Digital Commons Network^™

On The Hexgame, Corwin Jones

Mathematical Sciences Technical Reports (MSTR)

The SOMA Cube has been studied by mathematicians for a number of decades, but so far methods for solving three-dimensional space-filling puzzles like the SOMA cube remain numerical; we do not have a means to predict the number of solutions to SOMA-like puzzles. We present a two-dimensional puzzle that shares certain features of the SOMA Cube, with the hope that it will be a more convenient object of study for future research into space-filling/space-covering puzzles.

Unraveling The Causal Influences Of Drought And Crop Production On Groundwater Levels Across The Contiguous United States, Nitin K. Singh, Sheila M. Saia, Ruchi Bhattacharya, Hoori Ajami, David M. Borro

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

Groundwater depletion in agricultural-dominated regions is attributed to climate and irrigation withdrawals that support crop production. However, despite decades of effort, knowledge gaps remain in understanding the relative influence of drought and crop production on groundwater levels at the continental scale. Here, utilizing empirical observations, we simultaneously track how long-term trajectories of groundwater levels, crop production of seven crops, and drought have evolved over time, and then integrate these observations with a causality-based attribution framework to unravel the relative impact of drought and crop production on groundwater levels across the contiguous United States (CONUS). We find a dominant pattern of …

In The Shadow Of Justice: How The Mythos Of The Batman Balances Major Ethical Theories And Demonstrates The Pursuit Of Ideal Justice, Camille Bewley

Honors Theses

For more than eighty years, the Batman character has exhibited a unique synthesis of major theories of Justice, and through his experiences as a vigilante, exemplified the pursuit of the ideal virtue of Justice. Because virtue requires a lived example to be understood, Batman is one of the foundational stories fulfilling this need for one of America’s prominent pillars. Within the horror of Gotham City–a corrupt, fictional society–Batman’s actions as a vigilante, walking a tightrope to maintain morality even above the law might not only be justified, but necessary. The Batman’s nature, balancing ethical theories and maintaining hope in the …

An Australian Chickpea Pan-Genome Provides Insights Intogenome Organization And Offers Opportunities For Enhancing Drought Adaptation For Crop Improvement, Vanika Garg, Rutwik Barmukh, Yan Huang, Annapurna Chitikineni, Kristy Hobson, Bicheng Yang, Yong Jia, Shengnan Bi, Sukhjiwan Kaur, Muhammad Ahsan Asif, Matthew Hayden, Sally Norton, Darshan Sharma, Kadambot H. M. Siddique, Xin Liu, Chengdao Li, Rajeev K. Varshney

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Summary

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important legume crop that has been subjected to intensive breeding, resulting in limited genetic diversity. Australia is the world’s second largest producer and the leading exporter of chickpea; the genomic architecture of its cultivars remains largely unexplored. This knowledge gap hinders efforts to enhance their genetic potential for production, protection, and stress adaptation. To address this, we generated high-quality genome assemblies and annotations for 15 leading Australian chickpea cultivars using single-tube long-fragment read technology. The pan-genome analysis identified 34 345 gene families, including 13 986 dispensable families enriched for genes associated with key …

Trapped In Polygamy: European Women Converting To Mormonism And Living In Polygamous Marriages In 1850s Utah Featuring She Who Left Zion: A Wife, A Witness, A Woman Unsealed, Rebecca Sanchez

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This Honors Capstone project explores the lived experiences of European women who converted to Mormonism and entered polygamous marriages in 1850s Utah. Through rigorous historical research and creative writing, it culminates in a novel-in-progress titled She Who Left Zion: A Wife, A Witness, A Woman Unsealed. The story follows Phoebe Carter, a fictional English convert who immigrates to Zion after being promised eternal family unity—only to confront the brutal reality of polygamy, spiritual coercion, and patriarchal control.

Grounded in primary and secondary sources—including autobiographies, diaries, and letters from women like Ann-Eliza Young, Fanny Stenhouse, and contributors to The Women …

Systems Of Survivance: Exploring Armenia's Ancient Past Through Dungeons & Dragons, Jango Janigian

English Honors Theses

Systems of Survivance: Exploring Armenia’s Ancient Past Through Dungeons and Dragons is an English Honors and Classics undergraduate thesis that brings the hidden voices of Armenia’s past into dialogue with the present. Opening with an exploration of D&D and a reflection on the field of Ancient Studies from an Armenian-American perspective, Janigian questions the priorities of “Classics” and its amplification of Eurowestern voices. This thesis draws inspiration from the fantasy anthology Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel, where a team of writers tell folkloric stories of their cultures through a D&D setting and adventure. Likewise, Janigian provides scholars and tabletop …

Cationic Conjugated Polymers With Enhanced Doped-State Planarity For N-Type Organic Thermoelectrics, Jiu-Long Li, Xin-Yu Deng, Jupeng Chen, Peng-Xiang Fu, Shuang-Yan Tian, Yunfei Wang, Xiaodan Gu, Ting Lei

Faculty Publications

To date, extensive efforts have been devoted to designing new conjugated polymers with long alkyl or ethylene glycol sidechains. However, these sidechains are insulators, limiting further performance enhancement in doped conjugated polymers. Moreover, the most widely used chlorinated solvents are toxic, limiting the practical applications of many conjugated polymers. Here, we report a water/alcohol processable n-type conjugated polymer P(Py2FT), featuring side chain-free cationic backbones. P(Py2FT) exhibits a high n-type electrical conductivity of up to 28.1 S cm⁻¹ and a high thermoelectric power factor of up to 28.7 μW m⁻¹ K⁻², comparable to some conventional …

The Withering Touch, Jiwon Lim, Special Collections, Fleet Library

12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest 2026

Entry for the 12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest. Opening reception and award ceremony Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at 6:30pm, Fleet Library, 1st Floor Main Reading Room. Juror: Gabrielle Reed.

Through Memory Lane, Victoria Sgarbi, Special Collections, Fleet Library

12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest 2026

Entry for the 12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest. Opening reception and award ceremony Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at 6:30pm, Fleet Library, 1st Floor Main Reading Room. Juror: Gabrielle Reed.

Building Layered Defenses To Reduce Illegal Gun Violence, Samuel Kan

Faculty Scholarship

This article examines a multifaceted approach to reducing illegal gun violence in the United States through the implementation of layered defense strategies. While acknowledging the constitutional protections afforded by the Second Amendment, the author argues that targeted legislative and community-based interventions can effectively reduce gun violence without infringing on lawful gun ownership rights. The analysis explores several key defensive measures, including extreme risk laws (risk protection orders), which allow for temporary firearm removal from individuals posing credible threats to themselves or others—a practice recently upheld by the Supreme Court in United States v. Rahimi. The article further examines the constitutional …

The Beautiful Game On A Muslim Pitch: How Football And Religion Are Shaping Identity And Society, Aaron W. Hughes, Leif Stenberg

Exploring Muslim Contexts

Examines how football and religion act together to shape both identity and society in Muslim contexts.

This book showcases how football and religion are becoming increasingly interlinked in Muslim contexts in order to interact with and influence both identity and society. The first part of the volume is devoted to issues of identity, showing how football aids in its construction, maintenance and subversion. The second part reveals the deep-rooted connections between football and political and religious establishments by demonstrating how these organisations frequently use the game to disseminate or propagate their larger messages.

Altogether, the contributors reveal how football has …

The Racial Justice Act: A Real Solution Or A Just Step In The Right Direction?, Addison Lyons

UC Law Journal of Race and Economic Justice

The American criminal legal system is built upon racism and inequality. Some effort has been made to critique and correct the impact of those legacies. Although many steps have been taken, racism is far from erased from the legal apparatus. It demands contemporary solutions to contemporary legal dynamics. One of the attempts is the California Racial Justice Act of 2020 (RJA). The RJA has sought to remedy these challenges with a more robust understanding of how racism operates within the criminal legal system. Although the RJA appears to reflect a more nuanced understanding of how race operates, I argue that …

No Guts, No Glory: The Latest In H. Pylori Management, Charlie Wright Pharmd, Bcps, Ian Hendryx

Faculty Research ​and Publications

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) remains a significant global health concern, affecting nearly half the world’s population and contributing to peptic ulcer disease, gastritis, and gastric cancer. The management of H. pylori infection has evolved over time, with preferred treatment regimens changing due to increasing􀀠antibiotic resistance and the emergence of novel therapies. The American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) recently released its 2024 guidelines, refining the treatment approach to improve eradication rates and reduce antibiotic resistance-related failures.

Procedural Generated World With History Simulation And 3d Map, Xuanchen Shen

Programming Theses and Dissertations

The procedurally generated world with history simulation tool dynamically generates customizable, seed-driven virtual worlds through algorithmic processes. Using Voronoi diagrams (constructed via Fortune’s algorithm) for spatial partitioning, it creates diverse geographic features such as lands, oceans, and heights. Climate systems, hydrology (rivers, precipitation), and temperature data are procedurally derived from the terrain data. The tool further simulates sociopolitical dynamics, including population distribution, cultural evolution, religious spread, and diplomatic interactions between procedurally generated nations. Cities, towns, roads, and products emerge organically based on province data.

Users can interactively modify generated worlds—adjusting province geographic data, reshaping cultural or religious distribution, or changing …

Voxel-Based Physically Simulated Particle System For Realistic Smoke Effects With Responsive Interaction To Dynamic Objects, Qixuan Liang

Programming Theses and Dissertations

The Voxel-Based Physically Simulated Particle System is designed to provide a high-performance, interactive, and visually realistic smoke simulation for real-time applications. This system replicates the dynamic smoke effects seen in Counter-Strike 2, ensuring high visual fidelity and interactivity through advanced rendering and simulation techniques.

The system leverages compute shader-based ray marching for volumetric rendering, enabling physically-based lighting simulation with realistic shading and soft shadowing effects. To achieve efficient and scalable smoke propagation, it employs Intel SIMD-optimized flood fill algorithm, significantly accelerating the expansion calculations. With over 10,000+ dynamically interacting particles, the system maintains a stable 60FPS across a …

Gpu-Based Visual Effects System, Matthew Jaffe

Programming Theses and Dissertations

The objective of my thesis is to create a robust and efficient VFX system that can be used to edit and add particle effects to games. This system utilizes a compute shading pipeline to simulate millions of particles in real time. The behavior of particles is widely customizable through many different properties which can be manipulated changed over the lifetime of particles and introduce procedural randomness. There are many ways to customize the motion of the particles with various forces and collision. Additionally, particles can be rendered as billboarded quads, full meshes or partial meshes with different settings to further …

Hilltopics: Volume 20, Issue 2, Hilltopics Staff

Hilltopics

Poetry and Art:

Art by Anastasiya Shyvilka

Fear by Manha Ahmad

Breathe by Gabriela Barrientos

Experiences:

The Sun of Southern France: A Semester Abroad in Aix-en-Provence by Anastasiya Shyvilka

Beyond the Hilltop: Why SMU Students Should Study Abroad by Kernell Slack

Remembering the Kalavryta Massacre by Alexandra Lahiri

Analysis:

Communication Analysis: Greta Gerwig’s Barbie Monologue by Megan Watson

LOFI by Capri Woss

The Rise 37 Years in the Making A Retrospective on SMU’s Death Penalty by Ryan Musho

Energy Insights from an SMU Alumna A Reflection on New Ideas about Sustainability by Alejandra Torres

In Dreams: A Retrospective of David …

You Belong, Issue 1, Bryant University Office Of Community And Belonging

Bryant University Communications and Press

This photo book highlights the people, programs, and partnerships that define Bryant's campus community. Featuring moments from the 2024-2025 academic year, it showcases events, initiatives, and everyday experiences that demonstrate our commitment to fostering a welcoming environment. From student-led efforts to university-wide gatherings, You Belong celebrates the meaningful work happening across campus—and reminds us that at Bryant, everyone belongs. Photos were submitted by members of our community and represent just a fraction of the impactful moments that occur daily. These pages come alive through our shared dedication, reflecting the spirit that makes Bryant home.

Policy Library- 360 Sponsored Programs And Institutional Research Compliance, Indiana State University, General Counsel

Policy Library

Policy 360 Sponsored Programs and Institutional Research Compliance

Policy Library- 515 Vacation, Indiana State University, General Counsel

Policy Library

Policy 515 Vacation

Incorporating Media Coverage And The Impact Of Geopolitical Events For Stock Market Predictions With Machine Learning, Vinayaka Gude, Daniel Hsiao

Faculty Publications

This paper explores the impact of the Israel–Palestine conflict on the stock performance of U.S. companies and their public positions on the conflict. In an era where corporate positions on geopolitical issues are increasingly scrutinized, understanding the market implications of such statements is critical. This research aims to capture the complex, non-linear relationships between corporate actions, media coverage, and financial outcomes by integrating traditional statistical techniques with advanced machine learning models. To achieve this, we constructed a novel dataset combining public corporate announcements, media sentiment (including headline and article body tone), and philanthropic activities. Using both classification and regression models, …

Tremblings, May 2025, Western Aspen Alliance

Tremblings

Aspen, Fire, and People: Then and Now

Eva Strand. Professor of Rangeland Ecology, University of Idaho

People living and working in the Great Basin, USA, are observing changing fire conditions. Larger and more frequent fires across the West are well-documented, but less is known about how these changes manifest across Great Basin ecosystems, including in quaking aspen. In our recent Ecosphere paper, mean fire return interval (mFRI) changes across major Great Basin vegetation types between 1961–1990 and 1991–2020, were compared with LANDFIRE’s historical (pre-1900) estimates. For those not familiar with mFRI, it is the average number of years between successive …

May 2025 Cafe Newsletter, Center For Advancing Faculty Excellence

CAFE Faculty Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Women In War In The Ancient Middle East, Margaret E. Kimbro, Margaret Kimbro

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Women are often overlooked as contributors in conflict and warfare throughout time, both modern and ancient. Women in positions of authority through politics, religion, or both contributed to the management of conflict and warfare through propaganda, political ritual, and direct involvement in the army. This thesis focuses on five different women from Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Syria beginning in the 2200s BCE to the height of the Roman Empire. It focuses on the utilization of primary sources such as translated writings, statues, art and iconography, and documentation of the works of these women. Women’s contributions continue to be overlooked or erased …

Prevalence Rates Of Tetb, Teta, And Tetm Tetracycline Resistance Genes In Environmental Escherichia Coli Isolates From Local Waterways, Caris Cianelli

Honors Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence rates of the tetracycline resistance genes tetA, tetB, and tetM in environmental Escherichia coli isolates. Samples were from both an urban and an agricultural waterway were filtered and incubated with Coliscan™ medium to differentiate for fecal coliforms. The resulting colonies were streaked onto EMB and then TSA plates to ensure isolation and presence of E. coli. All media used were supplemented with 10 µg/mL tetracycline in order to maintain selective pressure on the isolates. DNA from the isolates was then extracted and PCR was run using tetA, tetB, and tetM …

Justification For The Biological Foundation Of Methane On Mars: Methanogens’ Capacity To Metabolize On Montmorillonite Clay And Basalt, Ashley Ezeldin

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

The possibility of extraterrestrial life, particularly on Mars, remains a compelling question in astrobiology. Mars' harsh atmospheric conditions, dominated by carbon dioxide and extreme cold, prevent the survival of aerobic species. However, it still leaves the possibility of methanogens, an anaerobic species that can survive in extreme conditions, to inhabit this planet. Due to the discovery of methane on Mars, it is possible that methanogens may live and grow in the subsurface of this planet.

For this experiment, basalt and montmorillonite clay were chosen as substrates because they are believed to be found in the composition of Mars's subsurface. Methane, …

Characterizing The Medial Forebrain Bundle In Adolescents With Anhedonic Depression, Tina Nguyen

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Adolescent depression has quickly grown in prevalence, yet the underlying neuropathology remains poorly understood. Anhedonia–the diminished ability to experience pleasure–is a core symptom of melancholic depression. Early identification of biomarkers associated with anhedonic depression could help mitigate the severity of the disorder by enhancing treatment efficacy. Blunted functionality of the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), the reward center of the brain, and abnormal dopaminergic activity in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) have both been linked to depression. Furthermore, glutamatergic input from the hypothalamus modulates the VTA which in turn, downregulates dopamine release in the NAcc. However, there is limited evidence supporting that …

The Effect Protein Supplementation On Waist-To-Hip Ratio, Bmi, Lipid Profile, And Resting Energy Expenditure In Postmenopausal Women, Caleb Flores

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Postmenopausal women are a growing and at risk population that face increased risk for adverse changes in body composition, lipid profile, and overall cardiometabolic health due to hormonal changes associated with aging. Over 40% of postmenopausal women have obesity, which can be linked not just aging but the menopausal transition. Because of the negative effects of menopause on cardiometabolic, research into dietary interventions to combat these effects are needed. High-protein diets have shown promise in mitigating these effects, but sufficient research has not been done to determine the effects on postmenopausal women. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of …

Changes In The Androgen Signaling Pathway Caused By Gut Parasite Cryptosporidium Parvum, Aarushi Aalok Sheth

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

The molecular mechanisms driving prostate cancer initiation remain under investigation; however, studies have shown that the androgen receptor (AR) signaling pathway plays a central role in prostate cancer progression. The AR is a regulator of prostate cell growth, differentiation, and survival and the aberrant signaling of AR is implicated in the progression of prostate cancer. Studies of Androgen signaling pathway in connection with the gut parasite C.parvum revealed direct changes in the signaling pathway of androgen which could potentially lead to the initiation of Prostate Cancer. Analysis of the prostate samples collected from twenty JAX Swiss Outbred mice gave different …

The Moderating Effect Of Self-Efficacy On The Interaction Between The Patient-Provider Relationship And Medication Adherence, Jonas M. Manalo

2025 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

Older adults taking multiple medications are at high risk for experiencing adverse drug events that result in hospitalization. Nurses are one of the first points of contact for patients and serve as patient educators. Many factors influence medication adherence, such as the patient-provider relationship and patient self-efficacy. This study aims to assess what impact patient self-efficacy has on the interaction between the patient-provider relationship and medication adherence.

The sample comprises adults aged 50 or older taking five or more medications. The Medication Understanding and Use Self-Efficacy (MUSE) Scale was used to measure patient self-efficacy and the patient-provider relationship while the …