Digital Commons Network^™

Benefits Of Geophysical Imaging For Coal Combustion Residuals Management Unit Delineation, Gabriel Herbert

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Gabriel J. Hebert1, Gregory B. Byer1, Margaret Gentile1 1Arcadis U.S., Inc., 2839 Paces Ferry Road SE, Suite 1000, Atlanta, GA 30339 KEYWORDS: geophysical imaging, delineation, CCRMU ABSTRACT Under the 2024 Legacy CCR Rule detailed in 40 CFR Part 257, Section 75, all electric utility companies with a known legacy coal combustion residuals (CCR) surface impoundment are required to conduct a facility evaluation to identify the location, dimensions, and volumes of CCR placed and remaining on site and to assess structural stability. At a minimum, the presence or absence of CCR management units (CCRMUs) must be documented through a desktop records …

Extracting Rees From Refuse Pile Coal, Howard Mcclintic

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC) has a patented high temperature electric arc furnace (EAF) technology that reaches 4000-degree centigrade temperature(s). Such high temperatures are sufficient to extract each of the seventeen rare earth elements (REEs) from coal fly ash to ultimately manufacture diverse magnets. Neodymium iron boron magnets (NdFeB) are the strongest magnets produced, heretofore almost exclusively by the Chinese. For national security reasons, CTC has become part of the domestic supply chain, as an alternate to China. Scaling is the next hurdle, since our demonstration unit is operational. Nationwide, coal is decreasingly used as a fuel for generating electricity. However, …

Basin Ash Harvesting At The Brunner Island Station, Kyle Flynn

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Tribo-electrostatic separation has been used for the commercial beneficiation of coal combustion fly ash to produce a low carbon product for use as a cement replacement in concrete for over twenty-five years. With 24 separators in 18 coal-fired power plants and cement plants across the world, ST Equipment & Technology LLC’s (STET) patented electrostatic separator has been used to produce over 25 million tons of low carbon product that has been recycled for use in concrete or cement production. STET has developed and commercialized a new process for beneficiation of reclaimed fly ash from landfills and ponds that utilizes fly …

Adaptive Design And Execution In Ccr Pond Closure: A Case Study Of Technical And Regulatory Innovation, Jay Mokotoff, Angie Casbon-Scheller

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Closure by removal (CbR) of CCR impoundments presents complex challenges, particularly when unique hydrogeologic conditions exist. This presentation highlights the advance planning and ongoing closure of a Midwestern utility’s East Ash Pond (EAP), a relatively small facility with highly atypical characteristics. To comply with the CCR Rule, sluicing to the EAP ceased while the generating unit remained operational. Fly ash handling was converted to a dry system for beneficial reuse; however, wet sluicing of bottom ash continued. To avoid constructing a new regulated CCR impoundment, an innovative geotextile tube containment area (GTCA) was designed and implemented to capture bottom ash …

Evolution Of Instrumentation Use For Ccr Unit Decision Making, Nick Mcclung, Victoria Bierwirth, Matt Bishop

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Over the past decades, the power industry’s instrumentation needs and requirements have shifted to meet industry standards and regulations. In the early 2010s, piezometers and slope inclinometers were the primary types of instrumentation used to evaluate the stability of a CCR Unit. Some of the piezometers and slope inclinometers installed are still in use today to evaluate long-term stability for operations and closure. Since this time, additional instrument types were selected for installation including observation wells and temporary wells to further understand phreatic conditions within the CCR Unit. As utilities are faced with closures including removal of free liquids, data …

Gun Rights And Public Safety: A Constitutional Tension, Kirsten Zonkowski

NSU Undergraduate Law Journal

This paper examines the constitutional tension between gun regulation and the right to bear arms in the United States. By analyzing landmark Supreme Court cases and major legislative developments, tracing the historical foundations of the Second Amendment, exploring judicial interpretations, and identifying ongoing doctrinal challenges, it highlights  the central constitutional conflict: the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to keep and bear arms, yet that right often clashes with the government’s responsibility to protect citizens and maintain public safety. Courts and legislatures continue to struggle to define the limits of governmental authority without infringing upon fundamental constitutional rights, revealing an …

The Prosecution Of Nicolás Maduro, Jose Manuel Vanegas

NSU Undergraduate Law Journal

This paper examines the complex legal and political issues that came from the capture of Nicolás Maduro by United States authorities, an event that has generated controversy in both domestic and international legal debate. It begins by providing the necessary background of Maduro’s rise to power, his role as president, and the broader political and economic conditions of Venezuela under his administration. The paper then analyzes the criminal charges brought against him in U.S. federal court, including allegations of narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, and related offenses tied to alleged collaborations with transnational criminal organizations. Building on this foundation, the …

Property And Social Justice In Thomas Paine’S Agrarian Justice: Revaluating Modern American Property Law, Amanda Infante

NSU Undergraduate Law Journal

This paper critically examines the philosophical core of property law through the lens of Thomas Paine’s Agrarian Justice. Paine challenges the conception of property as a natural right, instead theorizing land ownership as a social construct contingent on communal needs and obligations. This framework is situated as an intellectual precursor to contemporary legal debates regarding the legitimacy and moral limits of private property. The analysis engages with pivotal Supreme Court decisions, including Village of Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co., Penn Central Transportation Co. v. New York City, and Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council, to set …

Current Atmosphere Of Artificial Intelligence Liability: Implications And Best Practices For Legal Professionals And Ai Providers, Alyssa Heinze

NSU Undergraduate Law Journal

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence into the legal profession has transformed legal research, drafting, and decision-making, while simultaneously introducing novel ethical, regulatory, and liability risks. As attorneys increasingly rely on generative AI systems, concerns surrounding hallucinations, bias, confidentiality breaches, and deceptive outputs have led to heightened scrutiny for both legal professionals and AI developers. This paper examines the current and emerging landscape of artificial intelligence liability in the United States. It gives particular attention to the absence of a comprehensive federal regulatory framework, the constitutional controversy surrounding Executive Order 14179, and its preemption of state AI legislation.

By analyzing …

The Current Legal Landscape Of The War On Terror; An Analysis Of The 2001 Authorization For Use Of Military Force And Its Constitutionality, Scope And Applicability, Avalyn Crosson

NSU Undergraduate Law Journal

This paper will examine the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force [hereby known as “The Authorization”] passed by Congress in the wake of September 11, 2001. For the past two decades, the applicability and legality of its application have been called into question by both Congress and the public. While controversial, The Authorization continues to be the central legal authority for counterterrorism operations against Al-Qaeda and affiliated forces. Signed into law by President George W. Bush, The Authorization mirrors the urgency of defending against further terrorist attacks and the demand by the American public to bring those responsible to …

The Manifestation Of George Orwell’S 1984 In The Legal Profession’S Use Of Ai, Alexa Cedras

NSU Undergraduate Law Journal

George Orwell’s 1984 tells the chilling story of an oppressive regime that uses information control and manipulation to further its political agenda. Within the realm of 1984, the Party, the head of the regime, weaponizes instruments, such as a telescreen, to subject citizens to ongoing surveillance with the promise that any suspicious activity will be punished. In furtherance of that agenda, the Party controls every existing narrative of the past, present, and future, using their authoritarian position to alter primary and secondary sources for their benefit. Lastly, by creating a new language to serve as a linguistic constraint, the Party …

“Supreme Court, Tear Down This Wall!”: Kennedy V. Bremerton School District And The Erosion Of The Barrier Between Church And State, Ari Allon

NSU Undergraduate Law Journal

This Article conducts a critical examination of Kennedy v. Bremerton’s ruling, which replaced the Lemon test with the historical practices and understandings test. Following a brief background on the Religion Clauses’ jurisprudence, the author contests that the historical practices and understandings test fails to adhere to long-held Supreme Court reasoning behind the creation of the Religion Clauses. This new test is likewise an insufficient framework for determining Establishment Clause violations.

The Article continues with an analysis on the conflicting fact patterns between the majority and dissenting opinions of Kennedy v. Bremerton. The author then discusses the precedential impact …

Merely Bystanders: Understanding And Overcoming The "Appalling Silence Of The Good People”, Catherine A. Sanderson

Heroism Science

This article reviews classic and contemporary research on the psychological processes that contribute to silence and inaction in the face of problematic behavior. In ambiguous situations, people look to others for cues, but mutual hesitation can result in collective inaction. In group contexts, diffusion of responsibility reduces people’s sense of obligation to intervene, decreasing the likelihood that help is offered. Additionally, fears of social and professional costs—such as rejection, ostracism, or reputational harm—discourage speaking up, reflecting a broader human sensitivity to social pain. The article concludes by outlining evidence-based strategies for overcoming bystander inaction, including skills-based training, opportunities for practice, …

Communication Competency And Intercultural Adaptation Of Multinational Company Leaders In The Local Cultural Context, Andi Kurniawati S.E., M.M., Dr. Fuad Mas'ud , Mir

International Conference on Business and Management Research (ICBMR)

This study discusses the role of intercultural communication competencies of leaders in the context of multinational companies in Indonesia. The background is a multicultural global business landscape, where the ability to communicate across cultures is key to organizational success. The objectives of this research are to identify the forms of intercultural communication competencies that emerge in interactions between foreign leaders and local employees, to explore leaders' communication adaptation strategies in the Indonesian cultural context, and to analyze how local cultural dimensions such as high communication context, power distance, and collectivism influence the effectiveness of leadership and communication styles of multinational …

System And Method For Relational Matching Using Non-Presentational Behavioral Signals With Pre-Exposure Bilateral Model Correction, Joseph Jm Walker

Defensive Publications Series

This disclosure establishes prior art for a computer-implemented system and method for privacy-first, values-aligned relational matching and community formation. The system is defined by a fixed operational sequence: private reflection, behavioral observation, simulated interaction modeling, bilateral correction, and conditional identity revelation. Behavioral modeling is performed on non-presentational behavioral signals—user-generated data produced in the absence of a perceived audience—thereby reducing incentive for strategic self-representation and mitigating data distortion common in existing social and dating platforms.

A Behavioral Pattern Recognition Engine (BPRE) generates compatibility distributions grounded in established relational research frameworks. A Simulation and Correction Interface (SCI) presents interpretive models of potential …

Gci Aurora-Grid Ev Structural Battery Pack (G-Sef), Michael Victor Caldwell Mr.

Defensive Publications Series

The Aurora-Grid EV Battery Pack (G-SEF) is a next-generation electric vehicle battery pack architecture that replaces conventional EV pack structures—housing, cooling plates, and busbar assemblies—with a unified gyroid-based structural-energy frame.

The system is designed specifically for electric vehicle applications, where pack-level mass, thermal bottlenecks, and interconnect complexity limit charging speed, range efficiency, and long-term durability.

By embedding mechanical load-bearing, thermal distribution, and electrical routing into a single structural lattice, the design reduces subsystem redundancy while maintaining compatibility with standard lithium-ion EV cells (LFP/NMC).

The result is a structurally integrated EV battery pack intended to improve:

• driving range efficiency (mass reduction) …

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The #Blackgirlmagic Of Educational Leadership: Self Identity And Leadership, Sascha Elayne Naa Yarkai Quartey

Educational Leadership Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

The ongoing underrepresentation of Black women in PK–12 principalships and district-level leadership roles impacts equitable representation in educational decision-making spaces and the opportunities for students to see leaders who reflect and affirm their identities. Existing research highlights barriers such as hypervisibility and invisibility (Alfred, 2018), isolation, stereotype threat, and limited mentorship (Dumas, 2022; Julien, 2019), and yet these experiences may not be connected to leadership theory in ways that honor the resilience, cultural knowledge, and transformative practices Black women enact. This study addresses that gap through an autoethnographic examination of a personal leadership journey as a Black woman in PK–12 …

Faith, Science, And Choice: Vaccine Attitudes Among Religious University Students, Jamie Jensen

ScholarsArchive Data

These data comprise a Q-methodology study conducted at Brigham Young University among undergraduate students to determine vaccine attitudes in relation to religious and political ideologies. It includes raw sort data, templates for running Q-methodology, and interview transcripts.

Becoming Mandan: The Collaborative Life History Of Robert O’Brien, Douglas D. Meigs

Sociology and Anthropology Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

This thesis examines how separation from—and later discovery of—an Indigenous family and culture shapes ethnic identity formation. Grounded in Charles Horton Cooley’s theory of the looking-glass self, it uses collaborative life history methodology to analyze the process of Indigenous identity formation experienced by Robert O’Brien, a Native American orphan who discovered his Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara (MHA) heritage as an adult. Drawing on two decades of reflexive research, unstructured interviews, participant observation, and archival documents, the case study shows how O’Brien’s sense of identity developed in response to shifting and often contradictory social mirrors.

Recycling 3d Printing Waste In The Binghamton University Makerlab, Kevin Tejera

Library Research Scholars Program Spring 2026

3D printing is an important part of many university makerspaces. However, it comes with negative environmental consequences, including polylactic acid (PLA) filament waste. Currently, the MakerLab at Binghamton University has no closed-loop recycling system, leading to large quantities of used filament being sent to landfills, where it contributes to greenhouse gases and microplastic production.

This research project looks at the feasibility of an in-house PLA filament recycling program by examining the mechanical recycling process, cost/equipment needs, contamination issues, available space, and the effect of repeated recycling on the filament. An economic analysis will be completed through a break-even analysis and …

Evaluating The Efficacy Of The Confusion Assessment Method For The Icu (Cam-Icu) In Reducing Length Of Stay Among Critically Ill Patients: A Scoping Review, John Simmons, Fay Nelson, Keith Hunt, Lindsey Waller, Tracy Mcclinton Dnp, Aprn, Agacnp-Bc, Hget-C, Ebp-C

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Purpose/Background

Delirium is a prevalent complication among critically ill patients in intensive care units (ICUs), associated with increased mortality, prolonged hospital stays, and higher healthcare costs. The Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM-ICU) is a validated tool designed to aid in the early identification of delirium; however, systematic screening remains low among healthcare professionals. This scoping review aims to evaluate the efficacy of the CAM-ICU in identifying delirium and its potential impact on reducing ICU length of stay.

Method

            This scoping review began by establishing inclusion criteria to ensure the results were applicable to the researchers’ patient population, including …

Stress First Aid: A Foundation For Creating Healthy Work Environments, Richard J. Westphal

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Burnout is not the failure of an individual to cope; it is the expected response to working in unbalanced systems where demands exceed resources.¹ Traditional self-care resilience strategies that include a range of mindfulness and physiological are important individual skills but are not sufficient to address the intensity and duration of occupational stress in health care.² Health workers (HCW) face chronic exposure to fatigue, trauma, loss, and moral distress. These four sources of stress injury can have an independent or cumulative effect that negatively impact patient quality and safety, individual team members well-being, team cohesion, and organizational trust. …

Improving Engagement In Community Activities At Whitetail Springs Memory Care Community, Kylie T. Klavon

Public Health Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project, in collaboration with Whitetail Springs Memory Care Community, is to encourage consistent attendance and engagement among residents and staff in community activities, thereby enhancing residents’ well-being through greater meaningful engagement. This was done by assessing communication gaps between the clinical and activities teams, developing an educational infographic and scheduling template, and conducting an interactive presentation introducing these deliverables. This project was facilitated by observing current engagement and communication procedures at Whitetail Springs. After observations, brief interviews were conducted with the Life Enrichment Director and the Health Services Director to understand where each team needs support …

Developing A Comprehensive Resource Guide For Caregivers Within The Area Agency On Aging, Aiden R. Murphy

Public Health Capstone Projects

This project developed a new universal caregiver resource guide for caregivers within the Area Agency on Aging, in order to improve resource navigation and workflow efficiency. Resources were collected, verified, and organized into a new, streamlined guide via the ARIA chatbot, covering multiple needs. Caregiver resources were collected and verified by the capstone student and mentor, Michael Kroeker, and organized into a centralized knowledge base within the ARIA chatbot. A mixed methods evaluation was conducted utilizing a 5-point Likert scale with three quantitative questions and one open-ended qualitative question. The data was given to the SeniorLine staff, who wanted to …

Using Group Activities To Improve Engagement And Help Alleviate Loneliness Among Older Adults At Macedonia Face, Taylor Corcoran

Public Health Capstone Projects

Introduction: Social isolation and loneliness are increasing public health concerns due to their association with heightened risk for chronic disease and their disproportionate impact on Black older adults (BOA). This project was designed to develop, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of culturally relevant, low-cost activities on engagement rates among older adults during unscheduled program periods at the Macedonia Family Community Enrichment Center (FACE).

Methods: This project used a mixed methods approach over a 4-week implementation period. Three activities were introduced by the student facilitator, including UNO!, Name That Tune (NTT), and coloring pages. Engagement was measured by comparing the …

Metabolite Profiling Facility (Mpf), Bruce R. Cooper, Purdue University Office Of Research

University Research Core Facility Boilerplate Descriptions

No abstract provided.

X-Ray Crystallography Laboratory, Purdue University Office Of Research, Matthias Zeller

University Research Core Facility Boilerplate Descriptions

No abstract provided.

Invasive Macrofungi In The United States: A Mushrooming Crisis, Emily Torres

Student Theses 2015-Present

Globalization has accelerated the spread of invasive species, making them one of the largest contributors to biodiversity loss worldwide. While invasive macrofungi remain largely absent from scientific discourse on invasive species, they represent a growing ecological concern throughout the United States. Invasive macrofungi disrupt forest ecosystems, alter soil communities, and displace native fungi. Beyond these ecological impacts, their presence and establishment profoundly affect human-nature relationships, most notably mushroom foraging and cultivation practices. This paper adopts a multidisciplinary approach to examine the ecological, economic, and anthropogenic impacts of invasive macrofungi in the United States. Chapter 1 provides a quantitative overview of …

Professional Practices (Art 399), Kara Buchanan

Professional Practices (ART 399)

The National Library of Medicine reports that 1 in 4 girls are sexually abused

before the age of 18, and 81% of women in substance abuse detox centers report sexual abuse in their earlier years. Throughout my work I showcase the naivety and innocence of girlhood and how it can be tainted into hypersexuality and addiction in adult life.

With my work, I express difficult feelings and scenarios through a childlike, girly,

and whimsical lens. In scenarios of child sexual abuse and early addiction, there is a complicated combination of guilt, nostalgia for a time that never really existed, and …

Building Nurse Managers’ Knowledge And Confidence To Lead Clinical Ladder Success: A Theoretically Informed Educational Framework, Michelle Joann Chlebinski

Doctoral Projects

Background: Clinical Ladder Programs (CLPs) offer a structured pathway for nursing professional growth, fostering clinical excellence while improving nurse satisfaction and longterm retention. Although nurse managers play a pivotal role in facilitating the CLP, there is currently no comprehensive educational framework to enhance their knowledge and confidence in supporting clinical ladder advancement. Purpose: The aim of this DNP project is to develop implement, and evaluate an educational framework grounded in Benner’s Novice-to-Expert framework and Watson Caring Science® to enhance nurse managers' knowledge and confidence in leading nurses towards clinical ladder success. Methods: In a quasi-experimental study using a single-group, pre-post …