Digital Commons Network^™

March 18, 2022 Ereporter, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

eReporter (campus newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Managing Aquifer Recharge To Overcome Overdraft In The Lower American River, California, Usa, Mahesh L. Maskey, Mustafa S. Dogan, Angel Santiago Fernandez-Bou, Liying Li, Alexander Guzman, Wyatt Arnold, Erfan Goharian, Jay R. Lund, Josue Medellin-Azuara

Faculty Publications

Frequent and prolonged droughts challenge groundwater sustainability in California but managing aquifer recharge can help to partially offset groundwater overdraft. Here, we use managed aquifer recharge (MAR) to examine potential benefits of adding an artificial recharge facility downstream from California’s Lower American River Basin, in part to prepare for drought. We use a statewide hydroeconomic model, CALVIN, which integrates hydrology, the economics of water scarcity cost and operations, environmental flow requirements, and other operational constraints, and allocates water monthly to minimize total scarcity and operating costs. This study considers a recharge facility with unconstrained and constrained flows. The results show …

Analyzing Decision-Making In Robot Soccer For Attacking Behaviors, Justin Rodney

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In robotics soccer, decision-making is critical to the performance of a team’s SoftwareSystem. The University of South Florida’s (USF) RoboBulls team implements behavior for the robots by using traditional methods such as analytical geometry to path plan and determine whether an action should be taken. In recent works, Machine Learning (ML) and Reinforcement Learning (RL) techniques have been used to calculate the probability of success for a pass or goal, and even train models for performing low-level skills such as traveling towards a ball and shooting it towards the goal[1, 2]. Open-source frameworks have been created for training Reinforcement Learning …

Unh Hosts Pulitzer Prize Winning Historian Annette Gordon-Reed April 7, Erika Mantz

Media Relations

No abstract provided.

Watershed Management For Nutrient Control In Taylor Creek And Nubbins Slough, Florida, Rachael Z. Cooper

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite efforts to improve water quality within the watershed since the 1970s, harmful algal blooms (HABs) still occur within Lake Okeechobee (LO). HABs are harmful to the people, the ecosystem, and the economy dependent on the lake. Taylor Creek Nubbins Slough (TCNS) is a subwatershed of the lake, contributing to a large percentage of the nutrient loading. Due to the size and complexity of LO’s watershed, two smaller basins within the TCNS subwatershed were selected to evaluate the following research questions: (1) How do water quality trends contrast between two basins? (2) How do nutrient load and treatment within the …

Testing The Protest Paradigm And Racial Threat: Analyzing Articles Of Blm Protests In 2014 And 2020, Rebecca Angela Ruiz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The study examines the media coverage of Black Lives Matter protest in years 2014 & 2020. I collected a sample of articles (n=120) from 6 national-level media outlets that varied in political leans. Using the Protest Paradigm and Racial Threat theoretical frameworks to analyze the results, findings suggest that the articles do reflect upon the Protest Paradigm through overall negative sentiment and significant references to looting. I also argue that articles may also reflect racial threat due to a lack of transparency of protesters’ racial makeup or diversity attending demonstrations.

Prefatory Matter

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

No abstract provided.

Letter From The Editor

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

No abstract provided.

Safe At Home: Addressing Virginia's Housing Policy Concerns In A Pandemic, Ghazala Hashmi

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

This article examines the crisis of eviction that exists in the Commonwealth

of Virginia and the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted

the particular vulnerability of low-income and minority communities.

Zoning policies, financing practices, limitations on tenants’ rights, and other

legal structures built into the Virginia Code underscore issues of systemic

racism that exacerbate the lack of affordable housing and instability of rental

opportunities. The article provides a highlight of recent legislation passed by

the Virginia General Assembly that seeks to address some of these concerns.

First In The South: Cannabis Legalization In Virginia, Jm Pedini, Cassidy Crockett-Verba

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

In 2021, Virginia made history when it became the first state in the

South to legalize cannabis for responsible use by adults. Though legalization

is now the law of the land, which today includes personal possession

and cultivation, there remains much work to be done before Virginians are

able to legally purchase cannabis outside of the medical program. Concerns

over social equity provisions, retail sales dates, and the reenactment

clauses added during the 2021 legislative session have drastically slowed

the process of expanding the regulated marketplace to adult-use consumers.

With many key components requiring reenactment by the 2022 General Assembly …

Co-Design Research In The Pacific: Part Two, Michele Rumsey

General Webinars

This webinar will share the work done that has identified several aspects which, if improved, could contribute significantly to the effectiveness of research and healthcare in the Pacific region. This research carry's out an examination of leadership in nursing and midwifery in the Pacific. This is divided into two parts: firstly, it develops a methodology to effect good research in the Pacific, and secondly describes the research itself into leadership in nursing in the Pacific.

Conflict And Territory: A Legal And Metalegal Approach. The Case Of Spain, Juan Cayón Peña

Artículos científicos

Abstract The territory has traditionally been one of the main sources of conflict. Since the borders of the states were determined after the Second World War, some of the main problems for security and defense have been determined by the separatist claims of those territories integrated into states from which they aspire to separate. There are cases in which the foreign influence is clear, but others in which the nationalist sentiment explains the desire for disintegration, as is the case in Spain. The territorial configuration of the Spanish State in the 1978 Constitution was an original milestone in the history …

A Year Of Monumental Change: A Review Of Virginia's 2021 General Assembly Regular And Special Sessions, Andrew Mullen

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

Between the abolition of the death penalty and the continued fallout from

the COVID-19 pandemic, the Virginia General Assembly had a full plate of

legislative priorities in 2021. This Article will provide a summary of the major

bills that were introduced, passed, or that failed during the 2021 Regular

and Special Sessions. The other articles within this issue cover the following

topics in depth: reproductive justice, criminal justice legal reform, housing

policy concerns during the pandemic, cannabis legalization, and environmental

justice. This Article summarizes legislation grouped in the following

parts: I. Civil and Criminal law, II. Education, III. Labor and …

Empowering The Defense To Confront The Government's Powers: Virginia Criminal Justice Legal Reform, Bryan Kennedy, Catherine F. Zagurskie

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

During the 2021 Session and 2021 Special Session, Virginia took steps to

restore the balance between individuals ensnared in the criminal legal system

and the government. These new laws allow people who are involved in

the criminal legal system to emphasize their humanity and to hold the government

to its various burdens at all stages of the case, including pre-trial,

trials, sentencing, and appeal. This article discusses four of the most important

changes to Virginia law that ensure a more level playing field between

the government and the accused.

First, eliminating the presumption against bail challenges the government’s

power of …

Access Is Everything - Post Rhpa Virginia - What's Next? The Case For Rhea And Other Matters, Galina Varchena, Margie Del Castillo

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

Virginia has taken positive forward steps to liberalize its abortion legislation,

bringing it closer in line with medical science and common sense. However,

accessing abortion care remains difficult for many, and additional legislative

measures are necessary to make the full range of reproductive

healthcare accessible for all, regardless of immigration status, race, gender,

income, or geography. The Reproductive Equity Healthcare Act, a bill modeled

in part on its Oregon namesake, is the next logical step forward towards

making reproductive justice a reality for all Virginians. While the details of

the final bill may vary, there are fundamental pillars that reproductive …

A Legal Update On Environmental Justice In Virginia: Where Are We Now?, Jasdeep S. Khaira, Patrice Lewis, Abigail Thompson, Scott Foster

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

Environmental justice (“EJ”) is rapidly evolving in Virginia while people

are still trying to understand what EJ actually means. As a result, regulators

are unsure of how to incorporate environmental justice in their decisionmaking

process while the regulated are uncertain of how to proceed in the

ever-changing political, social, and regulatory landscape. This article gives

an overview of EJ’s evolution in Virginia, synthesizing notable environmental

justice legal decisions; providing supplementary research on environmental

justice studies, workgroups, and reports; and offering several predictions

on EJ’s fate in the Commonwealth.

Infusing Leadership Competencies Into 1l Professional Identity Formation, Short, Aric K.

Santa Clara Law Review

Law schools across the country are beginning to address the growing need to incorporate leadership training into their curricula; however, very few explicitly cover leadership in the 1L year. This article argues for the value of providing leadership training to 1Ls as part of a required course on professional identity formation. Because foundational leadership concepts overlap in meaningful ways with core lawyering competencies, such integration is both practical and efficient. Beginning leadership in the 1L year allows law schools to build on that foundational material in later clinics, externships, upper-level classes, and other experiences, creating deeper leadership skills in their …

The Journey Of Digital Library Establishment In Pakistan: A Systematic Literature Review, Kiran Butt, Amjid Khan, Pervaiz Ahmad

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study examined the published literature on digital library resources and the users’ experiences (i.e. satisfaction level, motivating factors, and major challenges) with these resources in Pakistan. Several e-databases were consulted including Research Gate’, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Google Scholar to retrieve relevant literature. The study adopted a systematic literature review approach followed by PRISMA guidelines. Out of 323 articles, a total of 22 relevant studies were included based on pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The findings of this study reveal that most of the end-users are satisfied with the digital library resources, and they consulted these resources …

College Library Model To Achieve Accounting Student Satisfaction, Irman Firmansyah

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study aims to find several important aspects to build a library that can support the capacity of accounting students in higher education. The research was conducted at universities in Indonesia using the analytic network process method. The results of the study found that there are three important aspects to building a quality library. First aspect of service (the library must be informative on the latest books, the librarian must be alert in serving students, and there is no book rental fee). The second aspect of the facility (the library must be comfortable to visit, there must be an accounting …

Sustainable Manufacture Of Natural Fibre Reinforced Epoxy Resin Composites With Coupling Agent In The Hardener, Michelena A Hernandez, John Summerscales, Jasper Graham-Jones, Wayne Hall

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Lignocellulosic natural fibres are hydrophilic, while many matrix systems for composites are hydrophobic. The achievement of good mechanical properties for natural fibre-reinforced polymer (NFRP) matrix composites relies on good fibre-to-matrix bonding at the interface. The reinforcement is normally coated with an amphiphilic coupling agent to promote a strong interface. A novel alternative approach is to dissolve the coupling agent in the hardener for the resin before creating the stoichiometric mix with the base epoxy resin. During composite manufacture, the hydrophilic (polar) end of the coupling agent migrates to surfaces (internal interfaces) and bonds to the fibres. The hydrophobic (non-polar) end …

Automatic Classification Of National Health Service Feedback, C Haynes, Ma Palomino, L Stuart, D Viira, Et Al

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Text datasets come in an abundance of shapes, sizes and styles. However, determining what factors limit classification accuracy remains a difficult task which is still the subject of intensive research. Using a challenging UK National Health Service (NHS) dataset, which contains many characteristics known to increase the complexity of classification, we propose an innovative classification pipeline. This pipeline switches between different text pre-processing, scoring and classification techniques during execution. Using this flexible pipeline, a high level of accuracy has been achieved in the classification of a range of datasets, attaining a micro-averaged F1 score of 93.30% on the Reuters-21578 “ApteMod” …

On-Duty Fatal Police Shootings: Patterns Of Officers Charged With Homicide Offenses, 2005-2021, Chloe A. Wentzlof, Philip M. Stinson

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Las Vegas, NV, on March 18, 2022.

_Las Vidas Negras_: Examining Identity Among Afro-Latinos In The Us In The Twilight Of Black Lives Matter, Victor Garcia

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work seeks to name how the Black Lives Matter movement, and related movements for Black liberation and justice, has had an effect on the self-perception and identities of US-based Afrolatinos. Using survey and interview data, I tease out issues of ethnoracial dissonance, social identity, and the ways that Afrolatinos have used the context of Black Lives Matter to make sense of the antiblackness they have faced. This is a significant investigation because it speaks to the potential for a richer tradition of pan-Africanism taking root in Latin America and among Latin Americans of African descent.

Estimating The As-Placed Grout Volume Of Auger Cast Piles, Tristen Mee

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Augered Cast-in-Place (ACIP) piles are a geotechnical foundation element increasingly used to support large publicly funded structures as an alternative to drilled shafts or driven piles. ACIP piles are constructed by drilling an excavation to the full length of the designed pile with a continuous flight auger. Grout (cement, sand, and water mixture) is then pumped through the hollow auger stem to begin grouting the excavation. After establishing an initial head pressure, the auger is slowly extracted while the remainder of the pile is grouted. Once the auger is completely removed, the steel reinforcement cage is lowered into the grouted …

The European Super League (Esl): A Political Economy And Media Framing Analysis, Patrick Sidwell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The European Super League (ESL) offers an opportunity for research as a case study which exemplifies the potential for sports to engender seismic societal events. To try to understand the ESL and the events surrounding it, this thesis examined it through the dual frameworks of political economy and framing theory to comprehend the roles played by corporate owners and working-class fans who support the game. An overview of the political economic processes of English football was conducted to create meaningful insights. From there, using framing as a theoretical guide, a thematic media analysis was performed across 251 news articles from …

Visions Of Entanglement And Escape: In-Visible Voice In The Films Of Terrence Malick And George Lucas, Michael Lee Taber

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis juxtaposes the unexpectedly parallel careers of the filmmakers George Lucas and Terrence Malick. Both popularly and academically, Lucas and Malick are typically conceived as divergent practitioners and are framed in oppositional terms. The goal of this thesis is – in part – to break down this oppositional understanding of Lucas and Malick as filmmakers. This traditional understanding of Malick and Lucas collapses when we consider their respective relationships to sensation and abstraction. Affirmations of sensation and Malick abound, as do critiques of abstraction and Lucas – all the while it is Malick who is aligned with abstraction and …

Evaluating And Improving A Novel Toolkit For Implementation And Optimization Of Lynch Syndrome Universal Tumor Screening, Tara M. Wolfinger

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with Lynch syndrome (LS) have a hereditary predisposition to colorectal cancer (CRC), endometrial cancer (EC), and several additional cancer types. Universal tumor screening (UTS) is a systematic approach that increases identification of LS so affected individuals can benefit from targeted therapies and risk-reduction strategies to decrease cancer- related morbidity and mortality. Despite the known benefits of UTS, the practice is widely underutilized, likely due to the complexity of implementation and optimization. We developed a novel evidence-based toolkit to help institutions implement and optimize UTS programs. As part of an iterative evaluation process, we obtained feedback on the toolkit through …

Addressing Gendered Harassment And Women's Travel Needs, Madeline Brozen

PSU Transportation Seminars

This presentation will cover experiences, disparities, and solutions to gendered travel differences. Madeline will discuss research from a worldwide survey of harassment on public transit with specific insights from Los Angeles and research from two agency-led studies in Los Angeles. The talk will cover the large issues that make women's travel needs distinct from their male counter-parts - safety and complex travel patterns and some promising solutions for addressing these disparities.

Carbon Diversion, Partial Nitritation/Anammox Enrichment, And Ammonium Capture As Initial Stages For Mainstream Ion Exchange-Deammonification Process, Sheyla Chero-Osorio

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Eutrophication is a concerning environmental problem worldwide that results in algae blooms, oxygen depletion, damages to aquatic life and public health, water quality issues, and loss of aesthetics in water reservoirs. Nutrient (e.g., nitrogen and phosphorus) discharges from wastewater, agricultural, urban, and residential runoff promote eutrophication in receiving water bodies. In terms of nitrogen removal, conventional biological nitrogen removal (BNR) is a common technique used in many wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). However, BNR requires aeration for nitrification and organic carbon input for denitrification. In WWTP, the aeration represents a considerable investment in terms of energy costs. Recent technologies involve applying …

“The Power Of Onomatopoeia In Manga” An Essay By Natsume Fusanosuke With Translators’ Introduction, Jon Holt, Teppei Fukuda

World Languages and Literatures Faculty Publications and Presentations

Natsume Fusanosuke is one of the founding critics of manga that pioneered a style of formal analysis of manga in the 1990s. Natsume’s first important foray into his “theory of expression” (hyōgenron) was seen in the collaborate work, Manga no yomikata (How to read manga) in 1995. He later streamlined those ideas in a twelve-episode series Manga wa naze omoshiroi no ka: sono bunpō to hyōgen (Why is manga so interesting?: Its grammar and expression) for NHK television in 1996. The accompanying expanded book (1997) consists of well-ordered, individual essays on elements of manga such as …