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The Constellation Of American Voters: Understanding Americans Who Live In And Out Of American Municipalities, Jordan Duffin Wong

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

More than 130 million Americans live in unincorporated areas, or the spaces outside the boundaries of cities, towns, and villages. Despite this, relatively little attention has been paid to whether, how, and why residents of unincorporated areas differ from their municipality-dwelling counterparts. In this dissertation, I explore the answers to these questions by establishing a new theoretical framework that rigorously defines, bounds, and partitions unincorporated space. Drawing on the near-universe of American voters, I illustrate, with unparalleled precision, where and how Americans have sorted into and out of municipalities, and show that different mechanisms drive these phenomena. Furthermore, I explore …

Influence Of Different Nanoparticles On Thermophysical Properties And Wear Resistance Of Corn Oil-Based Cutting Fluid In Mql-Cnc Milling Machining, M Nuril Anwar Habiby, Poppy Puspitasari, Aminnudin Aminnudin, Diki Dwi Pramono, Ahmad Atif Fikri, Mariyam Jameelah Ghazali

Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science and Technology (JMEST)

Vegetable oil-based cutting fluids have emerged as a promising innovation in machining operations, supporting the advancement of sustainable and eco-friendly manufacturing practices. This study delves into the development of a biolubricant derived from corn oil, enriched with 0.15% mass fractions of various nanoparticles, including calcium carbonate (CaCO3), copper oxide (CuO), and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT). These nano-cutting fluids were applied through the Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL) method during CNC milling of AISI 1045 steel. The investigation focused on evaluating thermophysical properties, including density, thermal conductivity, and dynamic viscosity, as well as tool wear performance. The results demonstrated that CuO nanoparticles …

Advancing Interactive Web Cartography Through Designing And Developing An Open-Source, Data-Driven Framework For Accessible Geovisualization Of Geospatial (Big) Data, Sarigai Sarigai

Geography ETDs

The growth of geospatial big data has intensified the demand for open-source, accessible tools for interactive spatial exploration. This dissertation introduces a modular web mapping framework and details its design, extension, and evaluation to advance geovisualization through user-centered, transferable design. The first study presents the original framework, named dciWebMapper, establishing foundational cartographic and information visualization principles, with a focus on modularity and extensibility. The second study extends dciWebMapper with advanced capabilities—such as diverse map types, bivariate visualizations, temporal filtering, spatial querying, and hotspot analysis—and demonstrates its broad transferability across domains. The third study offers a structured usability evaluation of …

Analyzing National War Propaganda Through Comparison Of Diverse Case Studies, Ike Sugitani

Dissertations and Theses

In the build-up to war, national governments utilize propaganda to gather public support for the war effort. In some instances, propaganda campaigns are conducted but war does not occur. This begs the question as to why war follows propaganda campaigns in some cases, but not in others. I argue that propaganda efforts that lead to war can be generally characterized through three major strategies based on a patriotic participatory social structure, a claim to moral authority, and the blending of individual concepts of the state, government and nation. In this study, I analyze the major historical case studies of the …

Adaptive Crop Switching For Irrigated Agriculture In Response To Climate Change In The Western U.S., Shahryar Fazli, Wenzhao Li, Surendra Maharjan, Rejoice Thomas, Aqil Tariq, Hesham El-Askary

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Adaptive irrigation strategies are crucial for balancing water use, economic viability, and food security in the arid Western United States. However, as a key indicator vital in regulating agricultural productivity and crop irrigation, water use efficiency (WUEc) is becoming increasingly complex to estimate due to climate change. This study explores the critical role of key meteorological drivers, such as maximum temperature (tmax) and vapor pressure deficit (vpd), and their impacts on crop-specific WUEc. Future impacts are also assessed through integrating machine learning models with climate projections from the CMIP6 framework under SSP2–4.5 and SSP5–8.5 scenarios to forecast WUEc trends from …

Early Childhood Education – A Unique And Quasi-Hidden Curriculum, Verity Campbell-Barr

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

This paper considers the complexities and debates surrounding the concept of curriculum in Early Childhood Education (ECE). The paper highlights the tension between traditional, structured curriculum models found in schooling and the more flexible, child-centred and play-based approaches advocated in ECE. Starting from the premise that curriculum theory in ECE is underdeveloped, the discussion draws on Bernstein’s Pedagogic Device to provide a theoretical framework with which to analyse how knowledge is produced and recontextualised in ECE in both the official (state) and pedagogic field. Central to the recontextualisation are theories of child development and how they provide an underlying course …

A Novel, Metal-Based Approach To Identify Residences With Lead Service Lines, Danielle Land, Grant D. Brown, David M. Cwiertny, Marc A. Edwards, Mona Hanna, Drew E. Latta, Michelle M. Scherer

Michigan Tech Publications

There is an urgent need for rapid, cost-effective approaches to identify residences with lead service lines (LSLs). We evaluated whether analyzing water for corrosion-related metals could accurately identify residences with LSLs without relying on potentially inaccurate property records. We applied principal component analysis logistic regression (PCA-LR) and classification tree models using 28 analytes per bottle (including Pb, Cu, Zn, Fe, Al, and others) measured in 216 water samples collected in Flint, Michigan, in August 2015. The PCA-LR model achieved 87% accuracy (AUROC = 0.93) with 81% sensitivity and 90% specificity, while the classification tree model achieved 80% accuracy (AUROC = …

Gene Regulatory Network Prediction Using Machine Learning, Deep Learning, And Hybrid Approaches, Sai Teja Mummadi, Md Khairul Islam, Victor Busov, Hairong Wei

Michigan Tech Publications

Construction of gene regulatory networks (GRNs) is essential for elucidating the regulatory mechanisms underlying metabolic pathways, biological processes, and complex traits. In this study, we developed and evaluated machine learning, deep learning, and hybrid approaches for constructing GRNs by integrating prior knowledge and large-scale transcriptomic data from Arabidopsis thaliana, poplar, and maize. Among these, hybrid models that combined convolutional neural networks and machine learning consistently outperformed traditional machine learning and statistical methods, achieving over 95% accuracy on the holdout test datasets. These models not only identified a greater number of known transcription factors regulating the lignin biosynthesis pathway but also …

Life-Course And Biography Of Things: Minangkabau Women's Headgear, Attari Putri Denendra, Irmawati Marwoto

International Review of Humanities Studies

Like men, objects also have a biography or life-course. Both biographies are intertwined, so when someone experiences a new life phase transition in their life-course, it will cause changes in the objects attached to them. This is also supported by the statement that the identity is performative. The headgear as one of the elements used by Minangkabau women also represents the identity of the wearer. This research was conducted in three stages: (1) data collection in the form of old photos and literature of Minangkabau women with headgear in Batipuh, Fort de Kock, and Payakumbuh, (2) data processing by analysis …

Staff Education On Culturally Tailored Hispanic Diabetes Management In A Primary Care Community Clinic, Robyn Elizabeth Reeves

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Hispanic population is the fastest-growing ethnic minority in the United States, and they have a 66% chance of developing Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Less than half of Hispanic patients with diabetes achieve optimal glycemic control due to cultural barriers and dietary issues. At the project site, a primary care practice in the southeastern United States regarding cultural competency training in diabetes management for Hispanics was identified. The practice-focused question was: Does providing education to primary care staff improve their knowledge of diabetes management among Hispanic patients with diabetes, as evidenced by pre- and post-surveys? In the project, I …

Equal Access To Justice: A Case Study Of Eviction Victims Without Legal Aid And Post Criminality In Houston, Texas., Okanlawon Jamiu Akinwonmi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The unending increase in eviction rates and existing housing problems in the United States of America is not an exaggeration. Heterogeneity of requirements or eviction laws is a pervasive phenomenon across the states nationwide. These fundamental issues require immediate attention and must be addressed. The purpose of this study is to explore the dynamic gap in our criminal justice system, the lack of legal aid, and potential criminality resulting from eviction and housing problems. Moreover, the psychological, physical, and emotional effects of these problems on the victims in relation to the roles of social workers, community advocates, and housing policy …

The Problem With Consumer Affordability Of Prescription Medications In The United States, Valerie E. Bell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Consumer affordability of prescription drugs is an ongoing problem in the United States. This study was undertaken to research the financial, physical, and economic effects of drug prices on consumers and the methods used by consumers to address such effects. Rational choice and power and politics theories were used to explain the decisions consumers make when they could not afford their medications and the role policies and politics play in drug pricing. The research questions concerned the relationship between consumers’ perceptions of drug pricing and their ability to purchase medications. The quantitative nonexperimental study involved the administration of a survey …

Associations Between School-Based Arrests And High School Graduation Status Of African American Female Students In Florida, Rannisha Missick

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Zero tolerance school discipline policies, originally intended to address serious threats such as weapon and drug possession, have increasingly been applied to minor behavioral infractions, disproportionately affecting African American students, particularly females. These exclusionary practices, including school-based arrests, have been linked to adverse educational outcomes. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine associations between school-based arrests due to zero tolerance policy violations and high school graduation status of African American female students in Florida. The study was guided by the intersectionality theory, which posits individuals who belong to multiple marginalized groups experience compounded forms of discrimination. Archival …

Postpartum Experiences Of Arab Women And The Educational Role Of The Mother, Diana Ikki

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Women in the Arab world traditionally observe a 40-day postpartum rest period, during which they rest, follow specific rituals, and learn to care for their newborn under the guidance and care of a family matriarch, typically their mother. Despite the prevalence of this practice, there is limited empirical research exploring the educational role of Arab mothers during their daughters' postpartum period; this qualitative study addressed this gap. Foundational to this study’s theoretical framework was Ramona Mercer’s theory of maternal role attainment. The study addressed two research questions: how Arab women describe their postpartum experiences and the educational role their mothers …

Fathers’ Experiences With Reunification With The Massachusetts Child Welfare System, Phernel Joseph Manigat

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study focused on fathers’ experiences with the Massachusetts child welfare system (MCWS) or the Department of Children and Families (DCF) during the reunification process with their children, particularly those fathers who received sole custody of their children during this process. Researchers have demonstrated that fathers are minimally engaged and mostly ignored in the child welfare system (CWS). A research gap was identified regarding the experiences of fathers who received sole custody of their children through the CWS. The purpose of this study was to explore these fathers’ experiences with the MCWS or the DCF during the reunification process with …

A Qualitative Case Study Exploring The Decision-Making Criteria Of Policymakers In The State Of Michigan To Reinstate A Universal Helmet Law, Eberley Nicole Adams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Policymakers are elected to create, amend, or repeal legislation that impacts public welfare; however, little is known about the specific criteria used when making public health and safety decisions, particularly regarding motorcycle helmet laws. In 2012, Michigan repealed its universal helmet law (UHL) after 35 years, replacing it with a partial helmet law specifying requirements for helmetless riding. Despite an increase in unhelmeted fatalities, the UHL has not been reinstated, raising questions about the legislative decision-making process. Prior research has found that factors such as budgeting, statistical data, interest groups, education, income, political stability, and public opinion may guide these …

Shared Themes Among Teachers And Students On The Impact Of Teacher Well-Being On Student Wellbeing And Academic Success, Brian Duncan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teachers have experienced increasing burnout and high attrition rates, alongside a parallel decline in student well-being and academic success. Prior research has linked teacher well-being to student outcomes; however, little is known about whether teachers and students perceive this relationship similarly. This phenomenological qualitative study explored the shared perceptions of teacher well-being’s impact on student well-being and academic success among 10 high school teachers and 10 students from public schools in the southwestern United States. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory and Bowlby’s secure base theory, the study employed semistructured interviews and Saldana’s two-cycle coding to identify themes across both …

A Workplace Posture Initiative To Reduce Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders, Carrie Isaac

All Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects

Problem: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) are a leading cause of occupational injury and discomfort in industrial workplaces. Although an ergonomic program existed at the project site, a formalized process to detect postural misalignments early had not been established. Relying on employee self-reporting, delayed intervention, and limited opportunities to prevent injuries before they progress.

Aim of the Project: A proactive posture screening program using PostureScreen® was implemented to identify postural deviations that could contribute to WRMSDs. Emphasis was placed on supporting employees through early awareness of posture-related issues and evaluation of alignment improvements following individualized intervention.

Review of the Evidence: Evidence …

Precision Medicine And Beyond: Evolving Roles Of Targeted Therapy, Immunotherapy, And Artificial Intelligence In Oncology, Linwei Li, Anika Doppalapudi, Jennifer Escamilla, Annu Karithara, Christine Pham, Angel Phillip, Sriya Gullapalli, Lois Baldado, Arjun Bellamkonda, Daniela Gonzalez, Amin Ibrahim, David Sta. Maria, Kaitlyn Ybanez, Hugo Zamarron, Shizue Mito

School of Medicine Publications

Precision medicine in oncology is an evolving therapeutic approach that leverages genetic, clinical, and biomarker data to tailor treatments to individual patients. This review explores the three core pillars of modern precision oncology: targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into clinical practice. Targeted therapies, including monoclonal antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates, selectively inhibit molecular pathways involved in tumor growth. While conventional chemotherapy remains the backbone of treatment and has improved remission rates, its cytotoxic nature limits broader applicability and increases the risk of comorbidities. Immunotherapies, particularly immune checkpoint inhibitors and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies, have transformed …

A Survey Of Image Forensics: Exploring Forgery Detection In Image Colorization, Saurabh Agarwal, Deepak Sharma, Nancy Girdhar, Cheonshik Kim, Ki-Hyun Jung

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

In today’s digital era, the rapid evolution of image editing technologies has brought about a significant simplification of image manipulation. Unfortunately, this progress has also given rise to the misuse of manipulated images across various domains. One of the pressing challenges stemming from this advancement is the increasing difficulty in discerning between unaltered and manipulated images. This paper offers a comprehensive survey of existing methodologies for detecting image tampering, shedding light on the diverse approaches employed in the field of contemporary image forensics. The methods used to identify image forgery can be broadly classified into two primary categories: classical machine …

Low-Energy Multi-Photon Scattering At Tree-Level And One-Loop Order In A Homogeneous Electromagnetic Field, Ivan Ahumada, Patrick Copinger, James P. Edwards

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

We study low energy photons coupled to scalar and spinor matter in the presence of an arbitrary homogeneous electromagnetic field in a first-quantised (worldline) approach. Utilising a Fock-Schwinger gauge for both the scattering photons and homogeneous background, simple compact expressions are found for both the photon- and background-dressed effective action and propagator in scalar and spinor quantum electrodynamics. The low-energy limit allows identification of the coupling of the scattering photons as one of an effective homogeneous superposition of their field strengths, with amplitudes following from application of a suitable linearisation operator. To treat the linearisation, several techniques are employed, including …

Cowboy Narrative - H. P. Walker, Woody Phipps, H. P. Walker

Writers' Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of Texas, Fort Worth City Guide and History Draft Records

A transcript of a Cowboy Narrative, or Rangelore, interview conducted by Woody Phipps for the Works Progress Administration's Federal Writers' Project in the 1930s with former cowboy H. P. Walker. Walker was born in 1867 in Leon County, Texas and moved to Hood County in 1871 when his father established a farm there. He grew up working on the farm, learning how to ride a horse and handle cattle from a young age. His career as a cowhand began when he was hired for a trail drive. He later worked for ranches in Texas and New Mexico, and took cattle …

Og Version__Volume 1, Issue 1__Cuaderna Via.Pdf, Cuaderna Vía Editors

Cuaderna Vía

No abstract provided.

The Possessed, Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Hannah Arendt Marginalia - All

New York : The Modern Library, 1963

Call #: PG3326 .B6 1963

Contains marginalia, underlining, marginal lining and endpaper notes

PDF Information: 170 pages – 12.7 MB

Problems Of Men, John Dewey

Hannah Arendt Marginalia - All

New York, Philosophical library, 1946

Call #: B945.D43 P7

Contains underlining and endpaper notes.

PDF Information: 26 pages – 10.9mb

The New Class; An Analysis Of The Communist System, Milovan Djilas

Hannah Arendt Marginalia - All

New York, Praeger 1957

Call #: HX365.5 .D49

Contains marginalia, underlining and marginal lining

PDF Information: 97 pages – 10.1 MB

Using A Layered Ensemble Of Physics-Guided Graph Attention Networks To Predict Covid-19 Trends, Connie Sun, Vijayalakshmi Kumarasamy, Yu Liang, Dalei Wu, Yingfeng Wang

UTC Spring Research and Arts Conference

The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly disseminated worldwide, profoundly impacting numerous nations. Accurately forecasting the trajectory of COVID-19 across various scales is crucial for informing public health decisions. However, existing forecasting models primarily operate at the state or country level. Conventional mathematical models face limitations due to oversimplified assumptions, while machine learning algorithms struggle to extrapolate novel trends. This underscores the necessity for hybrid machine learning models that amalgamate domain expertise to enable precise long-term predictions. In response, we propose a sophisticated three-layered ensemble, tailored to geographical insights and fostering extensive peer learning. Our framework aims to forecast COVID-19 trends at …

Pretty Dangerous: The Romanticization Of Grooming In Pretty Little Liars, Katherine G. Johnson, Emma Grace Gilland

UTC Spring Research and Arts Conference

Sexual grooming is the deliberate manipulation of a minor by an adult to reduce their sensitivity to sexual contact, with the specific aim of perpetrating child or adolescent sexual abuse (Winters, 2022). Prevalence rates for sexual grooming vary; however, a recent study by Winters and Jeglic (2022) found that approximately 24% of their sample of undergraduate student sample reported experiencing sexual grooming as a minor. These predatory behaviors were prominently featured between lead adolescent and adult characters throughout the popular television show, Pretty Little Liars. This raises concerns about how such behaviors might be perceived when portrayed in popular media …

Advancements In Gunshot Detection: Ai, Iot, And Deep Learning For Real-Time Response, Vijayalakshmi K Kumarasamy, Anitha Anandhan, Yu Liang, Dalei Wu

UTC Spring Research and Arts Conference

Gun violence is a growing public safety concern, highlighting the need for fast and accurate gunshot detection systems (GDS) to support real-time law enforcement response. This review explores the integration of deep learning (DL), artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT) in enhancing GDS performance. It summarizes recent advances ranging from physics-based acoustic modeling to data-driven methods like CNNs, RNNs, and hybrid neural networks, along with edge-based IoT frameworks for low-latency alerts. The review also examines challenges such as differentiating gunshots from similar sounds, ensuring robustness across environments, and addressing surveillance-related privacy concerns. Case studies from urban, indoor, …

Machine Learning For Reparameterization Of Molecular Dynamics Water Model To Accurately Capture Electrical And Thermal Behavior, Khowshik Dey, Murat Barisik, Yu Liang

UTC Spring Research and Arts Conference

Water is an important component in many scientific and engineering applications, but precisely modeling its thermal, electrical, and physical properties remains difficult in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The widely used TIP4P water model, while useful in many circumstances, requires parameterization to better agreement with experimental results under various conditions. In this study, interpretable machine learning techniques were used to systematically tune the TIP4P model parameters where mathematical relationship between features and targets has been developed using deep symbolic optimization (DSO), resulting in a more accurate depiction of water behavior in molecular dynamics simulation. A data-driven approach was created to optimize …