Digital Commons Network^™

A Study On Design Expression Methods Of The Traditional Japanese Aesthetic Concept "Sabi", Sugimoto Yoshitaka, Tanaka Saki, Tanaka Kanai, Iioka Yukiko

IASDR Conference Series

The purpose of this study is to derive effective design methods for expressing “Sabi,” one of the traditional aesthetic principles of Japan, within the context of contemporary industrial product design, including both appearance and user interface (UI). To achieve this goal, the study extracted 277 visual characteristics representing “Sabi” from traditional Japanese tea utensils. These characteristics were then systematically compared with 392 statements and behavioral records of the artisans who created the utensils, in order to infer their aesthetic intentions. As a result, five core expression features— “miniaturized,” “linear,” “technical,” “delicate,” and “vivid”—were identified. Furthermore, 14 concrete design techniques for …

Detection Of Breath, Phonation And Cough Sounds Using Sound Feature Vectors And Artificial Neural Networks By Calculating Lung Forced Vital Capacity With Mobile Infrastructures, Edmond Hajrizi

International Journal of Business and Technology

Objective: In this study, it is aimed to calculate the tidal volume capacity with mobile infrastructures and to determine the O2 and CO2 values from breath, phonation and cough sounds with the help of artificial neural networks using voice feature vectors. In addition, it is aimed to develop a method that will enable computation of forced expiratory volume via mobile devices.

Materials and Methods: Since sound disease diagnosis is basically a classification problem, tidal volume classification is considered as a pattern recognition problem. Our automatic O2 and CO2 classification study as a pattern recognition function includes three subcomponents; Identifying and …

Project Chimera: Real-Time Disaster Resilience Simulation Platform (Digital Twin), Matthew D. Judson

Defensive Publications Series

Disclosed is Project CHIMERA, a real-time simulation platform (Digital Twin) for testing the resilience of decentralized infrastructure (DePIN) during disaster scenarios.10 The integrated simulation engine combines high-fidelity geospatial data (DEM) with real-time environmental simulations (e.g., hurricanes) and infrastructure failures (power outages). The core innovation is the high-fidelity simulation of decentralized network dynamics (e.g., ChurchMesh/LoRa), including accurate RF propagation physics based on terrain, node failures, and dynamic message routing. The platform functions as a strategy evaluation tool, scoring infrastructure deployment strategies based on Coverage, Uptime, and Cost Efficiency within the simulated disaster.

Churchmesh Communicator: Dedicated E-Ink Mesh Messaging Device Architecture, Matthew D. Judson

Defensive Publications Series

Disclosed is the hardware architecture for the ChurchMesh Communicator, a dedicated, ultra-low-power mesh messaging device. The invention details the specific integration of components optimized for long-range, resilient communication: an ESP32-S3 MCU, an E-Ink display (for sunlight readability and zero static power draw), a physical QWERTY keyboard, and an SX1262 LoRa module (10km+ range). The architecture is optimized for 2+ week battery life. The firmware (ESP-IDF + LVGL) utilizes novel power management techniques, including E-Ink partial refresh optimization and aggressive deep sleep modes, waking only on keyboard interrupt or incoming LoRa message. The device integrates "KTKN-Lite" for decentralized synchronization.

Deterministic Data Synthesis Pipeline For Multimodal Ai Training (The Trueos-Ktkn Data Engine), Matthew D. Judson

Defensive Publications Series

Disclosed is a system for generating "Golden Master" training datasets for Multimodal Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models. The core innovation is a "Deterministic Render-Capture Loop" that decouples simulation time (simTime) from wall-clock time. The system advances the simulation by a fixed delta ($\Delta t$), renders the state, and captures the frame using WebCodecs, timestamping it with simTime regardless of actual render duration. This guarantees a mathematically perfect framerate and perfect synchronization between video frames and telemetry logs, eliminating the frame drops and jitter inherent in real-time screen recording. The pipeline is orchestrated within the TrueOS/Electron shell, managing the simulation backend (e.g., Python …

Morphogenetic Aiops (The Ktkn Regulator): Physics-Based Anomaly Detection And Homeostatic Control, Matthew D. Judson

Defensive Publications Series

Disclosed is the KTKN (Katechon) Regulator, a homeostatic AI for detecting precursor signals of failure in complex distributed systems using non-linear dynamical systems theory. The system detects Critical Slowing Down (CSD) by monitoring rising Variance and Autocorrelation. The core innovation is the definition and mitigation of "D-Term Tension," a novel failure mode where the Derivative term of a PID controller fights the system's natural CSD, interpreting noise as a trend and causing violent collapse (Hopf Bifurcation). The KTKN Regulator detects this tension (correlation coefficient $r > 0.7$) and intervenes by disabling the D-term to prevent collapse. The system utilizes Active Inference …

Dendro-Version Control (Dvc): Biomimetic Visualization Of Distributed State And Security, Matthew D. Judson

Defensive Publications Series

Disclosed is Dendro-Version Control (DVC), a visualization system that maps the properties of distributed version control (DAGs) and CRDTs (Automerge/KTKN) to the biological anatomy of trees. Implemented using React Three Fiber (R3F), the system provides a "Living HUD" for project health. The core innovation is the mapping of data consensus to tree physiology: stable, globally replicated code ("Canonical Truth") is rendered as dense "Heartwood" using Volumetric Raymarching; recent development is "Sapwood"; and the active frontier is the "Cambial Layer." Security vulnerabilities and technical debt are visualized using the CODIT (Compartmentalization of Decay in Trees) model as "Rot." The P2P data …

Spikensl (Spiking Neural Signal Language) For "No-Compile" Behavioral Transmission, Matthew D. Judson

Defensive Publications Series

A method and system for transmitting real-time software behavior and control signals by mapping dynamic system states to the native compression channels of the H.265 (HEVC) video codec. The protocol, termed "SpikeNSL," treats the video frame as a raster plot of spiking neurons. The Luma (Y) channel encodes the "Spike Train" of system events (sparse binary activations), while the Chroma (U/V) channels encode contextual state transitions. This mapping exploits the temporal redundancy and sparsity optimizations of H.265 to achieve bandwidth efficiencies of 50-100x compared to traditional serialization (e.g., MQTT/gRPC) for sparse event streams. The system further enables "No-Compile" behavioral replication, …

Wireless, Fully-Sealed Coxswain Audio Transmission System With Modular Boat Electronics, Wireless Charging, And No Exposed User-Side Electrical Connections, Glenn R. Engel

Defensive Publications Series

This defensive publication describes a fully sealed, wireless coxswain audio communication system designed for rowing shells, eliminating all exposed electrical connectors commonly found in traditional cox box systems. The solution integrates a waterproof wearable headset with digital MEMS microphone(s), a Bluetooth LE Audio transmitter, and Qi-based inductive charging within a connector-free housing. A boat-mounted receiver/amplifier module wirelessly receives audio, drives existing speaker wiring, and supplies inductive power to portable components. An optional detachable user-interface module provides visual feedback, system control, and additional charge-sharing capability through wireless power exchange. The system architecture enables complete wireless communication among all user-handled components, reducing …

Climate Change Influence On The Distribution Of Four Plant Medicinal Species From The Sierra Norte Of Oaxaca, Mexico, Irene Bautista Juárez, José Luis Villaseñor, Monserrat Vázquez-Sánchez, Wenceslao Santiago-García, Faustino Ruiz-Aquino, Mario Ernesto Suárez-Mota

Neotropical Biodiversity

The Sierra Norte of Oaxaca, México, because of its high biodiversity, is a good candidate for studying the possible effects of climate change on its flora distribution. Currently, several modelling tools have been developed to facilitate the prediction of present and future species distribution. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of climate change on the distribution of four locally important medicinal plant species from the Asteraceae family (Heterotheca inuloides, Laennecia filaginoides, Pinaropappus roseus, and Tagetes lucida). The analysis was done using the maximum entropy algorithm under three different time periods: the present, 2050, and …

Lead Sources Detected In Manila's Air After The Phase-Out Of Leaded Gasoline, Grace Betito, Paola Angela Bañaga, Maria Obiminda L. Cambaliza, Melliza Templonuevo Cruz, James Bernard Simpas, Mengli Chen, Jariya Kayee, Armin Sorooshian, Rachel A. Braun, Alexander B. Macdonald

Ateneo Atmospheric Physics Laboratory

Abstract

The global phase-out of leaded gasoline marked a major milestone in pollution control, yet modern uses of lead (Pb) continue to pose significant health risks, especially in low- and middle-income countries. In the Philippines, significant data gaps still exist despite increasing exposure. This study presents to the best of our knowledge, the first Pb isotopic fingerprinting of atmospheric aerosols in Metro Manila, Philippines, covering fine (0.56–1 μm) and coarse (5.6–10 μm) fractions, collected in 2018–2019. Results show that local sources, mainly industrial activities (45–62 %) and fossil fuel combustion (30–45 %), are now the dominant contributors to airborne Pb, …

Correlates Of Depressive Symptom Severity Among Adults With Epilepsy Participating In An Epilepsy Self-Management Clinical Trial, Rachel Branning, Michael Liu, David Silva, Jessica Black, Jacqueline Krehel-Montgomery, Nicole Fiorelli, Richard Barigye, Clara Adeniyi, Martha Sajatovic

Faculty Scholarship

Background People living with epilepsy (PWE) experience higher rates of depression compared with the general population. Depression in PWE is associated with increased seizure burden and reduced quality of life. We aimed to examine clinical and demographic correlates of depression severity using the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire in PWE experiencing negative health events in the past 6 months. Aims (a) To assess how depressive severity correlated with seizure frequency; To examine how outcomes such as quality of life are influenced by depressive severity; To investigate how demographic factors affect depressive severity. Method Depressive severity was defined as a score of …

Eyes Everywhere: Unpacking The Digital Surveillance State In Mexico And The Legal Blind Spots, Danielle Mena

University of Miami Inter-American Law Review

This article examines the rise of digital surveillance in Mexico and its implications for privacy, human rights, and democratic governance. Despite constitutional and legislative protections guaranteeing personal privacy and freedom of expression, Mexico has developed one of the most extensive surveillance systems in the Americas. Through tools such as Pegasus spyware and the C5 urban surveillance network, government agencies have expanded their monitoring capabilities, often under the guise of national security. However, the misuse of these technologies against journalists, activists, and political dissidents reveals legal and institutional deficiencies. The article analyzes the evolution of Mexico’s digital surveillance infrastructure, identifies the …

Quality Improvement Project: Trauma-Informed Care For Nurse Faculty, Nicke R. Wilson

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Recent research in nursing education highlights trauma-informed care, noting that nurse faculty often understand the concept but lack formal training to apply it consistently. The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project aimed to address this gap by developing an evidence-based Trauma-Informed Care training module to help faculty acquire the skills needed for psychologically safe and inclusive learning environments. This initiative aligned with the priorities of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Trauma-informed care is especially important in high-stress fields like nursing, where trauma can impact the performance, engagement, and well-being of both students and faculty. The project, conducted at …

Quality Improvement Project: Enhancing Nursing Documentation Of Patients’ Chief Complaints And Anatomical Site Markings In Radiographic Imaging Requests, Clara Odili

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Incomplete or inaccurate radiographic imaging requests remain a persistent barrier to diagnostic accuracy and patient safety in urgent care settings. The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) initiative was to enhance nursing documentation of patients’ chief complaints and anatomical site markings through an evidence-based educational intervention targeting nurse-trained X-ray technicians. Guided by Benner’s Novice-to-Expert framework and principles of evidence-based practice, this project employed a pre- and post-intervention design over a two-week implementation period. Data was collected using structured knowledge and competency assessments. Post-intervention findings demonstrated substantial improvements in documentation accuracy, with mean knowledge scores increasing by approximately 30% and self-reported …

Cross Level Effects Of Digitalization And Environment Management On Energy Savings In Chinese Manufacturing Firms, Zijin Wang, Jaime Ortiz, Yuanheng Li, Lingyan Shi

International Business and Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

The pathway to energy savings requires coordination of technological progress and policy implementation. Specific factors are needed to bridge cross-disciplinary conversations within just one system. Regional public digital infrastructure and enterprises’ environmental management capabilities are incorporated into a research framework on digitalization and energy savings based on the theory of digital ecosystems. A cross-level moderating model is constructed using data from 2014 to 2022 for 650 Chinese enterprises listed in the manufacturing industry to examine the impact of various digital technologies on energy savings, moderating effect of digital infrastructure and the constraint effect of environmental management systems (EMSs). Artificial intelligence …

Air Traffic Control Staffing Deficiencies And Their Relationship To Incidents And Accidents, Ashton Irons, Sunkyum Kim, Gianna Mendez, Vivek Sharma, Brooke Wheeler

Aeronautics Student Publications

Air Traffic Control (ATC) staffing deficiencies are a long-standing systemic crisis. This study revealed a statistically significant but weak positive relationship between ATC staffing deficiencies and incident and accident rates.

The Penalty Is Declined: The Nfl's Exclusive Streaming Agreements And The Limits Of Antitrust Law, William Holt

Minnesota Law Review Vols. 106:2 onward (2021-present)

The National Football League’s (NFL) decision to grant NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service exclusive rights to carry the 2023–24 wild-card matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins signaled a major shift in the league’s media distribution strategy. Football fans that had long depended on free, over-the-air broadcasts for the most pivotal games of the year suddenly discovered that they had to subscribe to, and pay for, a streaming service they otherwise did not want or need.

The migration of live sports programming away from conventional broadcast networks touches on more than subscription fatigue and rising credit card statements. …

Ai Companions And The Lessons Of Family Law, Clare Huntington

Minnesota Law Review Vols. 106:2 onward (2021-present)

Virtual friends and lovers powered by artificial intelligence are rapidly moving to the center of our emotional and social lives. Millions of people turn to AI companions every day for conversation, romance, sexual intimacy, therapy, and education. AI companionship holds promise, potentially reducing loneliness, supporting people without access to mental health treatment, helping students learn, and offering a judgment-free space for sensitive conversations. But AI companionship also raises significant concerns. The technology’s addictiveness may exacerbate loneliness and can undermine human relationships. Therapy bots may prove more harmful than helpful. AI companions can be emotionally abusive. And their access to the …

Bare Analysis: Prison Visitor Strip And Body-Cavity Searches And Federal Courts' Insufficient Fourth Amendment Analysis, Tristen Lindell

Minnesota Law Review Vols. 106:2 onward (2021-present)

Strip and body-cavity searches are among the most egregious invasions of personal privacy that the government can impose. The Fourth Amendment, as interpreted by the Supreme Court, demands that courts thoroughly analyze these searches. Courts must consider not only the suspicion that warranted the search, but the way the search was performed. But in the prison visitor context, U.S. Courts of Appeals have not done so. Instead of evaluating whether the search in question was conducted reasonably, including reasonableness in scope, courts have considered only whether prison officials possessed reasonable suspicion. This flies in the face of Supreme Court precedent. …

Floods, Public Budgets And Fiscal Resilience: Evidence From Italian Municipalities, Alessandro Bellocchi, Chiara Lodi, Giovanni Marin, Giuseppe Travaglini, Matteo Zavalloni

Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Working Papers

We examine the impact of extreme hydrogeological events on local governments’ fiscal responses in Italy between 2016 and 2022, with a focus on how local public finances contribute to disaster resilience. Leveraging the staggered timing of disaster declarations and employing a difference-in-differences framework, we estimate dynamic treatment effects on revenue and expenditure of municipal governments. Our findings indicate that local governments of affected municipalities significantly increase total and capital expenditures in the aftermath of disasters, particularly in functions related to emergency management, environmental protection and economic development. These spending increases are primarily financed through capital revenues and transfers from higher …

¡El Cielo Es Una Habitación Llena De Mujeres Gordas Riendo!, Lisa Isherwood

Conexión Queer: Revista Latinoamericana y Caribeña de Teologías Queer

This article examines a pervasive yet often overlooked form of abuse against women: the lifelong regulation of bodily size and shape. While acknowledging the horrific rise in domestic physical violence during the United Kingdom’s lockdown, the focus shifts to the normalized pressures of patriarchal control that women internalize from an early age. Such control disguises itself as concern or benefit, yet inflicts profound personal and spiritual harm. Approaching the issue from a Western perspective, the article argues that, within an incarnational faith, the disciplined body becomes the very site of resistance where transformative divine power is located in human experience.

In-Between Spaces: First-Generation College Immigrant Experiences, Silvina Alamo Sousa-Ransford

Dissertations and Theses

It is human nature to seek a sense of belonging, acceptance, and community. College students also share this desire for connection in higher education, but some face more barriers and challenges. This study examined the experiences of first-generation college students who are also immigrants. The goal was to understand how to best support students in college, including through academic advising, at a four-year research university in the Pacific Northwest. To gain insight into the students' experiences, I interviewed participants using narrative qualitative methods guided by the framework of sense of belonging and analyzed the data utilizing Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Model. The …

Low Power Magnetically Shielded Krypton Hall Thruster Design, Grace Klang

Honors Theses

This project investigates the design and modeling of a low-power Hall-Effect Thruster optimized for krypton propellant, serving as a continuation of Western Michigan University’s Hall thruster development series. Krypton is selected as an alternative to xenon due to its significantly lower cost and increased availability, though its higher ionization energy and reduced atomic mass introduce performance, ionization, and efficiency challenges that must be addressed through careful design. The goal of this study is to design two 300-W class thrusters capable of achieving high efficiency and long operational life on krypton propellant while maintaining full compatibility with existing laboratory facilities and …

Research Uncovers The Telltale Tail Of Black Hole Collisions, Clara Turnage

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. – When black holes collide, the impact radiates into space like the sound of a bell in the form of gravitational waves. But after the waves, there comes a second reverberation – a murmur that physicists have theorized but never observed.

December 2, 2025, Pacific Global

Pacific Global Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Redefining Resistance: Las Madres De La Plaza De Mayo, Echoes Of Trauma And Memory In Argentina, Elizabeth J. Kaye

Honors Theses

Argentina's "Dirty War" (1976–1983) stands as one of the darkest and most painful periods in the nation’s history. During these years, the military dictatorship, known as the "Proceso de Reorganización Nacional," implemented a systematic campaign of state terrorism, targeting suspected political protesters, activists, intellectuals, and ordinary citizens. Widespread kidnappings, illegal detentions, and forced disappearances became routine, with an estimated 30,000 people vanishing without a trace. Families were left in despair, searching for answers that the government refused to provide. In response, a group of determined mothers, known as “Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo”, formed a powerful movement demanding …

T Cell Senescence And Nociplastic Pain: A Proposed Etiological Mechanism, Kayla S. Riggleman

Senior Honors Theses

Nociplastic pain is a newly identified chronic pain phenotype characterized by widespread hyperalgesia and allodynia. Its etiological mechanisms are currently unknown, making medical intervention elusive. The proposed pathophysiological model connects immunosenescence with a degradation of the blood-brain barrier as a result of peripheral inflammation. Neuronal hyperexcitability and glial cell activation result, leading to nociplastic pain. It is currently thought that central sensitization is the key mechanistic driver of nociplastic pain, so this literature review seeks to expound on that. Based on this framework, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy and stem cell treatments are proposed therapeutic methodologies to be explored. …

A Burlesque: The Shimmering Body Of Revealing, Lola Montgomery

Staff Scholarship - Australia & Dubai

A Burlesque: The Shimmer Manuscript is a hybrid critical–creative work that examines burlesque as an embodied methodology and a mode of knowledge production. Drawing from my two decades as a performer–scholar, the work reframes glamour, desire, and adornment as epistemological practices rather than theatrical ornamentation. The project is significant in that it expands understandings of performance studies, autotheory, and feminist aesthetics by foregrounding the performer’s body as an intelligent, sensing, world-making apparatus.

The methodology is creative practice research and archive-driven, integrating backstage documentation, AI-assisted photomontage, and theoretical reflection. The work draws from poststructuralist and feminist frameworks (Irigaray, Deleuze & Guattari, …

Compensation Transparency In The U.S. Healthcare Workforce, Brandon Perkins

Honors Projects

This study investigates how perceptions of pay transparency among U.S. healthcare workers relate to work engagement, burnout levels, and intentions to stay with their current institution. A quantitative survey was conducted of 200 clinical and non-clinical employees across academic, nonprofit, for-profit, and government healthcare organizations. Self-reported views of transparency were evaluated in relation to validated measures of work engagement, burnout, stay intentions, and pay secrecy. The results showed that increased perceived compensation transparency was highly connected with greater work engagement and lower levels of burnout. Both engagement and burnout appeared as major indicators of the employees' intentions to stay with …