Digital Commons Network^™

Automating Junk Science, Lisa Waters

UC Law Journal

In the late twentieth century, the boom of forensic disciplines in criminal prosecutions helped drive mass incarceration to an all-time high. Yet scientific and legal inquiry revealed a disturbing truth: Most forensic methods accepted in criminal courts are entirely lacking in empirical support or scientific foundation—in other words, “junk science.” Forensic proponents have recently turned to computer algorithms, costly equipment, and proprietary trade secrets litigation to defend dubious techniques, ushering in a second wave of forensic reliance. But automated technology has masked rather than cured the foundational infirmities in these forensic fields.

This Article examines the growing trend of automated …

Acinetobacter Spp. With Lower Susceptibility To Quaternary Ammonium Compounds Enriched In Microbial Communities Of Frequently Used Sinks, M. C. Cruz, R. Ruhal, J. Lavin, S. Bridwell, N. Maghboli Balasjin, B. Raasch, R. Melton, Brooke K. Mayer, Christopher Marshall, Krassimira R. Hristova

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Sanitary environments that undergo frequent cleaning and disinfection may harbor microbial communities with potential health risks. While biofilms in healthcare settings are well studied, comparatively less is known about sink-drain microbiomes in public and educational buildings, where hundreds of people may interact with shared sink fixtures. This study characterized the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of sink-drain biofilm microbiomes in academic buildings. We sampled 16 sinks from two buildings (four floors each, with sinks closest and furthest to the bathroom entrance), which are cleaned daily with quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) disinfectants, during periods of low and high student traffic (during and …

Draft Final Quarterly Operations And Maintenance Report: Butte Treatment Lagoon System – Fourth Quarter 2025, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Molecular Gas And Star Formation In Central Rings Across Nearby Galaxies, Damian R. Gleis, Sophia K. Stuber, Eva Schinnerer, Justus Neumann, Sharon E. Meidt, Miguel Querejeta, Eric Emsellem, Adam K. Leroy, Ashley T. Barnes, Frank Bigiel, Charlie Burton, Mélanie Chevance, Daniel A. Dale, Kathryn Grasha, Ralf S. Klessen, Rebecca C. Levy, Lukas Neumann, Hsi An Pan, Marina Ruiz-García, Mattia C. Sormani, Jiayi Sun, Yu Hsuan Teng, Thomas G. Williams

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Context. Nearby galaxies exhibit a variety of structures, including so-called central or (circum-)nuclear rings that are similar to the Milky Way (MW) Central Molecular Zone (CMZ). These rings are common in barred galaxies and can be gas-rich and highly star-forming. Aims. We aim to study the molecular gas content and star formation rate of central rings within nearby galaxies and link them to global galaxy properties, especially the bar morphology. Methods. We utilized 1″(≲100 pc) resolution CO(2–1) observations from the PHANGS-ALMA survey, visually identifying 20 central rings and determine their properties. For 14 of these rings, MUSE observations tracing star …

Positive Youth Development And Connection With Nature Through Urban Agriculture, Casey Ortbahn, Marijke Hecht, Kristi Lekies

Journal of Youth Development

Youth urban agriculture programs connect youth with nature and support positive youth development. In this qualitative study, we use photovoice to amplify youth voices and explore 16 high school youths’ perceptions of how participation in a youth gardening program supported their confidence, connection, and sense of belonging. Using qualitative thematic analysis of photos, posters, and interviews, we identify several program processes that supported confidence and belonging, including meaningful relationships with peers and adults, connections with nature, and relationships with more-than-human beings. Our analysis reveals that nature is an important context for youth development and that nature is also more than …

Impact Of Suaahara, An Integrated Nutrition Programme, On Maternal And Child Nutrition At Scale In Nepal, Edward A. Frongillo Jr. Ph.D., Shalini Suresh, Deependra K. Thapa, Kenda Cunningham, Pooja Pandey Rana, Ramesh P. Adhikari, Subir Kole, Bhim Pun, Indra Kshetri, Debendra P. Adhikari, Rolf Klemm

Faculty Publications

Suaahara was an innovative, complex, multi-sectoral, large-scale, nutrition programme in Nepal to increase exposure to nutrition-related information and services, improve nutrition-related knowledge and practices among pregnant women and mothers of infants and young children, and improve their nutrition. This study evaluated the effectiveness of Suaahara to improve nutrition and nutrition-related practices by comparing changes over 10 years between intervention and comparison districts. The samples of households at baseline in 2012 and endline in 2022 were 2040 and 2480, respectively, from 120 old wards. The impact was estimated using intent-to-treat regression models in which survey year, arm and their interaction were …

An Adaptive Immersive Training Framework For Miner Self-Escape Readiness In Underground Mining Emergencies, Muhammad Azeem Raza, Samuel Frimpong, Saima Ghazal

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Underground mining environments are complex and hazardous operations where emergencies continue to happen. Underground mine emergencies require rapid, high-stakes decision-making under conditions of uncertainty, stress, and limited visibility. Conventional mine emergency training largely relies on instruction-based approaches which provide insufficient exposure to the cognitive and behavioral demands of real underground emergency situations. There has been an identified need to train miners for knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs). This study proposes an Adaptive Immersive Training Framework (AITF), a cognitively grounded architecture that integrates cognitive task analysis (CTA), KSAOs, and situational awareness assessment for miner self-escape training and readiness. The …

Evaluation Of Pulse Oximetry Alarm Fatigue And The Impact Of Spo2 Thresholds On Clinical Workflow: A Prospective Observational Study In A Kenyan Neonatal Unit, Bazil Masabo, Augustine Waswa, Jesse Coleman, Morris Ogero, Grace Irimu, Dorothy Chomba, Millicent Parsimei, Cynthia Shitote, Ferdinand Okwaro, William Macharia

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Introduction: Effective pulse oximetry monitoring in a newborn unit requires clinician action. However, if thresholds are not adapted to each neonate, frequent alarms cause alarm fatigue, which impacts the quality of patient monitoring, staff workload and clinical workflow.

Methods: We conducted an observational study from October 2021 to December 2022 in a Kenyan newborn unit which enrolled neonates through convenience sampling. Data were analysed in R using default thresholds of 85% to 96% for SpO2 and 90 to 200 bpm for PR.

Results: Among the 49 neonates enrolled, median hourly alarms per patient were 12 visual and …

Caregiver Assessment Of Executive Function Deficits Among Hiv-Infected And Hiv-Exposed Uninfected Preschool Children In Kenya, Antipa Sigilai, Moses Nyongesa, Amin Hassan, Janet Thoya, Rachel Odhiambo, K. Katana, Beatrice Kabunda, Grace Bomu, Charles Newton, Amina Abubakar

Institute for Human Development, East Africa

Background: This study examined caregiver assessment of executive functioning (EF) in perinatally HIV-infected (PHIV) and perinatally HIV-exposed but uninfected (PHEU) Kenyan children, and explored the extent to which various biopsychosocial factors influence EF outcomes.

Methods: Children aged 3–5 years that were PHIV (n = 43), PHEU (n = 52), or HIV-unexposed uninfected (HUU, n = 58) and their caregivers were enrolled in this study. EF was measured using the Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory. Caregivers’ common mental disorders (CMDs) and parenting behaviour were evaluated using the Shona Symptoms Questionnaire (SSQ) and a parenting behaviour scale, respectively. We used analyses …

Evaluation Of Publicly Available Maize Germplasm Adaptation To Environments In Nebraska, Garrett Snodgrass

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Publicly available maize germplasm represents an important resource for breeding programs seeking to expand genetic diversity and improve hybrid performance. However, effective use requires characterization of per se phenotypic performance of parental lines and evaluation of the parental line’s hybrid progeny adaptation to a given target population of environments. Furthermore, understanding population structure and heterotic grouping is imperative for maximizing efficiency of breeding decisions. The objectives of this study were to (1) evaluate phenotypic performance of parental lines and hybrids across environments in Nebraska, and to (2) refine heterotic group classification of parental lines within the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Hybrid …

Immersive Experience Design In Contemporary Theme Parks: A Case Study Of Universal Epic Universe, Roi Andre F. Ramos

Experience Industry Management

The evolution of contemporary theme parks has increasingly centered on large-scale immersive environments designed to transport guests into cohesive narrative worlds. The purpose of this study was to examine the immersive design practices utilized at Universal Epic Universe. A case study was conducted to evaluate five themed lands, four attractions, and four queue environments using a researcher-developed observational instrument. The results of this study determined that Epic Universe effectively sustains immersion through architectural enclosure, intellectual property-based world-building, sensory layering, and interactive technologies that increase guest agency. The park demonstrates a cohesive “self-contained land” model that minimizes negative cues and extends …

Retained Placenta Removal Device (Womb-A), Savannah Fujimoto, Ciana Villar, Edward Barba

Biomedical Engineering

Womb-a aims to design a safe, minimally invasive, and effective product that solves the issue of removing retained placentas after childbirth reducing the risk of infection and uterine trauma. Womb-a brings a handheld motorized device that can be used at the bedside immediately after delivery of a baby. Retained placentas happen to approximately 1-3% of deliveries [1] which elevates the likelihood of postpartum infection and hemorrhaging. Current solutions include manual removal, windmill technique, and D&C which individually have severe issues such as elevating risk of infection, inconsistent removal of adhered placenta, and surgical complications. The Womb-a aims to mitigate these …

Reimagining The Laguna Lake Driving Range, Audrey Bonifacio, Jessica Rice

City and Regional Planning

The Laguna Lake Municipal Golf Course is located in San Luis Obispo, California, and is operated by the city. Recently, the community, city staff, and the City Council have begun a conversation regarding the use of the golf course. To explore the different uses, this senior project presents four alternative developments for a selected area of the golf course. These four uses include enhancing the existing driving range, a sports facility, a children’s center, and a senior living community. To assess these alternatives, the project explores current urban planning theories, development trends, and case studies for each use. Through this …

Improving Public Transport Through Machine Learning Influence Flow Analysis (Mifa): Southern England Bus Case Study, Benjamin Lee, Wolfgang Garn, Masoud Fakhimi, Nick F. Ryman-Tubb

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Public transport (PT) is crucial for enhancing the quality of life and enabling sustainable urban development. As part of the UK Transport Investment Strategy, increasing PT usage is critical to achieving efficient and sustainable mobility. This paper introduces Machine Learning Influence Flow Analysis (MIFA), a novel framework for identifying the key influencers of PT usage. Using survey data from bus passengers in Southern England, we evaluate machine learning models. Subsequently, MIFA uncovers that easy payments, e-ticketing, and mobile applications can substantially improve the PT service. MIFA’s implementation demonstrates that strength and importance lead to specific insights into how service characteristics …

Online Age Gating: An Interdisciplinary Evaluation, Noah Apthorpe, Brett Frischmann, Yan Shvartzshnaider

Faculty Publications

The recent surge in regulation seeking to establish age-based governance online is part of a decades-long attempt to establish online zoning. It is driven by active development of technologies to estimate or verify user age based on various characteristics of users, their credentials, or their activities. However, these developments have heightened prevailing concerns that online age gating technology will inevitably be abused and misused to cause a variety of privacy harms and rights infringements. This paper examines this ongoing debate by bridging technical and legal scholarship to explore the current state of online age-based governance. We discuss the current legal …

The Cleveland Foundation: Greater Circle Living Evaluation, Molly Schnoke, Kristen A. Blazek, René-Simone Martin

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

No abstract provided.

Microwave Dielectric Properties Of Geopolymer Precursor Powders, Linh T. Duong, Abu Naser Rashid Reza, Kristen M. Donnell, Christopher R. Shearer

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Geopolymers are sustainable structural materials with properties similar to ordinary Portland cement concrete. To better understand the fundamental reaction mechanisms of geopolymers, a microwave materials characterization approach is used. In this research work, the dielectric properties (permittivity and loss factor) of common precursor powders used to make geopolymers (GPPs)—fly ash, lime, metakaolin, silica fume, slag, and zeolite—are measured over the S- and X-band frequency ranges (i.e., 2.0–4.0 GHz and 8.2–12.4 GHz, respectively). The physical characteristics, elemental composition, mineralogical properties, and phase characterization of the GPPs are then correlated to dielectric properties. Permittivity of GPP, classified as pozzolanic or latent hydraulic, …

Interactions Between Air Pollution And Weather/Climate From Urban To Global Scales, Meng Gao, Xin Huang, Yucong Miao, Mengmeng Li, Claudio Mazzoleni

Michigan Tech Publications

Air pollution and meteorology are intricately linked. Weather modulates the formation, transport, and removal of pollutants, while aerosols and trace gases modify radiation balance, cloud microphysics, boundary-layer structure, and other factors. These two-way interactions span scales from urban to global and have important consequences. The papers collected in this special issue of Meteorological Applications examine how interactions between weather and pollution at various scales affect visibility, pollutant transport, crop yields, and other outcomes, collectively highlighting the crucial role of the interplay between air pollution and meteorology.

The Effect Of Si And Zr On The Formation Of Al3x And V-Phase In A 6005a Alloy With Sc—Part 1: Alloy Design And Heat Treatment Selection, Eli A. Harma, Timothy Langan, Paul Sanders

Michigan Tech Publications

Adding Sc to 6xxx series alloys has led to inconsistent results due to the formation of the high-temperature, thermodynamically stable V-phase (AlSc2Si2). Thermo-Calc single-axis equilibrium and phase diagram calculations were employed to identify V-phase formation with varying Si and Zr concentrations, indicating that increasing Zr and decreasing Si lowered the V-phase equilibrium volume fraction. Increasing Zr also shifted the V-phase equilibrium to higher Si concentrations. To access real-world influences of Zr and Si, four compositions were cast with different Si and Zr concentrations: a high-Si, low-Zr alloy; a medium-Si, medium-Zr alloy; a low-Si, high-Zr alloy; and a baseline alloy without …

Explainable Deep Reinforcement Learning For Real-Time Network Intrusion Detection, Sebastian Bustamante

Shelby Hall Graduate Research Forum Posters

This research aims to enhance current Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL)-based Intrusion Detection System (IDS) models by adding transparency using Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI). This study proposes a DRL-based IDS architecture that incorporates explainability to provide interpretable reasons for IDS decisions. A Deep Q-Network (DQN) agent will be trained in a simulated network using well-known datasets to learn traffic behavior. XAI methods will be applied to extract feature importance and allow users to understand why alerts were generated. The outcomes of this research will contribute to improving network security by providing more insight on how XAI could be adopted into modern …

Integrating Nonlinear Phase Space Analysis And Image-Based Representation For Network Intrusion Detection, Chakriya Suon

Shelby Hall Graduate Research Forum Posters

With the rise of cyber threats, cybersecurity continues to play a critical role in the ever-changing landscape of technology by protecting and defending against threat agents. Our research applies novel machine learning (ML)techniques to detect network intrusions effectively. Our primary focus is to extend prior research, which has used network flows that are processed by a nonlinear phase space algorithm (NLPSA). The NLSPA approach has proven extremely effective in detecting anomalous or malicious traffic patterns on representative data but requires extensive training time.

Our contribution integrates deep learning into the anomaly detection approach by creating image-based representations of the adjacency …

Calibration Of Time-Domain Impedance Probe (Tdip) To Investigate Space Plasma Dynamics During Periods Of Ionospheric Instability, Piyas Chowdhury, Soumyajit Dey, Edmund A. Spencer

Shelby Hall Graduate Research Forum Posters

The traditional Plasma Impedance Probe (PIP) is popular for diagnosing parameters of the ionospheric plasma to study the space environment. However, the resolution of data measurements of existing PIP instruments, operating at higher frequencies, limits the analysis to studying the plasma features at electron scales. Studying plasma ion parameters is essential to understanding the ionospheric instability growth rates. This can only be accomplished by operating a diagnosing instrument at lower frequencies corresponding to ion scales. A recently developed Time Domain Impedance Probe (TDIP) is implementable for fast moving spacecraft using a time domain approach. The instrument has higher measurement resolution …

Deconstructing Digital Disinformation: Social Media Data Preparation And Analysis For Healthcare Research, Russell W. Cantrell, Matt Campbell

Shelby Hall Graduate Research Forum Posters

The spread of medical misinformation poses significant threats to public health, healthcare system stability, and the quality of patient care. Our research examines misinformation targeting the U.S. healthcare system. It uses a mixed-methods approach that includes social media data analysis, surveys of practicing nurses, and agent-based simulation. This poster focuses on the initial phase, which attempts to detect potential misinformation and disinformation by analyzing patterns in social media posts and user account behaviors. A detailed account of the data preparation process lays the groundwork for examining how disinformation operates online. This phase draws on the Pushshift repository, which offers historical …

Conceptual Architecture For Digital Twin (Dt) In Disaster Response Applications, Sai Raghava Pathuri

Shelby Hall Graduate Research Forum Posters

Digital Twin Enabled Artificial Intelligence Uncrewed System (Model-Based Systems Engineering) Artificial Intelligence Digital Twin (DT)+Cyber Physical System. The goal was to create DTs of Multi Class UxS. The system of interest was the Uncrewed Ground Vehicle (UGV) and Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The modeling language used SysML v2.

Detecting Sensor Data Manipulation, Ricky Green, Michael Black

Shelby Hall Graduate Research Forum Posters

The integration of Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) have made OT devices vulnerable to threats that have been successfully exploited with devastating results. Many modern techniques for hardening and securing enterprise IT systems are either incompatible with OT components in an Industrial Control System (ICS), reduce the efficiency of processes, or are prohibitively expensive to implement. Research in the area of ICS security focuses on a top-down approach, such as intrusion prevention by securing the perimeter of the network at layers 3 – 5 of the Purdue model by hardening IT systems. This approach is useful in Enterprise …

Temporal Eclectic Rule Extraction: Exploring Trustworthy Explainable Artificial Intelligence For Recurrent Neural Networks, Micah Israel

Shelby Hall Graduate Research Forum Posters

Enhancing temporal neural network interpretability can greatly increase the effectiveness of Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS). While explainable Deep Neural Networks (DNN) have been researched heavily in the literature for intrusion detection, explainable temporal neural networks lack the same attention. Current state-of-the-art XAI techniques rely on black-box surrogate explainers, which attempt to generate post-hoc explanations without valuable information inside the model's hidden neurons. To address this, this proposal introduces a novel white-box XAI method, Temporal Eclectic Rule Extraction (TERE), which is designed to provide explainable rules directly from temporal models. TERE aims to enhance decision transparency in IDS by offering interpretable …

Postcolonial Ecocriticism And The Recovery Of Hope: Okri, Dangarembga, And The Spiritual, John C. Hawley

English

This essay stages a comparative ecocritical reading of African and transnational texts—Cajetan Iheka’s Naturalizing Africa, Ben Okri’s Every Leaf a Hallelujah, Tsitsi Dangarembga’s This Mournable Body, Greg Sarris’s Becoming Story, and Karen Armstrong’s Sacred Nature—to examine how narrative re-situates the human within more-than-human worlds. Drawing on Iheka’s “aesthetics of proximity,” postcolonial theory, and critical posthumanism, it contrasts Okri’s hopeful, child-centered fable of multispecies reciprocity with Dangarembga’s portrayal of “slow violence,” psychic dispossession, and eco-touristic commodification in neoliberal Zimbabwe. Indigenous and spiritual frameworks in Sarris and Armstrong further disclose ancient precedents for posthuman ethics, foregrounding humility, …

Evaluating The Effects Of Anti-Forensic Activities In Additive Manufacturing Devices, Daniel B. Miller

Shelby Hall Graduate Research Forum Posters

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a newer famlily of production tecchologies that constructs objects by fusing layers of material into the desired shape. Methods for achieving this as described in Gibson et al. [1] are varied and include Fused Filament Deposition, Selective Laser Sintering, Stereolithography (SLA), and Powder Bed Fusion. Computers are integral to the processes being responsible for creating and decoding design instructions, collecting and processing sensor data, and, ultimately, directing the activity of the machines which implement the process. Additionally, the AM industry is rapidly expanding, worth an estimated $23 billion in 2023 and projected to reach $88 billion …

Detecting Sophisticated Cyberattacks On Public Water Infrastructure, Ayrton Purdy

Shelby Hall Graduate Research Forum Posters

From around the globe, malicious actors continually probe critical infrastructure assets for weaknesses. Their backgrounds, goals, and motives may vary, but the purpose of their attacks is the same: to damage, undermine, or exploit the functionality of these assets [2]. At a fundamental level, critical infrastructure is any essential system and asset vital to national security. Critical infrastructure includes assets such as power, transportation, telecommunications, water and wastewater systems (WWS), and many more [3].

Applying Direct Numerical Simulations To Investigate Wave Forcing Against A Vertical Wall, Hunter Boswell, Frank D. Han, Gaurav Savant, Guirong Yan, Wouter Mostert

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Current engineering standards lack the ability to predict the peak impact forces of breaking waves impinging directly upon coastal structures. In this study solitary waves impacting vertical and tapered walls are investigated. To capture the detailed physics of the wave profile that impacts the wall, two-dimensional direct numerical simulations are applied to model the wave traveling over a simplified bathymetry consisting of an initially uniform depth, followed by a uniform beach ramp and then terminating in a uniform depth inshore region and vertical wall. Such an approach can simulate wave runup on land and then the impact with the vertical …