Digital Commons Network^™

Buckling Analysis Of Auxetic Composite Laminates And Optimal Design Using Lamination Parameters And Machine Learning, Hans Bendon Maria Tamil Selvan

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses

Composite materials are widely used as structural panels in aerospace, automotive, and civil engineering applications, where buckling is often a critical failure mode. This thesis focuses on the analysis and design of composite laminates that maximize buckling performance under prescribed stiffness and thickness constraints.

The first part of the study investigates the buckling behavior of auxetic laminates, which exhibit a negative Poisson's ratio. While previous studies suggest that auxetic laminates can achieve higher critical buckling loads than non-auxetic laminates under simply supported boundary conditions with lateral restraint, the influence of other boundary conditions and plate aspect ratios has not been …

Executive Function Development And Academic Outcomes: Instructional Practices And Implications For Students With Disabilities, Sean P. Trewin

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Executive Function (EF) plays a significant role in academic achievement, behavior regulation, emotional development, and long-term life outcomes for students with disabilities (Pfeifer et al., 2021). This literature review examined the development of EF skills, factors that influence EF growth, evidence-based practices used to best support students with disabilities, and how EF effects the lives of students with disabilities with ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), and SLD (Specific Learning Disability) in particular. Research showed that EF skills develop progressively from early childhood through adolescence and are shaped by many factors such as neurological, environmental, and social influences …

Evaluating The Impact Of Glidant And Predicting Tablet Sticking Using Powder Rheology, And Tablet Compression Technologies, Bhavin Vishnubhai Parekh

Selected Full-Text Dissertations 2020-

Two-thirds of all pharmaceutical formulations are delivered orally, and more than half are in the form of a tablet. Tablets are the most popular in terms of both the marketed products and the volume of manufacturing. On the other hand, tablet sticking is an extremely expensive and time-consuming problem that must be addressed. Because of limited tabletpressing cycle runs and incomplete information, trying to predict the sticking propensity of a new formulation has been extremely difficult during early-development batches. A model of drugs, ketoprofen, Acetaminophen, and salicylamide, was used to predict the effect of glidants (Aerosil® 200, Talc, and Syloid® …

Anuran Occupancy Of Created Wetlands Within Reforested Legacy Surface Mines In Kentucky And West Virginia, Jillian C. Newman, Steve Price, Jacquelyn C. Guzy, Joshua Castle, John J. Cox, Jeffery L. Larkin, Christopher D. Barton

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Restoration of habitat is an important component of wildlife management. Surface coal mining has altered forest cover in the Central Appalachians, and most reclamation activities on previously mined lands result in non-native grasslands or shrub lands. The Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA), which emphasizes non-native vegetation removal, soil decompaction, planting of native trees and shrubs, and, in some cases, wetland creation represents an alternative to grassland-based reclamation that may promote forest-associated wildlife on legacy surface mines. We used automated recording units to evaluate the response of anurans to created wetlands and the FRA in Kentucky and West Virginia, USA. We used …

Law Librarianship And Legal Information Science In The Age Of Genai, Paul D. Callister

Faculty Works

This article examines the relationship between law librarianship and legal information science in the age of generative AI (GenAI), arguing that closer integration between the two is essential to navigating a rapidly evolving legal information landscape. It contends that law librarianship—long grounded in stable classification systems and cognitive authority—must adopt the analytical methods of legal information science to remain effective in the digital era. Together, these fields can reinforce the rule of law by improving the organization, retrieval, and stability of legal information. The article identifies emerging subfields of legal information science that support this integration and develops several concepts …

Deep Crustal Boundaries As Fluid Conduits: A Geochemical Investigation Of Mvt Mineralization In Kentucky And Beyond, Dairian Boddy M. Boddy

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Critical minerals are vital to the United States economy and national security, yet their supply chains are at risk. Common minerals in Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) deposits, such as sphalerite, galena, fluorite, and barite, host critical metals such as barium, gallium, germanium, and zinc, which are essential for energy technologies. An investigation of three MVT mineral districts in Kentucky elucidated previously unrecognized systematics, genetic relationships, and sources of ore components using stable and radiogenic isotope geochemistry, particularly from galena, sphalerite, barite, and gangue minerals (e.g., carbonates). The localization and dominant type of mineralization in each district are potentially influenced by deep …

Large Aerosol Particles Favor Haze Conditions Through Limitations On Water Budget And Activation Kinetics, Hamed F. Sadi, Ernie Lewis, Kadja Flore Gali, Fan Yang, Jesse Anderson, Suryadev Pratap Singh, Jae Min Yeom, Will Cantrell, Raymond Shaw

Michigan Tech Publications

Experiments in the Pi Convection‐Cloud Chamber conducted by systematically changing the diameter of injected dry aerosol particles while holding the temperature difference constant demonstrate that dry diameter strongly influences the onset of haze‐dominated conditions. Two factors contribute: the system becomes water‐limited, resulting in reduction of supersaturation by growing aerosol particles to the activation diameter; and the activation process becomes kinetically limited. Dry aerosol diameter exerts a strong influence on activation time, with a power‐law exponent of 9/2. Kinetically limited activation occurs when the ratio of the activation and droplet residence times is greater than unity. The findings demonstrate that a …

Examining The Potential Implications Of The African Continental Free Trade Area On Intra-Comesa Trade, Stein Masunda, Gabriel Mhonyera

Journal of African Trade

This article uses the structured gravity model to examine the potential effects of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) on trade within the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) region. The results show that liberalising trade through the AfCFTA has the potential effect of increasing intra-COMESA trade 1.96 times. Trade diversion is bound to occur with extra-COMESA imports expected to increase by 1.32 times.  However, the formation of the AfCFTA is important for COMESA as it leads to an overall improvement in intra-COMESA trade by 88.89%. Furthermore, the results show pure trade creation effects, in terms of …

2025-2026 Lynn University Common Data Set, Lynn University

Lynn University Common Data Set

2025-2026 Lynn University Common Data Set (CDS), prepared by Lynn University Office of Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment (AY2526).

Teaching Primary And Secondary Computing: A Comparative Study Of Classroom Practices And Resources In The Uk And Ireland, Robert Whyte, Diana Kirby, Elizabeth Cole, Tom Crick, Nicola Looker, Keith Quille, Sue Sentance

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Background and Context: As more K–12 teachers are required to teach computing, there is a need to understand how it is enacted in classrooms. In addition, many non-specialists are teaching computing for the first time. Objective: We set out to better understand how computing is currently being taught across five jurisdictions in the UK and Ireland. The aim of the study was to understand CS teaching practices, including the use of certain approaches and resources in the computing classroom. Method: We analysed survey data from 475 primary and secondary teachers across a number of relevant categories: teachers’ use of CS …

Optimizing Ucs Prediction Models Through Xai-Based Feature Selection In Soil Stabilization, Ahmed Mohammed Awad Mohammed, Omayma Husain, Mosab Hamdan, Abdalmomen Mohammed, Abdullah Ansari, Atef Badr, Abubakar Elsafi, Abubakr Siddig

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) is a key parameter for the assessment of the stability and performance of stabilized soils, yet traditional laboratory testing is both time and resource intensive. In this study, an interpretable machine learning approach to UCS prediction is presented, pairing five models (Random Forest (RF), Gradient Boosting (GB), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB), CatBoost, and K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN)) with SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) for enhanced interpretability and to guide feature removal. A complete dataset of 12 geotechnical and chemical parameters, i.e., Atterberg limits, compaction properties, stabilizer chemistry, dosage, curing time, was used to train and test the models. …

Using Grounded Iceberg Wake Patterns To Interpret Catastrophic Flood Events In Southcentral Alaska, Jana K. Macinnis

All Master's Theses

Catastrophic flood events such as landslide tsunamis and jökulhlaups in glaciated areas can transport and strand icebergs, which obstruct the flow of floodwaters and leave a unique and recognizable grounded iceberg wake pattern in the sediment surface. Grounded iceberg wake patterns (GIWs) were identified at the two study areas in Southcentral Alaska; the outwash plain of a 1967 landslide tsunami at the Grewingk Glacier and proglacial lake, and the Matanuska River valley which experienced an unrecorded jökulhlaup in recent geological times. From these sites, 110 GIWs were identified through visual interpretation of lidar imagery and characterized by measuring their geometry, …

Modelling Intermediate Internal Waves With Currents And Variable Bottom, Rossen Ivanov, Lyudmila Ivanova

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

A model for internal interfacial waves between two layers of fluid in the presence of current and variable bottom is studied in the flat-surface approximation. Fluids are assumed to be incompressible and inviscid. Another assumption is that the upper layer is considerably deeper with a lower density than the lower layer. The fluid dynamics is presented in Hamiltonian form with appropriate Dirichlet–Neumann operators for the two fluid domains, and the depth-dependent current is taken into account. The well known integrable Intermediate Long Wave Equation (ILWE) is derived as an asymptotic internal waves model in the case of flat bottom. For …

Spatial Patterns And Morphometric Evolution Of Sinkholes In Response To Watershed Hydrogeomorphology: Examples From A Karst Landscape In The Missouri Ozarks, Usa, Marcell Tóth

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Sinkholes are characteristic enclosed depressions with internal drainage connecting the surface and subsurface karst hydrologic system. Their morphological evolution involves gradual subsidence of the ground surface and hazardous collapses. Therefore, understanding sinkhole morphometry and linked spatial distribution is critical for managing geohazards in karst watersheds. Sinkhole occurrence shows spatial variability based on watershed geomorphological attributes, surficial hydrological patterns, hydrogeological and geological settings. The aim of this research is to investigate morphometric properties and distribution of sinkholes in the carbonate karst-dominated lands of Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri, USA. The specific objectives were to (1) identify sinkhole clusters based on …

A Nonstandard Exploration Of Approximate Identity And Unitization, Tong (Nicole) Wu

HMC Senior Theses

The goal of this senior thesis is to explore general nonstandard analysis and some possible applications to 𝐶^*-algebras in functional analysis. More specifically, we shall define an approximate identity of a 𝐶^*-algebra using nonstandard analysis and study nonstandard hulls of internal 𝐶^*-algebra in the context of different unitizations. We shall also prove a few results for ideals in 𝐶^*-algebra using nonstandard definitions of approximate identities. We shall also briefly discuss the history and developments of nonstandard analysis.

Supporting K-5 Computer Science Integration Through High-Quality Teacher Professional Development, Shanan Chappell Moots, Joanna K. Garner, Joseph A. Brobst, Melani Loney, Lisa Steffian, Jennifer Maeng

Center for Educational Partnerships Publications

Workforce development and education leaders have increasingly emphasized the need for high-quality computer science (CS) instruction for K-12 students. Though states have created and mandated the implementation of CS curriculum standards, few in-service teachers have been provided sufficient opportunities to develop CS pedagogical content knowledge and self-efficacy. This study evaluated the effect of a CS integration professional development (PD) program on K-5 teachers' perceptions of their capacity to teach CS and their implementation of CS-integrated lessons using a randomized controlled trial design. Treatment included an intensive online summer institute with school year follow-up. Results indicate statistically significant effects of the …

A Transdisciplinary Approach To Advancing Water Security And Public Health: The “Nurse + Engineer” Model For Achieving Sustainability In Wash Systems Using Community-Based Participatory Research, Daniel B. Oerther, Sarah Oerther

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Human health is linked to the health of the environment, a concept referred to as planetary health. As environmental challenges become increasingly complex, single-disciplinary approaches are insufficient to achieve sustainable solutions. This article presents a transdisciplinary framework, termed the "Nurse + Engineer" model, as a novel methodology for addressing complex problems at the nexus of environmental engineering and public health. The model integrates the technical design and systems-level thinking of environmental engineering with the community-based, patient-centered care of nursing. This work details the key lessons learned from the retrospective application of this framework to a series of multi-year, community-based participatory …

First Remi Experiments At A Cryogenic Ion Storage Ring, M. Schulz, F. Herrmann, W. Zhang, A. Dorn, M. Grieser, F. Grussie, H. Kreckel, O. Novotny, A. Wolf, T. Pfeifer, C. D. Schröter, R. Moshammer

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We have recorded double, triple, and quadruple coincidences between neutralized projectiles, recoiling target ions, and two electrons created in collisions of slow anions with neutral atoms. The experiments were performed at the cryogenic storage ring in Heidelberg. The recoil ions and ejected electrons were momentum-analyzed using a Reaction Microscope (ReMi) spectrometer. Various processes involving electron detachment from the projectile accompanied by various transitions in the target were investigated. Detachment without any transition in the target is qualitatively well described by a quasi-free electron model in the case of an Ar target. In detachment with single target ionization, no signatures of …

Environmental Engineers Develop Solutions To Problems Of Planetary Health: The Legacy Of Professor P. Aarne Vesilind, Daniel B. Oerther

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The principal ethical obligation of the engineering profession, to "hold paramount the health, safety, and welfare of the public," has been challenged for decades. Professor P. Aarne Vesilind identified two primary deficiencies: an anthropocentric bias that values nature only instrumentally and the use of non-mandatory, aspirational language for environmental protection, which resulted in the exclusion of enforceable environmental canons. This paper argues that two recent developments provide a comprehensive response to Vesilind's recommendations for engineering ethics. First, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics has redefined environmental engineering as "developing solutions to problems of planetary health." Second, Oerther proposed a …

Brightness And Distance Of The Stars: Joly Photometer, Larry Browning, Kay Cutler

Astronomy Activities

How bright a star appears to an observer on earth and what color or colors make up its light can tell a lot about a star. The brightness offers a clue to how far away a star is. The color indicates how hot the star is. Together they may suggest the size of a star. Examining the details of the star light with a spectroscope shows the various colors that come from the star and indicates the very specific colors that are muted or missing, as well as those that are brighter than expected (absorption and emission spectra). This gives …

Smartflow: A Communication-Efficient Sdn Framework For Cross-Silo Federated Learning, Osama Abu Hamdan, Hao Che, Engin Arslan, Md Arifuzzaman

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Cross-silo Federated Learning (FL) enables multiple institutions to collaboratively train machine learning models while preserving data privacy. In such settings, clients repeatedly exchange model weights with a central server, making the overall training time highly sensitive to network performance. However, conventional routing methods often fail to prevent congestion, leading to increased communication latency and prolonged training. Software-Defined Networking (SDN), which provides centralized and programmable control over network resources, offers a promising way to address this limitation. To this end, we propose SmartFLow, an SDN-based framework designed to enhance communication efficiency in cross-silo FL. SmartFLow dynamically adjusts routing paths in response …

A Computational Investigation Of The Deposition Of Firebrands Subject To A Turbulent Jet Flow, Patrick Wayne Damiani

Dissertations

To improve the understanding of the role of firebrands in fire spread, the dispersion and deposition of firebrands carried by turbulent jet flows were simulated by Lagrangian particle tracking and large--eddy simulation. The simulations were configured to replicate previous experiments involving cubiform and cylindrical particles carried by pipe flow and the resulting jet flow before deposition on the ground. First, validations were performed for the jet flow simulations by comparing quantities such as the jet spread rate and velocity decay constant with previous experimental and theoretical values for free jet flows. Then, two series of simulations were performed to evaluate …

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

Sainik Vol 1 Issue 2, Sastra Deemed To Be University

SAINIK

No abstract provided.

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter, January 2026, University Of Northern Iowa. Iowa Waste Reduction Center.

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter

Contents:

--- Retirement Celebration: Jim Olson

Conference Program, West Tennessee Educational Association, Memphis, Tn, 1927

Documents

A program for the West Tennessee Education Association conference held at the Claridge Hotel, Memphis, Tennessee, 1927 November 10-12. Ellen Davies wrote her name on the program and took notes on the inside.

Appendix 13.1, Daniel L. Dinsmore, Hope E. Wilson

UNF Faculty Research and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Semi-Mechanistic Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic Model For Beta-Lactam Antibiotic Combination Against Enterococcus Faecalis Based On Time-Kill Assays To Predict Drug Disposition And Guide Dosing Strategy In A Severe Renal Impairment Population, Ruhma Zia Khan

Selected Full-Text Dissertations 2020-

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics continues to be a global health problem, limiting antibacterial therapy against infective endocarditis caused by Enterococcus faecalis. To overcome increasing resistance, dual beta-lactam therapy has been advocated as an alternative regimen for treatment – the synergistic activity against E. faecalis demonstrated to be effective. Currently, ampicillin plus ceftriaxone is the standard of care, but the practical application of this therapy is limited by ampicillin’s poor stability in solution at room temperature. A synergistic combination of penicillin plus ceftriaxone shows promise due to penicillin’s superior stability at ambient temperature, but ceftriaxone’s potential to cause hepatoxicity further limits …

Leading For Wholeness: Black Girlhood, Morrison And Hurston, And The Epistemology Of Flourishing In Independent Schools, Kamaya Prince Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates how Black girls in US independent schools experience Zora Neale Hurston’s, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, alongside the larger, traditional literary canon taught within high school English classrooms as texts that can shape their sense of self. In this project, wholeness is defined through a tripartite framework consisting of three interconnected parts: Self (a deepened sense of identity and ways of knowing), Community (experiences of belonging, safety, mentoring, and joy), and Purpose (the development of values, meaning, and a sense of connection both to the community and self). These aspects are …

The Relationship Between Fixed Mindsets, Irrational Beliefs, And Athletic Performance In High School Track And Field Athletes, Gianna Bolusi

Theses and Dissertations

Sports performance research demonstrates that growth mindsets and flexible belief systems enhance athletes’ performance, while studies on fixed mindsets and irrational beliefs reveal detrimental effects. How irrational beliefs may influence the relationship between fixed mindset and athletic performance has not been explored in high school aged athletes. This research seeks to understand the role of irrational beliefs in the relationship between fixed mindsets and objective and subjective athletic performance. Measures of irrational beliefs, fixed mindsets, perspective of performance and styles of evaluating performance were analyzed among 211 competitive high school aged track and field athletes with a mean age of …