Digital Commons Network^™

Neuromorphic Soft Swarm Robotics, Xavier Pillet

Defensive Publications Series

This document, produced with the assistance of GPT-5.2 Thinking and Gemini 3 Reasoning, is released under the Apache License 2.0. It is a voluntary defensive publication (prior art) and therefore enters the prior art upon release under the applicable patent statutes : EPC Art. 54(2) (European Patent Convention), French IPC Art. L 611-11 (French Intellectual Property Code), 35 U.S.C. §102(a) (United States Patent Act), Chinese Patent Law Art. 22(5) (両匡丢氡儡吡嘡丣刡氢), and Japanese Patent Act Art. 29(1) (闘旧避). It discloses enabling systems and methods combining soft actuation (HASEL/EAP), event-based vision (DVS), neuromorphic computing (SNN), and swarm intelligence, covering devices/sensors, closed-loop control, …

Weibull-Aft And Random Forest Hybrid Modeling Of Diesel Generators In Burkina Faso, Zoewendbem Alain Ilboudo, Frédéric Bationo

Engineering and Technology Journal

Diesel thermal power plants are an essential link to ensure energy security in the countries of the Sahel, despite the development of renewable energies. In Burkina Faso, these plants contribute greatly to electricity production. However, their operation is influenced by a particularly restrictive environment characterized by ambient temperatures up to 49 °C, humidity variability greater than 70% and high exposure to dust. These conditions accelerate equipment degradation, reduce reliability and increase unexpected failures. This study proposes a contextualized predictive maintenance tool. Indeed, it is based on a Contextualized Global Risk Index (GPRI) combining a climate risk indicator, a probability of …

Evidence-Based Guidance System For Data Science Teams Using Generative Ai Under Uncertainty, Kristoffer Ahlstrom-Vij

Defensive Publications Series

A method for implementing evidence-based guidance for a data science team using generative artificial intelligence under uncertainty is provided. The method includes reviewing existing evidence on generative AI in knowledge work, including empirical literature on productivity effects, cognition and skill formation, and human factors research on automation complacency and cognitive offloading. The method includes evaluating the existing evidence across parallel considerations and deriving a plurality of principles from the existing evidence. The principles include an accountability principle stating that accountability for work cannot be self-certified, an aggregation principle directing to read more but not think less, a writing reservation principle …

Cascaded Liability-To-Feedstock Resource Recovery Architectures: Geothermal-Desalination-Membrane-Mineral Stacks, Cryogenic Storage-Air Separation-Datacenter Cascades, And Parallel-Topology Hybrid Storage, Alexander Smith

Defensive Publications Series

Disclosed are cascaded resource-recovery architectures organized by a common design rule: each processing stage is sequenced so that the waste liability of the preceding stage becomes the feedstock of the following stage. Three families are disclosed in enabling detail.

(A) A geothermal-desalination-membrane-mineral stack in which geothermal heat drives power generation via an Organic Rankine Cycle, waste heat drives or preheats desalination, and desalination brine -- already filtered and cooled by the desalination pretreatment train -- supplies a pressure-retarded osmosis salinity-gradient power stage. Geothermal brine separately supplies mineral recovery including direct lithium extraction, silica, zinc, manganese, barium and strontium sulfate. The …

Extremophile-Inspired Biomimetics Potential Analysis, Xavier Pillet

Defensive Publications Series

This document, produced with the assistance of ChatGPT o3, GPT-5 Thinking, Gemini and Grok, is released under the Apache License 2.0. It is a voluntary defensive publication (prior art) and therefore enters the prior art upon release under the applicable patent statutes: EPC Art. 54(2) (European Patent Convention), French IPC Art. L 611-11 (French Intellectual Property Code), 35 U.S.C. §102(a) (United States Patent Act), Chinese Patent Law Art. 22(5) (両匡丢氡儡吡嘡丣刡氢), and Japanese Patent Act Art. 29(1) (闘旧避). This defensive disclosure provides enabling embodiments that translate extremophile mechanisms (thermostability, cryo-activity, anhydrobiosis, halotolerance, radiotolerance, barophily) into materials, devices, processes, control algorithms, interoperable …

Innovation Potentials To Scale Green Finance Globally, Xavier Pillet

Defensive Publications Series

This document, produced with the assistance of GPT-5.2 Thinking, Gemini 3 Reasoning and Grok, is released under the Apache License 2.0. It is a voluntary defensive publication (prior art) entering the prior art under EPC Art. 54(2), French IPC Art. L 611-11, 35 U.S.C. §102(a), Chinese Patent Law Art. 22(5) (両匡丢氡儡吡嘡丣刡氢) and Japanese Patent Act Art. 29(1) (闘旧避). It discloses 90 enabling embodiments (1–90) for verifiable green finance: real-time MRV and ZK oracles, programmable green bonds, IoT/satellite-triggered loans and parametric insurance, carbon and nature tokenization, digital twins, private portfolio optimisation, material provenance (cement, plastics, textiles, H2, batteries), biodiversity indices and …

The Challenges Of Romantic Relationships In Contemporary Societies, Xavier Pillet

Defensive Publications Series

This document, produced with the assistance of ChatGPT o3, GPT-5 Thinking and Grok, is released under the Apache License 2.0. It is a voluntary defensive publication (prior art) and therefore enters the prior art upon release under the applicable patent statutes : EPC Art. 54(2) (European Patent Convention), French IPC Art. L 611-11 (French Intellectual Property Code), 35 U.S.C. §102(a) (United States Patent Act), Chinese Patent Law Art. 22(5) (両匡丢氡儡吡嘡丣刡氢), and Japanese Patent Act Art. 29(1) (闘旧避). This disclosure details technical systems, methods, and architectures spanning ethical matching, socio-ecological scoring, closed-loop UX, a!ective VR, safety/consent, intergenerational models, community optimization, data …

Feasibility Study And Market Analysis – Innovations For Compact Fusion Reactors (Arc, Sparc, St-E1), Xavier Pillet

Defensive Publications Series

This document, produced with the assistance of GPT-5.2 Thinking and Gemini 3 Reasoning, is released under the Apache License 2.0. It is a voluntary defensive publication (prior art) and therefore enters the prior art upon release under the applicable patent statutes : EPC Art. 54(2) (European Patent Convention), French IPC Art. L 611-11 (French Intellectual Property Code), 35 U.S.C. §102(a) (United States Patent Act), Chinese Patent Law Art. 22(5) (両匡丢氡儡吡嘡丣刡氢), and Japanese Patent Act Art. 29(1) (闘旧避). It covers four compact-fusion bottlenecks (vapor-shielding thermal protection, active control of HTS REBCO magnets, irradiation-driven self-healing structural materials, and chiral tritium-breeding blankets) and …

Antifungal Activity Of Isolated Compounds From Centaurea Salicifolia Var. Salicifolia Against Candida Species, Including Multidrug-Resistant C. Auris, C. Inconspicua, And C. Dubliniensis, Seli̇n Tufan, Di̇lek Şatana, Nur Tan

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

Natural compounds obtained from plants have always held great potential for drug discovery and, as such, have drawn the attention of researchers as novel antifungal molecules that can be effective against fungal resistance. The antifungal activity of sesquiterpene lactones has been extensively investigated against various fungal strains, but there is limited data on their antifungal activity against Candida species. Sesquiterpene lactones are abundant in the Asteraceae family, and 90% of identified sesquiterpene lactones have been isolated from members of this family. Three extracts obtained from the aerial parts of Centaurea salicifolia var. salicifolia, which had not been investigated prior to …

Usa V. David Cunningham

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Western District of Pennsylvania

Sunoco Pipeline Lp V. Daniel La Hart

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Exploring Elite Athletes’ Perceptions Of The Practice Of Mindfulness For Mental Health And Optimal Performance, Omar A. Sesay

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Elite athletes experience physical, cognitive, and emotional demands that affect athletic performance and personal well-being, increasing the risk for anxiety, depression, burnout, attentional difficulties, and maladaptive coping strategies. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has been examined for its effect on attentional control, emotional regulation, cognitive flexibility, and stress resilience, but limited qualitative research has examined how elite athletes experience the practice of mindfulness. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore elite athletes’ perceptions of the practice of mindfulness for mental health and optimal performance. The theoretical framework draws from mindfulness theory and MBSR principles. Semistructured interviews were conducted …

We Don't See Race, We See Blue: A Case Study Of Police Unions As Racialized Organizations, Sarahfina Aubrey Peterson

Dissertations and Theses

In the late 1960s, police began to unionize. Today, they are the most well-organized labor force in the United States, with 70% to 80% of sworn officers now represented by a union. Though it has been decades, little scholarship has developed about how police unions affect policing. Much of the research that does exist uses race-neutral frames to address an organization steeped in racial history. This study aims to address this gap in scholarship, in part, by introducing race as a motivation for and explanation of organizational output.

This research applies Victor Ray's racialized organizations theory to police unions. I …

God's Will Or Man's? The Power Of Religious Rhetoric In Shaping Wartime Domestic Policy Preferences, Claire E. Brimhall

Undergraduate Honors Theses

How do individuals represent their religious beliefs in the political sphere? Is this impacted by levels of conflict in a given society? In times of war, people of faith often rally behind leaders and policies that diverge from the values upheld by their religious institutions. In fact, in many such cases, religious affiliation and church attendance are among the strongest predictors of support for these political actors.

This thesis examines two such cases where religious voters support policies that contradict the moral teachings of their faith, advancing a theory that a state’s appeals to religion can fundamentally reshape how believers …

Are 2d:4d Finger-Length Ratios Related To Bdsm Power Play Roles? An Exploratory Study, Phoenix R. Crane

Psychology and Neuroscience Faculty Publications

This study explored the relationships between 2D:4D ratio, a biological marker influenced by prenatal androgen exposure, and personality traits among members of the BDSM community. The 2D:4D ratio, calculated by dividing the length of the second (index) finger by the length of the fourth (ring) finger, is a non-invasive measure of prenatal exposure to androgens, with a smaller 2D:4D ratio associated with higher levels of testosterone exposure. Previous, albeit conflicting, research suggests that higher levels of testosterone are associated with dominance, aggression, risk-taking, and sensation-seeking. The present study draws on these findings to propose an androgenization of power play roles. …

The Effects Of Phosphorylation On The Structure And Function Of Motif A, An Intrinsically Disordered Region Within Sirt1, Sabrina M. Richter, Hoang Long Bui, Addison Chen, Chloe Tannous, Benjamin R. Butler, Sophia D. Bennett, Samson Quang Anh Nguyen, Justin Prado, Ryan Nhan, Ayan Mohamed, Isaac A. Dubois, Emile Tadros, Nhu Tam Thai, Selina Lima Guan, Carla Marie Peralta, Andy Kwong, Laura M.L. Hawk, Gianmarc Grazioli, Ningkun Wang

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The NAD⁺-dependent deacetylase sirtuin-1 (SIRT1) is known to elicit cellular defenses against aging, cancer, and other aberrant pathologies. Previous studies have identified an intrinsically disordered region of SIRT1 comprised of N-terminal residues 1–52, herein referred to as motif A, which activates SIRT1 activity, likely through intramolecular interactions. Additionally, phosphorylation of N-terminal residues Ser27 and Ser47 has been shown to be important for regulating SIRT1 activity and stability. The lack of in vitro characterization of these effects hampers our further understanding of the role of motif A in SIRT1 regulation. In this study, we elucidate the role phosphorylation plays …

141 Macdonough St. Hous. Dev. Fund Corp. V. Rhodes-Wiggins

All Decisions

Companion case to LT-306940-25/KI—same building, same HDFC, same judge (Grant, J.). The same Grimmet analysis applies. The notice of termination is identically deficient, alleging only 'failed to pay rent' without specifying the period or arrears amount. The same predicate notice inadequacy compels dismissal. Additionally, 34 HPD violations exist against the premises (29 pre-notice) including 3 rent-impairing violations that have not been certified as corrected, which are relevant to the adequacy of notice because uncorrected rent-impairing violations could implicate an MDL §302-a abatement defense. Proceeding dismissed.

141 Macdonough Street Hdfc V. Reid

All Decisions

Grimmet government-entwinement test satisfied: HDFC operates under Private Housing Finance Law Article XI, its deed and certificate of incorporation carry HPD approval requirements and low-income use covenants, and Board of Estimate resolutions provide a partial tax exemption running through July 2029. Constitutional due process therefore requires the HDFC to demonstrate 'cause' to evict. The notice of termination states only that the tenant 'failed to pay rent'—no period, no rate, no arrears balance. This is legally insufficient: vague and conclusory. Additionally, 16 HPD violations exist against the premises (15 served before the notice) and 40 building-wide violations, 2 of which are …

In Re: Fuhai Li

2026 Decisions

Out of Circuit District Court

Daniel La Hart V. Sunoco Pipeline Lp

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Carolyn Gardner V. Kutztown University

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Richard Silverberg V. Dupont De Nemours Inc

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Meshinsky & Associates Llc V. Continental Casualty Co

2026 Decisions

USDC for the District of New Jersey

Campus-Wide Assessment Of Indoor Air Quality At A University In The United Arab Emirates, Nida Qafisheh, Hani Kour

All Works

In educational institutions with the use of mechanical ventilation especially in arid climates indoor air quality (IAQ) has significant implications to health and cognitive performance of occupants. The present study examined 35 different sites’ IAQ at Abu Dhabi University, United Arab Emirates (UAE), in January-February 2024 comparing the observations with 2024 IAQ Guideline in Dubai Municipality (DM-HSD-GU119-IAQ). Portable instruments were used to measure eleven parameters: temperature, relative humidity, CO 2 , CO, ozone, formaldehyde, total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), PM 10 and PM 2 . 5 . The count of viable bacteria and fungi was determined by 15-min passive sedimentation …

Trapped In Transition: Structural Change And Political Dynamics In Middle-Income Countries, Gabriel Duvidovich

Dissertations and Theses

The middle-income trap literature has examined why relatively few middle-income countries transition to high-income status. A range of explanations has been proposed, but the political dimension has often been overlooked. Studies that take a political perspective often focus on institutional form rather than the state’s ability to effectively implement policy. This study addresses this gap by bringing political capacity to the center of the analysis. It argues that political capacity appears important for the productive upgrading required for sustained growth in middle-income economies and shapes economic growth trajectories across countries at different income levels.

The empirical analysis uses country-period panel …

“Turn The Faucet”: Right-Wing Hydrosocial Imaginaries Of Irrigation Water In The Western United States, Alexander Reid Ross, Thien-Kim Bui, Alida Cantor

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

The second administration of United States President Donald Trump has taken an authoritarian, centralized approach to governance in the United States. Water management is one area in which the president has attempted to show dominance. This research theorizes President Trump’s concept of water in the United States West as a “hydrosocial imaginary” in which the release of water from rivers and reservoirs indicates virility, action, and power, instead of liberal cautiousness and prudence. By ordering the release of two billion gallons of water from California’s Central Valley into the dry Tulare Basin one hundred miles north of Los Angeles for …

Emerging Aiot-Based Approaches For Early Detection Of Cardiac Diseases: A Review, Balqees Talal Hasan, Zaid J. Al-Araji, Zainab Al-Badrany, Sarah Kanaan Hamzah, Abdulmajeed Sulaiman

Mesopotamian Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare

Cardiovascular disease continues to pose a serious global health burden, emphasizing the need for smart, ongoing, and clinically trustworthy systems for early detection of this condition. The convergence of IoT-enabled sensing technologies with AI has led to the rise of an innovative paradigm known as AIoT, integrating technologies such as machine learning, deep learning, edge and fog computing, and cloud-based analytics with the aim of real-time cardiac monitoring and diagnostic decision support. Despite rapid expansion, current literature appears disparate in its coverage of sensing modalities, learning algorithms, system architectures, data sets, evaluation criteria, and clinical applications. To remedy this, a …

The Principle Of Legal Certainty In Criminal Legislation As A Pillar Of The Legality Of Crimes And Punishments, Ali Qasim Abu Al-Hail, Jalal Al-Din Qiyasi

Imam Ja'afar Al-Sadiq University Journal of Legal Studies

This study examines and analyzes the “Principle of Legal Certainty in Criminal Text” as an indispensable substantive pillar for activating the principle of legality of crimes and punishments in contemporary legal systems. The research problem stems from the reality of legislative practice, which frequently falls into the trap of using vague and elastic formulations under the pretext of combating evolving crimes. This vagueness destroys legal certainty, deprives individuals of the predictability of criminal behavior, and implicitly shifts the de facto power of incrimination from the legislator to the judge. To address this issue, the study adopts an analytical-rooting approach, supported …

The Lottery You Do Not Want To Win: The Role Of Local Institutional Quality In Brazil's Fight Against The Persistent Transmission Of Poverty, Adaye Sosthene Yvan N'Guettia

Economics Honors Projects

When does improving local institutions increase the poverty-reducing effectiveness of transfers? This paper examines whether federal oversight strengthens municipal administration of anti-poverty programs in Brazil. I develop a governance model in which incumbents allocate resources across diversion, effort, and institutional investment under audits and incentives. Using exogenous variation from Brazil's random CGU audit lottery across 5,500 municipalities, I find audits reduce irregularities, strengthen capacity, improve nutritional monitoring and school infrastructure, and reduce extreme poverty — with effects largest in municipalities with weakest institutions. A marginal-value-of-public-funds analysis confirms the program is self-financing. Results show the poverty-reducing power of transfers depends critically …

Symbol Of Defiance: Cultural Reclamation And Resilience In The Symbolism Of The Watermelon, Shukri Mohamed

Gatherings

This paper examines the watermelon as a cross-cultural symbol of nonviolent resistance and identity reclamation in both Palestinian and African American contexts. In Palestine, the watermelon embodies defiant cultural identity amidst occupation, symbolizing resistance against erasure. Within African American communities, it has evolved from a racially charged stereotype to a reclaimed symbol of pride and agency. Through postcolonial theory, intersectionality, transnational feminism, and visual cultural critique, this article examines how marginalized groups repurpose familiar objects to assert identity and reclaim autonomy under oppressive conditions. Drawing on Lila Abu-Lughod's work on media and everyday resistance, Ania Loomba's postcolonial perspectives, Patricia Hill …