Digital Commons Network^™

An Empirical Investigation Of The Effects Of Gunshot Detection Technology In Detroit, Joe Davis

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This paper evaluates the impact of acoustic gunshot detection technology (GDT) on crime and policing outcomes in Detroit, Michigan. Leveraging the implementation of ShotSpotter across high-crime neighborhoods, I analyze outcomes including crime rates, emergency calls, police response times, and case clearance. My findings indicate that ShotSpotter installation is associated with a 6% reduction in violent crime but a modest increase in nonviolent crime. The technology also produces a large increase in the reporting of gunfire incidents—over 300% more gunshot-related calls for service—yet police respond 7% slower to ShotSpotter alerts than to citizen-reported gunshots. Consistent with prior research, I find no …

Crime Statistics And Taxi Transportation In New York City: An Exploratory Data Analysis, Adelyn J. Fleming

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

In a heavily populated city as busy and vibrant as New York City, people are constantly on the move. Some of that movement might be connected to the occurrence of certain crimes. This study explores how movement, especially from yellow taxicabs, relates to crime occurrences within different parts of the city. By looking at the 2018 taxi trip and crime data, alongside population data from the 2020 U.S. Census, this project aims to explore how individuals travel within the city and whether there is any relationship with the types of crime that occur within those areas. Visual tools and maps …

When The Grid Goes Dark: A Digital Forensics Study Of Industrial Control System Cyberattacks, Katie Kettler

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and Operational Technology (OT) maintain the grid, ensure water safety, and keep transportation running. Because they influence nearly every aspect of daily life, these systems have become prime targets for cyberattacks. The need for this research arises from the fact that when ICS and OT systems are compromised, the consequences go beyond data loss, and they can directly disrupt communities and endanger public safety. This thesis introduces digital forensics fundamentals and explains how investigations in ICS environments differ from those in traditional IT environments. This work then examines major attacks, including Stuxnet, the Ukrainian Grid Attacks …

Harnessing The Communities Of Resilience And Excellence Framework To Advance Population Health: The Healthy West Kendall Experience, Cristina Brito, Simone Cheong, Stephanie Norling, Michelle Mejia, Sandra R. Mclean, Carlos E. Hernandez, Lourdes Boue, Zuanel Diaz, Javier Hernandez-Lichtl

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

Introduction: Fragmented community efforts often dilute health‐improvement initiatives. The Communities of Resilience and Excellence (C.O.R.E) Guide offers a Baldrige-based systems approach that aligns cross‐sector partners around shared metrics and continuous improvement cycles for collective impact. West Kendall, an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County with over 340,000 residents, adopted the framework in response to rising chronic disease burden and socioeconomic disparities.

Methods: West Kendall Baptist Hospital served as the backbone organization that aligned multi-sector partners, implemented evidence-based interventions, and tracked community-level outcomes. We conducted a cross-sectional evaluation of the Healthy West Kendall initiative's impact across various regions in Miami-Dade County and …

Does Investing In Schools Reduce Violent Crime?, Jamein Cunningham, Monique E. Davis, Kenneth Whaley

Presentations

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Career Development Education In Rural Communities: A Program Evaluation, Hayden S. Austin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the impact of a regional career development education program using a post-test-only, exploratory descriptive design with middle and high school students from rural and urban school districts in West Central Texas. Students who participated in the Career and Education Outreach (CEO) program received four classroom sessions focused on labor market information, high-demand industries, employability skills, and career pathways. The purpose of this research was to explore whether students’ perceptions of the value of career development education differed based on geographic region, economic level, educational level, ethnic composition of the district, and the students’ own demographic characteristics. A …

New Hampshire Coastal Flood Risk Summary, Part 1: Science, Jamie Carter, Anna Simpson, Chris Gloninger, John Trowbridge, Kirk Bosma, Jayne F. Knott, Mary Lemcke-Stampone, Elizabeth Burakowski, Jennifer Gilbert, Kirsten Howard, Lisa Wise

UNH Cooperative Extension

The New Hampshire Coastal Flood Risk Summary – Part 1: Science provides a synthesis of the state of the science relevant to coastal flood risks in New Hampshire. Specifically, this document provides updated trends projections of sea-level rise, coastal storms, groundwater rise, precipitation, and freshwater flooding for coastal New Hampshire. This 2025 report updates the earlier 2019 report. This information is intended to serve as the scientific foundation for the updated companion resource, Part II: Guidance for Using Best Available Science, which will be published in 2026.

Exploring Electric Bicycle Safety Performance Data And Policy Options For California, Asha Weinstein Agrawal, Kevin Fang

Mineta Transportation Institute

This study was conducted as directed by California Senate Bill 381 (2023), which called for research to help policymakers develop effective laws and policy to support the twin goals of expanding electric bicycle use and protecting the safety of electric bicycle riders and other road users. The three major strands of findings presented in this report are (1) a review of how California and other states (and countries) regulate electric bicycle use, (2) a review of the electric bicycle safety literature, including original analysis of primary data on crashes, injuries, and deaths, and (3) strategies that the state could adopt …

Detecting Fraud In Police Reports Using Machine Learning And Natural Language Processing, Maryam Almarar

Theses

The paper explores how statistical analysis and machine learning can be used to identify the fraud patterns in the police reports. The study aims at establishing the most important predictive factors and indicators distinguishing fraudulent and valid cases with the use of structured data of police databases. The work was done in the background of the increase in financial fraud instances and the rising necessity of the introduction of automated detection systems in police departments. Police reports of the pastwere mined down to data and analyzed on SPSS 1, to carry out statistical operations. The sample was structured data which …

Leveraging Ai In Traffic Monitoring For Improved Accident Prediction In Uae, Mahra Alattar

Theses

This paper investigates how Machine Learning (ML) models can be used in traffic surveillance and predict accidents in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In spite of large infrastructure developments and stringent traffic laws, traffic accidents continue to be a major problem with an increase in fatalities and injuries. There is a gap in effective detection and responses since traditional monitoring and forecasting techniques are unable to capture the intricate, nonlinear, and time-dependent character of traffic patterns. This thesis fills that void by utilizing sophisticated the potential use of Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Recurrent Neural Network (RNN), Deep Neural Network (DNN), …

Lanthorn, Vol. 60, No. 08, December 1, 2025, Grand Valley State University

Volume 60, August 4, 2025 – April 20, 2026

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

Navigating Ai-Nature Frictions: Autonomous Vehicle Testing And Nature-Based Constraints, Prerona Das, Orlando Woods, Lily Kong

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

In cities, the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being directed towards transforming different aspects of urban life. These applications take material form in urban spaces, with autonomous vehicles (AVs) providing a prominent example. AI systems rely on large volumes of data on their surroundings to refine the algorithms and enhance the accuracy of prediction for operational efficiency and safety. However, such algorithmic learning and execution can present challenges when dealing with the unpredictable, complex, and dynamic aspects of urban spaces. Nature is a paradigmatic example of such unpredictability, because natural phenomena usually defy consistent patterns and precise data-based modelling. …

Aiding And Abetting Scientific Integrity In U.S. Federal Government Agencies, Keeley Townsend

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Science can play a critical role in supporting sound public administration and policy decisions. However, the value that science provides to government decision-making is contingent on a government’s scientific integrity standards and the degree to which employees adhere to those standards when conducting, managing, using, or communicating about science. Within the U.S. federal government, scientific integrity standards have historically been defined and applied inconsistently, at times resulting in harmful government actions.

Since at least 2000, the U.S. Congress and several executive administrations have taken steps to strengthen scientific integrity in government operations. One recent step included requiring all federal government …

Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting From Roadways: Challenges, Advances, And Future Directions, Heba Gaber, Mohamed Abdelraheem

Faculty Publications

As the global demand for renewable energy intensifies, piezoelectric energy harvesting from roadways has emerged as a promising avenue for sustainable power generation. This systematic literature review analyzes 61 peer-reviewed studies to assess the feasibility, performance, and potential of integrating piezoelectric systems into roadway infrastructure. While technology faces challenges, such as high installation costs, limited energy output, and a scarcity of thorough economic evaluations, findings suggest it holds considerable promise as a supplementary renewable energy source. The review analyzes the operational characteristics and efficiencies of various piezoelectric transducers, identifies key factors influencing system performance, and evaluates recent technological advances. It …

Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting From Roadways: Challenges, Advances, And Future Directions, Heba Mohamed Gaber, Mohamed Abdel-Raheem

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

As the global demand for renewable energy intensifies, piezoelectric energy harvesting from roadways has emerged as a promising avenue for sustainable power generation. This systematic literature review analyzes 61 peer-reviewed studies to assess the feasibility, performance, and potential of integrating piezoelectric systems into roadway infrastructure. While technology faces challenges, such as high installation costs, limited energy output, and a scarcity of thorough economic evaluations, findings suggest it holds considerable promise as a supplementary renewable energy source. The review analyzes the operational characteristics and efficiencies of various piezoelectric transducers, identifies key factors influencing system performance, and evaluates recent technological advances. It …

Advancing 3d Infrastructure Utilities Mapping Through The Integration Of Multi-Method Digital Modelling Techniques, Adil Abdulla Aldashti

Theses

With urban growth accelerating, cities increasingly need precise 3D information about their underground service networks to support sustainability goals and digital systems. Older 2D maps are often outdated, incomplete, and misaligned, making them difficult to use within 3D GIS environments. Moreover, conventional surveying tools may fall short in accuracy, struggle to reach buried assets, and require high costs when dealing with existing utilities. This thesis aims to develop and evaluate a field to 3D methodology for mapping underground utilities in Dubai, integrating multi-sensor and surveying approaches, and GIS 3D models in alignment with ASCE 38-22(American Society of Civil, 2022a), PAS …

Data-Driven Crime Prediction: Toward Smarter Reduction Strategies, Zayed Almarri

Theses

This study explores how machine learning and weather data can be used for the prediction of crime more accurately in the city of Seattle. Predictive policing is a method in law enforcement that uses data and computer algorithms to forecast the locations that crimes are likely to happen. Although many studies focused on using past crime data alone, this research also includes weather conditions like temperature, rainfall, and humidity, which may influence when and where crimes occur. Several machine learning models, including Random Forest (RF) and Support Vector Machines (SVM), were used to classify areas of the city into high-risk …

Early Electrical Fault Detection In Power Systems Using Data Analytics, Hessa Alraeesi

Theses

The increasing penetration of renewable energy, especially solar generation, has introduced higher variability into power system loading, making early detection of electrical faults more challenging yet more essential for maintaining network reliability. This research presents a machine-learning–based framework for early electrical fault detection using a Random Forest model developed in DataRobot. Due to confidentiality constraints on DEWA operational data, a Kaggle dataset was adopted and enriched with simulated solar irradiance variability to mirror real network conditions in the UAE. After comprehensive data preprocessing and feature engineering, the Random Forest model demonstrated strong generalization performance, accurately distinguishing early fault signatures from …

Optimizing Human Resource Decisions: Predicting Promotions Using Data Analytics, Mohammad Khalid A Mohammad Abdulrahim

Theses

Proper and objective selection of high potential employees to promote them is a major dilemma in the Human Resources (HR) department, more so in sensitive and hierarchal environments in the public sector where subjectivity is likely to take place. This paper is based on this ubiquitous issue, and it seeks to develop, experiment, and examine a clear and equitable machine learning model that can forecast the possibility of an employee to get a promotion according to organized past HR records. The technique was solid preprocessing, alleviation of extreme class imbalances on the basis of the Synthetic Minority Over-sampling Technique (SMOTE), …

A Narrative Review Of Dual Loyalty Conflicts In Custodial Settings And Implications For Community Practice, Michelle Suh, Marc David Robinson, Holland Kaplan

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Dual loyalty dilemmas are conflicts between health care professionals' obligations toward their patients and third-party interests. These conflicts are more common and starker in custodial settings, such as jails and prisons, military detention facilities, immigration detention centers, and involuntary psychiatric institutions. Despite encountering patients in custody, health care professionals (HCPs) in community settings have limited knowledge and training. In this narrative review, we examined dual loyalty conflicts faced by HCPs working in custodial settings and then applied the identified themes to community-based hospitals where HCPs care for patients in custody. We searched databases for original papers relating to patients in …

Wide Nets, Heavy Burdens: Unpacking Executive Order 14105’S Final Rule, Breanna Li

UC Law Journal

Executive Order 14105 “Addressing United States Investments in Certain National Security Technologies and Products in Countries of Concern” was enacted to protect U.S. national security interests in light of China’s military technological growth. This Executive Order creates an outbound investment review program that restricts investments by a U.S. person into companies in specified countries operating in certain technology sectors. This Note will discuss the background of geopolitical tensions between the United States and China, review E.O. 14105, and argue that the program it creates results in burdensome unintended consequences to the U.S. economy. These unintended circumstances include: (1) high regulatory …

Working With The Irs: The New Exempt Organizations Program In Audit, Donald W. Bacon

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Working With The Irs: The New Exempt Organizations Program In Audit, Donald W. Bacon

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

The Aadhaar Verdict And The Surveillance Challenge, Ananth Padmanabhan, Vasudha Singh

Indian Journal of Law and Technology

Conventional responses to privacy protection, such as the notice-and-consent framework, are inapposite to a datafied world where ubiquitous data collection is facilitated by a range of advanced technologies. Such traditional frameworks also commonly vest the State with more leeway than private companies to access personal data, which amplifies privacy harms in case of State use of data. Despite the ominous possibility of State surveillance, the Indian judiciary has thus far grappled with the right to privacy through a narrow lens focused on individual privacy risks rather than structural moves towards a surveillance society. This article explores a different viewpoint by …

“It’S All Fun And Games Until Someone Loses An Eye (-Test): On The Presence And Consequences Of An Argument Scheme That Re-Works Our Notions Of Evidence And Support”, Matthew P. Brigham

Studies in Debate and Oratory

This essay explores an argument scheme commonly employed in sport communication, the “Eye Test,” which claims that a good faith watching of two teams or athletes, for instance, provides its own evidence as to which is superior. A distinction is drawn between a weak version of the argument, the earned eye test, and the strong version, the universal eye test. Focusing on the latter, which does not rely on expertise but claims that any individual should be able to see the proof of the argument, the essay explores a range of everyday and public sphere arguments that operate …

“The Greatest Invasion In History”: The Nineteenth Century Nativist Theory Behind Trump’S 2025 Immigration Agenda, Tamara Shamir

NULR Online

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Adverse And Positive Childhood Experiences And Moral Injury On Compassion Fatigue Among Law-Enforcement Officers And First-Responders, Kaylee Nesland

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

More than ever, United States law enforcement officers are overworked, under-trained, and exposed to a great deal of trauma. Societal pressure to display strength and resilience, as well as fears of judgement and loss of job security, inhibit law enforcement officers from accessing psychological treatment and support (Drew & Martin, 2021). Without mental health support in place, compassion fatigue reveals itself, ultimately causing hurt and damage to individuals in law enforcement and those they interact with. This study examined whether adverse or positive childhood experiences affect compassion fatigue among law enforcement officers. Participants of this study—current and historical law enforcement …

The Use Of Less-Lethal Force By Law Enforcement: A Legal Analysis Of Civil Liability Cases In The Use Of Bean Bags And Rubber Bullets In Policing, Kenneth Lomenzo, Joshua Rosenbaum, Nathan Cronin, Mason Meyers, Akramul Hasan

Journal of Criminal Justice and Law

The use of less-lethal weapons such as bean bag rounds and rubber bullets has become a prominent and controversial mark of contemporary policing. Although these munitions are designed to incapacitate without resorting to deadly force, their deployment has resulted in serious injuries, fatalities, and a growing body of litigation. This article examines how federal appellate courts have addressed such cases through a systematic legal content analysis of 16 decisions issued between 1999 and 2025. Each case involved a claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 alleging excessive force in violation of the Fourth Amendment. The analysis considers judicial reasoning, liability outcomes, …

Changing Perspectives In California: A Transformative Culture Exchange For Stockholm University And Sonoma State University Criminology Students, Bryan Burton, Sofie Hellmer, Vida Wåhlmark, Hope Ortiz, Diana Grant

csuglobalaction

From June 13 to 20, 2024, Sonoma State University (SSU) hosted 16 criminology students from Stockholm University (SU) for an educational and cultural exchange. Five SSU undergraduate “student ambassadors” participated, representing California and SSU while assisting the Swedish students. Surveys indicated the exchange was a meaningful academic and cultural experience for all participants. The Swedish students deepened their understanding of the U.S. criminal justice system through presentations by criminologists and discussions with practitioners on issues such as policing and prison reform. They also gained broader perspectives on California and the United States through interactions with SSU ambassadors and visits to …

Predictive Analytics In Public Health: Developing Ai Strategies To Combat High-Temperature Impacts On Violence And Overdoses In Las Vegas, David Camacho, Stephanie Duarte, Kosi Okeke, Chris Papesh, Jacquelyn Cheun-Jensen

SMU Data Science Review

Public violence and overdoses are key issues that Nevada agencies aim to address in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area. A proven and effective strategy is via the implementation of a Cardiff Violence Prevention Model. This model provides a way for communities to gain a clearer picture about where violence is occurring by combining and mapping both hospital and police data on violence. In an effort to support this model, the exploration and implementation of AI models to predict the impacts of high temperatures on key public data and outcomes based upon historical data will be applied.