Digital Commons Network^™

Trophic Transfer Of Fluorescent Polyethylene Microplastics In A Simplified Artemia–Oreochromis Aquatic Food Chain, Dativa J. Shilla

Tanzania Journal of Science

Microplastics (MPs) are pervasive contaminants in aquatic ecosystems, yet experimental evidence of their trophic transfer within tropical African food webs remains scarce. This study provides experimental evidence of indirect trophic transfer of microplastics from Artemia salina to Oreochromis urolepis, a cichlid species of ecological and economic importance in African inland and coastal waters. A simplified two-level food chain was established by exposing A. salina nauplii to fluorescent polyethylene microplastics (10–20 µm; 1, 10, and 100 mg L⁻¹) and subsequently feeding them to juvenile O. urolepis under controlled laboratory conditions. These concentrations were selected to represent a range of exposure levels …

A System For The Prediction Of Election Results Using Vader And Hybridized Machine Learning Model, Abraham E. Evwiekpaefe, Khadijah Kabir, Georgina N. Obunadike

Tanzania Journal of Science

Integrating different classifiers along with sentiment lexicons like Vader, can enhance the performance of sentiment analysis systems. However, such a hybrid model remains underexplored, particularly in the context of regional elections in developing countries like Nigeria. The aim of this research is to develop a hybrid model that combines three machine learning classifiers and Vader lexicon to possibly achieve a higher accuracy. A case study of the 2023 governorship election in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo State, Nigeria was examined. Twitter API library was utilized to extracted public and personal tweets using hashtags and keywords related to the target data from …

Modelling And Analysis Of 50 Mwp Solar Pv Integration Into Tanzania’S Transmission Network: A Case Study Of Tagamenda Substation, Iringa Region, Santos Kihwele

Tanzania Journal of Science

While increasing the share of renewable energy in the grid, grid integration studies for the utility solar photovoltaic (PV) plants are vital, given their intermittency and the fact that Tanzania has never had one connected to the grid. This paper presents a 50 MWp grid integration study, including a technical analysis conducted using PSS®E software. The study investigates the grid behaviour during the integration of the 50 MWp solar plant, considering the most suitable technical and economic solutions. The study analysed the load flow under normal conditions, contingency analysis (N-1), short- circuit analysis, and voltage stability assessment. The results show …

Direct Minimization Of Hartree-Fock-Roothaan Energy Functionals Using Derivative-Free Optimization Algorithms: A Case Study On The Use Of Noninteger Slater-Type Orbitals, Ali̇ Bağci

Turkish Journal of Physics

This study presents an evaluation of derivative-free optimization algorithms for the direct minimization of Hartree−Fock−Roothaan energy functionals involving nonlinear orbital parameters and noninteger-order quantum numbers. The analysis focuses on atomic calculations employing noninteger Slater-type orbitals. Analytic derivatives of the energy functional are not readily available for these orbitals. Four methods are investigated under identical numerical conditions: Powell’s conjugate−direction method, the Nelder−Mead simplex algorithm, coordinate-based pattern search, and a model-based algorithm utilizing radial basis functions for surrogate-model construction. Performance analysis is first carried out using the Powell singular function, a well-established test case exhibiting challenging properties, including Hessian singularity at the …

A Caveat Regarding The Unfolding Argument: Implications Of Plasticity, Viknas N. O'Reilly-Shah, Alessandro Maria Selvitella, Aaron Schurger

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

The unfolding argument in the neuroscience of consciousness posits that causal structure cannot account for consciousness because any recurrent neural network (RNN) can be “unfolded” into a functionally equivalent feedforward neural network (FNN) with identical input–output behavior. Subsequent debate has focused on dynamical properties and philosophy of science critiques. We examine a boundary condition on the unfolding argument for RNN systems with rapid plasticity in their connection weights. We demonstrate through rigorous mathematical proofs that rapid plasticity negates the functional equivalence between the RNN and the FNN. Our proofs address history-dependent plasticity, dynamical systems analysis, information-theoretic considerations, perturbational stability, complexity …

Hdfs Grpc Writer: A Unified High-Performance Data Ingestion Engine, Raouf Khan Mr, Mahendra Yadav Mr

Defensive Publications Series

The present disclosure relates to a method and a system for HDFS gRPC writer for unified, high-performance data ingestion system designed to modernize the way both streaming and batch data are written into HDFS. The present disclosure suggests single, scalable gRPC-based ingestion interface capable of handling multiple data formats, while also efficiently managing batching, schema evolution, fault tolerance, and security. After receiving the data, the present disclosure suggests HDFS gRPC writer addresses the small files problem at its source by implementing intelligent size-based and time-based batching. Thereafter, the present disclosure ensures optimal HDFS file sizes without the need for downstream …

Review: The Jesuits: A Thematic History By Claudio Ferlan, Ashley N. Gisiger Edd

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

No abstract provided.

Integral Education, Institutional Solidarity: A Response To Arturo Sosa’S 2025 Iaju Address, Paul L. Lynch

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

During the 2025 meeting of the International Association of Jesuit Universities (IAJU) at the Pontifica Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia, Jesuit Superior General Arturo Sosa offered the keynote address, “The Jesuit University: Witness to Hope, Creative and Dialogical Presence.” He urged the global university apostolate to respond to our common challenges: the climate crisis, political reactionism, institutional mistrust, and economic inequality. The Jesuit university, he insisted, must reimagine itself in order to respond to these threats. But the precise manner in which Jesuit universities should respond must still be articulated. This essay begins that project. It opens with an analysis …

Academic Integrity, Generative Software, And Catholic, Jesuit Higher Education In The Context Of Neoliberal Global Society, Jacob Riyeff

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

This is a reflection on different aspects of higher education and generative software (so-called 'ai') in light of Ignatian discernment, especially the key consideration of "context." Drawing on administrative and classroom work at a Jesuit university in the United States, Catholic Social Teaching principles, papal teaching on social justice and technology, and an honest consideration of generative software's social, corporate, and ecological contexts, this reflection soberly assesses the fraught nature of complicity with such neoliberal, exploitative, and extractive contexts for Jesuit institutions of higher education. While it is easier to go along with mainstream economic and cultural assumptions, I claim …

Forming Physicians For Others: The Identity Of The Jesuit Catholic Medical School, John Hardt, David G. De Marco Sj

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

Forming Physicians for Others: The Identity of the Jesuit Catholic Medical School

The Jesuit medical school accepts a widely-acknowledged telos: the preparation of the medical student to offer excellent patient care. It pursues this telos, however, through the distinctiveness of Ignatian formation, which finds expression in each domain of undergraduate medical education. This formative commitment, oriented toward and witnessing to an appreciation of the unconditional worth of the human being, may empower a subset of medical students—who are engaged by a life of faith and open to the transcendent invitation of their lives—to experience an even more fundamental transformation—one that …

Western Bird Banding Association Call For Grant Applications, Adam Hannuksela

North American Bird Bander

No abstract provided.

Pa Dent J May 2018

Pennsylvania Dental Journal

The Pennsylvania Dental Journal is produced by the Pennsylvania Dental Association six times a year, in January, March, May, July, September and November. Issues include regular columns with regional news impacting the Pennsylvania membership including editorial and government relations news, association activities, member updates, continuing education opportunities, and classifieds.

Pa Dent J Jan 2018

Pennsylvania Dental Journal

The Pennsylvania Dental Journal is produced by the Pennsylvania Dental Association six times a year, in January, March, May, July, September and November. Issues include regular columns with regional news impacting the Pennsylvania membership including editorial and government relations news, association activities, member updates, continuing education opportunities, and classifieds.

Pa Dent J Nov 2017

Pennsylvania Dental Journal

The Pennsylvania Dental Journal is produced by the Pennsylvania Dental Association six times a year, in January, March, May, July, September and November. Issues include regular columns with regional news impacting the Pennsylvania membership including editorial and government relations news, association activities, member updates, continuing education opportunities, and classifieds.

Pa Dent J Sept 2017

Pennsylvania Dental Journal

The Pennsylvania Dental Journal is produced by the Pennsylvania Dental Association six times a year, in January, March, May, July, September and November. Issues include regular columns with regional news impacting the Pennsylvania membership including editorial and government relations news, association activities, member updates, continuing education opportunities, and classifieds.

Pa Dent J May 2017

Pennsylvania Dental Journal

The Pennsylvania Dental Journal is produced by the Pennsylvania Dental Association six times a year, in January, March, May, July, September and November. Issues include regular columns with regional news impacting the Pennsylvania membership including editorial and government relations news, association activities, member updates, continuing education opportunities, and classifieds.

Pa Dent J Jan 2017

Pennsylvania Dental Journal

The Pennsylvania Dental Journal is produced by the Pennsylvania Dental Association six times a year, in January, March, May, July, September and November. Issues include regular columns with regional news impacting the Pennsylvania membership including editorial and government relations news, association activities, member updates, continuing education opportunities, and classifieds.

Pa Dent J Nov 2021

Pennsylvania Dental Journal

The Pennsylvania Dental Journal is produced by the Pennsylvania Dental Association six times a year, in January, March, May, July, September and November. Issues include regular columns with regional news impacting the Pennsylvania membership including editorial and government relations news, association activities, member updates, continuing education opportunities, and classifieds.

Pa Dent J Mar 2021

Pennsylvania Dental Journal

The Pennsylvania Dental Journal is produced by the Pennsylvania Dental Association six times a year, in January, March, May, July, September and November. Issues include regular columns with regional news impacting the Pennsylvania membership including editorial and government relations news, association activities, member updates, continuing education opportunities, and classifieds.

Pa Dent J Nov 2020

Pennsylvania Dental Journal

The Pennsylvania Dental Journal is produced by the Pennsylvania Dental Association six times a year, in January, March, May, July, September and November. Issues include regular columns with regional news impacting the Pennsylvania membership including editorial and government relations news, association activities, member updates, continuing education opportunities, and classifieds.

Pa Dent J March 2020

Pennsylvania Dental Journal

The Pennsylvania Dental Journal is produced by the Pennsylvania Dental Association six times a year, in January, March, May, July, September and November. Issues include regular columns with regional news impacting the Pennsylvania membership including editorial and government relations news, association activities, member updates, continuing education opportunities, and classifieds.

Pa Dent J July 2019

Pennsylvania Dental Journal

The Pennsylvania Dental Journal is produced by the Pennsylvania Dental Association six times a year, in January, March, May, July, September and November. Issues include regular columns with regional news impacting the Pennsylvania membership including editorial and government relations news, association activities, member updates, continuing education opportunities, and classifieds.

Pa Dent J Jul 2022

Pennsylvania Dental Journal

The Pennsylvania Dental Journal is produced by the Pennsylvania Dental Association six times a year, in January, March, May, July, September and November. Issues include regular columns with regional news impacting the Pennsylvania membership including editorial and government relations news, association activities, member updates, continuing education opportunities, and classifieds.

Advancing Health And Safety Performance On A Large-Scale Infrastructure Water Purification Plant Project, Rajandree Mandy Malindi, John Julian Smallwood

CIB Conferences

The Zuikerbosch System 5A Water Purification Plant, launched in August 2025, as Africa’s largest state of the art water purification facility, recorded the achievement as the developer’s first ‘construction work permit’ project completed with zero fatalities. This large-scale project valued at R4.8 billion and designed to deliver 600 Mℓ/day of potable water, included extensive stakeholder participation, multiple contractors, and client appointed construction project managers, designers, quantity surveyors, health and safety (H&S) professionals and asset engineers across diverse disciplines in a highly complex project environment. The paper reviews literature pertaining to project stakeholder H&S involvement in the six project stages. It …

Health And Safety-Led Structural Decision-Making In Urban Regeneration: A Case Study Of A Former Night Club Redevelopment In Northampton, Uk, David Oloke

CIB Conferences

Urban regeneration projects in constrained town-centre sites present complex challenges where health and safety (H&S), buildability, cost, and programme must be balanced alongside planning and housing delivery objectives. This paper examines the regeneration of a former night club site in Northampton, UK, which has secured planning permission for a new three-storey residential development comprising 19 flats to address identified local housing needs. The study uses an exploratory case study approach based on planning documents, design review evidence, indicative cost/ programme comparison and H&S criteria. This aided the selection of the adopted structural solution—namely a steel frame with precast concrete floors …

Social Housing Development In Vietnam's Urban Areas Toward Sustainable Development, Hoa Quynh Ta, Tuyen Dinh Pham

CIB Conferences

In Vietnam, the National Housing Development Strategy for the period of 2021 - 2030 with a vision to 2045 has affirmed that social housing is one of the important contents of economic development policy. The situation of social housing development in the past 15 years has shown some initial positive results in building new systems of concepts and awareness on the importance of social housing, the legal framework, in addition to policies for the implementation and development of social housing, as well as the implementation of several social housing programs for specific target groups of people. However, the achievements are …

The Impact Of Climate-Induced Heat Stress On The Health And Safety Of Construction Workers In Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), Phumelela Zibiya, Mohlomi Raliile, John Smallwood

CIB Conferences

This paper investigates the impact of climate-induced heat stress on the health, safety and physical performance of outdoor construction workers in Gqeberha, South Africa. Rising temperatures associated with climate change have increased workers’ exposure to extreme heat, thereby elevating the risk of heat-related illnesses, reduced productivity and occupational accidents. The study addresses limited region-specific empirical evidence on occupational heat stress in the Eastern Cape. The study adopted a quantitative research approach within a positivist paradigm, employing a cross-sectional survey design. The primary data was collected using structured questionnaires administered to outdoor construction workers on residential, active construction sites in Gqeberha. …

Data-Informed Construction Method Selection Considering Carbon Emissions At The Tender Stage: Evidence From A Public Building Project In Vietnam, Huong T. T. Le, Quan T. Nguyen, Luong N. Ho, Quang T. Pham

CIB Conferences

Carbon emissions in the construction phase are largely determined by early project decisions, yet they are rarely incorporated as explicit criteria at the tender stage. Instead, emissions are typically assessed after method selection or treated as qualitative compliance indicators, limiting their influence on decision-making. This study proposes a data-informed approach to construction method selection that integrates carbon emissions into tender-stage evaluation using operational data commonly available in bidding documentation. Rather than relying on full life-cycle assessment models, emissions are estimated from machine power, working shifts, and operating time, and incorporated alongside cost and duration in comparing construction alternatives. The approach …

Readiness For Ai And Iot Adoption In Facilities Management: A Bibliometric Literature Review, Trang Thi Nha Nguyen, Nam Phuong Tran, Hoang Van Giang, Viet Hung Nguyen

CIB Conferences

The increasing integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) has attracted growing attention in building operations and facilities management (FM), particularly in relation to smart buildings and data-driven operational practices. However, research on readiness for adopting these technologies remains fragmented and underdeveloped. This study aims to map research trends and identify gaps in AI and IoT readiness in smart buildings. A bibliometric analysis was conducted using data from Scopus and the Web of Science database. Science mapping techniques, including keyword co-occurrence, thematic mapping, and trend analysis, were applied to examine the intellectual structure of the field. …

Applications Of Ai For Real-Time Mechanical Behavior Prediction In Deep Excavation Support Systems: A Critical Review, Ngoc-Tuyen Tran, Quang Dung Tran, Hong-Lam Dang, Duc Phi Do

CIB Conferences

Progressive deformation in deep urban excavations can trigger catastrophic collapse before conventional monitoring and finite element method (FEM) back-analyses can effectively respond, primarily due to observational and computational latency. This paper presents a PRISMA-adapted review of 20 peer-reviewed studies (2021–2025) investigating artificial intelligence (AI) frameworks for real-time mechanical behavior prediction in deep excavation support systems. Two methodological streams are examined: data-driven models (LSTM, Transformers, ST-GAT) and physics-informed approaches (DeepONet, MS-SDL). By mathematically constraining deep learning within governing partial differential equations, these physics-informed models reduce the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of wall deflection predictions by 40–60% relative to standalone three-dimensional …