Digital Commons Network^™

All Things Pass Away, John Stuart Wilson

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

“All Things Pass Away” is a work of crime fiction. Set amidst the downfall of local print journalism, laid off sportswriter Mark McGinnis travels from Rochester, New York to the oil boomtown of Fort McMurray, Alberta to pursue a freelancing project on troubled NHL draft prospect Noah Jeannot. Once there, McGinnis’s profile on the player is thrown into question when Jeannot disappears after an apparent violent altercation near his billet family’s home. Exploring themes of nostalgia, ambition, and obsession, the novella traces McGinnis’s attempts to understand not only the culture of the twin gods – oil and hockey – which …

Alice’S Patent Puzzle: Unlocking Patent Eligibility For Diagnostic Methods Within Wonderland’S Faulty Two-Step Framework, Anjali Dhamsania J.D. Candidate

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

As it stands today, diagnostic tests and their methods are largely unpatentable. In 2012, the Supreme Court, in Mayo Collaborative Services v. Prometheus Laboratories, Inc., redefined the scope of patent subject matter, leaving a profound impact in the context of medical diagnostics. The subsequent decision by the Court in Alice Corporation v. CLS Bank International two years later significantly expanded the range of judicially created exceptions to statutory patent eligibility criteria to encompass “abstract ideas,” solidifying this “Alice-Mayo” framework as the definitive test to determine patent-eligible subject matter.

But this shift has made it exceedingly difficult to secure diagnostic …

Applying The Public Forum Doctrine To Public Official And Campaign Social Media Accounts, Jonathan Peters, Skylar Bandoly

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled in the 2019 case Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University v. Trump that the @realDonaldTrump Twitter account was a designated public forum, making it a First Amendment violation for President Trump to block users from it on the basis of their viewpoints. A few years later, in the 2024 case Lindke v. Freed, the US Supreme Court established a two-part test to determine whether a public official’s social media activity constituted state action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. This Article reviews these and related cases to explore—in the context …

State And Regulatory Agency Approaches To Limiting Deepfakes In Political Advertising, Mary Margaret Burniston J.D. Candidate

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

With recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), regulators have turned their attention to the issue of how—and whether—to regulate the use of AI in political advertisements. While nineteen states have passed legislation regulating AI in political advertising, such regulations may be challenged as violations of the First Amendment. Furthermore, federal agencies also dispute which regulatory agency has jurisdiction to address the problem, with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) both claiming authority. Beyond issues of jurisdiction, agency action is also limited by the US Supreme Court’s recent decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo.

As …

Nil Speeds Ahead While Title Ix Trails Behind: Finding Room For Title Ix In The Evolving Nil Landscape, Sophie Zelony

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Title IX was enacted to eliminate sex-based discrimination in educational programs receiving federal funding, including intercollegiate athletics. While the law has successfully increased female participation in sports, disparities in the treatment of male and female athletes persist, particularly in the context of publicity and promotional resources. The rise of name, image, and likeness (NIL) opportunities has further widened this gap, as universities and their affiliated collectives disproportionately promote male athletes, enhancing their marketability and NIL earning potential. Schroeder et al. v. University of Oregon presents a novel legal issue—whether Title IX applies to NIL deals when universities provide unequal publicity …

Understanding Utilization And Prevention Measures Associated With A Caries Risk Assessment In Oral Health Transformation, Melody Mcgee, Ryan Brandon, Muhammad Walji, Joel White, Kristen Moses, Eric P Tranby, Lisa J Heaton, Kristen Simmons

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objectives: Dental decay is endemic in the United States, underscoring the need to measure the utilization of caries risk management tools to elucidate the effect of prevention interventions in reducing the dental decay rates of individuals. An academic institution partnered with a third-party institute to call attention to the utilization and prevention measures associated with caries risk assessment (CRA) used with children 0-18 years. This environmental scan examined claims across the United States to evaluate the proportion of dental examinations, CRAs, and caries prevention procedures within a calendar year.

Methods: A 12-month deidentified participant list categorized by age, race, sex, …

Marching To College: Exploring Military-Connected Students’ Access Experiences Navigating College Choice, Latosha R. Henderson, Jennifer Johnson, Shannon Martin

Journal of College Access

This study analyzed how pre-college advising and transition experiences impact the postsecondary success of military-connected students (MCS). Each year, approximately 200,000 military veterans transition to civilian life, with around 40% seeking higher education. Despite the financial support of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, MCS face unique challenges in accessing and succeeding in higher education, including restrictive admissions policies, unclear credit transfer processes, and insufficient pre-college advising.

Through a case study approach, this study explores the college transition experiences of MCS and the role of pre-college advising in supporting these transitions. Data were collected via surveys and interviews, focusing on the participants' …

Generative Ai For College Students: A Collaboratively Developed Online Microcourse On Genai In The College Classroom, Amber Willenborg, Tessa Withorn

Communications in Information Literacy

Academic libraries have taken a variety of approaches to addressing the opportunities and challenges of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in higher education. For universities that have no standard policy around GenAI, instructors are left with little guidance on how to teach students about GenAI in the classroom and may have varying levels of comfort with GenAI and its applications. To address the need for more instruction around GenAI, a team of librarians and university writing center and digital media suite staff took an innovative approach to teaching AI literacy by creating a six-lesson microcourse in their learning management system all …

Navigating Early Career As An Oncologist: Thriving In Diverse Paths., Gita Suneja, Marjorie C Green, Janaki Parameswaran, Joseph Mccollom Do

PCI Publications and Projects

Early-career oncologists navigate a complex landscape of professional development, clinical responsibilities, and research endeavors. This manuscript explores key challenges and strategies for success in the early years of an oncology career, focusing on the first job after fellowship, career transitions, and practical tips for intentionality. Effective mentorship is pivotal, providing guidance in clinical decision making, research pursuits, and professional networking. Career development strategies include securing funding, building collaborative networks, and identifying opportunities for leadership. Additionally, balancing clinical duties with research and personal well-being requires time management and institutional support. This article emphasizes the importance of fostering inclusive mentorship, advocating for …

Legendre-Galerkin Methods And Generalized Log Orthogonal-Galerkin Methods On The Monge-Ampere Equation, Bret A. Mccarty Jr

Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Writ 101.50: College Writing I - Rhetoric And Storytelling, Kelly R. Schirmann

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025

No abstract provided.

Writ 201.50: College Writing Ii - Intermediate Rhetoric And Storytelling, Kelly R. Schirmann

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025

No abstract provided.

Writ 201.51: College Writing Ii - Rhetoric Of Food, Danielle N. Cooney

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025

No abstract provided.

From Australian Influence To Rohingya Refugees: A Systematic Literature Review Of Asylum Seekers And Refugees In Indonesia, Bilal Dewansyah

The Indonesian Journal of Socio-Legal Studies

The fact that Indonesia hosts asylum seekers and refugees attracted not only policy debate and media attention but also academic research. However, no systematic review has been conducted to assess the scholarly literature on this topic. This article is intended to fill this gap by presenting a systematic literature review (SLR) on asylum seekers and refugees in Indonesia. As a result, I found five major themes in the reviewed literature: (1) the focus on the Indonesia – Australia relationship; (2) people smuggling; (3) refugees’ journey and living conditions in Indonesia; (4) Rohingya refugees; (5) legal protection and refugee status. However, …

Kin 460.01: Electrocardiogram Assessment, Ronald Michalak

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025

No abstract provided.

Nutr 221n.50: Basic Human Nutrition, Laura M. Grandund

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025

No abstract provided.

Csd 261.51: Introduction To Speech-Language Pathology Assistant, Collie A. Putman

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025

No abstract provided.

Investigating Social Presence In Collaborative Keys For Asynchronous Courses, Lily P. Cook

Master's Theses

Asynchronous virtual courses have become increasingly popular in the years following the global Covid-19 pandemic. These courses, with no set meeting schedule, offer flexibility to both students and instructors, but pose challenges for developing a collaborative learning environment. The Community of Inquiry framework (Rourke et al., 1999) identifies three essential components in an online course necessary to foster a collaborative environment- teaching presence, cognitive presence, and social presence. Social presence is especially impacted in asynchronous learning settings, which presents challenges for the students to display their personalities and connect with the community. This study investigates Collaborative Keys (CKs), structured collaborative …

Flair: A Fog-Native Workload Placement Framework For Qos-Aware Scheduling In Smart Manufacturing, Daiwik N. Swaminathan

Master's Theses

Smart manufacturing environments utilize a variety of heterogeneous IoT sensors that continuously stream large volumes of data. To detect and mitigate critical events such as fires or accidents in real time, this data must be promptly analyzed by machine learning (ML) image classifiers. These classifiers are typically deployed on fog computing nodes located within the manufacturing warehouse facilities to ensure low-latency responses and to protect data privacy. Although fog nodes offer a better alternative to remote cloud data centers for such latency-sensitive tasks, they are often resource-constrained and highly sensitive to the composition of workloads, particularly in heterogeneous environments where …

Data-Driven Product Recommendations: A Decision Support Framework Utilizing Customer Reviews, Tyler A. Lopez

Master's Theses

With the considerable presence of e-commerce in society, vast number of purchasable goods, and increasing brand variety, consumers are faced with the challenge of buying products that they perceive to be of greatest value to them. To assist consumers with making better informed decisions, e-commerce websites allow individuals to post their own experiences and score the products that they purchase. Despite this information, the variety of experiences and feedback that consumers share do not always lead to clarity on whether a product is best suited for the purchaser. To help guide customers through a simplified purchasing process from the perspective …

Vertical And Latitudinal Variability Of Marine Heatwaves In The California Current, Gavin M. Plume

Master's Theses

Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are increasing in frequency and intensity globally, with grave effects on marine ecosystems and their dependent industries. There are significant gaps in knowledge of the subsurface behavior and geographic distribution of MHWs, especially in eastern boundary upwelling systems like the California Current. Here, two decades of full water-column temperature observations from a shallow autonomous profiler in San Luis Obispo Bay (~10m) revealed that while MHWs have similar average durations and intensities across all depths, one-third of bottom MHWs occur without a concurrent surface signal. MHWs across the water column initiated during anomalously weak upwelling or downwelling conditions …

Clusters, Trends, And Choices: Feature Selection In Interactive Statistical Graphics, Dylan Le

Master's Theses

Exploratory data analysis (EDA) is a method for uncovering the structure and key characteristics of data, often through the use of statistical graphics. These visual tools can reveal patterns and trends, and their effectiveness can be enhanced through interactivity. By enabling users to filter data, zoom, and toggle visual features, interactive plots can accelerate and enrich the EDA process. This study extends a previous graphical study by incorporating an interactive framework. Using a statistical lineup protocol with two target patterns (a linear trend and a clustering trend) participants interacted with plots by toggling various aesthetic features, including cluster coloring, ellipses …

Correlations Between Social Media, Body Image Perceptions, And Disordered Eating Prevalence In Postpartum Women: A Pilot Cross-Sectional Study, Hannah Smith

Master's Theses

Postpartum women are a high-risk population for body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behavior due in part to the plethora of hormonal and physiological changes. Despite this, research examining this issue among postpartum women remains limited.

This pilot cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between social media use, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating behavior among women up to 13 months postpartum. For this study, the following research questions were asked: Is high social media usage associated with higher levels of disordered eating among women up to 13 months postpartum? Is the association between social media usage and disordered eating mediated by a …

Subalpine And Alpine Plant Community Turnover In Yosemite National Park Following 30 Years Of Climate Warming, Rachel Friesen

Master's Theses

Subalpine and alpine regions in California are warming more rapidly than lower elevations. In response, high-elevation plants may acclimate or adapt to the new climate, move to higher elevations or latitudes, persist in refugia, or go extinct. While models predict substantial declines in subalpine and alpine plant communities due to discontinuous population distributions and lack of upslope area, actual responses may vary due to lags in dispersal, establishment, and extinction. Although shifts in high-elevation plant communities have been documented in other regions of the world, such changes have not yet been studied in Yosemite National Park. To assess high-elevation plant …

Assessment Of The Imx7ulp Heterogeneous Soc For Use In A Next Generation Student Cubesat Obc, Lorenzo A. Pedroza

Master's Theses

CubeSats represent a rapidly evolving platform for space research, industry, and education, demanding increasingly sophisticated onboard computing solutions that balance performance, fault tolerance, size, weight, and power constraints. Although the design of the Cal Poly's CubeSat Lab's (PolySat) current On-Board Computer (OBC) keeps up with many of these factors, the demands of modern workloads like fine attitude determination will start to outpace available compute. While the selection of a more capable processor to address this would have traditionally resulted in increased energy usage, modern system-on-chip (SoC) architectures offer novel ways to trade available compute for power savings on-the-fly. With this …

Thermal Modeling Techniques For Additively Manufactured Porous Metals, Lucas D. Rambo

Master's Theses

Advances in additive manufacturing have enabled the creation of metallic components with tailored porosity, offering design flexibility for thermal, structural, and fluid transport applications. This thesis investigates the effective thermal conductivity (ETC) of porous Inconel 625 (IN625) and Inconel-ceramic composites (IN625-RAM2) fabricated by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) using Elementum 3D’s PermiAM technology. Experimental measurements of thermal conductivity using the laser flash method are compared to numerical models built from micro-computed tomography data. Simulations were performed using both finite element (FE) and finite volume (FV) methods to evaluate thermal transport in real microstructures. The study investigates the effects of micro- …

The Effect Of Dietary Strawberry Supplementation On Glycemic Control Factors In Overweight And Obese Postmenopausal Women With At-Risk Diabetes Mellitus Pathogenesis, Jennifer Herrera

Master's Theses

Glycemic control is directly related to type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM). As of 2023, 30.5 million Americans have T2DM, and this number only continues to increase exponentially across the world (“Facts & Figures,” n.d.). T2DM is only a precursor to fatal conditions including cardiovascular disease, the number one cause of death in the United States. Extensive research has revealed that strawberries, a high polyphenolic food, may pose positive effects on glycemic control biomarkers. This study aimed to investigate the effect of three servings of strawberries in the form of 39-g of freeze-dried strawberry powder (FDSP) for six weeks on glycemic …

Remote Monitoring And Control Of Protection Relays Via Programmable Logic Controller, Rio Mcgown-Kauffman

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the ability of a programmable logic controller (PLC) to wirelessly monitor and control power protection relays. The technologies surrounding power protection and industrial automation are ever evolving and have developed significantly in recent history. Industrial power applications call for consistent condition monitoring and status updates for various high-importance components. The high-importance components have power protection schemes that are managed by digital relays to trip circuit breakers in fault or unsafe operating conditions. The smart relays have a wide range of capabilities, including communications. Cal Poly assembled a collection of relays from Schweitzer …

Range-Dependent Meso-Scale Geoacoustic Seabed Quantification, Tim Sonnemann, Jan Dettmer, Charles W. Holland, Stan E. Dosso

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study presents a probabilistic one-step two-dimensional (2D) inversion method of spherical-wave reflection coefficient data to estimate the range-dependent structure and geoacoustic parameters along a track. The approach of inverting such datasets independently as one-dimensional (1D) layered models and merging them to a 2D section is feasible but computationally expensive. This study demonstrates a more parsimonious 2D parametrization for active source data recorded on a towed hydrophone array. The comparison of data variance reduction for 1D- and 2D-based results clearly favors the 2D parametrization described here.

Post Soviet Russia: Challenges To Transition And Modernization, Chick Edmond

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

The dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 marked the beginning of a complex, often turbulent, period of transition and modernization for Russia. Unlike the anticipated linear path toward Western-style democracy and market economics, Russia’s post-Soviet experience has been defined by profound contradictions, reversals, and ongoing contestations over its political, economic, and social order (Minakov, 2016). The initial wave of reforms, particularly in the 1990s, brought about radical economic restructuring, privatization, and an attempted shift to a free-market system. Yet, these rapid changes led to significant economic dislocation, social inequality, and the rise of oligarchic power structures, which ultimately undermined …