Digital Commons Network^™

Integrated Management Of Diplodia Ear Rot And A Comparison Of Stenocarpella Species Affecting Corn, Luke C. Warner

Theses and Dissertations--Plant Pathology

Corn is a globally important crop used for food, feed, and ethanol production, but often the grain quality is threatened by Diplodia ear rot, caused by Stenocarpella maydis and Stenocarpella macrospora. Effective management of Diplodia ear rot is difficult to achieve. This study evaluated the efficacy of foliar fungicides, including products listed by the Organic Material Research Institute (OMRI), against S. maydis in vitro and in field settings, as well as comparingthe aggressiveness of the two causal pathogens of Diplodia ear rot. The in vitro assays indicated a wide variation in sensitivity of S. maydis to the fungicide active ingredients, …

Computational Clinical Judgment: Predicting Risk With Large Language Models, Hannah Laqueur, Ryan W. Copus

Faculty Works

For seventy years, research has shown actuarial methods outperform clinical judgment. Yet actuarial approaches have limitations: they generally rely on structured data; cannot exploit rare case-specific details; have limited accuracy where outcome data are scarce or incomplete; and cannot offer case-level justifications. Large language models (LLMs) offer a different approach. Like actuarial methods, they aggregate information algorithmically, but like clinicians, they bring general knowledge and can provide case-level justifications. We prompted seven LLMs to assess rearrest risk from 113 parole hearing transcripts and compared their predictions to a machine learning model trained on 4,000 cases with 91 administrative variables. GPT-5 …

Part Em: Classical Electrodynamics, Konstantin Likharev

Essential Graduate Physics

Includes: Electric Charge Interaction; Charges and Conductors; Polarization of Dielectrics; DC Currents; Magnetism; Time-Dependent Electromagnetism; Electromagnetic Wave Propagation; Radiation, Scattering, Interference, and Diffraction; Special Relativity; Radiation by Relativistic Charges

First Amendment Protection For Unlicensed Wellness Coaches, Barbara Zabawa

Faculty Works

This article examines the constitutional implications of state efforts to license unregulated wellness practitioners, particularly wellness coaches. As occupational licensing expands, wellness services—ranging from nutrition counseling and life coaching to mindfulness and holistic practices—face increasing scrutiny. The paper argues that most wellness coaching involves speech rather than conduct and therefore qualifies for First Amendment protection. Drawing on Supreme Court and lower court precedent, it distinguishes between professional judgment that may justify state regulation and speech-based coaching practices that pose minimal risk of harm. The analysis situates wellness coaching within broader debates over professional regulation, consumer empowerment, and the marketplace of …

Visioning Towards Abolition: Building An Asian American Movement, Kathy Wu, Angela Chang, Graphic Design Department, Fleet Library, Special Collections

Faculty & Librarian Work

24 unnumbered pages : illustrations ; 22 cm. Title from cover. Cover included in pagination. At head of cover: "Building an Asian American movement". "Second edition printed in 2026 by Many Folds Press on a RISO SF9450. Edition of 150."--back cover.

Includes bibliographical references. Special zines copy has a library book pocket and card with information on the publisher, Many Folds Press. RISD Faculty, kathy wu, RISD Graphic Design faculty.

Visioning Towards Abolition is a zine about the history of policing in the United States, and ways that carceral frameworks have impacted — and organized — Asian Americans.

Included …

Beyond War: Building Wisdom Civilization To Rescue Humanity, Andrew Targowski

Comparative Civilizations Review

This paper presents a comparative civilizational analysis of humanity’s transition from a War Civilization to the emerging Wisdom Civilization. Drawing on the works of Toynbee, Sorokin, Quigley, Huntington, Spengler, and Koneczny, it interprets the present global disorder — marked by the tension between Western, Chinese, Russian, and Muslim civilizations — as a transformative moment in human history. War and militarism, once adaptive mechanisms of civilizational growth, have become self-destructive in an era of technological interdependence. It is proposed that the next evolutionary stage of civilization must integrate knowledge with conscience to form a Wisdom Civilization founded on empathy, sustainability, and …

The Jevons Filter: Why Civilizations May Fail Before Reaching “Type I” Status, Giray Fidan

Comparative Civilizations Review

Humanity’s accelerating energy use poses profound questions about the long-term viability of technological civilization. This paper introduces the “Jevons Filter” hypothesis: a self-reinforcing feedback loop between efficiency improvements and rising aggregate consumption, rooted in the classical Jevons Paradox that systematically drives civilizations toward resource depletion and environmental thresholds. Here we argue that this feedback constitutes a critical developmental barrier, hindering sustainable progression toward Kardashev “Type I” energy mastery. We develop a simplified thermodynamic model linking energy efficiency, economic expansion, and civilizational dynamics, and engage with counterarguments regarding absolute decoupling and transformative technological innovations. Building on the classical Jevons Paradox, this …

Full Issue

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Planaria Dugesia Japonica As A Model Organism For Measuring The Toxicity Of Environmental Contaminants Per- And Poly-Fluoroalkyl Substances (Pfas), Caitlyn Rodeo

Behavioral Neuroscience Honors Papers

A group of synthetic chemicals, per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitous in the environment and have significant detrimental effects on physiology and behavior. Planaria have recently increased in popularity as a model for toxicology and regeneration research. These organisms possess a primitive centralized nervous system that is thought to be more similar to the vertebrate brain than to other invertebrate brains in terms of structure and function, and possesses the same neuronal subpopulations and neurotransmitters as the mammalian brain. While other studies have investigated the behavioral effects of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) on planaria, there is …

Ai Training Is Fair Use: The Beginning Of The End Of The Copyright Assault On Gen Ai, Michael D. Murray

Journal of Law, Technology, & the Internet

Two federal courts overseeing claims against the developers of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) have pointed the way to resolving these infringement actions by finding that the training of GenAI models is a transformative fair use under copyright law. While the two opinions differed in tone and scope, this article takes these rulings as the starting point for a discussion on resolving the ongoing copyright claims against AI developers, signaling what may be the beginning of the end of the copyright assault on GenAI.

The goal of this article is to inject urgency into resolving these matters. It asserts that uncertainty …

Evolving Threats, Evolving Duties: Ransomware, Artificial Intelligence, And Cybersecurity Law, Chase Hayes

Journal of Law, Technology, & the Internet

This paper examines the evolving legal obligations of corporations and public institutions in the face of ransomware, cyber threats, and artificial intelligence, asserting that a proactive legal framework is essential to mitigate or altogether avoid liability, protect stakeholders, and ensure national security. As cybercriminals become increasingly sophisticated, laws and regulations struggle to keep up. Generative artificial intelligence only deepens this disruption and with technology continuously evolving, it is difficult to imagine what the cyberspace will look like in years to come. This article responds to the gap by emphasizing the need for integration between the legal profession and cybersecurity expertise. …

Thermal Analysis Of The Fiber Fuse Effect, John Seekins

Dissertations

The fiber fuse effect is a self-sustaining damage propagation mechanism that can occur in the core of optical fibers. Under sufficient levels of applied power, laser light is absorbed as heat in the fiber. This phenomenon is characterized by a brightly glowing spot in the fiber that propagates towards the source of laser light at about 1 𝑚/𝑠. A numerical simulation of the fiber fuse effect is developed that solves the transient heat equation with source terms in cylindrical coordinates utilizing an explicit finite difference discretization. For the first time in a simulation of this type, a radiation transport equation …

Chinese Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Positive Identity Measure (C-Lgb-Pim), Yawen Yang, Ellen D. B. Riggle, Fang Wang, Mengyan Wu, Ye Sun, Huilan Liu, Lisha Dai

Gender and Women's Studies Faculty Publications

To support research and interventions using a positive, strength-based framework of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) identities in China, this study translates the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Positive Identity Measure (LGB-PIM) into Standard Chinese and evaluating its reliability and validity among Chinese sexual minorities. Following Brislin’s standardized translation procedures (translation, back-translation, cultural adaptation, and pretesting), the scale retained 25 items across 5 dimensions. A convenience sample of 392 participants underwent assessments of internal consistency (α = 0.92), retest reliability (α = 0.80), structural validity (68.54% variance explained), and construct validity. The five-dimensional structure showed robust convergent validity (AVE > 0.50, CR …

Closing The Loop In Sustainable Fashion: Recycling Textile Waste And Its Environmental, Social, And Consumer Impacts, Anthony Amotoe-Bondzie

Sustainability Program Posters and Papers

Fast fashion has intensified textile waste, emissions, and social inequities across global supply chains. This study examines sustainable fashion frameworks and the role of textile recycling in advancing circularity. It employes a qualitative integrative literature review synthesizing interdisciplinary research on waste streams, recycling technologies, policy instruments, and consumer behavior. However, advanced recycling technologies offer environmental benefits but remain limited in scale. Nonetheless, rising consumption offsets efficiency gains, while economic and behavioral barriers hinder systemic change. Technological innovation alone is insufficient; circular design, regulatory enforcement, and reduced overproduction are essential for sustainable transformation.

The Last Human Question: Generative Ai's Existential Threat To Consensus And Law, Joshua Fairfield

Scholarly Articles

The true risk of artificial intelligence (“AI”) is not that the toasters will rise up. It is that AI will be competent to perform human tasks and indifferent to human welfare. The risk is that we will be outcompeted by generative automated processes that create output similar to ours (although never the same, as this Article explains), but which need none of the outputs of the economy for food, shelter, or human flourishing. Further, a more precise and existential description of the threat is that generative AI will disrupt and crowd out humanity’s evolutionary superpower, our ability to generate agreement …

Caught In The Midwife’S Hands: A Black Feminist Exploration Of Reproductive Health And Justice In Massachusetts, Nina Bakum

Gender, Sexuality, and Intersectionality Studies Honors Papers

No abstract provided.

“Which Side Are You On?”: The Historical Creation And Political Implications Of An Appalachian White Other, Zoe Davin

History Honors Papers

No abstract provided.

A Cold War Story: The Emigration Of Soviet Jews 1967-1980, William Bernstein

History Honors Papers

No abstract provided.

U.S. Young Adults’ Experience Of Hope, Personal Control, And Well-Being In The Face Of Large-Scale Threats, Julia Conner

Psychology Honors Papers

Large-scale threats (e.g., climate change, political unrest, economic uncertainty) have many negative effects on young adults’ well-being. Given the widespread and existential nature of these threats, it can be difficult for individuals to maintain hope in the face of them. The present study examines the relationships among hope, locus of control, psychological well-being, concern over large-scale threats, and news use in a sample of 213 young adults from the United States aged 19-27 years. Participants completed several self-report scales and provided a hope narrative. The data show strong positive relationships between greater hope and internal locus of control and more …

Reflections Of A Queer Latvia: How The Past Has Shaped Contemporary Activism, Gray Ruffer

Slavic Studies Honors Papers

This thesis aims to create a transhistorical map of queer Riga through the tolerance, treatment, and activist moments in Latvia from the early twentieth century to 2025, with special focus on the divided legal and social attitudes toward LGBT identities in different pockets of Riga. By tracing the role the Russo-Soviet occupations on Latvian soil from 1914-1991 had on the structure of governmental organizations, the treatment of the Latvian language and culture, and the social atmosphere in the capital of Riga, this thesis establishes a Latvian national historical memory through memory narratives that focus themselves in authentic Latvian traditionality, as …

Love & Mercy: Records Of Self, Change, And Relationship, Jessie Perryman

Sociology Honors Papers

No abstract provided.

The English You Speak Matters: Immigrants, Phonological Roots, And Psychological Perspectives On Accent Discrimination, Sophia Hauschildt

Psychology Honors Papers

Accent serves as a highly salient social cue that influences how speakers are perceived, particularly in multicultural contexts where linguistic diversity is increasing. The present study examined how English accent affects evaluations of speaker warmth and competence, and how individual differences in cultural intelligence and colour-blind racial attitudes shape these perceptions. Using a between-subjects experimental design, participants (N = 225) were randomly assigned to listen to a standardised speech passage presented in one of five accents: General American English (GAE; control), Spanish-accented English, Chinese-accented English, Hindi-accented English, or Filipino-accented English. Participants then completed measures of speaker evaluation based on …

Searching For The Floridian Sublime In Contrast : An Exploration Of Atmosphere, Memory, And Place In Contemporary Ink Landscapes, Tereza Koniakovska-Bors

Theses & ETDs

Coming from Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic and a city shaped by a diverse architectural landscape, my experience in Florida has been overwhelmingly influential on my perception of the place and its visual identity. Compared to the historical order of Prague, Florida seems defined by its natural qualities, ecological tensions, and the coexistence of natural forces with modern human life rather than by architectural continuity. Through a series of monochromatic paintings, I aim to capture and explore this distinctive visual atmosphere, inviting viewers to reflect on their own perceptions of Florida’s evolving landscape identity amid ecological and cultural …

The Language Of Collaboration: Analogs In Digital Media, Orion Martins

Theses & ETDs

To collaborate is to share meaning together, which is already to collaborate; sharing of meaning defi nes language. This co-emergence of collaboration and language happens through interplay between the known and the unknown—what we expect and what surprises us—held open by trust, which is not a precondition but a leap into uncertainty that allows transformation to emerge. Through three collaborative projects—Palm Bike Court Girl, Unruly Subjects, and Eat My Love—I investigate how this dynamic unfolds in artistic practice, documentary witness, and romantic devotion. Understanding collaboration as the ground of meaning-making matters because learning to hold the tension between known and …

The Joy Of Recognition Vs. The Violence Of Erasure: Gender Queer And Fun Home As Literary Targets And Queer Bibliographies, Alicia Luguri

Theses & ETDs

In this thesis I examine controversies surrounding Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home and Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer, while exploring select events of book censorship, theft, and destruction, and how these activities have been employed to specifically target queer, trans, Jewish, and other marginalized communities. I trace the intertwined histories of pornography and the comics medium, and the ways in which this connection has shaped and influenced public opinion, legislation, and the genesis and implementation of the restrictive 1954 Comics Code. Additionally, I argue that as a part of Bechdel’s and Kobabe’s reaction to the heteronormative, homophobic and transphobic threats and pressures …

Global Stock Market And Day-Trading Ecosystem: Structural Dynamics Between Retail And Institutional Forces, Juan David Polania

Theses & ETDs

This paper analyzes the global stock-market and day-trading ecosystem through the structural duality between retail access platforms and institutional liquidity providers. Using Robinhood (retail) and Citadel (institutional) strictly as illustrative anchors, not as case studies, it applies five economic lenses to explain how access, execution, and information co-evolve. Empirical context is drawn from market-cap trends, volume data, volatility series, and Federal Reserve policy cycles. The core finding is that democratization and concentration advance together: retail innovation broadens participation, while institutional market making concentrates liquidity, speed, and data advantage. These forces form a closed feedback loop that delivers efficiency yet encodes …

Southern Adventist University Undergraduate Catalog 2025-2026, Southern Adventist University

Catalog, Undergraduate

Southern Adventist University's undergraduate catalog for the academic year 2025-2026.

Graphic Design Project: Leveraging Interactive Technologies To Enhance Visual Communication Effectiveness, Amir Attia

Activities and Assignments Collection

To engage students in applying a research-driven design thinking framework to conceptualize, design UI, and evaluate an interactive product solution.

Southern Adventist University Graduate Handbook 2025-2026, Southern Adventist University

Student Handbooks, Graduate

No abstract provided.

Leveraging Ai-Powered Personalization To Enhance Customer Experience In E-Commerce, Yousef Shelaik

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

This study delves into the complexities of integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into e- commerce, exploring its profound impact on marketing strategies, customer personalization, and decision-making processes. As AI technology rapidly becomes a staple in digital commerce, businesses encounter formidable challenges. These include the hurdles of seamlessly implementing sophisticated AI personalization tools, safeguarding consumer privacy amidst growing ethical concerns, and the daunting task of adhering to evolving regulatory standards. This study aimed to explore how AI-driven personalization influences customer engagement in e-commerce environments. It examined technologies such as recommendation systems and personalized marketing, analyzing their relationship on user interaction. This study …