Digital Commons Network^™

Wearing The Keffiyeh: Solidarity, Resistance, Activism, Catherine Harper Ph.D, Tasnim Alahdal, Rawan Gamal Agha

Arts and Design

The Palestinian keffiyeh is a distinctly patterned black-and-white woven double-cloth, hand-stitched scarf, originally used by farmers of the region. It became a prominent symbol of Palestinian nationalism from mid-twentieth century. Adopted by Yasser Arafat in the 1960s, it became a masculinist icon of Palestine’s politics of resistance, extended by female Palestinian liberationist Leila Khaled’s hijabi-like use, and then mobilised by wider leftist, activist, even Israel-critical Jewish, protest groups in the West.

In recent years, keffiyeh-patterned scarves, accessories, even dresses and skirts – in a range of colours – have appeared periodically in Western fashion stores, on couture catwalks, and …

Bridging Generations: Intergenerational Transfers And Time Use In A Changing World, Christine Ho

Research Collection School Of Economics

This Special Issue brings together nine papers that examine how families allocate time and money across generations. Spanning aging societies in East Asia to informal settlements in the Pacific, the contributions employ diverse methodological approaches, from natural experiments and policy variation to administrative data linkage and cross-generational panel surveys. The findings converge on a central insight: intergenerational transfers of time and money are not merely cultural practices, but systematic responses to changing economic environments and institutional frameworks. Family decisions are critical to the provision of long-term care, investment in children’s human capital, and the transmission of preferences, opportunities, and well-being …

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, And Access Annual Report, Fiscal Year 2025, April Anderson-Zorn, Emily Baldoni, Karmine Beecroft, Chad E. Buckley, Susan Franzen, Tom Hardy, Ellie Harman, Laura Killingsworth, Heather Koopmans, Maddi Loiselle, Joshua Newport, Ryan Peters, Seth Peterson, Lindsey Skaggs, Caitlin Stewart, Maria Tudela, Eric Willey, Angela Yon

Reports and White Papers - Milner Library

Report of Milner Library's activities and initiatives related to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access in Fiscal Year 2025. Compiled by the IDEA Committee.

A Three-Stage Matheuristic For The Blood Stochastic Inventory Routing Problem, Vincent F. Yu, Nabila Salsabila, Aldy Gunawan, Aldy Gunawan, Nurhadi Siswanto

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This research introduces a blood distribution system under vendor-managed inventory that considers uncertain supply and demand. We present it as the Blood Stochastic Inventory Routing Problem, formulating it as a two-stage stochastic programming model. To solve this problem, this study proposes a three-stage matheuristic that combines a perturbation heuristic, Adaptive Large Neighborhood Search, and an exact approach. From historical data of Surabaya Blood Center in Indonesia, six sets of new instances are generated under different settings. Computational results show that our proposed three-stage matheuristic outperforms CPLEX and a two-stage matheuristic by gaining optimal or better solutions within a significantly shorter …

How To Enable Effective Cooperation Between Humans And Nlp Models: A Survey Of Principles, Formalizations, And Beyond, Chen Huang, Yang Deng, Wenqiang Lei, Jiancheng Lv, Tat-Seng Chua, Jimmy Huang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

With the advancement of large language models (LLMs), intelligent models have evolved from mere tools to autonomous agents with their own goals and strategies for cooperating with humans. This evolution has birthed a novel paradigm in NLP, i.e., human-model cooperation, that has yielded remarkable progress in numerous NLP tasks in recent years. In this paper, we take the first step to present a thorough review of human-model cooperation, exploring its principles, formalizations, and open challenges. In particular, we introduce a new taxonomy that provides a unified perspective to summarize existing approaches. Also, we discuss potential frontier areas and their corresponding …

Fact-Audit: An Adaptive Multi-Agent Framework For Dynamic Fact-Checking Evaluation Of Large Language Models, Hongzhan Lin, Yang Deng, Yuxuan Gu, Wenxuan Zhang, Jing Ma, See-Kiong Ng, Tat-Seng Chua

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Large Language Models (LLMs) have significantly advanced the fact-checking studies. However, existing automated fact-checking evaluation methods rely on static datasets and classification metrics, which fail to automatically evaluate the justification production and uncover the nuanced limitations of LLMs in fact-checking. In this work, we introduce FACT-AUDIT, an agent-driven framework that adaptively and dynamically assesses LLMs’ fact-checking capabilities. Leveraging importance sampling principles and multi-agent collaboration, FACT-AUDIT generates adaptive and scalable datasets, performs iterative model-centric evaluations, and updates assessments based on model-specific responses. By incorporating justification production alongside verdict prediction, this framework provides a comprehensive and evolving audit of LLMs’ factual reasoning …

Graph Positional Autoencoders As Self-Supervised Learners, Yang Liu, Deyu Bo, Wenxuan Cao, Yuan Fang, Yawen Li, Chuan Shi

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Graph self-supervised learning seeks to learn effective graph representations without relying on labeled data. Among various approaches, graph autoencoders (GAEs) have gained significant attention for their efficiency and scalability. Typically, GAEs take incomplete graphs as input and predict missing elements, such as masked node features or edges. Although effective, our experimental investigation reveals that traditional feature or edge masking paradigms primarily capture low-frequency signals in the graph and fail to learn expressive structural information. To address these issues, we propose Graph Positional Autoencoders (GraphPAE), which employ a dual-path architecture to reconstruct both node features and positions. Specifically, the feature path …

A Note On Psoloessa Texana And Achurum Sumichrasti (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Acridinae) From Louisiana, Jovonn G. Hill

Midsouth Entomologist

During a 2024 survey in Kisatchie National Forest, Louisiana, Psoloessa texana and Achurum sumichrasti were collected, representing new state records. No prior records of P. texana exist for Louisiana, and while A. sumichrasti has been observed and reported online, no specimens were previously documented. These findings extend the known range of P. texana by ~320 km and suggest a broader distribution for A. sumichrasti. Their presence in xeric savannas may reflect Pleistocene-era disjunctions. With these additions, Louisiana’s documented grasshopper fauna increases to 41 species.

Trophic Roles And Climate-Driven Vulnerability For Benthic Invertebrates At Artificial Reefs In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Amanda Kirkland

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Artificial reefs are deployed to enhance marine habitats and fisheries, yet their role in supporting secondary production and their vulnerability to climate stressors remain understudied. This dissertation investigates the trophic ecology and climate sensitivity of benthic invertebrates at artificial reefs in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Chapter 1 assessed reef food webs using stable isotopes from fishes, invertebrates, and primary producers across six reefs and two seasons. Mixing models showed that most fishes rely on benthic reef carbon, while suspension feeders consume plankton and sediment microphytobenthos. Isotopic niche analysis revealed functional diversity and seasonal shifts in δ¹³C and δ³⁴S, though …

When Engagement Meets Distraction: The Effects Of Multitasking Types On Learning From Video Lectures, Zubeiru Mahama

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Students often multitask with lecture-relevant (e.g., note-taking) and lecture-irrelevant (e.g., texting) secondary tasks during lectures and such behavior tends to be more common in asynchronous than synchronous settings. Two experiments investigated the combined and comparative effects of lecture-relevant and lecture-irrelevant secondary tasks on attention to and retention of a geology video lecture in a simulated asynchronous setting. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: lecture-only, lecture-relevant multitasking (i.e., taking notes during the lecture), lecture-irrelevant multitasking (i.e., completing a survey in Experiment 1 or instant messaging in Experiment 2 during the lecture), or hybrid multitasking (both note-taking and survey …

An Examination Of Inclusive Education Programs For Children With Disabilities, Haley Misiewicz

Masters Projects

This project addresses the ongoing need for high-quality professional development that equips early childhood educators with effective strategies for inclusive education. Research consistently demonstrates that inclusive settings benefit both students with disabilities and their typically developing peers, yet many educators report a lack of confidence, training, and support when implementing inclusive practices. Grounded in the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and informed by federal legislation such as IDEA and ADA, this project presents a professional development toolkit designed to support preschool through second-grade teachers in creating accessible, responsive classroom environments.

The toolkit consists of a 90-minute training session, …

Fixing A 100-Year-Old Mistake, Michael J. Graetz

Faculty Scholarship

Posing the question of international tax cooperation versus competition reminds me of multiple-choice exams in which the right answer is “all of the above.” National interests determine which dominates at any given time. And in tax competition among nations, zero is not a lower bound.

In 1918, to encourage U.S. investments abroad, the United States enacted a credit for foreign taxes paid by U.S. companies and relinquished taxing rights to most foreign-source income. With the foreign tax credit, the United States assumed sole responsibility for reducing the double taxation of its residents and citizens. As the influential economist Edwin Seligman …

Dynamic Long-Term Prediction With Intermediate Event Information: A Flexible Model With Bivariate Time-Varying Coefficients, Yunyi Wang, Wen Li, Ruosha Li, Jing Ning

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The integration of time-to-intermediate event data and the evolving characteristics of patients to enhance long-term prediction has garnered significant interest, driven by the wealth of data generated from longitudinal cohorts. In this paper, we propose sequential/dynamic prediction rules by using regression models with time-varying coefficients. We introduce a class of dynamic models that not only incorporates intermediate event information but also leverages information across different landmark times. To address the challenge of right-censoring, we employ an inverse weighting technique in the estimation process. We establish the asymptotic properties of the estimated parameters and conduct extensive simulations to assess the finite …

An Exploratory Study Of Therapeutic Relationships And Participant Retention In A Specialized Home Visiting Program, Danielle F. Chiang, Stephen S. Gardner, Emily Siedlik, Emma Sexton

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Previous studies have shown the positive impacts that home-visiting programs have on children, parents, and families. Despite the record of success from home-visiting programs, there can be high rates of attrition in such programs, and researchers have explored the impact of a variety of socio-demographic factors to understand attrition in home-visiting programs and to drive improvements in the delivery of service. This exploratory study examines how various factors impact participant completion and retention in the TIES program, a home-visiting program based at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, that serves families impacted by substance use. Three hundred nineteen (N …

Differential Quadri-Partitioned Neutrosophic Interval-Valued Polynomial Attention-Based Deep Cnn For Brain Tumor Detection, Panimalar A, Aarthi D, Santhosh Kumar S, Sanjayprabu S

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Refined Neutrosophic Rings For Quality Evaluation Of Visualization Modeling System For Crop Growth In Agriculture And Forestry Based On Virtual Simulation Technology, Ning Wei, Jing Gan, Shouju Wei, Yuzhe Liang, Ruiyang Pan, Yanming Pan

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Neutrosophic Sets And Systems, Vol. 86,2025, Florentin Smarandache, Mohamed Abdel-Basset, Maikel. Leyva Vazquez

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Miro As A Digital Learning Space, Niamh O' Hora

Case studies: Digital Education

TU Dublin launched a new Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Analytics, Technology, and Innovation in May 2024. The parttime programme combines academic expertise from three university faculties and was developed in collaboration with Technology Ireland Digital Skillnet, SportsTech Ireland, and the TU Dublin Enterprise Academy. Designed to meet industry needs, the programme attracted professional learners from organisations like Flutter, Stats Perform, FAI, World Rugby, Epic Global, and Badminton Ireland among others. A core element of the curriculum is an Applied Design Thinking module, which introduces a human-centered approach to creative problem-solving, equipping learners with the skills to tackle complex challenges in …

Cross-Cultural Comparison Of Nomophobia, Netlessphobia And Anxiety Among Nursing Students In Iran And Türkiye: A Mediation Analysis, Mohsen S. Ardakani, Abdolrahim Asadollahi, Sevil Ç. Özbay, Yalçın Kanbay, Maryam Bakhtiar

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

Objectives: In the digital era, excessive reliance on smartphones and internet access has led to emerging psychological concerns, including nomophobia (fear of being without a mobile phone) and netlessphobia (fear of being without internet), which are increasingly linked to anxiety among students. This study aimed to compare the prevalence and psychological impact of these phobias among nursing students in Iran and Türkiye. Methods: This cross-sectional study was included nursing students; participants completed validated questionnaires assessing nomophobia, netlessphobia and anxiety. Data were collected from June to July 2024 via paper-based and electronic surveys. Statistical analyses included independent t-tests, multiple regression and …

Digital Biophilia In Web Interface Design For Accessibility And User Well-Being, Bryana Michelle Peifer

Theses

This interdisciplinary study explores the intersection between horticultural therapy and web design, focusing on the impact of biophilic design principles in shaping contemporary practices within digital interface design. This exploration addresses the multifaceted relationship between humanity and the natural world, particularly how this connection serves as a source for the emergence of nature-inspired elements in digital expressions and their subsequent integration into modern web design for accessibility and well-being. As digital environments increasingly dominate daily experiences, the need for digital wellness through nature integration has become critical, especially for individuals who have physical disabilities, limited mobility, or limited access to …

Exploring Promising Practices In Temporary Informal Education Programs For Visitor And Community Engagement In The United States National Park Service, Cameron L. Miller

All Theses

According to the National Association for Interpretation (NAI), interpretation is “a purposeful approach to communication that facilitates meaningful, relevant, and inclusive experiences that deepen understanding, broaden perspectives, and inspire engagement with the world around us” (NAI, 2021). Interpretation is an integral part of a visitor’s experience to informal education venues like museums, zoos, aquariums, and parks and is at the heart of experience planning within the National Park Service (NPS). However, traditional interpretation methods, such as formal interpretation programs, tend to engage a small percentage of overall park visitors, that are typically older and white. Recognizing the need for interpretation …

Evaluating The Impact Of Activated Carbon On The Biodegradation Of Btex Compounds, Megan Barkley

All Theses

BTEX compounds—benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes—are toxic, volatile, aromatic hydrocarbons. They are primarily found in petroleum products and can easily enter the environment. Typical remediation techniques include sorption to activated carbon, pump and treat, and bioremediation. Research suggests that combining sorption to activated carbon and bioremediation may enhance BTEX removal. This study evaluates the impact of granular activated carbon (GAC) on the biodegradation of ethylbenzene and toluene, using an enrichment culture of aerobic bacteria.

The main objectives of this study are to grow and maintain a culture that degrades BTEX compounds, evaluate the effect of activated carbon on the biodegradation …

Mechanoregulation Of Osteogenesis And Adipogenesis Of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Justin Caron

Master's Theses

Bone-related diseases (e.g., osteoporosis) are primarily treated with pharmacologic therapies that often exhibit limited efficacy and substantial side effects. Currently, bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have become one of most important cell options in bone regeneration due to readily available sources, strong proliferation abilities, weak immune rejection responses, and strong osteogenic differentiation potential. While identifying the most effective approach to enhance osteogenic differentiation of MSCs for bone regeneration is challenging, understanding the regulatory mechanisms is crucial for improving therapeutic efficacy. Recent research has focused on developing strategies to enhance osteogenesis, which involve biophysical and biochemical stimulation. Mechanical and …

One Step Closer To Greater Understanding! Does A Correlation Exist Between Fluid Intelligence And Player Rank In League Of Legends?, Evan Miller

Dissertations

Chess, one of the oldest modern games, has long been a model domain for expertise research. In comparison, research on video games has historically been influenced by moral panic. Cycles of moral panic tend to revolve around preconceived notions of threats, held at a societal level (typically by older generations). Politicians, quick to capitalize, then advocate for policy change based upon their constituents’ fears. Concurrent media reports draw further attention to the issue, amplifying the perception of harm. As the panic escalates, pressure is placed on scientific communities to perform confirmatory (not exploratory) research. This fundamentally biased approach to research …

A Monte Carlo Analysis Of Cost Competitiveness Of Chinese And U.S. Fine Chemical Exports To Europe Under Europe’S Energy Crisis, Lin Luo

Dissertations

The European energy crisis, driven by geopolitical conflicts, has created a significant supply-demand gap in Europe’s fine chemical sector, necessitating reliance on imports from the United States and China. This quantitative study examined how energy, labor, and logistics costs interacted to shape the cost competitiveness of U.S. and Chinese fine chemical exports to Europe, using a Monte Carlo simulation parameterized with historical data from 2015-2023, to provide a probabilistic forecast of competitive outcomes. The findings revealed that while China holds a 76.55% probability of being the lower-cost supplier, its advantage is characterized by high volatility primarily due to its logistics …

Saliva & Circadian Rhythm In Medical Profiling For Early Disease Prevention, Joseph Lewis

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Circadian rhythms affect almost every biological process from hormone secretion, gene expression, immune regulation, and metabolism. Studies show that disruption to these internal rhythms through irregular sleep, artificial sleep, and irregular sleep can significantly increase risk for chronic disease such as diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, neurodegeneration, and cancer. Saliva presents a viable alternative for capturing biomarkers found through blood or cerebrospinal fluid, offering substantial utility for diagnostic and chronobiological profiling. Saliva contains hormones such as cortisol and melatonin while containing inflammatory markers that fluctuate rhythmically throughout the day. Due to its ease of collection, saliva is well suited for longitudinal monitoring, …

Roadside Asset Extraction From Mobile Lidar Point Cloud, Yushin Ahn, Riadh Munjy, Stephen Choi

Mineta Transportation Institute

Mobile LiDAR systems are powerful tools that help us map roads and their surroundings in 3D with great speed and precision. The data provided by these systems support urban planning efforts, digital mapping, transportation infrastructure maintenance, and more. This report presents a comprehensive workflow for roadside asset extraction using Mobile Terrestrial Laser Scanning (MTLS) data, focusing on road lane detection, cross-section slope analysis, and point cloud classification. Roadside asset extraction is the identification and classification of roadside features like signs and poles. The dataset, acquired using a high-resolution mobile LiDAR system, contains over 5.7 billion points (pieces of data) across …

Investigating Global Lightning Observed From Ground And Space, And Its Relationship To Solar Activity, Megan Diane Mark

Theses and Dissertations

The extremes of lightning, specifically lightning with long-lasting continuing currents and lightning with extremely high peak currents, are investigated from both ground- and space-based observations. Additionally, the potential solar influence on lightning is investigated on large spatial scales.

Continuing currents may occur following the impulsive flow of current during a cloud-to-ground (CG) return stroke and are usually low amplitude (from a few amperes to a few kiloamperes) and long duration (several to hundreds of milliseconds). Remotely estimating their duration from the electromagnetic fields measured by existing ground-based lightning locating systems (LLSs) is not possible, but some space-based lightning detection systems …

Differential Susceptibility To Friendship Quality, Rebekah B. Clapham, Yuji Kim, Megan M. Davis, Haina H. Modi, Haley V. Skymba, Karen D. Rudolph

Psychology Faculty Publications

Friendships assume a salient role in well-being during mid-adolescence. This research examined (a) how friendship quality (stressful vs. supportive) is differentially associated with mid-adolescents’ social adjustment (engagement in antisocial vs. prosocial behavior); (b) the extent to which these associations are contingent on individual differences in the tendency to base one's self-worth on peer approval; and (c) whether these associations differ in boys and girls. Adolescents (N = 324; 179 girls; M_age = 14.87; SD = 1.22) completed questionnaires during a school-based assessment. For boys, friendship stress was associated with more antisocial behavior among adolescents with high levels of avoidance-oriented …

Insights Gained From Applying Molecular Techniques To Gray Triggerfish (Balistes Capriscus Gmelin, 1789) In The Mexican Caribbean, The Southern And Northwestern Gulf Of Mexico, Geaceli G. Orive

Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on Balistes capriscus (Gray Triggerfish), a reef-associated species dependent on hard-bottom habitats in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). Using mitochondrial DNA barcoding and phylogenetic analyses, genetic structure across four sites was assessed: Rio Grande Valley (RGV), Veracruz, Chinchorro Bank, and Xahuayxol. Samples from RGV and Veracruz exhibited limited haplotype diversity, minimal nucleotide divergence, and weak genetic differentiation-patterns consistent with recent population expansion and ongoing connectivity within the GOM. While the study centered on B. capriscus, all individuals from Chinchorro and Xahuayxol unexpectedly grouped with Canthidermis maculata (Spotted Oceanic Triggerfish), suggesting misidentification, cryptic diversity, or taxonomic uncertainty in …