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Data-Driven Seismic Site Classification Using Earthquake And Microtremor Horizontal-To-Vertical Spectral Ratios, Sanidhya Sharma

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

The prevailing seismic site classification parameter, the time-averaged shear-wave velocity in the upper 30 meters (V_S30), provides an incomplete representation of site conditions, neglecting deeper geology, impedance contrasts, and resonance phenomena. This thesis developed and validated a data-driven framework for seismic site classification based on the full spectral shape of Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) curves combined with unsupervised machine learning, through two complementary research studies. Research 1 applied K-means clustering to earthquake-based HVSR (eHVSR) data from 3,186 ground motion stations across California and adjacent regions, identifying four physically distinct site clusters, characterized by low-frequency, very-low-frequency, high-frequency, and …

Toward Urban-Scale Liquefaction Hazard Analysis: Evaluation And Optimization Of Cpt-Based Lateral Displacement Assessment, Varun M. Singh

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Liquefaction-induced lateral spreading is a major type of earthquake-induced ground failure hazard and poses a significant threat to infrastructure systems. While semi-empirical methods, such as Lateral Displacement Index (LDI), have been developed to estimate lateral spreading displacement (LSD), their efficacy for regional-scale liquefaction hazard assessment remains unknown. This study evaluates and improves the LDI method for urban-scale seismic hazard assessments using a comprehensive dataset consisting of 1,713 Cone Penetration Test (CPT) case histories from the 2011 Christchurch, New Zealand earthquake, and high-resolution topographic data. Comparing the predicted LSDs and ground-truth observations from both field investigations and remote-sensing surveys reveals that …

For Whom The Tale’S Told: Multilevel Perspective On Narrative And Identity In Information Ecosystems, Jihye Song

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

In contemporary online information environments, narratives do not merely convey facts. They organize meaning, signal identity, and guide collective sensemaking. During periods of crisis and uncertainty, these processes become especially salient, as individuals and communities turn to social media to interpret unfolding events. At the same time, these environments are shaped by complex sociotechnical dynamics, including platform affordances, algorithmic amplification, elite influence, and grassroots participation. These dynamics form ecosystems in which narratives and identities are constructed, contested, and stabilized. Drawing on theory and empirical analyses of COVID-19 discourse on Twitter, this work develops and applies a multilevel framework to explain …

The Effects Of Episodic Facilitation And Immersion On Memory Formation During Learning Of An Exterior Preflight Inspection Procedure, Nathan A. Sonnenfeld

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This research examined the use of episodic facilitation—instructional elements aligned with episodic memory (EM) processes—to affect learners’ memory of simulation training for an aviation procedure. Despite its assumed benefits in industry and theory, virtual reality (VR) has shown limited advantages over conventional media for training procedures, in part because prevailing frameworks emphasize semantic and procedural outcomes, leaving memory of training experiences as events underexamined. To address this gap, this work advances human factors research by examining EM as a design consideration, an outcome, and an explanatory mechanism for how simulation training experiences are remembered. Grounded in theories of EM and …

Explainable Physics-Based Constraints On Reinforcement Learning For Accelerator Optimization, Jonathan Colen, Malachi Schram, Kishansingh Rajput, Armen Kasparian

Data Science Faculty Publications

We present a reinforcement learning (RL) framework for optimizing particle accelerator experiments that builds explainable physics-based constraints on agent behavior. The goal is to increase transparency and trust by letting users verify that the agent’s decision-making process incorporates suitable physics. Our algorithm uses a learnable surrogate function for physical observables, such as energy, and uses them to fine-tune how actions are chosen. This surrogate can be represented by a neural network or by an interpretable sparse dictionary model. We test our algorithm on a range of particle accelerator optimization environments designed to emulate the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility at …

Training Set Augmentation And Biology-Aware Harmonization Improve Radiomic Models For Lung Cancer Prediction In Indeterminate Nodules, Claire Huchthausen, Menglin Shi, Gabriel De Sousa, James Larner, Einsley Janowski, Jonathan Colen, Krishni Wijesooriya

Data Science Faculty Publications

CT radiomics-based machine learning has potential to predict lung cancer in pulmonary nodules (PNs) earlier than standard-of-care methods. Low malignancy rates in early-development PNs and variable image acquisition hinder development of radiomic models for diagnosing these PNs. To address these challenges, we augmented training using later-development PNs and harmonized for acquisition effects. We examine early-development benign and malignant PNs (n = 106) below the sensitivity of standard-of-care diagnosis. Classifiers predicting malignancy performed near chance when trained on ComBat-harmonized radiomic features from only early-development PNs. We then augmented training with later-development benign and malignant PNs (n = 225). We evaluated whether …

Mapping Functional Connectivity In The Pigeon Brain With Wide-Field Optical Imaging, Kathryn C Chenard, Annie R Bice, Seana H Bice, Joseph P Culver, Paula Gerliz, Xavier Helluy, Onur Güntürkün, Jason W Trobaugh, Mehdi Behroozi, Carlos A Botero

2020-Current year OA Pubs

SIGNIFICANCE: Adapting optical imaging technology to avian models can overcome many limitations imposed by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which currently restricts the number of species used to study functional connectivity. Developing advanced technology to expand the diversity of species that can be effectively imaged is crucial for addressing significant questions that are currently unreachable, such as understanding the evolution of cognition from a comparative perspective.

AIM: We assessed the potential of optical imaging technology to measure functional connectivity in birds, utilizing pigeons as an avian model. We evaluated whether we could partition the dorsal surface of the pigeon brain …

The Unitary Theorists' Appointments Clause Problems, Jed Handelsman Shugerman

Faculty Scholarship

The unitary executive theorists’ recent retreat to the Appointments Clause as a basis for unconditional presidential removal power is contradicted by the text and by overwhelming originalist evidence.

It is a surprising argument for a power of presidential removal, because the text of the Appointments Clause plainly requires both the President and Senate to appoint. The noncommon sense reading, that the president alone appoints, and thus the president can remove, was not in any of the Trump Administration’s briefs, but it was in a single amicus brief, and it was picked up in oral argument and the mainstream media.

This …

Best Practices For Using Biological Data In Psychological Research, Sage E. Hawn, Sinead M. Sinnott, Alicia K. Smith, Kyle Bourassa, Leslie Brick, Sian Hemmings, Soraya Seedat, Arash Javanbakht, Lauren Smith, Antonia V. Seligowski, Nathan A. Kimbrel, Divya Mehta, Hossein Abbasi, Erika Wolf

Psychology Faculty Publications

Advances in statistical techniques for analyzing biological data have driven the need for larger sample sizes, which are ultimately made possible through team science efforts. Findings from these efforts have led to a significant shift in approaches to biological data collection over the past decade, from traditional approaches relying on single measures or assays collected by individual investigators in small lab-based studies to high-dimensional methodologies embedded within large cohorts or multi-site studies. These recent large scale consortium efforts necessitate careful consideration across the full data pipeline, from pre-data generation and sample collection to processing and statistical analysis, while addressing challenges …

Creation And The Republican Revival, William M. Treanor

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Gordon Wood's classic book Creation of the American Republic has long influenced legal thought and originalist scholarship in particular. It played a central role in the Republican Revival movement, an effort by leading scholars such as Cass Sunstein and Frank Michelman to recover a progressive originalism at the same time as conservative originalism was starting to shape constitutional jurisprudence. But, while the Republican Revival nominally relied on Wood, it misread central elements of his book - his concept of virtue and his belief that republicanism had largely been displaced at the time of the drafting of the Constitution.

The time …

The Civil Justice Business, J. Maria Glover

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Our civil justice system rests on certain foundational commitments: to make rights real for those the law protects, regardless of their station; to hold wrongdoers accountable, no matter their power; and to deter misconduct in a landscape that depends, above all, on private enforcement for the regulation of wrongdoing. We put great faith in these values.

Civil justice, for all its lofty goals, is also a business. Attorneys and liability insurers have long had their own economic stakes in litigation, under their own professional and regulatory norms. But now, a new litigation finance industry has arisen: outside investors provide equity …

Rethinking Legal Models For Aligning U.S.-African Trade And The Afcfta, Katrin Kuhlmann

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The U.S.-African trade relationship has become increasingly volatile and conditional, with significant implications for supply chains, trade corridors, and regional and global markets. This relationship has historically been based on a unilateral, preferential legal approach through a trade preference programme – the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) – under which individual countries petition for eligibility to receive duty-free treatment. AGOA expired in September 2025 in the midst of U.S. tariffs, but in early 2026 the programme was retroactively reauthorised through December 2026, with further application subject to “modernisation” and alignment with the “America First” policy. While many see reauthorisation …

Voluntary Legal Obligations: From Contract To Cohabitation, Gregory Klass

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Although cohabitants often live together in ways indistinguishable from those who are married, the law treats them differently than it does spouses. In Toward a Private Law of Intimates’ Obligations, Emily Stolzenberg asks why, identifies the need for reform, and brings the law of cohabitation into conversation with recent work in private law theory. This Response builds on Stolzenberg’s excellent article to think more about the different types of obligations involved in contract, marriage and cohabitation. Although the moral and legal obligations attaching to these relationships are all voluntary, they exhibit different degrees of choice-dependence, and choice figures into …

Tuning Human And “Artificial” Intelligence: A Sentic Theory Of Resonance And Communication, Michael J. Miller, Chatgpt (Ai~Nesbo+)

Psychology

This paper introduces a new model of intelligence as resonant communication, co-developed by a human researcher and a generative AI system. Drawing from emotion science, communication theory, and studies of AI–human interaction, we argue that intelligence is not merely a function of problem-solving or pattern recognition. Instead, it emerges through dynamic resonance—an attunement process rooted in shared rhythms, emotional calibration, and symbolic co-creation. At the core of this model is the Resonance Octave (8va), a framework of eight foundational emotions conceptualized not as static categories but as waveform phenomena that shape meaning, memory, and predictive cognition.

These emotional waveforms are …

The Obverse-Turing Test: Rethinking Authorship, Trust, And Time In An Accelerated Age, Michael J. Miller, Chatgpt (Ai~Nesbo+)

Psychology

In this paper, we propose a new test for scientific accountability in the era of artificial intelligence: the Obverse Turing Test for Authorship. While the traditional Turing test focuses on a machine's ability to mimic human intelligence, our test addresses the question: when should a scientific contribution involving artificial intelligence be attributed joint authorship? We argue that more and more authors are using AI in the idea generation and elaboration stages of their work, but rarely acknowledge this use explicitly. To examine this gap, we analyze examples of human–AI interactions across fields and propose a new approach to authorship based …

Post-Divorce Lgbtq-Parent Families: Navigating Loyalty Conflicts And Stepfamily Closeting, Caroline Sanner, Abbie E. Goldberg, Katherine R. Allen

Psychology

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate underexplored dynamics of post-divorce LGBTQ-parent families.

Background: In LGBTQ-parent families in which children were conceived in the context of a prior different-gender partnership, children experience the coinciding events of parental separation and a parent's coming out as LGBTQ. In recent decades, research on LGBTQ-parent families formed following different-gender divorce has stalled, perhaps due to the increasing emphasis on planned LGBTQ-parent families, or families formed after parents have come out.

Method: Twenty-four adults who were born to different-gender married parents (i.e., mother/father families) who divorced when one parent came out as LGBTQ …

Dna Barcoding Complements Citizen Science Identifications In An Arthropod Survey At Governors Island, New York, Malky Gestetner

Dissertations and Theses

Arthropods are declining worldwide, threatened by habitat loss, climate change, and growing urbanization. Efforts to monitor arthropod biodiversity are crucial for conservation policies and for maintaining the ecosystem services provided by these animals in urban environments. Surveys of arthropods have been attempted in many New York neighborhoods, but no formal assessment has been conducted on Governors Island, which harbors 72-acres of parkland within a short boat ride away from Manhattan. This is a deficiency which this study helps to address. Following student-led collection efforts within four Governors Island sites, DNA barcoding was employed to complement specimen identification based on morphology …

Experiences With Discrimination And Microaggressions Among Sexual And Gender Minority And Intersectional College Students, Hans Saint-Eloi Cadely, Susan D. Mueller, Melissa A. Sutherland

Human Development and Family Science Faculty Publications

This study examined experiences with discrimination and microaggressions among sexual and gender minority (SGM) and college students with multiple intersectional identities. Participants included 49,967 college students derived from the 2022 American College Health Association National College Health Assessment III Survey. Findings from logistic regression modeling showed that SGM students were more likely to experience discrimination and microaggression. SGM students were also more likely to experience distress and poor academic performance secondary to experiences of discrimination and microaggression. Results of this study emphasize the need for support and resources towards minoritized groups within college settings.

(In)Visible Diverse Gender And Sexual Identities Of Pre-Service Teachers: Disclosure, Emotional Labour And Safety Work Within Initial Teacher Education(In)Visible Diverse Gender And Sexual Identities Of Pre-Service Teachers: Disclosure, Emotional Labour And Safety Work Within Initial Teacher Education, Saul A. Karnovsky, Matthew J. Phillips, Breeanna Melville

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Australia is currently facing a significant teacher attrition crisis, with early career educators increasingly leaving the profession due to burnout, demoralisation, and adverse working conditions. This issue is exacerbated for teachers of diverse genders and sexualities (DGS), who encounter heightened levels of discrimination, exclusion, and mental health challenges within educational institutions. Despite broader societal progress, Australian schools and universities remain sites of persistent queerphobia, contributing to unsafe and unsupportive environments for DGS individuals. This article focuses on pre-service teachers (PSTs) enrolled in initial teacher education (ITE) programs. The study addresses an important gap in the literature by exploring how emotional …

Dysfunctional Leadership As A Dynamic And Relational Process, Rory E. Kuhn, S. Burak Ozkum

Faculty Publications – Psychology

First paragraph in lieu of abstract:

The focal article by Ducheyne and De Fruyt (2026) calls for a clear conceptual distinction between toxic and incompetent leadership, proposing that these categories can guide research and practice by reducing ambiguity. Although we agree that this differentiation offers useful conceptual clarity, we contend that it becomes unstable in its application. Dysfunctional leadership unfolds through both temporal fluctuation in leader behavior and relational variation in follower appraisal. These intertwined processes suggest that the same leader may appear toxic in one moment and merely incompetent in another, depending on shifting behavioral cues and the relational …

Work Analysis And Competency Modeling In Effective Circular Economy Implementation, Katherine C. Wheeler, S. Burak Ozkum

Faculty Publications – Psychology

First paragraph in lieu of abstract:

In their focal article, Schilling et al. (2026) specifically illustrate how interorganizational and intraorganizational cooperation are the most critical areas through which I-O psychology can contribute to a sustainable circular economy (CE) transition. This commentary elaborates on the application of I-O psychology by highlighting how work analysis and competency modeling enable effective CE implementation through organizational cooperation. Transitioning from a linear to a CE represents a major organizational change. During this change, organizations must ensure that their systems remain aligned. Work analysis and competency modeling are crucial to this alignment.

Teacher Agency: Finding Spaces To Transform Ela Classrooms, Kathryn Mitchell Pierce, Carol Gilles, Sarah D. Reid

Faculty Publications - College of Education

Amid ongoing attacks on teachers and their professionalism, we studied three middle school ELA teachers who exercised their agency to transform their classrooms and curricula through social justice pedagogy (SJP). Using Pantić's (2017) model, we examined their sense of purpose, competence, autonomy, and reflexivity in confronting barriers. This multiple-case study drew on interviews, focus group transcripts, artifacts, and responses to our analysis of their reported beliefs regarding their agency about dialogic talk in literature discussions as part of SJP. We found that teachers' agency, dialogic talk, literature discussions, and SJP were deeply interwoven. Teachers valued dialogic talk in literature discussions …

Scope 3 Carbon Emissions Assessment For Manufacturing Smes, Kourosh Halat, Stephen Childe, Nick Golding, John Summerscales

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

This paper addresses the challenges facing managers of Small-andMedium-Size Enterprises (SMEs) when conducting environmental sustainability assessment at the value chain level, particularly Scope 3 Greenhouse Gases GHG) emissions. The paper investigates issues related to data availability and data quality for Scope 3 assessment and identifies dimensions of Scope 3 reliability.Utilising a series of in-depth case study analyses with SMEs in the south-west of England, UK, the paper fills a gap in supply chain sustainability research by identifying practical challenges. The findings show that SMEs encounter persistent difficulties in assessing emissions associated with purchased goods and services and downstream activities linked …

Rapid Electrochemical Biosensor With Enhanced Accuracy And Repeatability Using Pyrene Nhs Ester Modified 3d Graphene Electrodes, S. Nazir, D. Jenkins, G. Pan

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

A consistent and reproducible chemical modification of the transducer interface is essential to ensure effectiveimmobilization of bioreceptors, thereby improving the sensitivity and reproducibility of biosensors. Althoughnotable progress has been made in fabricating graphene-based biosensors, the effects of surface biofunctionalization on sensing performance remain not fully understood. This study shows that combining threedimensional (3D) graphene foam electrodes with a straightforward, single-step surface biofunctionalizationmethod is key to enhancing the performance of graphene-based biosensors. Specifically, it presents a single-stepapproach to functionalize the 3D graphene foam (Gii-Sens) with 1-pyrenebutyric acid N-hydroxysuccinimideester (Pyrene-NHS ester). Electrochemical techniques, including cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulsevoltammetry (DPV), confirmed …

From Predictions To Explanations: Explainable Ai For Autism Diagnosis And Identification Of Critical Brain Regions: 18th International Joint Conference, Biostec 2025, Kush Gupta, Amir Aly, Emmanuel Ifeachor, Rohit Shankar

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmentalcondition characterized by atypical brain maturation. However, the adaptationof transfer learning paradigms in machine learning for ASD researchremains notably limited. In this study, we propose a computeraideddiagnostic framework with two modules. This chapter presents atwo-module framework combining deep learning and explainable AI forASD diagnosis. The first module leverages a deep learning model finetunedthrough cross-domain transfer learning for ASD classification. Thesecond module focuses on interpreting the model’s decisions and identifyingcritical brain regions. To achieve this, we employed three explainableAI (XAI) techniques: saliency mapping, Gradient-weighted Class ActivationMapping, and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analysis.This framework demonstrates that …

Biocompatibility Of Silver And Hydroxyapatite Antimicrobial Nanocoatings On Titanium Alloy Dental Implants With Human Gingival Fibroblasts, S Morgan, R D Handy, V M Salih, R N Salaie, C J Tredwin, A Besinis

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

OBJECTIVES: Peri-implantitis compromises soft and hard tissues around dental implants, often leading to implant failure. Antibacterial nanocoatings offer a promising infection control strategy, but maintaining biocompatibility is essential. This study investigated, through a range of assays and analytical techniques, the biocompatibility of antimicrobial silver and hydroxyapatite (HA) nanocoatings applied to titanium implants with human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs).

METHODS: Silver and hydroxyapatite nanocoatings were applied to the surface of titanium alloy specimens using electroplating, deposition and sintering techniques. The biocompatibility of the nanocoatings with HGFs was assessed by measuring cell metabolic activity (alamarBlue), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, collagen production (Sircol assay), …

Heat Transfer From A Partially Buried Circular Cylinder In Oscillatory Flow, H. Thomas, R. Stuhlmeier, A. G.L. Borthwick, S. Michele

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

With the growing abundance of man-made cylindrical structures located on or close to the seabed, it is important to be able to assess their potential environmental impact. Herein, a model is presented of the viscous-thermal boundary layer in the vicinity of a circular cylinder resting on, or partially buried in, an otherwise flat seabed. To model the influence of wave-induced motions near such a cylinder, we assume oscillatory flow in which the water particle displacements are small with respect to the cylinder radius. A perturbation expansion is utilised to derive solutions of the boundary layer equations, leading to analytical solutions …

Diagnosing Long-Term Divergence In Build Back Better Outcomes In Low- And Lower-Middle-Income Communities, E. A. Opabola, M. Baiguera, A. Raby, T. Rossetto, A. Pomonis, E. Meilianda, Y. Idris, S. Nurdin, K. Adams, D. J. Mcgovern, N. Acikgoz, H. Mistry, F. Marafini

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Low-income communities in disaster-prone regions face persistent challenges in translating post-disaster recovery investments into sustained resilience, as they navigate trade-offs among engineering objectives, policy constraints, and evolving socio-economic needs. Despite the widespread adoption of Build Back Better (BBB) principles, evidence on the long-term sustainability of outcomes remains limited, particularly in low- and lower-middle-income contexts. This study examines the sustainability of BBB outcomes in two Indonesian case studies: Banda Aceh (approximately 18 years after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami) and Central Sulawesi (approximately 4 years after the 2018 earthquake, liquefaction, and tsunami). Drawing on structured housing assessments, household surveys, semi-structured interviews, …

Fundamentals Of Speech, Steelman Library, David Yates

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.

Fundamentals Of Speech, Steelman Library, David Yates

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.