Digital Commons Network^™

Unraveling The Impact Of Curricular Complexity On Graduation Time: A Causal Analysis In Higher Education, Ameer Slim

Mathematics & Statistics ETDs

This study examines the causal relationship between program complexity and graduation time at UNM. While program complexity is recognized as a factor influencing student outcomes, its precise impact on graduation timelines remains underexplored. Using comprehensive cohort data, this study employs causal inference methods, including generalized propensity scores, to estimate the effect of complexity on time-to-degree. Findings reveal that higher program complexity extends graduation timelines, even after controlling for demographics and academic preparedness. Socioeconomic factors also play a role. Specifically, programs with more Pell Grant recipients and lower median high school GPAs tend to have lower complexity levels. These results provide …

Assessment Of A Textbook Affordability Initiative: A Framework For Measuring The Impact On Student Enrollment And Retention Outcomes, Katie Bishop, Omer Farooq, Andrew Swift, Stephen Craig Finlay

Criss Library Faculty Publications

The rising costs of textbooks have prompted widespread textbook affordability initiatives in higher education. Programs that reduce student costs and offer increased access have become an integral part of campus strategic planning initiatives. In this case study, we discuss the design, implementation, and assessment of an Affordable Content grant program at a medium sized, R2, urban university. The grant was awarded with a stipulation that the system-wide program will also be assessed. The assessment of the impact and efficacy of affordable course content initiatives requires quantitative strategies often outside academic librarians' expertise. To this end, we partnered with campus stakeholders …

Faculty Senate Chronicle April 3, 2025, Heather Loughney

The University of Akron Faculty Senate Chronicle

Minutes for the regular meeting of The University of Akron Faculty Senate on April 3, 2025

A Non-Linear Optimization Model For Controlling The Real Area Of Contact In Surface Texture Design, Sandra Eksioglu, Min Zou

Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Motivated by the potential of surface texturing to enhance the tribological performance of micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS), this study proposes a novel non-linear optimization approach for designing textured surfaces. This model minimizes the contact area between interacting surfaces and deformation during sliding under dry conditions by controlling key design parameters, such as the size and shape of the designed surface. We test the performance of the proposed model using the lotus leaf surface with dimensions of 248 x 136 micrometers. Due to the large size of the model, we propose a solution approach which consists of a data aggregation …

Intraspecific Variation In Morphological And Biochemical Responses To Salinity And Flooding In Phragmites Australis, Olivia Hurley

LSU Master's Theses

Phragmites australis is a widespread wetland plant species with numerous haplotypes, several of which are highly invasive. In low-lying coastal marshes of Louisiana, the Delta-type (haplotype M1) dominates across a wide range of salinity and flooding environments. This suggests that Phragmites may be highly adaptable to diverse environmental conditions and that there may be a genetic component, as seen in other coastal wetland plant species. While non-native Phragmites haplotypes are targeted for control and removal in many areas, they are considered beneficial for marsh stabilization and contributing to elevation gain in coastal Louisiana, where several areas experience rapid land loss. …

Optimizing Llm X86 Assembly Code Comprehension Through Fine-Tuning, Darrin Michael Lea

LSU Master's Theses

Reverse engineering is a cybersecurity process that focuses on understanding the underlying functionality of software or malware. This is an arduous process that demands large amounts of time and effort from cybersecurity practitioners. Large Language Models (LLMs) offer a potential solution to this problem. LLMs have worked their way into various fields of cybersecurity in recent years, including incident response and malware classification. However, LLMs have historically struggled with low-level code comprehension: a necessary part of reverse engineering. While LLMs can generate code and explain its function on the surface level, they struggle to grasp the wider context. In this …

Innovative Design Methodology For Durable Open-Graded Friction Course Asphalt Mixtures, Anas Abualia

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Open-graded friction course (OGFC) is a thin asphalt mixture surface layer with a high percentage of coarse aggregates and high interconnected air voids, which provides improved skid resistance, visibility, and decreased pavement-tire noise. However, construction personnel at DOTD reported that conventional OGFC mixtures have short service life (raveling distress). Further, their structural contribution to the pavement structure is commonly neglected and designed only for functionality purposes.

The objective of this study was to develop a rational mix design methodology to improve the durability of OGFC asphalt mixtures. Specific objectives are to: (1) conduct a rheological and chemical characterization of polymer-, …

Modeling And Simulation Of Methane And Co2 Hydrates In Porous Media, Chico Sambo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation presents a comprehensive study on modeling and simulation for
methane hydrate production and CO2 sequestration. The research focuses on pore-
scale and reservoir-scale modeling techniques to understand the dynamics of gas
hydrate dissociation, the associated risks of subsidence, and the potential for CO2
storage in deep-sea environments.
This dissertation begins with an investigation into pore-scale modeling. Specif-
ically, a detailed pore network model was developed to simulate the processes of
methane hydrate dissociation and formation. However, the numerical simulations
revealed that assuming an isothermal process for hydrate formation and dissociation
is not physically realistic. Consequently, the results obtained …

Applications Of Terahertz Spectroscopy In Food Industry, Ma Hao, Huang Luelue, Duan Xu, Li Xiaoting, Li Bin, Chen Xuan

Food and Machinery

The article summarizes the various application scenarios of terahertz spectroscopy technology in the food industry,analyzing its effectiveness,advantages,and disadvantages in different applications.In food traceability,this technology combines spectral and image signals to achieve precise predictions through mathematical models,effectively identifying issues such as food adulteration.In component detection,through qualitative and quantitative analyses,terahertz technology enables the detection of pesticide residues,veterinary drug residues,and food additives to ensure food safety.For quality monitoring,the technology can leverage spectral absorption characteristics and integrate them with mathematical models to monitor quality changes,such as oil oxidation and mold growth in agricultural products.

The Importance Of Motivation And Self-Concept For Predicting Performance In Service Mathematics Modules: Replicating And Extending Previous Findings, Catherine Palmer, Maryna Lishchynska, Declan O’Connor, Seán Lacey

Department of Mathematics Publications

Students’ difficulties and lower-than-desired mathematics performance in higher education have been the focus of educational research and practice for a period of time. In a recent study by Lishchynska et al. (2023), learners’ motivation, dispositions towards mathematics and learning strategies were examined as factors potentially affecting performance in service mathematics modules. The main objectives of this study were to replicate the findings of Lishchynska et al. (2023) with a new student cohort; determine if self-concept is a significant contributortomathematicsperformance;andexploreifmathematicalbackgroundremainsan important predictor of mathematics performance for students as they migrate from first year to final year of study. A survey of …

New Custom Primers For The Detection Of Sars-Cov-2 Using The Singleplex Rrt‒Pcr Sybr Green-Based Method With The Nsp10 And N Genes As Targets, Shabarni Gaffar, Hanif Shabrinna, Rafika Putri, Hesti Lina Wiraswati, Yeni Wahyuni Hartati, Safri Ishmayana, Lia Faridah, Savira Ekawardhani

Chimica et Natura Acta

Although COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency, rapid, sensitive, and specific detection tests are still needed. In this study, we developed a cost-effective test, the SYBR Green-based rRT‒PCR kit, using new custom primers targeting the N and NSP10 genes of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The specificity of the designed primers was determined through agarose gel electrophoresis. A standard curve generated from a ten-fold dilution of SARS-CoV-2 RNA was used to determine the efficiency and sensitivity of the kit. Validation of this protocol was carried out on ten clinical specimens. As expected, the results showed that the N and NSP10 …

Formulation Of Nanoemulsion Based Sungkai Leaves Extract (Peronema Canescens Jack) And Cinnamon Oil (Cinnamomum Burmannii (Nees & Th Nees) Blume) As An Antioxidant And Skin Protection Factors (Spf) Agent, Putri Agustin, Mahya Ihsan, Ade Lestari, Indra Lasmana Tarigan

Chimica et Natura Acta

Sungkai (Peronema canescens Jack) and Cinnamon (Cinnamomum burmannii) are herbal plants which are known to have a high content of secondary metabolite compounds as a source of natural antioxidants which are able to inhibit free radical compounds in the body and convert these free radical compounds into non-radical compounds. The greater the free radical scavenger activity in the product, the better the SPF value will be. However, the use of the extract as an active substance in cosmetic dosage forms has a low pharmaceutical elegance, so the extract is formulated using the SNEDDS (Self Nano-Emulsifying Drug Delivery System) technique. Nanoemulsion …

2025 April 3 - Tennessee Weekly Drought Summary, Tennessee Climate Office, East Tennessee State University

Tennessee Climate Office Weekly Drought Summaries

No abstract provided.

Seoul National University Agn Monitoring Project. V. Velocity-Resolved Hβ Reverberation Mapping And Evidence Of Kinematics Evolution, Shu Wang, Jong-Hak Woo, Aaron J. Barth, Vardha N. Bennert, Elena Gallo, Edmund Hodges-Kluck, Minjin Kim, Suvendu Rakshit, Tommaso Treu, Hojin Cho

Physics

We present velocity-resolved reverberation lags of Hβ for 20 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) from the Seoul National University AGN Monitoring Project. We detect unambiguous velocity-resolved structures in 12 AGNs, among which eight objects exhibit symmetric structures, two objects show inflow-like characteristics, and two objects display outflow-like signatures. For two AGNs, we successfully measure the velocity-resolved lags in different years, revealing evidence of evolving broad-line region (BLR) kinematics. By combining our sample with the literature velocity-resolved lags, we find that the symmetric velocity-resolved lags are the most common (40%) type among this sample. The frequency of inflow kinematics is also …

Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry: Summary Of The Second Workshop, Adam Abdalla, Mahiro Abe, Sven Abend, Mouine Abidi, Monika Aidelsburger, Ashkan Alibabaei, Baptiste Allard, John Antoniadis, Gianluigi Arduini, Nadja Augst, Philippos Balamatsias, Antun Balaž, Hannah Banks, Rachel L. Barcklay, Michele Barone, Michele Barsanti, Mark G. Bason, Angelo Bassi, Jean Baptiste Bayle, Charles F.A. Baynham, Quentin Beaufils, Sélyan Beldjoudi, Aleksandar Belić, Shayne Bennetts, Jose Bernabeu, Andrea Bertoldi, Clara Bigard, N. P. Bigelow, Nathan Lundblad, Et Al.

All Faculty Scholarship

This summary of the second Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry (TVLBAI) Workshop provides a comprehensive overview of our meeting held in London in April 2024 (Second Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry Workshop, Imperial College, April 2024), building on the initial discussions during the inaugural workshop held at CERN in March 2023 (First Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry Workshop, CERN, March 2023). Like the summary of the first workshop (Abend et al. in AVS Quantum Sci. 6:024701, 2024), this document records a critical milestone for the international atom interferometry community. It documents our concerted efforts to evaluate progress, address emerging challenges, and refine strategic …

March Campus Catch Up, Julia Perez

Press Releases 2020-2029

No abstract provided.

Privacy At Scale: A Study Of Mobile App Privacy Practices, Katherine Perez

LSU Master's Theses

What is privacy in a world where people are more connected than ever? Due to the Internet and its rapid advancement, the way information is shared and accessed has fundamentally changed. Millions of people interact with social networks, websites, and applications daily—and with each interaction, some data is collected from the user. In many cases, users cannot access a website or application without first accepting the service’s Privacy Policy. However, these policies often obscure the details of how a consumer’s data is handled, burying important information under dense legal language. In response to growing concerns about transparency, some platforms have …

Unfitted Finite Element Methods For Shape Optimization And Liquid Crystals, Jeremy T. Shahan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

We present an approach to shape optimization problems that uses an unfitted finite element method (FEM). The domain geometry is represented, and optimized, using a (dis- crete) level set function and we consider objective functionals that are defined over bulk domains. For a discrete objective functional, defined in the unfitted FEM framework, we show that the exact discrete shape derivative essentially matches the shape derivative at the continuous level. In other words, our approach has the benefits of both optimize-then- discretize and discretize-then-optimize approaches.

Specifically, we establish the shape Fréchet differentiability of discrete (unfitted) bulk shape functionals using both the …

“When Black Women Whisper”: An Exploration Of Why Black Women Stay In K-12 Education, Chelsea Lynne Murry

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Abstract

From low retention rates to race and gender biases to being overworked and undervalued in the classroom, Black women leave education at higher rates than any other demographic. This study highlighted the experiences of Black women in K-12 education settings, the role of support systems in their retention and advancement, and why they stay in K-12 education. The study used Counter-storytelling in Critical Race Theory, Black Feminist Thought, and Womanism to examine the race and gender inequities that Black women face and to highlight their lived experiences. Through the use of Sista Circles/focus groups and one-on-one interviews, the research …

Modeling The Cystic Fibrosis Intestinal Environment To Study Microbial Interactions, Kaitlyn Emma Barrack

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

The microbiome of the cystic fibrosis (CF) intestine is altered significantly in structure and function beginning in early life. Key taxa associated with health, digestion and immune-training are reduced in abundance, including but not limited to Bacteroides, Faecalibacterium, Akkermansia, Ruminococcus and other short-chain fatty acid producers. Conversely, there is an expansion of microbes with pathogenic potential, such as Escherichia, Veillonella, Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus. The shifts in microbiota composition direct community-wide changes with differences in beta diversity by genotype, whereby children with CF (cwCF) exhibit significantly different gut microbial compositions compared to nonCF children. Additionally, shifts in microbiota structure often …

A Study Of The Sum Of Divisors, Henry M. Willie

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Replicating And Testing The First Point-Contact Transistor, Lucas Ethington, Lana Herkenhoff, Braden Stillmaker, Punit Turlapati

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Exit Strategy: How Methods Of Gaining Independence From European Colonial Powers Impact Development In Post-Colonial African Nations, Sophia Wehle

Undergraduate Student Symposium

How does the way a colony gains independence from its power impact that colony’s future development? It is well documented that being a former colony has an impact on how a nation develops once they are independent, however, what is not clear is if a nation’s development is impacted by the way they separate from their colonial power. This paper argues that there is a correlation between the way a colony gains their independence and how developed they are. For the sake of this research three main ways of gaining independence will be considered: though violent resistance, peaceful negotiations, or …

Comparative Genomics Across Streptomyces Murinus Strains To Identify Biosynthetic Gene Cluster For Antifungal Metabolite 'Pentamycin', Nitish Dundigalla, Ashley Bran Sampson, Smrithi Mukund, Melianni Terrero Terrero

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Streptomyces are filamentous, Gram-positive bacteria in the phylum Actinobacteria that are known to produce a diverse array of antimicrobial metabolites. A Streptomyces murinus strain SPC1, contains a 15- gene biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) that produces an antifungal metabolite ‘pentamycin’ (fungichromin), and is shown to exhibit antimicrobial activity against fungal pathogens of palms¹. Using SPC1 strain as a reference, we analyzed the conservation of BGCs across 17 other S. murinus strains. A specialized bioinformatics analysis tool, antiSMASH² , was used to identify and annotate BGCs that produce pentamycin. Pairwise comparison of the 15 genes comprising the pentamycin cluster …

Empowering Gender Diverse Students: Developing A Resource Guide At Nova Southeastern University, Meghana Jagarlamudi, Kayla Sewell

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Between 2018 and 2022, faculty mentor and previous research partners conducted interviews and needbased assessments with transgender students at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) highlighting the need for greater awareness of university policies, procedures, and resources supporting the well-being of gender-diverse students. To address this, the research team collaborated to explore NSU's current policies on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB), Title IX, protocols for names and pronouns, housing and bathroom accommodations, advocacy processes, and student organizations across these campus offices. These findings led to the creation of the NSU Resource Guide for Gender Diverse Students (work in progress), which offers …

The Fascinations And Downfalls Of Undergraduate Pre-Health Students, Alexis Salcedo

Undergraduate Student Symposium

This project aims to research and discover the stress of Pre-health students and the effects that stress has on their passions for the field. The pre-health field is notorious for being difficult and requiring incredibly hard work, however, all pre-health students all have a common goal in mind and that is to become health professionals in their respective field. As a pre-health student myself, I came into college with a great passion for my field, however, I have certainly faced struggles along the way, but they have not deterred me from my goal. In order to get information, there will …

The Stability Of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids In Salmon Following Gamma Irradiation, Saya Seraj

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), particularly omega-3 and omega-6, are essential nutrients for human health, with salmon being a significant dietary source. However, fish spoilage during refrigeration remains a concern. Gamma irradiation has been approved as a method to reduce bacteria in various foods such as chicken, beef, and shellfish, but it has yet to be approved for fish. To gain FDA approval, it is crucial to demonstrate that this process preserves the nutritional components, particularly PUFAs, in irradiated fish.

In this study, we investigate the effects of gamma irradiation on the PUFA content of salmon at doses of 0.5 kGy …

Buzz And Bloom: Attractiveness Of Odor And Petal Color In South Florida Native Flowers, Maria Castellon, Claudette Artiles, Fabie Gelin, Nia Lewis

Undergraduate Student Symposium

South Florida is home to many species of flowers, such as Tradescantia ohiensis (also known as Spiderwort) and Bidens alba (also known as Spanish needle). Spanish Needle is a common weed that has a small flower with white petals and a yellow center while Spiderwort is a wildflower with bluish-purple petals and yellow anthers. Flowers have adapted their physical traits to attract pollinators through their colorful petals and the aromas they emit. Bees are known to use visual cues to identify flowers over long distances and use odor cues for short distances. The objective of this study was to evaluate …

How Do Gamified Interventions Influence Long-Term Health Outcomes In Managing And Reducing The Progression Of Chronic Illnesses Among Children Under 18?, Taruni Singanamala, Mohit Belur, Jeremy Ignatius

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Despite the advancements in medical care, children below the age of 18 years and their parents or guardians face significant challenges in managing chronic diseases, such as strict treatment regimens with lifestyle modifications for effective management. Nutrition, exercise, and adherence to medication all prevent children from acquiring or assist them in managing a chronic illness. Recent studies have shown that gamifying these aspects makes these goals more attainable and could be the answer to encouraging children and their families. Gamified interventions show promise in improving behavioral adherence and longer-term health outcomes by including features such as rewards, challenges, and progress …

Socioeconomic Drivers Of Crime In France: Analyzing The Relationship Between Immigration, Poverty, And Criminality, Imadeddine Zmarou

Undergraduate Student Symposium

This study examines the relationship between immigration and crime in France, using departmental data from 2021. Amid rising political tensions and far-right claims linking immigration to insecurity, the research investigates whether these assertions hold statistical merit. Regression analyses assess the impact of immigrant population percentages on homicide and sexual assault rates, controlling for factors such as poverty and population density. The analysis finds no significant link between immigration and homicide rates. Instead, poverty emerges as a major determinant, with departments experiencing higher poverty levels reporting significantly more homicides. Conversely, areas with higher immigrant populations report fewer sexual assaults, a trend …