Digital Commons Network^™

I'M Trying To Love Garbage (2021) By Bethany Barton, Peter Shea

Picture Books

Bethany Barton writes great books for kids about how minds change. In this one, the character’s arc is from thinking about garbage as just smelly icky stuff through empathizing (a little) with the creatures that feed on garbage, to eventually coming to see that all garbage is not equal; some needs special handling or it will clutter life up for a long time. The conclusion: I want to act like someone who thinks more about garbage, about what trash I create and where it ends up.”

How To Be A Nature Detective (1966) By Millicent E. Selsam, Maughn Rollins Gregory

Picture Books

Coming up with the most reasonable explanation of the available clues is something we all do on a daily basis. This book describes animal tracks as clues from which children can make inferences about what kind of animal left them and what they were doing when they did.

Eye Region Redaction: Familiar Versus Unfamiliar Face Recognition, Tyler Gandy

Dissertations and Theses

Our brains are incredibly skilled at recognizing faces, even decades later after first viewing a face. Face recognition is a crucial social function, enabling us to identify and interact appropriately with others. Studies have identified specific brain regions, such as the fusiform face area, that are specialized for this task. Additionally, areas around the eyes have been shown to be crucial to our face recognition ability. Despite the abundant research in face recognition, little is known about how we recognize familiar versus unfamiliar faces when the eye region is redacted. To understand the role familiarity plays in eye redacted face …

Rotten Through The Cores: What Decomposition Can Tell Us About Carbon Cycling, Eileen C. Reeves

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Sequestration of carbon (C) in forests means that the C is stored in the ecosystem and not emitted to the atmosphere, thus slowing the accumulation of greenhouse gases and mitigating the acceleration of manmade climate change. Quantifying the pools and fluxes of C in forests is therefore of considerable interest to landowners, policy makers, and scientists.

Decomposition is an ecological process central to the movement of C through ecosystems. This dissertation uses several techniques to help determine the factors influencing the speed of decomposition and long-term fate of decomposed plant material. In Chapter Two, phospholipid fatty acid analysis was used …

The Contributors, Marites Tiongco

DLSU Business & Economics Review

No abstract provided.

Common Data Set, Georgia Southern University

Georgia Southern Common Datasets

No abstract provided.

Review Of Digital Degrowth: Technology In The Age Of Survival, Michael Kirby

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

The Limits Of Technocratic Degrowth: A Review Of The End Of Capitalism: Why Growth And Climate Protection Are Incompatible—And How We Will Live In The Future, Michael Kirby

Publications and Research

This book review discusses Ulrike Herrmann’s The End of Capitalism: Why Growth and Climate Protection Are Incompatible—and How We Will Live in the Future, situating it within contemporary climate debates. Herrmann’s central claim—that capitalism’s dependence on perpetual growth renders meaningful climate protection impossible—is presented as a clear, accessible synthesis of degrowth arguments. The book is particularly notable for its rejection of techno-utopian solutions such as carbon capture and its skepticism vis-à-vis large-scale renewable transitions under market conditions. However, the review ultimately questions the feasibility of Herrmann's proposed alternative (the “survival economy”), demonstrating that it overlooks political power, class interests, and …

A Portrait Of Pawn Shops Loans As A Survival Strategy During Covid-19 Pandemic, Putri Kemala Dewi, Abdillah Ahsan, Krisna Puji Rahmayanti

Jurnal Ekonomi dan Pembangunan Indonesia

This study investigates the impact of the number of financing loans before and after the pandemic and analyzes internal and external factors of PT Pegadaian on Outstanding Loans as the dependent variable by using data from PT Pegadaian during 2018–2020. The statistical method used for this analysis is the Generalized Least Squares (GLS). The result shows that the financing loan by PT Pegadaian has significantly higher during the COVID-19 pandemic, then macroeconomic characteristics, ceteris paribus. In addition, this study found an increase in the need for pawning in society, indicated by the increase in Outstanding Loan (OSL) in PT Pegadaian.

A Comparative Analysis Of Hedging And Safe-Haven Properties Of Cryptocurrencies And Commodities, Tari M. Karimo, Ochoche Abraham

CBN Journal of Applied Statistics (JAS)

No abstract provided.

Reconciling Theory And Praxis. Defending Subjective Agency Against Althusser's Structuralism - Daniel Guerrero, Daniel Guerrero

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Louis Althusser labels Marx’s early works as humanist, pseudo-materialist, and self-contained within the ideology of German idealism. Therefore, all attempts to develop a Marxist theory based on these works are futile and ideological. Instead, Althusser proposes a ‘scientific’ reading of Marx developing a structuralist theory based on dialectical materialism. I argue that his interpretations deny individual agency and reduce social relations to mechanistic processes, which directly conflicts with fundamental Marxist ideas like alienation, production, and species-being. By discussing authors within the Marxist Humanist tradition, I argue that a theoretical framework based on Marx’s early works is not only possible, but …

Bayesian Networks For Safety-Critical Systems, Joseph Mietkiewicz

Theses

This thesis addresses a operational challenge in modern industrial operations: the increasing complexity of systems and the consequent cognitive burden on operators. As industrial technologies advance, the human-computer interface has become the primary conduit for information flow, playing a pivotal role in operational decision-making. However, the proliferation of data often leads to information overload, potentially compromising rather than enhancing operator performance. This research explores an approach to this pressing issue through the application of Bayesian networks as decision support systems in safety- critical scenarios. Our study employs a multi-faceted approach, combining theoretical modeling with empirical testing. Through collaboration with industry …

What Can Artificial Intelligence Tell Us About The Literary Skills Needed To Dictate A Text Like The Book Of Mormon?, Brian C. Hales

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

The first oral draft of the Book of Mormon dictated by Joseph Smith reflected remarkable literary refinement and complexity. Such observations demonstrate that he exhibited highly developed composition and oratory skills. To date, no scholar has attempted to describe the specific skills Joseph manifested while dictating. This essay addresses whether Artificial Intelligence (AI) could generate an accurate list of the skills necessary. It begins by identifying and informally testing eleven chatbots to see if they can accurately predict the skills needed to perform a task. Seeing success, they are next asked a long question about the skills needed to dictate …

Structural Tax Reform And The Next Reit Revolution, Sloan G. Speck

Publications

No abstract provided.

How Have Teacher Candidates Learned To Use Evidence? A Systematic Review Of Research, J. S. Beck, D. R. Riddle, J. J. Morgan, H. Whitesides, N. Brown

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

The purpose of the current manuscript was to provide a systematic review of the literature regarding how preservice teachers learn to use evidence to evaluate student learning. To that end, we operationalize the terms data literacy for teachers, data-driven decision making, and assessment literacy before outlining the methods of our systematic review. Our review produced 36 relevant articles situated within the United States. Based on these articles, we describe how teacher candidates learn to use data including relevant interventions and instructional methods. We also expand on the types of research methods used in these studies. We conclude with implications for …

Block Schedules In Virginia Schools: Purposes, Outcomes, And Policy Considerations, David Naff, Meleah Ellison, Jamelle Simmons, Xun Liu, Martin Darby, Crystal R. Bell, Shelby Garofalo, Obed Boateng, Wendy Rodgers, Audrina Farrar, Karli Johansen, Mysia Perry, Maggie Szydlowski, Fatemah A. Khawaji, Katherine Urban

MERC Publications

When schools and divisions choose a daily schedule structure to follow, it is important to consider its purpose and potential impacts on students, educators, and families. The purpose of this MERC research and policy brief is to inform the work of school division leaders and school board members making decisions about whether to adopt or continue the use of block scheduling in middle and high schools. It explores the following questions:

1. What are block schedules and where are they used?

2. How are school schedules related to student outcomes and educator quality?

3. What policies at the federal, state, …

Supporting Students In Transition To And From Elementary School, Meleah Ellison, Jamelle Simmons, David B. Naff, Taryn G. Traylor, Meredith Dean, Sooyeon Moon, Jia Jia Liu, Latonja Y. Wright, Cameron Parkins, Jennifer Locasale-Crouch, Dana V. Yarbrough, Audrina Farrar, Obed Amoakoh Boateng

MERC Publications

This report is part of a two-part series focused on supporting students in transition across PK-12 education. Specifically, it explores transitions into and out of elementary school. The report includes a synthesis of recent peer-reviewed literature, analysis of publicly available data (with a specific focus on Virginia and the metropolitan Richmond region), and summary of relevant federal, state, and school division-level policies. It answers the following questions:

1. What are key considerations for supporting students in transition to and from elementary school in the MERC region?

2. How do federal, state, and division policies guide support for student transitions to …

Implementing A Z-Course Program At Fort Hays State University, Claire Nickerson

Library Faculty Publications

In 2018, the Fort Hays State University (FHSU) Open Educational Resource (OER) Committee proposed a Z-Course Program to track and incentivize the use of zero-cost course materials. It included a course-marking initiative, the implementation of a small cost-share fee to students to fund the program and incentivize departments to offer Z-courses, and a Z-Course Grant Program for faculty who wanted to convert their courses. The proposal was approved in 2020 and implemented beginning in 2021. Since then, the course-marking and fee implementation have been streamlined, and the committee is working on qualitative assessment.

Dual-Mode Linear Phased Array Antennas For Monopulse Radars, Jonathan Waters

Theses

Phased array antennas are widely used around the world. Much research is focused on extending capabilities of modern wireless systems and radars. Dual-mode elements are researched for use in beamforming, monopulse radar and multi-frequency applications. Beamforming in itself is an extensively researched topic, aimed at canceling interference and/or finding signal angle-of-arrivals. The goals of this thesis are two-fold. Firstly, to take the monopulse capabilities of a dual-mode antenna element to allow for a linear phased array antenna to generate the sum, delta-azimuth, and delta-elevation channels whereas normal linear phased array antennas can only generate a single difference channel. Secondly, to …

Heat Transfer Of Additively Manufactured Turbine Alloy Blade Tips With Different Surface Enhancement Post-Processing Methods, Morgan Tatge

Theses

The investigation results presented here consider the heat transfer characteristics of seven different turbine blade tips. Six of the blades are additive manufactured with GRX-810, followed by different surface enhancement post processing techniques. Those techniques include as built, abrasive flow machining, chemical polishing with chemical mechanical polishing, micromachining, chemical polishing, and electropolishing. The seventh blade is machined with 1016 steel. These procedures give a different surface texture roughness for each blade. A transonic linear cascade within a transonic/supersonic wind tunnel is utilized. The impulse response method is employed to determine heat transfer coefficient distributions for the blades. The Tad/T0i temperature …

Multi-Factor Mathematical Optimization For Healthcare Referral And Facility Placement, Mitchell Moody

Theses

This thesis addresses the challenge of optimizing patient referrals in healthcare systems by integrating clinical needs, geographic proximity, and dynamic infection risk. Healthcare referral networks (HRNs), which capture patient transfers between hospitals, serve as the foundation of the study. First, a recommendation algorithm is developed to assign patients by jointly considering clinical compatibility and logistical considerations like travel distance, striking a balance between quality and accessibility. Building on this, a reinforcement learning framework is proposed to dynamically adjust referral strategies for vulnerable patients by incorporating the evolving risk of hospital-acquired infections. Finally, long-term planning is explored through methods that recommend …

Generation Of True Random Numbers With Actively Stabilized, Low Dimensional Chaos, Aidan Barton

Theses

True Random Number Generators (TRNGs) are heavily used and their design often relies on empirical validation from statistical test suites. Reliance solely on empirical observations to estimate entropy rates for cryptographic applications introduces risk, as accurately inferring long-term correlations demands prohibitively large datasets. Empirical validation of TRNGs must be supplemented by strong theoretical backing to justify estimated information theoretic quantities. We present an electronic, hardware TRNG scheme that produces a maximally random output guaranteed from first principles. This TRNG uses a pulse-width based hardware realization of an iterated map that produces physical entropy via low-dimensional chaotic dynamics. The simple dynamics …

Chaos-Based Thumbnail-Preserving Image Encryption, Sara Mog

Theses

As the landscape of image data usage continues to change, cloud services need to store data securely, reliably, and at times maintain a reasonable level of human usability. Thumbnail-preserving encryption (TPE) is a niche area of image encryption research that provides a balance between security and privacy. A TPE scheme encrypts an image in such a way that the thumbnail of the encrypted image is the same as or similar to the thumbnail of the original image. This work presented a chaos-based TPE scheme and explored potential pitfalls encountered when using chaos for encryption. The TPE scheme used a chaos-based …

Development Of A Constitutive Model Free Method To Determine Full-Field Stresses Based Upon Fundamental Physics Principles, Joel David Barnes

Theses

Advances in imaging techniques allow for the determination of full-field displacements and strains during materials testing. However, most analysis techniques rely on strain gages and virtual extensometers instead of utilizing all available full-field data. Those methods that do utilize the full-field strain and displacement measurements, such as Finite Element Model Updating and the Virtual Fields Method, must also rely on a user-defined constitutive material models to relate the stresses and strains. While these methods can provide accurate full-field stresses and insights into complex material behavior in some cases, they are constrained by the fact that they require a pre-selected constitutive …

Copyright And Artificial Intelligence, Part 2: Copyrightability

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

This report by the United States Copyright Office addresses the legal and policy issues related to artificial intelligence (AI) and copyright as outlined in the Office’s August 2023 Notice of Inquiry (NOI).

The report will be published in several parts each one addressing a different topic. This part addresses the copyrightability of works created using generative AI. The first part, published in 2024, addresses the topic of digital replicas—the use of digital technology to realistically replicate an individual’s voice or appearance. A subsequent part will turn to the training of AI models on copyrighted works, licensing considerations, and allocation of …

Gamified Mhealth System For Evaluating Upper Limb Motor Performance In Children: Cross-Sectional Feasibility Study, Md Raihan Mia, Sheikh Iqbal Ahamed, Samuel Nemanich

Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

Background: Approximately 17% of children in the United States have been diagnosed with a developmental or neurological disorder that affects upper limb (UL) movements needed for completing activities of daily living. Gold-standard laboratory assessments of the UL are objective and precise but may not be portable, while clinical assessments can be time-intensive. We developed MoEvGame, a mobile health (mHealth) gamification software system for the iPad, as a potential advanced technology to assess UL motor functions.

Objective: This feasibility study examines whether MoEvGame can assess children’s whole-limb movement, fine motor skills, manual dexterity, and bimanual coordination. The specific aims were to …

From Ink To Code, From Binary To Boundless Reality—Until All Returns To Emptiness, Weitong Sun

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the entangled relationship between language, memory, and technology through the lens of immigrant experience. Moving from programming to visual storytelling, I investigate how dyslexia, bilingualism, and cultural displacement have shaped my ways of reading, writing, and coding.

Beginning with personal reflections on switching from computer science to art, I trace how code offered a form of clarity and expression where written language had once failed me. Yet as I ventured into real-time simulation and XR storytelling, I encountered new forms of mistranslation—where narratives dissolved, mutated, or resisted coherence altogether.

Through a series of experiments in code-driven art, …

The Cut Worm Forgives The Plow, August Neuscheler

Theses and Dissertations

The explorations in this thesis writing are centered on William Blake’s proverb “The cut worm forgives the plow.” It has been reinterpreted as an allegory of history and energy. A theory of their relation is proposed based on forgiveness, a theory that accepts the palimpsest of orders as evidence for the abundance of the present moment. The writing focuses on questions of proportionality, scale, archaeological screening methods, planar cutting, and a critique of entropy as grounds for this theory. Some of its subjects include the Statue of Liberty, Kate Raworth’s donut economic model, sashimi, triangulation, Joseph Beuys’ “7,000 Eichen,” semiconductors, …

Dosimetric Validation Of An Electron Monte Carlo (Emc) Algorithm For Small Cutouts And Extended Ssd’S: Assessing Emc In Small Field Dosimetry, Anil Basavaaraju

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis validates the accuracy and limitations of Electron Monte Carlo (eMC) simulations in Eclipse treatment planning systems for small-field electron dosimetry and extended source-to-surface distances (SSDs). Systematic measurements were performed using a microDiamond detector across various electron energies and field sizes. The study examines the discrepancies between measured and calculated (eMC) dose distributions, validating challenges due to lateral scatter disequilibrium and extended air gaps. Our findings provide systematic data for eMC dose calculations and demonstrate that eMC performs within clinical tolerances, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the precision and safety of radiation treatments.

Infinite Finite: A View On Human Progression Through Emergent Generative Systems, Fatima Abbas

Theses and Dissertations

Contemporary crises reveal an imbalance in human progression, prioritizing material advancement while neglecting ethical, compassionate, and spiritual dimensions. This thesis examines natural progression through the lens of emergence, where simple interactions produce complex outcomes. Analyzing natural patterns across different scales, from cosmic formations to neural interactions, underscores emergence's universal nature.

Within this context, Infinite Finite introduces a generative digital tool simulating emergence through iterative cycles of construction and deconstruction. Depicting a century of human progression informed by historical behaviors via simulated cellular interactions, the tool visually differentiates ethical from unethical progression. This is represented through ten data visualization tiles composed …