Digital Commons Network^™

The Gospel Of Glamour: A Christian Woman's Style Blueprint, Osaromwenyeke Osemwota

Theses

The Gospel of Glamour: The Christian Woman’s Style Blueprint was a luxury-branded, sustainability-focused, faith-based style guide that addressed a gap in fashion, theology, and sustainability scholarship. Existing literature had either systematized fashion, explored the spiritual significance of dress, or examined sustainable and luxury practices—but none had integrated these dimensions into a prescriptive, actionable guide for Christian women. Drawing on Scripture as the foundational authority, including passages from Genesis, Exodus, Psalms, and Proverbs, the guide framed clothing as both practical provision and visible expression of covenantal identity. The style guide synthesized secular fashion methodology, modest-fashion scholarship, and sustainable luxury principles to …

Artemisia Gentileschi's Judith And Her Maidservant Serves As A Message Of Hope, Holly Kyseth

Theses

This thesis argues that through iconography and specific artistic techniques, Artemisia Gentileschi’s Judith and Her Maidservant utilizes the biblical story of Judith and Holofernes to relay a distinctly female-centered narrative, reflective of the ideals of her seventeenth century Italian community. This piece stands apart from other representations of this narrative in that Judith was commonly shown as either dainty yet violent in the act of decapitating Holofernes, or as a saintly victor proudly displaying his head to her people. With Judith and Her Maidservant, Artemisia displays an obvious sororal alliance between Judith and her servant Abra, while cleverly implementing Caravaggesque …

Mediators Of The Dead: Funerary Strategies And Material Practice In The Final Jōmon Period, Celeste Marie Tran

Theses

Shakōki-dogū are prehistoric clay figurines from Japan’s Final Jōmon period, characterized by enlarged, goggle-eyed features. In both scholarship writing and museum display texts, generalized thematic labels or iconographic readings sometimes reduce the corpus’s internal variability. This study examines a focused set of Final Jōmon shakōki-dogū from northern Honshū (Tōhoku) and Hokkaidō (Figures 2–6) through their formal and material evidence—shape, surface treatment, and condition—read alongside published excavation reports and catalogue records. It asks what these figurines can be shown to do, as prehistoric artworks, within death-related practice when interpretation is anchored to observable features and documented context, rather than to a …

Art Therapy In The Art Classroom, Sherry Williams

Theses

The integration of art therapy practices within the art classroom provides a transformative framework for supporting the emotional and psychological well-being of students. Research into these strategies demonstrates that creative practices allow students to manage stress and anxiety while fostering mindfulness, reflection, and self-expression. Art educators can create safe and supportive environments by incorporating therapeutic activities such as drawing mandalas, doodling, and engaging in collaborative projects. These methods prioritize the creative process over technical achievement, allowing students to communicate complex feelings that may be difficult to articulate verbally. 

While art teachers are not licensed therapists, they can effectively implement therapeutic …

Evaluating How Public Land Managers Use General Visitor Survey Data For Decision-Making, Kayla E. Wernsing

All Theses

Using data to inform decisions about policy, staffing, resource management, and infrastructure is widely regarded as a best practice among public land managers. A substantial body of empirical research has examined frameworks for data-informed decision-making on public lands, as well as factors that support or hinder its implementation. However, relatively little attention has been given to how managers use general visitor survey data to make site-specific decisions. This study explored how managers in one U.S. federal agency use data from a general visitor survey specific to their site, or, if they are not, what barriers are preventing application. Researchers conducted …

Evaluating The Feasibility Of Blockchain Technology For Secure Voting Systems: A Systematic Mapping, Dijesh Shrestha, Shishir Poudel

Annual Research Symposium

Voting is central to democracy. Yet it can be vulnerable to manipulation, fraud, and limited transparency. Traditional ballot-based voting faces challenges in record-keeping and trust, while electronic voting (e-voting) struggles with data integrity and central authority control. Blockchain known for its decentralized and immutable ledger, presents a promising solution to enhance trust, transparency, and security in the voting process.

Objective: Investigate and evaluate the current state of blockchain-based voting approaches to determine feasibility, benefits, and security considerations. Research questions: (1) issues in traditional voting system and can blockchain be a solution to it; (2) what are the current solution and …

Quantum Safe Encryption (Qse) Within The Internet Of Medical Things (Iomt) Environment Using Zero Trust Architecture (Zta), Michael Grant Williams

Dissertations

This research will use a Design Science Research (DSR) methodology and show that the results would be feasible, since there will not be any actual validating or testing occurring within or on this research project because this model is a theoretical model. In addition, this proposed theoretical model is based on extensive use of NIST standards and frameworks. This theoretical model will focused on the use of Quantum-Safe Encryption (QSE) within the Vivalink Electrocardiogram (ECG) Patch Monitor Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) device in a Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA). The advancement of quantum computing (QC) is expected to …

Main And Interactive Effects Of Self-Disgust And Affect Intensity In Predicting The Severity Of Mental Contamination, Contact Contamination, And Ptsd Symptoms, Jordyn M. Tipsword, Grace M. Seymour, Christal L. Badour

Psychology Faculty Publications

Purpose: Self-disgust has been linked to contact contamination (i.e., experiences of dirtiness caused by exposure to a contaminant), mental contamination (i.e., experiences of dirtiness that occur absent a contaminant), and PTSD symptoms in theoretical work. Separate lines of research have also linked higher affect intensity (i.e., the tendency to experience emotions strongly) to negative mental health outcomes, including more severe PTSD symptoms. However, empirical research examining associations between self-disgust and both contamination concerns and PTSD symptoms remains limited, and these associations may differ as a function of affect intensity. Method: The current study evaluated main and interactive effects of self-disgust …

Risk Management Strategies Used By Project Leaders In Construction Projects On The East Coast, Dylan David Decuffa

Construction Management

Construction projects are often defined by their visible outcomes, structures completed on time, within budget, and built to the required standards. Yet beneath these outcomes lies a less visible force that quietly shapes whether success is achieved or compromised. Uncertainty is present in every phase of construction, influencing decisions, performance, and ultimately the trajectory of the project. The ability to recognize and respond to this uncertainty may separate projects that proceed with stability from those that experience delays, escalating costs, and diminished quality. Project managers, superintendents, project engineers, and other related fields play a central role in navigating this uncertainty …

Assessing The Current Experiences With Electrically- Powered Construction Vehicles Within The Heavy Civil Industry, Matthew Joseph Beauchesne

Construction Management

Heavy machinery, such as cranes, trucks, dozers, and more, are a necessity to build dams, bridges, highways, and all the other types of projects within the Heavy Civil Construction industry. Traditionally, such machinery is powered using fossil fuels - gas or diesel - which in turn affects both the efficiency and emissions of these vehicles. This study focuses on the prospects of using alternative energy - namely electricity - to power such vehicles, and these electric variants differ from their fossil fuel using versions. The methodology of this paper involved seeking out construction contractors within the Heavy Civil sector who …

Impact Of Regional Heat Differences On Construction Productivity: A Comparative Study Of California’S Central Valley And Central Coast, Berthalidia Acosta

Construction Management

Construction productivity is influenced by many environmental conditions, particularly extremely high temperatures. In regions where high temperatures are normal, workers experience increased fatigue, require additional safety controls, and can even lead to scheduling conflicts. This senior project evaluates how heat differences in two parts of California affect productivity by comparing two projects managed by the same general contractor: one located in California’s Central Valley (Sacramento) and one located on the Central Coast (San Luis Obispo). Throughout the study, there will be two data sources seen: weekly labor recap reports focusing on a particular task (Concrete) and semi-structured interviews with industry …

Factors Impacting Wildland-Urban Interface (Wui) Fires: A Systematic Literature Review, Albert Jimenez

Construction Management

Fires in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) pose a significant danger to communities. The WUI refers to the space where development meets vegetation. Significant research has been conducted into wildfire and WUI vulnerability across the world to help combat vulnerability. These include the identification of factors of vulnerability to create indices that quantify vulnerability, and address scope gaps and inconsistencies within literature. However, existing research seems to be fragmented in finding the WUI vulnerability factors and often it focuses on wildfires and not WUI fires. The objective of this systematic literature review is to synthesize wildfire vulnerability factors identified in the …

Spatial Variability Of Nitrates And Nitrogen Mineralization Kinetics And Their Effects In Long-Term Tillage Systems, Bibash Rokaya

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Nitrogen (N) and water management are essential for water quality protection and crop production. However, soil N and water are spatiotemporally variable. Soil water spatial dependencies are described in the literature with known associations with preferential flows among other factors. In contrast, a knowledge gap exists on the spatial dependence of soil N mineralization kinetics. We hypothesize that soil N mineralization kinetics and soil water have distinct and cross-correlated spatial characteristics among soil management practices and climatic regions. For the field study, we measured soil-N mineralization kinetics, volumetric water content (VWC), and a suite of soil properties along ~70 m …

The Impact Of Bilingual Superintendents On A Multilingual Job Site, Cesar Barajas

Construction Management

Language barriers are frequently encountered on construction job sites. Construction crews can often be limited in their proficiency when speaking English and in states like California, construction superintendents oversee a lot of Spanish-speaking crews. This study aims to identify if bilingual superintendents lead to better performing projects. Communication impacts major metrics of project performance including schedule, rework costs, safety performance, and coordination across trades. This qualitative study includes superintendents, project managers, and field crew semi structured interviews backed by survey answers. Interview participants discuss specific examples of how communication can affect jobsite performance both negatively and positively. Subjects are asked …

Evaluating The Feasibility Of Recycled Asphalt Pavement And Warm Mix Asphalt In California Highway Construction, Ryan A. Milanesa

Construction Management

California’s highway infrastructure faces increasing material costs, limited aggregate availability, and aggressive greenhouse gas reduction mandates. Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) offers a practical solution to reduce virgin binder demand and improve sustainability. However, Caltrans maintains conservative RAP limits due to concerns regarding stiffness related cracking and long term durability. This research evaluates the feasibility of increasing RAP content to approximately 40% when combined with Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) technologies under California performance standards. A performance based framework was developed by reviewing federal guidance, peer-reviewed fatigue studies, life cycle cost analysis, and environmental assessment literature. Findings indicate that high RAP mixtures …

Life Cycle Assessment And Cost Analysis Of Exterior, Electrical, And Appliance Systems In A Prefabricated Mass Timber Residential Unit, Ella Rohrbough

Construction Management

This study presents a detailed process-based life cycle assessment and life cycle cost analysis of selected building systems within a prefabricated mass timber residential unit constructed through an interdisciplinary design build project at California Polytechnic State University. The research focuses specifically on exterior envelope systems electrical infrastructure and major appliances. Material quantities were derived from a comprehensive construction material takeoff and modeled in OpenLCA using the ecoinvent database. A cradle to site system boundary including modules A1 through A5 was applied to quantify embodied environmental impacts such as global warming potential acidification fossil fuel depletion and human toxicity. Results indicate …

The Future Of Commercialized Bamboo Construction, Katie Hunt

Construction Management

Bamboo construction is a niche area of research and development in the sustainable construction realm. The material has impressive structural properties and minimal carbon emissions relative to the world’s most common building materials (concrete, steel, and timber). It has long been used to build homes in tropical regions around the world. Outside of these regions, bamboo is rarely used for construction despite its abundant benefits as a sustainable building material. This report took an interview-based approach to address why bamboo is not more popular in the American commercial construction market and where it has potential for growth in the global …

Immigration-Related Workforce Instability And Its Impact On Residential Construction Operations In California, Ana Castro

Construction Management

Labor availability has become a major challenge for California’s residential construction industry, especially as immigration policies change and its workforce becomes more unstable. Most past research looks at overall labor statistics and industry trends, but not at how these issues affect construction projects day to day. This qualitative case study looks at how immigration policy and labor conditions affect the daily operations of a residential construction company in California. The research is based on six semi-structured interviews conducted with five superintendents and one executive leader. The results show that immigration-related labor challenges differ by location within California. Participants commonly described …

Efficient Active Training For Deep Lidar Odometry, Beibei Zhou, Zhiyuan Zhang, Zhenbo Song, Jianhui Guo, Hui Kong

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Robust and efficient deep LiDAR odometry models are crucial for accurate localization and 3D reconstruction, but typically require extensive and diverse training data to adapt to diverse environments, leading to inefficiencies. To tackle this, we introduce an active training framework designed to selectively extract training data from diverse environments, thereby reducing the training load and enhancing model generalization. Our framework is based on two key strategies: Initial Training Set Selection (ITSS) and Active Incremental Selection (AIS). ITSS begins by breaking down motion sequences from general weather into nodes and edges for detailed trajectory analysis, prioritizing diverse sequences to form a …

The Brave New World Of Judicial Election, Charles G. Geyh

Articles by Maurer Faculty

The 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court election heralded the arrival of a new generation of judicial races in which state supreme courts are becoming war-torn forums for the resolution of deeply divisive policy questions that the federal courts and the other branches of government are unwilling or unable to address. It is a development that portends to be of unprecedented intensity, relative to the fractious “new politics of judicial elections” of the recent past and poses new challenges for legal theory and the existing judicial elections literature to explain. It adds new urgency to an increasingly stark choice: fight for the …

Failure Of Infrastructure Systems: A Multilevel Network Analysis Of Decision-Making And Influential Behavioral Constructs, Tamima Elbashbishy, Radwa Eissa, Islam H. El-Adaway, Jeffrey S. Russell

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

High-profile failures of infrastructure systems are often attributed to design flaws. However, these incidents can also stem from a broader set of interconnected decisions made by stakeholders involved in the planning, management, and operation of these systems. While ethical guidelines and professional codes are designed to prevent such failures, cognitive biases may undermine adherence. Previous research efforts, primarily focused on ethical violations using case studies, have overlooked how behavioral ethics constructs and professional conduct could drive these breaches. This paper addresses this knowledge gap by (1) conducting an analysis of three system failure cases at the micro, meso, and macro …

Methodology For Surface Defect Assessment In 3d Concrete Printing Using Computer-Vision And Ultrasonic Testing Considering Structural Build-Up, Seongho Han, Eunjong Ahn, Myoungsu Shin, John S. Popovics, Kamal H. Khayat

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study quantifies how interlayer time gaps and mixture rheology jointly influence interfacial integrity and mechanical performance in 3D concrete printing (3DCP). Two mixtures incorporating identical binders, but differing limestone fineness (4 and 50 μm) were printed with interlayer delays of 0, 2, and 5 min, corresponding to stacking rates of approximately 9, 0.5, and 0.2 m/h. The finer limestone mixture exhibited higher plastic viscosity (13.2 vs. 11.5 Pa s) and faster structural buildup (58 vs. 38 Pa/min), resulting in accelerated early stiffening. Deposition yield stress derived from buildup measurements remained low for 0–2 min (1400–1500 Pa for the higher-thixotropy …

Data-Driven Non-Precipitation Echo Removal Of Nexrad Radars Based On A Random Forest Classifier Using Polarimetric Observations And Goes-16 Data, Munsung Keem, Bong Chul Seo, Witold F. Krajewski, Sangdan Kim

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Highlights: What are the main findings? A Random Forest-based model using dual-polarimetric radar features achieves >99% accuracy in classifying precipitation and non-precipitation echoes. Multi-scale spatial variability features enhance discrimination between genuine precipitation and spurious echoes. Fusion of GOES-16 infrared satellite data with NEXRAD radar effectively removes non-precipitation echoes with precipitation-like signatures, including wind turbine clutter. A CAPPI scan strategy improves near-radar precipitation detection by recovering valid echoes misclassified at the lowest elevation due to side-lobe interference and limited sampling volume. What are the implications of the main findings? The model's robustness to noise and overfitting, combined with minimal hyperparameter tuning, …

Beyond Words: Unraveling The Influence Of Rhetorical Structure On Information Sharing And Backers’ Support In Crowdfunding, Ehsan Ghasemi, Alireza Sheikh-Zadeh, Jaeki Song

Information Systems Faculty Publications

Effective communication is critical in crowdfunding, where information asymmetry poses a significant challenge. While prior research has emphasized the persuasive power of rhetorical content, less is known about how the structure of rhetoric—beyond its content—shapes backers’ cognitive and behavioral responses. This study examines the role of hierarchical rhetoric in crowdfunding and its impact on actual funding outcomes, backers’ elaboration, perceived information sharing quality, and their willingness to fund. Drawing on computational linguistics and dual-process theories of information processing, we conducted a multiphase investigation that combines observational data from the Kickstarter platform with controlled experiments. Our findings show that the use …

Signatures Of The Anthropocene: Population Genomic Structure Detected In Pennsylvania Coyotes, Craig A. Marshall, Julia Halo, Kyle Van Why, Yeraldi Loera, Stavi R. Tennenbaum, Casey Burton, Ariana Di Landro, Dominic Dominguez, Daniel Duncan, Madison Machado, Catalina Posada, Stephen J. Gaughran, Madison Lichak, Kristin Brzeski, Elizabeth Heppenheimer, Bridgett Vonholdt

Michigan Tech Publications

Coyotes (Canis latrans) expanded across eastern North America in the last century and are ecological generalists capable of thriving across diverse habitats. Broad genetic surveillance has reported little spatial genetic patterning for this highly dispersive species. Here, we explore the genome-wide signatures of spatial patterns found in a 10-year study of 1199 coyotes from northeastern United States, with a temporal analysis of Pennsylvania coyotes. Despite their broad dispersal capability, we detected subtle but significant population structure, with two genetic clusters that have a weak clinal transition zone. This partitioning aligned qualitatively with patterns of human population density and activity. We …

My Schoolhouse Remains A Ghost Town: When The School Closes, The Block Dies, Sunni Ali

Journal of Research Initiatives

This conceptual essay examines the neoliberal policy forces driving widespread public school closures in urban communities across the United States. Drawing on scholarship in education policy, urban sociology, and community studies, the author argues that the closure of traditional public schools — accelerated by charter school expansion and accountability-driven federal policies such as No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top — has had devastating consequences for low-income communities of color. The essay explores how school closures erode neighborhood cohesion, dismantle civic anchors, and disproportionately burden students and families with the fewest school choice options. The author advocates for …

The Impact Of Academic Service Learning On Community Self-Service Efficacy: An Exploratory Study Of Four Ethical Types, Niall Hegarty, John Angelidis

Journal of Research Initiatives

Academic Service-Learning (ASL) literature reveals that most studies assume students are a homogeneous whole and thus draw overly-generalized conclusions regarding students perceived self-service efficacy as well as their disposition towards future service. To rectify this problem, this study utilizes Forsyth’s (1980) conceptual model of two dimensions, idealism and relativism, to categorize students into four categories: situationists (n=53), subjectivists (n=34), absolutists (43), and exceptionists (n=52). These students (n=182) were measured on the Community Service Self-Efficacy Scale (CSSES) before and after participating in an ASL project. The CSSES, developed by Reeb et al. (1998), measures an individual’s confidence that their service efforts …

Women’S Agency And Pleasure (Wap): Toward A Black Feminist Theory Of Sexuality, Jelisa S. Clark, Erica Campbell

Journal of Research Initiatives

Black feminist theory has identified sexuality as a site of oppression for Black women, however, there has been limited attention to Black women’s pleasure. We suggest that WAP by Cardi B and Meg the Stallion provides a conceptual lens through which Black women's sexuality can be more humanely envisioned. WAP, in the tradition established by Black women in the blues, represents Black feminist theorizing about sexuality. Themes of Cultivating Community and Developing Voice through Self-Definition are central to discussions of Black women's pleasure. In this work, we bridge academic theorizing and Black women's cultural productions to reinvigorate Black feminist theorizing …

A Primer On International Agreements Relevant To Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal, Korey Silverman-Roati, Romany M. Webb

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

This primer provides an introduction to seven international agreements relevant to marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) research activities in the ocean. Each of these agreements has implications for whether, when, where, and how in-ocean mCDR projects will go forward. The primer is intended to provide policymakers, non-government organizations (NGOs), scientists, and others working on mCDR with an introduction to the agreements and explain their relevance to mCDR. It also offers guidance to those wishing to engage in discussions regarding mCDR under the agreements, which could help resolve open legal questions on their applicability to, and governance of, mCDR.

Compensation For Victims Of Crimes: Should Victims’ Financial Means And Insurance Coverage Matter? — Criminal Procedure Code 2010, S 359(1); Public Prosecutor V Ong Eng Siew [2025] Sghc 55, Benjamin Joshua Ong

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Under s 359(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code 2010, the court can order an offender to compensate the victim with a sum which the victim would have been able to recover in a civil claim in tort against the offender. The courts have used this useful power extensively, though problems remain. One such problem is seen in Ong Eng Siew, where the court declined to make a compensation order. Given the purpose of the compensation system, the court was not correct to hold – in effect – that the purpose of s 359(1) is to benefit only impecunious victims, and …