparison unfolds. The essay first ruminates on the crucial phrase deployed by Rizal to signify the moment, pensar naturalmente, which has been interpreted differently across various translations of the novel, but specifically rendered here as alaála or remembering. Through a brief philological examination of the latter Filipino word, regarding it as a material …

“Ghosts At The Banquet”: The Kenyan Mau Mau In Global Memory, Christian Alvarado

Kritika Kultura

In the decades since Kenyan independence from British rule, scholarship regarding memory of the Mau Mau Uprising has been bound by its nationalisms. “Nationalism” in the plural is apt because of the ways of remembering Mau Mau. It has investigated pressing issues in both Kenya and Great Britain itself. This article engages both foundational and recent scholarship in this vein in order to identify the set of assumptions that has shaped these debates and point toward new ways of thinking beyond them. In pursuance of new avenues in the study of global memories of Mau Mau, it also attempts a …

Heterotopos Of Desert Island, Woosung Kang

Kritika Kultura

This essay attempts to elucidate the uniqueness of the concept of desert island in Gilles Deleuze’s thinking, juxtaposing it with Carl Schmitt’s idea of struggle between the land and the sea. Especially, Deleuze’s notion of “desert island” is to be reread and revisited in terms of archipelagic literality of islands themselves. Deleuze’s concept of “desert island” is different from other conceptualizations of island in two critical aspects. Firstly, it does not metaphorize something other than island itself; its desertedness has nothing to do with utopian or apocalyptic representation of what the continent lacks. Secondly, it does not feed on the …

Deleuze’S Concept Of Islands And Archipelagic Ontology, Alex Taek-Gwang Lee

Kritika Kultura

This article explores the philosophical significance of islands through the lens of Gilles Deleuze’s geophilosophy, reframing their role in shaping planetary perspectives. Deleuze’s essay “Desert Islands” transcends geographical interpretations, positioning islands as metaphysical entities that embody the tension between separation and renewal. This duality, characterized by a longing for isolation and the utopian desire for reinvention, informs his broader philosophical framework. Islands, for Deleuze, serve as spaces of resistance and innovation, challenging dominant political and social structures. Deleuze’s distinction between continental and oceanic islands operates as a metaphor for contrasting modes of thought and governance, tying his conceptualization of geography …

Better Safe Than Sorry: Brown V. City Of Inglewood Should Not Be Game Over For Elected Officials' Whistleblower Protection Within California Local Governments, Aidan Winter

California Western Law Review

No abstract provided.

Sustainable Pavement Design, Evan Antonius, Matthew Graham

General Engineering

This thesis proposes a transformative vision for highway infrastructure, prioritizing sustainability, resilience, and innovation. Concentrating on California's Interstate 80, a vital freight and commuter corridor that is vulnerable to climate variability and structural issues, this research introduces an innovative pavement design. This design seeks to address the system's ongoing challenges while aligning with California's ambitious climate and infrastructure objectives.

Utilizing cutting-edge materials and design techniques, this solution incorporates a comprehensive three-layer Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) system designed for durability and high performance. The top layer features an Open-Graded Friction Course (OGFC), enhanced with 3.5% Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene (SBS) to improve permeability, mitigate …

Faculty Authors 2025: College Of Arts And Sciences, Erin Sheffner

Faculty Authors and Sponsored Grant Recipients Reception Bibliographies

An annotated bibliography compiled by the University Library of the publications featured by the College of Arts and Sciences Faculty at the annual Faculty Authors and Creators Reception at Governors State University.

The Evolution Of Education Policy In Missouri, Ivy Shen

Missouri Policy Journal

K-12 education policy refers to the laws, regulations, and guidelines that govern elementary and secondary education. It plays a critical role in shaping the quality and accessibility of learning for students. This paper examines the development of such a policy in Missouri. Specifically, the paper explores the governance and finance of public K-12 institutions, teacher preparation, and education for African American students. The paper concludes with key legislative issues that will likely shape Missouri education policy in the future.

Determinants Of Wealth Inequality In Central America: A Panel Data Analysis Of Socioeconomic And Institutional Factors, Jose Manuel Fernandez Pou

Empirical Economic Bulletin, An Undergraduate Journal

This study applies a non-linear panel threshold regression model to examines the factors of economic development in Central America, with an emphasis on institutional and socioeconomic factors. Using data acquired between 2000 and 2023 the research evaluates how different variables like trade openness, FDI, financial development, education spending, inflation and population growth impacts the growth of GDP at different levels of institutional quality. The results demonstrate that institutional quality levels create a distinct threshold effect when trade openness and FDI fail to promote growth in weak institutional settings while inflation volatility strongly hinders growth. FDI and financial development show positive …