Digital Commons Network^™

Final 2022 Unreclaimed Sites Sampling: Ur-20 Site Evaluation Summary Report, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Final 2022 Insufficiently Reclaimed Sites Sampling: Bres No. 37 – Josephine Shaft Site Evaluation Summary Report, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

The Gains Do Not Make Up For The Losses: A Comprehensive Evaluation For Safety Alignment Of Large Language Models Via Machine Unlearning, Weixiang Zhao, Yulin Hu, Xingyu Sui, Zhuojun Li, Yang Deng, Yanyan Zhao, Bing Qin, Wanxiang Che

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Machine Unlearning (MU) has emerged as a promising technique for aligning large language models (LLMs) with safety requirements to steer them forgetting specific harmful contents. Despite the significant progress in previous studies, we argue that the current evaluation criteria, which solely focus on safety evaluation, are actually impractical and biased, leading to concerns about the true effectiveness of MU techniques. To address this, we propose to comprehensively evaluate LLMs after MU from three aspects: safety, over-safety, and general utility. Specifically, a novel benchmark MuBench with 18 related datasets is first constructed, where the safety is measured with both vanilla harmful …

How Consistent Friendlike Conversation With Ai Companions Influences Our Attitudes And Perceptions Toward Ai: An Exploratory Experiment, Qi Hui Jerlyn Ho, Meilan Hu, Adalia Yin Hui Goh, Emma Jane Pragasam, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Despite skepticism and distrust in artificial intelligence (AI), it is increasingly integrated into daily life, with its potential benefits drawing interest. Yet little is known about the attitudinal and psychological effects of human–AI interactions, and whether consistent interactions with AI chatbots can change users’ attitudes and perceptions. Our within-subjects experiment (N = 52) investigated how five days of socially oriented, friendlike interactions with an AI chatbot, versus a journaling control, influenced changes in attitudes and perceptions of AI. Participants’ attitudes towards AI, trust, perceived empathy, anthropomorphism, animacy, likeability, perceived intelligence and safety, dependency, and exploratory well-being indicators were recorded. Results …

Final 2022 Unreclaimed Sites Sampling: Ur-12 Site Evaluation Summary Report, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Final 2022 Unreclaimed Sites Sampling: Ur-28 Site Evaluation Summary Reportfinal 2022 Unreclaimed Sites Sampling: Ur-28 Site Evaluation Summary Report, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Efficient Privacy-Preserving Conjunctive Searchable Encryption For Cloud-Iot Healthcare Systems, Jiadi Ma, Tianqi Peng, Gong Bei, Muhammad Waqas, Hisham Alasmary, Sheng Chen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

In cloud-Internet of Things (IoT) healthcare systems, private medical data leakage is a serious concern as the cloud server is not fully trusted. Dynamic searchable symmetric encryption (DSSE), with necessary forward and backward privacy security properties, enables doctors to retrieve ciphertexts while guaranteeing data privacy. However, existing forward and backward private DSSE schemes are not well-suited for cloud-IoT healthcare systems with attribute-value type databases. To this end, we propose an efficient privacy-preserving conjunctive searchable encryption scheme for cloud-IoT healthcare systems, called PC-SE. It is the first conjunctive DSSE scheme designed for attribute-value type databases. Specifically, we design flexible search capabilities …

Nightmare In The Library, Charles A. Coppin

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Students of real analysis and calculus find that the completeness property of the real numbers is difficult to understand, especially, its importance. The word numbers denote real numbers throughout this piece. After all, the real numbers are not any less imaginary than the so-called imaginary numbers. Although, sometimes, it does gain some mention in calculus courses, its presence as a topic is a mere will-o’-the-wisp of bygone days when teachers would often reach deep into the big ideas of calculus as a mainstay of their courses. For the sake of cultural literacy and the development of mathematical maturity, we believe …

The Tool/Weapon Duality Of Mathematics, Alexandre Borovik

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This paper outlines the principal moral and ethical issues of mathematics and existential choices a mathematician may face in his professional life. My text is a manifesto; it is a list of declarations rather than a systematic development of the theme. Indeed each section could be expanded into a paper on its own. I hope to write fairly soon a more detailed exposition.

How (And Why) To Start A Math Circle At The County Jail, Aram Bingham

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Math circles are a common form of outreach usually run by professional mathematicians as enrichment for K-12 students or teachers. As a setting to stimulate interest and develop positive socialization around mathematical practice, a regular math circle can also be an effective bridge to higher education in carceral settings for both facilitators and participants. This article describes my journey through starting and running math circles in county jails, with a view towards the expansion of mathematics education as another tool for the dismantling of mass incarceration.

Gold And Silver In Balance: Khayyam’S Mathematical Analysis Of Binary Alloys, Yousef Yassi, Reza Yassi

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

The history of titration dates back to Archimedes who established that an object submerged in a liquid displaces an amount of liquid whose weight is equal to the buoyant force acting on the object. Since then, many scientists and engineers have tried to optimize his approach or devise new instruments for titration purposes. Omar Khayyam (1048–1123), in addition to designing a hydro-static balance, developed mathematical approaches for titration of binary alloys, that is, alloys made up of only two elements. Here we explore the different versions of Khayyam’s work on titration given by various sources. We also compare the accuracy …

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, …

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 …

Multifunctional Green Wall Systems For Greywater Treatment And Hygrothermal Regulation In Egypt, Laila Ossama Mohamed Elhusseiny Abdelsalam

Theses and Dissertations

Increasing environmental concerns regarding climate change and the intensifying challenge of water scarcity in Egypt necessitate the development of innovative, sustainable, and resource-efficient strategies for wastewater reuse. In the built environment, greywater constitutes a significant, relatively low-contaminant wastewater stream that, if treated to comply with Egyptian Codes and relevant international standards, can be safely reused for non-potable applications such as irrigation, landscaping, and building services. This research investigates the efficacy of an integrated green wall panel system, installed on building façades, for decentralized greywater treatment under Egypt’s climatic and environmental conditions, while simultaneously enhancing hygrothermal performance to reduce building energy …

Estimasi Proporsi Pekerja Anak Pulau Maluku & Papua: Pendekatan Small Area Estimation Hierarchical Bayes Distribusi Beta, Apriani Sofiana, Fauzana Afininnas, Fachrol Mochti, Angga Prayoga, Shafira Husna, Nofita Istiana

Jurnal Ekonomi Kependudukan dan Keluarga

Pekerja anak merupakan isu krusial yang memerlukan penanganan segera untuk mendukung pencapaian target pembangunan global. Pengentasan isu ini menuntut ketersediaan data yang akurat hingga wilayah kecil guna mendukung perumusan kebijakan yang tepat sasaran. Penelitian ini bertujuan menduga proporsi pekerja anak usia 5–17 tahun di kabupaten/kota Pulau Maluku dan Papua tahun 2024 menggunakan metode Small Area Estimation (SAE) Hierarchical Bayes (HB) distribusi Beta. Lima variabel penyerta dari PODES dan regsosek dipilih melalui stepwise regression dan dieksplorasi secara spasial. Hasil pemodelan HB Beta Pulau Maluku dan Papua menunjukkan sebagian besar wilayah masih memiliki RSE tinggi. Untuk meningkatkan presisi, dilakukan klasterisasi wilayah sebelum …

A Virtual-Reality-Based Dental Simulator For Endodontics With Automated Formative Feedback, Yousef Salah Abo El Ela

Theses and Dissertations

Advancements in virtual reality (VR) and haptic technology are transforming the landscape of medical and dental education, offering new avenues for safe, immersive, and repeatable training experiences. Within dentistry, endodontics presents unique challenges for preclinical education due to anatomical complexity, limited access to extracted teeth, ethical concerns, and the shortcomings of conventional plastic models. Despite endodontics specific plastic teeth being available, they fall short of replicating the hardness of real extracted teeth, are relatively costly compared to generic plastic teeth, and are ultimately a disposable item which makes them inadequate as a sustainable long-term solution. Extracted teeth do a much …

Novel R Shiny Tool For Survival Analysis With Time-Varying Covariate In Oncology Studies: Overcoming Biases And Enhancing Collaboration, Yimei Li, Yang Qiao, Fei Gao, Jordan Gauthier, Qiang Ed Zhang, Jenna Voutsinas, Wendy Leisenring, Ted Gooley, Corinne Summers, Alexandre Hirayama, Cameron Turtle, Rebecca Gardner, Jarcy Zee, Qian Vicky Wu

Wills Eye Hospital Papers

PURPOSE: Our study is motivated by evaluating the role of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) after chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy for ALL, a debated topic. Because patients may receive HCT at different times after CAR-T infusion or never, HCT post-CAR-T should be considered as a time-varying covariate (TVC).

METHODS: Standard Cox models and Kaplan-Meier (KM) curves (naïve method) assume that TVC status is known and fixed at baseline, which can yield biased estimates. Landmark analysis is a popular alternative but depends on a chosen landmark time. Time-dependent (TD) Cox model is better suited for TVC although visualizing survival curves …

A Systematic Literature Review On The Influence Of The El Niño Southern Oscillation On Rainfall Variability In Central Java, Indonesia, Sri Endah Ardhi Ningrum Abdullah, Trinah Wati, Wahyu Hardyanto

Jurnal Pendidikan Geografi: Kajian, Teori, dan Praktek dalam Bidang Pendidikan dan Ilmu Geografi

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon greatly influences rainfall variability in tropical regions, including Central Java, Indonesia. This study employs a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) approach in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. This study examines 50 articles from 2010 to 2025, as well as conducting a bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer, to identify trends and the evolution of themes. The results of the study indicate that El Niño generally reduces rainfall and increases the risk of drought, while La Niña tends to increase rainfall, potentially causing flooding. The impacts of ENSO extend to agriculture, food security, and water management, and are …

Use Of Electrocardiograms To Identify Coronary Artery Disease: Cross-Validation Of An Artificial Intelligence Model, Michael Leasure, Indu Poornima, Adam Butchy, Utkars Jain, Devin Vasoya, Michael Warnick, Brent Williams, John Rehder, Prahlad Menon, Veronica A. Covalesky, Gary S. Mintz

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: The current gold standard for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD) is invasive angiography; however, it is an invasive procedure. Therefore, we developed an artificial intelligence model designed to predict significant CAD from a resting digital 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG).

OBJECTIVES: This retrospective study assessed the model's ability to predict clinically significant CAD in a patient population presenting for coronary angiography.

METHODS: From 2019 to 2021, 16,476 patients had a resting 12-lead digital ECG recorded within 90 days prior to coronary angiography. The artificial intelligence model was developed using 10-fold cross-validation methodology. Clinically significant disease was defined as angiographic …

Artificial Intelligence In Higher Education, Opportunities, And Challenges: A Review, Sharifa Alblooshi

All Works

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a growing force of change in higher education, providing assistance to students, teachers, and administrators in teaching, learning, and administration. As AI technologies advance rapidly, they present a combination of significant opportunities and complex challenges. In this study, we examine the role of AI in higher education, highlighting both its positive and negative impacts, as well as current policy gaps and issues arising from its deployment. The literature on the topic was reviewed to determine how AI decisively impacts teaching and learning, the role of AI in assessments and academic integrity, as well as ethics, psychological …

Interpretable Linear Models For Heart Disease Prediction: A Comparative Study, Dipok Deb, Emran Hossain

Data Science and Data Mining

Heart disease remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide, underscoring the importance of accurate and transparent methods for early diagnosis. While many machine learning and artificial intelligence models have demonstrated strong predictive performance, their limited interpretability poses challenges for clinical adoption. In this study, we evaluate three interpretable linear classification models—Generalized Linear Model (GLM) logistic regression, L1-regularized (Lasso) logistic regression, and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA)—for heart disease prediction using the Cleveland Heart Disease dataset. Following comprehensive data preprocessing, the models are assessed on a held-out test set using standard evaluation metrics, including accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score, and the area under …

Patient-Specific Lumped-Parameter Model For Quantifying Vessel-Specific Remodeling And Predicting Right Ventricular Function In Pulmonary Hypertension, Christopher G. Lechuga, Amirreza Kachabi, Mitchel J. Colebank, Claudia E. Korcarz, Farhan Raza

Faculty Publications

Purpose: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a heterogeneous disease with patient-specific variability and vessel-specific remodeling, which eventually lead to right ventricular (RV) failure. The gold standard for RV assessment—pressure–volume (PV) loop acquisition—is invasive and limited to specialized settings. This study aims to develop a patient-specific lumped-parameter model that quantifies vessel-specific remodeling and simulates RV PV loops across PH phenotypes using routine clinical data.

Methods: A lumped-parameter model was calibrated using right heart catheterization and echocardiography data. Model agreement was assessed by R2 values for pressure and flow goodness-of-fit, and model-derived hemodynamic metrics were comparedwith clinical values. A dimensionality reduction approach was …

From Latent Manifolds To Targeted Molecular Probes: An Interpretable, Kinome-Scale Generative Machine Learning Framework For Family-Based Kinase Ligand Design, Gennady M. Verkhivker, Ryan Kassab, Keerthi Krishnan

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Scaffold-aware artificial intelligence (AI) models enable systematic exploration of chemical space conditioned on protein-interacting ligands, yet the representational principles governing their behavior remain poorly understood. The computational representation of structurally complex kinase small molecules remains a formidable challenge due to the high conservation of ATP active site architecture across the kinome and the topological complexity of structural scaffolds in current generative AI frameworks. In this study, we present a diagnostic, modular and chemistry-first generative framework for design of targeted SRC kinase ligands by integrating ChemVAE-based latent space modeling, a chemically interpretable structural similarity metric (Kinase Likelihood Score), Bayesian optimization, and …

Clustering Of Temporal And Visual Data: Recent Advancements, Priyanka Mudgal

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Clustering plays a central role in uncovering latent structure within both temporal and visual data. It enables critical insights in various domains including healthcare, finance, surveillance, autonomous systems, and many more. With the growing volume and complexity of time-series and image-based datasets, there is an increasing demand for robust, flexible, and scalable clustering algorithms. Although these modalities differ—time-series being inherently sequential and vision data being spatial—they exhibit common challenges such as high dimensionality, noise, variability in alignment and scale, and the need for interpretable groupings. This survey presents a comprehensive review of recent advancements in clustering methods that are adaptable …

Handling Missing Data In Copd Research, Chia-Ying Chiu

ETDs from 2020-2029

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) remains a major global health concern and one of the leading causes of death in the United States, affecting approximately 4.6% of adults and reaching a prevalence of 9.4% in Alabama according to 2024 National Health Interview Survey. The disease imposes a substantial burden on quality of life and healthcare costs and contributes to increased disability-adjusted life years and years of life lost, as highlighted by the 2022 Lancet Commission report. Despite its im-pact, COPD is frequently diagnosed only after irreversible lung damage has occurred, largely due to under-recognized symptoms and limited diagnostic tools. Early …

Development Of Salinomycin Analogs As Potential Anti-Cancer Agents, Pavan Goud Juluri

Theses and Dissertations

Salinomycin, a poly-ionophore antibiotic originally isolated from Streptomyces albus, exhibits antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria. Over the years Salinomycin has been studied in the effects it has on cancer, specifically cancer stem cells. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) is an enzyme involved in DNA repair. Inhibiting PARP has been explored as a strategy in cancer treatment, particularly in cancers with defective DNA repair mechanisms, such as those with BRCA mutations. The benzo-thiazoles, and -imidazoles are identified as inhibitor scaffolds, which compete with nicotinamide in the binding pocket of human poly- and mono-ADP-ribosylating enzymes. Benzothiazole, and benzimidazole based compounds particularly with modification at …

Assessing Urban Flooding And Vegetation Impact In Dubai Creek Following The April 2024 Extreme Rainfall, Dana Alhammadi, Xin Hong

All Works

During April 2024, the United Arab Emirates experienced an unusual phenomenon of an intense rainfall episode between April 14 and 18 that resulted in massive flooding in urban environments, particularly low-lying areas such as Dubai Creek. As a tidal waterway with dense urban development and environmentally sensitive zones surrounding it, Dubai Creek is an ideal site for assessing environmental changes caused by to floods. The study employed pre-flood (14 April) and post-flood (18 April) high-resolution PlanetScope satellite images, in combination with QGIS analysis, to evaluate vegetation health and surface water changes. Quantification of affected areas from flooding was achieved through …

Investigation Of The Phase Space Of Tungsten Oxides Nanostructures Via Resistive Hot Wire Oxidation For Efficient Electrochemical Energy Storage And Conversion Applications., Krishna Kc

Theses and Dissertations

The synthesis of tungsten oxide (WO3−δ, 0 ≤ δ ≤ 1) nanostructures with controlled phase and morphology remains a significant challenge, particularly for applications in energy conversion and storage. This dissertation presents an eco-friendly and time-efficient method for synthesizing tungsten oxide nanostructures with tailored stoichiometry and crystal phases through the Resistive Hot Wire Oxidation (RHWO) technique. In this method, a tungsten wire is heated via resistive heating in an oxygen environment, and by precisely controlling the growth conditions, we successfully synthesized WO2.72, WO2.76, WO2.80, WO2.83, WO2.90, and WO2.98 phases with controlled morphologies using simple instrumentation. This approach eliminates the need …

Mapping Post-Rainfall Recovery In Arid Regions Using A Hierarchical U-Net, Xin Hong

All Works

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) experienced an extreme rainfall event between April 15 and 17, 2024, and that resulted in severe flooding in its coastal regions. Dubai was among the most affected regions. This study applies a hierarchical deep learning model on PlanetScope imagery to detect flood inundation, quantify flood extent by land cover, and examine short-term recovery dynamics. While earlier work detailed the methodological development of a hierarchical U-Net model (Hong et al., in press), here we emphasize its application for monitoring resilience trajectories in an arid urban environment. Results show that approximately 22 km² of land was …

Mapping Urban Vegetation Changes Using Planetscope Imagery And Gis: A Case Study Of The 2024 Dubai Flood, Sumayya Almansoori, Xin Hong

All Works

In April 2024, unexpected heavy rainfall triggered one of the most severe flooding events in Dubai’s recent history, causing widespread concern for urban infrastructure and green spaces. This study evaluates the flood’s impact on urban vegetation in South Dubai using high-resolution PlanetScope satellite imagery and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Vegetation conditions before and after the flood (April 14 and April 18–19, 2024) were quantified and compared using NDVI analysis within QGIS to assess changes in vegetation health and coverage. Results indicate significant declines in vegetation health in areas dominated by intensive turf management, such as Damac Hills and …