Digital Commons Network^™

Rural Communities Transformed By Immigration Raids: A Community Of Capitals Perspective, Diego Thompson, Silvina Lopez Barrera

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

In 2019, communities of Central Mississippi experienced large-scale immigration raids. Past studies on immigration enforcement operations show that these types of events have significant consequences. Despite this scholarly evidence, little is known about the effects of large immigration raids and local responses in rural communities. Given the ongoing initiatives to carry out mass detention and deportation of immigrants, learning more about these events and the communities affected is paramount. Based on data from semi-structured interviews, this study uses the Community Capitals Framework to examine how large immigration raids have transformed communities. Results show that the raids had negative consequences in …

Message From The Journal Of Rural Social Sciences Editorial Office, John J. Green, Elizabeth Sweeney

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Behind The ‘Lettuce Curtains:’ Rural Homelessness In The Salinas Valley, California, Allison Evans

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Rural homelessness remains under-researched despite its prevalence outside the city. This research note presents preliminary findings from a case study in the Salinas Valley, California, examining how rurality—particularly its statistical definitions and socio-cultural conceptions—shapes homelessness policy formation, resource allocation, and local politics. Semi-structured interviews conducted in spring 2023, alongside document analysis, explore rural homelessness in this unique context. Findings suggest that rural homelessness is highly salient to local politicians and policy-makers, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic, with service clustering in Salinas and other regional towns with more progressive policies. Challenges include housing diverse unhoused subpopulations, especially migrant farmworkers, and confronting …

Co-Designed Interventions Package For Enhancing Women's Resilience In Reproductive And Child Health Through Income-Generating Associations: A Human-Centered Design Study In Tanzania, Kahabi Isangula, Aminieli Itaeli Usiri, Eunice Pallangyo

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: Maternal and under-five mortality remain major public health concerns in many low- and middle-income countries, including Tanzania. Despite their widespread use in strengthening economic resilience, income-generating associations (IGAs) have not fully utilized their potential as platforms for addressing reproductive and child health (RCH) challenges.

Objective: This study aimed to co-design an intervention package with women participating in income-generating associations to enhance their preparedness and resilience in addressing RCH challenges in Tanzania.

Methods: A qualitative descriptive study guided by a Human-Centered Design (HCD) framework was conducted in the Arusha and Shinyanga regions of Tanzania. The study followed …

Ecological Support For Stem International Doctoral Student Success, Emily A. Crider

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

International doctoral students enrich U.S. institutions but often encounter challenges that affect belonging and academic success. This qualitative study examined the social, cultural, and institutional challenges faced by international STEM doctoral students and the role of faculty advisor relationships in their adaptation. Guided by ecological systems theory, interviews with eight participants revealed five major challenges: language barriers, cultural differences, building social networks, financial challenges, and navigating institutional processes. Positive faculty mentorship was critical, with effective advisors demonstrating empathy, adaptability, responsiveness, guidance, and trust while supporting professional development, funding, and networking. Microsystem and mesosystem interactions were most influential. Findings emphasize the …

Oculocardiac Reflex Elicited From An Exenterated Orbit, Joseph Desimone, Edward H. Bedrossian

Wills Eye Hospital Papers

No abstract provided.

Use Of Function Diagrams In Physiology Education, Thad E. Wilson, Brian A. Jackson, B. Peter Sawaya

Physiology Faculty Publications

Function diagrams focus on physiological concepts rather than associated structures and can serve as elaboration tools and mnemonic aids. A function diagram prototype of the gastrointestinal system was recently described (Wilson TE, Barrett KE. Adv Physiol Educ 45: 264-268, 2021). In this article, a functional diagram of the glomerulus, nephron, urinary system, and bladder is proposed. Colloquially named "Nessie the Nephron" to loosely capture the looping structure and elusive understanding of renal blood flow, glomerular filtration, and epithelial transport for the student, not to mention the nearly mythical countercurrent multiplier. "Navigating the Lochs" references Nessie's possible habitat and more importantly …

Controlling The Narrative:Copyright’S Derivative Rights Doctrine & Semiotic Disobedience In The Age Of Ai, John Tehranian

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

This Article argues that copyright’s derivative rights doctrine—long treated as a technical mechanism of market control—has operated as a powerful but underexamined tool of epistemic governance. As the doctrine’s scope has expanded, it has increasingly privileged dominant narratives while recasting resistive ones as acts of infringement. Drawing on historical and contemporary case studies—from the largely forgotten copyright disputes over the English translations of Mein Kampf and Bambi on the eve of World War II to the infamous stand-off between Wall Street’s Charging Bull and Fearless Girl statues—the Article demonstrates how derivative rights have been deployed to suppress what Sonya Katyal …

Socioeconomic Inequalities In Health-Related Quality Of Life During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Six-Country Comparison Using The Eq-5d-5 L, Joëlle Eijkens, Joshua M. Bonsel, You-Shan Feng, M. F. Bas Janssen, Erica I. Lubetkin, Juanita A. Haagsma

Publications and Research

Purpose

Despite the growing attention to health inequalities, there is no global consensus on how to measure socio-economic status. This study examined inequalities in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic across six countries—China, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US)—using three SES indicators: education level, income, and work status.

Methods

Between April and June 2020, individuals aged 18–75 years old completed a web-based survey. HRQoL was measured using the EQ-5D-5L Level Sum Score (LSS), where higher scores indicate poorer health. Country-specific differences in LSS across SES groups …

Who's Afraid Of Copyright And Ai?, Deborah R. Gerhardt

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Copyright and AI need not be a copyright no man’s land. Recent decisions by the Copyright Office have gotten so much media attention that many creators are unsure if they can secure copyright protection if they use AI as a creative tool. The proposed creative control paradigm can help us all tackle the challenge of determining when works created with the assistance of AI are copyrightable. Instead of relying on long-established nuanced precedent for protecting works generated with new technology, the Copyright Office asserts that any content generated with assistance from AI tools is unprotectable. This position is radically inconsistent …

Artificial Personhood: The Implications Of Recognizing The Legal Personhood Of Artificialintelligence, Daniel C. Borges

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Artificial intelligence (AI) is here in a big way. As society grapples with the implications of this profound new technology, the question of whether AI entities should be granted independent legal recognition, akin to human personhood, has emerged as a pivotal topic in jurisprudence. This Article explores the foundations, evolution, and implications of AI personhood, addressing philosophical perspectives, the development of personhood as a legal fiction (with specific emphasis on corporate personhood), and the need for AI personhood to counter the risks posed by rapidly developing AI technology. It defines the "AI person" as one whose legal recognition furthers a …

Fire–Climate–Vegetation Linkages In A Quaking Aspen Forest During The Late Holocene, R. Justin Derose, Jesse L. Morris

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Fire plays an important role in shaping forested ecosystems around the globe. Unlike many other fire-driven forest types, our understanding of pre-settlement fire behavior in quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) systems is limited. To better understand the frequency and severity of fires in a putatively stable quaking aspen forest, a small, key watershed was selected for sediment coring to reconstruct fire history, vegetation change, and climatic variability. The study aim was to explore the fire–climate–vegetation linkages in an aspen-dominated catchment. For the past ~4000 years this basin has been dominated by quaking aspen but also subalpine fir (Abies …

Hospital Bed Tray Table, Ava Mikeska, Sara Chamness, Samantha Kenney, Kaitlyn Ould

Mechanical Engineering

This project documents the design and development of a collapsible hospital bed tray table created through the Mechanical Engineering Senior Project program at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. The goal of the project was to reduce the floor space occupied by existing overbed tray tables while preserving the functionality, stability, and durability expected by patients, visitors, and healthcare staff.

The final design modifies a commercially available overbed tray table by incorporating a folding tabletop hinge mechanism and a telescoping base. The hinge allows the tabletop to lock in both the upright and stowed positions, while the telescoping base retracts to …

Thermosiphon Lab Experiment, Ella C. Perry, Zach Barry, Madison K. Felton, Lane A. Hunter

Mechanical Engineering

The Cal Poly Mechanical Engineering Department aims to develop a new lab centered on a thermosiphon solar system. This lab will introduce the operating principles of thermosiphons while integrating concepts from heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and thermodynamics. A thermosiphon functions by heating water using thermal energy. The lab will examine the efficiency of this energy transfer. The final lab will be tailored to enhance student learning while ensuring ease of use for the Mechanical Engineering Department.

Observing Ph Of Grass-Fed Bison Heifer Gastrointestinal Tracts Postmortem, Ekaterina Lopez-Bondarchuk, Madison Higbee, Kallen Kafka, Ava Graham, Phillip Urso

Animal Science Research Report 2026

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Increasing Potency Of A Steroidal Implant In Beef Steers On Growth Performance, And Carcass Traits From Wean To Finish, Weston Peschel, Federico Podversich, Warren Rusche, Zachary Smith

Animal Science Research Report 2026

No abstract provided.

Fair + Equitable June 2026, International Association Of Assessing Officers

Fair + Equitable

The June F+E issue reviews Calgary, the host city for the 2026 IAAO Annual Conference, noting the fall weather and benefits to attending the conference in Canada.   Also in this issue:

• Conference session schedule released (includes speakers)
• President's Column
• Impact Circle Reception at Conference
• COGO seeks participants in NSDI survey 
• Managers and credit
• Strategic Partner article on how AI can help assessment offices
• IAAO Library hot topics
• New IAAO designees
• Meet A Rep

Desktop Dynamometer, Ryan Boister, Zachary Chung, Molly Koretz, Tyler Lum

Mechanical Engineering

This senior project presents the design and development of a desktop dynamometer for measuring the performance of small electric motors. The system integrates torque and speed measurement with data acquisition hardware to calculate power output and evaluate motor performance. The compact and cost-effective design provides a practical platform for engineering education, testing, and performance characterization of small-scale power systems.

25-26 Mecc: Magnetic Thread Wave Energy Converter, Adolfo Torres Flores, Maya Malay, Grayson Houghton, Chase Eavis, Ramyasree Kaja, Tyler Chin, Malia Merager, Chad Haines, Noah Borkum, Raina Moore

Mechanical Engineering

Remote coastal Alaskan villages face significant challenges accessing reliable and affordable electricity due to their geographic isolation and limited connection to central energy grids. These communities often depend on expensive and environmentally unsustainable diesel generators which are difficult to supply and operate. They require a new renewable, affordable, minimal maintenance power solution to decrease their reliance on fossil fuels and promote sustainable development in the region. Although several wave energy converters exist, none adequately suit the needs of these coastal villages, therefore a new design is required to support them. This project will be undertaken by three interdisciplinary teams made …

Smart Sleeve, Evan Abalos, Bright Jung, Owen Bowling, Wyatt Eberhart

Mechanical Engineering

Quantifying human arm muscle activity is essential for understanding human movements and helping individuals who suffer from motor or neurological impairments such as stroke or traumatic brain injuries. Today, these individuals, as well as clinicians, researchers, and athletes, face many challenges when using the traditional surface electromyography (sEMG) systems to monitor muscle activities, including complex setup, restricted mobility, discomfort, inconsistent placement of electrodes, and lack of accuracy. Therefore, a comfortable EMG sleeve device that accurately measures arm movement without interfering with daily tasks is needed, which the team will be designing, manufacturing, and testing as their senior project. In addition, …

Me Department Bespoke Coffee Cabinet, Mickie Clyne, Stephen Tamacheepjaroen, Samuel Johnson, Willem Gray

Mechanical Engineering

This senior project involved the design, fabrication, and testing of a custom coffee cabinet for the California Polytechnic State University Mechanical Engineering Department. The project addressed challenges associated with appliance organization, storage efficiency, accessibility, and maintenance within the department’s shared breakroom space. A human-centered design process was used to identify stakeholder needs and develop engineering specifications for the final product.

The completed cabinet integrates custom woodworking, steel pipe frame construction, dedicated K-Cup storage, organized appliance placement, and a rack-and-pinion sliding platform that improves access to the Keurig coffee maker for refilling and maintenance. Design decisions were informed through stakeholder feedback, …

Mobile Transfer Assist (Mta) Device, Ashley Homuth, Garrett Schnack, Will Bruner, Jacob Flores

Mechanical Engineering

The Mobile Transfer Assist (MTA) device was developed to assist caregivers with seated-to-seated transfers while reducing physical strain. The device uses a manually operated hand winch and pulley system to raise a user into a semi-standing position, allowing safe transfer between locations. The final design emphasizes portability, affordability, ease of use, and user safety through a modular frame, transfer sling, knee supports, and locking caster wheels. A verification prototype was fabricated and tested, demonstrating successful operation and compliance with project requirements established by VTC Santa Maria.

Hydropower Collegiate Competition 2026, Andres R. Arreola, Sammy D. Taporco, Kathryn E. Tinney, Ahmer S. Dhillon

Mechanical Engineering

The Hydropower Collegiate Competition (HCC) is sponsored by the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) and is meant to offer university students an opportunity to solve complex hydropower challenges, build industry connections, explore career connections, and obtain a greater knowledge of hydropower’s potential in the United States. For this year’s competition, our team investigated a potential in-conduit hydropower site in California. Our work included creating a design package for a crossflow turbine related to our selected site and completing the community connections challenge. We also completed a siting and design report, community connections report, design and siting …

Process Improvement For Thermal Barrier Coating Masking Applications, Katherine Meezan, Aiden Senn, Saksham Giri, Katelyn Perez

Mechanical Engineering

Solar Turbines, a gas turbine manufacturer, needs a more efficient method to prevent the application of a thermal barrier coating (TBC) to select areas of their combustion liners during manufacturing. Currently, the process is labor, material, and time intensive: reusable masking tools should increase the efficiency of the TBC process.

This project is sponsored in full by Solar Turbines, and is under the guidance and administration of three Solar Turbines engineers: Chris Noone, Rick Rogers, and Carson Roff. The project is mentored by Cal Poly senior design Coach, Rick Lasko. This project will be completed by a team of four …

Me3328 Combined Loading Beam Bending Lab, Alejandro Islas, Viswesh Vancheeswaran, Owen Spencer, Henry Andrews

Mechanical Engineering

Serving as a new laboratory experiment for ME 3328 (Design for Strength & Stiffness), strain gauges were adhered, wired, and calibrated on a cantilever beam lab apparatus capable of undergoing pure bending, pure torsion, and combined bending.

Determining K Clusters In K-Means Clustering With The Crab Algorithm, Jasmine Kristine S. Cabrera

Master's Theses

Unsupervised clustering often faces the challenge of determining the correct number of clusters in the absence of a true target variable. Traditional methods such as the Elbow Method and the Silhouette Score can produce ambiguous results and rely on assumptions about cluster shape or separation. To address this, we created the Clustering Rivals and Buddies (CRAB) algorithm which evaluates clusters based on stability across multiple subsamples. CRAB uses pairwise classifications to identify points that consistently group together called “Buddies” and points that remain separated called “Rivals.” Applied with K-means, CRAB accurately recovers underlying cluster structures in both spherical and non-spherical …

Teaching Multi-Core Architecture: Design And Implementation Of A Cache-Coherent Cpu For Undergraduate Education, Isaac R. Lake

Master's Theses

Modern computing has relied on multicore processors for high performance for nearly two decades, yet undergraduate computer engineering curricula often provide limited exposure to parallel hardware architectures and their design challenges. This thesis presents the design of CPE 433, a course that extends the pipelined and cached OTTER CPU developed in CPE 233 and CPE 333 into a multicore processor capable of running parallel workloads. The thesis documents the architectural changes required to adapt the verified single-core design into a multicore system, including MMIO-based interrupt support, a shared cache hierarchy with cache-coherence mechanisms, and clock-gated modules. It further presents a …

A History Of The Underground Comix Scene: The Seriousness Of An Unserious Genre, Harris Darcie Shugart

Master's Theses

The Underground Comix Scene of the 1960s and 1970s was born out of an age of censorship. The Comics Code Authority, a regulatory body created by the Comics Magazine Association of America in 1954, established guidelines requiring publishing houses to self-regulate following a recommendation from the United States Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency in 1953. Comix with an X, for their X-rated nature, represent an emerging counter-culture in the latter half of the 1960s and the 1970s, with an epicenter of San Francisco. These comix and their artists were not interested in obtaining the looming ‘Seal of Approval’ from the …

Trust And Pre-Employment Background Checks When Onboarding And Maintaining Information Security And Cybersecurity Staff, Stanley Mierzwa

Center for Cybersecurity

The realm of trust is broad and can include many facets that are difficult to capture and catalog. In relation to the work roles of information security and cybersecurity, the intersection of trust in human resource management is critical and an evolving area within most modern organizations, in almost any sector, and of any size. A foundational element of trust is fundamental to effective mission and work roles in information security and cybersecurity, as well as to every employee tasked with contributing to the security of an organization’s assets. This chapter will include sections on the role trust can and …

The Court Of Small Things, The Curse Of Legal Superstition: The Precipitous Decline Of Small Claims Court, Why It Matters, And What Can Be Done About It, Telia Mary U. Williams

Nevada Law Journal

This Article addresses the precipitous decline of small claims courts in the United States and argues that their erosion is more than administrative; it is a democratic and constitutional crisis. Small claims courts were once the laboratories of everyday justice, where ordinary citizens could access law without lawyers, ritual, or mystery. The seemingly minor disputes of the small claims court illuminate the democratic soul of American law. Yet, over recent decades, filings have declined dramatically, and the locus of power has shifted from the poor to repeat-player institutional actors. This is in part due to what I call, “legal superstition,” …