Digital Commons Network^™

Agricultural Biotechnology In The Courts: Judicial Opinions And Commentary, Drew L. Kershen

Faculty Articles

Seven jurisdictions from around the world have issued judicial opinions that address fundamental issues about the governance and regulatory systems of agricultural biotechnology. This article summarizes these legal proceedings and describes their impact upon agricultural biotechnology. The article then provides a commentary and critique of the legal proceedings and resulting judicial opinions.

Coolness, Leisure, And Power : The Development Of Mokanshan Summer Resort In Modern China, 1890–1937, Xuyan Pan

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

The concept of "coolness" (清涼) embodied fundamentally different bodily and cultural experiences in Chinese and Western traditions. With the introduction of Western-style summer resorts by foreign missionaries in the 1890s, these divergent understandings converged and clashed in new spatial forms. This study examines Mokanshan (莫干山), located in Zhejiang province and recognized as one of the Republican era’s “Four Great Summer Retreats” (民國四大避暑地), as a paradigmatic case of transnational leisure. Initially developed by missionaries as a health-oriented retreat, a transnationally managed enclave, and a nostalgic “overseas home” for expatriates, Mokanshan reflected a hybrid model of modern leisure shaped by foreign institutions. …

Voice As A Biomarker: Exploratory Analysis For Benign And Malignant Vocal Fold Lesions, Phillip Jenkins, Rylan Harrison, Steven Bedrick, Lisa Karstens, Bridge2ai-Voice Consortium

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Benign and malignant vocal fold lesions can alter voice quality and lead to significant morbidity or, in the case of malignancy, mortality. Early, noninvasive identification of these lesions using voice as a biomarker may improve diagnostic access and outcomes. In this study, we analyzed data from the initial release of the Bridge2AI-Voice dataset to evaluate which acoustic features best distinguish laryngeal cancer and benign vocal fold lesions from other vocal pathologies and healthy voice function. Seven diagnostic cohorts were grouped into two analyses: the first included participants with laryngeal cancer, benign lesions, or no voice disorder; the second included those …

Post-Pandemic Restaurant Patronage: The Importance Of Neuroticism In Shaping In Person Dining Intentions., Matthew Gorton, Min Yan, Honglyu Lin, Dora Gaćeša Brlić, John White, Ružica Brečić, Ana Tkalac Verčič

Plymouth Business School

Purpose Even after the lifting of all government restrictions, introduced to combat the spread of Covid-19, many consumers remain fearful of in-person dining. This paper seeks to understand this reticence, and explain post-pandemic restaurant dining intentions. Design/methodology/approach The paper introduces and tests a conceptual framework for understanding in-person dining intentions in the post-Covid-19 era, utilizing structural equation modelling. To empirically validate the model, survey data collection (n = 436) occurred in China after the government lifted its “Zero-Covid” policy. Findings Neuroticism, as a personality trait, negatively affects restaurant trust and increases fear of Covid-19 (threat appraisal), which in turn reduces …

Health Outcomes Beyond Age 50 Years In Survivors Of Childhood Cancer: A Report From The Childhood Cancer Survivor Study, Rusha Bhandari, Yan Chen, Eric J Chow, Rebecca M Howell, Lisa B Kenney, Wendy Leisenring, Joseph P Neglia, Kirsten K Ness, Kevin C Oeffinger, Claire Snyder, Lucie M Turcotte, F Lennie Wong, Yutaka Yasui, Gregory T Armstrong, Saro H Armenian

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: There are limited data on the risk for mortality and health outcomes among the increasing population of older (age >50 years) survivors of childhood cancer during this later stage in life when there is an expected increase in aging-related morbidities.

Methods: We assessed cause-specific mortality, incident new cancers, chronic health conditions (CHCs), frailty, and health status among survivors from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study, conditional on surviving to 50 years. We calculated conditional survival rates, standardized mortality ratios (SMRs), and, for incident new cancers, cumulative burden, standardized incidence ratios (SIRs), and relative rates (RRs), compared with the general US …

Hippocampal Avoidance During Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation For Patients With Small Cell Lung Cancer: Randomized Phase Ii/Iii Trial Nrg-Cc003, Vinai Gondi, Stephanie L Pugh, Minesh P Mehta, Jeffrey S Wefel, Wolfgang A Tomé, John Grecula, Shannon Fogh, Laurie Gaspar, Andre Konski, Joseph Bovi, Clifford G Robinson, Benjamin Corn, Gregory M Videtic, Benjamin H Lok, Harold A Yoon, John H Heinzerling, Albert S Denittis, Ronald C Mcgarry, Kiran Devisetty, Vijayananda Kundapur, Abraham J Wu, Edward C Mccarron, Isabelle Thibault, Edmund L Simon, Andrew M Baschnagel, Samir Narayan, Jondavid Pollock, Rebecca Paulus, Lisa A Kachnic

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: Hippocampal avoidance (HA) during therapeutic whole-brain radiotherapy reduces the risk of neurocognitive function (NCF) toxicity in patients with brain metastasis. This trial hypothesized that HA during prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) leads to noninferior intracranial relapse (ICR) and reduction in NCF toxicity.

Methods: This randomized phase II/III trial enrolled patients with SCLC, no brain metastases, and response to chemotherapy. The primary end points were 12-month ICR (noninferiority design, randomized phase II) and 6-month Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R) Delayed Recall (DR) failure (phase III). Secondary end points were failure in any NCF …

Multi-Objective Optimisation Of Floating Offshore Wind Farms Based On A Real-World Case Study, Pawel Manikowski, David Walker, Matthew Craven

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

In this paper, we used real data to predict the position of the floating wind turbines due to three external forces: wind, wave and current. We analysed data provided by energy company Equinor and applied two machine-learning techniques: Multilayer Perceptron and Random Forest. After demonstrating that machine learning models failed, we used a simple linear regression model and optimisation approach to solve the multi-objective optimisation problem. We minimised the perimeter of the wind farm and maximised its power output by applying the multi-objective optimisation algorithm NSGA-II. We also investigated how changing the length of mooring lines affected the optimisation. We …

Investigating Techniques To Optimise The Layout Of Turbines In A Windfarm Using A Quantum Computer, James Hancock, Matthew Craven, Craig Mcneile, Davide Vadacchino

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

This paper investigates Windfarm Layout Optimization (WFLO), where we formulate turbine placement considering wake effects as a Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) problem. Wind energy plays a critical role in the transition toward sustainable power systems, but the optimal placement of turbines remains a challenging combinatorial problem due to complex wake interactions. With recent advances in quantum computing, there is growing interest in exploring whether hybrid quantum-classical methods can provide advantages for such computationally intensive tasks. We investigate solving the resulting QUBO problem using the Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE) implemented on Qiskit’s quantum computer simulator, employing a quantum noise-free, gate-based …

Optimising The Care Of The Trapped Patient Following A Motor Vehicle Collision: A Uk-Based Delphi Consensus Study, Tim Nutbeam, Rob Fenwick, Ian Marritt, Brian Lee, Luke Staveley-Wadham, Nigel Lang, Louise Johnson, Nicolas Mattock, Jane Ogilvie, Emily Foote, Francis Screech, Lara Lebeau-Humarau, Caroline Leech

Peninsula Medical School

Background Motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) are a leading cause of injury and death worldwide. Up to 40% ofcasualties may become trapped and entrapment is associated with delayed care and worse outcomes. There is littlenational or international consensus guiding the care of physically trapped patients who cannot self-extricate. Thisstudy aimed to develop multidisciplinary consensus-based principles to optimise clinical and operational care fortrapped patients following MVC.Methods A three-round Delphi study was conducted from January to March 2025, following the CREDES framework.A multi-professional steering group developed preliminary statements informed by literature review and expertconsultation. Subject matter experts (SMEs) with operational experience in extrication, …

Integrating Artificial Intelligence And Immersive Technologies Into Maritime Education And Training, Zouheir Abd El Fattah Abd El Salam Badawy

Blue Economy

The global maritime sector, transporting approximately 90% of world trade, is entering a transformative era driven by rapid digitalization, environmental regulations, and emerging autonomous technologies. Maritime Education and Training (MET) institutions are under increasing pressure to adapt their curricula, teaching methodologies, and infrastructures to meet new operational and regulatory demands. This study investigates the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), and other immersive technologies in reshaping MET to align with future maritime workforce requirements. Using a mixed-methods approach comprising a systematic literature review, quantitative surveys of 180 maritime students across multiple regions such as Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Kingdom …

An Inexpensive, Open, And Extensible Hardware-In-The-Loop Cubesat Test And Simulation Infrastructure, Andrew Greenberg, Glenn Lebrasseur, Max Eltzroth, Rose Edington, Anna Meneely, Maxwell Millar

Small Satellite Conference

We have developed an inexpensive, open source, and extensible hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test and simulation system to allow even small CubeSat teams to dramatically improve their testing infrastructure to increase reliability during flight.

Enhancements And Improvements Of The Radiation Probe - Compact Radiation Probe (Crp), Yihsuan Chou, Loren Chang, Yichung Chiu, Tzuwei Hung, Sinyu Tsui

Small Satellite Conference

As space missions venture beyond Earth's magnetic field, spacecraft face elevated risks from solar energetic particles (SEPs) and galactic cosmic rays (GCRs). Taiwan's first lunar payload—the Deep Space Radiation Probe (DSRP)—was developed to measure radiation dose, dose rate, and SEU rates during Earth–Moon transit. However, flight data revealed limitations in SEU detection and system operation. To address these issues and support CubeSat-class missions, the Compact Radiation Probe (CRP) was developed for the upcoming COSPAR-1 mission.

Occupational Therapy For Individuals With Low Vision Affecting Their Mental Health, De'aundria M. Gipson, Jaimee Fielder, Becky King

Summer 2025 OTD Capstone Symposium

Low vision is a prevalent public health issue among older adults, often leading to functional limitations, reduced participation in activities of daily living (ADLs), and increased risk of mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety, and social isolation. This capstone project explored the relationship between low vision and mental health by developing and evaluating a program to address both functional and psychosocial needs. Guided by the Person-Environment-Occupation (PEO) model, the program was implemented at Envision Dallas and included a needs assessment, tailored strategies, and group activities targeting emotional well-being, independence, and social participation. Data from surveys, interviews, and observation indicated …

Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind: Nearby Branch Closures And Small Business Growth, Benjamin Ranish, Andrea Stella, Jeffery Y. Zhang

Law & Economics Working Papers

Since 2010, the total number of commercial bank branches in the United States has decreased by about 20%. Do branch closures meaningfully affect economic activity? We investigate the impact of branch closures on small businesses, whose access to credit may be facilitated through local relationships with banks. Using exogenous variation in closures related to mergers and acquisitions, we show that the closure of nearby bank branches leads to decreased small business employment growth and entry while increasing business exit. Our results are robust to variations in our measure of employment, proximity, and construction of the instrument. We use subsample analyses …

Vertiport Location Selection And Optimization For Urban Air Mobility In Complex Urban Scenes, Yannan Lu, Weili Zeng, Wenbin Wei, Weiwei Wu, Hao Jiang

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Vertiports, as dedicated facilities for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, are essential to ensure the efficiency and sustainability of Urban Air Mobility (UAM). However, UAM infrastructure site selection has become increasingly complex due to limited land availability, complex spatial conditions, and the need to balance multiple objectives. Focusing on passenger-carrying UAM operations, this study proposes a systematic framework for vertiport site selection. First, key factors are classified into high, medium, and low levels across the safety, economic, and social dimensions, forming a modular evaluation system. A GIS-based spatial screening process is developed to identify potential vertiport locations. Subsequently, …

Factors Associated With The Use Of Combined Nutritional Complementary And Alternative Medicine Among Southern Us Older Adults: Results From The Study Of Aging Ii, Kristen Allen-Watts, Deanna Rumble, Taylor Taylor, Andrew Sims, Lisa H. Antoine, Georgiana Logan, Cynthia J. Brown, Thomas W. Buford, Burel R. Goodin, Andrea Cherrington, Richard Kennedy

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: Older adults use nutritional complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to reduce the risk of (or treat) non-communicable conditions and diet deficiencies. While prior research has explored the individual use of dietary supplements, vitamins, and minerals among older adults, few studies have examined factors influencing the combined use of these modalities, especially among Southern, older adults in the United States. Methods: Data were extracted from 419 participants from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Study of Aging II, a population-based longitudinal study of mobility among community-dwelling older adults. Self-reported data, including insurance and rural residence status, was collected. Comorbidity burden …

Waking Up The Youth: Sleep Is Essential For Health, Mansoor A. Rahman Mr

Manipal Journal of Medical Sciences

Letter to editor:

Waking Up The Youth: Sleep Is Essential For Health

According to the World Sleep Society, sleep, like good food and exercise, is a behavior essential to physical, mental and social well-being. Adequate sleep at appropriate time is necessary for optimal health and safety, while changes in sleep time and duration are intertwined with a variety of metabolic, cardiovascular, endocrine, and neurological disorders^1,2.Therefore,sleep, which is directly related to health and quality of life, is considered a basic human need to maintain his/ her bio-psycho-social and cultural functions³.

The timing and duration of sleep for …

Overcoming Challenges In Mapping Hydrography And Heterogeneity In Urban Landscapes, Kristina G. Hopkins, Rebecca L. Hale, Krista A. Capps, John S. Kominoski, Jennifer L. Morse, Allison H. Roy, Andrew Blinn, Shuo Chen, Liz Ortiz Munoz, Annika Quick, Jacob Rudolph

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Understanding how water moves through a watershed is one of the most fundamental yet often complicated aspects of hydrology, especially in urban areas. Urban infrastructure and water management alter natural hydrological pathways in developed watersheds, which can violate assumptions of a watershed approach to ecosystem science. We focus on two aspects of urban landscapes that often create challenges to model watershed processes within and among urban areas: (1) accurate delineation of urban flow paths and (2) consistent characterisation of the urban landscape within and among cities. Here, we describe these challenges and identify how certain components of these challenges can …

Charting Suicide Risk In Latina Adolescents: A Qualitative System Dynamics Approach, Lauren E. Gulbas, Peter S. Hovmand, Esther J. Calzada, Carolina Hausmann-Stabile, Su Yeong Kim, Luis H. Zayas

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

Objectives: Suicide risk among Latina adolescents is shaped by dynamic interactions among emotional, behavioral, and sociocultural factors. This study develops a causal feedback theory to illustrate how these factors reinforce or mitigate suicide risk over time.

Method: Using grounded theory analysis, we analyzed qualitative interviews with 60 Latina adolescents (ages 11-19) recruited from New York City: 30 with a history of suicide attempts and 30 with no reported history of suicidal behaviors. Participants varied by Hispanic cultural group, place of birth, and documentation status.

Results: Our feedback theory is organized around seven categories: cognitive vulnerabilities, avoidant coping, high-risk behaviors, family …

Developing Resilience In First Year Collegiate Athletes: The Effectiveness Of A Resilience And Strengths Based Course, Dorian J. Hayden

Dissertations, 2020-current

Research shows that college students have increased levels of mental health difficulties with freshmen transitioning into college experiencing even more strain. What further contributes to these difficulties includes having experienced the COVID pandemic in high school, low socioeconomic status (SES), and racial minority status. Student-athletes, although known to have better mental health than non-student-athletes, still underutilize their abundance of resources. Generally, a skill that has been established as beneficial in managing the difficulties related to college is resilience, suggesting the implementation of a more accessible resource to support the mental health of student-athletes transitioning into college. One such resource is …

Enduring The Torturing Shears: Gardens And Novel Conventions In The Brontës' Novels, Grace Mattingly

Honors Theses

This thesis is a literary analysis of the use of gardens and garden imagery in Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, and Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights to subvert Victorian novel conventions. This work is part of the larger conversation of how female authors in the literary canon express dissatisfaction with or resistance to Victorian social mores. This thesis is divided into three chapters, each focusing on one novel, and it primarily evaluates how gardens are employed by the Brontës to challenge plot and genre conventions. The work examines concerns surrounding the Victorian marriage institution, female …

Advancing Generative Ai For Music With Photonics, Eduardo Miranda, Siegelwax Brian

School of Art, Design and Architecture

This paper presents PhotoSing, a system that learns to generate polyphonic tunes by extracting sequencing rules from given examples. We developed a method to encode given pieces of music in terms of unique musical events, referred to as UMEs, and stochastic rules for sequencing them. Those rules are subsequently converted into representations to be processed by a photonic computer to generate new compositions. This research builds upon a previous system, QuSing, which generated monophonic tunes with superconducting quantum computing. The paper discusses the pitfalls of the previous system, the research and the solutions developed to improve them. It details the …

Optimizing Palliative Spine Radiation: A Dosimetric Comparison Of Hybrid Arc Therapy And Conventional Appa Techniques, Alaina Vaneaton

Masters Projects

This study aimed to evaluate the dosimetric impact of Hybrid Arc Palliative Radiation Therapy (HART) versus conventional anterior-posterior/posterior-anterior (APPA) beam arrangements for thoracic spine metastases. The primary objective was to assess differences in conformity, homogeneity, and organ-at-risk (OAR) sparing between the two techniques. A retrospective plan comparison was conducted using anonymized datasets from twenty patients previously treated with HART. Each case was replanned using a standard APPA technique, normalized to match the target coverage of the original HART plan within 0.1%. All plans were prescribed 20 Gy in 5 fractions. Plan quality was evaluated using conformity index (CI), homogeneity index …

Copper Oxide Nanoparticles As Delivery Vehicles For Different Pt (Ii)-Drugs: Experimental And Theoretical Evaluation, Shahdan Abdelkareem

Theses and Dissertations

Platinum(II)-based chemotherapeutic agents such as cisplatin, oxaliplatin, and nedaplatin are mainstays in the treatment of a wide range of solid tumors, yet their clinical application is severely restricted by rapid degradation, poor bioavailability, and dose-limiting side effects. These challenges arise in part from the drugs’ susceptibility to premature hydrolysis, off-target interactions in the bloodstream, and degradation in the gastrointestinal tract, which collectively limit their ability to reach and act on tumor cells. To address these limitations, we explored the use of copper(II) oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) as nanocarriers for platinum(II) drugs, aiming to enhance drug stability, loading, and controlled release. …

Jazz Scale Patterns With Abjad And Lilypond, George K. Thiruvathukal

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Background

Jazz method books often advise students to “learn it in all keys,” yet most present examples in only one or two keys (if that, as they start from C, the easiest key, and usually stop there). For many "classically-trained" players—especially those who check fingerings, enharmonics, and voice-leading by reading—the absence of complete, notated materials is a barrier. While most scales can be internalized as Whole (W) / Half (H) step patterns, important exceptions (e.g., harmonic and melodic minor, octatonic, whole tone, and blues) are aided by having notated patterns in front of us.

Aims

To generate clear, consistent notation-first …

The Tax Adviser, Volume 9, Number 6, June 1978, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Spotlight, Robert F. Manning

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Washington Report: The Effect Of The Freedom Of Information And Privacy Acts On Irs Enforcement Deputy, Kenneth F. Thomas, William R. Stromsem, William E. Williams

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Summary Of Civil Liability In Tax Practice, D. Larry Crumbley, Jerome Horvitz, Herbert L. Jensen

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Tax Trends, E. S. Linett

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.