Digital Commons Network^™

Online Ppo-Based Multi-Hop Task Offloading Strategy For Vehicular Edge Computing, Wenzhu Zhang, Yuewei Bian, Fuli Xiong, Siqi Cai

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To address the problems of frequent communication link interruptions caused by dynamic network topologies and the sharp increase in computational complexity triggered by high-dimensional decision spaces in the vehicular edge computing (VEC) environment, a multi-hop task offloading strategy for VEC based on an online PPO algorithm was proposed. A multi-hop task offloading optimization model simultaneously considering link effective time, transmission rate, and computing resource constraints was constructed; a multi-hop A* path search algorithm integrating link stability and end-to-end delay was designed; an online offloading decision framework based on PPO was proposed, which transformed the 0-1 mixed integer nonlinear programming …

Research On Temporal Action Localization Methods For Cross-Modal Understanding, Jinwei Li, Xiaoyang Liu, Rusheng Ju

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To address the problems of insufficient localization accuracy and high model complexity in the temporal action localization (TAL) task for video-text cross-modal understanding, an anchor-free action transformer (AFAT) model was proposed. Based on the anchor-free framework, the local self-attention mechanism of Transformer was introduced to enhance the global modeling capability of temporal features. A multi-scale feature pyramid structure was combined to strengthen the representation of actions with different durations, and a lightweight predictor was adopted to reduce computational redundancy. Experimental results show that the average precision of this model on the THUMOS14 dataset is significantly improved compared with the …

Learning From Lochner: When Children Are Harmed By Technological Revolutions, Brooke Hodson Davies

Utah Law Review

Drawing on parallels from child labor reform in the Second Industrial Revolution, this Note argues that stopping Big Tech’s harm to children in the Fourth Industrial Revolution requires Congressional legislation and judicial avoidance of Lochnerian approaches to the Constitution. Like its Big Business predecessors, today Big Tech maximizes profits by harming kids, necessitating government intervention of this market failure. Despite noble attempts, state-based efforts have been rendered relatively ineffective due to legislative non-uniformity, interstate competition, and enforcement limitations. Likewise, federal regulations currently in place fall short and even shield Big Tech from liability. Consequently, Congressional action is urgently needed. Critically, …

From Theory To Practice Implementing A Mission, Vision, And Values Statement To Support Change In An Academic Library Liaison Program, Patricia Fiorillo, Kristy Padron

Faculty Scholarship

Academic library liaison programs historically varied in their functions and adapted to their organizational needs and priorities. This case study examines the integration of a mission, vision, and values statement into the liaison program at Florida Atlantic University Libraries. Originating from business and organizational theories, these statements have been adopted by nonprofit organizations, including academic libraries, to guide administrative processes and services. The study highlights a re-visioning of an established liaison program during a period of transition. This fostered a shared understanding of the library’s priorities and documented its goals and objectives. This alignment was particularly crucial as Florida Atlantic …

Fundamental Uncertainties Invalidate The Precision Of Obsidian Hydration Dating: A Rapa Nui Case Study, Robert Dinapoli, Carl P. Lipo

Anthropology Datasets

Obsidian hydration dating (OHD) measures water absorption into volcanic glass to estimate artifact age. Recent studies using infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy (IR-PAS) claim ±30-year precision, comparable to radiocarbon dating. We tested these claims by applying Bayesian hierarchical models to 242 published IR-PAS measurements from Rapa Nui (Easter Island). Standard OHD practice treats burial temperature and humidity as known constants; we instead modeled them as uncertain variables and propagated that uncertainty through the rate equation. Realistic dating uncertainties are ±300 years, ten times larger than the claimed value. The 95% credible interval for any individual date (~600 years) exceeds Rapa Nui's entire …

Beyond Ai Detection: A Pilot Study Of Integrevise And Viva-Based Verification Of Student Understanding In Ai-Mediated Assessment, James Hutson, Kyle Poyer, Kelvin Adshola Atologun

Faculty Scholarship

This article examines the Integrevise platform through a repeated cross-sectional, multicycle pilot case study of viva-based verification in AI-mediated assessment environments. Integrevise pairs a submitted written artifact with a short adaptive viva in which students explain their work, reasoning, and application in their own words. Rather than functioning as an AI detector or automated grading system, the platform operates as a diagnostic assessment layer intended to surface comprehension, authorship confidence, and disengagement risk before final grades become the only available signal. The pilot was conducted across Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 at a private liberal arts college in the Midwest; …

Electronic Resource Updates - 2026 Q2, Brigitte Galauner, Gregg Harris

Electronic Resources Quarterly Updates

No abstract provided.

Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 41. Violet Wallace’S ‘Natural History For Infants’, Charles H. Smith

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

In 1893 Violet Wallace (1869-1945), daughter of Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913), published a serialized work entitled ‘Natural History for Infants’.

Developing Solvent-Based Recycling Methods At Ambient Conditions To Regenerate Bisphenol A Diglycidyl Ether And Recover Metal Oxides From Epoxy Nanocomposites, Heaven Smith

Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Research Publications

No abstract provided.

Highly Confident But Slightly Uncertain: A Long Overdue Reinvention Of The School Scientific Method, Teaching - Volume 4, Stephen Demeo

Publications and Research

In Volume 4, the last book of the series, I continue the argument for greater parity between conceptual knowledge—the "what" of science—and methodological knowledge—the "how" of science—but in the context of teacher instruction. To this end, two literature reviews are presented: One on how students build confidence, specifically regarding the reliability or consistency of measurement or results, and the other on scientific uncertainty. Research studies focusing on student misconceptions are summarized and organized from the elementary to the college level. These literature reviews describe invaluable ways for teachers to improve their instruction, while providing examples of experiments that can be …

Thermal And Mechanical Properties Of Zirconium Carbide Manufactured Via Ceramic On-Demand Extrusion, Clare Sabata, Yue Zhou, Jeremy L. Watts, Gregory E. Hilmas

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Zirconium carbide (ZrC) was fabricated by material extrusion additive manufacturing (AM) followed by pressureless sintering at 2000°C for two hours, achieving a relative density of 90.3 %. SEM analysis revealed grains of 4.6 ± 1.8 μm; XRD confirmed single phase ZrC. A stoichiometry of ZrC_0.92 was determined by XPS. Four-point flexure testing exhibited a strength of 331.3 ± 57.1 MPa and Young's modulus of 232.8 ± 13.1 GPa. Vickers hardness was 13.6 ± 1.0 GPa and 11.6 ± 0.5 GPa at 4.91 and 9.81 N, respectively. Indentation fracture resistance was 2.9 ± 0.2 MPa⋅m^1/2; Griffith analysis confirmed …

Influence Of Stormwater Flooding Events On The Mobile County School District Student Population, Kadence Kali Johnston

Honors Theses

Mobile County, Alabama, receives among the highest annual rainfall totals in the United States resulting in frequent stormwater flooding that intersects with existing socioeconomic vulnerabilities. Within the Mobile County Public School System (MCPSS), 77% of students are economically disadvantaged and over 10% experience homelessness, creating heightened risk for educational disruption during flood events. This study investigates how stormwater flooding influences school attendance, closures, and academic performance across MCPSS, providing insight into how climate-driven hazards exacerbate educational inequities. The research integrates flood frequency, school performance metrics, and GIS flood-zone mapping and teacher perceptions to understand how flooding affects student learning opportunities. …

How Does High-Oil Sorghum Change Potential Extracellular Enzyme Activity Across Soil Depth Profiles Under Drought Conditions?, Krystal Monique Role, Rounak Patra, Wendy Yang

MICRO-CCS student projects

Transgenic oil sorghum reallocates photosynthate-carbon (C) into vegetative lipids, accumulating nonstructural lipids in both shoot and root tissues. Altered plant C allocation and root lipid accumulation may shift root exudate chemistry, belowground C inputs, and microbial nutrient demand throughout the soil profile. While aboveground productivity in high-oil sorghum is well-characterized, its belowground impacts on soil microbial enzyme activity and exchangeable cation dynamics, especially across soil horizons under drought stress remain unknown.

Project objective was to find out how transgenic high oil sorghum (Tx-HO1) influences CNP acquiring extracellular enzyme activities and soil exchangeable cation dynamics across soil horizons under drought and …

Food Insecurity, Economic Shocks, Poverty, And Inequality In Nigeria, Ibrahim Tijjani Salihu, Jahen F. Rezki

Jurnal Ekonomi dan Pembangunan Indonesia

Drawing on the 2018/2019 Nigeria General Household Survey — a nationally representative sample of 5,000 households across six geopolitical zones obtained using multi-stage stratified sampling — this study applied linear probability and probit models to examine poverty’s socioeconomic drivers. Findings show food insecurity and economic shocks worsen poverty, while remittances, credit access, employment, safety nets, and education help reduce it. Using poverty indices and the Gini coefficient, the analysis found rural households face greater poverty incidence, depth, and severity than urban households, despite urban areas showing marginally higher income inequality. Inequality among lower-income households, however, was nearly identical across both …

What Is Media Authenticity?: A Guide To Detecting Authentic Media Literacy, Kawan Yarbrough

Theses

This project seeks to answer the question of what media authenticity is, as it relates to different forms of popular media such as social media and content creators, content consumers that also actively post on social media, Reality Television and also touching base on how Artificial Intelligence has infiltrated the lives of many. Aside from discussing academia that has been published on this topic prior, my project will additionally include a quick guideline for being able to detect inauthentic media, and give quick points and recommendations for people that have no active media literacy training of any kind that can …

How Can Bison Conservation And Reintroduction Onto Native Prairie Habitat Increase Land Health And Restore Indigenous Cultural Importance?, Malaney Peterson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

For millenia, bison roamed the native prairie by the millions, stretching from the rain shadow of the Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi River, and from Canada down to Texas. This once thriving ecosystem quickly went from thriving to near extinction within a few decades after the arrival of Europeans in North America. The downfall of the bison was a strategic plan devised not only to eliminate bison, but also indigenous peoples and the prairie on which they lived. According to research, both bison and the native prairie are considered to be ecologically extinct, meaning they will never be able to …

Supplementing Middle School Students’ Science Education With A Unit Design That Incorporates Outdoor, Nature-Based Programming, Tasha Sopp

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project seeks to address the research question: how to develop a standards-aligned, nature-based field trip program that promotes authentic scientific inquiry for middle school students and supplements their learning? This project consists of a five-week ecology unit designed for 7th grade students that incorporates a nature-based field trip component as an anchoring phenomenon. Key influences of the curriculum from the literature review include the integration of inquiry-based instruction alongside the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), three-dimensions of science learning, and influences of nature-based, place-based programming throughout the unit and within the field trip component. Research suggests that hands-on, explorative, …

Read. Click. Grow: Comparing Digital And Traditional Print-Based Approaches To Support Foundational Reading Development In Elementary Classrooms, Carla Pliego-Java

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Early literacy instruction provides an essential foundation for children’s long-term academic development, while the increasing presence of digital technology has changed how young students encounter and interact with text. This capstone examines how early literacy instruction supported by digital tools compares to traditional print-based instruction in supporting foundational reading development in elementary classrooms. The project was informed by research on early literacy development, evidence-based literacy instruction, digital literacy, traditional print-based instruction, technology integration, and equity and access. The research process also included qualitative observations and conversations with educators during a study abroad experience in Aberystwyth, Wales, which were compared with …

Fostering The Success Of Indigenous Students: How Educators Can Address Systemic Barriers In Schools, Samantha Hamlin

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This qualitative study sought to gain information into the connection that Indigenous students have with education and the ways that educators can work to make education more accessible. The study gave background knowledge as to the history of Indigenous people and the greater implications of colonization. It explores ways that educators could incorporate Indigenous knowledge into curriculum to uplift and engage Indigenous students. The accompanying project is a compilation of ideas for lesson plans across subject areas that teach through an Indigenous lens, rather than a white centered one. In the conclusion, implications and limitations of the study are discussed …

Advanced Mathematics In The Elementary School: Supporting Teachers And Students Through A Resource Compilation, Abigail Friedel

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Addressing the needs of every student within an elementary mathematics classroom is a difficult and time-consuming task that educators are charged with. The range of abilities in a general education classroom can span multiple grade levels, especially in upper elementary. Teachers are often encouraged to focus on students that are below grade level, which can lead to higher ability students being bored and disengaged when they are in the classroom (Livers et al., 2018). To address this issue, this capstone project seeks to answer the question of how can elementary classroom teachers best support their advanced learners in math after …

Hkc06 - Information Versus Attention In Flood Risk Disclosure, Dolores Albarracín, Timothy Hyde

Oberlin College Kasper Economics and Business Working Paper Series

Flood risk disclosure is expanding rapidly in real estate markets, but if disclosures move demand by commanding attention rather than by conveying information, theirwelfare effects are ambiguous. We examine this tension in a discrete choice experiment where 1,498 respondents make hypothetical choices among real Gulf Coast properties under a control condition and four disclosure formats varying in informational content and presentation. Absent disclosure, insurance costs barely influence choices; by contrast, when respondents are shown precise flood insurance estimates, they are willing to pay $3.34 in annualized housing costs to avoid each annual premium dollar. Using a separate beliefs elicitation, we …

Decoration Of Lactic Acid Bacterium By Exploiting In Vitro Sortase A Transpeptidase, Faisal Hamd Alqhtani

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Attaching a drug module to the surface of lactic acid bacteria was the main aim of this dissertation, and it was achieved. By using the Sortase A mechanism, the drug module (green fluorescent protein fused to the LPETG motif) was anchored to the LAB surface. To reach the final results, this dissertation will describe the process that I undertake to achieve the end goal. Modifying media, producing pure enzymes with less impurity, and reducing the protease activity in E. coli BL21 were all described in this five-chapter dissertation. Keywords: drug delivery, lactic acid bacteria, green fluorescent protein, sortase A, fusion …

Establishing Ferromagnetism In Van Der Waals Antiferromagnets Mps3, Dinesh Upreti

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recent discoveries of magnetism in low dimensions not only have gained fundamental scientific interest but also holds significant potential in numerous technological applications, such as spintronics. This has led to a wide range of efforts in the synthesis of new layered materials or tuning their existing magnetic properties, which has been instrumental in understanding the novel physical concept and development of new technological frontiers. Transition metal thiophosphate, MPS3, is a class of layered antiferromagnet family. The rich magnetic/crystal structure with delicate choice of transition metal (M) together with intriguing optical, electronic, and ferroelectric properties have placed them as a model …

The Gravity Of The Ukraine War: Measuring Conflict Impacts On European Grain Trade, Stefan Bonchis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the heterogeneous structural disruptions caused by the war in Ukraine on the European Union’s agricultural trade architecture, focusing on three critical commodities: wheat, maize, and sunflower seeds. Employing a structural gravity model framework across all 27 EU Member States, the study evaluates two conflict episodes, the 2014 Crimea annexation and the 2022 full-scale invasion, to identify the net beneficiaries and heavily impacted nations within the EU agricultural trade network. The empirical strategy utilizes a dual-test design to capture the full scope of the disruption. Test A (Ukraine towards the EU trade) reveals a distinct geographic logic in …

Beyond The Catalog: Library Professionals' Adoption Of Ai And Ai Tools Through The Lens Of Utaut, Dr. Sankar P, Anjaline R

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The exponential growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology has radically changed the information landscape, making it essential to explore how library professionals perceive and utilize these new tools. This study examines attitudes of library professionals toward AI and AI-based tools through the lens of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). A structured questionnaire survey was conducted amongst 165 library professionals from academic, public and special libraries spread across India. The study applies Structural Equation modeling (SEM) with the use of AMOS 26.0 to analyze the relationships among UTAUT constructs such as Performance Expectancy (PE), Effort Expectancy …

Diagnostic Stewardship Of Respiratory Cultures Using Clinical Decision Support In The Picu, Anna C Sick-Samuels, John C Lin, Rebecca G Same, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

IMPORTANCE: Endotracheal aspirate culture (EAC) practices for evaluation of ventilator-associated infections (VAI) vary widely across pediatric hospitals, and overuse can contribute to overdiagnosis and overtreatment for VAI. Diagnostic stewardship strategies to optimize EAC testing practices may reduce overtesting and unnecessary antibiotic treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of diagnostic stewardship of EACs using clinical decision support with culture rates, antibiotic use, and patient outcomes across a multicenter collaborative of pediatric intensive care units (PICUs).

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This was a multicenter cohort study with a pre-post study design among the BrighT STAR (Testing Stewardship for Antibiotic Reduction) Quality Improvement …

Co-Production Of A Mobile Application For Parents Of Acutely Ill Children Under Five: ‘Ipoorly Child Symptom Checker’, Sarah Neill, Amy Rathbone, John Downey, Monica Lakhanpaul, Damian Roland, Matt Carey

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Acutely-ill children under five years are increasing users of urgent and emergency care with no increase in acuity of presenting illnesses. This raises concerns about parents' knowledge and confidence in assessing the severity ofsymptoms of acute illness, despite the abundance of digital information available.Method:Weco-designedtheiPoorlychildsymptomcheckerappusingexperience-basedco-designmethodology with seven parents and seven health professional patient and public involvement representatives. The prototype was iteratively developed on a no-code platform, then released for testing on android and iOS app stores for six weeks. The app was downloaded 603 times and 60% of users completed the embedded evaluation form. Results: System usability scale items were all …

Managing Risks Under Nuclear Power Plant Projects: A Latent Similarity-Guided Contract Customization, Mariam Elazhary, Islam H. El-Adaway

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Global energy is transforming, with nuclear power emerging as a pivotal player in achieving sustainable and low-carbon energy goals. The nature of nuclear technology introduces unique challenges, such as stringent safety and environmental requirements. Existing studies focus on general risk identification, such as supply chain delays, cost overruns, and public perception issues. However, these studies fail to address integrating these risks into tailored contractual provisions, which are critical for navigating the unique challenges of nuclear projects. The goal of this paper is to examine how standard construction contracts can be tailored to better accommodate the risks inherent in nuclear power …

How Does Competitive Adsorption Between Vma And Pce Influence Yield Stress Of Cement Paste? A Novel Insight From Interparticle Forces And Percolation Threshold, Huamin Sun, Le Teng, Xiaohan Yu, Xin Shu, Zhangli Hu, Jiaping Liu, Kamal H. Khayat

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Viscosity modifying admixture (VMA) and polycarboxylate superplasticizer (PCE) are often combined to optimize rheological properties of cement-based materials. However, the competitive adsorption of these complex admixtures can greatly influence rheological properties. Many studies have investigated the variation of yield stress due to competitive adsorption between VMA and PCE; but the mechanisms are not fully understood. This study aims to shed a new light on this question in cement paste systems prepared with low water-to-binder ratios of 0.16–0.30. The competitive adsorption of VMA and PCE was quantitatively assessed using the Total Organic Carbon and Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy measurements. The effect of competitive …

Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy Enhances Bidirectional Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability In Glioblastoma, Ryan T Cleary, Yiwei Fu, David Giles, Jinyun Yuan, Diogo P Moniz Garcia, Danny Palmer, Rowland H Han, Timothy Woodiwiss, Alicia B Yang, Dimitrios Mathios, Hong Chen, Albert H Kim

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) is a minimally invasive treatment for glioblastoma that increases blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability. However, the mechanisms and spatiotemporal features of this effect remain unclear. It is also unknown whether LITT promotes release of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA).

METHODS: Using our previously developed LITT mouse model, we employed single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) to investigate gene expression changes in endothelial cells following LITT in the naive mouse brain. Brains were also harvested at multiple time points to assess LITT effects on tight junction (TJ) integrity and transcytosis via immunofluorescence and transmission electron microscopy. Human glioblastoma tissues were …