Digital Commons Network^™

Urban Heat Dynamics: Comparing Thermal Regulation Of Patios And Green Roofs, Charlotte Gordy, Bishoy S. Sami, Darlene Panvini

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Urban environments are characterized by elevated temperatures caused by the Urban Heat Island effect, an ecological phenomenon distinguished by the abundance of artificial surfaces such as concrete and tile that absorb heat. This study investigates how surface temperatures differ between traditional patios and green roof gardens, and how these differences vary under sunny and shady conditions. We hypothesize that green roof gardens will exhibit significantly lower surface temperatures than paved surfaces, particularly on sunny days.

To test this hypothesis, we will select two to three buildings on campus that contain both traditional patio surfaces and green roof gardens. Using an …

Virtual High School Classes And The Impact On Rural Students And Teachers, Ashley M. Storck

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This literature review examines the impacts, advantages, and disadvantages of virtual high school classes on rural teachers and students. The review examines research on academic outcomes, instructional models, funding structures, stakeholder dynamics, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual learning can expand access to courses and provide flexibility to students, especially in the case of credit recovery. Full-time virtual schooling is frequently associated with weaker long-term outcomes in comparison to traditional brick-and-mortar education. These findings are often intensified in rural settings where there are broadband insufficiencies as well as existing deficiencies in institutional capacity and student support systems. The …

Testing Spatial Memory And Associative Learning In Planaria With Chronic Nicotine Usage, Gregory Smith, Jessica Toledo-Franco

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Nicotine is a psychoactive substance, commonly delivered through e-cigarettes. In the short-term, nicotine can cause an individual to feel enhancements in attentiveness, while also reducing stress or withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal generally refers to the phase after quitting or reducing the use of a substance; however, in nicotine, these symptoms can be seen as early as the first usage. Unlike most studies that have focused on mammals as the subject, the goal of this study is to investigate how nicotine addiction and withdrawal influences learning and memory through Dugesia dortocephala in T and Y mazes. As the concentration of nicotine increases, …

Impacts Of Native And Nonnative Plant Species On Avian Community Diversity, Matty John Mackay, Steven Van Dang, Brandon Lee Corn

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Avian communities play an essential role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem dynamic by regulating insect populations, assisting in plant pollination, and seed dispersal. These contribute to the overall health of natural ecosystems and mitigate ecological disruptions that would arise in their absence. However, the introduction of non-native invasive plant species can interrupt the balance avian communities bring to ecosystems by reducing availability of food sources, altering habitat structures, increasing competition among individuals, and disrupting ecological relationships through rapid invasion of ecological spaces. Point count observations of birds at Shelby Bottoms Park, Nashville, Tennessee in areas dominated by non-native privet and …

Assessing Radio Transmitter Weight Effect And Evaluation Of Northern Bobwhite Chick Survival In Coastal North Carolina, Autumn S. Randall, Theron M. Terhune Ii, Matthew T. Springer, Darin J. Mcneil

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Studies on the earliest life stages are essential to our ecological understanding of avian demography; however, monitoring technologies that allow tracking of small birds are still limited in a variety of ways. One critical limitation, until recently, has been the development of methods for attaching transmitters to young birds with precocial development (e.g., Galliformes, Charadriiformes, etc.). The modified suture technique offers a means to attach transmitters to precocial chicks while accommodating rapid growth characterized by birds with precocial young. Although the sutured transmitter method was developed for northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) chicks, there remain key unknowns regarding best …

Aggregation Bias In Multi-Industry Economic Contribution Analysis: The Case Of Kentucky Forest Sector, Domena A. Agyeman, Thomas Ochuodho, Omkar Joshi

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Closely related industries are often aggregated in US forest sector economic contribution analysis, yet the choice of aggregation scheme can influence results. The Impact Analysis for Planning (IMPLAN) system is the most widely applied input–output model for forest economic contribution analysis in the US. In IMPLAN, the level of industry aggregation determines which inter-industry transactions are restricted, thereby influencing the magnitude of estimated indirect and induced effects. Although IMPLAN practitioners can model individual industries to avoid aggregation bias, they must still decide whether to analyze forest industries as a single group, as traditional subsectors, or individually. This decision can alter …

Effects Of Headwater Wetland Restoration On The Demography, Fecundity And Ecology Of The U.S. Federally Threatened White Fringeless Orchid (Platanthera Integrilabia) In The Cumberland Plateau Of Kentucky, Tara R. Littlefield, Catherine Hoy, Christopher Barton

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Wetland habitats represent a critical component of biodiversity hotspots that support numerous rare species, including terrestrial orchids. In North America, over half of all terrestrial orchids are found in wetlands, more than a quarter of which are now threatened with extinction (G1–G3). This concerning trend is exacerbated by a lack of information on effective restoration strategies aimed at orchids and other species that inhabit these areas. The white fringeless orchid, Platanthera integrilabia (Correll) Luer, the subject of this study, is restricted to mostly shaded wetland habitats along the Cumberland Plateau of the Appalachian Mountains and has suffered widespread declines due …

Discovery Of Tidal Disruption Event Candidates In The Hubble Catalog Of Variables, Elliot M. Schweitzer

Pitzer Senior Theses

A tidal disruption event (TDE) occurs when a star passes within the tidal radius of the supermassive black hole (SMBH) likely to reside at the center of most galaxies. Within this radius, the star is torn apart as tidal forces overcome the star's binding energy, and roughly half of the stellar debris spirals back towards the SMBH. The formation of an accretion disk produces bright emissions for months to years, modeled to peak in the ultraviolet and extend well into x-ray and optical wavelengths. TDEs occur only about once every 10⁴-10⁵ years per galaxy. As one of …

Mathematics And Political Ideology: A Historical Argument Against The Cultural Understanding Of Mathematics As An Apolitical Field, And A Journalistic Report On The Impact Of The Trump Administration On American Mathematics In 2026, Philo Judson

Pitzer Senior Theses

The interplay between political ideology and mathematics is a recurring theme throughout the history of the academic field. Mathematics has been used as a tool of empire, while mathematicians have been elevated by states as symbols of national genius for political prestige. Political ideologies have also shaped the field from within, both through the suppression of mathematical thought and the enforcement of mathematical authority. Since 2025, the Trump administration has launched large-scale political attacks on American institutions of higher education, which include lawsuits, discrimination investigations, and the removal of federal funding from certain institutions that don’t adhere to the administration’s …

Balancing Face-To-Face And Digital Communication: The Role Of Relationship Maintenance In Dual-Earning Families, Tamara D. Afifi, America L. Edwards

Information Science Faculty Publications

This study examines how face-to-face (FtF) and computer-mediated communication (CMC) contribute to relationship maintenance and resilience in dual-earning families, a largely overlooked area in family communication research. Guided by the theory of resilience and relational load (TRRL), we test how ongoing FtF and CMC maintenance behaviors predicted well-being across a week among 62 families (i.e., two parents and one adolescent). Using a week-long daily diary and physiological measures (cortisol and IL-6 assays), we assess perceived stress, mental health, and loneliness. Findings suggest that both FtF and CMC maintenance are associated with lower stress and better well-being, with FtF showing somewhat …

Muted Trumpets As A Sonic Representation Of Isolation Or Solitude, Caroline Reyner

Schultz-Werth Award Papers

The sound of a trumpet can be used in a variety of applications. This is due to its ability to adjust its timbre to fit different situations. Among the most common adjectives applied to brass instruments, especially trumpets, are terms associated with bright, metallic, or brassy qualities (Wallmark 587-588). While these are timbral qualities of the trumpet, they are not the only ones of which the trumpet is capable. According to ACTOR Research, the following timbres of the trumpet have been extracted from various orchestration treatises – agile, blaring, brassy, bright, brilliant, crisp, flexible, piercing, powerful, responsive, sharp, smooth, and …

Inflation Dynamics: An Integrated Exploratory And Econometric Analysis, Adrián Calderón

Schultz-Werth Award Papers

This paper examines the drivers of U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation using a novel, integrated approach on high-frequency monthly data from 2003 to 2025. The analysis focuses on a comprehensive set of variables: money growth, a fiscal stance measure, long-term inflation expectations, labor market conditions, and real activity; to identify which forces consistently push inflation higher or lower. Our methodology begins with a Random Forest model to rank predictors, establishing lagged money growth and breakeven inflation expectations as dominant, while the fiscal stance shows weaker predictive power. This ranking guides the specification of a robust ARIMAX model that successfully …

Optimized Nano-Bilosomes Loaded Ocular Insert As A Promising Approach For Boosting Voriconazole Ocular Bioavailability: In-Vitro, Microbiological, And In-Vivo Assessments, Eman Gomaa

Nanotechnology Research Centre

The eye possesses numerous physiological barriers that significantly limit the absorption of administered drugs, as only < 5 % get through. These barriers restrict drug bioavailability, often necessitating multiple dosing, which can lead to poor patient compliance. The study goal is to efficiently incorporate Voriconazole (VRC), a wide-spectrum antifungal candidate with a short half-life, into stable, biocompatible, non-irritating bile salt nanoparticles (Bilosomes, BLOs) to enhance its ocular delivery. Bilosomes were prepared by the ethanol injection method. Experimental (33) Box–Behnken Design (BBD) was employed; the amount of bile salt, cholesterol, and span-60 were chosen as independent variables, while entrapment efficiency (EE%), cumulative VRC release (Q8h), particle size (PS), zeta potential (ZP), and polydispersity index (PDI) were the dependent variables. The formula of optimization showed EE% (59.04 ± 1.88 %), cumulative release after 8 h (81.35 ± 0.69 %), PS (222.53 ± 2.04 nm), ZP (−72.53 ± 1.75 mV), and PDI (0.225 ± 0.03). It was chemically characterized using DSC and FTIR. Its spherical arrangement was confirmed using TEM. For ophthalmic application, the optimized formula was included in ocular inserts to extend ocular residence time while minimizing dosing frequency. The optimal VRC-loaded bilosomal ocular insert met the acceptable physicochemical criteria, was sterilized using UV radiation for conducting microbiological assay, in-vivo study, and pharmacokinetic analysis. For safety evaluation, an eye irritation study and histopathological examination were conducted. The results confirmed its effectiveness as evidenced by a significantly larger inhibition zone and 8.39-fold enhancement in VRC bioavailability compared to its suspension. These findings support the potential of bilosomes-loaded ocular insert as an effective ocular delivery of VRC.

Beyond Fixed Thresholds: Per-Label Calibration For Fine-Grained Emotion Detection On The Goemotions Dataset, Sai Puneet Naga Venkata Subramanyam Patchipulusu

Selected Full-Text Master Theses 2021-

This study investigates the effectiveness of five community fine-tuned transformer models for fine-grained emotion detection on the GoEmotions dataset: SamLowe/roberta- base-go_emotions (RoBERTa-base), cirimus/modernbert-base-go-emotions (ModernBERT), mrm8488/deberta-v3-base-goemotions (DeBERTa-v3-base), bhadresh-savani/bert-base-go- emotion (BERT-base-cased),and tasinhoque/distilbert-go-emotions (DistilBERT) . While the original GoEmotions research by Demszky et al. (2020) established a BERT-base baseline with a macro-F1 of 0.46, this thesis extends that work through independent empirical evaluation of five derivative models, systematic per-label threshold optimization, and comparative analysis of architectural trade-offs across the full transformer model family. Using the GoEmotions simplified test split (5,427 examples across 28 categories), all five models were evaluated at a fixed 0.5 …

Solving The Middle School Math Problem To Increase Achievement, Andre Goodlow

Educational Leadership Professional Doctorate Dissertations

This study used improvement science to address persistent and disproportionate low mathematics achievement among middle school students, particularly Black/African American and Hispanic students, in an urban school district in the Pacific Northwest. Local data indicated significant deficiencies in math proficiency, with the target district exhibiting achievement disparities exceeding state averages. The project investigated root causes of low math achievement, prioritizing the enhancement of foundational math skills and the implementation of evidence-based interventions. The improvement theory centered on deploying an evidence-based core math curriculum and intervention program for incoming middle school students, tested through cycles during a four-week summer school program. …

Establishing A Public Health Surveillance System For The Opioid Crisis: The Experience Of The Healing Communities Study, Bridget Freisthler, Daniel J. Feaster, Charles Knott, Marc Larochelle, John Mccarthy, Svetla Slavova, Sharon L. Walsh, Jennifer Villani

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Introduction: Efforts to reduce opioid overdose deaths in the United States have been stymied by the lack of timely and standardized population-level data for local, state, and national levels. The U.S. has a strong national need for linking opioid and other drug overdose surveillance data to service utilization data for overdose prevention and treatment to inform resource allocation and response planning.

Methods: We provide insight on the challenges of identifying, obtaining, and harmonizing administrative outcome data across four states using the collective experience from the HEALing Communities Study to test a community-engaged, data-driven, population-level intervention to reduce opioid overdose deaths. …

Enabling Communication Resiliency In The Connected Car Environment, Antonio Guerrero-Ibáñez, Juan Contreras-Castillo, Sherali Zeadally, Een-Kee Hong

Information Science Faculty Publications

Connectivity has become integral to various application domains, with the automotive sector as a prime example. Advances in electronics, computing, and telecommunications have driven the evolution of the connected car ecosystem, transforming it into a data-rich environment that enhances road safety, efficiency, and overall mobility. However, the success of this ecosystem depends on seamless, reliable, and resilient communications. We identify key challenges that may affect communications in the connected car environment and discuss solutions that enhance resiliency and robustness. Finally, we propose a multi-layered network architecture that will enhance communication resilience in the connected car ecosystem.

Previsit Ai: A Retrieval-Augmented Generation For Patient Readiness In Clinical Encounters, Rolande Umuhoza

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

With healthcare systems under growing pressure from rising patient volumes and shrinking consultation windows, improving how patients communicate with physicians has become essential to delivering quality care. Yet patients routinely arrive at appointments unable to clearly describe their symptoms, recall their medical history, or articulate concerns, contributing to miscommunication, diagnostic inefficiency, and pre-visit anxiety. This study introduces PreVisit AI, a conversational system designed to address this gap through structured, knowledge-based patient preparation. The system is built on a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architecture combining HuggingFace sentence embeddings (all-MiniLM-L6-v2), a Chroma vector store, and Google’s Gemini language model over a curated seven-document …

Three Faculty Members Begin Retirement, Jennifer Vermeer

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Finding Community In The Gaming Guild, Sarah Moss

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Lessons Of The Body, Sarah Moss

The Voice

No abstract provided.

From Sioux Center To Nyc, Jennifer Vermeer

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Saying Goodbye To The Commons, Sarah Moss

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Vision-Language System Using Open-Source Llms For Consent And Instruction Gestures In Medical Interpreter Robots, Tung Ngo, Emma Murphy, Robert Ross

Conference papers

Effective communication is vital in healthcare, especially across language barriers, where non-verbal cues and gestures are critical. This paper presents a privacy-preserving vision-language framework for medical interpreter robots that detects specific speech acts (consent and instruction) and generates corresponding robotic gestures. Built on locally deployed open-source models, the system utilizes a Large Language Model (LLM) with few-shot prompting for intent detection. We also introduce a novel dataset of clinical conversations annotated for speech acts and paired with gesture clips. Our identification module achieved 0.90 accuracy, 0.93 weighted precision, and a 0.91 weighted F1-Score. Our approach significantly improves computational efficiency and, …

The Embedding Theorem In Hurwitz–Brill–Noether Theory, Kaelin Cook-Powell, David Jensen, Eric Larson, Hannah Larson, Isabel Vogt

Mathematics Faculty Publications

We generalize the Embedding Theorem of Eisenbud–Harris from classical Brill–Noether theory to the setting of Hurwitz–Brill–Noether theory. More precisely, in classical Brill–Noether theory, the embedding theorem states that a general linear series of degree d and rank r on a general curve of genus g is an embedding if r ≥ 3. If f ∶ C → ℙ¹ is a general cover of degree k, and L is a line bundle on C, recent work of the authors shows that the splitting type of f_∗ L provides the appropriate generalization of the pair (r, d) in classical Brill–Noether …

Enhancing Hospital Length Of Stay Using Ai Agent Modular Capabilities, Dami Fred

Theses and Dissertations

Hospital Length of Stay (LOS) analysis is essential for managing hospital efficiency and financial performance, yet the analytical depth required remains inaccessible to many organizations due to technical and resource constraints. This thesis introduces the AI Agent Modular Capabilities (AIAM) framework, which decomposes LOS analysis into discrete, codifiable capabilities integrated into a single skill activatable with one prompt. Seven AI Agent Modular Capabilities were developed using a Work Breakdown Structure and tested against a simulated hospital scenario across three successive skill versions. Results demonstrate that the packaged AIAM skill produces comprehensive, consistent, multi-section LOS analyses from a single interaction, outperforming …

Type Ii Diabetes Treatment Comparison Via Compartment Modeling, Abigail M. Collins

Theses and Dissertations

Type II diabetes mellitus affects one in ten adults worldwide, yet the effects of treatment type and adherence level on developing complications and quality of life have not been well characterized at the population level, and mathematical modeling offers a structured way to examine these dynamics. This thesis adapts the Boutayeb et al. (2004) model to incorporate dynamic treatment types and levels of adherence, producing nine scenarios in which complication development rate and complication recovery rate differed, to compare peak complications and quality of life across treatment and adherence conditions. Using a system of ordinary differential equations and compartment modeling, …

Thinking Machines: Cybernetics, Artificial Intelligence, And Technological Anxiety In The American Cold War, Erin Mae Wilcox

Theses and Dissertations

Following the Second World War, cybernetics emerged as a cross-disciplinary study in philosophy, neurophysiology, electrical engineering, and mathematics. Cyberneticists proposed the formal study of the man-machine analogy; that is, to equate biological structures to a complex mechanical system. Drawing from this analogy, cyberneticists used programmable digital computers to emulate the functions of the human brain. The study of artificial intelligence emerged within this cybernetic discourse in the early 1950s; yet, by the mid-1960s, the two disciplines suffered a methodological fracture. Drawing from a tradition generated by this fracture, historians have traditionally examined cybernetics and artificial intelligence in isolation from one …

Fostering A Growth Mindset In Mathematics: Faculty And Student Experiences, Yolanda G. Rush

Theses and Dissertations

According to the Center for Community College Student Engagement (2019), many students attending two-year institutions need productive persistence strategies, including the development of a growth mindset. Although some growth mindset interventions have been effective in improving academic achievement among students (Boaler, 2016; Canning et al., 2024) and persistence (Lewis, 2019) among students, especially those with developmental needs (Suh et al., 2019) and those in mathematics, little is known about the experiences of students and teachers (i.e., students’ perceptions of teachers’ intentions and implementation) as teachers work to foster a growth mindset culture (Murphy et al., 2021). In this dissertation, I …

Revolutionizing The Cross-Border Payment System, Muhui Shi

Michigan Technology Law Review

When you bought your coffee this morning, you probably didn’t notice that many cross-border payments were hidden in the process of shipping beans in Ethiopia to the barista in your neighborhood. Comprising more than ten percent of what U.S. consumers spend, cross-border payments are an essential part of U.S. dollar dominance and commercial competitiveness. Yet, the outdated cross-border payment system—shrinking constantly in reach and struggling with structural changes—is demanding a complete upgrade.

What is the best path forward? Cryptocurrencies? E-money? Stablecoins? Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs)? In this article, I answer the question by uncovering the core needs of the …