Digital Commons Network^™

Ai, Celebrities, And Their Fans: The Cyber-Pseudo-Event*, Gabbie Iorio

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

Tech companies often use celebrities to facilitate adoption of new technologies, and they’re doing the same with AI. For example, Meta is employing celebrities to attract users to their AI products, not only to adopt the technology, but to provide the company data for testing and optimizing the products. Fan communities, such as Nicki Minaj’s Barbz, have also taken up AI technology as a new medium for fandom expression. This paper will explore the varying degrees of success of these applications of AI technology, while putting them in conversation with scholarship on images, celebrity, and fandom.

*Top Graduate Paper

Good Vibrations: Folk Circles As Communication Environments, Missy Alexander

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

For over 25 years, I have participated in the creation of music and community through what are commonly called folk circles. Typically run as monthly gatherings, participants who range from complete beginners to seasoned pros, join together and share their favorite songs. These environments have clearly defined rules for participation (although rarely stated overtly), a strong ethos of mutual support, and frequently function as a path to friendships for people new to a community. This essay examines the folk circle as a communication environment and posits an explanation of why it is impervious to digital invasions.

A Commitment Rule For Insolvency Forum: A Response To Critics, Anthony J. Casey, Aurelio Gurrea-Martinez, Robert K. Rasmussen

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

On September 14, 2023, we sent a letter to the Secretariat of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (“UNCITRAL”) Working Group V (Insolvency) expressing our concern about the concept of “Center of Main Interest” (“COMI”) adopted in the Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency (“Model Law”).1 We noted that the concept of COMI presents various weaknesses.

Optimizing Fire Detection In Remote Sensing Imagery For Edge Devices: A Quantization-Enhanced Hybrid Deep Learning Model, Syed Muhammad Salman Bukhari, Nadia Dahmani, Sujan Gyawali, Muhammad Hamza Zafar, Filippo Sanfilippo, Kiran Raja

All Works

Wildfires are increasing in frequency and severity, presenting critical challenges for timely detection and response, particularly in remote or resource-limited environments. This study introduces the Inception-ResNet Transformer with Quantization (IRTQ), a novel hybrid deep learning (DL) framework that integrates multi-scale feature extraction with global attention and advanced quantization. The proposed model is specifically optimized for edge deployment on platforms such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), offering a unique combination of high accuracy, low latency, and compact memory footprint. The IRTQ model achieves 98.9% accuracy across diverse datasets and shows strong generalization through cross-dataset validation. Quantization significantly reduces the parameter count …

An Asymmetrical Pilot Resilience Model – Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis, Catherine Prentice, Maneerat Tianchai, Susan Zeidan, Xuequn Wang

All Works

Pilots' mental wellbeing has implications for airline business. The study draws on appraisal theory to test asymmetrical relationships between pilots’ cognitive flexibility, coping, and stress management, using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Regression analysis was performed to provide comparison and insights into these relationships. The study was conducted with professional pilots who engaged in short, medium, and long-haul flights with commercial airlines. The results show that certain cognitive flexibility factors account for coping strategy options. Multiple configurations of pilot personal factors and coping strategies can also be used to address stress management in terms of magnitude and frequency. The findings …

Parent Needs, Recommendations, And Systemic Challenges Affecting Pediatric Hypertension Detection, Abbas H. Zaidi, Erica D. Sood, Sarah De Ferranti, Samuel Gidding, Varsha Zadokar, Jonathan M. Miller, Anne E Kazak

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

Pediatric hypertension (HTN) affects 3%-5% of children in the United States, yet only 25% are diagnosed and 60% lack recommended follow-up care. Skepticism about elevated blood pressure (BP) readings and reluctance to use antihypertensive medications by parents and clinicians highlight the need for stakeholder-informed strategies to address these challenges. This study examined parents' perceived needs, their recommended strategies to improve HTN detection, and contextual health system challenges. Parents and clinicians from 10 pediatric primary care clinics participated in semi-structured qualitative interviews. Only parents of children with documented stage 2 BP readings and a HTN diagnosis, but with gaps in care …

Appearance Over Function - The Impact Of Long-Term Oral Contraceptive Use On Brain Development, Breast Tissue Composition, And Future Lactation Outcomes, Fiona M. Wang

Dissertations

This integrative review examines the long-term effects of combined oral contraceptive (COC) use beginning in puberty on brain development, breast tissue composition, and future breastfeeding outcomes. Puberty is a critical developmental stage during which hormonal changes significantly impact the neurological and reproductive systems. The introduction of synthetic estrogen and progestin through COC use during this time may disrupt natural hormonal pathways, potentially altering neuroendocrine signaling and breast tissue maturation. Such changes may have lasting consequences, including impaired milk production, a weakened milk ejection reflex, disrupted maternal-infant bonding, and reduced overall breastfeeding success. The review synthesizes findings from endocrinology, neuroscience, and …

Covid-19 Adolescent Technology Use And Physical Activities: Cluster Analysis For Mental Health, Chunling Niu, Rui Jin, Ashley Love, Sohelia Sadeghi, Loren Cossette, Marissa Molina

Journal of Youth Development

This study examined how COVID-19 disrupted adolescent education, social interactions, and mental health by conducting exploratory cluster analysis to identify distinct profiles of technology use and physical activities, then comparing resulting clusters on demographics, social support, and mental health dimensions. Using the first wave of the longitudinal Oxford Achieving Resilience during COVID-19 (ARC) study of 1,196 United Kingdom adolescents aged 13-18, three clustering algorithms (k-means, k-medoids, and agglomerative hierarchical) identified optimal groupings validated both statistically and empirically. Three distinct clusters emerged: Cluster 1 (n = 380) characterized by low media use and moderate activity; Cluster 2 (n = 153) showing …

Culturally Responsive Stem Education: Integrating Mapping Techniques And Drone Technology For Youth, Mayra Rodriguez Gonzalez, Kevin G. Torres Garrido

Journal of Youth Development

Integrating drone and geospatial technologies with participatory techniques offers a promising approach to culturally responsive STEM education. However, these areas are rarely combined in existing literature. Drone and geospatial education for youth generally focuses on technical skills, while participatory methods in youth-led initiatives often aim to foster community connection and a sense of place. Unfortunately, these approaches typically exist in isolation within youth programming. This disconnect limits the potential to engage underrepresented youth in STEM by not linking spatial data to local contexts and culturally meaningful narratives. By combining these approaches, both technical learning and personal engagement could be enhanced, …

Bill Addressing Pope's Tax Issues As A U.S. Citizen Misses The Mark, Michael S. Kirsch

Journal Articles

From the Article

In this article, Kirsch looks at the language of the Holy Sovereignty Protection Act to consider whether it addresses and resolves various tax-related issues that arise from a U.S. citizen serving as pontiff, including income tax liability, the loss of a pontiff’s U.S. citizenship status, and the pope’s obligations for foreign bank account reporting.

Effect Of Short-Chain Polymer Binders On The Mechanical And Electrochemical Performance Of Silicon Anodes, Fei Sun, L. Zurita-Garcia, Dean R. Wheeler

Faculty Publications

Polymer binders are crucial components in providing both mechanical support and chemical stability to the structure of porous Li-ion electrodes. Particularly in silicon anodes, the active material undergoes substantial volume expansion of up to 275%. Due to the mechanical constraint of the current collector, these silicon materials tend to expand in the normal direction while exhibiting substantial particle rearrangement and plastic deformation. Conventional rigid binders such as polyacrylic acid (PAA) and polyimide (PI), while providing satisfactory initial capacity, do not eliminate diminished long-term performance. Our research attempts to develop binder formulations that can accommodate sufficient flexibility for the substantial volume …

Feed Prices, Substitution Patterns, And Technical Efficiency In Feedlot Cattle, Andrew E. Anderson, James L. Mitchell, Jamie R. Luke

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

The cattle feeding industry is sandwiched between relatively volatile commodity markets, and efficiency is critical. Changing prices for feedstuffs may cause substitution and output effects, in turn impacting technical efficiency. Using Kansas feedlot data, we estimate the effects of feed prices on cattle performance, focusing on the feed conversion ratio, average daily gain, and days on feed. Results show that several feed prices do indeed impact technical efficiency. These results have implications for management adapting to changing feed prices. Further, there are policy implications for programs that may impact commodity prices.

Trauma Pascakelahiran Juga Terjadi Pada Ayah?, Akhmad Saputra Syarif, Joevarian Hudiyana

Jurnal Psikologi Sosial

This study aims to examine differences in perception and helping intention toward fathers (vs. mothers) experiencing postnatal trauma, as well as to explore the role of hegemonic masculinity and human nature framing in shaping such responses. Two experimental studies were conducted. Study 1 involved 67 participants using a within-subject design and independent t-test analysis. Study 2 included 215 participants using a mixed design (within and between-subjects) analyzed with mixed ANOVA.The results revealed that participants showed significantly higher intentions to help mothers compared to fathers experiencing postnatal trauma. This finding supports the assumption that hegemonic masculinity contributes to the perception that …

Black And Latino Male Alumni Perceptions Of Educational Opportunity Program Impact On Campus Engagement, Social Capital, And Persistence At A Public University, Kashonda Watson

Education Doctoral

Black and Latino male students continue to graduate at lower rates than their White and female peers, particularly at PWIs in the Northeastern United States. To address these disparities, many institutions have adopted educational opportunity programs (EOPs) to provide academic, financial, and social support to students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Although EOPs have demonstrated effectiveness in supporting underrepresented students broadly, limited research has focused on the impact of EOP from the perspectives of Black and Latino male recent graduates. Using the theory of student involvement (Astin, 1984) and social capital theory (Bourdieu & Passeron, 1986; Coleman, 1988), this qualitative case study …

Equity Gaps In Information Literacy: A Case Study And Methodological Exploration, Sarah P.C. Dahlen, Joy Hopkins Camp

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

Equity gaps are disparities in educational outcomes and access to opportunities that are rooted in systemic inequities. Higher education has been attentive to equity gaps in course grades, grade point average, and graduation and retention rates, but less so to gaps in specific academic outcomes. This study investigates how equity gaps can be measured in information literacy, a core academic competency, by conducting a case study using rubric scores of student papers. Various measures of equity gaps are employed and evaluated to provide guidance for future work in this area. While no equity gaps were identified in this sample, considerations …

Facilitators And Barriers To Mammogram Screening Uptake Among Saudi Women: A Systematic Review, Sarah A. Alkhaifi

Saudi Medical Journal

ABSTRACT Objectives: To evaluate current mammogram screening rates and identify barriers and facilitators for mammogram uptake among Saudi women. Methods: This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA framework, beginning with a database search performed by 2 researchers using PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL Plus, and Google Scholar for pertinent studies published between 2000 and 2024. Qualitative and quantitative studies were included if they: a) were conducted in Saudi Arabia among Saudi women, b) explored factors associated with mammogram uptake among Saudi women, and c) were peer-reviewed. The socioecological model was used to thematically synthesize the results. Results: A total …

Relationship Between The Prevalence Of Breast Arterial Calcifications On Mammography And Coronary Calcifications On Chest Ct: A Cross-Sectional Study, Laila K. Ashkar, Lamia G. Jamjoom

Saudi Medical Journal

ABSTRACT Objectives: To investigate the relationship between breast arterial calcifications (BAC) detected on mammography and coronary artery calcifications (CAC) identified on chest CT in Saudi women, focusing on prevalence, age-specific patterns, and cardiovascular risk factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary center in Saudi Arabia using data from hospital electronic medical records of 60 women aged 40–88 years who underwent mammography and chest CT, within the same year during the time period from January 2021 to December 2022. Data on demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, and imaging findings were collected. The association between BAC and CAC was analyzed …

New Tool Aims To Improve Lung Cancer Prevention, Screening, And Treatment

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

How Does The Sewer Microbiome Impact Wastewater Surveillance For Antibiotic Resistance?, Israel Adedayo Adeoye, Ishi Keenum

Michigan Tech Publications

Antibiotic resistance is a global health threat that is difficult to directly monitor prior to clinical presentation. Wastewater surveillance has emerged as a public health tool that could aid in identifying the community wide circulation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB), however this is complicated by the potential growth and decay of ARB within the sewer network. Sewer systems have been suggested as a primary place where sub-lethal doses of antibiotics are present with human and environmental adapted bacterial strains, however little is understood about what physiochemical properties might enhance or inhibit ARG propagation. Hence, key …

Unravelling The Effects Of Knowledge-Sharing Dynamics On Crowdsourcing Contest Participation, Hanieh Javadi Khasraghi, Xuan Wang, Yaojie Li, Xi Mao

Information Systems Faculty Publications

Crowdsourcing contests have emerged as a popular approach for organisations to leverage collective intelligence and tap into the expertise of a diverse crowd. Knowledge sharing in such contests is paramount in promoting individual or team participation. This study employs negative binomial regression analysis to explore the impact of dynamic knowledge-sharing features – knowledge volume, knowledge expansion, knowledge innovation, and knowledge popularity – on team participation, using data from 211 crowdsourcing contests hosted on Kaggle. The findings offer significant implications for researchers and practitioners regarding effective knowledge management within crowdsourcing platforms. Encouraging knowledge sharing and collaboration and promoting innovative practices can …

Large Language Models For Construction Risk Classification: A Comparative Study, Abdolmajid Erfani, Hussein Khanjar

Michigan Tech Publications

Risk identification is a critical concern in the construction industry. In recent years, there has been a growing trend of applying artificial intelligence (AI) tools to detect risks from unstructured data sources such as news articles, social media, contracts, and financial reports. The rapid advancement of large language models (LLMs) in text analysis, summarization, and generation offers promising opportunities to improve construction risk identification. This study conducts a comprehensive benchmarking of natural language processing (NLP) and LLM techniques for automating the classification of risk items into a generic risk category. Twelve model configurations are evaluated, ranging from classical NLP pipelines …

Incorporation Of E-Waste Plastics Into Asphalt: A Review Of The Materials, Methods, And Impacts, Sepehr Mohammadi, Dongzhao Jin, Zhongda Liu, Zhanping You

Michigan Tech Publications

This paper presents a comprehensive review of the environmentally friendly management and reutilization of electronic waste (e-waste) plastics in flexible pavement construction. The discussion begins with an overview of e-waste management challenges and outlines key recycling approaches for converting plastic waste into asphalt-compatible materials. This review then discusses the types of e-waste plastics used for asphalt modification, their incorporation methods, and compatibility challenges. Physical and chemical treatment techniques, including the use of free radical initiators, are then explored for improving dispersion and performance. Additionally, in situations where advanced pretreatment methods are not applicable due to cost, safety, or technical constraints, …

Investigating The Offsets Between The Clumped Isotope Signatures Of Various Species Of Benthic Foraminifera, Ceara Hogan Yourell

Master's Theses and Capstones

For much of the last half century, the primary tool for reconstructing ancient ocean temperatures was the oxygen isotope paleothermometer. However, this method is fundamentally limited by its reliance on assumptions about the δ¹⁸O value of seawater, which introduces uncertainty into paleotemperature estimates. The clumped isotope paleothermometer (Δ47) offers a promising alternative by directly measuring the stochastic "clumping" of heavy isotopes (¹³C and ¹⁸O) within the carbonate lattice—a process governed solely by temperature and independent of seawater isotopic composition (Ghosh et al., 2006; Eiler, 2007). While Δ47 paleothermometry has been applied successfully in diverse contexts, including reconstructing extinct animal body …

Generative Ai Risks And Resilience: How Users Adapt To Hallucination And Privacy Challenges, Joon Soo Lim

Media Studies - All Scholarship

Purpose

Design/methodology/approach

Findings

Inside Ai, Charles Duan

Contributions to Books

It is beautiful, the Mandelbrot set. In full, it resembles a horseshoe crab or a sideways Rorschach test, flecked with patterns of spikes and lobes. Zooming in at any point near its edge reveals infinite depths of swirls, reminiscent of Van Gogh’s Starry Night or an intricate paisley textile. The shape could easily hang on a wall, an example of fine abstract art. Yet the entirety of that shape can be computed by repeated application of a simple mathematical function:2 f(x) = x2 + c. Is all the beauty and complexity of the Mandelbrot set “inside” the symbols …

Combining Life Grid With Biographical Narrative Approach In Reconstructing Living Situation Of Metro Manila’S Street Dwellers, Melissa Q. Navarra, Irene Reyno, Wander Van Der Vaat

Institute of Philippine Culture (IPC)

Engaging homeless populations in biographical research is often hindered by the deep-seated distrust and trauma that characterize their lived experiences. This study introduces a methodological approach that transforms this hurdle, turning the research interview into an empowering and collaborative encounter. Using a combination of the Life History Calendar (LHC) and biographical narratives, we explored the complex life transitions of 15 individuals living on the streets and in a cemetery of Metro Manila, Philippines. The LHC served as a co-constructed visual scaffold, enabling participants with low educational attainment and histories of trauma to recall and structure their life stories with remarkable …

The Normalization Of Sexual Exploitation, Donna M. Hughes

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

Pre-Production Plastic Pellets (Pppp) Virtual Webinar, Coastal Response Research Center

Coastal Response Research Center

The Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC) organized and facilitated a virtual webinar on “Pre-Production Plastic Pellets (PPPP)”. The webinar was held in collaboration with NOAA’s Office of Response & Restoration (OR&R) and a steering committee comprised of representatives from federal agencies and other stakeholders. It was held on June 3 & 4, 2025. This was the second program CRRC and OR&R conducted on PPPP. The first was an in-person workshop in 2023.

Specific Objectives:

1. Improve and enhance collaboration among responders and researchers for PPPP incidents;
2. Evaluate recent (since 2023 workshop) PPPP case studies for challenges and lessons learned;
3. Explore operational …

Issue 22: Actors Overlooked In Economic Integration: Syrian Refugee Single Mothers In Turkey, Ayşe Perihan Kırkıç, Fatmanur Delioglu

International Migration Research Centre

Syrian refugees in Turkey are struggling with integration, as policies fail to address holistic approaches, especially at they pertain to class and gender. Previous research on this topic has focused on legal rights, employment, the impacts on Turkey's labor market, and local perceptions of Syrian refugees in the workforce. This policy paper addresses a significant gap in the integration of Syrian refugee single mothers. Specifically, this research explores how economic integration is influenced by class and gender. To understand their experiences, semi-structured interviews were conducted with Syrian refugee single mothers residing in Istanbul. We argue that the economic integration of …

Sparse-Data Orbit Estimation In Low Earth Orbit Using The Markov Chain Monte Carlo Ensemble Gaussian Mixture Filter, Nicholas J. Oden

Master's Theses

The number of space objects (SOs) in low Earth orbit (LEO) continues to increase rapidly, creating challenges for the current ground-based tracking network, which cannot accommodate the projected growth in SOs. Catalog maintenance relies on frequent observations for reliable reacquisition, with Two-Line Element (TLE) sets typically generated daily to mitigate rapid error growth from poor TLE accuracy. This constraint limits the ability to track more objects with existing infrastructure. This work evaluates the Markov Chain Monte Carlo Ensemble Gaussian Mixture Filter (MCMC EnGMF), a nonlinear, non-Gaussian filter well-suited for sparse tracking scenarios where higher post-update accuracy is needed to reduce …