Digital Commons Network^™

Butte Reclamation Evaluation System Corrective Action Plans For Reclaimed Sites 2025 Bres Site Specific Corrective Action Plans For Quadrant 2, Butte-Silver Bow Department Of Reclamation And Environmental Services

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Zero-Shot Transfer Of Foundation Time-Series Forecasters To Datacenter Operational Telemetry: Mapping A Domain Nobody Gets To Study, David Pace Jr

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis asks how best to forecast real datacenter operational telemetry. Can pretrained foundation time-series forecasters do it zero-shot, or do trained classical baselines perform best? On a single-site benchmark of eight audited targets and four horizons (32 slices), the zero-shot foundation forecasters Moirai, Chronos, and TimesFM win 26 of 32 slices against multivariate classical baselines. However, the foundation wrappers operate per-channel on the target history, while classical baselines consume the full feature tensor. When the same classical models are retrained univariate, the foundation lead persists (27 of 32 slices) and a 3-seed rerun of a classical challenger reproduces it; …

Multi-Angle Dynamic Light Scattering Experiments With Real-Time Autocorrelation Using Field-Programmable Gate Arrays, Spiros Simotas

Theses and Dissertations from DePaul University

Dynamic light scattering (DLS) determines particle size from temporal fluctuations in coherently scattered light. Here a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) computes intensity autocorrelations in real time, and an automated diffractometer with custom 3D-printed cuvette, laser, homing, and GT2-gear mounts enables multi-angle measurements. Square-wave timing tests at 1 Hz, 100 Hz, and 10 kHz verified the correlator response. Calibrated latex spheres were then measured at seven scattering angles from 32.5◦ to 44.5◦. Each autocorrelation function was fit to the standard single-exponential form g(τ ) = B + βe−2Γτ with weights from analytic per-lag Poisson uncertainties σg = pg/N based on coincidence …

Towards Understanding Users' Theory Of Recommender Systems, Mohammed Muheeb Faizan Ghori

Theses and Dissertations from DePaul University

Recommender systems have become deeply embedded in digital platforms such as streaming services, social media, and e-commerce applications, shaping how users discover information, consume content, and interact with online environments. Despite their widespread adoption, these systems are frequently perceived as opaque ‘black boxes’, leaving users uncertain about how recommendations are generated, why certain content is prioritized, and whether their interactions meaningfully influence recommendation outcomes. Existing research at the intersection of recommender systems and human–computer interaction has largely focused on improving transparency, explainability, and recommendation quality from a system-centered perspective. However, limited research has examined how users conceptualize recommender systems and …

Prototyping Of A Spectropolarimetry Module For Lenslet-Based Integral Field Spectrographs, Manasa Lakshmi Narasimhan

Theses

Integral-field spectropolarimetry enables simultaneous spatial, spectral, and polarization measurements. Observations of polarized light allow researchers to map magnetic fields, distinguish scattering from intrinsic emission, and characterize the geometry of sources illuminating the large-scale dust distribution within and around galaxies. In tandem with spectral information, polarized emission can be used to detail the kinematics of dust expelled from galaxies and to probe the underlying spectrum of scattered light—measurements that help constrain key open questions such as the missing baryon problem and the role of feedback in galaxy evolution. However, spectropolarimetry is a rare capability among ground-based observatories. This thesis showcases a …

Comparing Deposition-Dependent Variations In Tungsten Oxide Thin-Film Composition Using X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, Tevfik Ozkaynak

Theses

In this work, tungsten oxide thin films were fabricated using magnetron sputter deposition and electron beam evaporation under varying oxygen conditions to produce a range of stoichiometries, including substoichiometric compositions near WO₂.₇. The primary goal was to evaluate how reliably X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) can quantify the stoichiometry of WOₓ thin films, determine how deposition conditions influence measured composition and oxidation states, and assess how argon ion sputtering, used for surface cleaning, alters tungsten oxidation states and affects XPS based stoichiometry. The films were analyzed using XPS under ultra-high vacuum conditions. Survey spectra were used to identify elemental composition, while …

Project Prioritization For Near-Optimal Functionality Risk Reduction In Bridge Networks, David Y. Yang, Anteneh Deriba

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Bridge retrofit prioritization is commonly guided by structural vulnerability, traffic conditions, or indirect consequences following a single bridge failure. However, these metrics often fail to identify retrofit projects that maximally reduce system-level functionality risk, because they do not account for the consequences of joint failures among multiple bridges. This presentation develops a mathematically rigorous, gradient-based approach to bridge retrofit prioritization for achieving a near-optimal reduction in functionality risk. This risk is formulated as the expected increase in total travel time given probabilistic bridge survival or failure under external stressors such as earthquakes. By reinterpreting risk as the evidence term in …

Reports Of Legal Writing’S Death Are Greatly Exaggerated: Why Generative Ai Will Not Kill The Craft, Jayne T. Woods

Journal of Dispute Resolution

In preparing for this essay, I typed the phrase “legal writing is” into Google to see how common searches finished the thought. The only completed thought to appear was “legal writing is hard.” Amen. Legal writing is an amalgamation of logical reasoning, cognitive psychology, classical rhetoric, legal terminology, legal citation, and proper grammar and style, all of which must result in a product accessible to readers of all education levels. When generative AI arrived, producing cogent, plausible legal prose in seconds, it led many to believe that writing, generally, and legal writing, specifically, had reached the end of days.

Glacier Elevation Difference Data For The Conterminous U.S., Andrew G. Fountain, Bryce Allen Glenn, Christopher Mcneil, Brian Menounos

Geology Faculty Datasets

Historic and recent elevation data for the glaciers in the conterminous US were differenced to estimate glacier mass and volume change.

Historic glacier elevations were obtained from the USGS National Elevation Dataset (https://doi.org/10.15760/geology-data.04), a digitized product from the USGS 1:24,000 paper topographic maps that included the glacier extent (Gesch, 2007). Recent glacier elevations were derived from aerial lidar and from satellite radar. The lidar data were largely obtained from the USGS 3D Elevation Program (Stoker and Miller, 2022; US Geological Survey, 2024), and filtered by acquisition date using only those data collected between mid-summer and early autumn. The …

The Geologic History Of The Chehalis Forearc Basin, Washington State, Usa, R. L. Moe, J. Bershaw, L. M. Staisch, A. R. Streig

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Chehalis basin is located between the Cascade arc and the Coast Range in southwest Washington State. It consists of sedimentary and volcanic rocks deposited throughout the Cenozoic and is underlain by the Siletzia terrane, a thick, large igneous province accreted in the Eocene. Here, we constrain evolution of the Chehalis basin depocenter using isochore maps derived from isostatic gravity anomalies, borehole data, and stratigraphy for several time periods: the Eocene (47.6–36.8 Ma), the Oligocene (36.8–20 Ma), and the Neogene (20–0 Ma). Our results suggest that local subsidence is driven by deformation on faults that bound and intersect the basin. …

Statistical Evaluation Of A New Orleans Historic Rainfall Dataset (1840–1893), Arielle C. Filostrat

LSU Master's Theses

This study evaluates the climatic credibility of a newly identified historical rainfall dataset for New Orleans, Louisiana, spanning 1840–1893. The New Orleans Historical Dataset (NOHD) is compared to a modern observational record from the Audubon rain gauge (1893–2024) to determine whether nineteenth-century rainfall observations are consistent with known precipitation behavior in the region. Establishing the reliability of early records is critical for extending climatological baselines and improving understanding of long-term rainfall variability.

Historical rainfall observations were first evaluated through archival review using the New Orleans Medical and Surgical Journal and other nineteenth-century meteorological records to verify notable rainfall events. Daily …

Improving Neutron Scattering And Fission Modeling With Modern Machine Learning, Karl Daningburg

Theses

We describe the development of a novel emulator for the fission fragment decay code, $\texttt{CGMF}$, which calculates the emission of prompt neutrons and $\gamma$ rays from fission fragments.  The emulator described in this work uses a combination of a noisy emission model and mixture density network to model the neutron and $\gamma$-ray multiplicities and energies.  In this manuscript, we display the power of this type of emulator for not only modeling average prompt fission observables but also correlations between fission fragment initial conditions and these observables, using both neutron-induced and spontaneous fission reactions. We find that neutron ($\gamma$-ray) multiplicities can …

Understanding The Lubrication Mechanisms Of Environmentally Compatible Protic Ionic Liquids, Davis Kipkania Kiboi

Theses

The development of environmentally sustainable lubricants is increasingly important as industries seek to reduce friction, wear, energy losses, and environmental impact. Choline amino acid protic ionic liquids (PILs) have emerged as promising candidates due to their bio-based constituents, tunable molecular structures, and favorable lubrication properties. However, the influence of amino acid structure on their lubrication mechanisms and tribological performance remains poorly understood. This dissertation investigates the physicochemical properties, tribological behavior, and tribofilm formation mechanisms of choline amino acid PILs to establish structure–property–performance relationships for sustainable lubricant design. Ten choline amino acid PILs containing glycine, alanine, lysine, leucine, isoleucine, aspartic acid, …

The Impact Of Alexithymia On Body Image: The Mediating Role Of Rumination Among Students At Sultan Qaboos University, Fatima Alrahbi, Mai Helmy, Amal Alhadabi

Journal of Educational and Psychological Studies

The study aimed to examine the mediating role of rumination in the relationship between the dimensions of alexithymia and body image among first-year students at Sultan Qaboos University in the Sultanate of Oman. The descriptive method was employed, and the sample consisted of 310 male and female first-year students at Sultan Qaboos University, who were selected using a convenience sampling method. The study instruments included three scales: the Body Image Scale, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, and the Rumination Scale. The results indicated the presence of statistically significant direct effects of the dimensions of alexithymia on rumination. The findings showed that …

The Effectiveness Of A Digital Game-Based Learning Environment In Developing Problem- Solving Skills Among Primary School Students, Ayda Abdulkareem Aleidan

Journal of Educational and Psychological Studies

The study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a digital learning environment based on educational games in developing problem-solving skills among female elementary school students. The digital environment was designed using educational game tools (ClassCraft, Kahoot!, Scratch) within interactive activities that consider learners’ characteristics and the requirements for developing problem-solving skills. The sample consisted of 64 fifth-grade students, divided into two groups: an experimental group (n = 31) that learned through the game-based digital environment, and a control group (n = 33) that learned through traditional instruction. An electronic game-based training program was implemented, along with an observation checklist to …

Centering Culture, Language, And Identity In A History Of Mathematics Course For Preservice Teachers, Luis Miguel Fernández, Tenchita Alzaga Elizondo

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

This article presents the redesign of an undergraduate History of Mathematics course for preservice teachers at a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Grounded in Community- and Family-Centered Pedagogy (CFCP) and Marshall’s framework for culturally sustaining mathematics teaching, the course intentionally moved beyond Eurocentric narratives to center students’ linguistic, familial, and cultural resources as integral to mathematical meaning-making. Two core assignments anchored the redesign: (1) evolving Padlet reflections that connected global mathematical histories to students’ family and community practices, and (2) bilingual Cuentos Matemáticos that wove mathematical concepts with personal and cultural narratives in English and Spanish. Selected student reflections illustrate how these experiences …

There Is No Free Benchmark: An Institutional View Of Legal Ai Benchmarking, Neel Guha, Andy K. Zhang, Christine Tsang, Christopher D. Manning, Julian Nyarko, Daniel E. Ho

Faculty Scholarship

Despite substantial excitement around the use of AI in law, little information exists on the performance and associated risks of the domain’s widely marketed tools. Recent work, for instance, has demonstrated the significant potential for “hallucinations” — wherein models make up facts, law, and precedent — leading Chief Justice Roberts to spotlight this risk in his annual report on the judiciary. We argue that there is a need for public AI benchmarking in law. First, relative to other AI application domains, the legal AI ecosystem lacks legibility — there is little information about the design and performance of many commercial …

Adlm Guidance Document On Incorporating Gender Diversity In Pathology And Laboratory Medicine, Tiffany A Thomas, Gabrielle N Winston-Mcpherson, Ina Amarillo, Alisha D Berry, Caroline J Davidge-Pitts, Sridevi Devaraj, Zil Goldstein, Brad S Karon, Brooke M Katzman, Mahmoud A Khalifa, Hung S Luu, James H Nichols, Tracy L Stockley, Michelle R Stoffel, Dina N Greene, Matthew D Krasowski

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: The first international clinical standards of care for the gender-diverse population were formulated in the late 1970s. In the last 15 years, multiple subspecialty societies within the United States have developed clinical care guidelines for those with gender dysphoria, including gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) and surgical treatments. To date, there are no pathology- and laboratory medicine-specific recommendations in the United States for the gender-diverse population.

Content: This document outlines pathology- and laboratory medicine-specific recommendations for providing optimal care to the gender-diverse population, with a predominant focus on the adult population. The scope of this document focuses on the following …

Biphasic Sleep Is A Feature Of Sleep Disturbance In Syngap1-Rd, Aida Doucoure, Het Patel, Mark A Abboud, Alice Sperry, Sarah K Wanigatunga, Deana Crocetti, Heather Volk, Adam P Spira, Stewart H Mostofsky, Vaishnav Krishnan, Constance Smith-Hicks

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Study objectives: Sleep problems are common in children with SYNGAP1-Related Disorder (SYNGAP1-RD). The use of devices that objectively estimate sleep are complicated by co-occurring sensory disorders in this population. We examined the feasibility and validity of wrist actigraphy to examine sleep and rest-activity rhythms (RAR).

Methods: Data from five children with SYNGAP1-RD and 42 typically developing children were analyzed. All children were asked to wear the Actiwatch-2 for 14 continuous days and caregivers were asked to complete a sleep diary and the Children Sleep Health Questionnaire (CSHQ). Parametric (alpha, beta, acrophase, amplitude, up/down mesor, mesor), nonparametric (intradaily variability, interdaily stability, …

Advancing Imbalanced Classification Through Representation Learning, Morteza Mohammady Gharasuie

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

Real-world datasets frequently exhibit severe class imbalance, where certain categories are significantly underrepresented relative to others, leading standard empirical risk minimization to bias learning toward majority classes and degrade performance on minority categories. This dissertation addresses imbalanced classification across both structured tabular data and long-tailed visual recognition by developing methods that improve representation learning and decision reliability under skewed distributions. For tabular data, it introduces Conditional Probability Representation (CPR), a target-based encoding framework that embeds feature–label relationships directly into the representation space, enhanced by a progressive feature upgrading mechanism for semi-supervised settings and a class-frequency–aware extension that improves robustness to …

System For Privacy-Preserving Cryptographic Auditing Using Zero-Knowledge Proofs, N/A

Defensive Publications Series

Systems for enterprise security may rely on high (fidelity) logging, which can involve collecting and storing large volumes of sensitive event metadata, creating security and privacy liabilities. A cryptographic auditing framework may be utilized where, instead of storing raw event data, a system can generate and store a succinct cryptographic proof, such as a zero-knowledge proof. This proof can serve as a mathematical attestation that a permitted action occurred in compliance with a governing policy, potentially without revealing the specific details of the user or the action. This approach can be used to generate a tamper-evident, privacy-preserving, and space-efficient audit …

Establishing New Territorializations In A Community-Engaged Tesol Program: Insights From College Student Experiences, Lourdes Cardozo-Gaibisso, Savanah Stewart, Daniela Coral Patino, Haylee Morman

Journal of English Learner Education

This article presents a community engaged learning experience and its instructional implications for TESOL. The instructional cultures established in policies and practices that dictate college students’ engagement with the “real world” are dependent upon the ways they respond to and translate existing territories in social, cultural, political, and linguistic interactions with multilingual learners and communities. From a Deleuzoguattarian perspective on territorialization and deterritorialization, this article problematizes how college students perceive, and question established norms and taken-for-granted ways of doing emphasizing the importance of reflective practices, ongoing supports for all participants involved, and partnerships with local communities, advocating for a nuanced …

Sustained Reading: Multilingual Learners Exploring The Language Of A Text, Priscila J.B.M. Costa, Luciana C. De Oliveira, Meghan Love

Journal of English Learner Education

In US schools, multilingual learners (MLs) are expected to meet the same rigorous disciplinary standards as their English-speaking peers while also developing proficiency in English. This article demonstrates how sustained reading, as part of the Teaching and Learning Cycle, can support MLs' access to disciplinary literacy through the explicit attention to language features. Grounded on the Language-based Approach to Content Instruction (LACI), the article presents a classroom vignette from a 5th-grade social studies lesson in which MLs dissected a mentor text. The lesson illustrates how code-breaking within sustained reading makes disciplinary language visible, helping students notice the linguistic choices common …

Matching The Stars To A Game Of Aggression, E. Chambers, Kristen Barnard

Electronic Proceedings of Undergraduate Mathematics Day

Region against region and army against army, we chart and battle among the stars! This paper studies the combinatorial game Aggression using graph-theoretic models. We focus on how winning strategies depend on the structure of the game graph, with particular attention to star graphs, matchings, and their disjoint union. The results presented here come from research conducted under the guidance of Dr. Kristen Barnard during the summer of 2025. We begin by introducing the game, describing the rule set used, and explaining how maps can be represented as graphs. From there, we examine how adjacency, placement order, and tie-breaking rules …

Strict Steiner Symmetrization For Polygons, Joseph Chai, Sun-Yung Alice Chang

Electronic Proceedings of Undergraduate Mathematics Day

In this note, we introduce a method called Strict Steiner Symmetrization (see Section 2.2) that is an altered form of Steiner Symmetrization that fixes the number of vertices. The context of this paper will be to prove the Isoperimetric Inequality in R2 via approximation by polygons. Specifically, to establish that among all n-gon domains in the plane, the regular m-gon, m ≥ n, uniquely minimizes the isoperimetric ratio and that the limit of this regular polygon (that is the circle) achieves equality in the isoperimetric inequality. This note is an extracted portion of my junior thesis (A Polygonal Proof of …

Huffman Tree Uniqueness, Elijah Diller, Adam Volk

Electronic Proceedings of Undergraduate Mathematics Day

The Huffman algorithm is a standard algorithm used to generate an optimized binary encoding of a string. Using this algorithm, it may be possible to come up with more than one possible optimized binary encoding for a given string, so the following question arises: what strings have a unique optimized binary encoding? By unique encoding, we mean a unique vertex-labeled binary tree resulting from the Huffman algorithm. We do not worry about edge labels as every binary tree corresponding to a string with n distinct characters has 2n−1 ways of assigning the edge labels and determining the code. This investigation …

Predator-Prey Dynamics: Exploration And Logistic Extension Of The Lotka-Volterra System, Amanda Maylath, Samuel Brensinger

Electronic Proceedings of Undergraduate Mathematics Day

The Lotka-Volterra system is a classic model of predator–prey interactions, capturing the interdependent growth and decline of two species. Using a dynamical systems approach, we identify fixed points, linearize the system via the Jacobian, and analyze phase space trajectories to determine stability and long-term behavior. This analysis provides insight into predator-prey dynamics without requiring explicit solutions. We further extend the model by incorporating a carrying capacity for the prey, reflecting more realistic population dynamics.

Numerical Solutions Of The Poisson And Heat Equations Via Wave Kernel-Based Particular Solutions, Braylon Smith, Anup Lamichhane

Electronic Proceedings of Undergraduate Mathematics Day

In this paper, we investigate the closed-form particular solutions of Poisson’s equation using the wave kernel as a forcing term. We explore how the method of approximate particular solutions can be applied to obtain numerical solutions of partial differential equations such as the Poisson and heat equations with Dirichlet boundary conditions in 1D. Numerical experiments carried out in MATLAB validate that the derived closed-form particular solutions provide accurate numerical results, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

The Recovery Of Meaning In A Digital Age: E-Discovery And The Renewal Of Judgment, William F. Hamilton

Journal of Technology Law & Policy

Modern litigation unfolds within a dense and expanding digital environment. Nearly every human activity now leaves behind emails, documents, metadata, collaborative communications, and machine-generated records that together form the factual foundation of contemporary litigation. This Article argues that electronic discovery is not merely a technical, managerial, or compliance process, but a core litigation practice concerned with the recovery, reconstruction, and rehabilitation of the factual world on which judgment depends.

Tracing the evolution of discovery from its twentieth-century roots to the present era of pervasive digital evidence, this Article shows how electronically stored information (ESI) continues to alter the dynamics of …

Exploring Early Career Public General Education K–6 Teachers’ Experiences With Their Training For Teaching Special Education Students In Inclusive Classrooms, Alexandra E. Ray

Doctor of Education Program Dissertations

Although Canada is often regarded as a leader in inclusive education, reports note that many students’ needs remain unmet and inclusion is typically implemented by placing students in mainstream classrooms with individualized accommodations. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of seven early career K–6 public general education teachers in Ontario (1–4 years of practice) as they engaged in inclusive education and prepared to teach students with special needs. Participants reported that teacher preparation coursework presented inclusive models only superficially, professional development was fragmented and insufficient prompting self-directed learning and structural constraints in schools limited individualized support. Teachers described …