Digital Commons Network^™

Synthesis And Characterization Of Eu-Substituted Bismuth-Based Superconductors Via Chemical Sol-Gel Method, Firas Salim Abed, Lamia K. Abbas

Baghdad Science Journal

The study seeks to investigate the role of Eu substitution in improving the characteristics of bismuth-based superconductors, employing the sol-gel technique as a flexible synthesis methodology. The study is focused on superconductor samples of the composition Bi_1.7-xPb_0.3Eu_xSr_1.9Ba_0.1Ca2Cu3O_10+δ, where x ranged from 0.0 to 0.5 through systematic investigation where the Pb and Ba are maintained at fixed values 0.3 and 0.1 respectively. The influence of partially substituting Eu for Bi on superconducting characteristics was thoroughly explored. Electrical resistivity measurements unveiled a notable enhancement in critical temperature (Tc) with …

Evaluating Climate Sensitivity To Atmospheric Co2 In Basra, Baghdad And Mosul: Iraq, Dalia A. Mahmood, Luma M. Al-Saadi, Monim H. Al-Jiboori

Baghdad Science Journal

Iraq has been suffering from a rising surface air temperature (SAT), causing a general deterioration in ecosystems. Climate sensitivity (CS) which refers to the increase in average SAT caused by a duplication of Carbon Dioxide Concentration [CO₂], was estimated by transient local climate response (TLCR) and equilibrium local CS (ELCS). The time series of the spatial annual averages for both [CO₂] and air temperature were analyzed and a linear regression model was also used to find annual trends in SAT and [CO₂]. Based on historical yearly data for CO₂ concentrations (2003–2016), CO_{2 …}

Evaluating The Mechanical Properties Of Maxillofacial Silicone Enhanced By Hexagonal Boron Nitride Particles, Montather S. Ali, Faiza M. Abdul-Ameer

Baghdad Science Journal

Maxillofacial silicone is the most popular and commonly used material for the construction of maxillofacial prostheses. However, the material failed to satisfy the expected features of a maxillofacial prosthesis due to major limitations, particularly in mechanical properties. The goal of this study is to evaluate the mechanical properties of the VST-50F silicone elastomer with the addition of hexagonal boron nitride (H-BN). A total of 120 specimens were prepared and divided into three groups control and two experimental (0.5 wt% and 0.7 wt% H-BN). Each group was divided into four identical subgroups. For each subgroup, 10 specimens were utilized for each …

06. Thermodynamics Of Phase Transitions Ii, Gerhard Müller

Equilibrium Statistical Physics

Part six of course materials for Statistical Physics I: PHY525, taught by Gerhard Müller at the University of Rhode Island. Documents will be updated periodically as more entries become presentable.

Updated with version 2 on 1/8/2026.

Draft Final Butte Mine Waste Repository Geotechnical Investigation Work Plan, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Consumer Behavior-Based Strategies Small Business Leaders Use To Increase Online Sales Revenues, Alexander Sakharov

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many small business leaders struggle to tailor online strategies that drive demand, limiting growth and differentiation in competitive digital markets. Business leaders must adopt data-informed, customer-centered approaches that align digital marketing efforts with consumer behavior and market expectations. Grounded in social exchange theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore the online shopping marketing strategies that some small business marketing leaders use to increase demand for products and services. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with six small business leaders from Vancouver, British Columbia; Toronto, Ontario; and Seattle, Washington. The four main themes identified using thematic analysis …

A New Home For Special Collections Instruction, Michele Jennings

Marian Library Blog Archive

A special collections classroom in Roesch Library offers exciting opportunities for teaching and learning with UD Libraries' rare and unique collections.

Overcoming Variable Illumination In Photovoltaic Snow Monitoring: A Real-Time Robust Drone-Based Deep Learning Approach, Amna Mazen, Ashraf Saleem, Kamyab Yazdipaz, Ana Dyreson

Michigan Tech Publications

Snow accumulation on photovoltaic (PV) panels can cause significant energy losses in cold climates. While drone-based monitoring offers a scalable solution, real-world challenges like varying illumination can hinder accurate snow detection. We previously developed a YOLO-based drone system for snow coverage detection using a Fixed Thresholding segmentation method to discriminate snow from the solar panel; however, it struggled in challenging lighting conditions. This work addresses those limitations by presenting a reliable drone-based system to accurately estimate the Snow Coverage Percentage (SCP) over PV panels. The system combines a lightweight YOLOv11n-seg deep learning model for panel detection with an adaptive image …

Beyond Personal Responsibility: Government Support For The Substantive Human Condition, Martha T. Mccluskey

Contributions to Books

Government protection against systemic harm to human well-being is stymied by the liberal idea that power is most legitimately wielded by autonomous individuals taking personal responsibility for their substantive well-being. Instead, a robust vision of democracy and socioeconomic justice requires grounding legitimate power in institutional responsibility, replacing the formal individual actor of liberal theory with the universally embodied, embedded human subject developed in Martha Fineman’s Vulnerability Theory. This chapter connects the message of personal responsibility in neoliberal US welfare reform policies to rationales defending the government’s failure to alleviate systemic human harm in the 2008 financial crisis and the accelerating …

Nonfinancial Factors Shape Food Insecurity Among U.S. Older Adults, Madonna Harrington Meyer, Colleen M. Heflin

Population Health Research Brief Series

Nonfinancial factors such as poor physical and mental health, lack of access to healthy food, and transportation challenges make it more difficult for older adults to obtain, prepare, and consume healthy food. Based on the book, Food for Thought: Understanding Older Adults Food Insecurity, this brief summarizes how nonfinancial factors function as both causes and consequences of food insecurity in old age.

Debt Accumulation In Fossil Fuel-Reliant Localities During The Shale Boom And Implications For The Energy Transition, Brandon Charles

Center for Policy Research

The energy transition away from fossil fuels poses long-term economic risks for communities reliant on oil and natural gas production and some may face exceptionally difficult challenges in adapting to the change. Bonds issued by these localities during the shale boom may undermine their financial resilience as shale activity dwindles. Declining tax revenue may undermine their ability to service the debt and maintain the associated physical assets. This study addresses the extent to which local governments in oil- and natural gas-producing communities accumulated significantly more municipal debt during the shale boom than other communities. The analysis uses bond issuance data …

Dilemmas Encountered While Planning Social And/Or Political Elementary Mathematics Tasks, Amanda Sugimoto, Simon Byeonguk Han, Courtney Koestler, Eva Thanheiser, Mathew Felton-Koestler, Molly Robinson

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

A mathematical task rooted in social and/or political contexts has the potential to engage students in exploring their own real-ities and learning about the realities of others while building their mathematical knowledge. While there are planning and in-structional practices recommended for these types of tasks, no single practice can fully capture the nuances and challenges thatteachers might encounter. Therefore, this study identified dilemmas encountered by a team of mathematics education research-ers while planning a mathematical task rooted in social and/or political contexts. Using qualitative analysis, the researchersidentified three planning dilemmas: (a) what social and/or political goal to establish, (b) how …

Mt1-Mmp Inhibition Rejuvenates Ageing Brain And Rescues Cognitive Deficits In Obesity, Pallavi Asthana, Liguo Li, Lin Lu, Jiayan Wu, Shuo Zhang, Ningning Li, Sheung Kin Ken Wong, Susma Gurung, Yijing Zhang, Yuwan Lin, Yufeng Peng, Zongtang Xu, Kui Ming Chan, Lixiang Zhai, Aiping Lyu, Zhao-Xiang Bian, Xin Ge, Ashok Iyaswamy, Min Li, Ya Su, Zhongjun Zhou, Pingyi Xu, Hoi Leong Xavier Wong

The Brown Foundation: Institute of Molecular Medicine

Obesity has been linked to an increased risk of cognitive impairment and dementia in later life. Although aging and obesity are both associated with cognitive decline, it remains unclear how they interact to affect cognitive function across the lifespan and how brain function might mediate their relationship with cognition. Our previous findings and other studies have shown that membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP/MMP14), which increases with age, regulates energy homeostasis. Inhibiting MT1-MMP improves insulin sensitivity, reduces body fat, and lowers serum cholesterol. Here, we demonstrate that MT1-MMP links neuroinflammation to cognitive decline in aging and obesity. Inflammatory responses in the …

Improving Staff Knowledge On Hourly Rounding Using The 4ps To Reduce The Fall Rate, Chukwuemeka Igboanugo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

I designed this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project to develop an educational program that increases staff knowledge of hourly rounding using an evidence-based approach, specifically pain, position, potty, and possession (the 4Ps), to prevent falls among residents in a long-term care facility. According to facility leadership, the observed gap in practice was the nursing staff members’ lack of knowledge in performing hourly rounding. The facility’s fall records for the lockdown units indicated a surge in fall rate, with 32 falls among 62 residents per month, reflecting a need for action. The practice-focused question guiding the project was: For staff …

Heuristic Weight Initialization For Transfer Learning In Classification Problems, Musulmon Lolaev, Anand Paul, Jeonghong Kim

School of Public Health Faculty Publications

Transfer learning is the predominant method for adapting pre-trained models on another task to new domains while preserving their internal architectures and augmenting them with requisite layers in Deep Neural Network models. Training intricate pre-trained models on a sizable dataset requires significant resources to fine-tune hyperparameters carefully. Most existing initialization methods mainly focus on gradient flow-related problems, such as gradient vanishing or exploding, or other existing approaches that require extra models that do not consider our setting, which is more practical. To address these problems, we suggest employing gradient-free heuristic methods to initialize the weights of the final new-added fully …

Re: Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Final Insufficiently Reclaimed Sites Field Sampling And Investigation Plan (Fsp): Bres No. 100 – Capri Motel – Arctic Dump, Mike Mcanulty

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

A Numerical Approach To Time-Space Fractional Stochastic Diffusion Equation, Archana Mourya, Kalyanrao Takale, Shrikisan Gaikwad

Baghdad Science Journal

The primary objective of this paper is to propose a Crank-Nicolson scheme tailored to analyze a time-space fractional stochastic diffusion equation subject to additive noise. Using the Caputo definition for time fractional derivatives and the shifted Grunwald-Letnikov definition for space fractional derivatives, a fractional order Crank-Nicolson finite difference scheme is devised to obtain a numerical solution. Considerable attention has been paid to examining the stability and convergence properties of this fractional order Crank-Nicolson method. To validate the effectiveness of the developed method, a comprehensive investigation using a test problem is conducted to assess its accuracy. The study harnesses the power …

Language Teacher Agency Of Dual Language Bilingual Education Teachers: Incorporating Translanguaging And Funds Of Knowledge In Blended Learning, Grace Jue Yeon Kim

Faculty Journal Articles

Bilingual teachers enact agency as language policymakers and advocate for

students in providing holistic support. This ethnographic study examines 2nd

and 4th grade Spanish-English dual language bilingual education teachers’

agentive actions in implementing pedagogical strategies informed by translanguaging

and funds of knowledge during blended learning in 2021. The

findings revealed that the teachers identified challenges and posed questions

as they transitioned to blended learning for the first time. They celebrated

the positives of returning to in-person schooling, agentively

navigated the new environment, and provided holistic support for the

students. The teachers also supported emergent bilingual students’ language

and content learning …

College Persistence And Tribal Nation-Building Among American Indian Undergraduate Students, Brittany Ann Boone

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that was addressed through this study was that little is known regarding attempts at higher education persistence and tribal nation-building affecting each other among American Indian (AI) undergraduate college students in Oklahoma. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of AI undergraduate students enrolled at a college or university in Oklahoma regarding higher education persistence and tribal nation-building. Astin’s theory of student involvement was the conceptual framework that guided this study because of its focus on the connection between student involvement and persistence. The research question addressed how AI undergraduate students describe their experiences …

Robust Fault Detection And Classification In Power Systems Via Physics-Informed And Data-Driven Learning, Biswash Basnet, Varsha Sen

Graduate Student Scholarship

Electrical faults in power transmission systems can severely affect grid stability, equipment safety, and operational reliability. Traditional protection schemes, particularly distance relays, depend on apparent impedance computation that changes with error, creating a risk of misclassification. The results from relay overreach, underreach, or complete maloperation due to CT/PT saturation lead to developing problems in high impedance situations. These limitations highlight the need for adaptive, data-driven alternatives. This paper proposes an intelligent fault detection and classification model based on supervised machine learning techniques that overcome these challenges. The system’s robustness was validated under different training sizes and Gaussian noise levels, demonstrating …

Occupational Health Equity: A Call To Consider Social-Structural Factors In Injury Prevention Research, David B Richardson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Occupational health equity scholarship has been growing over the past decade, including social-structural determinants of health research that centres the voices and experiences of historically marginalised communities. In our commentary, we focus on the intersection of work-related and non-work-related factors and how they impact the health of workers, their families and their communities through community-engaged research. Case studies include the implementation of mobile clinics that are developed alongside communities, community organising to examine and reduce health disparities among racially segregated workers, the development of research instruments and measures to study racism and discrimination, and a focus on how the distribution …

Effect Of Clays On The Spontaneous Imbibition Behavior Of Surfactant Solutions In Shale Oil Reservoirs, Ning Xu, Yanling Wang, Baojun Bai, Chuanbao Zhang, Shizhang Cui, Yu Zhang, Di Li, Wenjing Shi, Wenhui Ding

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Surfactant-enhanced spontaneous imbibition is a proven method of enhancing oil recovery from shale reservoirs. However, a significant knowledge gap concerning the impact of clay minerals on surfactant-enhanced imbibition in shale reservoirs remains. Therefore, this study first analyzed the mineral composition and pore structure of the shale reservoirs. Subsequently, three surfactants were selected for spontaneous imbibition experiments. The influence of various clay minerals on the surfactant imbibition was assessed by considering various properties of the imbibition system. The results showed that the shale pores primarily consisted of macropores (44.03%) and mesopores (43.94%). Surfactants enhance the imbibition recovery by altering the wettability …

Active Learning And Nclex-Rn Pass Rate On First Attempt In Bsn And Adn Programs, Janette Tingson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Failing the NCLEX-RN on the first attempt affects not only the students and their families but also nursing programs. To increase NCLEX-RN pass rates, nursing programs are shifting from traditional teaching to active learning in their aim to produce nursing graduates who will pass the NCLEX-RN exams on the first attempt. The purpose of this descriptive, correlational study, guided by theory of constructivism, was to determine if there is a relationship between faculty’s use of active learning strategies (ALS) and nursing students’ NCLEX-RN pass rates on the first attempt in bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) and associate degree in …

The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And Disproportionate Minority Contact On Minority Youth Within Juvenile Justice In Texas, Atica Helms Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Disproportionate minority contact (DMC) remains a significant concern within the juvenile justice system, yet its connection to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among minority youth is underexamined. Nationally, minority youth, particularly Black youth, are disproportionately represented compared to their White peers, prompting efforts to understand and address racial and ethnic disparities in system involvement. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between DMC and ACEs within the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD). Guided by general strain theory (GST), whether traumatic life experiences contribute to the disproportionate representation of minority youth was examined. The central research question was designed …

Quantum Chemical Calculations On Corrosion Inhibition Efficacy Of Benzodiazepines On Mild Steel In Acid Medium, Maimoonah Khalid Qasim

Baghdad Science Journal

One of the most important factors in preventing mild steel from deteriorating in acidic conditions is corrosion inhibition. This study examined the anti-corrosion properties of two benzodiazepine compounds, namely Dimethyl-[4-(4-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzo[b][1,4] diazepin-2-yl] L-[4-(4-methyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzo[b][1,4]diazepin-2-yl)-phenyl] and dimethy-amine (DPBD) and toluene (DMBD), employing density functional theory (DFT)-based quantum chemical computations. Determining the corrosion inhibitors’ active locations and contrasting their efficacy were the goals. The probable active sites of DPBD and DMBD as corrosion inhibitors were identified by the DFT calculations. The total corrosion inhibition performance of these two compounds did not significantly differ, according to the data. However, a slightly better performance was observed …

Design And Implementation Of Pulse Laser Deposition Device For Plastic Optical Fiber, Ihssan A. Kadhim, Anwaar A Al-Dergazly, Sameer Khudhur Yaseen

Baghdad Science Journal

In this work, a pulse laser deposition device was fabricated to synthesize nano-coated plastic optical fiber for sensing application. a plastic optical fiber of 1000 μm diameter, coated with different materials such as aluminum and titanium oxide. Using a field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), the coated samples’ shape, surface properties, and chemical makeup were verified., an energy dispersion X-ray (EDX), UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, atomic force Microscope (AFM). The cross section EDX indicated that, a small amount of uniform distribution of aluminum and titanium on the surface of plastic optical fibers. The FESEM surface morphology of TiO₂ coated …

Exponential Domination Of Some Chemical Structures In Reduced (A, B)-Ka Indices, Anjaneyulu Mekala, U Vijaya Chandra Kumar, R. Murali

Baghdad Science Journal

Mathematical modeling with the help of numerical coding of graphs has been used in different fields of science, especially in chemistry for the studies of molecular structures. A special type of graph invariant called the topological index is the collection of data on algebraic graphs and provides a mathematical way to understand chemical structural features. In chemical graph theory, the topological index is a type of molecular descriptor calculated based on the graph of chemical compounds. Topological indices help us collect information about algebraic graphs and give us a mathematical approach to understand the properties of algebraic structures. With the …

Assessing The Sustainable Circular Fashion Supply Chain As A Model For Achieving Economic Growth In The Global Market, Andrew P. Burnstine, Raouf Ghattas

Faculty and Staff Publications & Presentations

The fashion industry faces a critical sustainability crisis, contributing up to 10% of global carbon emissions and generating 92 million tons of textile waste annually. The study highlights the complex interplay of material flows, business models, power structures, and cultural mindsets, presenting a multi-scaled framework for advancing cleaner production and circularity in one of the world’s most resource-intensive sectors. This study proposes a transformative model for circular bioeconomy in fashion, integrating systems-change theory, degrowth economics, and emotional durability. Through case studies, including Patagonia, Eileen Fisher, and EU policy frameworks, the paper demonstrates how circular strategies can reduce waste, extend product …

An Unsupervised Time Series Anomaly Detection Approach For Efficient Online Process Monitoring Of Additive Manufacturing, Frida Cantu, Salomon Ibarra, Arturo Gonzales, Jesus Barreda, Chenang Liu, Li Zhang

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Online sensing plays an important role in advancing modern manufacturing. The real-time sensor signals, which can be stored as high-resolution time series data, contain rich information about the operation status. One of its popular usages is online process monitoring, which can be achieved by effective anomaly detection from the sensor signals. However, most existing approaches either heavily rely on labeled data for training supervised models, or are designed to detect only extreme outliers, thus are ineffective at identifying subtle semantic off-track anomalies to capture where new regimes or unexpected routines start. To address this challenge, we propose an matrix profile-based …

Hybrid Path Planner For Centralized Multi-Robotic Long-Vehicle Based On Adaptive Dimensionality And Grey Wolf Algorithm, Noor Kadhim Ayoob, Ali Hadi Hasan

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The present robot planning methods pay no attention to the impact of the robot's size and the space it occupies in the environment on path planning. This paper presents a centralized hybrid method to plan optimal paths for multiple robotic long vehicles (RLVs) competing with each other to reach one common goal, taking into account the space that must be available to the RLV at each step to avoid narrow spaces that are too small to pass through. The environment analysis for each RLV is improved by assigning constant weight to the obstacles and calculating two new parameters: safety (SF) …