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Singing As Liberation: Spiritual Imagination And An Embodied Practice Of Hope Through Spirituals And Songs Of The Uhadi, Matisse Geselle

University Honors Theses

An exploration of the spirituality and the sacredness of music—and especially singing—through recording my own interpretations of spirituals and songs of the uHadi. It is also a poetic inquiry into how imagery of the river is used in spirituals as a pathway to freedom and liberation, and how the singing of spirituals is hope embodied. And it is a reflection of how my experience of the uHadi and my friends of the Ibuyambo ensemble changed me. The process of working on this project also feels like I am connecting to myself—and others—more deeply through singing. And ultimately, I hope for …

Characteristics Of Social Capital In Informal Housing Settlements, Lena Parsons

University Honors Theses

Many cities see growth of informal housing settlements as urban populations rise across the globe. Residents of informal settlements are observed to use robust networks of social capital to support themselves in an environment of resource scarcity and marginalization. This review synthesizes research examining characteristics of social capital in informal housing settlements, finding that (1) social capital influences residents' acquisition of basic needs, (2) the structure of social capital networks depend on the context of the settlement, and (3) the built environment of informal settlements has a cyclical relationship to their social capital networks. This synthesis concludes that formal solutions …

Artificial Intelligence In Biomedical Scientific Publishing, Tomasz J Guzik, Victor Aboyans, Stefan Agewall, Steven Bailey, Adrian Baranchuk, Magnus Bäck, Michael Böhm, Robert O Bonow, George W Booz, Giuseppe Boriani, Biykem Bozkurt, Nico Bruining, Davide Capodanno, Çetin Erol, Péter Ferdinandy, Alessia Gimelli, Gerd Heusch, Thomas Kahan, Chim Choy Lang, Gerald Maurer, Robert J Mentz, Marco Metra, Philip Moons, Daniel Piskorz, Massimo Piepoli, Piotr Ponikowski, Alexandra Popma, Bianca Rocca, Juan Sanchis Fores, Philipp Sommer, Rhian M Touyz, Zoltan Ungvari, Pascal Vranckx, Joseph A Hill, Thomas F Lüscher, Filippo Crea

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Artificial intelligence is now embedded across the scientific research and publishing ecosystem, influencing discovery, analysis, knowledge translation, authorship, peer review, and editorial workflows. In cardiovascular and biomedical sciences, these developments offer substantial opportunities to accelerate knowledge generation, integrate complex datasets, and improve efficiency and consistency. At the same time, they introduce new risks related to bias, transparency, data integrity, and authorship responsibility, potentially endangering trust in the scientific record. This commentary examines the evolving role of AI in biomedical publishing, with particular attention to generative models and machine learning tools. We review both benefits and limitations, highlight risks such as …

Domain-Specific Associations Between Physical Activity And Tinnitus In Nhanes 2015-2018, Mitra Britton, Peter A Hosick

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Background/Objectives: Tinnitus is a prevalent auditory condition associated with significant psychological burden and limited treatment efficacy. While physical activity confers broad health benefits, its relationship with tinnitus remains understudied. This study examined associations between domain-specific physical activity and tinnitus in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. Methods: Data from NHANES 2015-2018 were analyzed. The final analytic sample comprised 4301 adults aged 20 years and older. Tinnitus was assessed via the NHANES audiometry questionnaire. Physical activity was categorized as low, moderate, and high (MET-min/week) separately for work-related (WORK) and non-work-related (NW) domains. Survey-weighted multivariable logistic regression models, adjusted for age, …

Conceptual Thermal Constraints On The Growth Of The First Tree On A Terraformed Mars, Agnieszka Wendland, Piotr Pałka, Robert Olszewski, Alison F.C. Bridger, Melinda A. Kahre, Christian Körner, Christopher P. Mckay

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The environmental conditions on present‑day Mars are far outside the range tolerated by known complex terrestrial life. Conceptual climate studies have suggested that, in hypothetical terraforming scenarios, artificially enhancing the greenhouse effect could restore Mars to more habitable surface conditions. Early colonizing terrestrial life on a warming Mars would plausibly consist of lichens and high‑alpine or high‑arctic plants. Here, we consider a later, more demanding step and investigate the thermal conditions under which the first tree could, in principle, grow on the Martian surface. Based on empirical treeline studies, we adopt thermal thresholds for a representa‑ tive high‑elevation conifer: a …

Explainable Multi-Agent Llm Framework For Phishing Email Detection Via Role-Specialized Evidence Decomposition, Tanya Yadav, Mohammad Masum

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Phishing email remains a persistent and operationally critical cybersecurity threat, yet existing detection approaches, including traditional machine learning and single-pass large language model systems, either lack native interpretability or provide explanations that are difficult to standardize and audit. This paper introduces an explainable multi-agent LLM framework that decomposes phishing evidence across three role-specialized agents focused on linguistic patterns, psychological manipulation, and sender identity consistency. The framework then aggregates specialist outputs through schema-governed synthesis, enabling each intermediate and final decision to be structured, comparable, and auditable. The central contribution is the treatment of role-specialized evidence decomposition and explanation structure as first-class …

Decoupled Carbon Assimilation And Growth Responses To Aridity In Temperate Deciduous Oaks, Mukund Palat Rao, Arturo Pacheco-Solana, Rong Li, Bar Oryan, Johanna E. Jensen, Milagros Rodriguez-Caton, Steve L. Voelker, Et Al.

Michigan Tech Publications

The magnitude of the terrestrial carbon sink remains a key uncertainty in future climate projections, in part due to poorly understood links between carbon uptake and its allocation to woody biomass in vegetation. Here, in this study, we show that photosynthesis and aboveground growth occur asynchronously across diel to seasonal scales in eight North American oak species. Across 137 tree ring sites, current-year annual growth was insensitive to climate variability after midsummer despite 26 to 36% of annual gross primary productivity (GPP) occurring during this period. Hourly GPP flux and growth measurements at four sites spanning seven site years further …

Difficult History During Difficult Times: Amache Junior Rangers, Katelyn Morkovsky

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My research aims to understand approaches to teaching difficult histories to children at cultural heritage institutions. To do this, I examined the creation process of the Amache Junior Ranger booklet that launched at the site in the fall of 2025. Amache, a WWII Japanese American incarceration center, presents significant interpretive challenges in balancing the traumatic nature of the site with age-appropriate content as well as highlighting the agency people exercised without losing the gravity of the situation. In addition to how the booklet was made, I use my research to situate the booklet in the social and political climate in …

The Impact Of Slow Tourism On The Psychological Well-Being Of Urban Recreational Tourists In Jakarta, Ahmad Ghazy Dananjaya

Journal of Indonesian Tourism and Policy Studies

This study addresses the urgent need for psychological escape among Jakarta's population due to high life pressure, noise pollution, and density. While slow tourism offers tranquility and deep connection, its application in fast-paced metropolitan settings remains under-researched. This study analyzes the impact of Tranquility and Physical Activity Involvement on the Psychological Well-being of urban recreational tourists. Adopting a sequential explanatory mixed-method design, quantitative data were collected from 200 purposively selected domestic tourists and analyzed using Multiple Linear Regression, followed by in-depth interviews. Surprisingly, statistical results indicate that neither tranquility nor physical activity significantly influences psychological well-being, either simultaneously or partially. …

Post-Revitalization Accessibility Critique: A Case Study Of Tunggang Parangan Cemetery Vs Kelambu Kuning Cemetery, Achmad Ramadhani

Journal of Indonesian Tourism and Policy Studies

This study examines the disparity between revitalization objectives and the implementation of comprehensive accessibility in cultural heritage sites in Indonesia. Through a comparative analysis of two recently revitalized pilgrimage sites - the Tomb of Habib Tunggang Parangan and the Tomb of Kelambu Kuning - this research investigates how different revitalization approaches affect accessibility outcomes. The study employs a literature review methodology utilizing digital sources and policy analysis, framed within the 3A tourism framework (Attraction, Accessibility, Amenity). Findings reveal that despite implementing different models - public-private partnership versus government-led development - both sites demonstrate similar deficiencies in implementing comprehensive accessibility principles. …

Enough With The White Lie-Ability: Decreasing Frivolous Health Care Liability Actions In Tennessee With Time And Transparency, Mary Katherine Smith

University of Memphis Law Review

No abstract provided.

Picturing Africa: Critical Reflections On The Importance Of Imagery In Textbooks, Amber R. Reed, Bailey A. Brown

Essays in Education

While many social studies teachers in the Atlanta metro area are working to combat stereotypical and racist images of Africa, our analysis of three commonly used textbooks demonstrate these are exactly the types of images that tend to get reproduced. This essay draws on an analysis of three commonly used textbooks in Georgia as well as interviews with teachers in the area. We show how stereotypes of Africa as filled with wild animals, primitive, and poverty-stricken are often upheld in publications despite teachers’ fervent desire to dismantle them. Because these images are often decontextualized, it is difficult for teachers and …

The White Elephant Saloon News: 25th Anniversary Edition

Joseph K. Dulle Fort Worth Stockyards Photograph Collection

The White Elephant Saloon News, 25th Anniversary Edition newspaper, released in 2001.

The White Elephant Saloon News: 20th Anniversary Edition

Joseph K. Dulle Fort Worth Stockyards Photograph Collection

The White Elephant Saloon News, 20th Anniversary Edition newspaper, released in 1996.

Computing And Elections, Driss Toulali

Revue Marocaine de Droit, d'Economie et de Gestion (Moroccan Journal of Law, Economics and Management)

This article explores the opportunities and risks associated with the use of ...

In Work But Out Of Rights: Migration Governance And The Production Of Precarity Among Third-Country Nationals In Cyprus’ Hotel Sector, Petros Giannoulis, Petros Kosmas, Maria Panagopoulou

Irish Journal of Tourism, Hospitality, Leisure and Event Research

This study aims to examine how migration and labour governance in Cyprus produces and manages precarity among Third-Country Nationals (TCNs) employed in the hotel sector. For the purposes of the present study this category encompasses various groups of people, including Non-EU migrant workers, international students and asylum seekers. Drawing on critical scholarship on migration governance, differential inclusion, and institutional racism, the study analyses key policy instruments regulating the recruitment, employment and residence of migrant workers through qualitative content analysis. The findings demonstrate that precarity is not an unintended by-product of labour market regulation or administrative failure, but a structurally embedded …

Granular Phenotyping Of Neuromuscular And Cortical Adaptation In Elite Judo Athletes: A Three-Group Experimental Analysis Using Eeg And Emg Markers, Magdalena Prończuk, Dariusz Tadeusz Skalski, Wirginia Likus, Łukasz Jaworski, Adam Maszczyk, Kinga Łosińska

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Background: Inter-individual variability in neuromuscular and cortical adaptation presents a significant challenge for the personalization of neurofeedback protocols in elite sports, particularly in judo. Objective: This study aimed to identify distinct adaptation phenotypes in elite Polish judo athletes by integrating electrophysiological and performance-based measures following an EEG biofeedback intervention. Materials and methods: Twenty-four male athletes from the Polish national judo team completed a 15-session EEG biofeedback protocol targeting frontal alpha asymmetry. Post-intervention assessments included surface EMG amplitude (RMS), median frequency (MF), percentage EMG change, composite EEG indices (EEG_SUM), and normalized lower-limb strength. A composite Global Adaptation Index (GAI) was used …

Medical Image Integrity Protection Through U-Net Based Roi Segmentation And Hybrid Integer Wavelet–Quadtree Embedding, Muna M. Jawad, Rasha F. Nadhim, Noor A. Yousif, Ashwaq T. Hashim

Journal of Intelligent Informatics, Networking, and Cybersecurity

For decades, secure techniques in medical images have focused on securing the sensitive information through limiting direct access to the images themselves. Nonetheless, these methods tend to cause distortion on the images that can affect the diagnostic value and cause loss of crucial information. There arises the fundamental problem of secure embedding of medical data in such a way that does not affect the diagnostic integrity of the image. To overcome this limitation, a secure yet hidden data-hiding mechanism is introduced that is exploited U-Net-based deep learning for accurate Region of Interest (ROI) segmentation. Therefore U-Net architecture is used for …

Augmented Reality Glasses For Monitoring External Environments Via Internal Reflections, Michael Christopher Yu

Defensive Publications Series

Existing vehicle safety systems often involve expensive, factory-integrated camera arrays and sensors that are difficult to upgrade and susceptible to occlusion from environmental debris, such as dirt or rain. Many vehicles possess basic backup cameras, lacking comprehensive advanced driver assistance capabilities.

This publication describes a method for providing driver assistance through a wearable extended reality device. The device utilizes inside-out spatial registration to identify the location of statically-positioned vehicle mirrors within the interior.

Images of the mirrors are captured and subsequently processed using an image cropping mechanism. Computer vision is then applied to these isolated segments to detect the presence …

Interactive Picture-In-Picture Control Surface For Managing Background Agentic Tasks, Yijo Liu, Clifford Tse Yan Chan, Tiffany Deonne Morris, Shadia Walsh, Golden Gopal Krishna, Lily Duraiswami, Yeun Su Shin, Carl Magnus Borg

Defensive Publications Series

Background processes are frequently suspended by mobile operating systems, which obstructs multitasking during long-running automated browser workflows. Visual feedback regarding the execution state of these workflows is typically absent. This disclosure explains how a live visual preview of an active Document Object Model is converted into a data stream compatible with a picture-in-picture container. A floating window is generated when a context switch occurs away from a mobile browser. A text summary is superimposed on the container to display specific workflow states. Interactive prompts are included directly within the overlay to allow state modifications. User intervention is enabled without a …

Interactive Graphical Interface For Multi-Tab Content Synthesis And Parametric Control, Yijo Liu, Carl Magnus Borg, Tiffany Deonne Morris, Shadia Walsh, Golden Gopal Krishna, Melissa Kuo Bui, Yeun Su Shin, Clifford Tse Yan Chan, Lily Duraiswami

Defensive Publications Series

Current methods for comparing content across multiple browser tabs are limited because tabs are treated as separate rendering instances. Comparisons of data across different pages often involve manual navigation or reliance on static text tables that lack interactivity. A technique is disclosed where a comparison interface is generated by extracting attributes from the underlying data structures of selected browser tabs. This interface synthesizes extracted data into a graphical overlay including parametric controls such as sliders and dials. Interactions with these controls trigger modifications to the browser state. These modifications include the physical reordering of tabs within a tab strip, visual …

Gating Spatial Coordinates Utilizing Inertial Detection, Tushar Chugh, Aditya Shrikant Mone, Karthik Kumara

Defensive Publications Series

Extended reality (XR) input systems relying solely on optical hand-tracking face critical limitations, including contact ambiguity between hovering and touching, processing pipeline latency, and field-of-view occlusion. This disclosure describes a multimodal sensor fusion framework that addresses these challenges by integrating spatial coordinate mapping from head-worn devices with high-frequency inertial event detection from wrist-worn devices. When a wrist-worn sensor detects the sharp acceleration of a physical impact at a specific timestamp, the system triggers retroactive event gating. The system accesses historical visual buffers to retrieve spatial coordinates corresponding to the impact time, then applies an update that dynamically forces the depth …

Generative Pipeline For 2d Image To Volumetric 3d Media Conversion In Extended Reality Environments, Dev Shimulbhai Daftari

Defensive Publications Series

The adoption of extended reality (XR) headsets is limited by a lack of native volumetric content, resulting in flat presentations of standard two-dimensional media libraries. Traditional depth-mapping approaches introduce severe visual stretching artifacts during six-degrees-of-freedom (i.e., translation and orientation) movement due to missing data behind foreground objects. The disclosed technology introduces a generative artificial intelligence (AI) pipeline that synthesizes volumetric media from standard monocular two-dimensional inputs (e.g., an image or a video frame). The pipeline performs depth estimation from the two-dimensional input to construct a three-dimensional point cloud, computes left and right eye stereoscopic perspectives via head-pose tracking, and uses …

Ai-Driven Application Policy Infrastructure Controller Managed Object Configuration And Validation System, Ramesh Babu Radhakrishnan, Bharathan Thangam Madhavenpillai, Amrit Tickoo, Praveen Kumar Tarikere Nagaraj

Defensive Publications Series

A system is proposed herein that provides an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven autonomous testing framework that programmatically transforms network-controller object schemas into executable validation pipelines. The framework enables systematic and scalable validation of managed objects (MOs) in an intent-based networking system, such as an application policy infrastructure controller (APIC). Large language models (LLMs) interpret structured MO metadata and synthesize hierarchically valid configuration payloads, attribute-complete valid, invalid, and boundary test cases, deterministic verification logic, and cleanup sequences.

Contextual Hardware Security Using Autonomic Physiological State Signatures, Sudeep Chauhan, Ehsan Nourbakhsh

Defensive Publications Series

This document describes techniques and architectures for securing a computing device against physically coerced access by utilizing dynamic autonomic physiological state signatures. Processing circuitry of a computing device (e.g., a primary computing device, a wearable sentinel device, or an industrial control terminal) continuously determines a dynamic physiological baseline from sensor data (e.g., heart rate, galvanic skin response, inertial data). A physiological baseline and anomaly engine utilizes a machine learning model, which accounts for contextual states such as active exercise tracking to filter false positives, to detect a distress state corresponding to a non-voluntary autonomic deviation relative to the dynamic physiological …

Veti-3.0 (Vortex Ejector Tip Integrated, Michael Victor Caldwell Mr.

Defensive Publications Series

The VETI-3.0 is a passive, bolt-on exhaust scavenging device engineered for naturally aspirated internal combustion engines. Unlike static "vortex cones," this system utilizes Multi-Band Helmholtz Acoustic Tuning to prevent exhaust pulse reversion and an Adjustable Coaxial Ejector to lower effective backpressure via ambient air entrainment. It requires no electronics, no moving parts, and no engine modifications, targeted performance upgrades if this works.

Peak Horsepower Gain: +4% to +7% (Engine-dependent).

• Steady-State Cruise MPG: +5% to +8%.

Operational Range: Optimized from idle to redline.

Gci Vortex Sentinel (Av‑1), Michael Victor Caldwell Mr.

Defensive Publications Series

The GCI Vortex Sentinel (AV‑1) is a zero‑filter, chemical‑free micro‑pollutant remediation system that uses acoustic‑vortex concentration and plasma‑cavitation mineralization to neutralize PFAS, microplastics, and polymeric contaminants in municipal and coastal water streams. The system integrates multiple GCI inventions including the Arachne‑Chip microfluidic thermal interface, CMRS‑1 harmonic controller, and the VMR Titan v2.5‑T cavitation core. The architecture is modular, open‑hardware, and designed for global deployment. All components, schematics, and operational logic are released under CERN‑OHL‑P for unrestricted engineering use.

The Impact Of The Relationship Between Gross Tonnage And Accommodation Area On Seafarers' Satisfaction And Spatial Evaluations In Cargo Ships, Dilara Kılıç, Ayşen Özkan

Seatific Journal

This study investigated seafarer satisfaction and perceptual evaluations regarding cabins, recreation, and social areas on cargo ships over 10,000 GT, and also examined the relationship between gross tonnage (GT), accommodation area size, and floor area per person on cargo ships. In the preliminary stage, the floor areas of the accommodation area were calculated using the plans of 20 cargo ships grouped according to MLC-defined GT categories. In the main study, a survey was conducted with 179 Turkish seafarers working onboard cargo ships over 10,000 GT. One-way ANOVA and chi-square tests were applied to measure differences among rank groups. According to …

Enhancing Sustainability And Durability In Asphalt Pavements: Evaluating The Impact Of Low-Carbon Sulfur Polymer Modifiers And Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement, Mohammad Doroudgar, Shadi Saadeh, Elham Fini

Mineta Transportation Institute

The asphalt industry faces major challenges, including the need for pavements that last longer and are more sustainable, as traditional asphalt production is costly and has a high environmental impact. To address this, researchers have been exploring modified asphalt binders such as rubber, charcoal, and waste cooking oil, which have shown promise in extending the lifespan, resistance to deformation, and durability of asphalt pavements. In addition, governments and industries are investing in the use of recycled and “green” materials to reduce the carbon footprint and environmental degradation of conventional asphalt mixtures. Building on this momentum, this study investigates the performance …

Tectonic Influences On The Evolution Of Settlement Decisions In The Near East, Truett Koden W. Marr

Lawrence University Honors Projects

This study asks a fundamental question in archaeology: why do people consistently choose certain places to settle over others? Focusing on the Near East, it investigates how deep-time tectonic features, specifically fault systems, structure long-term settlement decisions by shaping water availability and ecological productivity. To address this, I integrate a large geospatial dataset of 1,023 archaeological sites with 9,075 mapped fault traces across 674 hydrological basins. Using statistics in R, I apply Poisson generalized linear models to test basin-level relationships between site density and fault density and conduct distance-to-fault analyses comparing archaeological sites to randomized controls. These analyses are further …