Digital Commons Network^™

Anne-Lyse Nono Honors Portfolio, Anne-Lyse Nono

Honors Capstone Portfolios

Anne-Lyse Nono's honors capstone portfolio captured in May 2025.

Design And Implementation Of A Low-Cost Raspberry Pi And Ai-Based Intrusion Detection System For Surveillance, Metrine Nyaboke Osiemo

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

As security concerns continue to rise, there is a growing demand for affordable and intelligent surveillance solutions to ensure safety in homes, businesses, and other environments. Many individuals are embracing AI-driven technologies such as Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV), smart doorbells, and automated security systems to protect their properties. This project presents a design and implementation of a cost-effective AI-powered intrusion detection system utilizing Raspberry Pi 5 for home surveillance, with adaptability for broader applications. The system integrates a camera module and an LCD screen running on a Linux-based platform, with Python, and OpenCV as key software components. It employs dlib’s deep …

Exploring Physiotherapist’S Ability To Identify Cauda Equina Syndrome Early, Khalid F. Althobaiti, Joshua R. Zadro, Fahad A. Alzhrani, Hosam A. Alzahrani

Neurosciences

ABSTRACT Objectives: To explore the ability of physiotherapists in Saudi Arabia to identify cauda equina syndrome (CES) in a timely manner, and to identify the methods used by physiotherapists to manage patients with suspected CES. Methods: This study utilized a cross-sectional research design and was conducted in the period May-October 2023. It included licensed physiotherapists working in Saudi Arabia. The data was collected using a survey that aimed to assess physiotherapists’ ability to identify CES early, using 12 statements. Based on the participants response to these statements, all responders were categorized into the following groups based on their ability to …

Impact Of Digital Courseware Use On Online Student Sense Of Belonging And Potential For Building An Online Community Of Inquiry, Kat Klement

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Though interest in online education is rising, online programs have a lower retention rate than do in-person programs and a correspondingly higher dropout rate. One factor that drives online student retention is the degree to which students feel a sense of belonging in their online courses. As more interest in online education leads to larger course sizes and more online sections, instructors may turn to digital courseware offered by publishing companies to increase student engagement and provide formative assessment. Yet research shows little consistency in the impact of digital courseware use on course grades. The studies in this thesis explored …

Teaching Object-Oriented Design Through Interactive Uml: A Dual-Approach Framework For Code-Based Generation And Direct Diagram Manipulation, Moses Kayuni

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis introduces an interactive educational framework for teaching object-oriented design through UML class diagrams. The framework implements a dual-approach methodology: code-based generation, where students write Java code that automatically transforms into UML diagrams, and direct diagram manipulation, where students build diagrams by interacting with highlighted terms in problem descriptions. This approach addresses common challenges in teaching UML, including cognitive load difficulties, visualization problems, and the disconnect between code implementation and visual design. Built on the Mermaid diagramming framework, the system features a React frontend for diagram creation and manipulation, and a Flask backend that handles some code parsing and …

Makers Of Identity: Those That Hold It, Or Those That Create It?, Valentina K. Quintero

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Throughout the semester, the topic of AI potentially achieving personhood has been a deeply debated topic. Issues rise and fall depending on perspective, and there are still too many unknowns to be completely certain that AI has either managed to become a person or has not. One of the key details of personhood is the modern understanding of the word identity. This paper will go into the origins of the word and how it may have changed, and how it is important in regards to AI and its potential. Wittgenstein’s language games, personal opinion, and cultural influences will be explored …

The Economic And Environmental Impact Of Shinkansen And High-Speed Rail Infrastructure: A Comparative Analysis Of Economic Growth And Carbon Emissions Reduction, Dillan R. Victory

SPARK Symposium Presentations

The development of Japan's high-speed rail system, the Shinkansen, has played a pivotal role in the country's post-war economic resurgence. Introduced in 1964 with the Tokaidō Shinkansen, this transformative infrastructure investment significantly reduced travel times, bolstered economic activity around station hubs, and facilitated regional development by enabling urban decentralization. This paper explores the long-term economic benefits of high-speed rail, including its impact on land value, business expansion, and carbon emissions. The case study of the Linear Chuo Shinkansen, Japan's latest maglev project, underscores both the economic promise and the political resistance to expansion, particularly in regions such as Shizuoka.

Using …

Beyond The Editorial Analogy: First Amendment Protections For Platform Content Moderation After Moddy V. Netchoice, Alan Rozenshtein, Kyle T. Langvardt

Articles

This Article examines the Supreme Court’s 2024 decision in Moody v. NetChoice and its implications for social media platform regulation. In Moody, which addressed state laws requiring platforms to host certain content, the Court issued a complex set of opinions that left the scope of platforms’ First Amendment rights uncertain. On the procedural question of how such laws may be challenged, the Court provided a clear holding: it rejected facial challenges to broad content-moderation laws, instead requiring case-by-case analysis of how specific regulations affect different platform features—a shift that undermines the tech industry’s longstanding litigation strategy. But on the …

Women And Corporate Governance: Time Horizons And Stakeholder Analysis, June R. Carbone

Articles

This Article will build on my earlier work with Naomi Cahn and Nancy Levit to use the fate of women in individual companies to shine new light on the temporal orientations underlying corporate and labor and employment law and provide a basis for a new foundation for a combined approach. This Article will first explain why the shift to shareholder primacy, and the accompanying emphasis on short-term results tied to high stakes bonus pay, disproportionately short-changes female employees, whether in management or in line positions. The Article will maintain that it is not the shift to shareholder primacy in isolation, …

Abuse Of Power In The Workplace: The New Gender Discrimination Claims, June R. Carbone, Nancy Levit, Naomi Cahn

Articles

This article draws on our book, Fair Shake: Women and the Fight to Build a Just Economy, to show how the fight for gender equality has changed. Antidiscrimination laws took hold during an era of relative economic equality; the fight for gender equality was a fight to gain access to the rights of white men. Today’s economy creates much greater inequality and reserves the greatest rewards for a much smaller group, again predominately white and male, who can defy the rules and get away with it. In such contexts, anti-discrimination law premised on a fight for equality can provide only …

Obamacare For Homeowners Insurance: Fixing America's Broken Insurance Markets In A Time Of Climate Change, Daniel Benjamin Schwarcz

Articles

Over the last decade, homeowners insurance markets nationwide have experienced unprecedented instability due to climate change. These disruptions, which are likely to accelerate in the coming years, risk destabilizing real estate markets, triggering financial instability, and undermining the nation’s resilience to climate change. Despite these massive stakes, federal and state reforms to date have largely failed to result in more accessible and affordable homeowners insurance coverage that promotes climate change resilience. This Article offers a new way forward, arguing that today’s troubled homeowners insurance markets resemble the broken, state health insurance markets that pre-dated the 2010 passage of the Affordable …

Estimating Per-Infection Cost And Burden For Dengue And Zika As A Function Of Antibody-Dependent Enhancement, Christopher M. Kribs

Mathematics Faculty Publications - Archive

The complex immune interactions produced by the tetravalent dengue vaccine Dengvaxia have foregrounded the important role of antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) in dengue infection. Some evidence exists that ADE may extend beyond the four dengue serotypes to Zika, a closely related flavivirus transmitted by the same mosquito species as dengue, and may also account for the increased severity of some cases. Estimates of the public health impact of dengue vaccination may then need to include its effects on the transmission of Zika in addition to dengue. This study gathers primary references to build estimates of per-case economic cost and disease burden …

Executive Clemency And Immigration Federalism: Reconsidering Presidential Power Over Deportation Orders, Linus Chan, Emma Wittmer, Lauren Butler

Articles

No abstract provided.

Liability, Property, And Inalienability Rules In Employee Data Regulation, Matthew T. Bodie

Articles

Legal protections for workers’ data have usually taken the form of privacy protections designed to deter data processing that is excessive or invasive. Such protections generally fall into the category of liability rules, under which rights can be infringed as long as compensation is provided for the violation. As Guido Calabresi and A. Douglas Melamed have described in “Property Rules, Liability Rules, and Inalienability: One View of the Cathedral,” liability rules are contrasted with either property rules that prevent the involuntary transfer of rights or inalienability rules that prohibit rights transfers altogether. This article explores how property rules and inalienability …

The Effects Of Social Media Usage On Mental Health In Adolescents And Young Adults, Hannah Small, Eddie Bacon, Melanie Aguilar

IdeaFest 2025

This research explores the effects of social media and smartphone usage on the mental health of adolescents and young adults. It examines how factors such as screen time, social comparison, cyberbullying, and digital connectivity influence psychological well-being, including anxiety, depression, self-esteem, and sleep quality. This study aims to provide insights into both the risks and potential benefits of digital engagement among youth, contributing to strategies for healthier technology use.

Preventing Falls In Hospitalized Elderly Patients, Rory Boeck

IdeaFest 2025

Falls among hospitalized elderly patients is a significant safety issue, with up to one million falls occurring annually in U.S. hospitals. With about 30% of the falls resulting in injury leading to increased hospital stays and increased healthcare costs. This project aimed to reduce fall rates on a medical-surgical unit by 25% over six months using individual interventions based on the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework.

Resistance Training On Self-Concept To Improve Gender Affirmation And Community Belonging Lgbtq+ Individuals, Lauren Bankerd

IdeaFest 2025

Determining the effects of resistance training tailored to LGBTQ+ individuals with the purpose of increasing gender congruence, self-concept, and community belonging.

The Cycle Of Giving:, Sarai Brown

BYU Asian Studies Student Journal

On one hot summer day in the middle of a 3-month stint studying Mandarin Chinese at National Chung Hsing University (NCHU) in Taichung, Taiwan, my friends and I were desperate to sate our appetites after class, even in the atrociously hot and humid conditions. Most of our little group was drawn to a 牛肉麵 niúròu miàn (beef noodle) shop, but the thought of hot soup on a day like this drove me and a couple of others to continue our search. We stumbled upon another outdoor restaurant—though “restaurant” is perhaps a loose term for the holey-tent-covered food stand with mismatched …

6. Oer As Assessment; Assessment As Oer: Collaborative Oer Creation And Assessment In Language And Culture Courses, Michael Tadeusz Dabrowski, Angela George

Open Educational Resources For and As Assessment

This chapter describes the transformative integration of Open Educational Resources (OER) utilized as assessments in language courses at two distinguished Western Canadian universities. It explores how OER, underpinned by a commitment to collaborative learning and evaluation, reshape educational practices. Through collaborative maps, peer editing, and renewable assignments, educators and students collectively contribute to the creation of a repository of knowledge, embracing a pedagogical paradigm that values student engagement and deepens their understanding of OER. This process demonstrates the ability of OER to redefine academic assessment and collaboration, showcasing how OER can transform the educational experience into a more engaging, enriching, …

5. Teaching Excellence Fostered Through Institutional Collaboration: A Case For An Effective Assessment Rubric, Amanda Morris, Anna Kuthy

Documenting Teaching Excellence

Teaching excellence is a defining characteristic and ongoing challenge at small liberal arts institutions, where instructor independence and mission-driven education converge. Defining and measuring it in such contexts involves navigating instructor autonomy, institutional mission, administrative oversight, and accreditation requirements. This chapter presents a case-based approach to addressing these challenges at Brescia University, a small liberal arts school in Owensboro, KY. We offer an example of an implementable solution that fosters and documents teaching excellence while aligning with both generally accepted standards and the university’s mission. Additionally, we model a collaborative development process between the offices of the Academic Dean and …

6. The Creation Of A Teaching Excellence Framework: Defining, Measuring, And Facilitating Teaching Excellence, James Agutter, T. Adam Halstrom, Anne Cook

Documenting Teaching Excellence

Defining what constitutes teaching excellence is a crucial focus for faculty development to create deep learning opportunities in our classrooms and ensure our students’ success. However, establishing a single definition is challenging to standardize and quantify. We recognize outstanding teaching when we see and experience it — we all know the faculty members who spark curiosity, foster deep learning, and create memorable experiences for our students. Yet, how do we assess something so complex, nuanced, and profoundly influential? Excellent teaching varies based on the institution, the field, the context, the content, and the demographics of the students in a course. …

10. The Language Of Teaching Excellence: Describing Pedagogical Expertise Through A Framework Of Care, Beth Buyserie

Documenting Teaching Excellence

During my 20 years of college-level teaching, I have engaged in countless conversations where instructors communicate their passion for teaching, their commitment to student learning, the depth of their disciplinary expertise, their continued pedagogical innovations, and their thoughtful reflective practices. Yet often these same teachers confide that they find it quite challenging (sometimes nearly impossible) to write about their teaching for promotion—not because they are not strong teachers, but because the language expectations for documenting teaching accomplishments can be formidable. For example, at my particular institution, teaching-centered instructors are specifically directed in our role statements to “demonstrate excellence” in our …

Harmonic Analysis Of Currents Within Humboldt Bay, Caitlin J. Williams, Ula Brucker, Jaden Mccarthy, Noe Noe Camarillo, Taylor Juchau, Steven Gracy, Max Serrano, Karina Bernbeck, Emma Modrick, Isabelle Marcus, Simon Kurciski, Isis Kees, Tamara Beitzel Barriquand

IdeaFest 2025

Multiyear time series of current data measured by 2 horizontal SonTek/YSI ADCPs placed mid-depth in the water column at 2 different locations in Humboldt Bay, CA, a shallow, tidally-driven estuary in northern California, were analyzed to determine the contributions of different harmonic frequencies within the bay. Spectral analysis of the time series revealed that the currents are dominated by several tidal harmonics. The 3 dominant frequencies include M2, K1, and O1, but their contribution varies spatially between the two station locations. Additional frequencies in the data indicate overtides, as well as potential interference with topography and the more variable wind-induced …

Can Changes In Daily Routines Reduce The Risk Of Periprosthetic Joint Infection?, Madolin O’Rourke

IdeaFest 2025

Exploring reduction of periprosthetic joint infection through small changes in daily routines and cost-effective strategies.

Precision Measurement Of The Universal Gravitational Constant, Frederick Kuster-Tabares, A. G. Papesh, Emily Ord, R. S. Decca, Charles D. Hoyle, M. Hua

IdeaFest 2025

In cooperation with Indiana University (formerly IUPUI), the Cal Poly Humboldt (formerly Humboldt State University) Gravity Lab is undertaking a project to more accurately measure the value of the Universal Gravitational Constant in terms of SI base units. Gravitational modifications to the torque on the pendulum will be obtained via two methods through sequential experiments with a common apparatus, with the goal to provide a window into the cause of previous discrepancies between the two methods of measurement, resulting in a more accurate determined value for G.

Making Sense Of Dyspraxic Senses Using Exercise, The Effects Of Bodyweight Exercises On Proprioception In Individuals With Developmental Coordination Disorder, Evan Jackson

IdeaFest 2025

People with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) have poor motor coordination which interferes with daily activities of living. One potential reason for the impairment of motor skills that people with DCD have is a decreased sense of proprioception. Proprioception is the sense of where your body is in space and where body parts are in relation to one another. Exercise can increase proprioception. The purpose of this project is to investigate the effects of bodyweight exercise (BWE) on proprioception in people with DCD. BWE have been found to increase proprioception, static and dynamic balance, and motor function.

Effects Of Non-Invasive Rehabilitation For Baseball Players Recovering From Tommy John Surgery: Optimizing Safe & Efficient Return To Play, Lexanee Inzunza

IdeaFest 2025

Baseball pitchers often suffer ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tears due to repetitive, high-velocity throws. These injuries are commonly treated with Tommy John Surgery (TJS), which requires a 12–18 month recovery. While TJS is effective, its long rehab has led to rising interest in non-invasive options like physical therapy, PRP, stem cells, and biomechanical training. These methods show promise for moderate injuries, offering shorter recovery and fewer risks. More research is needed, but individualized non-surgical care may support a safer, more efficient return to play.

The Gut Microbiome And The Influences On Emotional State, Sophia Hummel, Payton Tausig, Sophia Vanslambrouck, Nathan Aguilar, Angel Roca

IdeaFest 2025

We reviewed current research articles examining the complex relationship between gut microbiome and mood regulation in people. In order to collect our data, we completed a literature review on this topic. We found that there is a very strong relationship between the gut microbiome and mood in people. We observed mental health factors in relationship to mood such as stress, anxiety, and depression. As a result, worsened gut microbiome led to worsened mood factors. This topic has high importance due to how new the topic and research is, and how it affects human health, leading to future implications of treating …

Water Adsorption On Environmental Metal Oxides Determined By The Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (Drifts) Technique, Rachel Sechan, Shane Mcdemos, Skye Ludwig, Alden Walkley, Tobin Thorton, Christopher W. Harmon

IdeaFest 2025

Clouds are a critical component of the atmosphere, which predominantly cools the planet by scattering solar radiation back to space. Particulate matter (PM) are small solids suspended in the air that can initiate the seeding process for cloud formation, where environmental metal oxides (EMO) are one of the dominate types of PM. This process is directly related to the relative humidity (RH) above the PM surface and how much water it absorbs. PM collects sparingly small molecular layers of water before undergoing bulk scale water uptake. Details of water uptake at this level are still lacking in the literature, and …

Assembly And Testing Of A Closed Cycle Cryostat, Chris Maguire

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Closed cycle cryocoolers are commonly used in laboratories as they provide long-term, low-cost, low-maintenance operation. This project covers the assembly and testing of an Advanced Research Systems DE-202 closed cycle cryostat to provide a low temperature apparatus for undergraduate research and advanced laboratory projects. This system is useful for many applications including optics, condensed matter physics, spectroscopy, electrical characterization, microscopy, superconductivity, crystallography, and biological studies.

Cryostat assembly involved research and planning to build a custom frame for the cryocooler, assemble vacuum, water, gas and electrical systems, leak test, and fit components to laboratory utilities. Once setup is complete, the actual …