Digital Commons Network^™

A Review On Microbial Fuel Cells, Baidaa A. Kitafa, Afaf J. Obaid Al-Saned

Engineering and Technology Journal

The Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) is a bioreactor with which the chemical energy in chemical bonds of organic compounds are converted to electricity under anaerobic conditions through catalytic reactions of micro-organisms. It has been familiar for a long time that electricity can be generated directly through using bacteria to break organic matter. A microbial fuel cell can also serve in different wastewater treatment to destroy organic matter. The development of MFC technology requires a greater understanding of the microbial processes for MFCs, and their components, limitations, factors and design this system, to be simpler and large scale system developed; so …

Evaluation Of Gridded Precipitation Products And Machine-Learning Models For Rainfall Prediction In Arid Regions - Case Study In Qassim Region, Ksa, Ragab Rabeiy

Yanbu Journal of Engineering and Science

Receiving rainfall predictions in dry regions such as Saudi Arabia is challenging due to limited observational stations and the temporal and spatial variability of rainfall events. This study explores the performance of nine remote sensing rainfall datasets over the Qassim region of central Saudi Arabia. High-resolution rainfall data from ground-based sources were used to evaluate the accuracy of CHIRPS, TRMM, GPM, PERSIANN, CMORPH, CFSR, TerraClimate, TerraClimate_Monthly, and ERA5 datasets. Performance metrics such as R2, RMSE, MAE, and bias were calculated to quantify the accuracy of each dataset. Analysis revealed that ERA5 generally demonstrated better accuracy than the other datasets with …

Attention-Based Ensemble Deep Learning Model For Arabic And English Fake News Classification, Ameer Alhaq Alshamery

Journal of Intelligent Informatics, Networking, and Cybersecurity

It is difficult to classify articles as fake news since one article may consist of true facts with only some statements being fake. Moreover, classification becomes complicated for the Arabic language owing to its morphology and several ways of spelling, as well as the lack of well-classified and marked data sets. This paper presents an Ensemble Deep Learning Model (EDLM) used for Arabic and English fake news classification. The EDLM consists of CNN, Bi-LSTM with attention, and Bi-GRU with attention networks. Each of them produces one probability of the article, which is then summed up to a final probability via …

Novel Dynamic Batch-Sensitive Adam Optimiser For Vehicular Accident Injury Severity Prediction, Daniel Asare Kyei, Alimatu Saadia-Yussiff, Maame G. Asante-Mensah, Abdul Lateef-Yussiff, Charles Roland Haruna, Derry Emmanuel

Iraqi Journal for Computer Science and Mathematics

The choice of optimiser is important in deep learning, as it strongly influences model efficiency and speed of convergence. However, many commonly used optimisers encounter difficulties when applied to imbalanced and sequential datasets, limiting their ability to capture patterns of minority classes. In this study, we propose Dynamic Batch-Sensitive Adam (DBS-Adam), an optimiser that dynamically scales the learning rate using a batch difficulty score derived from exponential moving averages of gradient norms and batch loss. DBS-Adam improves training stability and accelerates convergence by increasing updates for difficult batches and reducing them for easier ones. We evaluate DBS-Adam by integrating it …

Genpix: A Diverse Dataset For Fake Image Detection, Guessoum Dalila, Benblidia Nadjia, Boumahdi Fatima, Remmide Mohamed Abdelkarim, Nouri Tarek-Amine, Bataouche Azeddine-Lotfi

Iraqi Journal for Computer Science and Mathematics

The rapid advancement of sophisticated generative models has intensified the need for robust fake image detection systems. However, many existing benchmark datasets suffer from limited diversity in content types and generation techniques, constraining the generalization ability of detection models. To address these limitations, we introduce GenPix (Generalized Pixels), a comprehensive dataset encompassing over 80,000 images spanning diverse categories, including faces, objects, and scenes, generated by multiple state-of-the-art models such as Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) and diffusion-based architectures. The dataset includes samples from different generation methods to ensure broad coverage of fake image characteristics.

GenPix provides a realistic evaluation environment that …

Eyolov8-Msaff: An Enhanced Object Detection Algorithm With Multi-Scale Attention And Feature Fusion For Small And Dense Object Detection In Uav Applications, Mohammed Hasan Mutar, Morteza Valizadeh, Alaa Hussein Abdulaal, Mehdi Chehel Amirani

Iraqi Journal for Computer Science and Mathematics

The proliferation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has necessitated the development of sophisticated object detection algorithms capable of handling the unique challenges posed by aerial imagery. Traditional detection methods often struggle with small object sizes, dense distributions, and complex backgrounds characteristic of UAV-captured scenes. This research presents EYOLOv8-MSAFF (Enhanced YOLOv8 with Multi-Scale Attention and Feature Fusion), a novel deep learning architecture specifically engineered for superior performance in UAV-based object detection tasks. The proposed methodology integrates four innovative components: a Hybrid Spatial-Channel Attention Mechanism (HSCAM) that processes attention information in parallel rather than sequentially, an Adaptive Multi-Scale Feature Fusion Module (AMSFFM) …

A Novel Hierarchical Multi-Scale Attention Mechanism For Enhanced Yolov8 Performance In Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Based Small Object Detection, Mohammed Hasan Mutar, Morteza Valizadeh, Alaa Hussein Abdulaal, Mehdi Chehel Amirani

Iraqi Journal for Computer Science and Mathematics

Object detection in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) images presents significant challenges due to the prevalence of small and densely packed objects, as well as variations in scale, orientation, and lighting conditions. This paper introduces a novel object detection algorithm, Hierarchical Multi-Scale Attention YOLO (HMSA-YOLO), which is an improved version of YOLOv8 designed to address these challenges. The proposed method incorporates a novel Hierarchical Multi-Scale Attention (HMSA) module, a Bidirectional Feature Pyramid Network (BiFPN) for enhanced feature fusion, a modified loss function, and an adaptive anchor optimization technique. The HMSA module effectively captures both channel and spatial dependencies at multiple scales, …

Topical Enrofloxacin Solution Delays Tympanic Membrane Epithelial Migration In Healthy Dogs, Jinseo Oh, Seulgi Bae

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Tympanic membrane epithelial migration (TMEM) is essential for homeostasis and self-cleaning function of the tympanic membrane and external ear canal. Otitis externa is common in small animal practice, and topical preparations are widely used for management. Although several treatments have been reported to alter TMEM rates in dogs, evidence on the effects of topical antibiotics on TMEM is limited. This study evaluated the effect of topical enrofloxacin on TMEM in healthy dogs. TMEM was assessed in both tympanic membranes of three healthy dogs (six ears) using a within-subject design with control and experimental conditions. In the experimental condition, enrofloxacin (5 …

Automated Multimodal Synthesis And Native Ecosystem Handoff Of Artificial Intelligence Generated Knowledge Media To Shared Ambient Displays, Richa Gupta

Defensive Publications Series

The disclosed technology introduces a GenAI knowledge bridge that seamlessly translates customized Gen AI workspace outputs into a native, multimodal television experience for consumption by a user and other viewers. The GenAI knowledge bridge establishes a secure, authenticated, customized synthesized knowledge row for inclusion in a user interface of a homepage of a television application running on a computing device (e.g., a smart television). The GenAI knowledge bridge populates the customized synthesized knowledge row by way of a direct application programming interface (API) sync with a private GenAI workspace of the user. A visualizer engine running on the computing device …

Dynamic Media Device Power Management Using Proximity Inferred From Wireless Signals, Nikita Agarwal

Defensive Publications Series

Power management for media devices can be inefficient when a user is listening to audio content but is not actively viewing the display, potentially leading to increased energy consumption. Systems and methods can manage display power by inferring user proximity. The technology can utilize wireless signal characteristics, such as a received signal strength indicator from a user's personal peripheral device (e.g., a smartwatch, smartphone, or earbuds), to establish virtual zones around a media playback device. When the system infers that a user has moved from a viewing zone to a listening zone, it can automatically deactivate the display panel while …

Electrical System And Corresponding Method For Supplying Power To Electrically Heated Reactor, Angela Lotti, Martin Baumgaertl, Gianluca Pauletto

Defensive Publications Series

The present technical disclosure relates to an electrical system as well as to a corresponding method for supplying power to an electrically heated reactor, the method comprising the steps of:

- supplying electrical power from the at least one transformer to the at least one electrical heating means via the at least one power control unit and the at least one electrical feedthrough;

- operating the electrical system as an isolated terra system such that active conductors are electrically isolated from ground (G), and the grounded reactor shell is locally grounded;

- continuously monitoring the insulation resistance between the active …

System And Method For Available Cognitive Headroom Scoring And Predictive Task Orchestration In Multi-Agent Ai Systems, Ram Mohan R, Annu Rani Mahto, Anis Edavalath, Aparna Raj K, Sridhar D

Defensive Publications Series

Traditional load-balancing techniques for multi-agent artificial intelligence (AI) systems are insufficient because they rely on infrastructure metrics rather than an agent's actual reasoning capacity. Proposed herein is a mechanism that addresses this gap by introducing an Available Cognitive Headroom (ACH) score, which enables predictive, capacity-aware routing that ensures agents are not cognitively overloaded before tasks are dispatched.

Implications Of Similarities And Differences Amongst Media Literacy Skills And Trust Across Communities Of Color, Erica Weintraub Austin, Nadia Ishrat Alamgir, Alexandra Elenitsa Fil, Sultana Ismet Jerin, Di Mu, Albert Junior Nyarko, Folake Racheal Okor, Pearl Omolara Oladele, Hae Yeon Seo, Andrew D. Sutherland

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

A 2020 survey of U.S. adults found that nonwhite respondents tended to report lower levels of media literacy than white respondents. However, their media literacy skills were associated with better COVID-19 knowledge and less acceptance of COVID-19 disinformation. This secondary analysis of the dataset (N=1264) explored how aspects of media literacy and media trust varied across communities of color. No significant differences in online information efficacy were found. White respondents scored higher than Hispanic/Latiné and Native American/Indigenous respondents on media literacy for source, and higher than Black and Hispanic/Latiné respondents on media literacy for content. White respondents also …

Stability Of The Apogee Galvanic Cell Sensors In The Utah State University Biological Oxygen Demand System, Tia Lawrence, Carson Richards, Bruce Bugbee

Techniques and Instruments

The Utah State University Crop Physiology Laboratory has developed a six-chamber biological oxygen demand (BOD) system to quantify respiration (Kusuma & Bugbee, 2020). Like all instruments, accuracy depends on the ability to get a zero in empty containers. Here we report the signal output and zero stability in empty containers over a five-day interval.

Hotter Than The Fire: Analysis Of Indonesia's Forest And Peatland Fire Policy Contention, 2015–2024, Dede Setiono, Nunuk Retnandari, Putri Wulandari

Forest and Society

The catastrophic forest and peatland fires of 2015 served as a critical juncture for Indonesia, catalyzing an unprecedented wave of policy reforms aimed at fire prevention and ecosystem restoration. Despite this, major fire events recurred in 2019 and 2023, exposing a persistent gap between policy ambition and on-the-ground reality. This article investigates the underlying reasons for this continued policy failure. This study employs a qualitative, interpretive approach, drawing on 25 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders across government, the corporate sector, civil society, and local communities conducted between 2023 and 2024. The analysis reveals that Indonesia's fire crisis is not …

Discursive Consciousness And Pedagogical Reasoning Within Teacher Collaborative Inquiry In Rural Mexico, Nelly Yllen Charles Martinez

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines teacher collaborative learning within Matemáticas Equitativas (MATEQ), a school-based professional learning model designed to support equitable mathematics instruction through collaborative inquiry and peer observation. Drawing on Anthony Giddens' structure-agency theory, this research adopts an interpretive qualitative case study with discourse-oriented analysis to examine teachers' pedagogical reasoning by looking at manifestations of discursive consciousness--defined as the capacity to articulate and rationalize one's actions in discourse--during collaborative meetings. Findings show that both the interactional structures and collaborative resources embedded in MATEQ--in particular peer facilitated uses of observation rubrics--mediated teachers' discursive consciousness, strengthening the pedagogical reasoning shared within collaborative inquiry. …

Selective Factors Impacting Charter High School Enrollment, Nathan Marshall

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined factors influencing high school choice among Utah families, comparing parent priorities between charter and traditional public high schools. Using one-way ANOVA with Tukey honestly significant difference (HSD) post hoc comparisons, parental priorities were analyzed across personal, school community, and academic factors. Parents choosing traditional public high schools rated personal and school community factors significantly higher, emphasizing relationships and school climate, while charter high school parents rated academic factors significantly higher, favoring rigor and instructional quality. Charter parents' priorities were not uniform, however, but varied significantly by school model, suggesting that the charter-versus-traditional divide masks meaningful differences within …

Modeling Nonequilibrium Community Dynamics Of Bivalves In The Indian River Lagoon, Jada Lee Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Benthic infaunal communities are widely-used indicators for assessing estuarine health, especially in systems that experience frequent disturbances and hydrological fluctuations. However, using benthic infauna to predict ecosystem responses to future disturbances remains a challenge. The Indian River Lagoon (IRL), spanning 40% of Florida's east coast, is a prime example of a complex estuary that has experienced decades of hydrological alterations leading to reduced water quality, sediment composition, and biodiversity. To assess benthic bivalve community dynamics in response to disturbances, an emerging Empirical Dynamic Modeling (EDM) approach was applied to a large test dataset comprising 17 years of benthic bivalve abundances …

Christopher Warman V. Local Yokels Fudge Llc

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Western District of Pennsylvania

Usa V. Gordian Ndubizu

2026 Decisions

USDC for the District of New Jersey

Matthew Milisits V. Superintendent Benner Township Sci

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Western District of Pennsylvania

Vermonters View Socialism More Positively Than Capitalism; Trump Approval Falls To All-Time Low In Vt 7/29/2026, Unh Survey Center

All UNH Survey Center Polls

Half of Vermonters have a positive overall view of socialism, while only about four in ten have a positive view of capitalism. A plurality have a positive view of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and many on the political left say a DSA endorsement would make them more likely to vote for a candidate. President Trump’s job approval rating in Vermont has fallen to its lowest point in his second term, with particularly low approval of his handling of foreign policy. Vermonters oppose a proposed constitutional amendment restricting birthright citizenship and legislation that would ban pregnant women from entering …

Environmental Exposure Risk Education To Enhance Chronic Kidney Disease Prevention And Screening For Nurse Practitioners, Kelsea J. Carrier

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects approximately 36 million adults in the United States, with nearly 90% of individuals unaware of their diagnosis until advanced stages. While diabetes and hypertension remain the primary causes, increasing evidence highlights environmental exposures as significant and underrecognized contributors to CKD onset and progression. Exposures such as heavy metals, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), air and water pollution, microplastics, and heat exposure have been linked to impaired renal function. Despite this growing body of evidence, environmental health content remains limited in nursing education, resulting in gaps in environmental health literacy (EHL) among nurse practitioners (NPs) and …

Unscripted Urban Interior, Paramita Atmodiwirjo, Yandi Andri Yatmo

Interiority

The urban interior has emerged as a site of unscripted performance. The unscripted urban interior can be understood as a dynamic field where spatial conditions, social practices, and temporal change interact to produce emergent and contingent spatial realities beyond the original script. Through unscripted performance, the urban interior becomes a site of transformative potential, where various forms of practices emerge to transform, appropriate, and mediate the situations. The articles in this Interiority issue highlight the indeterminate characters of the urban interior and the possible transformation practices emerging from such urban contexts through various techniques and media that create distinctive values …

Unplanned Public Nature Interiority, Kendra Locklear Ordia

Interiority

This paper advances a theory of urban interiority through the concept of public nature interiority, integrating ecological thinking into the spatial, sensory, and temporal conditions of exterior spaces that feel interior. Drawing on works by Tine Poot, Richard Sennett, Liz Teston, and Suzie Attiwill, it challenges binary distinctions between interior and exterior, emphasising relational and dynamic urban conditions. Using Attiwill's notions of collective individuation and an ecology of subjectivity, interiority is reframed as being shaped not only by human perception and experience with nature but also by biotic relations and multispecies interactions. The theory is situated within terrain vague—indeterminate, overlooked …

Performing Disobedience: Critical Spatial Heritage, Counter-Memory, And The Rewriting Of Medellín’S Public Space, Laura Balán

Interiority

This article examines the radical street performance practice of Bernardo Ángel Saldarriaga in Medellín, Colombia, as a site of political and epistemological transformation. Through ethnographic engagement with Saldarriaga—an ascetic artist who stages trance-based interventions in public space—the study analyses how his performances disrupt dominant narratives of history, identity, and citizenship. Drawing on political ontology, decolonial thought, and critical heritage studies, the article argues that Saldarriaga's work functions as a hybrid forum for negotiating plural knowledges and social imaginaries. His refusal of institutional funding, his embodied critique of state power, and his use of trance and possession rituals generate both affective …

Modern Psychology And The Religious Experience: Faith Or Just Institutionalization?, Darin Challacombe

Psychology Faculty Publications

A literature review of Paloutzian’s (1996) “Religious Experience” chapter in Invitation to the Psychology of Religion is presented by outlining and critiquing works cited. Specifically, the combination of three distinct theories (e.g., schemas, attribution, and attachment) is presented and evaluated. Using these three theories, empirical research that has been done in this field can be explained. However, the main component of these theories has to be present: faith. Faith needs to be seen as being the opposite of institutionalization; rather, events that are religious must have faith and cannot be completely explained by institutionalization concepts of groupthink and manipulation. Further, …

Plurality In Nh Oppose Restricting Birthright Citizenship, Divided On Democratic Socialists Of America 7/29/2026, Unh Survey Center

All UNH Survey Center Polls

In the wake of a Supreme Court decision upholding birthright citizenship, nearly half of Granite Staters oppose a proposed constitutional amendment to restrict birthright citizenship and legislation restricting the entry of pregnant foreign women into the United States. Nearly half of Granite Staters who have at least heard of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have a negative view of the group, but six in ten Democrats have a positive view. A majority of Granite Staters have a positive overall view of capitalism, while more than one-third have a positive view of socialism, particularly young people. President Trump’s job approval …

Bridging Intelligent Optimization And Knowledge-Based Planning: A Retrospective Evaluation Of Ioe And Rapidplan Models For Ethos Lung Adaptive Radiotherapy, Anna Katherine Robbins

Masters Projects

Adaptive radiotherapy (ART) and knowledge-based planning (KBP) have independently improved treatment planning quality and efficiency; however, limited evidence exists regarding their combined use within the Varian Ethos planning system. This retrospective study evaluated whether an institution-specific Ethos-trained RapidPlan model improved dosimetric plan quality compared with Intelligent Optimization Engine (IOE) optimization alone and a publicly available Eclipse-trained RapidPlan model for right-sided non-small cell lung cancer. Ten patients previously treated with adaptive radiotherapy were replanned using three planning approaches: IOE optimization alone, IOE with a generic RapidPlan model, and IOE with an institutional Ethos-trained RapidPlan model. Target coverage, homogeneity, and organ-at-risk (OAR) …

July 29, 2026 Blazer Weekly, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

Blazer Weekly (student newsletter)

No abstract provided.