Digital Commons Network^™

Crashes And Injuries On Rural Roads In Alaska - Toward A Better Understanding Of Rural Safety Issues Through Linked Data And Environmental Factors Task B: Environmental And Geometric Safety Factors Of Rural Crashes, Vinod Vasudevan

CSET Project Reports

Alaska experiences extreme weather and driving conditions compared to many other locations in the United States. For example, during summer, most traffic activity occurs in daylight, whereas in winter months, the majority of traffic activity occurs in the dark. Similarly, driving conditions change drastically across seasons. During winter, heavy snow and extremely cold temperatures provide challenges for drivers. These conditions lead to safety concerns such as noticeable changes in daylight hours, peak traffic activities in dark hours, and reduced friction values due to snow and ice. Another challenge is the sun's position above the horizon throughout the year, especially during …

Caste Discrimination In Ny - Starting A Conversation, Pranathi Charasala, Gali Racabi

Cornell Law Faculty Working Papers

Despite rapid socioeconomic ascent of Indian Americans in the U.S., caste hierarchies continue to structure inequality within the Indian diaspora. This working paper examines caste discrimination in contemporary New York, situating it within broader civil rights frameworks and legal precedents. Drawing from headline cases, emerging local laws, and collective bargaining agreements, the paper shows how caste operates as a social category—legally unrecognized yet experientially real. It explores both the possibilities and pitfalls of folding caste into existing categories like race, color, national origin, and religion, while grappling with arguments that frame caste protections as anti-Hindu bias. The paper concludes with …

Predicting Secondary Mathematics-For-Teaching Knowledge Using Beliefs, Experience, And School Culture: A Hierarchical Regression Analysis, Adam R. Brulhardt

Theses and Dissertations

Research in recent decades has supported the notion that practice-based mathematical knowledge is crucial for effective teaching, playing an important role in enacting reform-oriented instruction required for improving student achievement. Despite its importance, teachers—especially novices—require more support in acquiring such knowledge, an ongoing challenge exacerbated by teacher shortages. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether collaborative school culture (CSC) explained variance in knowledge of algebra for teaching (KAT) beyond variance explained by mathematics-related beliefs and years of teaching experience for U.S. secondary teachers. Measures within an online Qualtrics survey included the Beliefs About Mathematics and Teaching Scale …

Networking For Power Grid And Smart Grid Communications: Structures, Security Issues, And Features, Biswash Basnet, Varsha Sen

Graduate Student Scholarship

The evolution from traditional to smart grid systems has radically changed communication architectures. It enables secure, efficient, and resilient energy infrastructures. Unlike the centralized, unidirectional communication practices typical of traditional grids with minimal automation, modern smart grids use tiered, bidirectional networks allowing real-time control, integration of distributed energy resources (DER), and active consumer participation. The drive for this development arises from the growing use of renewable energy resources, electric vehicles, and sophisticated digital metering technologies. End-to-end communication architectures now underpin grid reliability, interoperability, and cybersecurity. This research explores the end-to-end architecture of traditional and smart grids, including access technologies, protocol …

New Attack Surfaces Against Emerging Cloud And Web Based Infrastructures And Defenses, Junjie Xiong

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Emerging network security threats, ranging from cloud-based infrastructure attacks to web-based content subversion, pose significant challenges to modern computing environments. In this dissertation, we explore two novel attack vectors that disrupt both cloud-based infrastructures and web-based content systems.

In this dissertation, we first introduce the Warmonger attack, a novel attack vector that can cause denial-of-service between a serverless computing platform and an external content server. The Warmonger attack exploits the fact that a serverless computing platform shares the same set of egress IPs among all serverless functions, which belong to different users, to access an external content server. As a …

A Systematic Evaluation Of Threaded Internode Communication In Hpc, William Pepper Marts

Computer Science ETDs

High Performance Computing (HPC) applications increasingly rely on both process and thread-level parallelism to maximize performance across complex, multi-node systems. However, conventional bulk synchronous communication strategies often leave both compute and network resources underutilized due to synchronization delays. This dissertation systematically evaluates the potential of fine-grained, threaded inter-node communication as a strategy for reducing these inefficiencies. To this end, I design and develop two tools: the MiniMod modular application framework and the Configurable Messaging Benchmark (CMB), which together enable empirical, reproducible assessment of communication performance across varying application behaviors, threading models, and communication granularities. Through experiments across multiple systems and …

Surface Acoustic Wave Energy Driven Degradation Of Aqueous-Based Methylene Blue, Xieqi Gu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the degradation behavior of methylene blue (MB) under surface acoustic wave (SAW) excitation, focusing on the effects of power, frequency, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentration, and the use of perovskite oxide catalysts (LFO and LSF). Initial experiments showed that MB concentrations remained stable under SAW at ~10 MHz and ~30 MHz with power levels of 1–3 W in the absence of H2O2, though solution temperatures increased. Upon introducing 1 M H2O2, MB degradation followed a second-order rate constant, with degradation rates increasing with power and significantly higher at ~30 MHz, suggesting that both frequency and power enhance free …

Nutrient Dynamics In Restored And Unrestored Urban Streams In The Piedmont Ecoregion Of South Carolina, Emily J. Jordan, Debabrata Sahoo, Calvin B. Sawyer, Jeremy W. Pike, Dara M. Park, Sarah A. White, Brian E. Haggard

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The United States invests billions of dollars annually to perform stream restoration projects, yet few studies have investigated the effects this ecosystem manipulation has on nutrient cycling and associated water quality. Water quality improvement remains a substantial motivation for mitigating catchment-scale disturbances, especially in urban streams. Various urban land use practices impact the transfer and transport of nutrients such as soluble reactive phosphorus, ammonium, and nitrate plus nitrite from land into the streams and rivers. The uptake length (Sw), or the distance a dissolved nutrient travels downstream within a stream reach, can be measured using short-term nutrient injections, where shorter …

Effectiveness Of Digital Behavioral Activation Interventions For Depression And Anxiety: Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Eric Jia, Jushawn Macon, Michelle Doering, Joanna Abraham

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: As digital interventions gain prominence in mental health care, they present opportunities to improve access and scalability. Despite their potential, the overall impact of digital behavioral activation (BA) interventions across different formats and populations is not yet fully understood.

OBJECTIVE: This systematic review examines the characteristics and functions of digital BA interventions and evaluates their effectiveness for mental health and other patient-related outcomes.

METHODS: A comprehensive search of databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, APA PsycInfo, and ClinicalTrials.gov) was performed in November 2023 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effectiveness of digital BA interventions for depression and …

Ldl Receptor-Mediated Endocytosis Of Escherichia Coli Α-Hemolysin Mediates Renal Epithelial Toxicity, Hunter W Kuhn, Madeleine R Smither, Rachel J Jin, Christina A Collins, Hongming Ma, Jason Sina, Joseph P Gaut, Michael S Diamond, David A Hunstad

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The α-hemolysin (HlyA) of uropathogenic

Harboring Change: Legacy Contamination, Plant-Metal Dynamics, And The Fate Of A Boston Marsh, Emma Brooks

Graduate Masters Theses

Coastal wetlands within the Boston Harbor watershed provide numerous ecosystem services and community benefits but are challenged by anthropogenic influence including a legacy of pollution and increasing mean sea level. In this thesis, I will consider the historic and present sources of contamination in Boston Harbor, the role an individual salt marsh species (Salicornia depressa) plays in the movement of heavy metals, and how projected sea level rise and urbanization may affect future marsh viability. These complex issues are explored through a case study of Pattens Cove, a 9.6-acre parcel of state-managed land in Dorchester, MA home to …

Closing The Gap: Reevaluating Cafe Standards And The Light Truck Loophole, Benton Marcotte

LSU Journal of Energy Law and Resources

No abstract provided.

“Waive” Goodbye To Special Treatment: The Unconstitutionality Of Section 209(B) Of The Clean Air Act In State Of Ohio V. Epa And How Congress Can Fix It, Macy Heroman

LSU Journal of Energy Law and Resources

No abstract provided.

Getting An Airman Medical Certificate With Cerebral Palsy, Stefan Crisp

Honors Theses

This paper aims to document the personal experience of Stefan Crisp attempting to gain an airman medical certificate. It also aims to expose the airman medical certificate process for people with cerebral palsy in the United States. Stefan Crisp, who has cerebral palsy, attempted to gain an airman medical certificate through three attempts across multiple years. Research was done to compare the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with the United Kingdom's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to reveal similarities and differences between accessibility and requirements. Despite successfully navigating through Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 67, Stefan was unable …

Note From The Editor

Alaska Law Review

No abstract provided.

Feed It To The Ocean: The Federal Approach To Decommissioning In Alaska Native Climate Adaptation Projects, Sophia Tidler

Alaska Law Review

This Note calls on the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to issue guidance clarifying that concurrent decommissioning is an in-scope “connected action” under the National Environmental Policy Act for relocation, managed retreat, and protect-in-place projects aimed at replacing infrastructure in environmentally threatened Alaska Native communities. In 2018, the Denali Commission completed the Final Environmental Impact Statement for Alaska’s first community-driven village relocation of the millennium, facilitating construction of essential infrastructure at Mertarvik, the relocation site for the village of Newtok. However, the Denali Commission chose to exclude a full-scale decommissioning plan for Newtok’s existing infrastructure. Today, more than seventy-three Alaska …

Sb 86/Hb 99: Navigating Alaska’S Digital Renaissance – A Strategic Approach To Virtual Currency Regulation, Nihit Desai, Alice Cao

Alaska Law Review

Alaska is navigating a transformative phase in its regulatory approach to virtual currency transmission, driven by the rapid growth of the fintech industry and the unique economic and geographic challenges faced by its residents. As the number of virtual currency transactions in Alaska has surged dramatically over recent years, the State’s existing money transmission framework—rooted in laws designed before the rise of cryptocurrencies and internet-based financial services—has proven insufficient to address this evolving landscape.

In light of the wide adoption of virtual currency by consumers, Alaska has implemented targeted amendments to its Administrative Code and proposed the Alaska Uniform Money …

The Future Of Alaska’S Wetlands In A Post-Sackett World, Johanna Crisman

Alaska Law Review

In 2023, the United States Supreme Court decided Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency, which effectively restricted the United States Army Corps of Engineers’ (“USACE”) and the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ability to regulate development of wetlands. The State of Alaska submitted an amicus brief to the Court on behalf of the petitioners, the Sackett family. In the wake of the decision, Governor Dunleavy praised the decision by the Court, emphasizing that the decision provided the state more autonomy over its own wetlands. Still, there is concern by environmentalists that the State does not have the resources to protect the wetlands …

Complementarities In High School And College Investments, John Eric Humphries, Juanna Schrøter Joensen, Gregory Veramendi

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper examines how high school specialization shapes college investment decisions and their subsequent returns through dynamic complementarities. Using Swedish administrative data, we estimate a dynamic Roy model that accounts for selection on multidimensional skills, family background, prior investments, and unobserved heterogeneity. We identify the model using rich skill measures and quasi-experimental variation in program popularity. For marginal students, STEM specialization in high school increases wages by 9%, with more than half this return attributed to dynamic complementarities that enhance the productivity of subsequent college investments. Consequently, we find that counterfactual policies encouraging high school STEM specialization generate twice the …

Filtration Challenges In Non-Alcoholic And Low-Alcohol Beer Production With A Focus On Different Yeast Strains, Christian Schubert, Joerg Maxminer, Matthew Aitkens, Andrew Maust, Bernardo Pontes Guimaraes, Rahul Sen, Scott Lafontaine

Food Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study examines the impact of yeast selection on fermentation performance, filtration efficiency, and the stability of low-alcohol and non-alcoholic beer (NAB). Three yeast strains (LA-01, LoNa, and W-34/70) were evaluated for their effects on key NAB parameters like ABV, bitterness, color, haze readings, and filtration-linked performance. Filtration trials revealed that highly flocculating W-34/70 resulted in lower post-filtration turbidity, whereas LA-01 and LoNa (which flocculated less) required more effective filtration techniques to achieve clarity. Among the tested filter sheets, AF 31, AF 71, and AF 101 successfully reduced turbidity below 2 EBC. However, all NABs exhibited haze formation during storage, …

The Impact Of The 2017 Square Footage Requirement On New Jersey Supplemental Nutrition Program For Women, Infants, And Children (Wic) Vendors, Carmelo Rodriguez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study examined the impact of the 2017 New Jersey regulation requiring vendors to have 1,000 square feet of retail space in order to participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) food program. Specifically, it examined vendors' role in developing the policy and their perspectives on its implementation. Previous research indicated improved policy outcomes by including policy targets in policy dialogue, but there was a lack of research exploring the experiences of vendors. Not known was how the policy affected WIC vendors, the essential frontline suppliers of nutritional foods to WIC participants. The purpose of …

Implications Of Neural Compression To Scientific Images, João Phillipe Cardenuto, Joshua Krinsky, Lucas Nogueira, Aparna Bharati, Daniel Moreira

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

While neural compression has the potential to revolutionize image compression, recent studies have emphasized its ability to introduce subtle artifacts that could alter the image content. Concerned about the impact of such modifications on scientific images, this work explores the potential effects of neural compression on these images, focusing on two critical aspects: semantic understanding and forensic integrity. We use scientific image datasets to assess the performance of neural compression techniques on Visual Question Answering (VQA) and copy-move forgery detection tasks. Our findings indicate that the subtle changes introduced by neural ] compression do not significantly degrade the performance of …

Green Synthesis, Characterization, Antimicrobial And Anticancer Studies Of Vanadium Oxide Nanoparticles Using Vitex Agnus Castus Extract, Saba H. Mahdi, Lekaa K. Abdul Karem

Baghdad Science Journal

This study, vanadium oxide nanoparticles were synthesized using the biosynthesis method. The resulting VO₂ NPs are characterized by their cost-effectiveness, ease of use, and safety. Vanadium Nano oxide was prepared from vanadium sulfate monohydrate with a plant extract of Vitex agnus castus at a sodium hydroxide concentration of 0.1 M. The reaction was carried out in an alkaline medium at pH range of 8–12, which were characterized by using many techniques such as; Fourier transform IR spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction XRD, transmission electron microscopy TEM, scanning electron microscopy SEM and EDX pattern. The crystal size of nanoparticles, determined …

Rapid Beamformer Weight Calibration Update Method For The Advanced L-Band Phased Array Camera For Astronomy (Alpaca), Kayla Lyman Ward

Theses and Dissertations

The Advanced L-Band Phased Array Camera for Astronomy (ALPACA) is a phased array feed instrument designed for the Green Bank Telescope. It is capable of producing 40 real-time beams on the sky, widening the telescope's field of view and significantly increasing survey speed. ALPACA employs an RF-over-fiber (RFoF) signal transport system from the phased array feed front end to the digital backend. This RFoF link is expected to introduce phase delays and changes in gain through out the course of an observation, invalidating the beamformer weights previously calculated. This work presents rapid beamformer weight calibration updates for ALPACA, a method …

Intratumoral Immunotherapy Prior To Cancer Surgery, A Promising Therapeutic Approach, Kevine Silihe Kamga, Steven Fiering

Dartmouth Scholarship

Cancer immunotherapy has made astonishing progress in the last 10–15 years, and the rate of progress is accelerating. However, only 20 to 40% of patients benefit from this therapy with most immunotherapy applied post discovery of metastatic disease when therapeutic impact is more difficult to achieve. The first line of treatment for many patients following diagnosis is surgery. Neoadjuvant immunotherapy, i.e. administration of immune therapy prior to surgery, has the potential to improve overall survival rates. Many patients without detectable metastases are diagnosed with a high risk of future metastasis and could benefit from effective neoadjuvant immunotherapy. An ideal neoadjuvant …

Self-Initiated Police Activity, Crime, And Complaints Against Police, Vincent Joseph Schaan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This quantitative study aimed to examine the statistical relationship between self-initiated police activity, citizen complaints against police officers, sustained findings of misconduct, and crime within three police agencies located in the southwest United States. Prevailing law enforcement perception fueled by protests and riots infers that reducing proactive policing will decrease complaints. Using chi-square and binary logistic regression, this study analyzed 53,585 police and public contacts to answer three core questions. The statistical tests found a statistically significant inverse relationship between self-initiated police activity and complaints against police, with an odds ratio of 2.386 (95% CI: 1.62,3.50; p<.001). The findings indicate that officers who engage in self-initiated police activity have a 35.95% lower statistical probability of facing a citizen complaint. This study also found no statistically significant relationship between actual police misconduct and self-initiated police activity. The findings advocate for evidence-based decision-making based on statistical data, which found a reduced probability of complaints when law enforcement officers initiate public and police interactions. These findings contribute to positive social change by providing critical knowledge and information, and creating the potential for law enforcement officers and agencies to improve their relationships with the public by reducing complaints. Increasing self-initiated police activity provides a gateway to a reduction in crime and fewer complaints against police; therefore, data and information may motivate agencies and officers to increase self-initiated police activity to help reduce complaints and reduce crime.

Successful Strategies Used By Leaders In The U.S. Medical Device Industry To Increase Employee Engagement, Jason Brockway

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Disengaged employees present significant challenges to firm profitability and competitiveness in the U.S. medical device industry. Leaders of U.S. medical device firms are concerned disengaged employees could negatively impact organizational sustainability. The purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry study was to explore strategies used by leaders in the U.S. medical device industry to enhance employee engagement. Purposeful sampling of six medical device leaders in Massachusetts was used; participants held leadership roles, had at least five years of leadership experience, and were directly involved in employee engagement. The study was grounded in Kahn’s engagement theory, focusing on psychological meaningfulness, safety, and …

Synthesis, Antibacterial Evaluation, And Prediction Of The Ability Of Corrosion Inhibition By Density Functional Theory Of Azo-Dyes Of Folic Acid, Athra G. Sager, Jawad Kadhim Abaies, Aseel F. Abdullah

Baghdad Science Journal

In this study, new folic acid (B9) derivatives (a–d) were synthesized by reacting diazonium salt (of folic acid) with different aromatic compounds including 1-naphthol, 2-naphthol, pyrocatechol, or resorcinol. One of Schiff bases (I) was prepared by reacting folic acid with 4-amino benzaldehyde. Then, azo compound (e) was synthesized by coupling Schiff base with 1-naphthol. The new azo compounds (a–e) were identified by FTIR, ¹HNMR spectroscopy, and by measurements of some physical properties. The current work investigated the physical characteristics of compounds (a–e) in order to select the best corrosion inhibitor. 6-311G⁺/(d, p) base set and Density Functional …

Beyond Diversity Initiatives: Building A Community Of Care In Scientific Societies, Richelle L. Tanner, Kathryn Wilsterman

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

"In this Professional Biologist article, we present one such reframing that centers individualized care through structural changes. We argue that psychological and sociological motivations of belonging and social capital in the academy are funda- mental challenges contributing to the cultural problems within STEM fields and are particularly present within professional scientific societies. In support of this argument, we present survey- based data alongside significant literature from the humanities. In this reframing supported by existing organizational culture literature and our survey results, we suggest that scientific societies are uniquely positioned to promote significant cultural change within STEM by focusing on building …

Library Resources @ The D'Azzo Research Library, Sara Craycraft

AFIT Library Knowledge Base

No abstract provided.