Digital Commons Network^™

Can Artificial Seagrass Meadows Reduce Pathogenic Bacteria In Coral Reef Ecosystems- A Mesocosm Study, Hewa Pathirannahelage Athri Thathsarani Weerakoon, Jimmy Kuo, Pi-Jen Liu, Kwee Siong Tew

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Seagrass meadows provide essential coastal ecosystem functions by stabilizing sediments, enhancing water quality, and shaping nutrient and microbial dynamics. With global seagrass losses accelerating due to climate change and anthropogenic pressures, artificial seagrass (ASG) has been proposed as a nature-based alternative to mimic these functions. However, its ability to replicate biological interactions, particularly microbial regulation and pathogen suppression, remains unclear. In this study, we conducted a six-week mesocosm experiment comparing natural Thalassia hemprichii and ASG within coral reef-associated habitats in southern Taiwan. Physicochemical parameters, sedimentation rates, nutrient concentrations, and planktonic and benthic bacterial communities were analyzed. Sedimentation rates and nutrient …

Book Review: The Weight Of Sand: My 450 Days Held Hostage In The Sahara, Michael Margolius

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Author: Edith Blais

Reviewed by Commander Michael Margolius, US Navy, professor, US Army War College, and former J3 of the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency

In his review of The Weight of Sand: My 450 Days Held Hostage in the Sahara, Michael Margolius views the ordeal faced by author Edith Blais through the lens of a personnel recovery agent. Blais and her boyfriend were kidnapped and held for 15 months by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin gunmen. Margolius points out the many small and practical things that helped Blais survive and how her story can help agencies learn from her experience to …

How Dance/Movement Therapy Can Cultivate Self-Compassion In Chinese Diaspora Adults: A Literature Review, Heng Hsiu Liu

Expressive Therapies Theses

Chinese diaspora adults navigate a psychological transition in mental health understanding, based on acculturation level; some are more somatically focused in their understanding, while others adopt Western mental health frameworks. While self-compassion can be a helpful transdiagnostic tool, Chinese diasporas still face barriers to current selfcompassion interventions such as the remaining stigma of "losing face" with their family and community, language barriers to emotional expression, and a cultural emphasis on self-criticism as a tool for moral improvement. Self-compassion cultivation is grounded in mindfulness, common humanity, and self-kindness, which collectively stimulate the soothing-affiliative affect regulation system. This review identifies Dance/Movement Therapy …

Creating Collaborative Strategies: The Influence Of Principal Leadership In Teacher Retention In Rural Secondary Schools In Dhalai District, Tripura, Northeast India., Valerian Castelino

Educational Studies Dissertations

Teacher retention has become a growing concern across India and the world. In rural, tribal, and multilingual contexts, the challenge is even greater. This research, Creating Collaborative Strategies: The Influence of Principal Leadership in Teacher Retention in Rural Secondary Schools in Dhalai District, Tripura, Northeast India, explores how school leadership influences teachers’ decisions to remain in rural schools. The research focuses on Tripura, a small state in Northeast India known for its tribal diversity, geographic isolation, multilingual classrooms, and limited educational resources. The research is informed by a multi-theoretical framework: Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory, Non-Economic Capital Theory, and Transformational Leadership …

Revised Draft Final Annual Operations And Maintenance (O&M) Report: Butte Treatment Lagoon (Btl) System – 2025, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Early Elementary Teachers' Experiences Implementing Concrete Representational Abstract Strategies In A Low-Performing District, Grace Sheree Bruce-Spence

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem addressed in this study was that early elementary students in an achievement zone continued to demonstrate low mathematics achievement, despite the district-wide implementation of the concrete representational abstract (CRA) instructional strategy, designed to promote conceptual understanding through scaffolded stages at a school district in the southeastern United States. In this district, an achievement zone refers to a cluster of schools serving historically underperforming students in high-poverty communities who receive targeted academic support. Grounded in Bruner’s constructivist learning theory, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore kindergarten through third-grade teachers’ experiences implementing the CRA strategy in …

Lived Experiences Of Spiritually Communicating Individuals Regarding Identity And Relationship Development In Early Adulthood, Bonnie Jean Kane

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Spiritually communicating individuals (SCIs), those who report interactions with non-physical entities, may face misunderstanding, stigmatization, and pathologization. Although spiritual experiences are recognized across cultures and hold significant psychological importance, they remain largely absent from developmental psychology, leaving a gap in understanding how SCIs navigate identity formation, emotional regulation, and social integration in early adulthood. The foundation of this study is transpersonal theory, which incorporates spiritual and transcendent dimensions of human experience, and phenomenology, which served as the guiding methodological and philosophical approach to explore lived experiences as subjectively perceived. This study examined the lived experiences of SCIs aged 26–35, investigating …

Effective Strategies Nonprofit Leaders Use To Implement Agile And Lean Methodologies To Improve Project Performance Outcomes And Organizational Sustainability, Mariette Njumbe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Limited resources challenge nonprofit organizations to improve project performance and organizational sustainability. Although agile and lean methodologies can enhance adaptability, efficiency, and continuous improvement, many nonprofit leaders lack effective strategies to implement them in mission-driven environments. The purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore strategies nonprofit leaders use to implement agile and lean methodologies to improve project performance and organizational sustainability. The project was grounded in an integrated conceptual framework of agile project management and lean thinking. Participants were nine nonprofit leaders. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and public documents and analyzed using thematic analysis. Five themes …

Relationship Between Aleks Use, Implementation Models, And Grade 9 Students’ Achievement On Algebra 1 Summative Assessments, Deneen Alfordburke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that was addressed through this study was Grade 9 students’ achievement on the Algebra 1 New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA) continued to be below the proficiency level that is defined by the state, despite implementation of Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS) Algebra 1 software. The study was grounded in Doignon and Falmagne’s knowledge space theory (KST) which evaluates students’ current knowledge levels and guides them along individualized learning paths based on what they are ready to learn next. The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative study was to determine whether the predictor variables Grade 9 students’ …

Differential Equation Modeling For Sustainable Resource Management: A Steady-State Optimal Harvesting Approach, Iordanka N. Panayotova, Aleksei Talonov

CODEE Journal

Mathematical models based on differential equations provide a powerful framework for connecting real-world data to informed decision-making. In this work, we present a student-accessible project that uses an optimal-control framework to study the sustainable management of biological resources.

Motivated by fisheries management, we examine a predator--prey system in which harvesting decisions must balance ecological and economic considerations. The model is formulated as an optimal control problem that seeks to maximize the total discounted net revenue from harvesting. Rather than solving for the complete time-dependent harvesting trajectory, we restrict the analysis to positive controlled coexistence equilibria and characterize an interior stationary …

Effects Of The “Chai For 2” Pilot Intervention Among Asian Indian Immigrants, Maya Joseph, Anju Wadhawan, Shailja Mathur, Haiqun Lin, Karen T. D'Alonzo

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Asian Indian (AI) immigrants, the second largest immigrant group in the US, have a high prevalence of abdominal obesity and premature cardiovascular disease (CVD).^1,2,3 Despite ample epidemiological evidence of the need to reduce CVD risk in AIs, few published interventions have addressed this population, primarily focusing on dietary measures and promotion of physical activity, and none of these address immigrant AIs.^4,5

This study was built upon the results of our prior work to 1) Implement and pilot test a peer leader-facilitated 10-week dyadic intervention (Community Health among Asian Indian immigrants (CHAI) Dyad study) using a cluster randomization design, …

Evaluating Medical Student Geriatric Competency Using A 5ms-Based Assessment Tool, Lauren R. Hersh Md, Amy Cunningham Phd, Mph, Xiya Wu Md

Cooper Rowan Medical Journal

INTRODUCTION

Driven by an aging Baby Boomer generation, the United States is navigating a demographic transformation with far-reaching implications that include increased demand for chronic disease management and long-term care as well as increased stress on both healthcare costs and infrastructure. Generating a workforce competent in the delivery of care to older patients with complex, multimorbid conditions is fundamental to addressing this shift. Recognizing that the development of primary and specialty care physicians skilled in geriatric care begins in medical school, the American Geriatric Society developed minimum competencies grounded in the Geriatric 5Ms (Mind, Mobility, Medication, Multicomplexity, and …

Smart City Pula, Bj Fletcher, Saša Drezgić, Molly Schnoke

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

No abstract provided.

Enhancing The Bearing Capacity And Settlement Performance Of Soft Clay Using Geocell Reinforcement: A 3d Numerical Parametric Study, Alaa Ata, Engy E. Elbasuny, Ayman Metodiev El-Zohairy, Marwa Nabil

Faculty Publications

Problematic soils pose a risk to structures due to excessive or uneven settlement, swelling, and limited bearing capacity. To address some of these issues, mechanical reinforcement using geosynthetic products such as geocells can be employed, given their ease and speed of implementation. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of geocells on the behavior of soft clay soil in Port Said, Egypt, using a three-dimensional finite element model, namely, the PLAXIS 3D software. The results show that replacing the top 1.5 m of the soft clay with sand significantly reduced settlement. This improvement was further enhanced by …

A Reflection On Growing Up With Hyperacusis, Jemma-Tiffany Rosewater, Katherine Melton

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

I, the first author, explore here my personal experiences growing up with severe hyperacusis pain, a rare condition that significantly affected my childhood but also gave me a deeper understanding of how medical professionals interact with children. I discuss the many ways my condition was dismissed or misunderstood by doctors, and I examine the broader negative implications that this dismissal had on both my physical health and day-to-day life. This article also emphasizes the power and sway that the words of medical professionals hold compared to the voices of children. I reflect on how outdated yet common misconceptions about hyperacusis, …

Cultivating A Culture Of Belonging: Elementary Principal Practices, Sara Macneil

Educational Studies Dissertations

A sense of belonging is a fundamental human need that influences students’ experiences, relationships, and engagement within their school context. It is shaped through intentional actions and everyday experiences. Understanding how school leaders intentionally shape conditions that foster students’ sense of belonging requires further exploration. This study focused on an elementary school principal and sought to identify specific leadership practices that strengthen the sense of belonging for elementary students. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were collected through a sense of belonging survey and small group interviews. The survey data provided a measure of students’ sense of belonging and were used …

Evaluation Of Deep Learning Techniques For Intrusion Detection In Cybersecurity, Doaa El-Shahat, Mohamed Mahmoud Abdelaziz, Waseem Akram, Muhammad Jabir Khan

Sustainable Machine Intelligence Journal

The increasing prevalence of Internet of Things (IoT) technology is also leading to a rise in potential cybersecurity risks. Therefore, it has become crucial to develop effective solutions using deep learning to enable us to discover the various vulnerabilities that may arise from continuous technological advancements, and to defend against the different types of attacks that fraudsters might use to exploit system weaknesses, such as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, web attacks, and spoofing. Most model failures stem from their reliance solely on detecting spatial patterns and their failure to focus on detecting temporal patterns, resulting in poor performance …

Interface-Dependent Nitrite-To-Ammonia Reduction In A Cu/Pd Palladium Membrane Reactor, Bingxin Guo, Yaxin Shi, Shihe Lin, Zhiqin Liang

Online First

Nitrite-to-ammonia conversion is a multistep reduction that requires hydrogen delivery together with a suitable interfacial electrochemical environment. Palladium membrane reactors (PMRs) spatially separate hydrogen supply from the substrate, but whether a hydrogen-rich membrane interface alone can sustain this deep reduction remains unclear. Here, we systematically compared the hydrogenation and electrolysis sides of a Cu/Pd PMR. On the hydrogenation side, NH₃ was barely formed; representative Cu/Pd samples gave only 1.90-2.16 μg h^-1 cm^-2 after 9 h, with apparent Faradaic efficiencies below 2%. The weak response persisted under sustained electrochemical hydrogen charging and in direct-H₂ open-circuit controls, although …

Spatial Markov Equilibrium Models For Taxi Services: Driver Decision, Search Friction, And Locational Pricing, Yanchao Liu

Industrial and Systems Engineering Faculty Research Publications

This paper develops a modeling framework for stochastic multi-agent systems and applies it to equilibrium and pricing analysis in urban taxi markets. Travel demand is represented as a trip network and embedded in a Markov chain that captures both locational and in transit taxi states, with transition dynamics reflecting trip durations, search frictions, spatial competition, and drivers’ perceptions of long-term value. The framework features a parametric Markov chain with endogenous transition probabilities and a behavioral model in which agents’ decisions depend on anticipated long-term rewards. We establish equilibrium existence and examine two locational pricing schemes that align individual incentives with …

Spatiotemporal Variations Of Tidal Asymmetry Along The Coast Of Taiwan: Characteristics And Implications, Ting-Chieh Lin, Tai-Wen Hsu, Tzu-Chun Huang, Chun-Yuan Lin

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This study presents the first systematic investigation into the spatiotemporal characteristics and evolutionary trends of tidal asymmetry along the coast of Taiwan from 2003 to 2022, employing a moving window method combined with the S_TIDE toolbox.  By quantifying the skewness of the Main Tidal Asymmetry Combinations (MTAC) and their temporal variations, the study reveals significant regional disparities between the eastern and western coasts.  The western coast is primarily dominated by the M2-M4 combination, with the northwestern region exhibiting a flood dominance pattern and the southwestern region characterized by ebb dominance.  Conversely, the eastern coast, attributed to its open topography and …

A Mixed Methods Study Of Inpatients’ Experiences, Priorities, And Health-Related Quality Of Life During High- Flow Nasal Cannula Therapy, Cintamani H. Ellsworth, Rebecca S. Bartlett

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) is an oxygen delivery method with numerous benefits for severely ill patients. There is a paucity of research focused on the perspectives of patients receiving HFNC oxygen therapy. This study aimed to engage with patients to gain a clearer understanding of their experiences, priorities, and health-related quality of life.

Methods: A cross-sectional, mixed methods study was completed with 10 adult inpatients who had received HFNC oxygen therapy during their hospital admission. Semi-structured interviews and the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Global Health Scale were used to identify participant perceptions of their physical and …

The Necropolitics Of Mourning In Two Selected Novels: Karunatilaka's The Seven Moons Of Maali Almeida And Pynchon's Prophet Song, Ameer Mohammed Hussein

Alustath Journal for Human and Social Sciences

The politics of mourning in Shehan Karunatilaka's The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida (2022) and Paul Lynch's Prophet Song (2023) is explored in this study from a cultural and socio-political viewpoints. Although the concept of trauma and memory has been studied in recent Anglophone fiction, there is comparatively little work considering mourning as a political practice in geopolitical difference. This study fills this gap, in the context of mourning as a resistance, in post-civil war Sri Lanka and authoritarian Ireland. The study uses qualitative comparative textual analysis as conceptual frameworks, which were developed by Judith Butler with her concept of …

Reliable Performance Analysis Of Polyurea Coatings Used In Offshore Wind Turbines, Yu-Chang Lin, Yen-Fu Liu, I-Ming Pan, Ming-Yuan Lin, Kang-Yu Liao, Hung-Hua Sheu, Hung-Bin Lee

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This study explores the weather resistance, mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of polyurea coatings in marine environments. The relevant analysis results can be used as a reliability assessment of offshore wind turbine structural coatings during their service life under the influence of marine environments. The long-term experiment uses seawater and 70°C thermal aging conditions as coating reliability assessment items. The microstructure of the samples that have been immersed in seawater for a long time and thermally aged is observed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results show that the surface of the 100 and 125 series polyurea coatings is …

Identifying The Causality And Criticality Of Factors Influencing The Promotion Of Asian Island-Hopping Cruise Tourism In Taiwan, Hsiao-Chuan Liu, Gin-Shuh Liang, Feng-Ming Tsai, Yu-Ling Lien

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the global tourism industry has steadily recovered since 2022. Island-hopping cruises have gained increasing attention for enhancing regional connectivity and diversifying marine travel experiences; however, their development in Asia remains limited compared with that in Europe and the Caribbean due to fragmented policy coordination, inadequate port infrastructure, and uneven technological readiness. Although Taiwan possesses a geographic advantage and can serve as a strategic hub linking Asian island destinations, systematic planning and stakeholder coordination remain insufficient, resulting in unclear mechanisms that drive or constrain island-hopping cruise tourism. Existing studies mainly focus on market demand or passenger behavior, …

White Shark Occurrence In Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Revealed From Acoustic Telemetry In An Offshore Mpa, Michael A. Dance, Jay R. Rooker, R. J. David Wells, Megan V. Winton, Landes L. Randall, Marissa F. Nuttall, Brondum M. Krebs, Creed C. Branham, Brett B. Sweezey, Richard J. Kline

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The outer continental shelf of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) is characterized by unique bathymetric features that provide critical habitat for marine fauna. Here, we demonstrate the utility of large-scale acoustic telemetry for monitoring an oceanic marine protected area (MPA) and document the first known occurrences of white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) within Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS). White sharks were tagged with acoustic transmitters in the western North Atlantic Ocean off the east coast of the United States and Canada. Nine white sharks were detected along the outer shelf ecosystem associated with FGBNMS over a three-year …

Icc Agenda 9-15-26, Angela Brock

Individual Course Committee (ICC)

No abstract provided.

Copper Nanoparticles And Their Future In Drug Delivery And Anticancer Therapy, Keykavous Parang, Rajesh Vadlapatla, Cassia Charles, Kimberly Tang, Trang Nguyen, Amir Nasrolahi Shirazi, Ajoy Koomer

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) have attracted growing attention in nanomedicine owing to their distinctive physicochemical, optical, and biological properties. Their large surface area, tunable size, ease of surface modification, and low cost make them attractive candidates for drug delivery, where they can both improve delivery efficiency and enable stimuli-responsive release. CuNPs also possess intrinsic antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and photothermal activities, further broadening their biomedical utility. In this review, we synthesize recent advances in the synthesis, characterization, surface functionalization, and biomedical application of CuNPs, comparing chemical, physical, and green synthetic routes and their effects on stability, biocompatibility, and therapeutic efficacy. We examine …

Technical Analysis And Market Liquidity In Sale-And-Purchase Transactions Of Second-Hand Oil Tankers, Chih-Chung Cheng, Po-Yin Wang, Heng-Chih Chou

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

In addition to using second-hand oil tankers to fulfil immediate shipping needs, shipowners can leverage price fluctuations in the tanker market to make vessel sale-and-purchase (S&P) transactions. Given that the profitability of vessel S&P transactions depends primarily on timing decisions, in this study, technical analysis was applied to identify the optimal transaction timing for 5-, 10-, and 15-year-old second-hand Aframax tankers. In a simulation, an S&P strategy based on technical analysis outperformed a benchmark buy-and-hold strategy, particularly for newer tankers, possibly due to the higher price volatility and lower market efficiency in the markets for these vessels. However, the lack …

Corrosion Testing And Simulation Of Taiwan Offshore Wind Foundations, Yao-Hung Fan, Yen-Fu Liu, I-Ming Pan, Chih-Chung Wen, Hsiu-Chen Yeh, Chien-Ming Lo, Tai-Liang Kuo, Hung-Hua Sheu, Hung-Bin Lee

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Taiwan is located in the subtropical zone, with high relative humidity and high salinity in the air, and there are marine organisms attached to structures in the sea. This study will analyze the durability of the corrosion structure materials of the underwater foundation of offshore wind turbines based on the local chemical environment and paint materials. The offshore wind turbine underwater infrastructure is placed in the small boat dock area of the National Taiwan Ocean University in Taiwan. Nine kinds of coatings certified by NORSOK M501 were used to prepare specimens, and the metal exposure test was carried out by …

Synchronous Deep Reinforcement Learning For Optimized Storage Assignment Of Ship Blocks, Gawon Lee, Jaehyeon Heo, Misung Kim, Hyerim Bae

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This paper presents a deep reinforcement learning (RL) framework for optimizing block storage allocation in shipbuilding yards. During the shipbuilding process, vessels are constructed in block units to maximize the operational efficiency. Following assembly, these blocks must be stored in limited yard spaces, creating a complex variant of the binary packing problem. This storage allocation problem is further complicated by operational constraints, including the barge capacity and transportation time restrictions. Moreover, poor storage decisions can lead to redundant block movements, which can adversely affect downstream processes and increase operational costs. To resolve this problem, a policy-gradient-based synchronous RL model was …