Adaptive Refuge: Reimagining Biophilic Settlements For Sudanese Refugees In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Neeya Yahaya, Robin Pottock

Symposium of Student Scholars

Every day, thousands of people are forced to flee their homes escaping war, disaster, and instability. What begins as a temporary refuge often becomes a lifetime condition. In Ethiopia, over 4.6 million refugees live within this state of protracted displacement, with more than one-fourth arriving from Sudan after the 2023 conflict. Most remain in remote, rural camps along border regions far from the educational, economic, and social opportunities of the city. These spatial and social divides reinforce dependency, limit access to livelihood, and erode personal dignity. Yet proximity to urban infrastructure could offer a pathway toward belonging, participation, and long-term …

Mechanistic Modelling And Parameter Estimation Of Heterogeneous Catalytic Synthesis Of Green Fuel, Rasheed U. Owolabi, Obinna P. Anele, Mohammed A. Usman

Mansoura Engineering Journal

Investigation of the kinetics and mechanistic modelling of biodiesel synthesis through the reaction of castor oil with methanol under catalyzed conditions was carried out in this study. The reaction mechanisms of the Eley-Rideal, Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Hougen-Watson, and Hattori type were employed to identify the rate-determining or controlling step of the reaction. Thirteen rate expressions were developed for reactant adsorption, product desorption, and surface chemical reactions. The experimental data from Sanchez-Cantu et al. were used to validate the models, and the best-fitting model and parameter estimation were evaluated using SAS and MATLAB software. From the results, the Eley-Rideal mechanism with glycerol desorption as …

The Athena Parthenos: A Historiographical Critique Of The History Of The Athena Parthenos, Aubrie Louis

Saint John’s Preparatory School Student Work

This paper analyzes how the Athena Parthenos disappeared and the historical limitations found when trying to learn about how it disappeared. To answer this question, this paper will use 4 theories created for the purpose of looking further into what happened to the Athena Parthenos and how they show the various limitations of our knowledge of history. This paper will look into people who saw the Athena Parthenos and replicas used to learn more about it today. This will stem from its known existence, from before the 1st century CE, into our modern world. Our results showed there is no …

Multicriteria Analysis For Identification Of Potential Urban Green Spaces In Gjakova (Kosova), Eli Binxhija, Edon Maliqi

International Journal of Business and Technology

Green spaces are essential for maintaining the quality of life. Due to rapid urbanization, they are rapidly disappearing in Gjakova. This study aims to automate the process of identifying the suitable areas for future urban green spaces in Gjakova city, considering multiple criteria, including: topographic, environmental and socio-economic. The study has integrated multi-criteria spatial analysis in Geographic Information System (GIS), in order to evaluate the suitability of the site selection of urban green spaces. It combines a number of factors in both data models (vector and raster), such as land use/land cover, elevation, slope, existing green areas, proximity to road, …

Using Artificial Intelligence Applications In Humanizing Temporary Buildings For Workers, Developing Design Standards And Involving Users, Anas Almahmoud, Hatem El Shafie

Mansoura Engineering Journal

This research focuses on artificial intelligence (AI) and its tools for assisting in architectural design and decision-making. It identifies modern AI applications for use in research and design processes, aiming to raise awareness among architects and consulting firms. This is the primary objective of the research. The study also analyzes a mobile temporary worker cabin complex in Riyadh, specifically the metro project, as a case study. The goal is to address its architectural program, improve its design, identifies the necessary design criteria and make it more humane. The core research problem lies in testing the effectiveness of using AI tools …

The Impact Of Infrastructure Construction And Remodeling Of Cities On Its People' Quality Of Life Miraj District-(Madi-Cairo) As A Geological Heritage Area, Ahmed M.E. Hammad

Mansoura Engineering Journal

Rapid urbanization is increasing globally, the urbanization rate expected to rise to more than 66% by 2050. (According to UN estimates) the increasing rates of urbanization in the world means adding 2.5 billion people to the urban population within a short period. Which necessitates increasing the traffic axes and the rest of the networks in terms of lengths and widths within the existing cities, and with the presence of the population during these works - despite their inevitability - the quality of their urban life is affected socially, naturally and economically. the research monitors these effects and the extent of …

Bond Behavior Of Full-Scale Beams Using Sustainable Self-Compacting Concrete, Hayder H. Alghazali, Atheer H.M. Algburi, John J. Myers

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Sustainable concrete is a step towards greener and more eco-friendly concrete construction practices, helping to solve global environmental problems. The present study focuses on the bond behavior between steel reinforcement and greener self-compacting concrete, specifically sustainable self-compacting concrete (SUS-SCC). Three SUS-SCC mixtures with different fly ash (FA) to cement replacement levels of [50, 60, and 70% (by mass)] were developed. Twelve full-scale SUS-SCC beams with a cross-section of (305 x 57) mm and a total length of 3048 mm were cast and tested using a four-point load test setup. The effect of longitudinal and lateral steel reinforcement ratios in the …

Transportation Practitioners' Reflections On Addressing Transportation Barriers For Vulnerable Populations In Nebraska, Aysan Esmaely

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses

This study examines transportation planning practices and challenges in Nebraska, with particular attention to how planners and agencies address the needs of vulnerable populations. Using a qualitative approach, thirty-five transportation planners, practitioners, and service providers were interviewed. Participants were selected based on their professional in transportation planning and service delivery. The study explores what institutional and funding barriers planners and practitioners face, and what strategies they consider most effective for improving access and inclusion. Findings reveal that limited funding, fragmented authority, and the absence of a coordinated regional planning framework significantly constrain transportation development across Nebraska. While metropolitan areas such …

Nonlinear Flow Structures From The Interaction Of Internal Waves With Topography, Matthew R. Klema, S. Karan Venayagamoorthy

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents numerical simulations of the interaction of first-mode internal waves with a topographic edge at the intermediate scale, O (100) m, with a focus on the evolution of flow structures. Flow structure variation and evolution is explored through direct modifications to the amplitude of the internal wave interacting with topographic features of varying wave-topographic slope (g/s), height of the topography to the total domain depth (ht/d), and the wave Froude number (Fr = U0/cph), where g is the internal wave slope, s is the topographic slope, ht is the height of the topography, d is the simulation depth, …

Bridging Conservation And Planning: State Wildlife Action Plans Analyzed Using Wildlife Value Orientation, Ciara Nelson-Forcade

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses

Wildlife conservation in the United States has transitioned from managing resources for human use to prioritizing ecosystem preservation and species protection. However, the ways in which conservation values and attitudes are reflected in state-level policy documents remain insufficiently examined. This thesis investigates how Wildlife Value Orientations (WVO) are expressed within State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs). Using a qualitative content analysis and flexible coding approach, fifteen SWAPs representing all eight U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regions were analyzed to identify conservation themes, value orientations, and structural characteristics such as plan length, departmental budgets, and political context. Findings reveal that most plans …

Evaluating The Preparedness Of Local Zoning Regulations For Flood Risk Reduction In The Most Affected Local Jurisdictions In Nebraska, Md Asaduzzaman Noor

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses

Flooding has profound social, economic, and environmental impacts on local communities, and zoning plays a critical role in mitigating these risks. The 2019 Nebraska floods, among the most severe in the state’s history, highlighted the urgent need to strengthen local preparedness and mitigation strategies. This study assesses the extent to which local zoning regulations in Nebraska’s most affected jurisdiction, including rural areas, address flood risk reduction. A systematic review of 117 zoning ordinances from counties, cities, towns, and villages, we applied a structured analytical framework encompassing regulatory and permitting policies, voluntary and incentive-based measures, and nature-based solutions. The results show …

Bridging Conservation And Disaster Recovery: A Dual Study On Wetland Program Plans Evaluation And Midwest Post Disaster Recovery Assessment, Rao Nargis Jahan

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses

Wetlands provide essential ecological, social, and economic benefits for our society. In the United States, states and tribes play crucial roles in wetland protection, restoration, and management. However, no research has systematically measured state-level wetland planning efforts towards national conservation goals. This study is the first to comprehensively evaluate how state-level Wetland Program Plans (WPPs) align with national missions, particularly the "no-net-loss" of wetlands goal. Our research assesses the EPA-approved state-level WPPs from 42 out of 50 states in the United States during the period from 2015 to 2024. Using a protocol of 30 indicators across five categories, this study …

Flood Resilience Through Working-Land Conservation: Assessment Of Wetland Inundation Dynamics Across Wrp, Wma, Wpa, Padus And Crp Lands In Nebraska (2018–2024), Pranjay Joshi

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses

This study first confirms whether Nebraska’s wetlands are still functioning hydrologically in ways that reduce flood impacts. Wetlands are known to lessen flood damage by storing water, slowing runoff, and moderating peak flows, but these benefits depend on the wetlands’ ability to maintain inundation and saturation through time. Many wetlands across the state have undergone drainage, hydrologic alteration, or isolation from surrounding watersheds, raising uncertainty about their present-day functioning. Using seven years of Sentinel-2 imagery processed in Google Earth Engine, this research establishes a clear, long-term record of inundation patterns across thousands of wetland parcels. This analysis verifies which wetlands …

Changing Perceptions: A Philosophical Exploration Of The Phenomenon Of Light In The Urban Environment, Robin S. Miller

Full-Text Theses & Dissertations

Phenomena are extraordinary (beyond ordinary), exceptional, remarkable, or unexplainable people, events, or things which elicit words such as “wow,” “that’s incredible,” and “oh my goodness.” Within the experience of everyday life, phenomena can produce joy or despair. In the field of philosophy, phenomenon (the singular form of phenomena) is identified as an immediate object of sensation or perception and something which appears, is perceived, or observed through the senses or known cognitively. Light is often the catalyst for phenomenal moments: a flash, a rainbow, the manner with which sun strikes an object at the perfect moment to catch the viewer’s …

Diseño Visual, Identidad De Género Y Diversidad Cultural En La Animación Contemporánea: El Caso De Raya And The Last Dragon, Elisabet Fonts González

GDI. Revista de investigación de Género, Diseño e Innovación

En los últimos años, la animación ha evolucionado hacia representaciones más inclusivas de género y diversidad cultural. Raya and the Last Dragon (López Estrada & Hall, 2021) destaca como un caso significativo de esta transformación, integrando elementos visuales, narrativos y simbólicos que reconfiguran los arquetipos femeninos tradicionales. Este estudio adopta un enfoque cualitativo centrado en el análisis visual, narrativo y simbólico de los personajes Raya, Namaari y Sisu. Basándose en fuentes primarias del proceso creativo y marcos teóricos de la animación y los estudios de género (Furniss, 2017; Lauretis, 1987; Wells, 1998), presta especial atención al diseño de personajes, la …

Colaboración, Discurso Y Técnicas: La Resistencia Simbólica En El Sueño De La Sultana (Isabel Herguera, 2023), Nerea Cuenca-Orellana

GDI. Revista de investigación de Género, Diseño e Innovación

La película El sueño de la sultana (Isabel Herguera, 2023) reinterpreta el cuento utópico homónimo de Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain (1905) realizando una exploración visual que combina animación, archivo y testimonio. El presente trabajo propone un análisis de la obra desde cuatro puntos clave e interrelacionados: la autoría colaborativa y femenina, los discursos visuales, los lenguajes y técnicas, y las formas de resistencia simbólica con el objetivo principal de establecerla como un caso práctico de diseño feminista contemporáneo.

En primer lugar, se examina el proceso de creación de la película como práctica colaborativa transnacional, donde la animación se convierte en un …

Care Starts Before Entering The Clinic – A Holistic Approach To Assessing Primary Care Access At Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Cory E. Hauptman

All Theses

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is the world’s largest military treatment facility and the primary provider of healthcare to the military, their families, and military retirees in the Washington DC area. The federal government is legally bound to provide access to primary healthcare services to Tricare enrollees within a 30-minute travel time of their residences. This time constraint has only been applied to the transit period from a patient’s residence to the base where the care is provided and has not accounted for the time it takes a patient to get to the clinic once they arrive at the …

From Inside The Recording Studio, Mckayla J. Adkison

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This project documents the historical, technical, and creative significance of recording studios through both industry examples and the design and construction of a personal backyard studio. By examining iconic studios such as Abbey Road and Capitol Records, the paper highlights how technological innovation, acoustic engineering, and architectural design have shaped the evolution of recorded music. These concepts are then applied to the planning and construction of a custom-built recording studio, emphasizing room dimensions, sound isolation techniques, acoustic treatment, lighting, and sustainable design choices. In addition, the project addresses the importance of aesthetics and emotional comfort in creating a space that …

Large-Scale Experimental Study On The Impact Of Air Cleaning & Ventilation On Indoor Air Quality And Student Illness-Related Absenteeism, Daud Nosham

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This large-scale randomized experimental field study investigated the effect of portable air purifiers (PAPs) on classroom’s air quality and student’s illness related absenteeism. PAPs were installed in 317 classrooms from various school districts located in Eastern Nebraska. The classrooms were randomly assigned into four conditions: three treatment conditions (T1, T2 & T3) and one control condition (device without any filter). T1 was equipped with HEPA filters, T2 added Activated Carbon (AC) layer to HEPA, and T3 further integrated Germicidal Ultraviolet (GUV) alongside HEPA and AC filters. The measured variables were carbon dioxide (CO2), fine particles (PN2.5) and coarse particles (PNcoarse), …

Rapid State-Of-Health Estimation Of Batteries Using Machine Learning With Limited Eearly-Discharge Voltage Data, Mohammad Bakhtiari

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The utilization of lithium-ion batteries has been rapidly expanding across diverse sectors, including electric transportation, stationary energy storage systems, and the built environment. Ensuring a high level of reliability in these applications is essential, as the performance and safety of such systems depend strongly on the accurate assessment of the battery’s State of Health (SOH). Conventional SOH estimation techniques—often based on complex electrochemical models or extensive laboratory testing—tend to require a large number of measurements, advanced instrumentation, and high computational cost. These factors make them impractical for large-scale deployment or real-time monitoring. This study introduces a simplified machine-learning-based approach for …

Elena Asins Y Las Afueras Del Canon: Animación Computacional Y Resistencia, Maria Mar Garrido Román

GDI. Revista de investigación de Género, Diseño e Innovación

Este artículo examina las animaciones generadas por ordenador producidas por Elena Asins, analizando cómo su práctica artística moviliza el pensamiento lógico-matemático, la programación y la experimentación visual. A través de una revisión de su metodología, contexto de producción y resultados formales, el estudio explora la incorporación de procesos algorítmicos en su obra, que generan imágenes con extensión temporal y la consolidan como una figura clave en la historia del arte digital y la animación experimental en España.

La investigación se basa en el análisis de fuentes primarias y, con el objetivo de situar su producción en un marco internacional, establece …

Una Animación Propia. Discurso Emancipador Desde El Cine De Animación Independiente, Elisa Martínez, Damià Jordà

GDI. Revista de investigación de Género, Diseño e Innovación

Introducción: A pesar de la temprana incorporación de las mujeres a la industria de la animación, sus roles fueron históricamente relegados a labores mecánicas, limitando su capacidad de decisión creativa. Este artículo analiza cómo el cine de animación independiente del siglo XX funcionó como un espacio esencial para las directoras que buscaban un control artístico que permitiera desarrollar discursos emancipadores. Se parte de la hipótesis de que el circuito independiente propició que las animadoras desarrollaran técnicas y narrativas alternativas que rompieron con los cánones plásticos y los preceptos ideológicos dominantes en la industria. Metodología: Mediante una metodología cualitativa, …

Building Roads To Engagement: A Survey Of Post-Secondary Community Engagement Education In Transportation, Meghan E. Kolin

Master's Theses

Community engagement is a critical part of the urban planning process for both academics and practitioners, but transportation planning’s significant technical knowledge requirements and focus on special interest groups make such engagement difficult. As such, college- and graduate-level transportation planning programs must include significant education about public participation practices. However, little research exists regarding how community engagement is taught in these programs or how well this education prepares students for real-world practice. This research is aimed at filling this gap by answering two questions: first, how transportation-focused post-secondary programs in the United States conduct community engagement education; and second, whether …

Building Services Engineering November/December 2025

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Spatial Strategies For Restoring Native Biodiversity And Connectivity In Managed Landscapes Of The Upper Clutha Basin, New Zealand, Jessica Zuban

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Across New Zealand and around the world, biodiversity is declining due to the widespread loss and fragmentation of native habitat. This is especially true in agricultural landscapes, where native habitats have been replaced by intensive land use. This research focuses on the Upper Clutha Basin in Central Otago, New Zealand that has been significantly altered over time by farming, development, and other human activities. As a result, only a small amount of native vegetation remains, and the region is well below the critical threshold needed to support healthy ecological systems.

This study investigates how native vegetation can be strategically restored …

Built For Participation: A Set Of Measures For Evaluating Community Living For People Of All Abilities As Supported By The Built Environment, Christopher A. Wilson Ii

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

As the world enters a new era of urban living, it is important to develop cities that allow residents of all ages and abilities to fully participate in society. Integration of people with disabilities into daily community living involves looking beyond site- or product-specific features to community- and city-wide systems. Some tools have been developed to begin evaluating cities’ levels of inclusive social participation and to provide recommendations for city planning professionals. However, the tools that have been developed often are too complex for practical use or rely on data that varies in obtainability. Therefore, the purpose of this series …

Practical Effectiveness Of Large Language Models In Assisting Landscape Architects In Plant Selection, Paul Gardner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming many industries, but its role in landscape architecture remains relatively unexplored. This study examines how AI, specifically GPT-4, can assist landscape architects in selecting plants for projects. By comparing AI-generated plant lists to those that human experts created, the research evaluates Accuracy, Suitability, Availability, Aesthetics, and Professional Usability.

The results show that AI-generated plant lists were highly efficient, accurately matching site conditions and improving plant availability while significantly reducing selection time. However, human expertise was essential for ensuring aesthetic quality and design intent. While AI can serve as a powerful tool for streamlining plant …

The Iron Pyramid: Expanding The Iron Triangle To Integrate Safety As A Fundamental Dimension Of Construction Success, Laura Cooley

All Theses

For more than fifty years, construction project success has been judged by staying on schedule, remaining within budget, and completing the planned scope of work—an approach commonly known as the “Iron Triangle” (Barnes, Ph.D., 2006). While these measures are important, they do not capture the full range of factors that determine whether a project truly succeeds.

This study introduces the “Iron Pyramid” (Cooley, 2025), a model that expands the traditional framework by adding a fourth dimension: safety. Safety is understood not simply as regulatory compliance or the absence of injuries, but as a holistic construct encompassing project culture, leadership practices, …

Evaluating High School Students’ Perceptions About The Construction Industry: Views To Consider And Improve The Inclination Towards A Career In Construction, Radhika Soni

All Theses

The construction industry continues to face a critical workforce shortage, intensified by declining interest among high school students who often hold narrow or negative views of construction careers. This study examines students’ perceptions of the construction industry, the experiences that shape those perceptions, and the factors influencing their likelihood of pursuing construction-related careers. A mixed-methods design was used, consisting of a survey distributed to students in Grades 9–12 across the upstate region of South Carolina. Quantitative analyses included descriptive statistics, Kruskal–Wallis tests, Mann–Whitney U tests, and Spearman correlations, while qualitative responses were examined through thematic analysis.

Findings show that most …

Lstm Network-Based Scheme For Automatic Characterization Of Power Quality Disturbances, Akram Elmitwally, Mohamed Nader

Mansoura Engineering Journal

Recognition of power quality (PQ) troubles is a critical task in the electrical power industry. Most previous works solve the classification problem using separate feature extraction phase and classification phase. Each phase has its own techniques, and consumes a computation time. This study proposes to utilize the long short-term memory (LSTM) network as a deep learning model to classify the PQ events in one shot. The LSTM network uses its particular processing to classify a PQ event signal directly by reading its time-sequence data. Then, a dedicated post-classification algorithm (PCA) extracts start time, end time, duration, amplitude, and total harmonic …