Digital Commons Network^™

Towards A Digital Twin For Smart Resilient Cities: Real-Time Fire And Smoke Tracking And Prediction Platform For Community Awareness (Firecom), Kijin Seong, Junfeng Jiao, Ryan Lewis Hardesty, Arya Farahi, Paul Navratil, Nate Casebeer, Braniff Davis, Justice Jones, Dev Niyogi

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

This paper discusses the development and application of a digital twin (DT) for urban resilience, focusing on an integrated platform for real-time fire and smoke. The proposed platform, FireCom, adapts DT concepts for the unique challenges of urban fire management, which differ significantly from regional wildfire systems. Through an exploratory case study in Austin, Texas, in the United States, this research bridges the theoretical foundations of 3D DT with their practical application in fire and smoke management. By fusing diverse data sources, ranging from air quality sensors and meteorological data to 3D urban infrastructure, FireCom supports both emergency response and …

Look Before You Decide: Prompting Active Deduction Of Mllms For Assumptive Reasoning, Yian Li, Wentao Tian, Yang Jiao, Jingjing Chen, Tianwen Qian, Bin Zhu, Na Zhao, Yu‑Gang Jiang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Recently, Multimodal Large Language Models (MLLMs) have achieved significant success across multiple disciplines due to their exceptional instruction-following capabilities and extensive world knowledge. However, whether these MLLMs possess human-like compositional reasoning abilities remains an open problem. To unveil their reasoning behaviors, we first curate a Multimodal Assumptive Reasoning Benchmark (MARS-Bench) in this paper. Interestingly, we find that most prevalent MLLMs can be easily fooled by the introduction of a presupposition into the question, whereas such presuppositions appear naive to human reasoning. Besides, we also propose a simple yet effective method, Active Deduction (AD), a novel reinforcement learning paradigm to encourage …

Digital Regulation And Development: A Global Micro And Macro Comparison, Katrin Kuhlmann

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Regulation of the digital economy is receiving increased attention both domestically and internationally, but too little scholarship exists assessing the degree to which these new rules effectively support economic, social, and sustainable development. This Article advances a micro-macro framework for assessing digital regulation and its development dimension, including digital inclusion and measures to address the digital divide, the protection of human rights, and the operationalization of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. In doing so, it incorporates a “micro international law” methodology to compare domestic legal design features and trace their diffusion into regional trade agreements and, in turn, into …

Beyond Democracy: How A Free Press Supports The Rule Of Law, Erin C. Carroll

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Widespread agreement has existed for centuries that a free press is essential to democracy. But legal scholars have spent almost no effort thinking about why else we might need a free press. This article attempts to widen the aperture. It argues that as the free press is essential to democracy, it is just as essential to a separate value: the rule of law.

Recognizing and investigating the connections between the free press and the rule of law is essential right now. It can help us discern how the press can create friction against the erosion of both rule of law …

Tensions, Funding, And Sustainability: Young Feminist Organizing’S Relations With Donors And Key Stakeholders, Anel Bobadilla, Paulina Márquez, Esperanza Basurto, Natalia Tenorio, Sonia Cruz, Ricardo Regules

Adolescents and Young People

Although young feminist women are an important part of the feminist movement in Mexico, there is very little information written from their perspective about their relationship with larger organizations, foundations, and national and international donor organizations, and with key actors at the institutional level, as shown by the results of the Rapid Evidence Assessment on the panorama and impact of young feminist organizing in Mexico.

This brief highlights the complexity of the relationships between young feminist organizations (YFOs) and collectives in Mexico and foundations and donor organizations as well as government institutions, while recognizing good practices. We analyze and synthesize …

Young Feminist Organizing In The State Of Yucatán, Mexico: A Case Study, Natalia Tenorio, Sonia Cruz, Esperanza Basurto, Anel Bobadilla, Paulina Márquez, Ricardo Regules

Adolescents and Young People

As part of the Participatory Action Research (PAR) Study on Young Feminist Organizing in Mexico and Kenya, this case study was conducted in the Yucatán, Mexico to understand the particularities of the feminist movement and organization led by young women in this state. The case study included in-depth interviews and focus groups with representatives of feminist organizations and collectives, civil society organizations, and public institutions. These were conducted in Mérida, the capital of the state of Yucatán, as described in the methodological note.

This brief summarizes the current issues that mobilize young feminists in the state of Yucatán, their forms …

Changing Lives, Transforming Communities: How Young Feminist Organizations Create Change In Mexico And Kenya, Population Council Kenya

Adolescents and Young People

The Young Feminist Organizing (YFO) study was initiated in response to a call for proposals by two anonymous funders to conduct a Participatory Action Research evaluation (PARe) of young feminist movements across Kenya and Mexico. The project was implemented by the Population Council in Kenya and Mexico, with technical support from the GIRL Center, and through a Feminist Advisory Panel (FAP) and a Core Participatory Evaluation Community (Core PARe). The study's duration was 31 months, starting from September 2022 to March 2025. This end-of-project report summarizes the key findings, lessons learned, challenges encountered, mitigation strategies employed, and emerging opportunities.

Understanding Impact Among Young Feminist Organizing/Organizations In Kenya, Chantalle Okondo, John Malkia, Ivy Kutswa, Ruth Juliet, Sar Kagendo, Stacie Akinyi, Terry Owino, Jerry Okal

Adolescents and Young People

The Nawiri Project used a core Participatory Action Research Evaluation (PARe) approach to explore the landscape of young feminist organizing/organizations (YFOs) in Kenya and Mexico. The project aimed to synthesize evidence on YFOs’ context, impact, and strengths. In Kenya, the core PARe team included nine young feminists and seven Feminist Advisory Panel (FAP) members, who collaborated with Population Council–Kenya from the project’s inception to dissemination. To define and measure impact, the team conducted five case studies with YFO leadership, nine focus group discussions with YFO beneficiaries, 31 key informant interviews with current and previous partners, and cost and benefit analysis …

Movement- And Posture-Based Measures Of Sedentary Patterns And Associations With Metabolic Syndrome In Hispanic/Latino And Non-Hispanic Adults., Marta M. Jankowska, Calvin P. Tribby, Paul R. Hibbing, Jordan A. Carlson, Mikael Anne Greenwood-Hickman, Dorothy D. Sears, Andrea Z. Lacroix, Loki Natarajan

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Sedentary behavior has been identified as a significant risk factor for Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). However, it is unclear if the sedentary pattern measurement approach (posture vs. movement) impacts observed associations or if associations differ for Hispanic/Latino communities, who have higher risk of MetS.

METHODS: Participants from the Community of Mine (CoM) study (N = 602) wore hip-based accelerometers for 14 days and completed MetS-associated biomarker assessment (triglycerides, blood pressure, fasting glucose, HDL cholesterol, waist circumference). Sedentary patterns were classified using both cutpoints (movement-based) and the Convolutional Neural Network Hip Accelerometer Posture (CHAP) algorithm (posture-based). We used logistic regression to …

Afit Librarian Newsletter : Check It Out (Fourth Quarter 2025), D'Azzo Research Library, Air Force Institute Of Technology

AFIT Library Knowledge Base

No abstract provided.

Screen Time, Physical Activity, And Vo₂Max In Indonesian Vocational School Adolescents (Aged 15–17): A Cross-Sectional Study, Cahyo Wibowo, Yahya Eko Nopiyanto, Angkit Kinasih, Asarya Reno Kombong, Dian Pujianto, Bayu Insanistyo

Indonesian Journal of Research in Physical Education, Sport, and Health

Physical activity and screen time influence many adolescent' fitness problems. This research aims to determine the relationship between screen time and physical activity on adolescent students' cardio-respiratory endurance (VO2max). This research used observational analysis with a cross-sectional study involving 70 teenage students at an Information and Network Technology Vocational School consisting of male and female teenage students. The Screen Time of Adolescents (QUEST) questionnaire was used to assess screen time, the physical activity instrument used the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ v2.0) to assess physical activity levels, and the VO2max instrument used the 20-meter Multistage Fitness Test (MFT). The data …

Association Between Suboptimal Health Status And Academic Performance: A Cross-Sectional Study Of 1,028 Medical Students In Punjab, Pakistan, Maleha Asim, Misbah Malik, Aneela Jamil, Raheela Yasmin, Ghazala Jawwad, Wajahat Ullah Khan

Indonesian Journal of Research in Physical Education, Sport, and Health

Background: Suboptimal health status (SHS) refers to the transitional period between health and illness, characterized by unexplained symptoms and premature changes in functional status without a known medical diagnosis. Objective: The aim is to examine how often SHS occurs and how lifestyle factors influence both SHS and the academic success of medical students. Methods: A Cross-sectional survey was conducted from February 2024 to September 2024 with first- to fifth-year medical students from four randomly chosen medical colleges in Punjab, Pakistan. The Suboptimal Health Measurement Scale (SHMS V1.0), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Health-Promoting Lifestyle Scale (HPLS) were used to …

Exploring Undergraduate Experiences In Physical Education And Health: A Photovoice Study Of Indonesian Students, Sunarno Basuki, Perdinanto Perdinanto, Akhmad Amirudin

Indonesian Journal of Research in Physical Education, Sport, and Health

Background: Research on undergraduate students in Physical Education (PE) and Health particularly in Indonesia and the Global South has predominantly relied on quantitative indicators, often neglecting students’ lived, embodied, and emotional experiences within demanding academic and physical environments. Objective: This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of Indonesian undergraduate students enrolled in PE and Health programs and to examine how these experiences can inform more responsive and inclusive educational practices. Methods: A qualitative participatory design was employed using photovoice. Eight undergraduate students documented their academic and personal experiences through photography over a two-week period, followed by reflective writing and …

Identification Of Characteristics And Incidence Of Injuries In Pencak Silat Athletes In The Adult Competition Category In East Java, Dinda Farida Putri Bahari, Kurniati Rahayuni

Indonesian Journal of Research in Physical Education, Sport, and Health

Background: Pencak silat, as a competitive sport, has a high risk of injury. However, data on its characteristics and causative factors during pre-match and matches in East Java are still limited. Objective: This study aims to identify the characteristics and incidence of injuries in adult sparring category pencak silat athletes in East Java during training and matches. Methods: Using a quantitative descriptive method with a cross-sectional survey approach. Data were collected through a survey distributed to 100 athletes (61 men and 31 women) aged 17-22 years from 11 cities/districts in East Java, including information on injury characteristics and causal factors. …

Neuromuscular Hamstring Profile Based On Strength Imbalance As A Basis For Injury Prevention In Youth Football Players, Yulingga Nanda Hanief, Sri Sumartiningsih, Setya Rahayu, Heny Setyawati, Hadi Hadi, Karol Karol Jaskulski

Indonesian Journal of Research in Physical Education, Sport, and Health

Background: Hamstring strength imbalance between the left and right sides has been identified as a factor contributing to increased injury risk in athletes. However, few studies have evaluated not only bilateral strength differences but also the magnitude of clinically significant imbalances in various hamstring strength parameters. Objective: This study aims to analyze bilateral hamstring muscle asymmetry in terms of maximum, average, and maximum impulse strength, and to evaluate whether the distribution of high imbalances reaches clinically relevant thresholds associated with potential injury risk. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional observational study. Twenty athletes (n = 20) underwent hamstring strength measurements …

Chapter 3: The Freezing Spell, Garon C. Smith

G. Wiz’s Book of Spells

The Freezing Spell is a fun one to pass off as a wizarding feat. A supersaturated solution of sodium acetate trihydrate is nucleated with seed crystals that the demonstrator has cleverly hidden on the tip of his/her middle finger. When the fingers are snapped over the open throat of the flask that holds the solution, a snowy hemisphere of crystallization grows over the next 10 seconds. The flask can then be inverted to show that it is now solid. The flask has also gone from room temperature to a nice handwarmer temperature of about 120^oF due to the …

Deep Learning-Based Change Detection In High-Resolution Remote Sensing Imagery, Hazem Badawy

Theses and Dissertations

Remote sensing has become a key tool for monitoring Earth’s surface over time, offering valuable insights into both natural and human-driven changes. Among its many applications, change detection focuses on analyzing multi-temporal imagery to reveal how specific areas evolve across different time periods. It plays a pivotal role in Earth observation applications, including urban development monitoring, environmental degradation assessment, and disaster response. However, existing approaches often struggle with limited contextual awareness, high sensitivity to noise, and imprecise localization of change boundaries, especially with high-resolution imagery. This thesis investigates the complex problem of change detection in remote sensing imagery by proposing …

The Effectiveness Of Public-Private Partnerships In Addressing Residential Urban Development Challenges In Greater Cairo, Sara Nagy Abdelmessih

Theses and Dissertations

This research explores the effectiveness of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in tackling the residential urban development challenges facing Cairo today. In the past two decades, PPPs have emerged as a dominant mode of housing production, positioned as collaborative ventures between state agencies and private developers. They have become integral to the expansion of Greater Cairo, producing vast new urban extensions under the promise of mobilizing private capital, technical expertise, and delivery capacity. Yet, questions remain about whether these arrangements genuinely address Egypt’s most urgent housing needs, or whether they reproduce market-driven logics that leave large segments of the population excluded. The …

Studying Topic Evolution Based On Bertopic Model And Semantic Function, Jiabin Qu, Mengyang Wang

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] Topic evolution analysis can help researchers quickly grasp the research hotspots and development trends of a discipline. However, existing topic models often overlook the semantic functions and structures of texts during topic extraction, making it difficult to reveal the deeper patterns of disciplinary development. This paper proposes an integrated framework for topic evolution analysis that combines the BERTopic model with semantic functions, aiming to enrich and improve the methodological system of topic evolution research.

[Method/process] Firstly, the BERTopic model is used to extract topics, obtaining the“Topic-Word”distribution. Next, a discourse parsing tool analyzes abstracts into five semantic function segments, resulting …

The Effect Of Administrative Bullying On The Quality Of Education, Hanadi Alrashdan, Najwa Darawsheh, Abdulla Almheiri, Yaseen Aljanabi, Majid Al-Khataybeh, Nahla Al-Quran

All Works

Background/purpose. Administrative bullying has become associated with inappropriate behaviors at work. This raised some concerns about how to define and measure it precisely. Nonetheless, there is a theoretical and practical gap in educational literature. So, this study explores the impact of administrative bullying on the quality of education. Materials/methods. The sample consisted of (300) employees selected randomly from employees working at Jordanian universities. To achieve the objectives of the study, Administrative Bullying and Quality of Education questionnaires were developed Results. The results showed that the level of administrative bullying practiced at Jordanian universities was low (M=2.30, SD=0.13); that the level …

Rethinking Behavior - Fall 2025, Midwest Symposium For Leadership In Behavior Disorders

ReThinking Behavior Magazine

A magazine for professionals serving children and youth with behavioral needs.

Fall 2025, Volume 9, Issue 1

Building A Pastor Profile For Spiritually Mature Leadership: A Practical Guide For Churches, William Ingram

Great Commission Research Journal

This article provides a practical guide for churches to develop a pastor profile that ensures the hiring of a spiritually mature leader. It emphasizes the importance of creating detailed, clear, and specific profiles to guide pastoral searches, addressing both professional qualifications and personal character traits. The article critiques vague examples of pastor profiles and outlines a framework for crafting effective profiles, which includes conducting a needs assessment, specifying professional qualifications (e.g., education, ordination, experience), and emphasizing scriptural character requirements like humility, self-control, and spiritual maturity. It highlights the significance of relational skills, theological alignment, and leadership style in ensuring a …

The Church As Witness: The Relationship Between Identity, Action, And Metrics Of Success, Jonathan Husted

Great Commission Research Journal

The Church (especially in the West) has focused on different “metrics” used to measure success. These metrics have focused on quantitative measurements, oftentimes neglecting the “means” for the sake of the “ends.” Not to mention, “success” has been distorted and defined outside of Jesus’ witness. What if the Bible presented different metrics of success? Metrics that focus both on the “means” and the “ends” are equally important. This research presents the argument that “witness” is foundational to success, especially when focusing on the life of Jesus. Therefore, witness, as both an identity and an action, must be reclaimed by the …

Book Review: Hybrid Church: Rethinking The Church For A Post-Christian Digital Age By James Emery White, Glenn L. Campbell

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Housing Options As We Age, Michele Dinman, Jeff Brandt, Logan Fox

Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging

Almost 75% of adults ages 50 and older want to stay in their homes and communities as they age. This is referred to as “aging in place.” Our homes and communities can help us feel safe and give us a sense of belonging and connection. Furthermore, our living situations effect our health and quality of life as well as our ability to live independently. Changes in our physical, psychological, social, and financial well-being later in life can affect our abilities to age in place. Finding the best housing based on our resources, interests, and needs is important for living well …

The Home Visiting Referral Quality Improvement Initiative (Thrive) Change Package, Elizabeth Yakes Jimenez, Theresa Cruz, Rebecca Craig, Ivan De La Rosa

Population Health Research and Scholarship

Early childhood home visiting programs improve maternal and child health outcomes but remain underutilized. Healthcare providers are well-positioned to connect families to home visiting services; however, structural barriers in clinical settings limit consistent and effective referral practices. The Home Visiting Referral Quality Improvement Initiative (THRIVE) change package was developed to provide a starting point for addressing these challenges. The THRIVE change package outlines actionable improvement strategies to test, such as standardizing referral workflows, training clinical teams, and establishing relationships and feedback loops with home visiting programs. It offers a scalable approach to strengthening clinical–community linkages and improving family engagement with …

Multi-Period Risk-Aware Procurement Optimization Under Covid-19 Disruption, Jonathan Chase, Hoong Chuin Lau, Jinfeng Yang, Lu Liu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Supply chain resilience has been a topic of active research in the operations research and AI communities for several years, but the COVID-19 pandemic threw the frailties of global supply chains into sharp relief. Disruptions and delays caused by fresh outbreaks leading to lockdowns, put severe strain on supply chains in many industries. In this work we develop lockdown-resilient procurement capabilities for a global technology company. First, through analysis of lockdown data from China we develop a logarithmic regression-based lockdown prediction method to complement a supplier risk metric for conventional risks. Second, we develop a multi-period stochastic optimization model that …

Memory-Efficient 4-Bit Preconditioned Stochastic Optimization, Jingyang Li, Kuangyu Ding, Kim-Chuan Toh, Pan Zhou

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Preconditioned stochastic optimization algorithms, exemplified by Shampoo, outperform first-order optimizers by offering theoretical convergence benefits and practical gains in large-scale neural network training. However, they incur substantial memory overhead due to the storage demands of non-diagonal preconditioning matrices. To address this, we introduce 4-bit quantization for Shampoo’s preconditioners. We introduce two key methods: First, we apply Cholesky decomposition followed by quantization of the Cholesky factors, reducing memory usage by leveraging their lower triangular structure while better preserving spectral properties to minimize information loss. To our knowledge, this is the first quantization approach applied to Cholesky factors of preconditioners. Second, we …

What Students Really Think: Unpacking Ai Ethics In Educational Assessments Through A Triadic Framework, Lim Ming Soon Tristan, Gottipati Swapna, Michelle L. F. Cheong

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The rise of AI in educational assessments has significantly enhanced efficiency and accuracy. However, it also introduces critical ethical challenges, including bias in grading, data privacy risks, and accountability gaps. These issues can undermine trust in AI-driven assessments and compromise educational fairness, making a structured ethical framework essential. To address these challenges, this study empirically validates an existing triadic ethical framework for AI-assisted educational assessments, originally proposed by Lim, Gottipati and Cheong (In: Keengwe (ed) Creative AI tools and ethical implications in teaching and learning, IGI Global, 2023), grounded in student perceptions. The framework encompasses three ethical domains—physical, cognitive, and …

Cookingdiffusion: Cooking Procedural Image Generation With Stable Diffusion, Yuan Wang, Bin Zhu, Yanbin Hao, Chong-Wah Ngo, Yi Tan, Xiang Wang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Recent advancements in text-to-image generation models have excelled in creating diverse and realistic images. This success extends to food imagery, where various conditional inputs like cooking styles, ingredients, and recipes are utilized. However, a yet-unexplored challenge is generating a sequence of procedural images based on cooking steps from a recipe. This could enhance the cooking experience with visual guidance and possibly lead to an intelligent cooking simulation system. To fill this gap, we introduce a novel task called cooking procedural image generation. This task is inherently demanding, as it strives to create photo-realistic images that align with cooking steps while …