Digital Commons Network^™

Legal Avenues For Protecting Access To Starry Skies, Alexandra Feathers

Washington Journal of Social & Environmental Justice

In the millennia before the creation and adoption of electric lighting, night skies drenched in stars were the inalienable inheritance of humanity. Electric lighting threatens this birthright by emitting star-blocking light (also known as light pollution) into night skies. Left unaddressed, light pollution will restrict access to dark, starry skies so that many in future generations will only know the stars secondhand. Yet despite the many benefits of dark skies, little scholarship has considered the problem of light pollution limiting the accessibility of starry skies, or how law can address this problem. This Article balances the hope of a future …

Ninth Circuit Muddies The Waters Of Tribal Sovereign Immunity And The Clean Water Act In Deschutes River Alliance V. Portland Ge, Danielle Clifford

Washington Journal of Social & Environmental Justice

Throughout 2011 and 2012, members of the Deschutes River community who fish in the Lower Deschutes River in Oregon noticed a slew of significant changes to their natural environment. The Deschutes River Alliance attributed the changes to the operation of the Pelton Round Butte Hydraulic Project, which is co-owned and operated by Portland General Electric and The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs. In July 2016, DRA filed a Clean Water Act lawsuit against them. To rule on the alleged CWA violations, the DRA must first get past the tribal sovereign immunity hurdle. It is long-recognized that American Indian Nations …

Front Matter

Washington Journal of Social & Environmental Justice

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Health Information Literacy Of Nigerians On The Preventive Measures Of Covid 19 Pandemic: A Cross Sectional Online Survey, Onyedikachi Michael Okwor Mr, Linus I. Ugwuanyi Mr, Emmanuel C. Eze Dr, Jude Chidike Onah Mr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study assessed the health information literacy level of Nigerian on the preventive measures and management of COVID 19 pandemic using online cross sectional survey. The research design adopted for the study is descriptive survey research design. Nigerians between the age of 15 and above made up the population of the study. Online survey using Google form was conducted between using social media platforms. To assess the health information literacy level of Nigerians on the preventive measures of COVID-19; a 25 objective questions constructed by the researcher called “COVID-19 Health Related Information Literacy Assessment Scale” was used. Data collected was …

An Artistic Response To Social Unrest In Hong Kong: Utilizing The Arts To Build Up And Sustain An Understanding And Respectful Community, Shue-Kei Joanna Mok

Peace and Conflict Studies

The 2019–20 Hong Kong protests, commenced in March 2019, were triggered by the introduction of The Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation Bill 2019 by the Hong Kong government. In June 2019, peaceful civil disobedience escalated into violence, signalling the emergence of polarization and antagonism in the city. As of December 2019, an estimated 300,000 excess probable depressive cases and 810,000 suspected PTSD cases were associated with the 2019–20 social unrest. Furthermore with the pandemic, the hopelessness manifested in the city and citizen’s mental wellbeing are of extreme concern. Given the holistic and therapeutic nature of …

Creative Citizen Peacebuilding: Japanese Artists And Audiences Respond To The Vietnam-American War, Long T. Bui, Ayako Sahara

Peace and Conflict Studies

This article explores two case studies related to South Vietnam and Japan, relating them to the controversial history and legacy of the Second Indochina War. The first is the Japanese adoption and adaptation of South Vietnamese antiwar music. The second is a Japanese film, uncovered decades later after the war, exposing the role of Japan in South Vietnam. Cultural productions, from nations allied with the United States, sought to expose the popular struggle for peace against the rising tide of Cold War military violence and corporate capitalist exploitation. Through interviews, archival research, and textual analysis, the article argues for a …

Whose Peace? Grappling With Local Ownership In Sierra Leone, Oscar Mateos, Andreu Solà-Martín

Peace and Conflict Studies

Local ownership has become a basic tenet of post-conflict peacebuilding strategies sponsored by the International Community. However, research on peacebuilding underlines a gap between policy discourse and actual practice. This paper illustrates the challenges and opportunities posed by the promotion of local ownership by assessing the case of Sierra Leone. This West African country is often labelled as one of the most successful peacebuilding interventions thus far. However, by analysing the interaction between insiders and outsiders during the initial post-conflict phase (1996-2007), this paper concludes that stakeholders perceived differently the meaning and policies associated with the concept of local ownership. …

Learning With Peaceful, Heterogeneous Communities: Lessons On Sustaining Peace In Mauritius, Naseem Aumeerally, Allegra Chen-Carrel, Peter T. Coleman

Peace and Conflict Studies

Our scientific understanding of peaceful societies – and of the conditions and processes conducive to sustaining peace in multicultural societies in general – is fragmented at best. This paper addresses this gap, presenting a case study of a multicultural society often hailed for its high levels of peacefulness– Mauritius. Through a systematic review of the literature on Mauritius and qualitative interviews and focus groups with a wide range of Mauritian stakeholder groups, the study focused on gleaning insights from the lived experiences of a broad swath of Mauritian society around what it takes to maintain peace in a multicultural context. …

Positioning Women's Inclusion In Peace Negotiations: The Landmark Case Of The Philippines, Josephine P. Perez, Mira Alexis P. Ofreneo

Peace and Conflict Studies

Women have historically been excluded in formal peace processes. While structural changes have pushed for women’s participation in peace negotiations, we locate the shift from women’s exclusion to women’s inclusion as enacted in the discursive patterns of talk. Using positioning theory as a discursive lens, we looked at how women’s inclusion was facilitated in the peace negotiations between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that reached the landmark Philippine peace accord of 2014. Positioning theory argues that every utterance is a speech act that ascribes rights and duties, in this case, the right …

‘Othering’ And Violence In School: A Barrier To Sustain Peace In Nepal, Raj Kumar Dhungana Dr.

Peace and Conflict Studies

This study explores the experiences of othering and violence in school. Ethnographic fieldwork was conducted in five schools located in the fragile setting of Nepal for over six months. Using the idea of othering, this study unveils that the academically low performers and culturally undervalued students are more likely to be labelled as Bhuskul, the ‘other’. This category is used to rationalize discrimination and use violence against the 'other'. With the cementing practices of ‘othering’ and violence, the schools are unable to foster values of peace and nonviolence but on the contrary, it will continue reinforcing structural violence and …

Predicted Binders For Wdr12 Protein Target From Machine Learning Applied To Affinity Screening Data, Anonymous

Defensive Publications Series

We used datasets from affinity screening to train machine learning models. The models were then used to rank compounds from commercially available compound collections and virtual compound libraries to generate the following lists of predicted binders. The following lists of compounds were predicted by the ML model to be binders for the protein targets: WDR12.

The Portable Virtual Content Through Relative To Backpack Tracked Augmented Reality Headset., Punarjeewa Abeysekera

Defensive Publications Series

This paper describes a method to enable a portable virtual content experience. The system utilized in this method contains a backpack mounted tracking camera, a backpack mounted mobile computer and an augmented realty headset fitted to a helmet. Prior to the virtual experience the user of this system wears the backpack and the helmet. Once this procedure is completed, the user can start to experience the virtual experience. The backpack mounted camera tracks the movements of the user wearing helmet in space. Thereby this camera will track the orientation of the augmented reality headset relative to the backpack. The backpack …

Automatic Molecular Licensing Through Trusted Peers, Orlando Ramirez

Defensive Publications Series

Smart licensing is changing paradigms in a manner that allows enterprise entities to centrally organize license and devices in a simple and flexible way. However, it is often difficult to deploy this ecosystem because the configuration on enterprise endpoint devices is manual, connection-dependent, and often involves constant data exchanges for reporting. As a result, it is difficult for enterprise entities to manage/maintain reliable information about the licensing usage. Presented herein is a molecular licensing system, which addresses such issues by providing a centralized system that automates the configuration, registration, and validation of reports, which can be provided by endpoints to …

Authenticated Machine Learning In 5g Network Deployments, Niranjan M M, Nagaraj Kenchaiah

Defensive Publications Series

Techniques are presented herein that employ a HyperLedger (i.e., a private blockchain) to allow authenticated machine learning (ML) components to interact with each other and sign messages (having pre-processed data) which are exchanged between the components to provide message authenticity. Along with authenticity, aspects of the presented techniques provide for the traceability and accountability of ML components. Aspects of the presented techniques may be employed across different operators and domains wherein a HyperLedger provides for the authenticity of the ML components. Further aspects of the presented techniques may be employed within an operator or within an instance (such as an …

Lawful Intercept In Multi-Provider 5g Deployments Using Holochain, Niranjan M M, Nagaraj Kenchaiah

Defensive Publications Series

Since Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) fifth generation (5G) wireless technology enables the potential for billions of connected network devices, a secure and scalable lawful intercept (LI) capability is needed across the mobile core. Although LI for third generation (3G) and fourth generation (4G) networks is a well-known concept, new challenges are posed with respect to the implementation of an LI capability in a 5G network, particularly when such a network employs a Control and User Plane Separation (CUPS) architecture. Also, in a 4G network and in a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) environment a user plane and a control plane are …

Shared Usb-A, Usb-C Power And Charging Ecosystem Based On Devce Landscape, Hp Inc

Defensive Publications Series

USB Type‐A and USB Type‐C have separate power and charging specifications under the USB Implementers Forum, Inc (USB‐IF). There is no way for Type‐A ports to share a power budget with Type‐C ports due to limitations in the specifications. Additionally, in many applications that have a strict power budget, it is not possible to supply every USB port on the host system with the necessary power to classify it as a charging or power delivery port. The circuit outlined in this document allows for every port – Type‐ A or Type‐C – on a system to become a charging‐capable or …

Using Low-Level Telemetry In Cloud Platforms To Mitigate Latency Risks For High-Performance Computing, Radu Iorga, Aurélien Legrand

Defensive Publications Series

Latency minimization is critical to high-performance computing (HPC). Network monitoring tools that rely on out-of-band data to control latency cannot assist latency-sensitive network workloads in real time. This disclosure describes techniques that combine in-band network telemetry (INT) with the software-defined network (SDN) controller used by the cloud platform to mitigate HPC latency. INT gathers hardware-level information about buffer and queue utilization. Such information is used by the cloud SDN controller to make changes to the virtual environment. The SDN controller can directly affect decisions of the HPC master node relating to the assignment of tasks to worker nodes. The techniques …

Increasing Student Employee Engagement And Knowledge Retention Using Grounding And Mindfulness Practices, Jeffrey Fox

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

Higher education students have a critical need to be fully present and engaged in the learning space that they participate in. Incorporating grounding and mindfulness practices at the start of student employee training and team building seminars was tested to determine if their engagement level and knowledge retention increased. Grounding and mindfulness practices have predominantly focused on the classroom experience, failing to address additional shared learning environments that students occupy. In my action research, I implemented a multifaceted and fundamental grounding and mindfulness-guided practice for student employees in the Student Activities and Involvement department. I used control groups, whole-group guided …

Pervasive Machine Learning For Smart Radio Environments Enabled By Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces, George C. Alexandropoulos, Kyriakos Stylianopoulos, Chongwen Huang, Chau Yuen, Mehdi Bennis, Mérouane Debbah

Machine Learning Faculty Publications

The emerging technology of Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RISs) is provisioned as an enabler of smart wireless environments, offering a highly scalable, low-cost, hardware-efficient, and almost energy-neutral solution for dynamic control of the propagation of electromagnetic signals over the wireless medium, ultimately providing increased environmental intelligence for diverse operation objectives. One of the major challenges with the envisioned dense deployment of RISs in such reconfigurable radio environments is the efficient configuration of multiple metasurfaces with limited, or even the absence of, computing hardware. In this paper, we consider multi-user and multi-RIS-empowered wireless systems, and present a thorough survey of the online …

Building Veteran Communities: A Look At Veteran Agencies And How They Support Veteran Transition From Military To Civilian Life, Margaret M. Stiffler

Veterans Studies Undergraduate Capstones

When military personnel leave active service, they face unique stressors as they return to civilian life. These stressors are often addressed by Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) who advocate on their behalf. In this investigation, leaders of Kentucky and West Virginia VSOs were interviewed to discuss the specific ways VSOs support veterans during the readjustment to civilian life. The interviewees discuss the complexities that their agencies face and share their own best practices for operating effectively. Interview questions were designed to identify VSO uniqueness, goals, and the complexities of serving veterans in order to compare responses across groups. Agencies then participated …

2022-05-08_Michiganoverview_Covidsymptoms, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Syndromic Surveillance System Data

The Syndromic Surveillance System Data report was obtained from Michigan's COVID-19 dashboard, from under the link "​Coronavirus Symptoms": https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/stats/coronavirus-symptoms. Data was compiled by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The information was updated twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays.

Syndromic Surveillance System data is obtained from approximately 216 facilities participating in syndromic surveillance (139 Emergency Departments (ED), 77 Urgent Cares) across the State of Michigan. The reporting is based on individuals who present at EDs and may not be representative of the overall population. The coronavirus-like symptoms query searches visit free-text (chief complaint, triage notes, …

St. Francis Borgia Deaf Center Church Bulletin, May 8, 2022

Saint Francis Borgia Deaf Center Church Bulletin

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Chicago, IL

Saint Francis Brogia Deaf Center Church Bulletin Finding Aid

Time Course Of Changes In Torque And Neuromuscular Parameters During A Sustained Isometric Forearm Flexion Task To Fatigue Anchored To A Constant Rating Of Perceived Exertion, Robert W. Smith, Terry J. Housh, John Paul V. Anders, Tyler J. Neltner, Jocelyn E. Arnett, Richard Schmidt, Glen O. Johnson

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Objective: This study examined the time course of changes in torque and electromyographic (EMG) and mechanomyographic (MMG) responses during a sustained isometric task anchored to a constant perception of exertion (RPE). Methods: Twelve college-aged men performed an isometric forearm flexion task to failure anchored to RPE=7 (OMNI-RES scale). The amplitude (AMP) and frequency (MPF) of the EMG and MMG signals from the biceps brachii were recorded. Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to examine differences for the normalized (%MVIC) torque and neuromuscular parameters. Results: The time to task failure (TTF) was 678.0±468.1s. Torque decreased significantly (p<0.001, η_p ²=0.774) …

Architecture As Medicine: Designing Spaces For The Mind, Body, & Spirit, Tyler Cox

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

How can architectural space provide a holistic approach to health and wellness through an experience that enhances the mind, body, and spirit? As Socrates said in the 4th century B.C., “the part can never be well unless the whole is well.” Holistic Health is a lifestyle and way of thinking that considers the multitude of connected aspects of wellness and recognizes the whole person: physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. This holistic outlook on health should be of major consideration when designing a space, especially while America is currently experiencing a health epidemic. What if there was a place that …

Where Dreams Begin: Challenging The Architecture Of Migrant Detention, Pablo Garcia

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Today, more than 40 million people living in the US were born in another country, accounting for about one-fifth of the world’s migrants. Even though the US is a nation comprised largely of immigrants and their descendants, immigration remains one of the most fraught social and political issues of modern times. People dream of moving into the country seeking a better life than the one they are leaving behind. Yet, upon arrival, they face inhumane circumstances due to the recent influx of people seeking asylum within the US. According to the Department of Homeland Security, over 3 million people arrived …

A Social Learning Perspective On Sexual Coercion, Mallory Ferrick

Honors Theses

Akers’ (2009) social learning theory proposes that individuals learn deviant behavior through the same learning processes by which they learn conventional behavior. Social learning theory has been applied as an explanation for an array of deviant behaviors; however, no known published research has explored the theory’s ability to explain the perpetration of sexual coercion. This project investigated the extent to which Akers’ social learning theory can be applied to sexual coercion. This project utilized a sample of undergraduate students enrolled in various courses at a private four-year institution in the northeast. Descriptive statistics revealed a lack of variability among responses …

The Elusive And Complex Parabolic Relationship Between Terrorism And Gdp Per-Capita, Kianna Becker

Honors Capstones

The 21st century saw a dramatic focus on terrorism after the events of September 11, 2001. The search for an explanation for the causes of terrorism have led economists to turn to the role of GDP on terrorism. This research aims to search for a pattern in the relationship between GDP per-capita and acts of terrorism. Previous research has pointed towards both a positive and negative trend. The stark different findings in previous research attests to the various ways terrorism is measured and analyzed. Encapsulating the previous research, this research merges the two theories and aims to show there is …

The Integrity Of The Optic Radiations: Association With Age And Sex, Parker Scout Gore

Honors Theses

The optic radiation is the tract in which visual input is transmitted from the lateral geniculate nucleus in the thalamus to the primary visual cortex in the occipital lobe. This study analyzed the integrity of the pathway, with an emphasis on the interaction between age and sex and their effect on the state of the optic radiation. A probabilistic tractography study was conducted to analyze the optic pathway between the lateral geniculate nucleus and the adjacent white matter region known as the primary visual cortex. This tract was isolated and analyzed in individuals (N=305) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data. …

A Study Of Cannabigerolic Acid And Its Derivatives Via Raman Spectroscopy And Density Functional Theory, Trevor Wolfe

Honors Theses

The cannabinoids are a class of molecules endogenous to the cannabis plant. Their scientific relevance has increased in recent years due to the mercurial legal status of marijuana across the United States. Some of the most known are cannabidiol (CBD), δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (δ9-THC), and δ8-THC due in large part to their widespread use, especially in states where marijuana and related products are legal. However, cannabigerolic acid (CBGA) is arguably the most important cannabinoid; it is enzymatically converted into other acidic cannabinoids, which subsequently undergo non-enzymatic processes (isomerization, thermal decarboxylation, oxidation, etc.) to synthesize further cannabinoids. Although there is a wealth of …

Lc-Ms Identification Of Serum Proteins Adsorbed Onto Ionic Liquid-Coated Nanoparticles, Anh M. Hoang

Honors Theses

Nanocarriers are promising candidates for drug delivery due to their size and tunable surface characteristics. However, when they are intravenously injected, few particles make it to their designated location. This is because upon entering the bloodstream, the serum in the blood, which is rich with a diversity of proteins, adsorbs onto the particles’ surfaces forming a protein corona. Many of the attached proteins trigger the mobile immune system and are removed by macrophages, and many particles are then filtered out by the liver and kidneys. Ionic Liquids (ILs), which consist of asymmetric, bulky components that are liquid