Digital Commons Network^™

Approval Letter For The Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Residential Metals Abatement Program – Interior School Dust - Remedial Action Work Plan (Rawp) – East Middle School (Dated December 8, 2022), Nikia Greene

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Comments For The Draft Final Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit, 2021 Unreclaimed Sites Sampling Ur-30 Site Evaluation Summary Report (November 22, 2022), Nikia Greene

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Comments For The Draft Final Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit, 2021 Unreclaimed Sites Sampling Ur-40 Site Evaluation Summary Report (April 11, 2022), Nikia Greene

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Cementation And Groundwater Chemistry In Pleistocene Paleodune Deposits Of The Central Oregon Coast, Adrienne Lynn Stephens

Dissertations and Theses

Pleistocene paleodune deposits occur along the Oregon coast, underlying coastal towns, roadways, and associated power and water infrastructure(s). Secondary cementation within these deposits provides some stability, allowing for near-vertical sea cliffs and roadcut outcrops. Yet, slope instability is a prevalent hazard observed within the paleodune deposits. Weakening of cementing agents via changes to groundwater conditions due to altered vegetation, climate change, or contamination, for example, could promote slope instability, threatening lives and infrastructure. This study aims to investigate the variability in the type and degree of cementation and to determine how they are affected by changes in groundwater conditions.

To …

Comparing The Performance Of Different Machine Learning Models In The Evaluation Of Solder Joint Fatigue Life Under Thermal Cycling, Jason Scott Ross

Dissertations and Theses

Predicting the reliability of board-level solder joints is a challenging process for the designer because the fatigue life of solder is influenced by a large variety of design parameters and many nonlinear, coupled phenomena. Machine learning has shown promise as a way of predicting the fatigue life of board-level solder joints. In the present work, the performance of various machine learning models to predict the fatigue life of board-level solder joints is discussed. Experimental data from many different solder joint thermal fatigue tests are used to train the different machine learning models. A web-based database for storing, sharing, and uploading …

Organizational Readiness Assessment For Fraud Detection And Prevention: Case Of Airlines Sector And Electronic Payment, Sultan Ayed Alghamdi

Dissertations and Theses

Payment processing systems have advanced significantly in the airline business. Because e-payments are easy, they have captured the attention of many companies in the aviation industry and are quickly becoming the dominant means of payment. However, as technology advances, fraud grows at a comparable rate. Over the years, there has been a surge in payment fraud incidents in the airline sector, reducing the platform's trustworthiness. Despite attempts to eliminate e-payment fraud, decision-makers lack the technical expertise required to use the finest fraud detection and prevention assessments; this research recognizes the lack of an established decision model as a hurdle and …

The Effect Of Damping By An Environment On Emergence Of Classicality, Paul Bracken

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

The role of dissipation with respect to a microscopic superposition of quantum states is investigated by means of master equations. This has implications for the study of the emergence of classicality from the quantum level. In particular, it illustrates why it is difficult to observe a macroscopic quantum state. The role of the environment is assumed by the measuring apparatus. A pure state is reduced to a mixture in the pointer basis of the system by means of the interaction with the apparatus. It is the intention that this type of analysis will have applications to experiments which are designed …

Electrochemically Synthesized Biogenic Silver Nanoparticles Using Green Tea Extract As A Promising Antioxidant, Dhony Hermanto, Nurul Ismillayli, Irmawanti Irmawanti, Ilfa Fathulloh, Diska Nila, Ulul Khairi Zuryati, Handa Muliasari, Rahadi Wirawan

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The role of an antioxidant in cancer prevention has led to the development of its synthesis, including green tea-capped silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), which are natural antioxidants. The biogenic AgNPs were synthesized electrochemically from pure silver wire using local green tea extract for the first time, with a characteristic peak at 420 nm. The method shortened the reaction time and produced long-term stable and narrow-size distribution nanoparticles. The spherical AgNP with an average size of ~17 nm was confirmed in TEM analysis. Furthermore, FTIR analysis and phytochemical assays revealed that the -OH group of flavonoids and terpenoids was responsible for the …

In Search Of Belonging Online: Achieving Equity Through Transformative Professional Development, Michelle Pacansky-Brock, Michael Smedshammer, Kimberly Vincent-Layton

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Abstract

Online classes hold the potential to expand college access to Black, Latino/a/x, Indigenous, and other students of color who must be supported to diversify the STEM workforce. Research shows that fostering belonging is key to the academic success of students from minoritized groups. However, online classes often lack interpersonal interactions and are often left out of research about the positive impacts of belonging. This paper summarizes an equity-focused STEM grant project that produced an openly-shared online professional development program, the Humanizing Online STEM Academy. Through the Academy, STEM faculty are introduced to a model of humanized online teaching that …

Zero, Śūnya And Pūrṇa: A Comparative Analysis, Animisha Tewari

Comparative Philosophy

Due to apparent duality in this world, one has to face a lot of difficulties while searching for the Truth. Our ego is the root cause for perception of duality and this in turn leads to suffering. This suffering can only be extinguished by attainment of the Truth, i.e, non-duality. However, in order to enable the finite intellect to comprehend the incomprehensible non-duality, this undifferentiated whole is sometimes denoted by nothingness (śūnya) or fullness (pūrṇa). Non-duality is usually understood by the numeral ‘1’ which stands for unity or oneness. The main aim of this paper is …

How Al-Farabi’S Interpretative Method Can Engage With Aristotle’S Method In Cognition And Practical Philosophy, Meysam Shirvani

Comparative Philosophy

Following Aristotle, al-Farabi divides philosophy into theoretical and practical each of which requires some specific methodology both in interpretation and cognition. Based on this division, there may arguably be four methodologies for four parts: 1) cognition of theoretical philosophy 2) interpretation of practical philosophy 3) cognition of practical philosophy 4) interpretation of practical philosophy. This paper focuses on the last one: the methodology of interpreting practical philosophy. Al-Farabi has an undeniably significant contribution to practical philosophy as a commentator on Greek philosophy and as a founder. In this paper, I investigate how al-Farabi (870-950 AD) read classical practical philosophy to …

The Best Confucian Hybrid Meritocracy-Democracy For Liberal Democracies, John J. Park

Comparative Philosophy

Several contemporary Confucian philosophers have posited differing hybrid views fusing meritocracy to democracy. There is a good deal of interest in a meritocracy in contemporary Confucian thought, and such a view perhaps should receive more serious consideration in liberal democratic thought since it may make for a stronger form of government when appended to democracy. In this paper, four contemporary hybrid theorists who combine elements of a meritocracy with a democracy are critically analyzed concerning an ability for their views to be instantiated in liberal democracies for the legislative branch only. Finally, I provide a modified hybrid view for the …

Ineffability, Emptiness And The Aesthetics Of Logic, Andreas Kapsner

Comparative Philosophy

In this essay, I explore the nature of the logical analysis of Buddhist thought that Graham Priest has offered in his book The Fifth Corner of Four (5of4). The paper traces the development of a logical value in- troduced in 5of4, which Priest has called e. The paper points out that certain criticisms I have made earlier still stand, but focuses on a recon- ceptualization of 5of4 in which these arguments carry less weight. This new perspective on the book, inspired by a response to my arguments by Priest himself, sees the logical analysis of Buddhism …

Dreaming Philosophers: The Daoist And The Metaphysician, Kelly S. Inglis

Comparative Philosophy

Is this just a dream? Daoist philosopher Zhuang Zi and metaphysician Descartes both considered this question but came to very different conclusions. In his Dream Hypothesis, Descartes imagined that all of his beliefs about the external world could be mistaken, which led him to the realization that the only thing that he could be certain of was his own existence: “I think therefore I am.” But what am “I”? “I am a thinking thing”, he said and concluded that the existence of one’s mental self is clear, certain and indubitable, while the existence of a physical world was open …

Full Issue: Volume 1, Issue 1, Editorial Board

Crossings: Swarthmore Undergraduate Feminist Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Queer Ecologies: A Final Syllabus/Zine Product Of Our Independent Study, Yeh Seo Jung, Ray Craig

Crossings: Swarthmore Undergraduate Feminist Research Journal

This zine is the product of our independent study course Queer Ecologies, which is an exploration of bio-social systems using a queer and feminist theoretical lens. We aim to look critically at knowledge formation and construct alternative visions for more just and sustainable relationships between science, nature, and ourselves. While queer theory most directly interrogates the normative structure of heterosexuality both in humans and in biology more broadly, these studies include analyses of hierarchy, power, and value. Queer Ecology can be used to examine phenomena such as climate change, extinction, pollution, species hierarchies, agricultural practices, resource extraction, and human population …

Shared Learning Spaces: Peer And Faculty Mentors Develop Skills While Supporting Minoritized Health Sciences Students, Keshrie Naidoo, Shweta Gore, Martha Mckean, Margaret Mullins, Garrett Bowdle, Amanda Mack, Laura Plummer

Health Professions Education

Purpose. To explore the effect of virtual mentoring on (1) the development of cross-cultural psychological capital among a group of mostly White health sciences faculty mentors and (2) the effect of perceived competence in mentoring for second-year peer mentors from minoritized backgrounds enrolled in health sciences programs. Method. This mixed-methods study leveraged an explanatory sequential design with quantitative (survey) data collected before qualitative data (focus group interviews). Four first-year physical therapy students and four first-year nursing students were each matched with a faculty mentor and a peer mentor from a minoritized background. Seven peer mentors and eight faculty mentors completed …

An Assessment Of Fundamental Statistical Knowledge Among Health Science Faculty Teaching Statistics At Accredited Institutions, Michael R. Jiroutek, Syeda Zahra Ali, Todd A. Schwartz, Myoungjin Kim, Matthew J. Hayat

Health Professions Education

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare statistical knowledge of faculty who teach statistics (versus those who do not) in accredited health science schools (dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy and public health). Methods: A stratified probability sample of accredited schools was selected, and all faculty at each selected school were invited to participate in an online survey assessment of fundamental statistical topics. Results: A total of 708 faculty from 102 schools participated. The overall response rate was 6.5%. Seventeen percent of faculty who reported teaching statistics had taken two or less statistics/biostatistics courses. Among the faculty who reported teaching …

Gas-Phase Formation And Spectroscopic Characterization Of The Disubstituted Cyclopropenylidenes C-C3(C2h)2, C-C3(Cn)2, And C-C3(C2h)(Cn), Athena R. Flint, Alexandria G. Watrous, Brent R. Westbrook, Dev J. Patel, Ryan C. Fortenberry

Faculty and Student Publications

Aims. The detection of c-C3HC2H and possible future detection of c-C3HCN provide new molecules for reaction chemistry in the dense ISM where R-C2 and R-CN species are prevalent. Determination of chemically viable c-C3HC2H and c-C3HCN derivatives and their prominent spectral features can accelerate potential astrophysical detection for this chemical family. This work will characterize three such derivatives: c-C3(C2H)2, c-C3(CN)2, and c-C3(C2H)(CN).

Methods. Interstellar reaction pathways of small carbonaceous species are well-replicated through quantum chemical means. Highly-accurate cc-pVX Z-F12/CCSD(T)-F12 (X =D,T) calculations generate the energetics of chemical formation pathways as well as the basis for quartic force field and …

Proton, Neutron, And Nuclei Models Without Strong Nuclear Force, Polievkt Perov

College of Arts & Sciences Faculty Works

We show that for the particles that have both a charge and a magnetic moment, combining the electrostatic and the magnetic interactions between particles allows to build a consistent description of nuclear structures made of such particles, without introducing the concept of a strong nuclear force. In the modern nuclear physics, protons and neutrons are described as consisting of quarks, the particles that possess the charge and the spin magnetic moment properties. We show that combining the electrostatic and magnetic forces between quarks in nucleons, it is possible to achieve all the required interactions in the nucleons the strong nuclear …

Data Set For "Atmospheric Aging Of Combustion-Derived Particles: Impact On Stable Free Radical Concentration And Its Ability To Produce Reactive Oxygen Species In Aqueous Media", Brian Majestic, Heather L. Runberg

Chemistry and Biochemistry: Data Sets

Environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFR) are an emerging pollutant found in soot particles. Understanding how these change as they move through the atmosphere is important to human health. Here, soot was generated in the laboratory and exposed to simulated sunlight. The concentrations and characteristics of EPFR in the soot was recorded. Additionally, formation of hydroxyl radical from the photoactivated soot was measured.

Larval Dispersal Patterns And Connectivity Of Acropora On Florida’S Coral Reef And Its Implications For Restoration, Samantha King, Antoine Saint-Amand, Brian K. Walker, Emmanuel Hanert, Joana Figueiredo

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Since the 1980s, populations of Acropora cervicornis and A. palmata have experienced severe declines due to disease and anthropogenic stressors; resulting in their listing as threatened, and their need for restoration. In this study, larval survival and competency data were collected and used to calibrate a very high-resolution hydrodynamic model (up to 100m) to determine the dispersal patterns of Acropora species along the Florida’s Coral Reef. The resulting connectivity matrices was incorporated into a metapopulation model to compare strategies for restoring Acropora populations. This study found that Florida’s Coral Reef was historically a well-connected system, and that spatially selective restoration …

2023 Mlk Celebration, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

MLK Celebration

Podcast: Aaliyah Ali '23 and Yareli Marinez '23

A Platform to Justice Panel Discussion: Moderated by Will Perkins, Chief Mission and Impact Officer

• Andrew Joseph Family (Panelist)
• Oscar Grant Family (Panelist)
• Mike Brown Family (Panelist)
• Emmett Till Family (Panelist)
• Brandan Matthews ‘10 (Panelist)

Gravity Wave Drag Parameterizations For Earth’S Atmosphere, Christopher J. Heale, Christopher G. Kruse, Jadwiga H. Richter, M. Joan Alexander, Julio T. Bacmeister, Junhong Wei

Publications

Atmospheric gravity waves (GWs), or buoyancy waves, transport momentum and energy through Earth’s atmosphere. GWs are important at nearly all levels of the atmosphere, though, the momentum they transport is particularly important in general circulation of the middle and upper atmosphere. Primary sources of atmospheric GWs are flow over mountains, moist convection, and imbalances in jet/frontal systems. Secondary GWs can also be generated as a result of dissipation of a primary GWs. Gravity waves typically have horizontal wavelengths of 10’s to 100’s of kilometers, though, they can have scales of 1’s to 1000’s of kilometers as well. Current effective resolutions …

2021 Redistricting In Virginia: Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Reforms, Alex Keena

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

The redistricting cycle that followed the 2020 census provided the first test of Virginia’s redistricting reforms that were enacted when voters approved the constitutional amendment in the 2020 General Election. The centerpiece of these reforms is the bipartisan Virginia Redistricting Commission, comprised of eight citizen and eight legislator members. This article details how the 2021 redistricting occurred under the new reforms, and it evaluates the maps that were ultimately approved.

While the selection of the commissioners unfolded successfully and in accordance with the law, the work of the commission was mired by partisan fighting and dysfunction. Nevertheless, a statistical analysis …

The Effects Of Salinity And Acetaminophen On The Aquatic Snail Physa Acuta, Michelle Sackey-Ansah, Megan Mackey, Daniel Elias, Jason Doll, Alyssa Brookhart

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Pharmaceuticals are increasingly detected in water bodies, and their presence can negatively impact aquatic organisms. This effect can be amplified when combined with increasing salinity in freshwater ecosystems. Acetaminophen is a widely used analgesic that is commonly found in river, streams, and waters where it is discharged directly. Therefore, organisms present in these locations (e.g., insects, snails, amphibians, and fish) are likely to be affected by acetaminophen. In this study, we determined the effects of elevated salinity (0.68 g/L), acetaminophen (500 µg/L) and combined elevated salinity (0.68 g/L) and acetaminophen (500 µg/L), on the growth, reproduction, and movement of the …

Scalable Causal Structure Learning: Scoping Review Of Traditional And Deep Learning Algorithms And New Opportunities In Biomedicine, Pulakesh Upadhyaya, Kai Zhang, Can Li, Xiaoqian Jiang, Yejin Kim

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Causal structure learning refers to a process of identifying causal structures from observational data, and it can have multiple applications in biomedicine and health care.

OBJECTIVE: This paper provides a practical review and tutorial on scalable causal structure learning models with examples of real-world data to help health care audiences understand and apply them.

METHODS: We reviewed traditional (combinatorial and score-based) methods for causal structure discovery and machine learning-based schemes. Various traditional approaches have been studied to tackle this problem, the most important among these being the Peter Spirtes and Clark Glymour algorithms. This was followed by analyzing the …

Metamobility: Connecting Future Mobility With Metaverse, Haoxin Wang, Ziran Wang, Dawei Chen, Qiang Liu, Hongyu Ke, Kyungtae Han

School of Computing: Faculty Publications

A Metaverse is a perpetual, immersive, and shared digital universe that is linked to but beyond the physical reality, and this emerging technology is attracting enormous attention from different industries. In this article, we define the first holistic realization of the metaverse in the mobility domain, coined as “metamobility”. We present our vision of what metamobility will be and describe its basic architecture. We also propose two use cases, tactile live maps and meta-empowered advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), to demonstrate how the metamobility will benefit and reshape future mobility systems. Each use case is discussed from the perspective of the …

Artificial Intelligence Mechanisms In Countering Violent Extremism, Ammar Al-Babli

Journal of Police and Legal Sciences

The research idea revolves around the mechanisms of artificial intelligence in monitoring and combating extremist groups' dissemination of bad, misleading ideas, destructive ideologies, fake images, and videos, especially those related to terrorism and extremism. Artificial intelligence can be used to confront violent extremism on social media platforms. Social media companies widely use artificial intelligence in their efforts to remove and ban terrorist content from their platforms. The research includes threats arising from cyberspace, such as terrorism, promotion, recruitment, exploitation, and hate speech, to random email, as the ultimate goal of terrorists is to undermine societies and political systems by generating …

Proactive Scientific Forecasting Of Cyber Threats, Mohamed Badrat

Journal of Police and Legal Sciences

The cyber globalization has brought about significant transformations in human life. Despite supporting the goals of sustainable development, contributing to the exchange of ideas and beliefs, blending cultures and knowledge, and promoting the trade of goods and services among different peoples of the world, it poses threats to privacy and reduces security. Unethical behaviors and cyber crimes have been prevalent in this widespread and interconnected world, replacing traditional crimes with electronic ones. With the evolution of globalization and technological advancement, cyber threats undermine all avenues of progress and prosperity.

The study adopted a descriptive-analytical methodology to describe and study the …