Digital Commons Network^™

Public Libraries: Communities Need Them To Survive, Genesis Wilson

Integrated Studies

Public libraries continue to play a highly impactful and transformative role in community life, even as digital technologies reshape how individuals access information, participate in civic life, and access social support. The literature consistently shows that public libraries function not only as information centers but also as inclusive community anchors that advance digital equity, civic engagement, lifelong learning, and social well-being. Drawing on research from respected scholars such as Akst, Alemanne et al., Lewis, Elmborg, and Schencker, this literature review integrates key themes related to public libraries as community builders, technology and broadband leaders, and essential social support systems for …

The Benefits And Challenges Of Digital Technology In Smes, Amanda Rux

Integrated Studies

Small organizations play a vital role in global economic stability. While their continued growth is essential, the majority fail within the first few years of operation. These organizations face multiple challenges that are difficult to overcome but can be mitigated by digitalizing their processes. The digitalization process also comes with its own set of challenges, and many of these organizations' attempts to digitalize fail. This paper will describe the types of technology these organizations may use to achieve their digitalization goals, the challenges and benefits that come with these technologies, and how organizational culture can affect their digitalization efforts. The …

Silent Longevity: A Rare Case Of Unrepaired Tetralogy Of Fallot In Adulthood, Michelle De La Torre

Bachelor of Science in Diagnostic Ultrasound Projects

This case describes the findings of a 65-year-old patient with unrepaired Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) and explores factors contributing to prolonged survival without intervention. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) confirmed the four characteristic anatomical features of Tetralogy of Fallot. The literature indicates that adult survival without surgical repair is rare and influenced by the severity of right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) obstruction, ventricular septal defect (VSD) size, and systemic pulmonary collateral circulation. This case highlights that adults with unrepaired TOF may remain asymptomatic despite significant anatomical abnormalities and emphasizes the importance of equitable multidisciplinary care.

Improving Flood Risk Mapping By Incorporating Local-Scale Calibration Data Derived From Stakeholder Input, Jennifer M. Holifield, Wei Wu, Patrick D. Biber, Margo Posten, Dennis Mcgrury, Stephen C. Deal, Alexandria Hancock

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Globally, flooding is the most frequent and costly natural hazards, disproportionately affecting populations based on environmental, social, and economic factors. Understanding the spatial variability of flood risk as well as the respective flood drivers is essential for informing cost-effective mitigation strategies and enhancing community resilience. Here we mapped flood risk that combines flood hazards and vulnerability in an under-resourced coastal community prone to compound flooding. Our approach integrates stakeholder engagement with GIS-based analysis using open-access datasets.

We first developed an initial flood hazard map using an equal-weight combination of factors commonly associated with flood occurrence/prevention, including upslope area, impervious surface …

Stress-Strain Behavior Of Saturated Clays From Vane Shear Test Results: A Numerical Approach, Gustavo Rodrigues De Avila Oliveira

Master’s Theses

The vane shear test (VST) is widely used to estimate the undrained shear strength of soft cohesive soils; however, it does not directly provide constitutive information such as the stress–strain response. Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH), a mesh-free numerical method, offers an attractive alternative for modeling the large deformations involved in the VST and extracting additional information from the test.

This study develops and calibrates a two-dimensional SPH model to simulate the field vane shear test and investigate the stress–strain behavior of soft soils. The VST was implemented within an SPH framework, while field and laboratory data were used to define …

Robert Shea '91-Rusty Spears '81, Robert Shea, Rusty Spears

Alumni Oral History Project

No abstract provided.

Dokdo/Takeshima And Maritime Delimitation Between The Republic Of Korea And Japan: A Comment On Icj Dispute Resolution, Katherine Angell

Celebrating WCL Student Authors

The Republic of Korea (Korea) should agree to submit the issue of sovereignty over Dokdo/Takeshima and the issue of maritime delimitation in the East Sea/Sea of Japan to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) because the ICJ is likely to decide that Dokdo/Takeshima is Korean territory and the tensions in the East Sea/Sea of Japan can be resolved to allow further cooperation between the two nations. The ICJ is the primary avenue for peacefully resolving territorial and maritime delimitation disputes between nations, and the ICJ has developed a substantial body of case law analyzing these issues. The ICJ considers various …

Perception Of Posed And Naturally Occurring Emotion Expressions In Close Friendships, Kaitlyn M. Mcmullen

Doctoral Dissertations

While relationships are critical to our daily emotional lives, the limited research on emotion perception among close friends presents inconsistent evidence concerning whether differences exist between close friends and strangers. The present work examined the ways in which familiarity between close friends’ shapes emotion perception. In Study 1a, expressors provided both naturally occurring and dynamic posed emotion expressions for seven emotion categories (anger, sadness, fear, disgust, happiness, surprise, and neutral) in order to develop a stimulus set where the stereotypicality of the expressions varies within-subjects. In Study 1b, a self-identified close friend of each expressor viewed and rated the expressions …

Unified Attack Modeling And Mitigation Framework For Multiple Physical Attacks In Sensor Networks For Advanced Manufacturing, Mohammad Mezanur Rahman Monjur

Doctoral Dissertations

The advanced manufacturing industry (AMI) faces unique challenges in security assurance. Security threats in AMI can originate from both software and hardware. Over the past decade, software security has been addressed extensively, but hardware security has not received enough attention. This work focuses on the security vulnerabilities of typical electronic devices deployed to AMI. Three attack models are proposed to characterize sensing nodes, local processing edge devices, and wired/wireless communication interfaces. Moreover, practical security attacks on hardware are demonstrated to inspire the development of feasible countermeasures against common physical attacks. To explore effective attack mitigation methods, we examine two attack …

The Garden Of The Machine: Simulated Wildness And Digital Domestication In American Literature 1970-2020, Cameron Netland

Doctoral Dissertations

Studying American literature produced during the Information Age, from 1970 to 2020, reveals an evolution of wild human resistance to the increasing powers of digital technology. These increasing powers include capturing attention, fostering dependence, and training behavior through a process I call digital domestication. Digital domestication distances people from wildness, and as William Cronon writes in “The Trouble with Wilderness”, “Learning to honor the wild—learning to remember and acknowledge the autonomy of the other—means striving for critical self-consciousness in all of our actions.” (20). Through this framework of wildness, one reads characters in fictional narratives resisting non-coercive new technologies as …

Analysis Of The Complex Nmr Lineshape Of Polarized Deuterons, Michael Joseph Mcclellan

Doctoral Dissertations

To determine the spin polarization of deuterons, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is used. This is necessary for polarized targets, such as for the upcoming $A_{zz}$ and $b_{1}$ experiment at Jefferson Lab. These polarized target experiments are expected to discriminate between different models of the deuteron, which in turn could lead to a better understanding of short-range correlations (SRCs). NMR measures the impedance of a solenoid around a deuterated sample. Although the impedance is a complex value, conventionally only the real part of the impedance has been used for this purpose. However, often the tune is not precisely real, meaning the …

The Development Of A Convenient And Consistent Methodology For Flight Proficiency To Certify Multi-Rotor Uas Pilots For State Departments Of Transportation, Colin H. Dees, Joseph M. Burgett

The Professional Constructor

To fly an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly referred to as a “drone,” the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires pilots to pass a knowledge test. There is no requirement at the state or federal level for drone operators to demonstrate the ability to operate a UAS. The National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) has created an exam for public and private entities to assess basic UAS flight proficiency. It is the only nationally recognized flight proficiency protocol. NIST does not provide a scoring recommendation and leaves it to the user to determine the minimum criteria to pass. There is …

Campus Sexual Assault: Cybersex At Bucknell, Rebecca Bonomo

Master’s Theses

Campus sexual assault continues to be a prevalent problem, particularly at Bucknell. The present study is the first study out of Bucknell Campus Sexual Assault Research team to explore the new module of the Sexual Experiences Survey - Victimization (SESV) Cybersex (Koss et al., 2024). This is a mixed methods approach to exploring cybersex at Bucknell. The study explored prevalence rates, differences between gender binary, sexual orientation, and post-traumatic stress symptoms. The first hypothesis was that cybersex victimization will be prevalent at Bucknell. The next hypothesis was that women and sexual minorities would have higher rates of cybersex scores than …

The Spaces Of Queer Childhood, Haley Beardsley

Master’s Theses

This thesis examines how Victorian and early twentieth-century British literature imagines queer childhood as a spatial condition that generates alternative temporalities, rather than as a stable identity. Focusing on The Well of Loneliness (1928), Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass (1871), and Peter Pan (1904) and Peter and Wendy (1911), this project argues that queer childhood emerges within literary environments that actively produce misalignment with normative developmental logics of innocence, growth, and reproductive futurity. Drawing on the work of Lee Edelman, Kathryn Bond Stockton, Jack Halberstam, Sara Ahmed, Elizabeth Freeman, and Guy Debord, this study contends that …

Feasibility Of Upcycling Spent Lithium-Ion Battery To Carbon Dioxide Capture Adsorbent, Chimezie Frank Onwudinjo

Master’s Theses

This study investigates the feasibility of repurposing spent lithium-ion battery (SLIB) to lithium orthosilicate (Li₄SiO₄), a high temperature carbon dioxide sorbent. Two synthesis pathways including conventional acid-leaching method (Scenario 1) and a pyrolysis-based route (Scenario 2) were explored. Additionally, techno-economic analysis (TEA) and lifecycle assessment (LCA) of the two processes were also performed. Different analytical characterization techniques were performed to understand the material properties of Li₄SiO₄ including surface area, crystallinity, morphology and thermal stability. CO₂ capture performance of the synthesized Li₄SiO₄ was tested in a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) using …

Control System Emendation And Ai-Driven Optimization For Enhancing A Smart Residential Microgrid, Anthony Nyoyoko

Master’s Theses

This thesis began with a simple idea: to restore the control system of a smart residential microgrid to respond intelligently to electricity prices while remaining safe, reliable, and practical on low-cost hardware. At the start, the goal was to design an economically aware microgrid that could look at electricity prices from the PJM market and make better operational decisions than traditional rule-based control. The motivation was straightforward. As residential renewable energy adoption increases, microgrids are expected to do more than just supply power. They are expected to respond to price volatility, integrate renewable generation, and operate reliably using embedded controllers …

From The Big Leagues To Little League. Identity Tensions And Experiences Of Former Elite Athletes Coaching Their Children In Athletics, Jake Manning

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

For many families, their children’s athletic activities are a primary source of parent-child bonding for both parents and children, and many parents choose to coach their children’s sports teams to be more involved. While research shows the benefits and challenges that come when the parent navigates a dual role of parent and coach, research has not yet looked at parents who played sports at a professional or collegiate level. Through semi-structured interviews with 5 former elite athletes who coached their children in athletics, this study applies communication theory of identity to analyze their experience and explore the benefits and challenges …

Functionalization Of Microfiltration Media Towards Catalytic Hydrogenation Of Selected Halo-Organics From Water, Subrajit Bosu, Samuel S. Thompson, Doo Young Kim, Noah D. Meeks, Dibakar Bhattacharyya

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Contaminated water detoxification remains difficult due to the presence of persistent halo-organic contaminants, such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and chlorophenols, which are chemically stable and resist conventional purification methods. Functionalized membrane-based separation and decontamination have garnered immense attention in recent years. Commercially available microfiltration membrane (PVDF) and polymeric non-woven fiber filters (glass and composite) are functionalized with poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) that shows outstanding pH-responsive performance and tunable water permeability under ambient conditions perfect for environmental applications. Polymer loading based on weight gain measurements on PMAA–microglass composite fibers (137%) and microglass fibers (116%) confirmed their extent of functionalization, which was significantly …

Jasmonic Acid And Nanoparticle Elicitation Of L. Cardinalis – Differentiating Elicitor Contributions In Nanoparticle Delivery Strategies, Rachel P. Sutherland, Mckenna F. Clinch, Kristen Bruce, D. Trent Rogers, John Littleton, Bert Lynn, Stephen Rankin, Barbara L. Knutson

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Elicitation is an important strategy for producing plant secondary metabolites, which are responsible for a plant's highly dynamic chemical defense against environmental stressors such as UV light, predators, and pathogens. Elicitation strategies have recently employed nanoparticles as carriers to effectively deliver the elicitation agent through the cell membrane. This study examines the elicitation of secondary metabolites in Lobelia cardinalis hairy root cultures (HRCs) in response to the plant hormone jasmonic acid (JA) and a JA-loaded nanoparticle carrier (mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs)). Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) with high resolution mass spectrometry identified 12 m/z features only upregulated in the …

Stochastic Mechanical Mesoscale Modeling Of Cylindrical Cavities In Metallic Foams, Mujan N. Seif, Alexandre Martin, Matthew J. Beck

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Aluminum foam is a critical component of state-of-the-art micrometeoroid and orbital debris shielding. However, its randomly oriented constituent ligaments create significant variability in properties at different length scales. Previous efforts have thoroughly characterized the statistical implications of micro- to macro-scale-length transitions on the homogenized elastic behavior of damage-free, pre–micrometeroid and orbital debris (MMOD) strike structures. In this work, the properties of the residual material post MMOD impact are assessed by introducing cylindrical cavities representing the damage track. It was observed that configuring the cavity parallel to the through-the-thickness direction transformed a nominally isotropic foam into an anisotropic (transverse isotropic) material, …

Beyond The Lace Index: Benchmarking Machine Learning Architectures And Explaining 30-Day Hospital Readmission Risk With Shap Analysis, Carl E. Hughes Iii

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Unplanned 30-day hospital readmission remains a fundamental challenge in US healthcare, associated with increased risk to patient recovery and representing an estimated $52.4 billion in annual expenses (Beauvais et al., 2022). While the rigorously validated LACE index serves as the clinical standard for readmission modeling, its linear structure and four explanatory variables lack the complexity to capture the high-dimensional and interactive nature of patient risk. This study utilizes an admission granularity level cohort of the MIMIC-IV database to develop and compare machine learning architectures against the baseline LACE index. Due to the imbalanced prevalence of readmission, the penalized logistic regression, …

Rate Response Of Curlyleaf Pondweed And Native Plants To Flumioxazin In Minnesota Lakes, Pearl J. Jensen

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Curlyleaf pondweed (Potamogeton crispus L.) is an invasive aquatic plant present across the United States that causes significant recreational issues, outcompetes native plant species, and depletes water quality. Before senescing in mid-summer, curlyleaf pondweed forms a large number of turions that can lay dormant in the sediment for several years. Typical herbicide management of this species occurs in early spring to target the plant before turion production occurs and while native plants are dormant. Flumioxazin has shown potential in curlyleaf pondweed management in small scale studies, but its effects have not been assessed in operational management. In this study, treatments …

Effect Of Protective Mutation On Structure And Dynamics Of Apoe: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study, Newton A. Ihoeghian, Usman L. Abass, Ibrahim A. Imam, Qing Shao

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Apolipoprotein E (APOE) plays a significant role in determining the risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Three mutations—APOE3–R136S, APOE3–V236E, and APOE4–R251G—have been reported to reduce the risk of AD. Unveiling the molecular mechanism behind this reduction could lay a foundation for developing therapeutics for AD. To shed light on this subject, we investigate the mutation-induced variation in structural and dynamic properties of APOE3–R136S, APOE3–V236E, and APOE4–R251G in explicit solvent using molecular dynamics simulations. The APOE2, APOE3, and APOE4 were used as the reference. The analysis unveiled that the three protective mutations may exert protection through different mechanisms. The R215G mutation makes …

04 Dielectrics I, Gerhard Müller

Electromagnetism (2026)

Part 4 of course materials for Electromagnetism taught by Gerhard Müller at the University of Rhode Island.

05 Electric Currents I, Gerhard Müller

Electromagnetism (2026)

Part 5 of course materials for Electromagnetism taught by Gerhard Müller at the University of Rhode Island.

06 Magnetostatics I, Gerhard Müller

Electromagnetism (2026)

Part 6 of course materials for Electromagnetism taught by Gerhard Müller at the University of Rhode Island.

09 Electrodynamics Ii, Gerhard Müller

Electromagnetism (2026)

Part 9 of course materials for Electromagnetism taught by Gerhard Müller at the University of Rhode Island.

10 Relativity I, Gerhard Müller

Electromagnetism (2026)

Part 10 of course materials for Electromagnetism taught by Gerhard Müller at the University of Rhode Island.

11 Relativity Ii, Gerhard Müller

Electromagnetism (2026)

Part 11 of course materials for Electromagnetism taught by Gerhard Müller at the University of Rhode Island.

Designing Ai Systems To Support A Productive-Failure-Based Learning: Insights From Adult Learners On Ai Applications And Ai System Design Principles, Jinhee Kim, Xi Lin, Seongryeong Yu, Rita Detrick

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Emerging capabilities of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) offer significant potential to support productive failure (PF)-based learning, which engages adult learners (ALs) in exploring problems before instruction and learning from their initial attempts. However, the effective use of AI to support multifaceted areas of PF-based learning, including problem generation, exploration, consolidation, and knowledge assembly, is limited. Furthermore, AI design principles to support PF-based learning remain under-researched. This study, therefore, aims to investigate ALs’ perceptions of AI applications in enhancing PF-based learning and to explore the essential design principles of AI systems for PF-based learning. To achieve these aims, the study conducted …