Digital Commons Network^™

Atomic Clock Utilizing Spin-Dependent Recombination, Denis Karaiskaj

USF Patents

A silicon-based atomic clock for use in an electronic device structured to employ spin-dependent recombination in the silicon crystal. In at last one implementation, a source of energy configured to excite the impurity atoms within the silicon crystal includes a source of thermal energy but not a source of light or a source of broadband light that is not matched to said energy level transition of the impurity atoms.

Deer Lady: Evil Temptress, Tragic Victim, Or Ghost Of Indigenous Femininity?, Erica Longley

Consortium Library Prize Winners

“Deer Lady” (2023) is the third episode in the third and final season of the FX on Hulu dramedy series, Reservation Dogs. The show features an almost entirely Indigenous cast and crew. This includes creators Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, the director of this particular episode, Danis Goulet, actors D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, who plays Bear, and Kaniehtiio Horn, who plays Deer Lady. According to an interview for NPR, showrunner Sterlin Harjo is of Seminole and Muscogee heritage, and grew up in rural Oklahoma, where the show is set (Harjo interview). A large driving force behind the creation of the show was …

Schizophrenia Care Among People Experiencing Homelessness In The Matanuska Susitna Borough, Mary K. Wargo

Consortium Library Prize Winners

Schizophrenia is a chronic mental disorder that often manifests in early adulthood (Jauhar et al., 2022). Positive symptoms include reality distortions, disordered thinking, hallucinations, or delusions; while negative symptoms are seen in an individual’s lack of motivation and expression (Jauhar et al., 2022; Norris, 2019). Cognitive deficits are also a clinical feature (Harvey et al., 2022; Jauhar et al., 2022). Schizophrenia affects an estimated 0.3 – 1.6% of the United States population (Finnerty et al., 2024). Most recent data from Alaska reveals 1,664 Alaskans live with schizophrenia (Heun-Johnson et al., 2019). Despite the small percentage of the population with a …

Exploring Communication In Multi-Agent Cooperative Reinforcement Learning, Matthew Kalarickal

Math and Computer Science Honors Theses

This work focuses on communication strategies within a cooperative multi-agent reinforcement learning system. The goal is to explore how communication can be used among agents to potentially improve performance. The research operates within the scope of “learning tasks with communication,” where the primary aim is to solve domain-specific tasks through information exchange using explicit communication protocols. Three distinct communication strategies were implemented and explored: Combinatorial Ghost, Feature Sharing Ghost, and Move Sharing Ghost. Fully Centralized Training and Execution and Centralized Training with Decentralized Execution training approaches were based on the different communication strategy used. Performance metrics were recorded for these …

Using Knovel Steam Calculators Instead Of Printed Steam Tables, Anthony Reynolds

Case studies: Digital Education

Applied Thermodynamics is a cornerstone module in mechanical engineering curricula, providing students with the foundational understanding of energy systems, heat transfer, and the behaviour of working fluids such as steam. Traditionally, students have relied on printed steam tables found in the appendix of class textbooks to determine thermodynamic properties—an approach that, while educational, can be both time-consuming and prone to errors. With the increasing availability of digital tools in education, there is a growing opportunity to enhance the teaching and learning of technical subjects through technology. One such tool is the Knovel Steam Calculators, an interactive, web-based resource that allows …

Flexible Futures: Trialling Mobile Hyflex, Geraldine Gorham

Case studies: Digital Education

BSc Sports and Leisure Management, year 2, was selected to trial the mobile HyFlex technology as these 25 students did not have any class before, or after, the assessment-based Talent Management module. This minimised disruption to other modules where students, who opted to attend online, would not have been required to be on campus, before or after, their HyFlex class. The students were given the opportunity to attend in person, in the classroom with the lecturer, or join online through MS Teams. Agreement was reached with the students in week one that they were happy to participate in this trial. …

Using The Ms Surface Pro 9 To Enhance Teaching And Learning, Anthony Reynolds

Case studies: Digital Education

Thermodynamics is a fundamental subject for mechanical engineers, focusing on the principles of energy conversion and the behaviour of matter under various conditions.Thermodynamics is very challenging for students for several reasons: It involves abstract concepts like entropy, which can be difficult to visualize and understand. It requires a strong grasp of mathematics(e.g.,calculus),which can be intimidating for somestudents. It intersects with various fields(e. g.physics and chemistry) requiring students to integrate knowledge from different areas.

Hyflex Multi-Campus Workshops, Karen Nolan

Case studies: Digital Education

The Computing Learning Centre ran a multi-campus initiative for 239 students from the Faculty of Computing, Digital and Data, TU Dublin on 16th December 2024. The School of Enterprise Computing and Digital Transformation hosted 66 students, the School of Computer Science hosted 98 and the School of Informatics and Cybersecurity hosted 75 students. With 239 first-year students attaining with a valuable NVIDIA Fundamentals of Deep Learning Certification worth $500 each. The Lecture was delivered from Tallaght campus and streamed into other campuses. So, students were not remote, but physically on campus due to the in-person exam that needed to take …

Roper Center For Public Opinion Research: Over 25,000 Datasets!, Joanne Romano

TMC Library Newsletter (2015-)

Roper iPoll provides access to nearly one million public opinion survey questions and responses, including valuable health-related data. You can find it listed in our A to Z Databases or access directly here. Need help getting started? Check out the Roper iPoll tutorial available on their homepage!

Juvenile White Sharks In Monterey Bay: Effects Of Thermal Habitat Patchiness On Local Densities Of A Novel Range Shifting Predator, Kelsey H. Montalto

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Climate change has shifted species' distributional ranges in many marine and terrestrial systems. For marine species, those shifts in ranges associated with ocean warming are often poleward or into deeper waters. Juvenile white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) are one such species, having exhibited a 270 km range shift of the cold edge of their thermal range extending northward to the Monterey Bay. However, little is known about the fine-scale habitat selection of marine organisms at the cold edge of their shifting range and how localized thermal gradients or warm pools may permit persistence in these newly inhabited locations. The Monterey Bay …

Grazing On The Early Life History Stages Of Macrocystis Pyrifera By The Purple Sea Urchin Strongylocentrotus Purpuratus, Sloane Lofy

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

In California, recent large-scale declines in kelp forest cover, the formation of sea urchin barrens, and the subsequent biodiversity loss have heightened the need to further investigate mechanisms of kelp forest recovery and sea urchin barren dynamics. To better understand the kelp recruitment potential of these deforested areas it is important to determine the effect sea urchins have on the microscopic portion of the kelp lifecycle and if a size refuge exists. Laboratory studies were used to examine the effect of the purple sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus on the density, percent cover and reproductive output for three microscopic stages of …

Unveiling Dynamics Of The Monterey Bay Upwelling Shadow Front: Insights From Dorado Auv Time Series, Kieran R. Claassen

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This thesis investigates the fine-scale dynamics of the Monterey Bay upwelling shadow front by integrating autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) observations with environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis. Using a clustering technique on temperature-salinity profiles from 29 missions, I identified distinct water masses that consistently reflected seasonal and spatial hydrographic structure. Phytoplankton communities, resolved via eDNA and robust Aitchison Principal Component Analysis (PCA), exhibited clear seasonal transitions-from diatom-dominated assemblages during peak upwelling to dinoflagellate-enriched communities in warm, stratified shadow waters in the fall. Case studies during sustained upwelling revealed front-associated differences in community composition, supported by ordination and statistical testing. Notably, t-tests comparing …

Influence Of Human Activity On Rafting Behavior And Group Dynamics Of Southern Sea Otters, Enhydra Lutris Nereis, In Central California, Sierra Fullmer

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Coastal development and tourism have increased human-wildlife interactions, raising concerns for southern sea otters, Enhydra lutris nereis, an ecologically important and charismatic species that often rests in nearshore habitats near active harbors and tourist centers. This study examined the effects of human activity and group dynamics on rafting behaviors across three sea otter subpopulations with varying exposure to human stimuli. I hypothesized that sea otters would exhibit more resting and parental behaviors in low human activity areas and larger rafts, and that increased human activity within an area would lead to larger raft sizes, supporting the many-eyes hypothesis. Fieldwork involved …

An Ambient Nox Reduction Reactor System With And Without Forced Air, Hamid Rahai, Rylan Moffit, Komal Gada, Jeremy Bonifacio

Mineta Transportation Institute

Ambient nitrogen oxide (NOX) is one of the main ingredients involved in the formation of ground-level ozone (smog), which contributes to global warming and the formation of particulates in the atmosphere and causes respiratory illnesses, especially in children, older adults, and people with lung diseases. Investigations on adding titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles to the paint used on concrete surfaces such as buildings and its potential in reducing ambient NOX concentration have provided opportunities for the research and development of methods for passive control and filtration of the ambient NOX. The present research used numerical geometrical optimization to identify an optimized …

Building Bilingual Education Programs In Japan: Insights From Administrators In Private And International Schools, Megan C. Roe

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

This qualitative study examined the lived experiences of school administrators who lead bilingual programs in private and international schools in Japan. Through in-depth interviews with 11 administrators, the study examined how leaders navigate program design, curriculum choice, and program oversight in response to their community’s needs and stakeholder expectations. This research aimed to contribute to the limited literature on bilingual education within Japan’s unique cultural and educational context. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and analyzed using a phenomenological approach to identify four emerging themes: Designing Responsive Bilingual Programs, Instructional Approaches that Support Bilingual Learners, Aligning Expectations and Operational Realities, …

The Relationship Between The Light And Dark Triads Of Personality, Covid-19 Threat, And Covid-19 Vaccine Status In College Students, Alyssa M. Howard, Terry F. Pettijohn Ii

Psychology

The rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States was due, or at least in part, to the resistance to health guidelines, minimal to no safety measures implemented by nearly half the U.S. citizens, and, to a lesser extent, the initial lack of understanding into the pathogenic mode of transmission. The present study examined links between the Dark (i.e.., narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism) and Light (i.e.., compassion, empathy, altruism) Triad of personality traits, the perceived threat level of COVID-19, and COVID-19 vaccine uptake in an undergraduate college sample (N = 147). The study found no statistically significant differences in …

Exploring Subfield Interest Development In Undergraduate Physics Students Through Social Cognitive Career Theory, Dina Zohrabi Alaee, Benjamin M. Zwickl

Physics and Engineering Science

This study investigates how undergraduate physics majors develop an interest in specific subfields. We examine interest formation through the lens of social cognitive career theory (SCCT) using four SCCT constructs: learning experiences, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and proximal environmental influences. We conducted 27 interviews with physics majors across multiple years of study between 2020 and 2022. Our first research question used SCCT constructs to provide detailed insights into factors affecting interest formation in various subfields of physics. We identified many factors that positively impacted students’ interests, such as positive learning experiences (e.g., coursework, experimental projects, extracurricular clubs, and self-directed learning), high …

From Photogrammetry To Virtual Reality: A Framework For Assessing Visual Fidelity In Structural Inspections, Xiangxiong Kong, Terry F. Pettijohn, Hovhannes Torikyan

Psychology

Civil structures carry significant service loads over long times but are prone to deterioration due to various natural impacts. Traditionally, these structures are inspected in situ by qualified engineers, a method that is high-cost, risky, time-consuming, and prone to error. Recently, researchers have explored innovative practices by using virtual reality (VR) technologies as inspection platforms. Despite such efforts, a critical question remains: can VR models accurately reflect real-world structural conditions? This study presents a comprehensive framework for assessing the visual fidelity of VR models for structural inspection. To make it viable, we first introduce a novel workflow that integrates UAV-based …

The Climate Is Changing Should Clinical Ethics Change, Too?, Joelle Robertson Preidler, Keisha Ray

Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

The Bridwell Quill, Issues 83–85: Ora Et Labora, Anthony Elia

Bridwell Library Publications

No abstract provided.

Fisheries Research Report No. 352: Boat-Based Recreational Fishing In Western Australia 2023/24, Karina L. Ryan, Eva K. Lai, Claire B. Smallwood, Alissa Tate

Fisheries Research Reports

The integrated survey of boat-based recreational fishing includes three components: off-site phone surveys (encompassing an initial screening survey, a longitudinal phone-diary survey, and post-enumeration surveys), on-site boat ramp surveys and remote camera surveys. The recent phone-diary survey from September 2023 to August 2024 (inclusive) provides comparisons with previous surveys in 2020/21 (September 2020 to August 2021), 2017/18 (September 2017 to August 2018), 2015/16 (September 2015 to August 2016), 2013/14 (May 2013 to April 2014) and 2011/12 (March 2011 to February 2012).

Sjsu Erfa News, Summer 2025, San Jose State University, Emeritus And Retired Faculty Association

Emeritus and Retired Faculty Association (ERFA) Newsletter

Volume 38, No 4

Masthead

UC Law Constitutional Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Editor-In-Chief’S Foreword, Megan Stupi

UC Law Constitutional Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Default Is No Option: The Unconstitutionality Of The Debt Limit Law, Fred A. Slone

UC Law Constitutional Quarterly

This article demonstrates conclusively the unconstitutionality of a widely feared default on the public debt due to the debt limit.

First, we find that Article I of the Constitution granted Congress no power, express or implied, to provide for a default by the United States. Under the principles of constitutional law established by the Supreme Court in Marbury v. Madison (1803), any law outside the powers of Congress is void. Thus, the unconstitutionality of a default may be readily established pursuant to Article I, with additional support from the Tenth Amendment.

Furthermore, we find that the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments …

Reevaluating Fourth Amendment Protections In The Digital Age, Tiffany Benjamin

UC Law Constitutional Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Mobile Hyflex And Cfd, Fergal Boyle

Case studies: Digital Education

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is one of 12 taught modules on the Master of Engineering (ME) in Mechanical Engineering programme delivered on the Bolton St campus by the School of Mechanical Engineering. This programme is delivered as both a full-time programme (12 months) and a 2-3 year part-time programme with lectures held in the evenings only from 6-10 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. CFD is delivered in Semester 2 on a Tuesday evening from 6-8 pm in Room 236, a hardwired HyFlex room, with another module delivered directly afterwards. The number of students taking the module is generally around …

Hyflex Teaching Application In Beverage Npd, Catherine (Rena) Barry-Ryan

Case studies: Digital Education

The post-graduate module (Level 9) in Beverage Product Development (FOOD8003) is delivered to a wide range of students including mature, international and those working full-time. This hyflex module was delivered in Semester 2 of their year-long courses, where students were well settled in TU Dublin, had gained technological ability and were familiar with the VLE (Brightspace) and its online classroom (Bongo). Each week the module progresses a step in the new product development process and therefore attendance and engagement in weekly activities were essential. The student could choose to attend face-to- face or online each week, while getting the same …

Assessing The Risk Of Adverse Obstetric Outcomes And Determinants Among Mothers With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus At Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, Justus Wambugu

Master of Medicine in Obstetrics and Gynecology

Background: Gestational diabetes (GDM) is recognized as a major concern in obstetric care. It is associated with adverse obstetric outcomes including the risk of cesarean delivery, pregnancy-induced hypertension, obstetric hemorrhage, induction of labour, large for gestational age fetus, preterm delivery, and admission to neonatal critical care units. However, there is limited evidence on the magnitude of risk conferred by GDM for various adverse pregnancy outcomes

Objectives: The primary objective of our study was to assess the relative risk for adverse obstetric outcomes associated with GDM in women diagnosed using the WHO-recommended 75g 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), compared to …

Direct Coupling Of Continuum And Shell Elements In Large Deformation Problems, Astrid Pechstein, Michael Neunteufel

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

In many applications, thin shell-like structures are integrated within or attached to volumetric bodies. This includes reinforcements placed in soft matrix material in lightweight structure design, or hollow structures that are partially or completely filled. Finite element simulations of such setups are highly challenging. A brute force discretization of structural as well as volumetric parts using well-shaped three-dimensional elements may be accurate, but leads to problems of enormous computational complexity even for simple models. One desired alternative is the use of shell elements for thin-walled parts, as such a discretization greatly alleviates size restrictions on the underlying finite element mesh. …