Digital Commons Network^™

Reason Enough: The Wrongful Extension Of Asylum’S “One Central Reason” Nexus Standard To Withholding Of Removal, Elaine Hernandez Flores

Washington Law Review

Noncitizens often come to the United States seeking protection from violence, persecution, or life-threatening conditions in their home countries. However, upon arrival, many noncitizens are placed in removal proceedings and face deportation back to the very dangers they escaped. U.S. immigration law provides various forms of relief from deportation, most notably asylum and withholding of removal. Both forms require the applicant to show a connection—or “nexus”—between the persecutor’s motive for persecuting them and one of five protected grounds: race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.

Although asylum and withholding of removal both require a noncitizen …

2025 Tennessee External Quality Review Technical Report, Tennessee. Division Of Tenncare.

TennCare Additional Reports

No abstract provided.

Trail To Classroom: Digitizing Rocky Mountain Landscapes With 360 Video, Hanna Fontes

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Immersive media technologies are increasingly used in science education, yet they are often positioned as tools for passive observation rather than relational engagement. This qualitative study examines the use of 360-degree video as a relational, place-based pedagogical tool in learning. Using immersive landscape recordings from Rocky Mountain National Park, this research explores how 360-degree video can support student connection, empathy, and a sense of belonging to place. Learning activities were designed to prompt sensory observation, reflection, and meaning-making, encouraging students to engage emotionally and cognitively with the landscape rather than viewing it as a detached object of study. Data sources …

On Signifiable Computability: Part Iii: A Note On Unnameable Functions On Natural Numbers, Vladimir A. Kulyukin

Computer Science Faculty and Staff Publications

A writing system 𝔚 on an alphabet 𝒜 is a tuple (ℜ,𝔐), where ℜ is a finite set of text formation rules and 𝔐 is a finite rule application mechanism that generates texts on 𝒜. A natural writing system forms natural language texts on an alphabet such as Sanskrit on Devanagari. An artificial writing system generates formal language texts on an alphabet such as Lisp on Unicode. Let ℕ ={0,1,2,…} be the set of natural numbers. A function on natural numbers 𝑓 :ℕ^𝑘 ↦ ℕ, 0 < 𝑘 ∈ ℕ, is nameable by a writing system on an alphabet if, and only if, the system can generate a text on the alphabet that names f and no other function. We show that there exist functions on natural numbers unnameable in principle in that they cannot be named by any writing system on any alphabet. Our results imply the following computability-theoretic hierarchy of functions on natural numbers: computable ⊊ partially computable ⊊ nameable ⊊ 𝔉, where 𝔉 is the set of functions on ℕ.

In Vitro Pharmacological Evaluation Of Novel Cmpi Derivatives As Selective Positive Allosteric Modulators Of The Alpha4 Beta2 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor, Josue Gaona, Nataly Sanchez, Wilder Felix, Nathalia Menegasso, Brisa Cea, Ganesh Thakur, Ayman K. Hamouda

School of Medicine Student Publications and Presentations

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) contribute to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease (PD), where degeneration of dopaminergic and cholinergic neurons disrupts neurotransmission. The (α4)₃(β2)₂ nAChR subtype is expressed on affected neuronal populations and represents a promising therapeutic target. Positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) may enhance receptor function while preserving endogenous signaling. We evaluated chemical derivatives of CMPI [3-(2-chlorophenyl)-5-(5-methyl-1-(piperidin-4-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)isoxazol] as selective PAMs of (α4)₃(β2)₂ nAChRs. Two-electrode voltage-clamp recordings were performed in Xenopus laevis oocytes expressing defined receptor stoichiometries to assess potentiation and generate dose–response curves. Cytotoxicity was assessed in HEK cells using the MTT assay. Substitutions at the pyrazole …

Using Ensemble Disagreement To Stabilize Conformal Prediction Under Distribution Shift, Patrick D. Murphy

Master's Theses

Semantic segmentation of eelgrass from drone imagery is crucial for coastal habitat monitoring, restoration, and management, as these habitats continue to see rapid changes due to climate change and human influence. However, the reliability of generalizing a deployed classification model relies on both high-accuracy segmentation as well as robust uncertainty quantification that holds up when conditions change over years or locations. Conformal prediction (CP) is a method that converts a classifier's output into prediction sets with a guaranteed average coverage level for in-distribution data. However, the “vanilla” conformal score can often under-cover in hard or out-of-distribution (OOD) regions under drift. …

Mechanistic Framework Of Wood Decomposition In Post-Storm Vegetative Debris Piles Using Continuous Quality Theory, Thomas T. Lee

Master's Theses

Storm events generate significant quantities of vegetative debris composed of wood, branches, twigs, and other organic materials. Efficient post-storm resource recovery and carbon accounting depend on reliable predictions of decomposition within these large, heterogeneous debris piles. While small-scale wood decay is well studied, decomposition dynamics within multi-layer debris piles remain poorly characterized, limiting municipalities' ability to estimate material longevity and resource recovery potential.

To address this gap, this study develops the WOOD_DK (Wood Organic Oxidation and DegraDation Kinetics) model, a preliminary, exploratory one-dimensional multilayer decomposition framework simulating coupled temperature, moisture, oxygen, and carbon dynamics in MATLAB. Microbial decomposition follows Continuous …

Neurosymbolic Counterpoint Generation, Paul D. Jarski

Master's Theses

Recent advancements in generative artificial intelligence have revolutionized music generation, yet research has predominantly focused on raw audio synthesis over music in symbolic form, i.e. a score. This thesis presents the first neurosymbolic model designed to generate imitative Renaissance counterpoint in symbolic (MIDI) format. By leveraging an autoregressive Transformer architecture, this research explores the capacity of deep learning models to manage independent voices and strict stylistic constraints.

We compare multiple data representation strategies with distinct tokenization methods. The proposed model incorporates a symbolic component that enforces fundamental contrapuntal rules. Additionally, this thesis contributes a preprocessed dataset of Renaissance polyphony, in …

A Simulation Framework For Edge Lane Roads And Bicycle Shared Roadways, Nick Sauciur

Master's Theses

Edge Lane Roads, also referred to as Advisory Bike Lanes, are a shared roadway treatment that designates space for cyclists while allowing flexible use of the roadway by motorists. They are commonly applied on lower speed corridors and can be used both where roadway width is limited and where agencies seek to manage vehicle speeds, clarify cyclist positioning, or improve shared roadway operations. The configuration provides visually designated space for cyclists while allowing motorists to encroach into that space when yielding to opposing traffic. Although interest in these facilities is growing in North America, quantitative tools for evaluating their operational …

Beyond Artifacts And Fossils: Exploring The Contributions And Socioeconomic Impacts Of Montana’S Museums And Paleontological Tourism, Emma Keinath-Lopez, Elena Bigart, Glenna Hartman, Kara Grau, Ava Worbets, Melissa Weddell

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This study explores how Montana’s museums, including those along the Montana Dinosaur Trail, influence communities, economies, and visitor experiences in a post-pandemic environment. Through mixed methods—511 visitor surveys at 44 museums and 18 interviews with museum professionals— this research provides a holistic understanding of museum operations, visitor motivations, and community impacts.

Law And The Self-Coordinating Market Idea, Sanjukta Paul

Articles

Much of the focus of the live Symposium was on comparing existing scholarship associated with two intellectual communities. I have no objection to that enterprise in the abstract, though I think it is a bit premature where law and political economy (LPE) is concerned and sets up an apples-to-oranges comparison to the decades-old streams of work and thinking in law and economics (L&E). But I would rather use the privilege of the space in this written Symposium to sketch what I believe is the ultimate substantive nub of contestation in this conversation about the core subject matter of “the economy” …

A Unified Methodological Framework For Generating Digital Twins Of Multi Class Uncrewed Systems (Uxs), Sai Raghava Pathuri

Shelby Hall Graduate Research Forum Presentations

No abstract provided.

Detecting Bitstream-Level Fpga Trojans With An Snn, Kylie Arnett

Shelby Hall Graduate Research Forum Presentations

Limited research has been conducted on SNNs for FPGA Trojan detection. FPGA design is often handled by manufacturers outside the U.S. FPGA manufactures outsource production to third-party foundries. This multi-step process introduces security vulnerabilities and increases risk of Hardware Trojan insertion.

Key Questions: To what extent can an FPGA be manipulated at the bitstream level to enable or disable encryption algorithms?

Can SNNs accurately detect the presence of Trojans within an FPGA?

Bridging The Distance: Expanding Access To Mental Health Services In School, Griffin Gallagher, Arayah St John, Kaylie Svir

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

All students should have equitable access to mental health services in schools. In Minnesota, there has been an 11% increase in students experiencing long-term mental health challenges since 2016, and only 1 in 5 students receive the assistance they need. Students are experiencing a lack of access to mental health services in schools due to barriers of cost, transportation, shortage of support staff, and stigma. When mental health services are not provided in schools, this results in a decrease in school attendance, higher dropout rates, and negative school environments, affecting the long-term outcomes and needs of the child. Mental health …

When You're Just Not "Indian" Enough: The Erosion Of Tribal Sovereignty In State V. Nobles And The Case For Deference To Tribes On Questions Of Indian Status, Daniel G. Sullivan

North Carolina Law Review

No abstract provided.

Teaching On The Clock, Michael Burla Do

Faculty Development Tips

No abstract provided.

The Emerging And Evolving Evidence Supporting Creatine As An Ergogenic Aid: History And Applications, Chad Kerksick, Drew Gonzalez, Jeffrey Stout, Scott Forbes, Darren Candow, Tim Ziegenfuss, Ronald Marshall, René Schwesig, Richard Kreider

Faculty Scholarship

Background

Creatine is one of the most extensively studied ergogenic aids, with over three decades of research supporting its role in exercise performance, recovery, and health.

Methods

This narrative review summarizes the historical development of creatine supplementation and evaluates evidence regarding its mechanisms, efficacy across active, athletic populations (e.g. strength, endurance, team-sport), and tactical (e.g. military, law enforcement) populations, and its safety profile.

Results

The evidence suggests that creatine enhances phosphocreatine resynthesis and cellular energy availability, resulting in consistent improvements in high-intensity exercise performance, training adaptations, lean body mass, strength, and power. Additional findings indicate that creatine may attenuate exercise-induced …

Analyzing Access To Livelihood Opportunities Among Migrants, Refugees And Asylum-Seekers In Egypt, Sara Sadek, Nada Hegazy, Shaimaa Gheith, Mahmoud Mansour

Faculty Journal Articles

The study “Access to livelihood opportunities among migrants, refugees and asylum- seekers in Egypt,” was conducted under the framework of the Egyptian Migration Hub (EHUB) project. It focused on underscoring the prospects of challenges with regards to the employment of such groups in the informal labor economy in Egypt considering the current limitations in the legal framework. The study adopted a qualitative method including 46 KIIs and 46 FGDs conducted in three governorates: Greater Cairo, Alexandria and Damietta. In December 2024 the law 164 governing refugee and asylum issues in Egypt was enacted with Article 18 stipulating the right to …

Portable Ice Cube Maker, Ayden Ziegler, Emiliano Hansen, Wyatt Engdahl, Dane Hansen

Mechanical Engineering

This Final Design Report outlines the senior design project undertaken by a team of mechanical engineering students at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, for the development of a portable backpacking ice cube maker. The project aims to design, build, and test a lightweight, compact device that produces ice cubes for backpackers in remote outdoor environments. The goal is to create a functional prototype that is durable, user-friendly, and suitable for backcountry use. This document details background research, project objectives, and project plan, and current design status.

E3 Ubiquitin Ligases And Asthma Relief, Ajay P. Nayak

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Design, Testing, And Safety Performance Of Movable Guardrail Systems: A Prisma-Based Systematic Review, Navid Hashemi Taba, Ahdieh Sadat Khatavakhotan, Majid Tolouei-Rad

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Movable guardrail systems are increasingly used in work zones, reversible lanes, and temporary traffic operations; however, evidence on their crashworthiness, material performance, and operational reliability remains dispersed across multiple design typologies and regulatory frameworks. This PRISMA-compliant systematic review synthesizes 78 studies involving full-scale crash tests, validated finite-element simulations, field performance evaluations, and compliance evaluations under MASH, EN 1317, NCHRP 350, and AS/NZS 3845.1. The findings indicate that modular rigid barriers reliably achieve TL-3/TL-4 performance when joint alignment and foundation conditions are properly controlled; semi-rigid steel systems provide a practical balance between containment capacity and redeployability, but remain sensitive to post …

Measuring Plantar Flexor Voluntary Activation And Maximal Voluntary Contraction In A Portable, Seated Method: A Validity And Reliability Study, Molly E. Coventry, Andrea B. Mosler, Paola T. Chivers, Brady D. Green, Ebonie K. Rio, Myles C. Murphy

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Voluntary activation testing quantifies the ability of the motor nervous system to produce maximal force. Laboratory assessment of ankle plantar flexor voluntary activation is common, but field testing in practical settings is limited by equipment portability. We aimed to compare plantar flexor voluntary activation and maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) using a portable device with a standardised laboratory method and evaluate the test–retest reliability of the portable protocol. Methods: We performed a pseudo-randomised, crossover design. Participants completed two protocols: (1) portable force plate testing and (2) a laboratory-based isokinetic dynamometer. Voluntary activation was assessed using twitch interpolation via tibial nerve …

Prescribing Tourism: Cultivating Positive Travel Experiences For Individuals With Health Conditions, Fangli Hu, Jun Wen, Sebastian Filep

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Clinical evidence of tourism's health-related benefits for people with health conditions is notably scarce. Prescribing tourism, wherein medical professionals recommend engaging in tourism activities to enhance overall health and well-being, could offer unique insights into the tourism–health nexus. This paper adopted a conceptual approach, underpinned by a state-of-the-art literature review conducted in accordance with the PRISMA framework to identify knowledge gaps in the existing literature. This paper proposed prescribing tourism as a novel research agenda at the intersection of tourism and health, and further introduced it as a promising approach for people with health conditions, aiming to potentially minimise adverse …

Quality Of Human-Genai Collaboration And Its Driving Factors: A Symbiotic Agency Perspective, Jiayu Shang, Dan Huang, Songshan (Sam) Huang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Generative AI (GenAI) is increasingly integrated into users’ daily work as a collaborative partner. Drawing on the symbiotic agency theory, this study investigates the quality of human-GenAI collaboration using a mixed-methods approach, including qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys. Study 1 identified three dimensions of human-GenAI collaboration quality that comprise outcome quality, comfort, and efficiency; and six driving factors which can be categorized under human agency (domain knowledge, desire for control, and domestication ability), and GenAI agency (communication ability, working memory, and long-term memory). Study 2 applied fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to explore configurations of the driving factors that lead …

A High-Fidelity Multimodal Synthetic Dataset Generation Framework For Off-Road Unstructured Terrain Navigation Training Of Autonomous Robots, Liyana Wijayathunga, Dulitha Dabare, Alexander Rassau, Douglas Chai, Syed Mohammed Shamsul Islam

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The success of deep learning methods in a wide range of application areas has inspired many recent developments in the urban and off-road autonomous navigation domain. In particular, techniques for semantic scene understanding, a key aspect of the navigation pipeline, have been researched extensively, resulting in many real-world and synthetic datasets. However, in comparison to urban semantic segmentation datasets, the availability of datasets for off-road environments remains sparse. In this paper, we aim to overcome this challenge by introducing a methodology capable of efficiently generating photorealistic synthetic datasets for off-road environments with support for multiple sensor modalities. The developed approach …

Remedying Copyright For Indigenous Australians: A Stolen Generations Perspective, Elizabeth Serventy, Koutras

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study presents a Judicial Intersectionality method that incorporates knowledge from arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. It aims to examine how historical legal, political, and social injustices against Indigenous Australians have persisted in various spheres. When considering the Stolen Generations period, attention is directed on addressing the existing insufficient copyright rights and enhancing future legal results for Indigenous artists. In order to achieve that objective, a unique and distinct copyright system is regarded as the most suitable resolution. Philosophically and pragmatically, this approach was aligned with the Australian Government's 2023 Referendum, which aimed to grant constitutional status to …

Effect Of A 6-Week Structured Exercise Intervention On Tnf-Α During The Chronic Recovery Phase Of A Burn Injury Compared To Regular Daily Activities: A Pilot Randomised Cross-Over Trial, Tyler Jerome Osborne, Grant Rowe, Dale W. Edgar, Mark Fear, Fiona M. Wood, Timothy Fairchild, Brook Galna, Pippa Kenworthy, Brad Wall

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Burn injury induces a prolonged inflammatory response that may contribute to long-term metabolic dysfunction. Exercise is known to reduce inflammation in various clinical populations; however, its effect on chronic post-burn inflammation remains unclear. This crossover trial investigated the impact of a 6-week exercise intervention on tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in adults with non-severe burns sustained more than one year prior. Methods: Twenty-one participants were randomised to complete either a 6-week exercise program or a control period first, separated by a 4-week washout. The exercise program comprised three supervised sessions per week of combined resistance and cardiovascular training. Primary (TNF-α) …

Magnetically Driven Engineering Of Magnetic Hydroxyapatite/Ca Ro Membranes: Enhancing Surface Physicochemical Properties For High-Performance Water Desalination, Fariba Oulad, Ali Akbar Zinatizadeh, Sirus Zinadini, Amir Razmjou, Sara Eavani

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This research focuses on the development of innovative hydrophilic reverse osmosis (RO) hydroxyapatite/cellulose acetate (HAP/CA) and magnetic-hydroxyapatite (M-HAP)/CA membranes, utilizing a phase-inversion technique with varying nanoparticles (NPs) concentration. The positioning of magneto-responsive M-HAP NPs within the advanced M-HAP/CA membranes was adeptly controlled using magnetic guidance during immersion- precipitation process in a coagulation bath. This precise control enabled a densely organized arrangement of M-HAP NPs, shifting from the membrane's core to its upper separation layer. Consequently, the barrier properties, mechanical integrity, and surface characteristics of the advanced M-HAP/CA membranes saw significant enhancement due to the uniform distribution of hydrophilic porous NPs …

An Explainable Transformer-Based Model For Phishing Email Detection: A Large Language Model Approach, Mohammad Amaz Uddin, Md Mahiuddin, Iqbal H. Sarker

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Phishing email is a serious cyber threat that tries to deceive users by sending false emails with the intention of stealing confidential information or causing financial harm. Attackers, often posing as trustworthy entities, exploit technological advancements and sophistication to make the detection and prevention of phishing more challenging. Despite extensive academic research, phishing detection remains an ongoing and formidable challenge in the cybersecurity landscape. In this research paper, we present a fine-tuned transformer-based masked language model, RoBERTa (Robustly Optimized BERT Pretraining Approach), for phishing email detection. In the detection process, we employ a phishing email dataset and apply the preprocessing …

Physical Fitness And Executive Functions In Early Childhood: A Systematic Review Of Recent Evidence, Nemanja Lakicevic, Marko Manojlovic, Elena Chichinina, Apollinaria Chursina, Kristina Tarasova, Ewan Thomas, Yuming Zhong, Antonino Bianco, Patrik Drid

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background Optimizing physical fitness (PF) and developing executive functions (EFs) is of great importance in preschool children. The link between PF, obtained through repetitive physical activity, and EFs is gaining increasing attention in recent years and we sought to systematically search the literature on the relationship between PF and EFs in preschool children published in the last five years. Methods Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed were databases searched for the relevant literature. Original studies written in English and published in peer-reviewed journals including healthy children aged 3–6 years who were simultaneously tested for PF and EFs were considered eligible. …