Digital Commons Network^™

Assessing The Impact Of Visitors On Airborne Particle Deposition In The Giant Gypsum Geode Of Pulpí (Se Spain), Ana Camila Mendoza, Ángel Fernández-Cortés, Fernando Gázquez, Jesús Morilla, Milagros Carretero, Jose Maria Calaforra, David Benavente

International Journal of Speleology

The Giant Geode of Pulpí is a unique mineralogical phenomenon worldwide, remarkable for its large selenite gypsum crystals. Its recent development as a tourist site and inclusion on UNESCO’s Tentative World Heritage List, highlight the need to assess the impact of visits on its conservation. This study investigates airborne particle dynamics inside the Geode, focusing on tourist activity and natural ventilation. We measured deposition rates and composition of airborne particles using passive traps and a continuous laser-optical particle counter. Microenvironmental variables linked to ventilation, such as temperature and radon gas concentration (²²²Rn), were simultaneously monitored. Results show a predominance of …

Are You An Ai Convert Yet?, Essraa Nawar

Library Articles and Research

"At one point that evening, after the conversation had moved from travel to work and then to responsibility, Marium paused and asked me what I did. It was not the transactional question that so often fills conference hallways, asked politely and quickly abandoned, but a genuine inquiry. When I told her that I chair the Artificial Intelligence Committee at Leatherby Libraries at Chapman University, and that my work centers on AI literacy, governance, and institutional decision-making rather than promotion or blind adoption, something subtle changed."

Interview With Orca Award Winner Reuben Rieke, Unl Chemistry; Discoverer Of Rieke Metals, Mark Griep, Reuben Rieke

UNL ORCA Interview Series

Emeritus Prof. Reuben Rieke was awarded the ORCA in 1995. Reuben was born in Fairfax, Minnesota. Something in his youth must have sparked an interest in science because he traveled 100 miles east to The University of Minnesota where he earned a bachelor’s in chemistry. Next, he earned a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin, and did postdoctoral work at the University of California Los Angeles. In 1977, after about 11 years as a faculty member in the chemistry department at the University of North Carolina, he joined UNL as a full professor of chemistry. I’ll share two remarkable facts …

Fruit Wine Food Packaging Design Based On Youth-Friendly Demands, Li Ruomei, Mo Shaocheng, He Zengxinyue, Xie Dehui

Food and Machinery

The promotion of youth-friendly city construction has been incorporated into the national-level youth development plan. In recent years, China's fruit wine market has shown a rapid growth trend, with young consumers becoming the primary consumer group. This study systematically reviews the current state of fruit wine packaging design and identifies issues such as homogenization in visual presentation and superficial cultural expression, misalignment between market positioning and diverse consumption scenarios, and insufficient sustainable consideration of functional design. To further clarify the focus and user attention of the current fruit wine packaging design, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is employed to experimentally …

Classroom To Campus: A Qualitative Case Study Of Exemplary First-Year Seminar Instructors In Student Transitions At A Louisiana University, Brianna J. Doucet

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative case study examined how exemplary first-year seminar (FYS) instructors design and implement pedagogical strategies that support students’ transitions into higher education through the lens of Schlossberg’s (1981) Transition Theory. Conducted at a public university in Louisiana, the study explored how university-identified, award-winning instructors foster academic, social, and emotional adjustment among first-year students, a critical priority amid the impending enrollment cliff and the growing need to retain enrolled students. Using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, findings revealed exemplary instructors design intentional, relational, and reflective learning environments. They view transition as a shared institutional process, model adaptability and lifelong learning, …

Optimized Photoemission From Organic Molecules In 2d Layered Halide Perovskites, Muhammad S. Muhammad, Dilruba A. Popy, Hamza Shoukat, John M. Lane, Neeraj Rai, Vojtěch Vaněček, Zdeněk Remeš, Romana Kučerková, Vladimir Babin, Chenjia Mi, Yitong Dong, Mark D. Smith, Novruz G. Akhmedov, Daniel T. Glatzhofer, Bayram Saparov

Faculty Publications

In recent years, hybrid organic–inorganic metal halides have been at the forefront of materials research. Typically, the functional (e.g., optoelectronic) properties of hybrid halides are derived from the inorganic structural part, whereas the organic structural units can add extra advantages in terms of stability, rigidity, and processability. Here, we report the design, synthesis, and characterization of two new hybrid materials in which the outstanding photophysical properties originate from the organic structural part. The new compounds, (C₁₅H16N)₂CdCl₄ and((Br)C₁₅H₁₅N)₂CdCl₄, have 2D layered Ruddlesden–Popper-type perovskite structures. These hybrids are blue-white …

Jwst Interferometric Imaging Reveals The Dusty Torus Obscuring The Supermassive Black Hole Of Circinus Galaxy, Enrique Lopez Rodriguez, Joel Sanchez-Bermudez, Omaira González-Martín, Robert Nikutta, Ryan M. Lau, Deepashri Thatte, Julien H. Girard, Ismael García-Bernete, Matthew J. Hankins

Faculty Publications

The dusty and molecular torus is an elusive structure surrounding supermassive black holes, yet its importance is unequivocal for understanding feedback and accretion mechanisms. The torus and accretion disk feed the inspiraling gas onto the active nucleus, launching outflows that fundamentally connect the active nucleus’s activity to the host galaxy. In this work, we utilize the aperture-masking interferometric mode onboard the JWST to achieve a resolution of 0.08" at 4.3 μm and bring out the fainter features in the central 10 pc of the Circinus galaxy. We show that most of the dust mass is located along the equatorial …

Power Domination Reconfiguration, B. Bjorkman, C. Bozeman, D. Ferraro, M. Flagg, Cheryl Grood, L. Hogben, B. Jacob, Carolyn Reinhart

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Works

Reconfiguration examines relationships among solutions to a problem. Power domination models placement of monitoring units that allow monitoring of an entire electrical power network, and information about modifying one monitoring solution to another has applications. The study of token addition and removal and token jumping reconfiguration graphs for power domination is initiated. Some results established here can be extended by applying the methods used for power domination to reconfiguration graphs for other parameters. A universal framework for the study of reconfiguration of parameters that are defined from sets of vertices of a graph and satisfy certain rules is introduced. This …

Academic Senate - Agenda, 01/13/2026, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Contact Binary Stars: A Roadmap To Their Nature And Evolution, Larry A. Molnar, M. Chalov, R. Deaton, R. Reynolds

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

A complete life cycle for W UMa systems

• Mass transfer from secondary driven by primary
• Sign of flow essential to stability criteria 
• Consistent with observations of distributions of M, T, P, q, dP/dt, (P,q)merger

Ongoing

• THEORY 
• Understand f distribution 
• Compute grid of models to compare with populations of various ages • 

OBSERVATION:Rubin observatory data

• Establish parameter distributions vs. location or kinematics 
• Find the next red nova before it explodes

Communication Misalignment And Industry Reflections Of Pre-Made Dishes Based On Reports On Weibo, Cai Yingzhou, Du Shiyue

Food and Machinery

[Objective] To explore how the media report on pre-made dishes, and how targeted communication strategies can guide the public toward an objective and rational understanding of pre-made dishes. [Methods] Using semantic network analysis, this study extracts the issue frameworks from news reports by institutional media and public discussions on the Weibo platform. Semantic similarity analysis is then conducted to compare the differences in issue emphasis between media coverage and public attention regarding pre-made dishes. [Results] The findings indicate that the overall similarity between institutional media coverage and public discussions on pre-made dishes is low, with only a small number of …

Statistics For Social Scientists Who Are A Little Afraid Of Them, Kristie L. Campana

MSU Authors Collection

This is a free textbook aimed at helping advanced undergraduate/beginner graduate students navigate statistics in the social sciences. All resources for this book are released under a creative commons license CC BY-SA 4.0. which means you are able to share, copy, and distribute the material in any medium or format, and that you can adapt and transform upon this content for any purpose. However, this can occur only under the following terms:

You must give appropriate attributions to the text, provide a link to the license, and indicate if any alterations to the text have been made. This can be …

Environmental Degradations In Images: Analysis, Restoration, And Applications, Harsh Bhandari

Doctoral Theses

This thesis investigates computational models and methodologies for restoring images degraded by challenging environmental conditions such as haze and underwater environments. It further explores the analysis and estimation of particulate matter (PM) concentration from both day and night scenes under varying weather conditions, using degraded visual data as a primary input. Each environment introduces distinct forms of visual degradation, making image restoration a critical challenge that directly impacts applications including visibility enhancement, weather analysis, particulate concentration estimation, and object detection. By addressing these challenges, this thesis aims to develop adaptable, data-driven solutions that enhance image clarity and improve information extraction …

Molecular Survival Strategies Against Kidney Filtration: Implications For Therapeutic Protein Engineering, William Heaps, Anna Elise Packard, Kristina M. Mccammon, Tyler P. Green, Joseph P. Talley, Bradley C. Bundy, Dennis Della Corte

Faculty Publications

The glomerular filtration barrier poses a significant challenge for circulating proteins, with molecules below ~60–70 kDa facing rapid renal clearance. Endogenous proteins have evolved sophisticated evasion mechanisms including oligomerization, carrier binding, electrostatic repulsion, and FcRn-mediated recycling. Understanding these natural strategies provides blueprints for engineering therapeutic proteins with improved pharmacokinetics. This review examines how endogenous proteins resist filtration, evaluates their application in protein engineering, and discusses clinical translation including established technologies (PEGylation, Fc-fusion) and emerging strategies (albumin-binding domains, glycoengineering). We address critical challenges of balancing half-life extension with tissue penetration, biological activity, and immunogenicity—essential considerations for the rational design of next-generation …

The Coalition For Fairness In Soho And Noho, Inc. V. City Of New York

All Decisions

The Court of Appeals reversed the Appellate Division, upholding the City's 2021 rezoning plan for SoHo/NoHo artist lofts. The plan imposed a one-time fee on landlords for converting Joint Living-Work Quarters for Artists (JLWQA) units to unrestricted residential use. The court held that this fee does not constitute a compensable taking under the Fifth Amendment's Takings Clause. It reasoned that landlords lack a compensable property interest in converting their units to a new, more valuable use, as the fee does not burden their existing property rights or coerce them into relinquishing an interest that the government would otherwise have to …

Identifying Priority Research Questions For Decentralized Wastewater, Bryan W Brooks, Timothy Callahan, Jacob K Stanley, Jamie Holodak, Kevin M Stroski, Alissa H Cox, Thomas W Groves, Anish Jantrania, Jeff C Moeller, Kris Neset, Christopher Walker, Harry Zhang, Amal Bakchan, Kelly D Alley, Jim Bell, Allison Blodig, Eric Casey, Donna Cosper, Victor D'Amato, Mark A Elliott, Greg Graves, Roxanne Groover, Robert Himschoot, Mary G Lusk, Jillian Maxcy-Brown, David Meints, Rojelio Mejia, Matt Pace, Benjamin J Ryan, Brian Scheffe, Tom Schimelfenig, June E Wolfe, Sara F Heger

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Decentralized wastewater treatment and reuse represent critical infrastructure across the rural-periurban-urban continuum around the world. Effective, efficient, resilient, and equitable implementation of on-premise technologies and management systems is part of a One Water approach and necessary to protect public health and the environment, yet inconsistent delivery of essential public health services persists in many regions, including across states, tribes, and territories of the United States. We initiated a groundbreaking effort to understand challenges and to identify research opportunities related to the science and practice of decentralized wastewater. A horizon scanning exercise using a bottom up and transparent key questions approach …

Confluence, Vol. 4, Iss. 2, Full Issue

The Confluence

No abstract provided.

Evaluating Lunch Plan Data In The St. Charles School District (Scsd), Maddy Alexander, Guillermo Bilbao Olarreaga, Duncan Krige, Alyssa Schreiber, Nick Wintz, Wojciech Golik

The Confluence

The SCSD is a public school district in St. Charles, with, on average, 4500 students a year. The SCSD is subdivided into an early childhood center, six elementary schools, two intermediate (5-6,7-8) schools, and two high schools. Vocational schools are also within this district but were not included in this report. The SCSD is concerned with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on their district’s population and on the number of students that needed assistance with lunch. They have asked Lindenwood’s 2024-25 PIC Math group to analyze their data from the years 2020-25 and identify any trends. Identifying these trends …

Interviews With Roman Catholic Couples In First-Time Long-Term Marriages: Navigating The Landscape Of Life-Long Marriages With Spirituality As The Guiding Principle To Achieving Enduring Marital Relationships, Sovichan E. Scaria, Carl L. Thameling, Jana P. Sutton, David Hale

Journal of Interprofessional Practice and Collaboration

In-depth guided interviews were conducted with 10 Roman Catholic (RC) couples to reveal the impact religious spirituality had on their long-term marriages. Achieving this goal meant examining Catholic Church’s teachings on marriage, divorce and annulment, and relationship development and maintenance. The interview sessions were video-audio taped and analyzed. Some sample questions asked of the couples were: “How, if at all, did spirituality play a role in choosing your spouse?” “How do you practice spirituality in your marriage?” and “What advice would you give younger couples who have recently gotten married?” Analysis resulted in 8 themes being identified as important to …

From Asylums To Hospitals To Prisons: The History Of Institutional Psychiatric Care In America, Mary E. Horton

History of Medicine Seminar

No abstract provided.

A Review Of Routing Attacks In Routing Protocol Over Low-Power And Lossy-Based Iot Networks, Lanka Chris Sejaphala Mr., Vusimuzi Malele Prof, Francis Lugayizi Prof.

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Low-power and Lossy IoT Networks (LLNs) comprise physical sensors, processing capability, power, and other technologies to exchange information between systems and devices over the internet. However, these networks are susceptible to routing attacks affecting resources, traffic flow, and topology formation. In the related work, it has been discovered that many previous studies do not consider algorithms and implementation approaches for routing attacks. This research study provides a comprehensive in-depth synthesis insight into the description, effects, and algorithms & implementation of four routing attacks in LLNs i.e., rank, sinkhole, DIS-flooding, and worst parent attacks. The findings of this research study highlight …

Cultivating Global Citizenship At Home: A Content Analysis Of Collaborative Online International Learning (Coil), Allison Freed, Evan W. Faidley, Valerie G. Couture, K. Adele Okoli, Leticia De La Garza, Adriian Gardner, Crystal Harris, Leah Horton, Brittany N. Saviers, Sunjung Kim Thao, Amber Wilson

International Journal of Transformative Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

This study presents a content analysis of scholarly works on collaborative online international learning (COIL) published between 2015 and 2023. Conducted by an interdisciplinary faculty group, the research explores how COIL literature frames student learning outcomes within internationalization-at-home efforts. Findings reveal that COIL most frequently supports assignments/projects, as well as intercultural communication and global competence, particularly at the undergraduate level. The analysis highlights COIL’s potential to democratize global learning by addressing access barriers for both students and faculty. The study calls for expanded research on the long-term impacts of COIL, inclusive pedagogies, and cross-institutional collaborations to advance global citizenship in …

Collaborative Autoethnographic Reflections On Genai In Higher Education: A Cross-Disciplinary Perspective, Xuexue Yang, Wen Wen, Yan Lang, Shiyi Chen

International Journal of Transformative Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

This study seeks to examine and understand the role of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and its influence on higher education through an autoethnographic approach. Through collective reflection on the observations and practices of four faculty members in a medium-sized public university, this study offers insights into the discourse on GenAI and its educational and cultural implications. The study’s conceptual framework integrates the New Literacies with the Micro-Meso-Macro levels, guiding four faculty members’ reflections, perspectives, and practices on AI use. Data sources include focus group interviews and journals. Findings show the four faculty members' varying levels of understanding and knowledge about …

Numerical Study Using Narx To Improve Pipe Vibration In Dosing Pump Systems, Shmoos Rahem Mazal, Mohammed Jawad Mohammed, Mahmoud Mustafa Mahdi

Engineering and Technology Journal

Pressure pulsation is a serious problem in the piping system. It is generated at the beginning and end of the water-pumping process, or when valves suddenly close. The high turbulence of fluid particles in the presence of pressure waves causes multiple stresses on the pipe walls, requiring maintenance and eventual replacement over time. In this research, an experimental setup for a piping system vibration model induced by pulsating pressure is designed, developed, and fabricated. The objective of the present work is to create a MATLAB program using the NARX method at the beginning of the Neural Network time series. Nonlinear …

Deep Learning For Manufacturing: Surface Roughness Prediction In Cnc Turning Via 1d Cnn, Amar Awad Mohammad Al-Sumaidaee

Engineering and Technology Journal

Optimisation of machining parameters is crucial to achieve an excellent surface finish, with surface roughness serving as the primary indicator of product quality. This study investigates the application of a one-dimensional Convolutional Neural Network (1D CNN) to predict surface roughness in Computer Numerical Control (CNC) turning processes. In contrast to conventional machine learning methods, the proposed CNN captures local dependencies within the tabulated input features, which include cutting speed, feed rate, depth of cut, and force components (Fx, Fy, Fz, and resultant force). A laboratory data set was used for model training, with the mean square error serving as the …

Metaheuristic Evaluation Of Paraffin Wax-Related Flow Assurance Challenges For Optimal Productivity In Onshore Facilities, Sylvanus O. Isaac, Emenike Nwaokoro, Cissan A. Sylvanus

Engineering and Technology Journal

In this research, paraffin wax deposition models were evaluated using a multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA). This is a metaheuristic approach to multi-parametric solution of complex mathematical problems. The study aims to apply a suitable metaheuristic technique to analyse the parameters of paraffin wax-related flow assurance issues in onshore oil and gas facilities in Nigeria, thereby ensuring optimal productivity and operational efficiency. Thus, a paraffin wax sample collected from a typical onshore production facility was analysed in a laboratory to determine its thermophysical and transport properties and composition. These properties are the WAT, melting point, flash point, liquid density, and dynamic …

Numerical Study Of Thermal Stress And Deformation In Piston And Cylinder Head Assemblies, Oluwaseyi O. Alabi, Oyetunde A. Adeaga

Engineering and Technology Journal

This study examines the behavior of thermal stress and deformation in piston and cylinder head assemblies of internal combustion engines using numerical simulation techniques. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is employed to investigate the influence of varying thermal loads on the structural response and durability of these critical engine components. In our numerical investigation, we aimed to understand the role of temperature differences in thermal stresses and deformations within piston-cylinder head setups. These rates are indicative of the severe thermal stresses experienced by the material, which are significantly higher than typical rates observed in standard operating conditions. Results show that peak …

Finite Element Analysis Of Conical Steel Crash Boxes With Uniform And Graded Aluminum Honeycomb Cores, Sura T. Bader, Mohsin N. Hamzah, Qasim A. Atiyah

Engineering and Technology Journal

Crash boxes play a vital role in vehicle crashworthiness by dissipating kinetic energy during frontal impacts. Positioned between the bumper and side rails, they limit vehicle damage, reduce repair costs, and improve passenger safety. Enhancing their energy absorption capacity is therefore critical. Graded fillers have emerged as an effective approach, providing controlled crushing behavior, reduced initial peak forces, and improved performance. While most prior studies have focused on rectangular and cylindrical crash boxes, limited work has explored conical designs, particularly with graded honeycomb reinforcement. This study examines the crashworthiness of conical steel crash boxes using finite element analysis in ABAQUS …

Optimizing Thermal Performance Of Concrete Bricks With Pcm Capsules For Enhanced Energy Efficiency In Hot Climates, Riyadh S. Radhi, Sattar Aljabair, Jalal M. Jalil

Engineering and Technology Journal

Incorporating phase change materials (PCMs) into bricks grants a talented approach to improving energy efficiency and thermal regulation in building components, especially in hot climates like Iraq. This research examines the effects of two PCM types (RT-42 and RT-37) and three container shapes (cylindrical, spherical, and ellipsoid) on the thermal performance of PCM-enhanced concrete bricks through numerical studies using ANSYS Fluent, based on summer weather data from southern Iraq. The results indicate that RT-37, known for its lower melting point and slightly higher latent heat, significantly outperforms RT-42 across various performance metrics. Specifically, RT-37 achieves a maximum temperature reduction (MTR) …

Recent Advances In Modeling And Applications Of Magnetorheological Elastomer Composites: A Review, Sinaa S. Hafidh, Mohsin N. Hamzah, Muthanna H. Sadoon

Engineering and Technology Journal

Magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) composites are particularly effective materials for applications like vibration absorption and damping in mechanical systems because external magnetic fields modify their mechanical properties. The main topic of this review is the study of MRE composites’ rheological properties-such as their dispersion, organization, and surface features within an elastomer matrix-and how these aspects affect their mechanical performance in the presence of magnetic fields. The study explores the internal microstructures, filler-matrix adhesion, and viscoelastic behavior of MRE composites under different stresses, such as static, compressive, and dynamic. MREs are famous for their capacity to modify mechanical characteristics (such as stiffness …