Digital Commons Network^™

Continental Rift Evolution Under Time-Varying Plate Boundary Forces And Mantle Plumes: A Numerical Study, Kuruvitage Chameera Chathuranga Silva

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Continental rift evolution emerges from the dynamic interaction among far-field tectonic forces, mantle processes, and lithospheric rheology. Variations in plate-scale stress transmission and thermomechanical perturbations associated with mantle upwelling exert first-order control on strain localization, crustal thinning, and the transition toward continental breakup or rift failure. Allowing plate motion to emerge from internal force balance, rather than prescribing kinematic boundary conditions, provides a physically consistent framework for investigating these interactions. Time-dependent changes in far-field driving stresses and mantle plume activity can modify the mechanical state of the lithosphere and extension velocities, influencing whether a rift matures into a plate boundary …

Positive Youth Development In Practice: National, Systematic, And Community-Level Insights Into Youth Empowerment And Behavioral Outcomes, Pamela Nicole Graham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Behavioral outcomes in adolescents and youth reflect broader patterns of mental health and community support. Violent behaviors, substance misuse, and poor mental health disproportionately impact those living with unmet needs in settings concentrated with structural marginalization. These contexts often limit youths’ access to supportive systems that improve their alignment with prosocial outcomes. Local agencies and governments could encourage empowerment based programming to promote healthier developmental trajectories. This dissertation applies the Positive Youth Development (PYD) framework, integrated with Social Disorganization and Social Control theories, to examine how youth empowerment programs moderate the relationship between youths’ structural contexts and their subsequent developmental …

Effects Of Personalization On Student Retention In Online Data Science Learning, Farshid Farzan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The present study examined whether static personalization strategies can reduce dropout in short-duration online data science learning. Using a 2 × 2 factorial design, 98 undergraduate participants completed an online learning activity that either (a) aligned instructional materials with their learning preference (sequential vs. global) or (b) included a personalized non-interactive pedagogical agent. Retention was operationalized dichotomously (completion vs. dropout). Logistic regression analyses indicated that learning preference personalization significantly increased the odds of completion, whereas the pedagogical agent alone did not show a reliable main effect. However, the interaction between learning preference personalization and agent presence was statistically significant, suggesting …

Asymmetrical S-Curve For Residual Load Sways Suppression For Double-Pendulum Rotary Crane Using Bayesian Optimization, Haryson Johanes Nyobuya

Tanzania Journal of Science

In rotary crane operations, one of the main difficulties lies in suppressing the load sway during its movement. This can be achieved using only horizontal boom motion, offering a solution that is energy-saving, simple, and safe. However, this approach renders the system under actuated, making the suppression objective more difficult to achieve. In this study, a double-pendulum model is adopted to capture the coupled dynamics of the suspended load and hook, which shows a realistic basis for sway suppression. An asymmetric S-curve velocity trajectory is proposed to shape the horizontal boom motion, effectively minimizing residual vibrations without requiring direct sway …

Quantitative Analysis Of Cholera Dynamics And The Impact Of Integrated Control Measures., Kazeem Abidoye Odeyemi, Mutairu Kayode Kolawole

Tanzania Journal of Science

A comprehensive mathematical evaluation of cholera dynamics, emphasizing the crucial role of optimal control strategies which include vaccination, treatment in endemic region and environmental hygiene in controlling the disease spread in Western and Mid-Eastern regions of African setting. Through analysis of the local and global stability of the model and assessing the reproduction number (��0), this research highlights how targeted interventions can influence transmission rates of cholera disease. Sensitivity analysis identifies key parameters driving cholera dynamics, underlining the urgency of timely and adequate intervention. Utilizing the innovative Homotopy Perturbation Method for the numerical simulation, the study explores the interplay between …

Theory And Applications Of Natural And Nature-Based Solutions In Estuarine Environments, Elizabeth L. Royer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the theory and application of Nature-based Solutions (NbS), through three unique case studies. This study explores how the broad and interdisciplinary NbS framework can be applied to mitigate common coastal hazards. This framework considers the environment, economics, and social wellbeing, equally in the design and implementation of a solution. The current paradigm, working against nature, which is commonly seen in more passive approaches to hazard mitigation, like grey infrastructure (e.g. a seawall to protect a shoreline against wave action) does not accommodate the extremely dynamic environment. As perspectives shift to “working with nature” NbS can be …

Geographic Variation In Adrd Prevalence And Mortality And Their Association With Social Vulnerability Across Us Counties: A Spatial Epidemiological Analysis Using Norc And Cdc Svi Data, Dean Kyne

Sociology Faculty Publications

Introduction: Geographic disparities in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRDs) remain insufficiently understood at the national scale, limiting efforts to address inequities in dementia burden across USA communities. This study examined county-level variation in ADRD prevalence and mortality and evaluates the association between social vulnerability and these outcomes.

Methods: This cross-sectional ecological study analyzes 2020 county-level ADRD prevalence and all-cause mortality among Medicare beneficiaries from the NORC Dementia DataHub. The analytic sample included 3,108 USA counties in the contiguous USA and the District of Columbia. ADRD outcomes included (1) prevalence of highly likely ADRD and (2) prevalence of all determinations, …

Ais26s: Genai And Llms For Cybersecurity, Political Sciences, Transportation Security, And Resiliency, Latifur Khan

Paul English Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) Institute Publications

This presentation examines the role of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and large language models (LLMs) in addressing complex challenges across cybersecurity, political science, and transportation security. Dr. Latifur Khan discusses how advanced AI methods can be applied to threat detection, data analysis, and decision-making in high-risk and data-intensive environments. The talk highlights interdisciplinary applications of LLMs, emphasizing their ability to extract insights from large-scale data, improve system resilience, and support intelligent infrastructure. Emerging research directions and practical implications for real-world deployment are also discussed.

Historians For Hire: Evaluating Historian Expert Witnesses After Bruen, Jake Mcauliffe

Duke Law Journal

The Supreme Court in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen introduced a history-and-tradition test for Second Amendment challenges, directing courts to compare modern firearm regulations to past ones. To conduct this historical inquiry, litigants and judges have increasingly turned to professional historians as expert witnesses. This Note qualitatively examines how historian experts are used and received in post-Bruen federal litigation. It finds that a small group of repeat players—sixteen historians—make up this emerging field, typically appearing exclusively for either challengers or governments. These historians serve primarily in civil litigation, leaving a relative expertise gap in criminal cases, …

April 2, 2026, The Daily Mississippian

Daily Mississippian (all digitized issues)

No abstract provided.

Designing Space-Based Architectures To Discover And Track Hazardous Asteroids Using Mo-Mcts, Adam P. Wilmer, Michael J. Klonowski, Marcus J. Holzinger, Robert A. Bettinger

Faculty Publications

The discovery and tracking of near-Earth objects (NEOs), such as asteroids and comets, form the foundation of any effective planetary defense mitigation strategy—that is, the process of reducing or eliminating the threat these objects pose to humanity. Establishing sufficient warning time prior to a potential Earth impact is a critical outcome of this capability, as it enables informed decision-making and the selection of viable mitigation options. This study investigates how to optimally pre-position a fleet of NEO discovery and tracking (D&T) spacecraft within the Sun-Earth system. Candidate architectures—one or more pre-positioned spacecraft—are designed using Multi-Objective Monte Carlo Tree Search (MO-MCTS). …

Morphometric Variability Of The Gracilis Muscle And Obturator Nerve: A Cadaveric Study Informing Reconstructive And Surgical Innovations, Ambrose Loc Ngo, Uyen Tam Nguyen, Shing Ou, Hima Patel, Shireen Hafez

Student Publications

Background: The gracilis muscle is frequently utilized in reconstructive surgery and tendon transfer procedures due to its reliable anatomy and functional versatility. While its general anatomy is well described, detailed morphometric variability related to sex, body weight, and internal scaling relationships remains incompletely characterized. Longitudinal width gradients and their relationship to overall muscle length have not been well defined. Improved understanding of these variations may enhance surgical planning, graft selection, and prosthetic design.

Methods: Sixty-four formaldehyde-embalmed cadaveric donors were dissected to expose the gracilis muscle and the obturator nerve. A total of 128 gracilis specimens derived from 64 …

Everyday Tracking And Extraordinary Harm: Item Finder Misuse In Digital Coercive Control, Vivian Hocking, Shirley Atkinson, Hai-Van Dang, Nathan Clarke

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

PurposeWhere one in three women worldwide experience some form of intimate partner violence, the rise of technology facilitated abuse means that abusers have increased access and control over their victims. This extension paper aims to examine the threat potential for technology misuse as pertains to item finder devices that make up part of the Internet-of-Things. Item finders have increasingly become the weapon of choice for abusers leveraging technological advantages against their victims.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a mixed-methods approach, combining digital ethnography with 12 individuals engaged in a participant study to evaluate the misuse potential of Apple AirTag, Chipolo …

From Street Level To Science: Advancing Methods For Climate Walks To Improve Human Thermal Comfort, Kevin Lau, Cho Kwong Charlie Lam, Eduardo Krüger, André Santos Nouri, Zhikai Peng, Daniele Santucci, Andreas Matzarakis

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Urban heat risk is increasing, while fixed monitoring networks remain too sparse and coarse to resolve the pedestrian-scale variability, especially radiative loads, that governs outdoor thermal stress. This short communication advances the concept of climate walks, defined as route-based, human-centred field campaigns that build on earlier work on “thermal walks”, and presents them as a practice-ready methodology for design-relevant evidence. We define climate walks as structured, route-based, georeferenced assessments that pair high-resolution mobile microclimate measurements with synchronous in-situ human responses to capture transient, spatially heterogeneous conditions along actual walks. We synthesize key methodological features, such as dynamic, stop-and-go protocols; human-centred …

Implementation Of Differentation Learning Based On Vark Learning Styles To Improve Dance Element Learning Outcomes Of Grade Vii Students, Bilqis Zainab Mujahidah, Agus Budiman, Beben Barnas

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

The low learning outcomes of grade VII students in the three domains in learning dance elements are one of them due to the dominance of conventional methods. This type of research is Kemmis and McTaggart Class Action Research (CAR) which consists of planning, implementation of actions, observation, and reflection. The research ran for two cycles with the subjects of grade VII students of SMPN 14 Bandung City for the 2025/2026 school year. Data collection techniques through observation and learning outcome tests. Data analysis used descriptive statistics in the form of average values and classical completeness. The application of VARK-based differentiation …

Locating Vehicles Within Parking Facilities, Daniel Adam

Defensive Publications Series

This document describes a computing device (e.g., processing service, mobile phone, wearable device, smart device, vehicle, etc.) that aids in vehicle retrieval by collecting inertial, visual, and environmental data to guide a user to a parked vehicle within complex, multi-level parking structures. For instance, the computing device may utilize a multi-sensor fusion approach to integrate data from mobile computing device components such as barometric sensors, tilt sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, cameras, etc., and data from additional computing devices such as cameras, vehicles, charging ports, barriers, etc., to determine parked locations of vehicles. Further, the computing device may utilize the multi-sensor fusion …

Photogrammetric Analysis Of Porites Lobata And Pocillopora Spp. Live Coral Cover At Devil's Crown, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Katherine Whitehouse, Preston Toutant

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Porites lobata and Pocillopora spp. are predominant scleractinian corals at Devil's Crown, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador that have been monitored for 48 years. Fluctuations in colony abundance and live tissue surface area of both taxa are associated with environmental variability driven by El Niño-Southern Oscillation. To better quantify colony number and live tissue cover of the two taxa, photogrammetry was utilized during a research expedition in May 2025. Two GoPro cameras were used during snorkel transects in the northwest (Porites) and northeast (Pocillopora) sectors of the shallow (2-3 m depth), elliptical submerged caldera to produce overlapping digital …

The Hidden Map Of Women's Health: Predictors And Protectors Across Our Lives, Tasfia Howlader

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Women's health has constantly been changing-from public health infrastructure to health policies, and even medical advancements. Yet, the struggles are persistent within the gaps present in women's health. The Socio-Ecological Model (SEM) explains interactions between different levels of relationships, which result in health outcomes that vary from individual factors to environmental factors. Applying the SEM to describe health disparities can help explain how the relationships an individual has influenced their health. This project serves to exemplify these different levels while discussing the tailoring of services to the needs and the importance of populations based on their experiences. Specifically, adhering to …

Judicial Legacy, Presidential Controversy: Ronald Reagan’S Appointment Of Sandra Day O’Connor, Katie Cassady

Helms School of Government Spring Public Policy Conference

No abstract provided.

Concepts Of Nationality And Ethnicity Within America, Katrina Jorquez

Helms School of Government Spring Public Policy Conference

No abstract provided.

Unsc At A Crossroads: Rethinking Power And Representation In A Multipolar World, Paul Aginnah

Helms School of Government Spring Public Policy Conference

No abstract provided.

Fostering Ubuntu In Countering The Spread Of Terrorist Ideologies In Africa: A Case Study Of The East African Community (Eac), Paul Aginnah

Helms School of Government Spring Public Policy Conference

No abstract provided.

Assisted Suicide And The Absolute: Autonomy Or God’S Word?, Venture Ciccarelli

Helms School of Government Spring Public Policy Conference

No abstract provided.

Beyond Therapy Culture: Solutions For Our Digital Hubris, Spiritual Bankruptcy, And The Moral Imperative Of Humility, Giancarlo Newsome, Andrew Bibb, Merrick Davis

Helms School of Government Spring Public Policy Conference

No abstract provided.

The Illicit Fentanyl Crisis In The United States: Root Causes, Federal Policy Responses, And State-Level Solutions, Lydia Courie

Helms School of Government Spring Public Policy Conference

No abstract provided.

Parental Perceptions About Crispr And Other Biological Treatments For Fragile X Syndrome Compared With Sickle Cell Disease (2000-2025): Systematic Review Protocol, Ethan Hunter, Lukah Varghese, Mohit Belur, Prathiv Raj Ramesh Babu

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is a genetic condition associated with intellectual disability, while Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) comprises inherited red blood cell disorders. Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) gene-editing therapies are currently being implemented for SCD but remain experimental for FXS. Understanding caregiver perspectives on CRISPR-based therapies is crucial because families play a central role in weighing risks/benefits during treatment decision-making. Synthesizing evidence on caregiver attitudes toward CRISPR-based therapies for FXS and SCD can help determine if perceptions observed with SCD can inform expectations for FXS. This systematic review will include qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies published between …

Creatine: More Than Just A Gym Bro Supplement? An Evidence-Based Review Of The Safety And Efficacy Of Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation, Lara Kotak

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Creatine monohydrate (CrM) is an extensively researched supplement that has been used to enhance athlete performance, muscle mass, recovery, and even improve health span beyond athletes. Despite the plethora of reasearch supporting creatine supplementation at recommended dosages, misconceptions and further questions regarding its safety and effectiveness remain. Examples of existing concerns include the potential effects of creatine on hydration levels, renal and liver function, fat mass, hair loss, muscle cramping, and fertility. Additionally, there are questions regarding the safety and effectiveness of creatine across populations of such as children, adolescents, females, older adults, and pregnant individuals. Furthermore, inquiry about the …

Predicting Alzheimer's Disease Via Machine Learning Through Adni Data, Sahana Reddy

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease. Since the neurological pathology, including protein deposits and neurodegeneration, starts a decade before cognitive, memory, and behavioral symptoms, AD development should be predictable from physical biomarkers. This study investigates how patients' memory and cortical brain thickness at baseline can predict their likelihood of developing AD through supervised machine learning. From baseline visits, 205 participants' data were extracted from the ADNI database, all designated as healthy control in the first visit, but some converted to AD or Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in later visits (Group 2), and some remained healthy (Group 1). The …

Time-Dependent Modulation Of Isr And Upr In Glioblastoma Stem Cells Using A Curcumin-Inspired Bis-Chalcone Analog, Abby Morrill, Carleigh Miller

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive brain tumor driven by therapy-resistant GBM stem cells (GSCs). GSC's rely on adaptive stress pathways like the Integrated Stress Response (ISR) and Unfolded Protein Response (UPR). Curcumin modulates these pathways but has poor bioavailability. We developed curcumin-inspired bis-clacone analogs with improved potency and selectivity against GSCs and tested efficiency using a time-course study. A series of bis-chalcone analogs were synthesized and tested against three patient-derived GSC lines using MTS assay (0.1-10 μM, 72 h). A lead derivative compound compatible with carbon dot nanoparticle conjugation was synthesized and evaluated for mechanistic consistency and GSC cytotoxicity. ISR/UPR …

Marine Biodiversity Monitoring And Community Engagement On The Boulder Reefs Of Peanut Island, Sophia Oliveira, Luke Mckeon, Josie Larson, Raymond Hernandez, Triumph Perry, Lianna Rasimowicz

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Artificial boulder reefs were constructed along the shoreline of Peanut Island in Palm Beach County, Florida to enhance habitat complexity and provide a safe, accessible snorkeling experience for the island's many visitors. These nine boulder reefs support a diverse assemblage of marine organisms and offer an ideal setting for ecological monitoring. This project documents the fish, invertebrate, and coral species that utilize these structures and provides the public with accurate, easily accessible information about the organisms they may encounter while snorkeling. Monthly GoPro surveys employing a roving fish sampling technique were conducted on each reef to record new species observations …