Digital Commons Network^™

Plasticity And Language In The Anaesthetized Human Hippocampus, Kalman A Katlowitz, Eric R Cole, Elizabeth A Mickiewicz, Shraddha Shah, Melissa Franch, Joshua A Adkinson, James L Belanger, Raissa K Mathura, Domokos Meszéna, Matthew Mcginley, William Muñoz, Garrett P Banks, Sydney S Cash, Chih-Wei Hsu, Angelique C Paulk, Nicole R Provenza, Andrew J Watrous, Ziv Williams, Alica M Goldman, Vaishnav Krishnan, Atul Maheshwari, Sarah R Heilbronner, Robert Kim, Nuttida Rungratsameetaweemana, Benjamin Y Hayden, Sameer A Sheth

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Consciousness is a fundamental component of cognition1, but the degree to which higher-order pattern recognition relies on it remains disputed2,3. Here we demonstrate the persistence of oddball discrimination, semantic processing and online prediction in individuals under general-anaesthesia-induced loss of consciousness4,5. Using high-density Neuropixels microelectrodes6 to record both single-unit and local-field-potential neural activity in the human hippocampus while playing a series of tones to anaesthetized patients, we found that hippocampal neurons and local oscillations retained some detection of oddball tones. This effect size grew over the course of the experiment …

The Effect Of Music On Construction Labor Productivity, Ayush Khare

Construction Management

Every day the construction industry is looking for ways to improve labor productivity, jobsite morale, and overall project efficiency. Contractors often focus on larger strategies such as scheduling, manpower planning, equipment selection, and material coordination to help projects stay on time and within budget. However, smaller jobsite conditions can also affect how workers perform throughout the day. Music is one of these conditions. On many construction sites, music is already used informally by laborers while they complete physical and repetitive tasks. Even though music is common in construction culture, its effect on productivity and morale is not often measured or …

What's The Big Picture? Capturing All The Companions To The Lowest-Mass Stars, Eliot Vrijmoet, K. Ward-Duong, Susan Niu, Alette Matthews, Todd Henry, Lucy Williams

Astronomy: Faculty Publications

The M dwarfs are frequently orbited by low-mass stars and terrestrial planets, yet rarely by the brown dwarfs and Jovian planets between those mass regimes. The collective orbital architectures of those unusual substellar companions thus present a valuable opportunity to learn about those objects' formation, dynamical evolution, and original circumstellar environments. Accessing those parameter spaces, however, requires complementary observing techniques to truly map orbits and thoroughly assess the masses and mass ratios that occur. Here we present our pilot study of five M dwarfs with strong evidence of potentially substellar companions, combining 20+ years of astrometric monitoring from RECONS with …

Measuring And Modeling The Circumplanetary Dust Disk Around The Planetary-Mass Companion Sr 12 C, Nathaniel Kerman, Kimberly Ward-Duong, Mickael Bonnefoy, Kj Soto Villarreal, Nicole Arulanantham, Benoît Tabone, Catherine Dougados, Laurent Pueyo, Mathilde Mâlin, Claire Finley, Et Al

Astronomy: Faculty Publications

SR 12 c, a planetary mass companion in a ~1000 au orbit around its binary host, is one of only three planetary mass objects surrounded by an ALMA-detected circumplanetary disk (CPD). CPDs with different masses and orbits provide crucial laboratories to study substellar formation: the structure and mass of CPDs govern planet formation timescales and may distinguish between formation mechanisms, while dust composition and grain sizes ultimately affect atmospheric metallicity and satellites. CPD properties can also be compared against better-understood brown dwarf and low-mass star disks to test how disk properties scale with central object mass at the low-mass extreme. …

Real-Time Simulation Of Bio-Luminescent Light Propagation Using Compute Shaders Within Unreal Engine, Jaden D. Halevi

Computer Science Senior Theses

Presented in this paper is a GPU-native approach to interactive fluid simulation within Unreal Engine 5. The system, BioFluidSim, implements an incompressible Navier-Stokes solver using Unreal’s Niagara Grid2D compute shader pipeline, with a modular biological emission output stage parameterized from experimentally measured Lingulodinium polyedrum bioluminescence behavior. The system is evaluated against FluidNinja Live, a commercially available fragment shader fluid implementation, as a performance baseline. Beyond performance, BioFluidSim offers greater physical fidelity than the fragment shader baseline. Helmholtz–Hodge pressure projection enforces a divergence-free velocity field at runtime, a physical constraint approximated but not enforced by fragment shader approaches. The biological emission …

A Near-Field Communication (Nfc) Multi-Sensor Node With Optimized Read Range And Adaptive Power Management For Remote Monitoring, Rishin Patra, Hilary Scott Nkimbeng Cho, Jin W. Choi

Michigan Tech Publications

This paper presents the design of a batteryless near-field communication (NFC) multi-sensor node with an integrated adaptive power-management system for sensing applications. The work focuses on harvesting energy from a 13.56 MHz NFC field to power an ultra-low power sensing platform. The design consists of the TI RF430FRL152H, an integrated NFC transponder with an embedded MSP430 microcontroller core and ferroelectric random-access memory (FRAM) non-volatile memory. The system combines an ISO/IEC 15693 NFC front end, a tuned loop antenna for optimized power harvesting, and multiple analog and digital sensor interfaces, and a firmware architecture for intermittent harvested energy operation. The aforementioned …

How Deals Die, Da Lin, Morgan Ricks

University of Chicago Law Review

The risk of deal breakage is central to merger and acquisition (M&A) dealmaking. Yet neither the finance nor corporate law literatures have systematically explored how and why deals fall apart. We rectify this deficiency, making three principal contributions.

First, we develop a comprehensive typology of eight M&A outcomes:
completed-as-announced deals and seven types of deal breakage. This precise mapping provides both positive and normative payoffs. Apart from revealing the multifaceted ways in which announced deals can be disrupted, we detail the starkly differing implications for the merging parties associated with each outcome type and thus illuminate why incorporating outcome heterogeneity …

The Specter Of Future Blight: State Approaches To Speculative Takings, Julianna G. Bass

University of Chicago Law Review

This Comment creates the first comprehensive taxonomy of state eminent domain regimes’ treatment of private-to-private takings for the purpose of preventing future blight. Following the Supreme Court’s expansion of the Public Use Clause in Kelo v. City of New London, many states moved to limit takings justified solely by economic development yet maintained broad blight statutes that continued to authorize the condemnation of property to eliminate or prevent blight. This Comment exposes the indeterminate contours of the future-blight takings landscape and ultimately urges state legislatures and courts seeking to cabin sweeping public use determinations to find the prevention of future …

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Mgrre_Thinsections_Mgrre-101_20, Mgrre

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Mgrre_Thinsections_Mgrre-102_1, Mgrre

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Mainely Gay 50th Anniversary Tribute, Susan Henderson, Peter Prizer, Stan Fortuna

Mainely Gay (1978-1980)

A special 50th Anniversary Edition of Mainely Gay

The Future Of Sea Lines Of Communication (Sloc) Defense In The Bering Strait Region: Lessons From The Giuk Gap And North Atlantic Sloc Defense, Samuel A. Krakower

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

Sea Lines of Communication (SLOCs) are the backbone of global trade and military power projection, with critical maritime chokepoints concentrating tra􀆯ic and shaping both economic stability and strategic control. As changing weather patterns accelerate Arctic accessibility, emerging routes like the Northern Sea Route and Northwest Passage are increasing the importance of the Bering Strait as a vital gateway between the Pacific and Arctic, while also exposing gaps in U.S. infrastructure, governance, and defense posture amid rising Russian and Chinese activity. Although international frameworks provide some legal stability, the absence of an integrated strategy linking maritime governance, allied defense, and chokepoint …

Front Matter, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Front Matter for Volume 124, Issue 8 of Michigan Law Review

The History Of The Constitution Is Our Future., Maggie Blackhawk

Michigan Law Review

The Constitution of the United States establishes a government; it also stands as the fundamental law of a people. It shapes daily life, distributes power, and sets a direction for the future. And yet when we ask about the reach and meaning of the Constitution, we are increasingly told to look backward. The answers to our future are said to lie in the past.

Closing Time?, Aziz Z. Huq

Michigan Law Review

A review of No Democracy Lasts Forever: How the Constitution Threatens the United States. By Erwin Chemerinsky.

What Personhood Means, Laura Portuondo

Michigan Law Review

A review of Personhood: The New Civil War over Reproduction. By Mary Ziegler.

A Systematic Review Of Intrusion Detection Systems For Internet Of Medical Things: Performance, Efficiency, Explainability, And Generalization, Oswald Adohinzin, Youssef Harrath

Research & Publications

The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) has transformed health care delivery through medical devices, remote patient monitoring, and real-time clinical decision support. However, the proliferation of IoMT devices introduces security vulnerabilities that put patient safety and data privacy at risk. Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) have emerged as essential components for protecting IoMT networks from cyberattacks. This article presents a systematic review of IoMT-IDS research, analyzing 53 high-quality papers published between 2020 and 2025, identified through database searches spanning 2016–2025 across IEEE Xplore, Springer, ScienceDirect, and ACM Digital Library. We organize the literature through a comprehensive taxonomy spanning classical machine learning …

Dick “Skull” Barnett, Julie Huskey

Tennessee State University Notable Alumni

No abstract provided.

Century's Nail Spa Rebrand, Alena Le Thai

Graphic Communication

For my senior project, I redesigned branding for Century’s Nail Spa, an Asian-owned family business located in Fremont, California. My family purchased this nail salon from a former work colleague after the pandemic. We inherited the branding and the website at the time and did not make the effort to change or strengthen these business aspects since the change in ownership. Therefore, I decided to rebrand the nail salon to better align with our family values, culture and desire to connect with the local community. Along with designing a brand guide with new logos and color palette, I also redesigned …

Toe's Lighters And Accessories, Ryan M. Nolan

Graphic Communication

This senior project focused on creating a cohesive advertising campaign for Theo’s Lighters, a student-owned business that refurbishes and resells collectible lighters. The campaign included a promotional video and a branded product catalog designed to strengthen the company’s visual identity and broaden its audience. By combining photography, videography, graphic design, typography, and sound design, the project presented the products as style-oriented accessories connected to sustainability, self-expression, and contemporary campus culture. The completed campaign demonstrates the effectiveness of integrated visual storytelling while showcasing professional skills in branding, multimedia production, and user-focused design.

Operation Bite Block, Jennifer Aline Robles, Laura Marie Strobbe, William Pearce Graham, Annabelle Katherine Thalken

Mechanical Engineering

Current dental bite blocks, or mouth props, are typically manufactured in fixed sizes, and often result in patient discomfort, reduced procedural efficiency, and the need for dental offices to maintain multiple product sizes. This project sought to design, prototype, and validate an adjustable dental bite block capable of accommodating a wide range of patient mouth openings while maintaining comfort, structural integrity, sterilizability, and operator usability. Working in collaboration with Dr. Alan Latta, a practicing dentist in San Luis Obispo, the design process incorporated stakeholder feedback, patent and market research, engineering analysis, and iterative prototyping to develop a solution that addresses …

Mars Rover Wheels And Drive, Presley S. Sacavitch, Ryan W. Trevena, Dylan A. Mack, Daniel Hudak

Mechanical Engineering

Cal Poly’s Poly1Rover team, advised by Professor Rich Murray, aims to deploy four student-designed mini-Mars rovers, each equipped with a sample-tube retrieval claw, before 2030. However, the wheels of Poly1Rover’s current 6th generation rover are not ready for deployment to Mars, as they do not utilize space-grade materials, are not optimized for manufacturability, and lack sufficient spoke compliance to absorb landing and high-impact loads. This project will be developed by a team of Mechanical Engineering students at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly): Daniel Hudak, Dylan Mack, Presley Sacavitch, and Ryan Trevena. Next Intent is providing funding …

Formula Sae Planetary Gearbox Characterization Dynamometer, Trevor Marco Toma, Thomas Welden Pierce, Ethan Liu

Mechanical Engineering

This report outlines a custom hub motor dynamometer requested by the Cal Poly Racing FSAE team. The need for this testing platform is to characterize an existing Formula SAE planetary gearbox for a proposed 4WD powertrain. Hub motors, compact electric machines integrated directly into each outboard wheel, offer significant advantages in efficiency, traction, and chassis packaging compared to conventional RWD drivetrains. By mapping torque capacity, efficiency, lubrication method effectiveness, and fatigue life, the team can validate gearbox design and performance.

This senior project group designed and built a dynamometer according to these specifications which will allow for successful testing to …

Incentives, Evidence, And Reminders For Bureaucrats: Overcoming Barriers To Policy Scale Up, Patrick Agte, Daniel R. Morales, Christopher Neilson, Sebastian Otero, Guatam Rao

Discussion Papers

Scaling up effective policies often requires the attention of frontline bureaucrats with many competing responsibilities. Even when policymakers adopt effective programs, implementation may not follow. In a nationwide experiment in the Dominican Republic, we test interventions to increase school principals' implementation of an educational program proven effective in a previous RCT. Only 37% of control schools verifiably implemented the intervention when ordered to by the Ministry of Education, compared with 83% in the original trial. Implementation was no higher among schools that previously implemented the program in the RCT, suggesting that fixed costs of adoption do not explain non-adoption. We …

A Machine Learning Framework For Residential District Cooling: Forecasting Consumption, Explaining Drivers, And Evaluating Decarbonization Pathways, Kadhim Hayawi, Husna Maliakkal, Neethu Venugopal, Thanveer Musthafa Hussain, Gomathi Bhavani Rajagopalan

All Works

District Cooling Systems (DCS) in the Middle East, while energy-efficient, are significant contributors to carbon emissions. This study introduces a novel framework to decarbonize DCS operations by integrating predictive machine learning, explainable AI (XAI), and renewable energy planning, all grounded in extensive real-world data. Leveraging a unique dataset from 59 residential buildings in the UAE—including energy consumption, climate variables, and building features—we developed a high-fidelity cooling load forecasting model. Following a rigorous chronological validation methodology, the Random Forest model was identified as the most robust, achieving a strong performance (R² = 0.8256, RMSE = 11,668.31). Outdoor temperature was confirmed …

Fetal Personhood And Inheritance By Unborn Children, Alyssa A. Dirusso, Emily Price

ACTEC Law Journal

This article will first discuss the status of the law with respect to inheritance rights of the unborn, including both posthumous children and posthumously-conceived children. This paper next describes the fetal personhood movement and its recognition of not only life but also death before birth. The article explains the current law on survivorship and inheritance rights. Then this article discusses the implications of death before birth on intestate distributions. These implications lead the authors to recommend a default rule barring unintentional nevernatal inheritance. The authors support, however, practical provisions for the unborn for those who choose to do so.