Digital Commons Network^™

Impact Of Gas Interactions With Nano Porous Geological Material In The Presence Of Water Vapor, Matthew D. Powell

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

Predicting gas transport in nanoporous geological material requires understanding competitive adsorption and transport under humid conditions. However, most adsorption studies rely on single-component equilibrium measurements that do not capture these effects. This dissertation develops an experimental methodology to directly quantify multicomponent gas adsorption and breakthrough behavior under controlled relative humidity. The method was first applied to the Kr/Xe–N2–H2O system, where it resolved competitive adsorption behavior in humid porous media and produced a bivariate model relating noble gas adsorption to noble gas partial pressure and water saturation. The methodology was then extended to the CO2–N2 H2O system. Results showed that water …

Mechanisms Of Advanced And Energy Efficient Wastewater Treatment Technologies, Derek Belka

Civil Engineering ETDs

This dissertation combines meta-omics, microbial ecology, and hydrodynamic analysis to explore mechanisms of enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) and aerobic granular sludge (AGS) in municipal wastewater treatment. Metagenomic and functional gene profiling of a laboratory sequencing batch reactor fed with amino acids and proteins, and with a low abundance of known polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs), revealed abundant Herpetosiphonaceae and Dermatophilaceae families possessed key PAO metabolic traits, including phosphate scavenging, anaerobic carbon pathways, and ppk2 gene variants aligned with established PAOs. These findings suggest amino acid-driven EBPR can occur via previously unrecognized taxa, challenging current engineering assumptions and highlighting the need for …

Wildfire Impacts On Fluvial Hydrology From Watershed To National Scales, Paige G. Tunby

Civil Engineering ETDs

Wildfires alter the water quantity and quality in downstream river networks. Fires promote biodiversity, maintain habitat, and provide many ecosystem services in a fire-adapted landscape. However, changes in the natural fire regimes can alter ecosystem function and threaten the water security of impacted downstream communities. The magnitude, timing, and persistence of these impacts are difficult to predict due to the lack of high-resolution datasets with adequate coverage to evaluate spatiotemporal trends after a fire. This dissertation moves us beyond the status quo to evaluate post-fire fluvial responses across scales, from the event-scale impacts after the Hermit’s Peak-Calf Canyon wildfire in …

Spherical Video–Based Vr Training For Nurses' Workplace Violence Management, Wen-Chii Tzeng, Yen-Yin Lin

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Workplace violence is a major global public health concern that undermines the physical safety, psychological well-being, and professional performance of nurses. Effective responses require increased sensitivity to environmental cues and interpersonal dynamics. However, nurses' workplace violence management cannot be cultivated through classroom instruction or text-based materials alone. This gap necessitates innovative, sustainable, and immersive learning approaches.

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility, effectiveness, and acceptability of a spherical video–based virtual reality training programme aimed at helping nurses manage workplace violence.

Methods: A convergent mixed-methods study was employed. This study included nurses from a tertiary medical centre in Taiwan. The training …

Co-Constructing The Common Ground: Responses In American Sign Language Conversation, Deborah Wager

Linguistics ETDs

Common ground between two people consists of the things they both know, that they know they both know. This body of knowledge grows in conversation, through both verbal and nonverbal responses. Responses communicate whether what has been said was accepted into the common ground, and return responses acknowledge this acceptance in turn (H. H. Clark, 1996). In addition to the semantic content of utterances, stance is communicated through a variety of means, and alignment with that stance is also communicated through responses.

This study explores ways in which responses are used in American Sign Language (ASL) conversation to co-construct the …

Documenting Regional And Individual Variation In Taiwan Sign Language, Devin Alexander Tankersley

Linguistics ETDs

Taiwan Sign Language (TSL) has been characterized by a north-south dialectal divide since the beginning of its development in the early twentieth century, further complicated by contact with Chinese Sign Language and with Mandarin. Considering increased interconnectivity across Taiwan, this dissertation asks: does the traditional north-south dialectal distinction still hold? To address this question, fieldwork was conducted across six areas of Taiwan to develop a data set consisting of word elicitations and sociolinguistic interviews. Findings from quantitative and qualitative analyses of these data suggest that TSL is not undergoing straightforward dialect leveling, but rather convergence towards a mixed variety shaped …

Surveyception: An Exploration Of Deceptive Survey Forms, Muhammad Danish

Computer Science ETDs

Survey platforms such as Google Forms and Microsoft Forms are widely used for feedback, data collection, and engagement, but scammers increasingly exploit them to distribute phishing and deceptive attacks. This thesis presents a large-scale study of survey-form abuse across ten major providers. We collected 140,000 forms from three sources: public posts on X, search-engine results, and web pages from the top 10 million DomCop-ranked domains. Using automated filtering and manual qualitative review, we identified 2,645 forms requesting sensitive information and classified 566 as scams. These forms used techniques including phishing, private-secret theft, account and personal-data harvesting, financial deception, and psychological …

Developing And Validating A Nursing Leadership Competency Framework For Hospital Nurse Managers, Wen-Chii Tzeng, Ling-Yu Chien, Yao-Mei Chen

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Nursing leadership competencies are essential for ensuring care quality, organizational performance, and professional advancement. However, in Taiwan, leadership development has been limited by the absence of a validated, tiered competency framework that reflects both local practice contexts and global standards.

Purpose: To develop and validate a nursing leadership competency framework for hospital nurse managers in Taiwan.

Methods: A three-phase design was employed. Phase 1 involved a systematic review of international and domestic literature to generate preliminary competency domains. Phase 2 used focus group interviews with nurse executives, managers, and educators to refine and contextualize the framework. Phase 3 conducted …

Burnout And Job Satisfaction As Mediators Of Nurse Turnover Post-Pandemic, Yulia Gendler

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the global nursing shortage, leading to increased turnover intentions among nurses due to heightened workplace stress, burnout, and job dissatisfaction. This study investigates the mediating effects of burnout and job satisfaction on the relationship between professional identity, occupational stress, and nurses' turnover intentions. Additionally, it explores the impact of socio-demographic factors on these relationships in the post-pandemic era.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of 338 nurses across four hospitals in Israel was conducted between June 2023 and January 2024. Self-reported questionnaires were utilized to measure turnover intentions, with professional identity and occupational stress as predictors …

Myeloid Mmp14 Couples Extracellular Proteolysis To Inflammatory And Metabolic Remodeling During Obesity, Long J Shao, Fathima Elizondo, Feng Gao, Elizabeth L Lieu, Bharati Reddi, Maryam Elizondo, Iqbal Mahmud, Kristin Eckel-Mahan, Philipp E Scherer, Xin Ge, Huaizhu Wu, Sean Hartig, Kai Sun

The Brown Foundation: Institute of Molecular Medicine

Macrophages orchestrate tissue remodeling, inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction in obesity, but the role of macrophage-intrinsic extracellular proteolysis in immunometabolic regulation remains unclear. Matrix metalloproteinase-14 (MMP14), a membrane-bound protease, is strongly induced during monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation and further elevated in adipose tissue macrophages from high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. Pharmacological inhibition or myeloid-specific deletion of Mmp14 impaired macrophage differentiation, proliferation, migration, phagocytosis, and inflammatory activation in response to obesity-associated adipose tissue signals. Mechanistically, MMP14 promoted inflammatory programming by increasing endotrophin generation and enhancing TLR4-NFκB signaling. MMP14 also reprogrammed macrophage lipid metabolism by suppressing lipolysis and promoting lipid accumulation, altering metabolic communication with neighboring …

Haptic Portable Robotic Device For Automated Guidewire Or Catheter Navigation In Endovascular Procedures, Vahid Mohammadi, Jason Mactaggart, Majid Jadidi, Alexey Kamenskiy

Journal Articles

Purpose

Endovascular therapy is preferred over open surgery due to its minimally invasive nature, faster recovery, and lower perioperative risk; however, fluoroscopy guided procedures are limited by radiation exposure, high equipment costs, and reliance on highly skilled operators. This study aims to develop and evaluate a lightweight, portable robotic system for autonomous guidewire navigation to improve safety, accessibility, and operator independence.

Methods

A compact 400 g robotic device was designed with millimeter scale positioning accuracy, servo current-based real-time haptic feedback, precise axial rotation, automated retraction advance control, and compatibility with standard endovascular tools. Miniature linear actuated servomotors replicate skilled manual …

Study The Density Dependence Of Nuclear Matter Properties In Some Magnesium Isotopes, Huda Abdul Jabbar Hussein, Wasan Z. Majeed

Baghdad Science Journal

In this study, the symmetry energy, neutron pressure, and incompressibility modulus for the magnesium isotope ^20–35Mg are investigated using the Coherent Density Fluctuation Model (CDFM). In order to make the transition from infinite nuclear matter properties to finite nuclei, the weight functions |f(x)|² are calculated. The results showed a nonlinear relationship between the symmetry energy and the thickness of the neutron skin (ΔR_n), where ΔR_n initially increases as the symmetry energy rises, reaching a maximum, and then gradually drops with further increases in symmetry energy. Furthermore, the incompressibility coefficient and neutron pressure demonstrated irregular trends, …

Final 2022 Unreclaimed Sites Sampling: Ur-07 Site Evaluation Summary Report, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Good Impressions At Work: Exploring Gendered Labor In The Middle Rio Grande, Nm Ad 1100-1500, William F. Marquardt

Anthropology ETDs

This dissertation investigates changes in the gendered division of labor among potters in the Middle Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico (MRG) between A.D. 1100 and 1500. During this time, diverse groups coalesced into some of the largest communities seen in the region until the industrial era. New architectural, technological, religious, and trade practices emerged to help knit these communities together during a dynamic period of change. Pottery making practices changed alongside other developments transforming from manufacture for local consumption to surplus production for exchange. Previous research on gendered divisions of labor have largely portrayed gendered labor as static rather than …

You Can't Teach Kids From A Book: Language, Authority And Revitalization In Jicarilla Apache Life, Mariann Skahan

Anthropology ETDs

This dissertation examines how Jicarilla Apache is learned, taught, and used across community life, with particular attention to contemporary language revitalization. Based on ethnographic research with elders, educators, language workers, families, and community institutions, it follows language practices across classrooms, culture camps, homes, ceremonial settings, and collaborative archival projects. I show that linguistic knowledge does not carry the same authority or consequences in every setting. Words may be recognized without being taken up, speakers may possess linguistic knowledge without being authorized to teach or correct, and archival texts may preserve linguistic forms without preserving the relations needed to interpret and …

Vines In The Landscape: Japanese Wisteria, Saroj Burlakoti, Youping Sun, Shital Poudyal

All Current Publications

Japanese wisteria (Wisteria floribunda) is a vigorous, woody, deciduous climbing vine known for its spectacular, drooping (pendulous) clusters of pea-like flowers. This fact sheet provides information on planting and management guidelines, as well as its landscape performance in Utah.

Dynamic Reconstruction Engineering Of Anti-Corrosion Ni-Based Anodes For Alkaline Seawater Electrolysis, Yi-Gang Zhang, Wen-Wen Xu, Tian-Yu Zhang, Zhi-Yi Lu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Green hydrogen production via alkaline seawater electrolysis offers an environmentally sustainable and potentially cost-effective route to address both energy and climate challenges. Achieving long-term anode stability under complex ionic environments and industrial current densities remains a central bottleneck. Specifically, Ni-based anodes exhibit intense surface reconstruction during the oxygen evolution reaction, necessitating dynamic anti-corrosion strategies. This mini review systematically summarizes reconstruction engineering approaches to develop anti-corrosion Ni-based anodes of alkaline seawater electrolysis across increasingly complex ionic environments from simulated seawater to real seawater: (i) Cl^– dominated; (ii) Cl^– with co-existing oxyanions, and (iii) Cl^–  with co-existing Br^{– …}

Preparation And Performance Study Of In-Situ Self-Assembled Biphasic Smmn2O5-Nimn2O4 Composite Cathode, Neng-Chu Xia, Yu Zhou, Qin Wang, Jia-You Zhang, Chun Yu, Yang Zhang, Wan-Bing Guan, Jian-Xin Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Mullite-structured oxides exhibit excellent oxygen reduction reaction activity, possess a low thermal expansion coefficient due to their unique crystal structure, and can eliminate the need for a barrier layer and simplify the preparation process as they contain no alkaline earth elements. Thus, they hold great promise as novel cathode materials for solid oxide fuel cells. In this work, a mullite-spinel-structured SmMn₂O₅-NiMn₂O₄ (SMO-NMO) composite cathode was one-step synthesized via a solid-liquid composite route, and its in-situ self-assembly enabled good compatibility with the electrolyte without any barrier layer. Characterization results showed that the SMO:NMO = …

New Distance Distributions Of Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars And Their Role In Tracing Galactic Structure, Rajorshi Bhattacharya

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

Asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are among the final evolutionary stages of low- and intermediate-mass stars and among the most luminous cool stellar populations in the Milky Way (MW). Their strong infrared emission allows them to be observed through regions of high interstellar extinction, making them useful tracers of the inner MW. However, their use is limited by unreliable distances because many are dust-obscured and variable, while geometric parallaxes are often unavailable or uncertain. This thesis develops statistical distance-estimation methods for large samples of oxygen-rich AGB stars. The resulting distances broadly agree with literature estimates, supporting their statistical reliability for …

Extending The Discovery Space Of Tess: Probing Underexplored Exoplanet Populations, Mallory L. Harris

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

This dissertation investigates how cold exoplanets can be identified despite the strong observational bias of exoplanet surveys toward short-period systems. Planets at wider orbital separations remain comparatively poorly constrained, limiting tests of planetary-system formation and the prevalence of outer architectures beyond compact systems. To address this gap, I use two complementary approaches. First, I develop a transit-search pipeline for TESS Full-Frame Images that identifies both isolated and repeated transit-like signals around nearby M dwarfs and characterizes the dominant false-positive classes that limit sensitivity in this regime. I then present TOI-904 c, the coldest planet discovered by TESS around an M …

An Investigation Of Tess M&Ms And The Occurrence Rate Of Transiting Circumbinary Planets, Dominic Oddo

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

Circumbinary planets (CBPs) are worlds which orbit two stars simultaneously. CBPs are excellent tests of the tenacity of planet formation, but are difficult to detect. The space-based NASA Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission is a nearly all-sky survey designed to detect exoplanets transiting nearby stars. In this dissertation, I analyze the performance of TESS by comparing to the photometric precision of the ESA CHEOPS mission. Then, I define a catalog of low-mass eclipsing binaries (M&Ms), which are the best sources to search for CBPs. I describe my custom transit search methodology and apply it to the M&M catalog. I …

Simulating Quantum Field Theories On Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computers, Mason L. Rhodes

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

Quantum field theories are an essential framework in modeling fundamental interactions in nature, yet reliable simulations consume large portions of the world's most powerful supercomputers. In this Dissertation, we explore an alternative simulation paradigm on fault-tolerant quantum hardware, discussing both algorithmic and model advancements. In the former, we construct state-of-the-art algorithmic subroutines that take advantage of useful properties of the Hamiltonian describing the theory to achieve an exponential improvement in resources over prior quantum algorithms. In the latter, we simplify the structure of the Hamiltonian, making it more amenable to quantum simulation. First, we present an improved regularization of the …

Unbroken Sovereignty: Land, Water, Education, And Nakoda And Oc̣Eti Ṡaḳowiŋ Tribes Of The Fort Peck Indian Reservation, 1850–1935, Richard Joseph Maska

History ETDs

This dissertation explores the intersection of sovereignty and development among the Nakoda (Assiniboine) and Oc̣eti Ṡaḳowiŋ (Sioux) Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Methodologically, it draws on a critical reading of archival sources in conjunction with community input. It traces the emergence of reservation policy, government sponsored education, the imposition of allotment policy and private landownership, and the impact of state-sponsored irrigation and other development projects. I argue that the Tribes forged webs of affiliation and kinship to both assert their nationhood and navigate their involvement in such projects. These expressions …

Strategies For Large Dynamic Range, Entanglement-Enhanced Quantum Metrology With Experimentally Demonstrated Resources, Tyler G. Thurtell

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

Quantum metrology studies the use of quantum mechanical systems as measurement devices or sensors. Surprisingly, preparing a sensor in an entangled state can enhance measurement precision. The simplest protocols for entanglement enhancement sense only small changes in a quantity. The range of values over which a measurement protocol works is called its dynamic range. For many types of sensors we require end-to-end protocols that describe how to use entanglement to achieve enhanced precision over a large dynamic range. In this dissertation, we describe two approaches to achieving entanglement-enhanced sensing over a large dynamic range. The first approach uses entangling resources …

Quantum Control Of Qubits And Qudits In Neutral Atom Systems, Sri Datta Vikas Buchemmavari

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

This dissertation explores control of neutral atom quantum systems across multiple levels of abstraction, from atomic physics to system-level fault tolerance, using optimal control to improve performance. First, we propose a Rydberg entangling gate based on dressing with only the qubit control field; an interaction energy near the Rabi frequency benefits both gate speed and Rydberg decay. Second, with Sandia National Laboratories, we show that leakage errors in neutral atom systems can be converted to atom loss errors and detected using two entangling gates with an auxiliary atom, where a SWAP-based leakage detection unit outperforms the standard design. Next, we …

Naturalistic Aided Language Intervention For Children Who Have Multiple Disabilities Including Visual Impairment, Naomi Nattress

Speech and Hearing Sciences ETDs

ABSTRACT

This dissertation examined aided AAC interventions for individuals with multiple disabilities, including visual impairment, across three original studies. Chapter 2, a meta-analysis, found limited rigorous research for this population while showing that individuals at early symbolic stages with diverse visual profiles can successfully engage with AAC when appropriate adaptations are provided. The pilot study in Chapter 3 indicated that caregivers and graduate student clinicians can learn and implement naturalistic AAC techniques and VI accommodations with high fidelity through structured coaching. The mixed methods study in Chapter 4 introduced the ImPAACT-VI program, showing strong outcomes in educator performance, students’ symbolic …

Fifth- And Sixth-Year High School Persisters: Engagement In The "Finishing Year" A Qualitative Case Study, Rebecca A. Knowles

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

This qualitative study aimed to illuminate the ways in which fifth and sixth-year high school students engaged emotionally, socially, and cognitively as they persisted in their education at a large, comprehensive high school. High school in the United States is traditionally a four-year educational experience. For some students, however, high school extends into a fifth and sixth year. These students have been referred to as super seniors, over-age students, and persisters. Although much research has been done regarding students who drop out of high school, including students who eventually earn an alternative credential, very little research has included those who …

Recovery Through Connection: The Role Of Positive Social Interactions In Early Alcohol And Opioid Recovery Outcomes, Hannah Avery Carlon

Psychology ETDs

Recovery from substance use disorder (SUD) is influenced by both positive emotional functioning and social connectedness. However, empirical research has yet to examine how these two protective factors interact to influence recovery. The present study aimed to address this gap by exploring positivity resonance, or the shared experience of positive emotions, in the first year of recovery. In Aim 1, we examined change trajectories of positivity resonance and recovery capital over the first year of recovery among adults with alcohol use disorder (AUD; n=470) and opioid use disorder (OUD; n=61), the associations between these change trajectories (1a), and …

Understanding The Long-Run Effect Of Historical Redlining Practices, Yujian Lu

Geography ETDs

Historical redlining practices initiated by Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) in the 1930s have produced enduring persistent socioeconomic and environmental disparities in U.S. cities. This dissertation examines their long-term impacts on social vulnerability, urban flood risk, along with public discourse about redlining practices. Results indicate that neighborhoods with HOLC grade A (greenlined) exhibit the lowest overall social vulnerability, while those graded D (redlined) face the highest across U.S. cities. In Chicago, associations between redlining practices and flood risk disparities are stronger than in Los Angeles, reflecting place-specific characteristics among environmental, socioeconomic, and demographic factors shaping flood risk disparities in long …

How Forest Structure And Climate Influence Snowpack For Water Resources In The Southwestern United States, Lindsey L. Rotche

Geography ETDs

Climate change, declining snowpack, and increasing wildfire risk have profound impacts on water availability in the southwestern United States. Because the southwestern United States is a global hotspot for freshwater vulnerability, and snowpack provides much of the region’s freshwater, understanding how climate and forest structure influence snowpack dynamics is increasingly important. In this dissertation I aim to better understand and communicate these dynamics through empirical data collection and the development of a simple vegetation driven temperature-index snow model: SNOW-17(VEG). I then implement the model at a watershed scale using remotely sensed imagery to create vegetation zones and climate simulations to …