Digital Commons Network^™

Monitoring The Qosh Tepa Canal Project: A Geospatial Timeline Of Taliban Water Diversion, Enerel L. Crosslin

Honors Thesis

The World Food Program states that “acute malnutrition in Afghanistan is above emergency thresholds in 25 out of 34 provinces and is expected to worsen”. Aiming to support agriculture, the Taliban began to build the 285 km “Qosh Tepa Canal” to divert 17% of the Amu Darya, which supports the livelihoods of millions of people in downstream Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. The World Bank estimated that roughly 2.4 million Central Asians could become climate refugees by 2050. Our objectives are to create a timeline of satellite imagery of the canal’s construction. Our research questions are (1) Can we characterize water diversion …

Logic's Modern British Up-Enders, Defenders, And Extenders: Whately's Revitalization Of Logic, Calvin Jongsma

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Logic developed dramatically during the last half of the nineteenth century. The baseline for these transformations in Great Britain was the revival of logic by Richard Whately around 1825. Whately successfully defended syllogistic logic as the science of valid reasoning against potent seventeenth and eighteenth-century detractors—Bacon, Locke, Reid, Campbell, Stewart, and others. In so doing, he made logic an intellectually respectable field of investigation for the next generation of logicians to explore and extend. This included John Stuart Mill (inductive logic), Augustus De Morgan (logic of relations), and George Boole (algebraic logic; propositional logic).

Elementary Teachers' Perception Of Preparedness For The Elementary Science Classroom, Julie Spino

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation explores the perception of preparedness among elementary teachers to effectively teach three-dimensional science lessons as advocated by the Next Generation Science Standards. A mixed methods approach combining qualitative interviews with quantitative analysis was employed to gain a full understanding of variables that are related to teachers feeling prepared for the classroom and what aspects of teacher preparation and professional experience are areas of success or areas of growth in terms of implementing effective science instruction in a large school district in southeastern Tennessee. Findings revealed teachers completing a full semester of student teaching perceived themselves to be significantly …

Solar Thermochemical Conversion Of Co2 Into Fuels Using Ni-Ferrite Driven Redox Reactions: Thermodynamic Efficiency Analysis, Andrea Stevens

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The growing levels of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in our atmosphere are a significant driver of climate change, highlighting the need for innovative strategies to utilize this greenhouse gas. One promising solution is solar-driven thermochemical CO₂ splitting (CDS), which can convert CO₂ into carbon monoxide (CO)—a vital component for producing syngas and fuels. This study examines the thermodynamic performance of nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4) as a redox material in solar thermochemical CO₂ splitting processes. To evaluate how different factors influence the efficiency of this process, a detailed thermodynamic model was created. This model looks at how variations in inert gas flow rates …

Hive City, Jared Lambert

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This thesis contains two parts: a craft paper on interiority and four chapters of a new adult dystopian fiction novel. The craft paper focuses on interiority by conveying the protagonist’s unique perspective of the novel’s world by analyzing two dystopian fiction novels, No Coincidence by Rafał Kosik and Thin Air by Richard K. Morgan. Hive City focuses on Monica, a gun-for-hire working to live up to the dream of the brother she killed, as she accepts a job to steal medical equipment from an intermediary that she doesn’t quite trust. Things go awry though when the equipment she’s expected to …

Disulfide-Cleavable Linkers In Antibody-Drug Conjugates For Targeted Cancer Therapy, Emily Hwang

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This project aims to discover a way to improve the safety of and reduce adverse side effects of disulfide-linked antibody-drug conjugates. Disulfide-cleavable linkers for antibody-drug conjugates function by exploiting the differential concentrations of dominant thiol species in the blood plasma and in the cytosol of malignant cells. This project aimed to identify a relationship between the stability of disulfide cleavable linkers in the blood plasma and disulfide linker structure, to prevent premature release of the cytotoxic drug. Three disulfide linker analogs with varying carbon chain lengths were synthesized through reaction with 2,2’-dipyridyl disulfide. Each analog was conjugated to a fluorescent …

Semiconductors In Space: Data Analysis Of Microgravity's Impact On Crystal Formation, Keegan Jo Jackson

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Comprehensive data analysis on crystal growth in microgravity is a requisite to inform understanding of prior work. Our research constructed and analyzed a database containing data gathered from research focusing on semiconductors grown in microgravity. Data curation spanned multiple decades, countries, and semiconductor materials. All relevant reported information was recorded in the database, notably data regarding the metrics used to determine the impact space had on crystal growth: size, structure, uniformity, and performance. After data cleaning and data processing, the database was organized and readied for analysis. Data analysis was performed using RStudio and SciKit-learn. RStudio was employed for data …

Is The Price Of Organic Foods Worth The Potential Benefits To Your Health?, Jenna C. Warren

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

What foods are healthier for you? This study will determine this based on where the food comes from, including the meat, dairy, and farming industries and how they treat animals and plants, and the nutrients these foods contain. From these findings, this study will choose foods for an average American’s three meals in a day for a organic and non-organic option. Then, it will compare the prices of a typical day’s worth of food and determine whether the price is worth the quality of food you are consuming.

Career Aspirations And Gender Norms: How Socialization Influences Women’S Professional Choices, Emily Rose Hunt

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

While legal frameworks grant women equal rights and opportunities to participate in any occupation, gender inequality continues in part due to the persistent gender segregation within the workforce. Gender socialization places women into roles that limit their occupational opportunities, so this study explores women’s understanding of their career options based upon the potential constraints that come from their identity as a woman. This study uses a qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews conducted with students at Butler University to gather information on women’s personal perspectives on how their gender impacted their perceived career options. A sample of nine undergraduate women were …

Looking Green: A Rhetorical Analysis Of Greenwashing In Fossil Fuel Advertisements, Elizabeth Schohn Hein

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

The world’s leading oil and gas companies knew the impact of fossil fuels on climate change as early as the late 1970s. Despite this knowledge, the fossil fuel industry proceeded to invest money in publicly denying the link between burning fossil fuels and climate change. There is increasing hindrance by American consumers towards fossil fuels as the consequences of their extraction and production become more glaring and evident in the environmental destruction and consequences of climate change across the globe. Growing environmental concerns about the impacts of fossil fuels, like oil and natural gas, from the general public resulted in …

Data Portability Revisited: Toward The Human-Centric, Ai-Driven Data Ecosystems Of Tomorrow, Mark Fenwick Professor Of International Business Law, Michael Fertik Managing Partner, Paulius Jurcys Senior Lecturer, Timo Minssen Professor Of Law

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

This Article critically examines the contemporary regulatory framework and discourse surrounding data portability in the United States. Using recent regulatory developments in the European Union as an illustration, this Article suggests that although data access and portability are identified as vital issues in multiple policy instruments, in its current iteration, at least, legal conceptions of portability continue to reinforce the interests of service providers and data controller enterprises rather than individual end users. This Article argues that a paradigm shift toward a more human-centric data approach to data governance must occur, under which data would be recognized as fundamental to …

Routine, Twisty, And Queer: Pasts And Futures Of Games Programming Pedagogy With No And Low Code Tools, Daniel Cox, John Murray, Anastasia Salter

Faculty Publications – Creative Technologies

This paper traces a history of platforms targeting no-code and low-code audiences. It connects historical moments addressing accessibility challenges related to computer programming up through the more recent adoption of generative AI in game engines. Across these moments, this paper identifies communities that claimed authoring platforms, establishing their identity by rejecting other, potentially more efficient or expressive options. We argue these community dynamics have shaped the evolution of current game development platforms. By contextualizing current efforts in pedagogy as part of larger shifts in computer programming and game engine practice, we present a better understanding of the origins of platforms …

Overharvesting: The Why Of Biodiversity Loss, Andrew W. Torrance, Bill Tomlinson

Texas A&M Journal of Property Law

This Article examines the consequences of overharvesting biodiversity, focusing on its detrimental effects on biodiversity—on the biosphere, ecosystems, communities, populations, and individual organisms. It evaluates legal mechanisms designed to protect biodiversity from overharvesting and also considers legal mechanisms that lead to overharvesting to the detriment of biodiversity. The Article compares regulations and laws from multiple jurisdictions, including Europe, Oceania, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, and analyzes how these regulations and laws seek to curb overharvesting. Examples include the United States’s Endangered Species Act, Canada’s Wild Animal and Plant Protection Act, and the European Union’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive. International conventions …

Successful Management Of Human Parainfluenza Virus-3 Outbreak In A Tertiary Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Nabiha A. Bouafia, Mohammed F. Qureshi, Reham Q. Alwetishi, Naoufel M. Kaabia, Dalal Bukhari, Mohammed A. Althomali, Souad M. Alateah, Fawaz T. Kashlan, Hania M. Farhan, Ziyad H. Alhaje

Saudi Medical Journal

ABSTRACT Objectives: To describe the role of infection control measures in controlling human parainfluenza virus type 3 (HPIV-3) outbreaks in the neonatal intensive care unit of a tertiary military hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: This single center, retrospective study collected clinical and diagnostic data from date to date. We collected nasopharyngeal swabs from symptomatic patients and processed using multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction assays to detect HPIV-3. Results: The HPIV-3 outbreak occurred between December 2022 and January 2023, and affected 22 patients (mean age: 13 months), among whom 18 had underlying chronic medical conditions. Most patients (n=18) presented with …

Animation Therapy, Leah Bernhardt

Honors Theses

Can viewing a meditative animation help student athletes with their mental health? My creative project involves seven one-minute animations that are based on the concept of the seven chakras found in the physical body. Each chakra has specific characteristics that can affect our emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. If we can learn how to keep these energies stable within the body, we can learn how to become mentally and physically balanced. My animation consists of animals that best represent each chakra's characteristics. The viewer can imagine themselves as that animal and incorporate those characteristics into their daily life. I presented …

May 2025, Pacific Alumni Association

Alumni News & Events

No abstract provided.

Unl Emeriti And Retirees Association Newsletter, May 2025

UNL Emeriti and Retirees Association: Newsletters and Other Materials

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Emeriti and Retirees Association Newsletter, May 2025

Expanding and enhancing the ERA President's message

Welcome to new members

ERA Board members

Wake up your well-being

Book review, Hello Beautiful

Service awards

A look ahead to programming

Recapping past programming

Memory moments

Influence Of Hearing Loss On Self-Reported Hearing Ability And Listening Fatigue In Persons With Aphasia, Ashlyn Kilgore

Honors Theses

Aphasia is an acquired disorder, often caused by stroke, that results in language deficits. It can greatly impact a person's ability to communicate with others. Cognitive deficits may accompany aphasia. Additionally, hearing loss is a disability likely to co-occur with aphasia, as they both most commonly impact the same age group. When a person has hearing loss, the quality of the auditory signal is degraded when it reaches the brain. The poor signal quality, compounded with linguistic and possible cognitive deficits that are associated with aphasia, makes it more difficult for persons with aphasia (PWA) to comprehend speech.

For all …

Binary Solid/Liquid Equilibrium Of Mixtures Of Thermally Robust Salts And Molecular Compounds For Use As Heat Transfer Fluids, Jared Ridge Mathews

Honors Theses

Fossil fuels, contributors to climate change that may bear catastrophic consequences, power the entire world. The human species is almost entirely dependent on fossil fuels for energy, but other sources of renewable and environmentally friendly energy must be developed. Concentrated solar power (CSP) is a promising source of renewable energy with hampered potential—better heat transfer fluids (HTFs) are needed for it to be economically feasible. Currently, the HTFs in industrial use are predominantly either synthetic oils or nitrate-based molten salts. Synthetic oils are only stable up to 400 °C, and molten salts often have high melting temperatures, making them prone …

Design And Optimization Of Aquaculture Gear: Development Of A Cage-Integrated Reeling Mechanism For Oyster Farming, Felicity Bryant

Honors Theses

This project encompasses the design, fabrication, and testing of a cage-integrated reeling system aimed at reducing the physical labor required in oyster aquaculture at Bama Bay Oyster Farm, the last operational oyster farm in Mobile Bay. The proposed system includes two primary components: lightweight, modular oyster cages and a dual-winch reeling device for automated retrieval. Three cage prototypes—rectangular, oval, and hexagonal—were evaluated for structural performance and fabrication feasibility. The oval design was ultimately excluded due to practical fabrication limitations. The rectangular and hexagonal designs were fabricated using recycled materials and tested under the most extreme environmental conditions derived from years …

News Briefs Spring 2025, Georgia Library Quarterly

Georgia Library Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Electrochemically Precipitated Struvite Effects On Extractable Soil Nutrients, Owen Collins

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Struvite recovery from wastewater streams may provide an alternative to traditional fertilizer-phosphorus (P) sources, while also providing the benefit of reducing nitrogen and P loads in wastewater effluent and reducing effects of eutrophication in surface waters. Limited research has been conducted to assess the effects of struvite fertilization on concentrations of soil micronutrients and potassium (K) compared to other traditional fertilizer-P sources in historically agricultural soils. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of fertilizer-P source (i.e., synthetically produced electrochemically precipitated struvite [ECST], chemically precipitated struvite [CPST], monoammonium phosphate [MAP], diammonium phosphate [DAP], triple superphosphate [TSP], rock …

Extraction Of Bioethanol From Seaweed Via Hydrolysis And Fermentation Using Mass-Produced Enzymes And Yeast, Timilehin Esther Oluwole

Master's Theses

The increasing global energy demand, depletion of fossil fuel reserves, and environmental concerns have driven the search for sustainable biofuel alternatives. Seaweeds (macroalgae) are promising feedstocks for bioethanol production due to their high carbohydrate content, rapid growth rates, lack of lignin, and non-competition with arable land. This study investigates the bioethanol production potential of three seaweed species, Codium fragile, Monostroma grevillei, and Fucus distichus, using enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation via Separate Hydrolysis and Fermentation (SHF) and Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation (SSF) processes. Hydrolysis was catalyzed using either α-Amylase or Celluclast 1.5L, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae was employed for fermentation. Out of …

Founders' Day And Honors Convocation Exercises - May 2025, Prairie View A&M University

Commencement and Convocation Exercises

No abstract provided.

Effects Of The Gravity Gradient On The Path Of 1i/‘Oumuamua, Hannah R. Richardson

Poster Presentations

In October 2017, the asteroid 1I/’Oumuamua first passed into viewing range [1]. The asteroid is notable for being the first interstellar object to enter the solar system. 1I/’Oumuamua was also unusual in its geometry; it is thought to have an aspect ratio of 6:1 and a length of approximately 400 m [2] [3]. The asteroid was observed to experience a non-Keplerian acceleration estimated to be on the order of 1×10−6 m s-2 Several theories have been proposed for the cause of this acceleration, all of which are non-gravitational in nature: volatile outgassing, photon pressure, and solar winds [1][4]. However, none …

How Do Simulated Phishing Attacks Impact Cybersecurity Awareness And The Enhancement Of Security Protocols Among Faculty Members In A University Environment?, Navnoor Sandhu

University Honors Program Senior Projects

Phishing attacks are cyber threats where attackers deceive users into performing actions that compromise the user’s security and benefit the attacker. In 2024 alone, phishing attacks have resulted in estimated damages of around 800 million dollars [1]. In response, many institutions have implemented internal simulated phishing attacks to enhance their employees' cybersecurity awareness. This training exercise has been proven beneficial in improving cybersecurity awareness on an enterprise scale[4]. This study aims to evaluate the potential effectiveness of a simulated phishing attack within a university setting, which is a relatively unseen practice thus far. Universities, like other secure organizations, store sensitive …

Reevaluating The Role Of Ruppia Maritima: Recruitment Dynamics And Habitat Use By Blue Crabs (Callinectes Sapidus) And Associated Benthic Fauna In A Mid-Atlantic Seagrass Community, Delaney St. Pierre

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The value of seagrasses as essential fish habitat is well recognized, but limited data exist on the value of one particular species, Ruppia maritima (widgeon grass), as habitat for fish and invertebrates. During the summer of 2024, I evaluated R. maritima, Zostera marina (eelgrass) and mixed beds to assess their relative value as habitat in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey. Results from throw traps indicated significant monthly differences for pipefish, gobies, blue crabs, grass shrimp, and sand shrimp, driven by active recruitment events. When evaluating habitat type, we found no taxa that were significantly more abundant in Z. marina habitat as …

Faculty Senate Chronicle May 1, 2025, Heather Loughney

The University of Akron Faculty Senate Chronicle

Minutes for the regular meeting of The University of Akron Faculty Senate on May 1, 2025

Gaussian Process Regression And Nested Sampling For Planetary Parameter Prediction, Alexandro Balarezo

Physics

In this project, we implemented a Gaussian Process (GP) regression framework using MATLAB to model two planetary (Earth) parameters, the surface temperature and albedo, as functions of planetary rotation rate and insolation (the amount of sunlight impinging on the planet). We used simulation data from the NASA ROCKE-3D general circulation model developed by the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS). The GP model generates a joint multivariate Gaussian distribution that is entirely captured by a covariance matrix and the output of a training data set. The covariance matrix is determined by the input data and the three hyperparameters a …

How Will Artificial Intelligence Impact The Roles, Skills, And Design Processes Of Ux Professionals In The Next 5 Years?, Olivia Behan

Informatics

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way we think about user experience (UX) design. This thesis explores how AI could impact the roles, skills, and design processes of UX professionals over the next five years. The research conducted consists of a mixed-methods approach, combining an online survey administered through Qualtrics to 50 survey respondents and a case study, which included individually interviewing 3 UX professionals over Zoom, to gather data and personal insights. The results show that while AI has the power and potential to make some parts of UX work faster, like research analysis, prototyping, and automating redundant tasks, …