Digital Commons Network^™

Selective Reading, Jaylen M. Mitchell

SPARK Symposium Presentations

No abstract provided.

Democracy And Environmental Sustainability: A New Study Based On Gdp Per Capita In Developing Islamic Countries (Oic), Basri Basri, Abdullah Abdullah, Herianti Herianti

International Journal of Islamic Economics and Business Sustainability

Purpose - This study investigates the moderating role of democracy in shaping environmental sustainability, measured by CO₂ emissions, across 35 developing member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Design/methodology/approach - A dual-model econometric framework is employed, combining the System Generalized Method of Moments (SYS-GMM) to address endogeneity and dynamic panel bias with the Panel Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model to capture both short-run dynamics and long-run equilibrium. This approach enables a nuanced analysis of how democracy conditions the effects of GDP per capita, agricultural productivity, and renewable energy on emissions.

Findings - The results reveal a complex and …

Microplastics In St. John, United States Virgin Islands Sediments: Methodological Approaches And Variability Of Microplastics Concentrations And Accumulation Rates, Henry B. Arbaugh, Sarah C. Gray, Dimitri Deheyn

Theses

Sediment samples were collected from a near shore and reef site in Coral Bay, St. John, United States Virgin Islands (USVI) from 2007-2016, using tube sediment traps. These samples provide an opportunity to study microplastics (MPs) in an area where no previous MP studies have been performed. Most sedimentary MP studies utilize benthic samples which can only measure MP concentrations (#MP/g or #MP/mL sediment), while sediment traps can provide MP accumulation rates (#MP/cm²/day) as a function of time. However, the methods used for extracting MPs from benthic samples have not been tested using sediment trap samples whose characteristics, …

Assessment Of Winter Maintenance Performance Objectives Using Maintenance Decision Support System, Curtis L. Walker, Mark R. Anderson, Aemal Khattak, Thomas Kauzlarich, Abdul Farhan

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

It is important for transportation agencies to assess their winter maintenance operations performance to identify areas for improvement and/or resource investment to maintain optimal levels of service, mobility, and safety. This study explores nine winter snowstorms in Nebraska during the 2023-2024 winter season across 20 road segments, 12 of which were along the Interstate-80 corridor. Datasets explored include meteorological information, traffic mobility insights, winter maintenance operations activities, and road conditions before, during, and after the periods of accumulating snowfall. Statistical analyses explored correlations and quantitative relationships among these datasets, while visual dashboards were developed to promote more qualitative considerations of …

Evaluation Of Large Language Models As Decision Support Tools For Head And Neck Cancer Management: A Blinded Multidisciplinary Simulation Study, Sholem Hack, Ron J. Karni, Antonino Maniaci, Christopher E. Fundakowski, Luca Castellani, Fabiola Incandela, Remo Accorona, Miguel Mayo-Yanez, Martina Violati, Lorenzo Giannini, Niccolo' Mevio, Alberto Maria Saibene

Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: The management of head and neck cancer relies on multidisciplinary expertise; however, access to tumor boards remains variable. Large language models (LLMs) may support guideline-based decision-making, although performance in complex oncologic scenarios is not well defined.

METHODS: Fourteen synthetic cases based on real tumor board encounters were evaluated. Five blinded comparator arms produced recommendations: a human expert, Non-RAG-GPT-4, Non-RAG-GPT-5, RAG-GPT-4, and RAG-GPT-5. Eight head and neck oncologic surgeons scored each recommendation for appropriateness, clarity, specificity, and feasibility using 5-point Likert scales. Paired permutation testing and inter-rater reliability were assessed.

RESULTS: LLM outputs showed close alignment with expert recommendations. RAG-based …

Salivary Protein Quantity, Ionic Value, And Protein Movement In Stunted And Non-Stunted Children In Indonesia, Munifah Abdat, Sri Rezeki, Putri N. Zulkifli, Mela R. Adinda, Ardiansyah S. Pawinru, Eka Setyawardana

Journal of Dentomaxillofacial Science

Objective: This study aimed to analyze total salivary protein quantity, ionic activity, and protein molecular movement in children with and without stunting.

Material and Method: Saliva samples were collected from 30 children aged 4-6years (15stunted and15 non-stunted). Proteins were extracted using 0.1 M HCI. The total protein quantity was determined using the Bradford assay and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Salivary ionic activity (dissolved oxygen, conductivity, and total dissolved solids) and salivary viscosity were measured using an ionic meter and an Ostwald viscometer, respectively. Statistical analyses included independent t-tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and Spearman correlation analyses (a=0.05).

Results: Stunted children had …

The Voices Of Educators And Elders: Examining A Supplemental Educational Program Through A Culturally Responsive Lens In Gullah Geechee And African American Communities, Kelly D. Shelton

Dissertations

African American students in South Carolina experience historical educational suppression (Anderson, 1988; Bowers et al., 2018; Fabel, 2019). This qualitative case study investigated how the use of African Diaspora and Gullah Geechee culture in supplemental education programs supported the academic success of youth. Using a culturally and historically responsive literacy and critical race theoretical framing (Gay, 2013; Hammond, 2015; Ladson-Billings, 2014; Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1997; Mills, 1997; Muhammad, 2020), this study captured the voices and insights of community elders and program directors of The Village Group, that makes use of Gullah Geechee cultural, academic, and vocational practices to engage and …

Developing A Welfare Index Based On Maqasid Shariah: Assessing The Contribution Of Hajj Fund Management In Indonesia, Agus Khoeron Fadli, Nugroho Bhanuaji Susanto, Fikri Rafif Nurcahyo

International Journal of Islamic Economics and Business Sustainability

Purpose – This study evaluates the welfare contribution of the Ummah’s Endowment Fund (Dana Abadi Umat, DAU) within Indonesia’s Hajj fund management by constructing a Maqasid Shariah-based Welfare Index (WI–DAU) to assess whether allocations translate into community welfare benefits.

Design/methodology/approach – Using Al-Najjar’s Maqasid Shariah framework, the research combines expert judgment and practitioner insights with the Analytic Network Process (ANP) to derive weights for welfare dimensions and program activities. The index is calculated from planned budgets and realized DAU allocations over 2018–2024.

Findings – The weighting results place safeguarding the physical environment as the most important dimension (0.299), while safeguarding …

Reachability In Interactive Chemical Reaction Networks, Aberto Avila-Jimenez, Bin Fu, Elise Grizzell, Robert Schweller, Tim Wylie

Computer Science Faculty Publications

This paper studies the effects of interactivity on molecular computation, specifically in the Step Chemical Reaction Networks model (Step CRNs), by adding the ability for a user to interact with the system by selecting which species to add at each step, or by having some control over which reactions execute. The two proposed variants are Interactive CRNs and Randomized Interactive CRNs. We show that in Interactive CRNs, even when restricted to void (deletion-only) rules of relatively small size, if a user can decide which species to add at each step based on the configuration, reachability is PSPACE-complete when bounded and …

Thoracic Aorta Calcification And Risk Of All-Cause Mortality And Cardiovascular Outcomes: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Yasir Salah Jumah Alam, Hussein Nafakhi, Alaa Salah Jumaah, Akeel Abed Yasseen, Zahraa Alaa Salah Alam, Ali Athir Abdulraheem

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

This review aimed to assess thoracic aorta calcification (TAC) as a predictor of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality across various clinical settings using different imaging modalities. Medical databases were systematically searched up to mid-July 2025 for studies linking TAC with mortality and CV outcomes. A total of 43 studies involving 176,738 participants were included. TAC was associated with higher risks of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.614), CV mortality (HR = 2.130), coronary events (HR = 1.423), major adverse cardiac events (HR = 2.011) and stroke (HR = 1.450. Computed tomography showed the strongest associations (all-cause mortality …

Facial Shape And Craniofacial Anthropometry Associated With Masticatory Muscle Pain: A Clinical Study, Mohammad Gazali, Fuad H. Akbar, Acing H. Mude, Maya Marisa, Muhammad Ruslin

Journal of Dentomaxillofacial Science

Objective: The present study aimed to examine the relationship between facial morphology and cranial anthropometric parameter; with masticatory muscle pain, notably in the masseter and temporalis muscles.

Material and Method: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted involving 69 adult participants aged 18-50 year. Craniofacial dimensions, including head length, width and height, were measured using standardized anthropometric techniques. Facial shape was classified visually into round, oval or square types. Pain in the masticatory muscles was assessed using standardized palpation protocols based on the diagnostic criteria for temporo-mandibular disorders (TMDs), along with the visual analogue scale and numeric rating scale. Statistical analysis …

Masthead

Missouri Law Review

No abstract provided.

Debating The Self-Pardon: A Dialogue Of The Evidence For And Against The Constitutionality Of A Presidential Self-Pardon, Michael Conklin, Peter B. Bayer

Missouri Law Review

In light of recent events, the constitutionality of presidential self-pardons is set to potentially become one of the most pressing constitutional questions of the twenty-first century. This Article consists of a dialogue between two scholars regarding the evidence for and against the constitutionality of presidential self-pardons. By providing their best arguments for and against each side, readers are left better equipped to reach their own educated conclusions. The benefits of discussing this issue before anyone attempts to self-pardon are considerable, as doing so could contribute to solutions, potentially averting, or at least helping to resolve peaceably, a true constitutional crisis. …

Ease The Quease! Educating Nurses On Non-Pharmacologic Nausea Intervention, Hawa Abdalla, Hannah Bookout, Leslie Martinez, Sidney Mcgregor, Jillian Norman, Gabriella Tadlock, Lucille Willians

2025

No abstract provided.

Pengaruh Real Mismatch Terhadap Upah Pekerja Di Indonesia, Jawani Eka Pyansahcilia, Dwini Handayani

Jurnal Ekonomi Kependudukan dan Keluarga

This study aims to analyze the effect of real mismatch on the wages of workers with medium and higher education levels in Indonesia using the ordinary least squares (OLS) method. The data used in this study are derived from the National Labor Force Survey (Sakernas) conducted in August 2023 to identify instances of mismatch and analyze its impact on workers' wages. In 2023, the incidence of vertical mismatch only was recorded at 14.58 percent, horizontal mismatch only at 31.73 percent, and real mismatch reached 25.24 percent. The estimation results indicate that workers experiencing vertical mismatch only receive a wage premium, …

Opening Remarks At The Launch Of Lagff-Doc And The Inaugural Lmu Prize For Social Justice For Documentaries: The Lmu–Lagff 10-Year Educational Partnership, Katerina Zacharia

Classics and Archaeology Faculty Works

This document comprises two speeches delivered by Professor Katerina Zacharia on January 31, 2026, at Loyola Marymount University. The first speech marks the launch of the inaugural Los Angeles Greek Documentary Film Festival (LAGFF-doc) and celebrates a decade of educational partnership between LMU's Department of Classics & Archaeology and the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival (LAGFF). It reflects on the program's growth since 2014 — encompassing over 220 student interns, 135 students in Greek cinema courses, and 15 School of Film and Television faculty jurors — and articulates LMU's Jesuit mission of educating the whole person through experiential learning, critical …

Higher-Order Moment Risk Spillovers Between The Carbon And Energy Markets Under Climate Policy Uncertainty, Qiang Ji

Double Helix Methodology

Against the backdrop of increasing climate policy uncertainty, preventing cross-market risk contagion in the energy transition is crucial to ensuring energy security and effective risk management. First, this study uses the generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity-skewness-kurtosis (GARCHSK) model to measure the higher-order moment risk of the carbon and energy markets. Then, based on the quantile spillover index model, the higher-order moment risk spillover effects and their time-varying characteristics in different risk states are characterized. Furthermore, the climate policy uncertainty index (CPU) is incorporated into the generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity-mixed data sampling (GARCH-MIDAS) model to analyze its impact on higher-order moment risk …

The Linkage Of Emissions Trading System And Green Electricity Certificate Brings Economic Benefits In China, An Zeng, Hanchu Liu

Double Helix Methodology

Market-based instruments are becoming increasingly prevalent as crucial components of energy transition policy packages worldwide. Given the interdependence of these instruments, linkage mechanisms have become a priority for policymakers. However, existing literature primarily focuses on the impacts of individual trading systems, with limited attention paid to linkage trading mechanism. To fill this gap, this study proposes an improved centralized resource allocation data envelopment analysis model to simulate the linkage trading of the emissions trading system (ETS) and the green electricity certificate (GEC) scheme in China. A counterfactual scenario simulation is conducted using historical data from 2016 to 2020. The results …

A Multi-Indicator Hazard Mechanism Framework For Flood Hazard Assessment And Risk Mitigation: A Case Study Of Rizhao, China, Baoyin Liu

Double Helix Methodology

Urban flooding has become a critical environmental challenge under global climate change and rapid urbanization. This study develops a multi-indicator hazard mechanism framework for flood hazard assessment in Rizhao, a coastal city in China, by integrating three fundamental hydrological processes: runoff generation, flow convergence, and drainage. Based on geospatial data—including DEM, road networks, land cover, and soil characteristics—six key indicators were evaluated using the TOPSIS method: runoff curve number, impervious surface percentage, topographic wetness index, time of concentration, pipeline density, and distance to rivers. The results show that extreme-hazard zones, covering 6.41% of the central urban area, are primarily clustered …

Debiasing Session-Based Recommendation For The Digital Economy: Propensity-Aware Training And Temporal Contrast On Graph Transformers, Junru Si

Double Helix Methodology

Session-based recommender systems (SBRs) are critically impaired by exposure bias in observational training logs, causing models to overfit to logging policies rather than true user preferences. This bias distorts offline evaluation and harms generalization, particularly for long-tail items. To address this, we propose the Propensity- and Temporal-consistency Enhanced Graph Transformer (PTE-GT), a principled framework that enhances a recent interval-aware graph transformer backbone with two synergistic training-time modules. This Graph Neural Network -based architecture is adept at modeling the complex, graph-structured nature of session data, capturing intricate item transitions that sequential models might miss. First, we introduce a propensity-aware (PA) optimization …

Assessing The Coordination And Consistency Of The Policy System For Achieving China's Carbon Neutrality Goal Based On Text And Network Methods, Jinhua Xu

Double Helix Methodology

Lack of coordination and consistency in government policy-making has long been recognized as a weakness, yet its systematic quantification has been neglected. This study investigates this shortcoming by employing computational linguistics and network analysis tools to evaluate the coordination and consistency of climate policies in China through cross-referencing and collaboration among the State Council, ministries and local governments. A comprehensive dictionary of key policy terms and objectives from two key climate policies issued by the State Council, namely Opinions and Action Plan, was constructed to evaluate the succeeding 95 policy documents. The analysis of linguistic discontinuity provides insights into the …

Explainable Automl With Uncertainty Quantification For Co2-Cured Concrete Compressive Strength Prediction, Yinshan Liu

Double Helix Methodology

The cement and concrete industry is one of the primary sources of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions globally, responsible for nearly 8% of total emissions, making the need for a low-carbon transition urgent. CO2 curing provides both strength enhancement and carbon sequestration, yet the compressive strength of such concrete remains challenging to predict due to limited and strongly coupled experimental factors. This study developed an explainable Automated Machine Learning (AutoML) framework with integrated uncertainty quantification to predict the 28-day compressive strength of CO2-cured concrete. The framework was built using 198 standardized experimental data and trained with four algorithms—Random Forest (RF), …

Assessing Climate And Transition Risks To China's Agriculture Under 1.5 And 2.0 °C Global Warming Scenarios, Qiang Ji

Double Helix Methodology

China's agriculture faces dual risks from climate change and the transition to low-carbon agriculture, both of which pose substantial threats to food security and farmers' incomes. Understanding the trade-offs between these risks is essential to meeting climate goals and advancing sustainable agricultural development. This study establishes a comprehensive framework that integrates meta-analysis-derived parameters into the GTAP-E model to quantify the dual risks to China's agriculture under the 1.5 and 2 °C scenarios. The results indicate that under the 2 °C scenario, weaker mitigation efforts lead to higher climate risks, with maize production, prices, consumption, and self-sufficiency changing by about 1.5 …

Quantitative Assessment Of The Impact Of Soil–Atmosphere Coupling On Regional Climate In The Low-Latitude Highland Of Southeast Asia, Liqian Zhang

Double Helix Methodology

The low-latitude highland (LLH) of Southeast Asia is a hot spot of soil–atmosphere coupling, and variations in the soil temperature and moisture in this region have a significant effect on the regional climate. In this study, the characteristics of the soil–atmosphere coupling were analyzed, two decoupling numerical tests were designed, and the impacts of the soil temperature and moisture on the regional climate in the LLH were assessed. Finally, the key factors of the soil–atmosphere coupling were explored, and their contributions to air temperature and precipitation were evaluated. The primary conclusions are as follows. (1) The soil–atmosphere coupling in the …

Rethinking China's Power Decarbonization Pathway Under New Socioeconomic Uncertainties: A Multi-Objective Perspective Via Bottom-Up Modelling And Scenario Analysis, Pu Wang

Double Helix Methodology

The low-carbon transition of China's power sector is becoming increasingly complex under evolving global and domestic circumstances, including energy security concerns under geopolitical tensions, surging electricity demand, volatility from high renewable shares, and lock-in effects of existing coal-fired capacity. This study aims to assess how these emerging challenges reshape the decarbonization pathways of China's power sector and their implications for carbon and air pollutant emissions. We develop a bottom-up, multi-module simulation model that integrates the latest technological developments and evolving electricity demand patterns, and construct a rich set of scenarios based on alternative socioeconomic pathways and low-carbon power transition strategies. …

Influencing Factors And Forecasting Of European Union Allowance Price: A Comparative Study Using Machine Learning Models, Zengming Liu

Double Helix Methodology

The European Union Allowance (EUA) is acknowledged as a significant mechanism to motivate EU enterprises to decrease emissions and fulfill the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Investigating the influencing factors and forecasting trajectory of the EUA prices is hindered by the nonlinearity and non-stationarity characteristics of the EUA prices. This study dissects the intricate relationships of energy prices, financial market variables, and climate factors influencing the EUA prices by the use of Vector Autoregression (VAR), Granger causality tests, Impulse response function(IRF), and Newey-West OLS model. The forecasting results of EUA prices are compared using machine learning models involving BP …

Quantitative Assessment Of Drought Impact On Grassland Productivity In Inner Mongolia Using Spi And Biome-Bgc, Baoyin Liu

Double Helix Methodology

Drought poses a severe threat to grassland biodiversity and ecosystem function. However, quantitative frameworks that capture the interactive effects of drought intensity and duration on productivity remain scarce, limiting impact assessment accuracy. To bridge this gap, we developed and validated a novel hybrid modeling framework to quantify drought impacts on net primary productivity (NPP) across Inner Mongolia’s major grasslands (1961–2012). Drought was characterized using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), and ecosystem productivity was simulated with the Biome-BGC model. Our core innovation is the hybrid model, which integrates linear and nonlinear components to explicitly capture the compounded, nonlinear influence of combined …

The Impact Of Industrial Structure And Economic Development On Environmental Quality: Evidence From Rural China, Shushu Li

Double Helix Methodology

Utilizing dynamic panel data from 29 Chinese regions (2012–2022) and a system GMM approach, this study investigates the nexus between industrial structure, economic development, and rural environmental quality. The findings indicate a U-shaped relationship for agriculture and real GDP per capita (supporting the EKC hypothesis), but an inverted U-shaped relationship for the secondary and tertiary industries. Additionally, a faster regional economic growth rate is significantly associated with better environmental quality, implying that economic growth has facilitated rural environmental improvement. © 2025 by the authors.

https://doi.org/10.3390/su18010112

Bridging Scale-Mismatch: Managing Neglected Anthropogenic Stresses On Environmental Sustainability On The Tibet Plateau, Jie Fan

Double Helix Methodology

Global plateau regions face intensifying anthropogenic activities, yet sustainability efforts are frequently constrained by uncertainties in stress assessment and mismatches between governance scales and environmental processes. To address this gap, we developed an integrated multi-source framework to assess anthropogenic stress, overcoming the limitations of traditional single-factor approaches. Empirical evidence from the Tibet Plateau indicates that although overall stress levels remain low, high-intensity stress exhibits notable clustering. This spatial heterogeneity is identified as the fundamental driver of governance scale mismatches. We further reveal compounded spatial and hierarchical mismatches between governance units and stressor distribution, evidenced by 48.6 % of township units …

Interpersonal Satisfaction And Classroom Silence In Chinese Universities: The Mediating Role Of Social Anxiety, Siguang Zhang

Double Helix Methodology

Introduction: Within Chinese universities, classroom silence, while culturally acceptable, may indicate underlying psychological distress that impedes academic engagement. Drawing upon social-cognitive theory, this study investigates whether social anxiety mediates the relationship between interpersonal satisfaction and students’ in-class silence. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 565 undergraduates from six Chinese universities examined interpersonal satisfaction, social anxiety, and three distinct behavioral indicators of silence (large-lecture, small-discussion, and laboratory contexts). Confirmatory factor analysis established convergent and discriminant validity; Cronbach’s α coefficients ranged from 0.86 to 0.91, demonstrating good internal consistency. A structural equation model (SEM) was employed to test the hypothesized mediation pathway while …