Digital Commons Network^™

Prototyping Pinhole Collimators For Imaging Irradiated Nuclear Fuel, Narrie Loftus, Ashish Avachat, Joseph T. Graham, Ryan Fronk, Jordan Fox, Rachel Shaffer, Seth Kilby

Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Collimator design and fabrication is a costly and time-consuming process that does not lend itself to simplified testing. This manuscript presents an approach for the rapid prototyping of sub-millimeter pinhole collimators for nuclear fuel applications using low-melting-point, high-mass-density materials. Multiple collimators were fabricated to test collimator parameters and properties, including acceptance angle, aperture diameter, and magnification. The fabricated collimators were paired with a position-sensitive CdZnTe detector to determine the detector response convolved with the collimator. Preliminary analysis using these collimators showed that they were effective in collimating multi-energy gamma laboratory sources. Radiography was performed to confirm magnification and determine coarse …

: Examining The Fitness Costs Of Sex-Specific Song In An Understudied Caribbean Endemic (Icterus Portoricensis), Michelle J. Moyer

Academic Affairs

Our ability to develop effective conservation strategies for rare species is impeded by limited knowledge of their distributions, natural histories, and environmental threats. The Puerto Rican Oriole (Icterus portoricensis) is an endemic species on the island of Puerto Rico and is currently considered to be data-deficient by the Puerto Rican government, indicating that not enough is known about this species to properly assess the level of conservation priority. Males and females sing different songs, and only males sing during the dawn chorus. This unusual sex-specific separation suggests that male and female Puerto Rican Orioles may be using their songs for …

The Unacknowledged Challenge Of Moral Distress For Nurse Academics, Adam Burston, Glenna Mae Guiriba, Meena Gupta, Sara Bayes

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The pluralistic nature of healthcare presents nurses with situations challenging their moral values which nurses must navigate. Challenges to moral values can result in the experience of moral distress, a problem that is common within the clinical nursing context. Moral distress is a known and well-researched phenomenon within nursing and has long contributed to detrimental effects such as frustration, anger, anxiety, decreased job satisfaction, burnout and ultimately attrition. However, despite extensive research in clinical environments, minimal research exists detailing this concept within the context of nursing academics and educators. Nurses can experience moral distress if they are in or exposed …

Decision Delegation To Genai Agents In Travel Planning: Responsible Ai Signals, Delegation Levels, And The Transparency Paradox, Sanjit K. Roy, Gaganpreet Singh, S. Mostafa Rasoolimanesh, Ronnie Das, Ali N. Tehrani

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is becoming an integral part of travel planning. This fundamental transformation is changing the definition of travel decision delegation, calling for fresh research into responsible AI in tourism. Drawing on agency theory, trust theory and decision delegation framework, this study conceptualises five responsible AI characteristics (reliability, fairness, trustworthiness, accountability, transparency) as evaluative signals for travellers to assess GenAI across three decision delegation levels, i.e., attribute set, choice set, and final decision. Using a multi-method approach, we analyse data collected from 421 travellers. Findings suggest that reliability and accountability are consistent drivers of delegation across all levels, …

Electrochemical Behavior Of Passive Film On Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion Fabricated Ti-6al-4v Alloy Under Uniaxial Tensile Stress, Hongyu Zheng, Mengdi Yan, Yun Bai, Qian Wang, Lai-Chang Zhang, Jin Xu, Hao Wang, Yingjie Ma, Shujun Li, Rui Yang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

As medical titanium alloys inevitably undergo synergistic actions of stress and corrosion in human body, a comprehensive investigation of their relevant properties is deemed essential for ensuring their safe application. This work investigates the uniaxial tensile stress electrochemical behaviour of Ti-6Al-4V alloy fabricated by electron beam powder bed fusion under simulated implantation conditions. The results indicate that tensile stress facilitates rapid formation of a dense passive film, which contains a high proportion of high-valent oxides. As the passivation process proceeds, applied stress promotes more defects accumulation in the passive film, compromising its barrier function and reducing corrosion resistance. Under sustained …

The Value Of Pilot And Feasibility Studies In Nursing Education Research: A Worked Example, Dhanya Anand Anil Kumar, Natasya Raja Azlan, Hugh Davies, Chandra P. Salgado Kent, Debbie Massey, Karen Strickland

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Feasibility studies play a critical role in determining whether clinical or educational interventions can be implemented as intended before progressing to large-scale trials. In nursing education, many innovative teaching strategies, particularly complex interventions such as simulation-based learning, are often advanced directly to full trials without first establishing feasibility. This premature progression creates recruitment, acceptability, fidelity, and protocol adherence challenges, which may compromise study quality and valuable resources. This paper addresses this gap by clarifying the purpose and value of feasibility studies in nursing education research and outlining key considerations for designing an early-stage feasibility study that aligns with contemporary …

Values, Flourishing, And Identity Integration: Understanding Alcohol And Other Drug Use Among African Australian Youth, Abraham Kenin, Justine Dandy, Kwadwo Adusei-Asante, Sonam Pelden

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Previous research suggests Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) use by sub-Saharan African (SSA) youth who emigrate to Western cultural contexts like Australia is an indication of their acculturation and is influenced by their values. Although values are distal predictors of AOD use, the extent to which SSA Australian youth apply their values in AOD use could be a function of their psychological flourishing and Bicultural Identity Integration (BII). The aim of this study was to test a predictive model that combines values, psychological flourishing and BII to explore how the interaction of personal values and adaptive resources are related to …

Marching To The Beat: The Role Of Complementor Alignment In The Architectural Evolution Of Ecosystems, Pengxiang Zhang, Liang Chen, Yang Yang, Sali Li

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The evolution of innovation ecosystems hinges on the effective coordination between ecosystem leaders and complementors. While ecosystem-sponsored architectural innovations create new technological opportunities for complementors, they may unintentionally disrupt the performance of complementor products that were originally developed based on legacy architectural designs. This study provides empirical evidence of these disruptive effects and explores how complementors’ alignment with the ecosystem leader mitigates such challenges. Focusing on Apple’s release of Core ML—a proprietary artificial intelligence module—in its mobile ecosystem, we employ a difference-in-differences design to investigate variations in complementor performance after adopting this ecosystem-sponsored architectural innovation. Our findings reveal that complementors’ …

Keyframe Selection From Motion Capture Data With Dual-Agent Reinforcement Learning, Kun Hu, Wang, Clinton Mo, Mingyang Ma, Shaohui Mei, Zebin Chen, Zhiyong Wang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Animation production workflows centered around motion capture techniques require animators to edit motions based on a set of keyframes. However, most existing keyframe selection methods are optimization-based, which suffer from the issues of flexibility and efficiency. In this paper, a novel deep reinforcement learning method with dual agents are proposed for unsupervised keyframe selection. First, an S-Agent and an R-Agent evaluate the actions of selection and refinement, respectively. A deep spatio-temporal network, namely graph keyframe evaluation network (GKEN), is proposed for the agents. Then, an animation specified reward is devised based on reconstruction, which fulfills three important properties of the …

Glomalin-Related Soil Protein In Colluvial Soils As A Proxy For Reconstructing Millenary Changes In Landscape And Soil Health, Axel Werner, Lourdes López-Merino, Joeri Kaal, Cruz Ferro-Vázquez, Oscar Serrano

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) is an operationally defined soil organic matter pool that includes a heat shock protein linked to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) living in symbiosis with most vascular plants and plays a key role in soil health. However, the potential of GRSP as a palaeoecological proxy remains unexplored. We analysed the GRSP content in a North-western Iberian colluvial soil profile encompassing the last 14,000 years. We aimed to 1) identify whether GRSP is preserved, and 2) investigate whether GRSP could be used as a palaeoecological proxy after comparing its record with palynological and pedoanthracological records that account for …

Listening As Method: She Speaks And The Case For Podcasting As A Feminist Research Methodology In Women's Non-Medicalised Self-Care, Narelle Lemon

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Women's non-medicalised self-care — the everyday, relational practices through which women tend to themselves — remains largely illegible to conventional health research methods. This article argues that podcasting constitutes a feminist research methodology rather than a supplementary dissemination tool and makes the case for its adoption in qualitative health research on women's wellbeing. The argument develops through an extended case study of She Speaks , an Australian podcast series produced by the author across four seasons and sixty-two episodes. Situated within arts-based research and feminist methodological traditions, the study treats the podcast itself as the research vehicle: a site where …

Multilayered Childhood Adversity And Mortality: A Population-Based Cohort Study Of 1.2 Million Individuals, Naja Hulvej Rod, Signe Kær Bennetsen, Leonie K. Elsenburg, Clive E. Sabel, David Taylor–Robinson, Dora Kovacs, Adrian G. Zucco, Tjeerd Rudmer De Vries

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Background: Childhood adversity is multi-layered, extending beyond the family to include broader neighbourhood and health contexts. We aimed to investigate how these multiple layers of childhood adversity relate to the risk of death in young adulthood. Methods: Children were followed from birth into young adulthood (16–42 years) using nationwide register data on multi-layered childhood adversity and mortality. Individual adversity included perinatal adversity (preterm or small-for-gestational-age) and mental and physical health-service use. Family adversity included five distinct groups using group-based multi-trajectory modelling based on 12 adversities. Neighbourhood adversity included material deprivation in small-area geographical zones. We evaluated associations of these layers …

Protecting Cities From Wildfires Using Water Distribution Systems Via Pre-Wetting: A Preliminary Hydraulic Screening Framework, Augustine Haizel, Brian Barkdoll

Michigan Tech Publications

Wildfires are increasing in frequency and severity. They are reaching major cities, such as Los Angeles, CA and causing billions of dollars in destruction, pollution, and loss of lives. This study investigates using the existing water distribution system (WDS) to fight, not only single-structure fires, but warding off a wildfire approaching the entire city. A strategy entitled the “Immediate Access Strategy” or IAS is introduced in which sufficient water to simultaneously open all hydrants for a specified time at the wildfire front is maintained in the storage tank(s) and large pipes go from the tank(s) to the hydrants on the …

Codee Expects That Every Mathematician Will Do Their Odes: From The Battle Of Trafalgar To Calculus (Or Nelson To Newton), Steven Miller

CODEE Journal

Using the historical Battle of Trafalgar as a case study, we introduce students to mathematical modeling to describe and explore real-world systems. Starting with the question—how do force sizes and combat effectiveness determine which side wins?—we show how to use a blend of mathematics and computational tools to investigate the answer. Beginning by defining a simple differential equation model for combat dynamics, we analyze its behavior using differential equations and accessible algebraic techniques. We show how computational methods and simulations can support systematic, visual exploration and suggest conjectures that mathematical analysis can then establish. This material could serve as the …

Defense-To-Attack: Bypassing Weak Defenses Enables Stronger Jailbreaks In Vision-Language Models, Yunhan Zhao, Xiang Zheng, Yige Li, Xingjun Ma

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Despite their superb capabilities, Vision-Language Models (VLMs) have been shown to be vulnerable to jailbreak attacks. While recent jailbreaks have achieved notable progress, their effectiveness and efficiency can still be improved. In this work, we reveal an interesting phenomenon: incorporating weak defense cues into the attack pipeline can significantly enhance both the effectiveness and efficiency of jailbreaks on VLMs. Building on this insight, we propose Defense2Attack, a novel jailbreak method that bypasses the safety guardrails of VLMs by leveraging defensive patterns to guide jailbreak prompt construction. Specifically, Defense2Attack consists of three key components: (1) a visual optimizer that embeds universal …

Semantic-Structural Decoupling: Disentangling Semantic Attention From Structural Bias In The Attention Manifold, Pengkun Jiao, Bin Zhu, Jingjing Chen, Yu-Gang Jiang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The empirical success of attention mechanism in Multimodal Large Language Models (MLLMs) often obscures its inherent, subtle flaws. Specifically, MLLMs consistently exhibit disproportionate attention toward certain semantically uninformative visual tokens, a phenomenon termed "register" or "Visual Attention Sinks." While existing inference intervention methods attempt to identify these sink tokens and redistribute their attention weights, such approaches typically treat these tokens in isolation and suffer from computational inefficiency. Instead, we reframe this phenomenon as a generalized textual bias exerted over visual features that extends beyond isolated sink tokens. From this perspective, a pervasive structural bias leads to the dilution of the …

Updated Library Publishing Curriculum Policy Module: Policy Narrative, Alexandra Marcaccio, Talea Anderson, Corinne Guimont, Esther Jackson, Michelle Wilson, Perry Collins

Library Publishing Curriculum

The Policy Module covers how library publishers develop policies that guide specific areas of their work. Policy is an area where publishing programs interface with the legal and political environment, which has seen dramatic changes since the original Policy Module was written, and these units provide the up-to-date guidance that library publishers need. The units in the updated Policy Module are:

• Accessibility by Alexandra Marcaccio
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion by Talea Anderson
• Preservation by Corinne Guimont
• Publishing Ethics by Esther Jackson & Michelle Wilson
• Rights & Rights Management by Perry Collins

The Student Movement Volume 111 Issue 5: Lady Cardinals, Lions, Libraries, And Luncheons, Holli Kirschbaum, Xavier Thomas, Megan Constantine, Anna Rybachek, Ysa Dennis, Caleb Chung, Maya Thomas, Laura Pérez

The Student Movement v. 111 (2026-2027)

NEWS

Above and Beyond: The Adventist Digital Library, Holli Kirschbaum

Five-Goal Thriller: Lady Cardinals Beat Maranatha Sabercats 3-2, Xavier Thomas

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Faith & Arts: A High School Retreat Weekend of Creativity and Connection, Megan Constantine

The Controversy Surrounding Greta Gerwig's 'Narnia: The Magician's Nephew', Anna Ryabchek

Who Tells America's History?, Ysa Dennis

The Vienna Boys Choir To Perform At The Howard Performing Arts Center, Ysa Dennis

IDEAS

Jack of All Skills or One Trick AI: Should We Keep General Education Courses?, Caleb Chung

PULSE

Something To Chew On: Alternate Dining Options For Students, Maya Thomas

LAST WORD

How …

Training Confident Witnesses: Evaluating A Practical Evangelism Seminar For The Twenty-First Century, Christopher Robershaw, Katherine Robershaw, Jose Philip, Jay Moon

Witness

This article evaluates the effectiveness of the Practical Evangelism Seminar (PES), an eight-week training program designed to equip Christians to share their faith in the complexities of twenty-first century North American culture. Developed at Asbury Theological Seminary in partnership with Knox Fellowship,[1]the seminar addresses contemporary cultural complexities summarized by the acronym SPIRIT: secularism, pluralism, individualism, relativism, identity, and technology. Using pre- and post-seminar surveys from 112 participants between 2019 and 2022, along with qualitative feedback and participant observation, this study explores changes in students’ knowledge and confidence related to evangelism. Findings indicate measurable increases in participants’ confidence and …

From Nones To Affiliation: Listening To Twenty-Somethings, Jay Moon, Bethany Harmon

Witness

This exploratory article describes the religious journeys of twenty-somethings (ages 20–29) who moved from no religious affiliation (“Nones”) to Christian affiliation. Over five years, four researchers conducted interviews across the United States and gathered 101 responses to questions about what drew participants toward Jesus, what pushed them away, which aspects of Christianity resonated most, and what advice they would offer to those sharing faith with their generation. While much evangelism in North America has assumed guilt, shame, or fear as primary entry points into gospel conversations, many participants described a different posture: indifference. Yet indifference often coexisted with a longing …

Gravedigger Missiology And The Crisis Of Evangelism, Jose Philip

Witness

This article argues that the crisis of evangelism in late-modern North America reflects not only disaffiliation and secularization but also a structural and Christological deficit. Evangelism is often "practiced as managed impact under the language of missio Dei rather than as participation in the living agency of Jesus Christ.” Developing Peter Berger’s claim that Christianity has been “its own gravedigger,” the article reads Berger in two registers. The Social Construction of Reality and The Sacred Canopy explain how plausibility structures sustain belief and how their erosion weakens inherited evangelistic models. The Precarious Vision exposes how religious roles and language can …

Book Review: God Draws Near: Rethinking The Biblical Theology Of Mission, By Collin Cornell, Joseph Culbertson

Witness

No abstract provided.

Book Review: At This Time: Dialogues In Theological Education, By Corwin Davis And Ted Smith, Eds., Christopher Robershaw

Witness

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Missional Imagination: Preparation For Kingdom Innovation, By Jay Moon, Mark Teasdale

Witness

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Disability And Evangelism:The Good News Of The Fullness Of God's Kingdom, By Rochelle Scheuermann, T.S. John

Witness

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Why Millennials Don’T Go To Church, By Helen Trainor, Robert Suarez

Witness

No abstract provided.

Book Review: The Great Story And The Great Commission: Participating In The Biblical Drama Of Mission, By Christopher Wright, Nathan Clifton

Witness

No abstract provided.

Editorial, Thomas Seckler

Witness

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Christian Faith Sharing Through Social Media On Christian And Non-Christian Young Adults, Glen Bowman, Ruben Williams, Tyler Sheppard

Witness

This paper explores the influence of Christian faith sharing through social media on young adults, both Christian and non-Christian. Drawing on two qualitative descriptive studies using semi-structured interviews and focus groups, the research synthesized codes and identified key themes regarding positively oriented Christian content on social media. The content generally appealed to young adults and frequently enhanced their spiritual thinking, motivation, and behavior. However, posts with a negative tone, poor scriptural use, or perceived hypocrisy tend to provoke adverse reactions, including negative thoughts about Christianity and “fight-or-flight” behavioral responses. The findings also reveal that young adults often underestimate the influence …

Book Review: Shaping The Journey: Wesley, Merton, Mulholland, And The Spiritual Formation Movement, By Daniel Harris, Kenny Johnston

Witness

No abstract provided.