Digital Commons Network^™

Soft Korsi: An Embodied Spatial Interior System For Communal Warmth, Faezeh Panahandeh

Graduate Final Projects

ABSTRACT

Soft Korsi: An Embodied Spatial Interior System for Communal Warmth reconceptualizes the historic Iranian Korsi as an innovative textile-based interior system. Traditionally, the Korsi functioned not only as a heating device but also as a spatial, material, cultural, and embodied system, which brought people together around a shared warm focal point. The integration of a heat source, textile coverings, floor seating arrangements, closeness of bodies, and domestic traditions related to warmth made possible a collective experience, rather than an individual or environmental one.

This design project seeks to address the disappearance of the Korsi from contemporary domestic environments as …

Post & Lintel, 2025-2026 Edition, Preservation Eastern

Post & Lintel

No abstract provided.

High Densities Of Large Herbivores Rapidly Disrupt Ecosystem Integrity, Jennifer A Krumins

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Human-induced high densities of large wild herbivores may pose a threat to natural ecosystems, modifying biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Although the negative impacts on individual taxa and processes are well documented, a comprehensive understanding of how ecosystem integrity responds to high herbivore densities remains limited. This study addresses this gap through an extensive herbivore-density manipulation experiment conducted in two Mediterranean woodlands. We established two scenarios of high red deer (Cervus elaphus) density, representative of some protected areas (similar to 30 individuals.km(2)) and intensively managed hunting estates (similar to 90 individuals.km(2)). We monitored 38 metrics encompassing a broad spectrum of biodiversity …

First Amended Disclosure Statement

Catholic Dioceses in Bankruptcy

No abstract provided.

Second Amended Plan

Catholic Dioceses in Bankruptcy

No abstract provided.

An Evaluation Of The Leader In Me Program’S Influence On Time And Project Management In Secondary Pbl Classrooms, Tiffany L. Brandenburg

Education Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods evaluation examined the implementation of the Leader in Me (LIM) framework and its relationship to secondary students’ time and project management skills within project-based learning (PBL) environments. Conducted across Grades 6–12 in a public charter school district, the study analyzed teacher surveys, student reflections, classroom observations, and Measurable Results Assessment (MRA) data to evaluate perceptions and implementation patterns related to student self-management practices. Findings indicated variability in LIM implementation across classrooms and inconsistencies in how leadership and organizational practices were integrated into daily instruction. Teachers frequently reported challenges related to students’ planning, prioritization, and task management skills, while …

Usa V. Kendre Cain

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Western District of Pennsylvania

Jenna Ockford V. Encompass Insurance Co

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Deborah Glover V. Merrick Bank

2026 Decisions

USDC for the District of New Jersey

Strategic Analysis Of The Robotic Surgery Market, Matthew Mavandi, Elif B. Dilden

Student Publications

Robotic-assisted surgery represents a rapidly growing segment of the US medical device market. This editorial applies Porter’s Five Forces, political, economic, social, and technological (PEST) analysis, and value, rarity, inimitability, and organization (VRIO) analysis, along with qualitative interpretation, to examine the competitive structure of the robotic surgery market. High development costs, extensive healthcare regulation, and limited technological supply have slowed competitive entry, but growing demand has intensified competitive pressure. The market appears to favor established firms because of high switching costs, existing long-term hospital relationships, and surgical familiarity with established robotic platforms. Existing firms may be positioned for continued growth …

Characterizing The Relationships Between Hydrology, Soil Biogeochemistry, And Green Ash Canopy Structure In Emerald Ash Borer-Affected Wetlands, Eva Switala

Theses

The invasion of the emerald ash borer (EAB; Agrilus planipennis) has caused mass mortality of native ash trees (Fraxinus spp.), devastating forested wetlands in the northeastern United States. Fifteen years post-introduction, the long-term ecological shifts and "new normals" of these ecosystems remain poorly understood. This project characterized patterns in EAB-affected forested wetlands by evaluating soil characteristics, biogeochemical cycling, hydrology, and green ash canopy across 12 sites with varying initial ash presence. Results revealed a clear separation between biogeochemically active and less active sites. Hydrologic differences emerged as a key driver of biogeochemical cycling, with higher soil moisture significantly increasing rates …

The Effect Of Aquatic Pollution On (Green) Microbial Communities In The Greater Rochester Area, Francesca Molee

Theses

Retention ponds are built in urban and suburban areas to catch the polluted runoff that would otherwise go into highly-valued freshwater ecosystems like the Great Lakes. They therefore make ideal model ecosystems to consider the effect of chemical, common pollution on aquatic communities. To understand the impact this aquatic pollution on both microbial community composition alongside green microbial physiological stress response, water column and sediment microbial communities were sampled from three retention ponds, and three non-retention, created ponds. The first part of this study focused on the microbial community composition. Using 16s amplicon sequencing on and subsequent analysis using Qiime2, …

Cmsi Translations #31: Joint Air And Missile Defense Operations In The Maritime Domain Must Emphasize And Strengthen The “Four Joint Functions”, Nan Xiang, Xie Lu, Zhi Xi

CMSI Translations

With a focus on missions directed toward the maritime, and closely aligning with the objectives of the “Three Major Strategic Capabilities,” this article outlines four critical functions to enhance joint air and missile defense capabilities: strengthening joint situational awareness through multi-domain integration and all-domain reconnaissance and surveillance; optimizing command structures and integrating systems to enhance joint command and control (C2); leveraging systemic strengths and deploying forces methodically to strengthen joint defense and countermeasures; and ensuring flexibility, agility, and efficiency to strengthen joint support. These efforts aim to achieve defense against incoming threats as early as possible and as far away …

Bottlebrush Polymer Conjugates For Enhanced Antisense Oligonucleotide Therapy In Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1, Yao Li, Gyu Seong Heo, Yongjian Liu, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Oligonucleotides are a promising class of genetic medicine for myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), the most common adult-onset muscular dystrophy. However, poor muscle distribution of nucleic acid drugs following systemic administration has hindered drug development, and no curative treatment currently exists. DM1 pathology requires drug localization to the nucleus, where pathogenic mutant RNA is sequestered, posing additional challenges after cellular internalization regarding endosomal escape and nuclear uptake. Here, we show that a locked nucleic acid oligonucleotide targeting mutant CUG repeat RNA tracts, conjugated to a bottlebrush polymer, exhibits improved muscle distribution and potent correction of DM1-associated splicing dysregulation in a …

Millennials Will Pay The Price: Demographic Imbalance And Reform Inertia In Canada’S And Spain’S Pension Systems, Javier E. Burgos Oliva

Journal of New Finance

This paper examines how demographic imbalance and policy inertia undermine intergenerational equity in Canada’s partially funded and Spain’s pay-as-you-go pension systems. Despite structural differences, both nations transfer financial risks to Millennials and Gen Z due to aging populations, low fertility, and political resistance to reform. Using a comparative political economy framework and a stylized hyperbolic discounting model, the study shows institutional design alone cannot prevent unsustainability when incentives favor short-term gains. Policy recommendations include automatic adjustment mechanisms, independent fiscal councils, and private pension incentives.

The Other Side Of Peruvian Private Pension System, Paolo Daniel Jara

Journal of New Finance

Between 2020 and 2025, Peru's Congress authorized eight extraordinary withdrawal rounds from the Private Pension System (SPP), liquidating USD 38 billion. This paper argues that the trajectory is the empirical convergence of two analytically distinct failures. The first, from below, reflects the mismatch between the system's behavioral assumptions and a heterogeneous, predominantly informal workforce. The second, from above, reflects short-cycle electoral incentives, institutional asymmetry between Congress and the regulator, and slippery-slope dynamics. The paper proposes a reform combining free disposal of pension funds with individual fiscal responsibility, mediated by a binding waiver of the state-funded solidarity pension.

Quantitative Genetic Analysis Of Baboon Facial Variation Challenges A Classic Papionin Trait, A. Thiebaut, C. C. Roseman, Michael Mahaney, Leslea J. Hlusko

Human Genetics Publications

The Linnaean family of monkeys that includes baboons, macaques, and mandrills (among others) is notably characterized by large, extended muzzles that vary in lateral nasal dorsum profile. In paleontological studies, this variation is referred to as the anteorbital drop (AOD). Here, we first devise a method to quantify this phylogenetic character. We then employ quantitative genetic analyses using a MCMCglmm model of facial variation in a captive, pedigreed baboon colony (n = 934), including admixed individuals derived from at least two Papio species, from the Southwest National Primate Research Center to assess the quantitative variation of the AOD, its …

Rna G-Quadruplexes Function As A Tunable Switch Of Fus Phase Separation, Jenny L. Carey, Miyuki Hayashi, Emily A. Welebob, Laura R. Ganser, Huan Wang, Kerry Buckhaults, Jacquelyn A. Depierro, Zheng Shi, James Shorter, Sua Myong, Aaron R. Haeusler, Lin Guo

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Fused in sarcoma (FUS) undergoes liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) to support essential cellular functions, but aberrant phase transitions promote toxic aggregation in neurodegenerative disease. Short RNA oligonucleotides can reverse this behavior, yet the structural determinants that govern RNA activity remain poorly defined. Here, we identify RNA G-quadruplexes (rG4s) as tunable structural motifs that potently modulate FUS LLPS. rG4 activity depends on its concentration and is modulated by rG4 length and stability: increasing repeat number switches rG4s from inhibitor to nucleator of FUS assembly, whereas chemical modifications that stabilize rG4 enhance inhibitory function and render these activities resilient to ionic perturbation. …

Micromechanical Behavior Of Copper Tailings And Sulfide-Bearing Ore, Odai Gifty, Sai Sandeep Chitta

Michigan Tech Publications

The mechanical performance of mining-derived granular materials is increasingly important for their reuse in geotechnical and transportation infrastructure, including the stability of tailings dams, yet their micromechanical crushing and frictional behaviors remains poorly understood. This study investigates single-particle uniaxial strength, failure mechanisms, and inter-particle loading behavior of copper tailings (CT) and an iron-sulfide-rich Ni–Cu-bearing material (FB), alongside a monomineralic quartz sand reference. Single-particle crushing tests at multiple loading rates were used to quantify strength distributions and failure mode frequencies, revealing that splitting governed most failures, particularly for FB, whereas quartz exhibited a broader spectrum of failure modes, including explosive and …

Using Galex Uv Excess To Search For Metal-Poor Halo Stars, Chase L. Smith, Maxwell Moe, Megan Frank, Raven Cilley, Javier Fregoso, Alexander Gleason, Grace Nelson, Et Al.

Michigan Tech Publications

Metal-poor solar-type stars display a significant reduction in metal-line blanketing at short wavelengths, leading to an excess of near-ultraviolet (NUV) flux compared to their metal-rich counterparts. We utilize Galaxy Evolution Explorer Satellite (GALEX) NUV and Gaia DR3 photometry along with ground-based spectroscopy to establish a correlation between NUV excess and [Fe/H]. We construct a sample of 492 solar-type (F5-G9) halo stars with NUV excess and measured metallicities. We perform our own observations with the KOSMOS spectrograph at Apache Point Observatory’s 3.5 m telescope to measure the abundances of 13 halo stars, 11 of which did not have previous metallicity measurements. …

To What Extent Could Quantum Computing Pose A Threat To Global Modern Data Security?, Aniket Maheshwari

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Quantum computing has emerged as a transformative technology with the potential to fundamentally disrupt modern cryptographic systems that underpin global data security. This paper examines the extent to which quantum computing could pose a threat to modern global data security by synthesising existing technical, institutional, and policy-oriented literature. Drawing on a narrative review of scholarly research, industry reports, and government frameworks, the analysis focuses on the implications of quantum algorithms such as Shor’s and Grover’s, which challenge the mathematical foundations of widely used cryptographic schemes. The findings suggest that while quantum computing presents a credible long-term threat to asymmetric encryption …

Skill-Based Occupational Connectivity And Local Labor Market Development, Xiaoyin Li, David H. Nason, Heather M. Stephens

Regional Research Institute Working Papers

Recent decades have witnessed significant economic transitions that have disrupted traditional economic activities and reshaped the labor force. Occupational connectivity, which captures how easily workers transition to other growing occupations, may be an important factor for local labor market resilience and development. Using county employment shares and a skill-based occupational matching matrix built upon O*NET data, this study explores how occupational connectivity affects local labor market outcomes. Our findings suggest that counties with higher levels of occupational connectivity are associated with better labor market outcomes and more stable population dynamics, even after accounting for local industry mix. These results highlight …

Enhancing Teaching Effectiveness Through Professional Development For Part-Time Nursing Faculty, Amanda Moss

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Part-time nursing faculty play a vital role in nursing education; however, many institutions lack standardized professional development opportunities for part-time faculty, resulting in inconsistent preparation and teaching practices. This Doctor of Nursing Practice policy change project examined whether revising an institutional professional development policy to include part-time faculty and implementing a structured faculty development program would improve faculty preparedness, confidence, and comfort with evidence-based teaching practices and instructional strategies that support ACEN faculty development expectations. Guided by the Iowa Model–Revised of Evidence-Based Practice, Kotter’s Organizational Change Theory, and the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework, this quantitative policy change project was conducted over …

Parental Effects In Fall Webworm, Emma Sellers, Mykaela Tanino-Springsteen, Mayra Vidal, Dhaval Vyas, Gina Wimp, Mariana Abarca, Mattheau Comerford, Shannon Murphy

Data

The environment or experiences of a parent generation can impact the fitness of the next generation, a phenomenon known as parental effects. While a high-quality diet can directly benefit an individual and a low-quality diet can reduce fitness, a parental effect occurs only when there is a transgenerational response to these stimuli that manifests in the individual’s offspring. In dietary generalists, a parental effect could play an important role for offspring performance if the species experiences considerable variation in quality across host plants; positive parental effects may result from host matching between parents and offspring on high-quality host plants, whereas …

Editorial: Plant Responses To Abiotic Stress: Unraveling Complex Mechanisms Through Genomics And Physiology, Mizanur Rahman, Takashi Asaeda, Md Harun Rashid

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Christopher Nguyen V. Mary Johnson

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Quality Improvement Project The Impact Of The Interact “Stop And Watch Tool” In A Skilled Nursing Facility, Lorraine Hicks

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Avoidable hospitalizations from skilled nursing facilities (SNF) contribute to increased healthcare costs, resident distress, and adverse health outcomes. Many readmissions result from delays in identifying and communicating early signs of resident deterioration. The purpose of this project was to implement an evidence-based intervention to recognize early changes in residents’ conditions, empower nursing staff to detect and promptly communicate concerns, and impact 30-day hospital readmission rates. Problems identified included delayed recognition of early changes in residents’ conditions, fragmented staff communication, and the absence of standardized reporting practices, which were associated with preventable hospital readmissions. A quasi-experimental pre-/post-intervention design guided by Jean …

Ecological Insights From Field And Laboratory Studies Of Akashiwo Sanguinea, Alexis L. Pasulka, Matthew J. Harke, Jaden Hansen, Ryan K. Walter, Eva Kokkino

Physics

Blooms of the dinoflagellate Akashiwo sanguinea occur in coastal ecosystems worldwide and can have significant ecological consequences. Along the central California coast, long-term oceanographic and harmful algal bloom observations indicate that A. sanguinea has exhibited seasonal blooms since approximately 2017, coinciding with negative upwelling anomalies and warm, stratified conditions characteristic of late summer and early fall. In laboratory experiments, three A. sanguinea strains isolated from different sites and/or environmental conditions along the central California coast exhibited variation in growth rates, temperature sensitivity, and transcriptional responses. Under the conditions tested in this study, one strain exhibiting higher maximum growth rates and …

1890 State Normal College Essays And Orations Of Graduates, State Normal College

Documents

1890 State Normal College Program

Microglial Swell1 Deficiency Drives Male-Specific Seizure Vulnerability But Paradoxical Neuroprotection Through Impaired Phagocytosis, Abhijeet S Barath, Aastha Dheer, Laura Montier, Mekenzie M Peshoff, Emily Dale, Flavia Goche, Thanh Thanh Le Nguyen, Mastura Akter, Fangfang Qi, Dimitrios Kleidonas, Lauren Harris, Sarah A Jewanee, Anthony D Umpierre, Dale B Bosco, Koichiro Haruwaka, Rajan Sah, Long-Jun Wu, Rongzhuo Hua, Tejaswani Datla

The Brown Foundation: Institute of Molecular Medicine

The discovery of genes encoding the volume-regulated anion channel (VRAC) has enabled detailed exploration of its cell type-specific roles in the brain. LRRC8A (SWELL1) is the essential VRAC subunit. We observed seizure-induced, subunit-specific changes in microglial VRAC expression and investigated its function using conditional KO (cKO) of LRRC8A in microglia. SWELL1 cKO mice exhibited a male-specific increase in kainate-induced seizure severity, yet showed paradoxical neuroprotection against seizure-associated neuronal loss. Mechanistically, SWELL1 deletion led to a cell-autonomous reduction in microglial density and decreased release of VRAC-permeable neuroactive metabolites, including taurine, GABA, and glutamate in culture. Additionally, impaired phagocytic kinetics and reduced …