Digital Commons Network^™

Adjustable Dynamometer Motor Mount, Garrett Carson Ng, Elijah Siegel Reuven, Ethan Fong, Daniel Larimer

Mechanical Engineering

The Cal Poly Electrical Engineering Department and sponsor Dr. Dolan needs a manufacturable motor fixture that securely aligns motors of various sizes with dynamometers. Previous lab motor fixtures could not accommodate motors of different sizes, making precise alignment between motors and dynamometers time-consuming and unreliable. Our team developed a modular, manufacturable fixture capable of aligning various motor sizes quickly, accurately, and securely, enhancing lab consistency and usability.

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On The Curriculum Orientations Of High School Teachers, Matthew G. Howard

Education Doctorate Dissertations

Teacher beliefs, particularly about the aims of education, impact what they teach, how they teach, and how they assess learning. Understanding how those beliefs were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic offers insights about COVID’s long-term influence on education. This cross-sectional quantitative study utilized Eisner and Vallance’s (1974) curriculum orientations framework to examine the beliefs of high school teachers, as well as their perceived changes in belief after the pandemic. The study utilized the previously validated Survey of Curriculum Orientations (SCO) as an instrument. A total of 305 high school teachers from a large school district in a major metropolitan area …

Teaching The Arc Of Electric Spark: Igniting Curiosity, Creativity, And Innovation Throughout The Law School Curriculum, Jason G. Dykstra

Northern Illinois University Law Review

A heighted velocity of change enveloped the legal profession over the last three decades. From big law to rural practitioners, the traditional law firm model of billing time by the hour proved ripe for disruption. Technological advances automated many once-billable activities; enhanced client sophistication and cost-consciousness restricted law firm revenue by imposing billing guidelines and alternative fee arrangements; clients increasingly retain legal work in-house; and global competition allowed legal services to be disaggregated and outsourced to the lowest cost provider. The net effect of this disruption is reflected in the revenue of the legal services sector, which adjusted for inflation, …

Icylib: A Scalable Solution For Reproducible Image Classification Workflows, Leo Williams

Data Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

With the rapid expansion of e-commerce over time, ensuring the diversity and quality of product images has become a critical challenge infeasible for human completion. In conjunction with Walmart Global Tech for the Team 1 Data Science Practicum Project, image classification models were trained to assess product image sets, but training and deploying such models often involves repetitive code and inefficient processes. This thesis presents a reusable modeling library, named IcyLib, designed to streamline the training, validation, and testing of image classification models as well as dataset importation using PyTorch. IcyLib provides a structured yet flexible approach for model implementation, …

Extending Simulation-Enhanced Bayesian Optimization Of System Designs: A Computational Study, Luke Kim

Data Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

This honors thesis builds off work initially accepted for publication in the Proceedings of the 2025 IISE Annual Conference & Expo, which introduced “Simulation-Enhanced Bayesian Optimization” (SEBO)—a hybrid testing optimization approach that combined the usage of unbiased but costly physical experiments with the usage of cheaper but potentially biased computer experiments to optimize engineered systems. The original study established the SEBO methodology and demonstrated its effectiveness on a multimodal, two-dimensional benchmark function. Expanding on the work performed, we conduct a broader evaluation of the SEBO framework through parameter testing and experimentation under a variety of additional benchmark functions. This investigation …

Fabrination: Procedural Systems In Game Design, Jason Beal

Master of Fine Arts in Digital Media Culminating Experience

Procedural and parametric methods have brought the automated creation of digital assets, with the assistance of tools made with procedural algorithms has allowed for a semi-automated and non-destructive workflow for the creation of finely detailed and high-quality assets in game design and more. This paper explores the important tools and methods that are used to create these assets and custom tools made for the creation of these assets, concerning three-dimensional models and game maps that can be generated at runtime. Tool creators can use rules, noise, modifiers, and generative algorithms to give users the ability to create massive content with …

Encouraging Engaging Gameplay Through Zoologically Based Creature Design, Lily Gresham

Master of Fine Arts in Digital Media Culminating Experience

This culminating experience project showcases a full understanding of the process for making game ready creature models. By designing three creatures meant to provide unique challenges in their creation, the author demonstrates understanding and flexibility in the skills of 3D modelling, digital sculpting, UV unwrapping, and texturing. Each creature is meant to, in its own way, encourage engaging gameplay in the hypothetical video game they belong to.

Drainage Area Limitations Of Single Watershed, Peak Flow Estimates From Nrcs Methods, Timothy A. Maughan, Rollin H. Hotchkiss, Riley Hales

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Most state Department of Transportation roadway design sections predict peak flow for culvert design using, amongst other approaches, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) TR-20 technology. Even though this technology is more than 50 years old, there are no clear guidelines for how large a single watershed drainage area may be while remaining appropriate for predicting peak discharge with this method. Our objective was to identify the drainage area where TR-20 peak flow predictions significantly deviate from flow frequency predictions. We developed flow frequency estimates for 130 small-area stream gage sites in rural Nebraska and compared the calculated return period discharges …

Becoming A Computer Scientist: Multimethods To Make Sense Of Professional Computer Scientist Identity Development, Tim Ransom

All Dissertations

Professional identity development is both a powerful pedagogical tool and an excellent indicator of overall life satisfaction for students.

This work investigates the experience of undergraduate students as they develop their professional identities into computer scientists. A multimethod research plan makes use of quantitative ethnography (QE) and interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to understand the lived experiences of eight undergraduate computer science students professional computer scientist identity development and the messages social media presents about that professional identity.

First, a quantitative ethnography is conducted to investigate the expression of professional computer scientist identity in relevant online communities. This investigation into the …

Perceptions Of Identity And Blame Attribution In Sexual Harassment Scenarios, Avarie Lambert

Honors Theses

Sexual harassment is a widespread issue influenced by societal attitudes that stem from victim blaiming and rape myth acceptance. These perceptions are often shaped by the identities of the parties involved, however there is limited research on how gender and race influence blame attribution. The purpose of this study is to examine how different identities shape public perceptions of victims in sexual harassment scenarios. Through using a nationwide sample and survey experiment, participants were randomly assigned to receive one of eight different hypothetical scenarios that differed by the race and gender of the victim, and the gender of the perpetrator. …

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

Honors Theses

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 s2 . 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, …

Composition And Rich/Lean Loading-Dependent Density Measurements Of A Series Of Aqueous Ionic Amines For Co2 Capture, Claudia Nguyen

Honors Theses

As climate change worsens worldwide, there is a drive to develop more efficient and sustainable methods to mitigate its impact through carbon capture methods like carbon dioxide scrubbing. Carbon scrubbing directly captures carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from industries or power plants before they are released into the environment. The CO2 captured can be utilized for various applications or can be stored underground. However, this method faces numerous challenges, such as the degradation of the solvent or corrosion of equipment. As a result, research has expanded to find a better medium to overcome these issues. In particular, aqueous ionic amines (AIA) …

Toxicity And Biodegradability Of Novel Boronium Vs Conventional Ammonium-Based Antimicrobial Compounds In Wastewater Treatment Systems, Noor Shalan

Honors Theses

Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) are highly effective as disinfectants, herbicides, and pesticides; thus, overuse causes elevated levels of residual toxicity in domestic and industrial wastewater. QACs can be toxic to essential bacteria breaking down pollutants in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and can remain untreated in effluent, harming the environment, and contributing to antibiotic resistance, posing risks to human health. Novel boronium-based antimicrobial compounds have demonstrated efficacy in eliminating bacteria, fungi, and viruses. If the boronium compounds exhibit lower residual toxicity, they could offer a promising alternative to QACs. Because these compounds are still in development, their potential toxicity to the …

The Guardian The Month Of May 2025, Wright State Student Body

The Guardian Student Newspaper

News articles from The Guardian for the Month of May 2025. The Guardian is the official student-run newspaper for Wright State University. It has been published regularly since March of 1965.

Food Inspections: Searching For Contamination (And Solutions) In A Haystack, Abigail Schneider, Benjamin Kelly, Michael S. Sinha

Journal of Food Law & Policy

Food recalls in the United States often reveal serious mismanagement and structural issues in both government and private industry, yet they have become unremarkable and even expected in our modern world. The procedure employed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) to monitor food manufacturing is a valuable process which protects every person who lives in the United States. However, the effects of monitoring as a tool for oversight is limited if there is no efficient response when problems arise. FDA inspects pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food manufacturing facilities both domestically and abroad. When those inspections reveal the presence of …

Jtc 25: The Warmth Of A Teacher’S Light, Jennifer Parsons

University of Mississippi News

This story is part of the 2025 Journey to Commencement series, which celebrates the pinnacle of the academic year by highlighting University of Mississippi students and their outstanding academic and personal journeys from college student to college graduate.

Which Costimulatory Domains In Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells Induce Cytokine Responses That Are Linked To A More Toxic Car T Cell Therapy In Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia?, Elisabeth Cohen

Longwood Senior Thesis Proposal

No abstract provided.

Understanding And Modeling Pooled Rideshare Acceptance: Influential Factors, Preferred User Experiences, And Implications, Rakesh Gangadharaiah

All Dissertations

This dissertation explores factors influencing pooled rideshare (PR) adoption to provide actionable insights for transportation network companies (TNCs) and policymakers. PR allows travelers to share rides with unknown passengers, offering benefits such as cost reduction and congestion relief. However, adoption remains limited due to safety concerns, privacy issues, and trust in rideshare platforms. A national U.S. survey with 5,385 respondents examined transportation preferences and barriers to PR adoption. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses identified five key factors influencing PR consideration—safety, service experience, privacy, traffic/environment, and time/cost. Second factor analyses examined ways to optimize PR experiences, revealing four factors—comfort/ease of use, …

The Interplay Of Housing Instability And Mathematics During Adolescence: A Retrospective Study Of Black Stem Folx, Sharetta M. W. Bufford

All Dissertations

Few studies have delved into the delicate nuances that impact Black students’ mathematics performance, nor have they paid much attention to the resources students leverage to overcome systems that perpetuate negative stereotypes about Black youth. For decades, studies about Black youth have been explored from a deficit perspective, shedding negative light on circumstances typically beyond the control of those being studied. Even more, some studies have placed blame on parents and parental figures in the lives of Black children for unacceptable school behavior and poor academic progress (Cobb II & Russell, 2015). Black youth have been portrayed as problematic, disruptive, …

Survival Signature Estimation For All-Terminal Networks By Solving The Multi-Objective Bottleneck Spanning Tree Problem, Dewan Maisha Zaman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research examines the problem of estimating the survival signature of all-terminal networks using Monte Carlo (MC) simulation. Following a recent similar result for twoterminal networks, we show that the work required within each MC replication corresponds to solving a multi-objective bottleneck spanning tree (MOBST) problem. We implement the resulting MC procedure using a “Blocks” algorithm from the literature to solve the MOBST in each replication by identifying its minimal set of non-dominated points. We compare this implementation against intuitive benchmark procedures for completing the work within an MC replication. We conduct numerical experiments to assess the efficacy of multi-objective …

Proving The Matrix: On The Admissibility And Use Of Prior Negotiation Evidence As An Aid To Contractual Interpretation, Daniele Bertolini

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

This article examines the relevance and admissibility of prior negotiation evidence in contract interpretation. According to a long-established common law rule (“exclusionary rule”), the evidence of pre-contract negotiations is not admissible as an aid to contract interpretation. This study argues that the exclusionary rule is unjustified and should be abandoned. Judges should be allowed to use prior negotiation evidence to support inferences about the existence of the empirical facts constituting the relevant factual matrix, while the use of such evidence should not be allowed to support interpretive inferences about the meaning of the contract language. The distinction between empirical and …

Investigating The Role Of Soundscape Properties And Genetic Material As Sentinel Indicators Of The Acoustic Environment In Gulf Of Maine Coastal Marine Ecosystems, Grant Alexander Milne

Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT By identifying soundscape properties and taxa detected with metabarcoding that accurately predict substrate composition, assumptions about propagative properties of the environment can be rapidly formed without the use of active acoustic sensing or invasive environmental sampling techniques. “Sentinel indicators,” are variables, processes, or components within ecosystems that can be measured or quantified and have sensitivity to environmental pressures. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) and metabarcoding of seawater samples (MSS) are two minimally invasive potential methods of identifying sentinel indicators of soundscape and propagation properties of marine habitats by detecting the presence of marine taxa and extracting information from soundscapes. To …

The Trials And Tribulations Of Building An Ebike From Recycled Parts, Olivia Conrady

Senior Honors Projects

The United States is far from being “walkable” in most suburban areas. Though public transportation has grown in its infrastructure in some large cities, it is far from sufficient. As a result of this, millions of people drive their cars every single day -- a practice that is unsustainable and becoming an increasingly evident issue. One possible solution that has become popular is the use of electric bicycles, since they are less physically taxing than a normal bike and allow for quicker transport. Though electric bicycles have been on the rise, they are still well outside of many people’s budget, …

Development And Characterization Of Quercetin-Loaded Microparticles Via Spray Drying For Pulmonary Drug Delivery Applications, Daniel Jose Perez Torres, Samantha Ann Meenach

Senior Honors Projects

Pulmonary inflammation is associated with respiratory

disorders such as pulmonary arterial hypertension and chronic

obstructive pulmonary disease. A hallmark of these diseases is

an increase in reactive oxygen species in the body, leading to

further inflammation and acerbation of these diseases.

Fortunately, a class of natural products termed plant-derived

flavonoids have been found to alleviate inflammation and

oxidative stress in lung tissue, making them promising

therapeutic agents for the treatment of pulmonary diseases.

Flavonoids are accessible and cost-effective, with quercetin

being one of the most commonly consumed flavonoids in the

human diet. Despite its therapeutic potential, the efficacy of

quercetin …

Understanding The Role Of Sabp2-Interacting Proteins Sip432: A Premnaspirodiene Oxygenase Enzyme In Stress Signaling, Cristiana F. Martinez

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study focuses on the characterization of a SABP2-interacting protein (SIP)-432. SIP432 is a putative premnaspirodiene oxygenase-like P450 enzyme. Premnaspirodiene is a 15-carbon compound that can be converted into antimicrobial compounds by a hydroxylation reaction. The interaction of SIP432 with SABP2, a critical component of salicylic acid-mediated plant immunity, implies a role for SIP432 in plant stress signaling. This study uses the T-DNA knockout mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana SIP432 (homolog of NtSIP432) to help understand its role in abiotic and biotic stress responses. Plants were subjected to abiotic and biotic stress to understand their role in stress response pathways. Gene …

Designing Hmi And Scada Laboratory Work For Engineering Students, Julianne Barteck

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Human-machine interfaces are, essentially, the user interfaces used to monitor industrial facility machines and systems, which makes them a common industry tool in engineering. At East Tennessee State University, while human-machine interfaces are briefly covered in lecture and graduate students have set up some basic hands-on work, there exist no formal lab work for students on the topic. This thesis explores the literature surrounding the design of labs for a STEM or engineering-specific university class, and applies the recommendations and methods within that literature to design two laboratory guides on human-machine interfaces. These labs are intended to be implemented in …

Considerations Regarding The Accountant Shortage, Accounting Student Recruitment, And Efforts To Mitigate The Ongoing Shortage, Kellen T. Hixon

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The accounting profession is currently facing a well-documented talent shortage that has been building for a number of years. Some of the factors leading to this are fewer students choosing accounting because of higher wages in other careers as well as many CPAs retiring in the coming years. This paper considers the challenges of getting students in the door to accounting and examines the reasons why they are not choosing accounting. It also examines what accounting firms are doing to fight the workforce shortage, gains the perspective of state CPA societies on the 150 hour rule and how it is …

A Multi-Scale Compartmental Model For Glucose Regulation And Diabetes Treatment, Andrew M. Watts

Honors Theses

Glucose is a fundamental energy source for cellular function, and its regulation is critical for maintaining metabolic stability in the human body. Glucose homeostasis is governed by a network of biochemical processes involving multiple organ systems that coordinate glucose production, storage, and uptake. Disruptions in this regulation contribute to metabolic disorders such as diabetes mellitus, underscoring the need for mathematical models that provide a mechanistic understanding of systemic glucose dynamics. Herein, we report a multi-time scale discrete-time dynamical systems model using compartmental difference equations to describe glucose concentrations across key physiological compartments. By quantitatively modeling glucose transport and metabolism, this …

Pharmacy Matters - May 2025, University Of Mississippi School Of Pharmacy

Pharmacy Matters Newsletters

Featured stories: Natural Products Center Marks 30 Years of Advancing Research, Safety, Third-year Pharmacy Students Celebrate Milestone with Patch Ceremony, Journey to Commencement: Ahmed Orabi's Journey to Pharm.D. Spans Continents, School of Pharmacy Celebrates Academic Achievements, Leadership, APhA Student Chapter Takes Home Awards, Pioneering Cannabis Research: UM Leads New National Resource Center, Pharmacy Student Benefits from Foundation Scholarship

Dean's Research Newsletter, May 2025, Neil W. Schluger

SOM Dean's Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.