Digital Commons Network^™

Seeing Is Believing: Identifying The “Ideal Manifestation Of Hidden Disability” In Ontario’S And Quebec’S Social Benefits Tribunals, Pascale Malenfant

Dalhousie Law Journal

The phenomenon of disability skepticism, especially in relation to “hidden” disabilities like chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), has fostered a culture of doubt among medical, legal, and public entities. This paper explores the intersection of such skepticism with the social benefits adjudication processes in Ontario and Quebec. In drawing parallels to feminist critiques of the “ideal victim” in sexual assault cases, it argues that the tribunals’ biased framework for believability is based on a claimant’s conformity to stereotypical expectations of what an “ideal” claimant with a hidden disability looks like. By comparatively examining 10 years worth of Ontario and Quebec tribunal …

Curricular Choices: Misconceptions Regarding Law School Courses, Constance Backhouse, Holland Stille, Avery Esford

Dalhousie Law Journal

Canadian law schools offer their upper-year students a wealth of optional curricular choices. Yet many students choose narrowly and poorly. This article addresses the misconceptions that many hold as they select their second- and third-year courses. Often students believe they need certain courses to get a job, to prepare for articling, to pass the bar exams, or to prepare for future legal careers. In most cases, these concerns are erroneous. This article urges students to choose based on factual evidence rather than imagined anxieties and on personal interest rather than the “group think” rigidity that infects much of the curricular …

Tensile And Fatigue Properties Of Haynes ® 233 Manufactured By Wire-Arc Additive Manufacturing, Samuel Onimpa Alfred, Frank W. Liou, Mehdi Amiri

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Haynes® 233 is a newly developed nickel-based superalloy currently in the early stages of commercial adoption. With the growing interest in fabricating large and complex components using wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), this alloy presents a promising option for industrial applications. This study investigates the microstructure, tensile, and fatigue properties of heat-treated (HT) WAAM Haynes ® 233 and compares them to its wrought counterpart. Yield strength (YS), ultimate tensile strength (UTS), and fatigue strength of WAAM Haynes ® 233 are 709.4 MPa, 890.1 MPa, and 253.8 MPa, respectively. These values indicate a 63.8 % increase in YS, a 1.11 % decrease …

Ambient Artificial Intelligence In Health Care Documentation: A Review Of Tools, Integration, And Clinical Implications, Jasmin Hundal, Molly Jain Md, Joseph Mccollom Do

PCI Publications and Projects

Introduction: Ambient artificial intelligence (AAI) is increasingly being integrated into clinical workflows to address the documentation burden contributing to clinician burnout. AAI systems use automatic speech recognition and natural language processing to capture real-time clinician–patient dialogue and generate structured documentation within the electronic health record. Methods: This review examines AAI’s technical foundations, clinical applications, and implementation considerations in oncology practice. We describe how current AAI tools extract, classify, and populate relevant clinical content, such as the history of present illness, physical examination findings, and assessment and plan, while adhering to established US coding standards (e.g., International Classification of Diseases [ICD-10]). …

Nothing To Report: Moral And Pedagogical Reflections From A Voyage Into Engineering Curricula For Sustainable Development Goals, Brad Tabas, Una Beagon, Klara Kovesi

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

This essay chronicles the intellectual voyage of an ordinary language philosopher within a European Union-funded project (A-STEP 2030) using quantitative social science methods to define sustainability competencies for engineering education. Thinking through the standard ‘lit review’ and expert-validation procedures, it explores the philosophical and pedagogical perplexities emergent from arrogating a right to claim to know how to educate coming generations in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Drawing on thinkers like Cavell, Wittgenstein, Emerson, and Thoreau, it raises sceptical questions regarding the ways in which our intellectual tools may limit our capacity to shape a future different from our …

Extraction Of Aluminum From Lunar Regolith Through Molten Salt Electrolysis, Jacob N. Ortega, Todd P. Sander, Jeffrey D. Smith, Fateme Rezaei, David J. Bayless, William Schonberg, Daniel S. Stutts, Frank D. Han

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents the methodology, development, and results of an end-to-end regolith-to-metal concept for producing aluminum in-situ on the lunar surface, namely, the Lunar In-Situ Aluminum Production through Molten Salt Electrolysis (LISAP-MSE) method. Using electrolytic reduction, aluminum oxide (i.e., alumina) can be reduced into aluminum and oxygen via electrolysis in a molten salt bath. A steady supply of hydrogen chloride could allow this in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) method to supply several necessary materials consumed in the electrolytic reduction step of the process to produce bulk aluminum metal, oxygen, water, and silica from anorthite abundant in lunar highland regions. In this …

Tensile Performance Sensitivity To Variations Of Standard 17-4 Ph Heat Treatments On Lpbf-Produced Material, Ben Brown, Cory Read, Joseph Newkirk, Frank Liou

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Standard heat treatments for metals of a particular composition are typically designed with the assumption of a conventional starting microstructure, such as that produced by casting or wrought processing. When applied to metals fabricated by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) metal additive manufacturing (AM), these heat treatments can produce inconsistent performance due to the unique as-built microstructures. This study investigates how modifications to standard heat treatments for 17-4 PH steel influence the microstructure and mechanical properties of LPBF-fabricated material. Specimens were produced and subjected to varying solutionizing and homogenizing treatments followed by standard aging treatments. Microstructures were characterized using optical …

Adaptive Security Metric For Optimizing Post-Quantum Cryptography In Constrained Iot Devices, Aisha Nasser Ahmed

Theses

Quantum Computing poses real threat to Classical Public-Key Cryptography requiring the use of Post-Quantum Cryptography for all Internet of Things Devices. However, there are greater computational, memory and communication overheads in PQC algorithms that create additional burdens on resource constrained IoT devices. At this time, there are no standard measures for systems developers to determine optimal PQC settings for the various IoT Device Classes. This Thesis develops a new framework of metrics for determining the most suitable PQC settings based on Security Strength, Performance Indicators (Latency, Memory, Energy), Communication Overhead and Reliability for each IoT device class. The Research introduces …

Ai-Enabled Multi-Layer Security Operations: A Combined Siem, Ids, And Threat Intelligence Model For Adaptive Cyber Defense, Mohamad Khayat

Dissertations

This dissertation presents a comprehensive framework for the evolution of Security Operation Centers (SOCs) through the integration of advanced artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and optimization techniques. Motivated by the increasing complexity of cyber threats and the limitations of traditional reactive SOC strategies, this work begins with a systematic literature review that identifies critical gaps in current SOC operations. Based on these insights, a reference architecture is proposed to guide the integration of intelligent components into SOC environments. To address the challenge of secure and trustworthy information sharing, a blockchain-based threat intelligence platform is developed, leveraging Byzantine Fault Tolerance and Zero-Knowledge …

The Anchored: Issue 1, Fall 2025, Writer's Club Of The Hope-Western Prison Education Program

The Anchored

The Anchored is a quarterly publication of the Writer’s Club of the Hope-Western Prison Education Program.

Midweek Memo, Georgia Southern University

Midweek Memo

• Applaud
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• Around the Nest

Effective Practices In Working With Academic Coaches, Tracia M. Forman, Jessica M. Sanchez

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

As online education grows, instructional teams with academic coaches have become increasingly valuable in higher education. Coaches play crucial roles in fostering student engagement, supporting active learning, and delivering timely feedback, particularly in large online courses. Recent mixed-method research examined effective coach integration into online instructional teams by analyzing faculty characteristics, behaviors, preferences, attitudes, and knowledge. The study identified successful strategies and best practices for faculty-coach collaboration, providing actionable insights for instructors. This research expands our understanding of how team-based approaches can enhance educational quality in virtual environments, contributing meaningfully to ongoing discussions about online teaching effectiveness and the strategic …

Harnessing Se Community Knowledge For Developer-Centric Code Intelligence, Chengran Yang

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

The integration of Large Language Models (LLMs), particularly those tailored for programming tasks—referred to as code LLMs—has created novel opportunities to enhance developer productivity. These advanced models automate routine and repetitive coding tasks, such as code generation and debugging, and enable faster prototyping and more efficient problem-solving. Despite these remarkable advantages, the current generation of code LLMs exhibits notable limitations that impact their practical effectiveness in real-world software engineering scenarios. These models frequently produce code that is inefficient or suboptimal in runtime performance, demonstrate opaque reasoning processes, and struggle to adapt effectively to diverse developer contexts and specific requirements. Moreover, …

Biomass Materials And Their Application In 4d Printing, Zhongda Yang, Jian Li, Yanling Guo, Yangwei Wang, Wen Zhao, Wei Zhao, Yanju Liu, Laichang Zhang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Four-dimensional (4D) printing technology is a revolutionary development that produces structures that can adapt in response to external stimuli. However, the responsiveness and printability of smart materials with shape memory properties, which are necessary for 4D printing, remain limited. Biomass materials derived from nature have offered an effective solution due to their various excellent and unique properties. Biomass materials have been abundant in resources and low in carbon content, contributing to the then-current global green energy-saving goals, including carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. This review focused on different sources of biomass materials used in 4D printing, including plant-based, animal-based, and …

Recent Advancement In Conformal Cooling Channels: A Review On Design, Simulation And Future Trends, Soroush Masoudi, Barun K. Das, Muhammad Aamir, Majid Tolouei-Rad

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The cooling phase of a moulded part plays a crucial role in the injection moulding (IM) process, accounting for 50 to 80 % of total cycle time, and significantly impacting the quality of moulded parts. During the last decade, the advancement of different additive manufacturing (AM) processes, especially metal 3D printing, has facilitated the production of mould parts, such as cores and cavities, with complex-shaped internal conformal cooling channels (CCCs). These innovative cooling systems exhibit significant potential to replace traditional straight-drilled cooling design, as they offer more efficient and uniform cooling performance by facilitating more effective heat transfer, considerably enhancing …

Rapid Discrimination Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis And Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria Disease Via Interpretive Machine Learning Analysis Of Routine Laboratory Tests, Jia Wei Tang, Xue Song Xiong, Ting Ting Huang, Yu Lu Zhang, Lin Fei Yao, Wen Wen Zhang, Yun Yun Xie, Quan Fa Liang, Zhi Xuan Tan, Kun Jiang, Xin Liu, Liang Wang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objectives Rapid discrimination of infections caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is crucial in clinical settings. Despite overlapping clinical and radiological features, the two require markedly different therapeutic approaches and public health responses. Current laboratory methods are time-consuming and complex, underscoring the urgent need for a simple and efficient diagnostic tool to inform public health decision-making. Methods Demographic, haematological and biochemical data were collected from two hospitals in Jiangsu province, China, between December 2018 and October 2024. A total of 400 patients were included in the training cohort, with 66 patients used for external validation. Six machine …

Temporal Eating Patterns And Ultra-Processed Food Consumption Assessed From Mobile Food Records Of Australian Adults, Janelle D. Healy, Satvinder S. Dhaliwal, Christina M. Pollard, Amelia J. Harray, Lauren Blekkenhorst, Fengqing Zhu, Deborah A. Kerr

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background/Objective: Temporal eating patterns and ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption have independently been associated with obesity and non-communicable diseases. Little is known about the temporal patterns of UPF consumption, as data is challenging to collect. Temporal data can be extracted from mobile food records (mFRs). The aim of this study was to identify the temporal eating patterns of those consuming UPFs using an mFR. Methods: A combined sample of 243 young (18–30 years) and 148 older (>30 years) adults completed a 4-day mFR. The time of eating was extracted from the mFR image metadata. UPFs were identified using the NOVA …

Production Of Durable Mortar For Aggressive Environments Using Waste Glass Aggregates And Metakaolin-Based Blended Cement, T. F. Awolusi, A. O. Sojobi, D. O. Oguntayo

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The depletion of river sand and its environmental consequences, combined with the vulnerability of concrete structures to harsh environments, pose a significant global concern. To mitigate maintenance costs, it’s essential to prioritize sustainable infrastructure production that balances durability and environmental sustainability, particularly in aggressive environments. This study explores the possibility of production of durable mortar for aggressive environments using waste glass aggregates and metakaolin-based blended cement. The waste glass cullets were used as sand replacement at 0%, 50%, and 100% and blended with metakaolin and gypsum to produce binary and ternary mortars. The blend of metakaolin and gypsum was explored …

Corporate Governance And Tax Compliance Of Publicly Listed Companies In The Philippines, Hans Theo S. Ramirez, Jhulliane Kiss A. Mijares, Alyson Jane D. Constantino, Marwel B. Toledo, Jacob Marius L. Tolentino, Elma L. Mallorca

Journal Article

Corporate tax compliance is the key to the development of the economy. Annual effective tax rate is applied in this study to identify what corporate governance mechanisms—shareholders, management, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy—are responsible for inducing tax compliance. A panel regression analysis of 20 listed companies in the Philippines from 2012-2023 has shown that the sole determinant of corporate tax compliance is CSR strategy. Effective CSR practices help firms to minimize tax avoidance by paying the appropriate corporation tax rate mandated by law. This is an example of how CSR can enhance ethical financial behavior. This study integrates stakeholder, …

Teacher Grit, Commitment, And Psychological Well-Being: A Structural Equation Modelling Analysis, Mary Ann A. Artizuela, Fraide A. Ganotica Jr.

Journal Article

Although teacher well-being has been widely examined, limited research has explored how grit and commitment jointly influence psychological well-being among Filipino educators within a robust theoretical framework. This study addresses this gap by investigating the role of grit and commitment in shaping teacher well-being at Palawan State University in Puerto Princesa City, Philippines. According to the Engine Model of Well-being, individual traits like grit serve as inputs that shape internal processes (e.g., teacher commitment), ultimately influencing well-being. Guided by this framework, grit was conceptualized as an input, teacher commitment as a mediating process, and psychological well-being as an outcome. Employing …

A Descriptive-Correlational Analysis Of Environmental Awareness And Practices Among College Students Of Occidental Mindoro State College, Rica Abigail T. Dagos, Rizzi Angelica D. Cleofe

Journal Article

Higher education institutions have an essential role in developing environmental awareness and increasing the environmental practices of tertiary education students. As a state college in Occidental Mindoro, OMSC aims to produce graduates that are locally responsive to societal concerns, including environmental issues. This study aimed to provide relevant information about the environmental education of tertiary education students by analyzing the environmental awareness and practices of the students at Occidental Mindoro State College (OMSC). Using a descriptive-correlational design, the data was obtained from 259 students from various colleges. A four-part online survey questionnaire was used to determine the demographic profile, environmental …

Stochastic Modeling Of Electromagnetic Wave Propagation Through Extreme Dust Conditions In Underground Mines Using Vector Parabolic Approach, Emmanuel Atta Antwi, Samuel Frimpong, Muhammad Azeem Raza, Sanjay Madria

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Post-disaster underground (UG) mine environments are characterized by complex and rapidly changing conditions, adding extra attenuation to propagating electromagnetic (EM) waves. One such complex condition is the extreme generation of dust and sudden rise in humidity contributing to extra attenuation effects to propagating waves, especially under varying airborne humidity and dust levels. The existing wave propagation prediction models, especially those that factor in the effect of dust particles, are deterministic in nature, limiting their ability to account for uncertainties, especially during emergency conditions. In this work, the vector parabolic equation (VPE) model is modified to include dust attenuation effects. Using …

Nrf2 Immunobiology In Cancer: Implications For Immunotherapy And Therapeutic Targeting, Harit Panda, Natalie G Rowland, Caroline M Krall, Brittany M Bowman, Michael B Major, Paul Zolkind

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) is a transcription factor that acts as a key regulator in cellular defense mechanisms against oxidative stress and xenobiotics. NRF2 modulates the expression of over 200 genes involved in antioxidant response, drug metabolism, and cellular resilience. Constitutive activation of NRF2 is a common event in cancer and recent advances provide remarkable insights into the role of NRF2 in oncogenesis, immune evasion, and treatment resistance. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the role of NRF2 in shaping the tumor immune microenvironment and the impact this has on clinical outcomes and treatment …

Defective Mil-88b(Fe) Metal-Organic Frameworks: Peculiar Photocatalysts For Enhanced Degradation Of Organic Pollutants, Samira Sadeghi, Ahmad Najafidoust, Seyedeh Zahra Haeri, Masoumeh Zargar

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Environmental pollution, particularly water contamination from organic compounds like synthetic dyes, poses a major global challenge. In this study, defective MIL-88B(Fe) MOFs under varying solvothermal conditions (70–150 °C) for 12 and 24 h were synthesized to enhance methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) dye degradation. The MOF synthesized at 100 °C for 24 h showed the highest efficiency, achieving 97 % and 40 % degradation of MB and MO, respectively, in 60 min due to increased porosity, surface area, and optimized crystal growth along the [100] direction. A 24-h synthesis produced well-formed particles with the highest surface area and …

Factors Influencing The Effectiveness Of Machine Learning Algorithms In Predicting Raw Wastewater Characteristics: An Analysis Based On Weekly Field Data, Hoda Khoshvaght, Ratish Ramyad Permala, Amir Razmjou, Mehdi Khiadani

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Accurate prediction of raw wastewater characteristics can reduce laboratory costs, enable optimized chemical dosing, and improve the overall efficiency of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) operations. This study evaluates machine learning (ML) models as a fast, sustainable, and cost-effective alternative for predicting Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Ammonia Nitrogen (NH4⁺-N) in raw wastewater. Seven ML algorithms, including tree-based, neural, and regression approaches, were trained using standard wastewater indicators, including organic load, nutrient levels, and pH, with hyperparameters tuned via grid search cross-validation. Model performance was evaluated using correlation-based (R²) and error-based metrics (RMSE, MAE, MAPE) to ensure …

A Risk-Averse Data-Driven Distributionally Robust Optimization Method For Transmission Power Systems Under Uncertainty, Mehrdad Ghahramani, Daryoush Habibi, Asma Aziz

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The increasing penetration of renewable energy sources and the consequent rise in forecast uncertainty have underscored the need for robust operational strategies in transmission power systems. This paper introduces a risk-averse, data-driven distributionally robust optimization framework that integrates unit commitment and power flow constraints to enhance both reliability and operational security. Leveraging advanced forecasting techniques implemented via gradient boosting and enriched with cyclical and lag-based time features, the proposed methodology forecasts renewable generation and demand profiles. Uncertainty is quantified through a quantile-based analysis of forecasting residuals, which forms the basis for constructing data-driven ambiguity sets using Wasserstein balls. The framework …

Membrane Fouling Dynamics And Flux Optimization In The Ultrafiltration Of Chlorella Sp. Mur 269 And Dunaliella Salina Cs 744/01, Victor Okorie Mkpuma, Mohadeseh Najafi, Javad Farahbakhsh, Masoumeh Zargar, Navid Reza Moheimani, Houda Ennaceri

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Membrane filtration has emerged as a viable technique for microalgal dewatering. However, fouling constraints limit their large-scale implementation. In this research, the fouling patterns during ultrafiltration of Chlorella sp. and Dunaliella salina were investigated using both dead-end and crossflow filtration modules. Chlorella sp. filtration in the dead-end module revealed an initial flux of 72.02 L.m⁻².h⁻¹ in the first cycle, which rapidly decreased to 19.18 L.m⁻².h⁻¹ within 30 min. In the second and third cycles, the initial flux exhibited decreases of 23 % and 50 %, respectively. Chlorella sp. demonstrated lower fouling than D. salina …

Chemistry Of Inclusions By Size In Three Primary Copper Anodes, Charles Campbell, Michael Moats

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Three copper anodes from different commercial electro refineries were characterized to measure inclusion chemistry, size (diameter), and morphology. An automated scanning electron microscope (SEM) paired with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was used to examine hundreds of inclusions near the mold and set sides of each anode. The investigation revealed that in the two anodes with less impurities (99.65% Cu and 99.75% Cu), many of the inclusions were Cu2O with an average diameter of 2 microns. The greater impurity anode (99.05% Cu, 4076 ppm Pb, 1939 ppm As, 635 ppm Bi) contained significant numbers of complex oxide inclusions, averaging 4.6 microns …

Melting Behavior Of Direct Reduced Iron Pellets With Different Carbon Content In Molten Steel And Molten Slag, Fabian Andres Calderon Hurtado, Joseph Govro, Arezoo Emdadi, Ronald J. O'Malley

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study investigates the melting behavior of direct reduced iron (DRI) pellets in molten slag and steel baths, focusing on how the carbon content influences the melting rate through the stirring effects of gas evolution on heat transfer. A computational model using COMSOL Multiphysics 6.1 is developed to simulate the temperature profile at the pellet's core and the gas evolution resulting from the reaction between FeO and carbon within the pellet. The model is validated using experimental data from this study as well as literature on the DRI pellet–molten slag system. Results indicate that, despite the increased enthalpy demand associated …

Selective Nickel Leaching And Preparation Of Battery-Grade Nickel Carbonate From Copper-Rich Industrial Intermediate, Janaka Jayamini Wijenayake, Michael S. Moats, Lloyd Masuzyo Mseteka, Lana Alagha

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The rising demand for electric vehicles (EVs) has driven a significant increase in nickel consumption, a critical element in EV battery production. An industrially viable hydrometallurgical process was developed for the selective recovery of nickel from a copper-rich industrial intermediate, containing approximately 70 wt.% Cu and 6 wt.% Ni, predominantly as sulfides alongside minor impurities. Approximately 90% of nickel was selectively extracted via single-stage atmospheric pressure leaching using HCl and H2O2 at 95 °C for 12 h, with the majority of copper retained in the leach residue, which can be utilized as a valuable feedstock for copper smelters. The selectivity …