Maryland Shared Open Access Repository

MD-SOAR is a shared digital repository platform for twelve colleges and universities in Maryland. It is currently funded by the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions (USMAI) Library Consortium (usmai.org) and other participating partner institutions. MD-SOAR is jointly governed by all participating libraries, who have agreed to share policies and practices that are necessary and appropriate for the shared platform. Within this broad framework, each library provides customized repository services and collections that meet local institutional needs. Please follow the links below to learn more about each library's repository services and collections.

 

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Recent Submissions

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Applying Social Community Identity and Spatial Theory to Extend Our Understanding of Ala al-Din Khammas: The Warrior-Scholar Who Trained Saddam Hussein’s Military Leaders
(2025-03-15) Youssef Aboul-Enein; Campion, Corey; Organizational Leadership; Organzational Leadership
Ala’ al-Din Khammas is unique among Saddam Hussein’s generals interviewed in 2009 by U.S. military officials for his prolific publications produced while in Iraq’s military and after his retirement. His military manuals developed during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) and distributed to Iraq’s field commanders, would be instrumental in stabilizing the southern Basra front. Khammas’ is also rare among Saddam’s officers for his effort to introduce American military works to Iraqi military officers. This study investigates Khammas’ intellectual imprint on Iraqi officers that would later confront American forces in Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom. This qualitative interpretive study critically examines Khammas’ magnum opus, The Arab Art of War (1999) which argues that Arabs have their own distinct art of war worthy of careful study developed in the 7th century. It experiments with identity and spatial relationship theories of Anderson (2016), and Tuan (1990) as frameworks in a novel approach to military analysis and expands our understanding of Khammas himself and his argument of a distinct Arab art of war. Applying these theoretical frameworks make up for Khammas intense focus on battlefield tactics and identifies two overarching principles embedded throughout his work, the use of extreme contrasts in terrain and how a changing Arab identity enabled a 7th century hybrid combination of tribal and conventional war that can be called a distinct all-encompassing Arab art of war.
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Affirmative Action is a Successful Policy for Diversity in College Graduation
(Syracuse University, 2023-06-07) Lutz, Amy; Bennett, Pamela R.; Wang, Rebecca
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PhysiFi: WiFi Sensing for Monitoring Therapeutic Robotic Systems
(2025) Akpabio, Wonder; Bulut, Eyuphan
Patients recovering from limb-impairing strokes require consistent and precise physical therapy (PT) to regain mobility and functionality. Autonomous rehabilitation robots are increasingly adopted during recovery, offering a scalable solution to reduce the burden on physical therapists while assisting patients in performing prescribed exercises accurately. However, the effectiveness of these treatments often relies on professional supervision to ensure patients follow the robot’s movements properly, which could be challenging considering the ongoing shortage of physical therapists. Current PT monitoring systems primarily rely on camera-based technologies, which usually raise concerns due to potential privacy violations and high deployment costs, or wearable devices that are intrusive and uncomfortable for patients. To address these limitations, we propose PhysiFi, a novel approach that leverages ubiquitous WiFi signals available in most indoor environments, such as homes, rehabilitation centers, and assisted living facilities. By analyzing Channel State Information (CSI) from ambient WiFi signals and employing deep learning models, PhysiFi can track and recognize exercises performed by patients with rehabilitation robots. Our experiments demonstrate that PhysiFi can accurately identify prescribed exercises and evaluate whether patients are following the robot’s movements correctly, providing a non-intrusive, privacy-preserving, and costeffective alternative for monitoring physical therapy sessions.
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I Hate the News Feb 4
(I Hate Politics Podcast, 2025-02-04) Dasgupta, Sunil
The weekly news analysis from I Hate Politics: As the Trump Administration moves to fulfill the new president’s campaign promises, fear and loathing spreads in the Washington DC region. State and local governments run business as usual as they wait. Internal consolidation may be the best preparation but housing shows how difficult it is to find consensus. Bills to stop rent collusion among landlords using digital platforms, prevent district court commissioners from issuing peace orders and warrants, and limit cell phone use in classrooms. 1920s music by the Benson Orchestra of Chicago, the Paul Whiteman band, Carl Fenton, and Jan Garber.
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18-Hour Neighbhoods in the DC Area
(I Hate Politics Podcast, 2025-02-07) Dasgupta, Sunil; Schneider
Urban and transit planner, data analyst, app-maker, and recently former USDOT official David Schneider created the concept of an 18-hour neighborhood to measure the vibrancy of urban life using retail around transit stations. Sunil Dasgupta talks with Schneider about his methodology, how he applied it to the Washington DC region, and the implications of his research. At dmvtransittourism.com. Music by Washington art-pop rock band Catscan!