Digital Commons Network^™

Through Legitimate Dissent, The Supreme Court Repairs Itself, Afnaan A. Qureshi

Theses

The decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States, along with its reasoning, influence the direction and scope of historical events. Through an analysis of landmark dissents from four of the worst Supreme Court decisions, Curtis’ dissent in Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), Harlan’s dissent in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), Holmes’ dissent in Abrams v. United States (1919), and Murphy’s dissent in Korematsu v. United States (1944), we can take steps towards catalyzing its self repair by stepping away from digital echo chambers and engaging in legitimate dissent. The four cases marked turning points in the efforts to protect …

A Bert-Resnet Cross-Attention Fusion Network And Modality Utilization Assessment For Multimodal Sentiment Classification, Ronen G. Gold

Theses

This study explores the growing field of Multimodal Sentiment Analysis (MSA), focusing on understanding how advanced fusion techniques can improve sentiment prediction in social media contexts. As platforms like X and TikTok continue to expand and facilitate sharing sentiment through digital media, there is an increasing need for neural network architectures that can accurately interpret sentiment across modalities. We implement a model using BERT for textual features and ResNet for visual features. A cross-attention fusion module aligns the modalities for joint representation. We conduct experiments on the MVSA-Single and MVSA-Multiple datasets, which contain over 5,000 and 17,000 labeled text-image pairs. …

Investigating The Relationship Between Cellular Senescence And Pulmonary Fibrosis, Crystal Lee

Theses

This study investigates the complex relationship between cellular senescence, aging, and pulmonary fibrosis through a comprehensive analysis of bulk RNA-seq data from patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and scleroderma. Using differential expression (DE) and age-associated differential expression (AADE) analyses, we revealed a paradoxical pattern: senescence-related gene sets were significantly downregulated in disease comparisons but progressively upregulated with aging within these same diseases. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) revealed that gene sets associated with DNA damage/telomere stress and oxidative stress were among the most enriched senescence inducers in fibrotic disease states, while cellular senescence and …

Under The Mask: Labeling And Self-Perception In Augmented Reality, Ruiyuan Guo

Theses

Under the Mask is a speculative AR experience that critically explores how social labels shape both perception and self-perception in everyday life. The project reimagines augmented reality not as a technological novelty, but as a conceptual mirror—a way to visualize how identity is continuously negotiated in social space. Users interact with two distinct labeling functions: when they assign a tag to themselves, it becomes visible to everyone, symbolizing the ways in which self-identification enters public discourse. In contrast, when users label others, those tags remain private—visible only to the individual user—highlighting how our assumptions primarily influence our own vision, not …

Bodies Unseen: Hysteria’S Stain On Women’S Healthcare, Layla Dehrab

Theses

Bodies Unseen is a 5-minute motion graphics piece accompanied by a 12-page zine that explores the historical and ongoing dismissal of women’s pain within the medical system, rooted in the legacy of hysteria. Through the fictionalized stories of Ada, Rosa, and Mabel-women from different time periods who face misdiagnosis and neglect, the project illustrates the persistent gender bias in healthcare. Drawing from historical records, feminist theory, and contemporary research on medical inequity, this work connects past injustices to modern-day disparities in diagnosis and treatment. The animation and zine work in tandem to educate viewers and encourage dialogue about the systemic …

Ai Emotional Companion App, Ruyi Liu

Theses

"Lumi" is an AI emotional companion app designed to provide personalized, immersive, and emotionally supportive experiences. The project explores how customizable virtual characters can fulfill the growing emotional and social needs of users through multimodal interaction, intimacy-building systems, and gamified engagement. By combining user interviews, competitive analysis, and iterative prototyping, this thesis investigates how design strategies can strengthen the user’s emotional bond with an AI character. The final product presents a flexible platform where users can create unique AI companions, interact in diverse ways, and develop lasting emotional connections. This work contributes to the field of emotional UX and digital …

Sales Opportunities Lead Qualification In B2b Market, Hajar Hussain Ahli

Theses

This thesis addresses the challenge of inefficient lead qualification in the business-to-business (B2B) market by applying machine learning techniques to predict the likelihood of winning a sales opportunity. Using a real-world dataset of over 78,000 records and 17 variables, the study aims to improve how sales teams identify and prioritize high-conversion leads. A thorough data preparation process was conducted, including handling of missing values, outlier detection, and under-sampling to resolve class imbalance between won and lost opportunities. After thorough data cleaning, preprocessing, and under-sampling to address class imbalance, five machine learning models were developed: Logistic Regression, Random Forest, Neural Network, …

Intellimad: A Framework For Secure Machine Learning Models Evaluation And Fine-Tuning In Federated Setting, Dmitrii Korobeinikov

Theses

In contemporary artificial intelligence (AI) appli- cations, Machine Learning (ML) models are core components enabling AI-driven functionalities, yet selecting and fine-tuning a model and its hyperparameters remains challenging. ML model architecture, as well as key model training parameters, such as the number of training epochs, batch size, and learning rate, are highly dependent on both the dataset modalities and the specific task resolved in a particular application. More sophisticated execution setups may require determination of additional environment-related parameters, such as identifica- tion of computational capabilities required for execution of a particular AI-driven task, or discovery and establishment of desired security-related …

Predicting The Probability Of Crime Related Danger In Los Angeles, Joshua Oghenetega Okpako

Theses

This thesis examines the use of advanced machine learning to predict crime danger in Los Angeles, where 2023 violent crime rates (503 per 100,000) surpass the national average (363.8 per 100,000). Rooted in theories like social disorganization and victim vulnerability, it addresses the lack of combined victim-centric modeling by focusing on three questions: (1) Do blended ensemble models outperform individual models in predicting crime danger? (2) Can unsupervised learning techniques enhance supervised models’ accuracy through label generation or augmentation? (3) How can we interpret accurate machine learning models' decision-making processes? Using historical crime data from Los Angeles (2020–2025) and various …

Predicting And Forecasting University Rankings In The Uae Using Machine Learning, Fatma Ibrahim Ahmad

Theses

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) play a vital role in advancing knowledge economies, and institutional rankings are increasingly used as global benchmarks of academic performance and reputation. In the context of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), enhancing institutional competitiveness in global rankings aligns with national strategies such as UAE Vision 2030 and the Centennial Plan 2071. This research applies machine learning (ML) techniques to develop predictive models that forecast institutional ranking outcomes, enabling data-driven planning and continuous academic improvement. The study utilizes a dataset compiled from the QS World University Rankings (2020–2024), cross- referenced against the institutional listings maintained by the …

Personalized Nutrition Recommendations For Arab Communities: Transforming Diet And Health Through Machine Learning, Khalfan Aldoobi

Theses

A lack of cultural understanding in traditional nutrition approaches prevents proper adherence to healthy dietary patterns among individuals. The Arab population faces unique challenges due to cultural dietary customs and lifestyle changes that have made obesity and diet illnesses major global public health challenges. The rapid shift to high-calorie but undernourished foods and less physical activity has resulted in alarming rate increases of obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and type 2 diabetes. The lack of cultural understanding in traditional nutrition approaches prevents proper adherence to healthy dietary patterns among individuals. This study focuses to fills the existing gap by applying Artificial Intelligence …

Future Unleashed: Reimagining Marketing Strategies With Future Foresight, Afra Sultan Al Suwaidi

Theses

In today’s fast-paced and dynamic business landscape, marketing plays a crucial role in influencing business strategy and decision-making in an organisation. Marketing not only helps organisations identify and anticipate trends, threats, and opportunities, but also enables them to formulate and implement effective strategies to capitalise on these insights and achieve the organisation’s vision and goals. Future Foresight in marketing empowers organisations to stay ahead of the curve and gain a deeper understanding of the target audience and industry landscape. The evolving nature of marketing driven by advancements in technology, particularly artificial intelligence, machine learning, and digital marketing channels, makes it …

You! Me! Dancing!, Aaron Ickler

Theses

YOU! ME! DANCING! is a 3-piece photo installation consisting of photographs of myself and the Rochester area furry community. YOU! contains 145 medium format slides across two light panels exploring my relation to the masculine aspects of the Furry Fandom through staged studio portraits, intimate looks into furries in their natural habitats, and moments from local meetups. ME! uses large format sheet film layered in acrylic to highlight the change of character of wearing a fursuit, featuring my own custom fursuit. Lastly, DANCING!, is a visually inaccessible 80 image slideshow in which the pace and interval timed start of the …

Lovejoy: Imagination And Community, Julia D'Amico

Theses

Lovejoy is a photographic portrait of memory, imagination and the future of a neighborhood in Buffalo, New York. For nearly a century, my great-grandparents, grandfather, uncles and cousins lived in the house on Goethe Street in Lovejoy. It was once a vibrant working-class community of immigrants from a few towns in Central and Southern Italy. In 2020, I moved back to Buffalo, regularly visiting my elderly relative who still lived there. She died later that same year. Photography, which has long been a form of self-expression for me, was the medium I had at hand when we started to clean …

Embracing Unpredictability, Stella Huang

Theses

This paper explores the theory and practice of combining unpredictability in life with reverse thinking in modern jewelry design. Traditional jewelry design is often based on fixed aesthetics and strict craftsmanship. This study uses three concepts of jewelry design and clothing wear that break the conventions - a silver mask worn on the face, a skirt worn above the head and not touching the human body, and jewelry made of gallium that melts at human body temperature - as cases to analyze how to express the artistic concepts of "change" and "breaking boundaries" by breaking traditional rules and using material …

Informed Practices And Resources For Facilitating Community-Based Writing Groups, Cassandra M. Normand

Journal of Creative Writing Studies

Community-based writing groups have been found to positively impact attendees’ well-being; however, little research examines informed practices that beginning group facilitators can utilize to facilitate groups. This study interviewed 23 professionals from across the U.S. and compiled main themes for effectively facilitating writing groups. The four themes are as follows: 1). Creating a brave, caring atmosphere is key, 2). Networking is critical, 3). There are individual, group, and organizational challenges, 4). Understanding the facilitator’s role is essential. Through an in-depth discussion of themes, the researcher encourages others to start their own writing groups in their communities.

The Dx7 Of Literature? Creative Writing In The Age Of Genai, Laura Valeri

Journal of Creative Writing Studies

Abstract:

This paper examines the impact of artificial intelligence on contemporary literature, focusing on how writers are incorporating AI into their creative processes. Through case studies of avant-garde artists, mainstream literary authors, and genre fiction writers, the study explores various approaches to AI collaboration in writing. The analysis reveals that while AI offers new possibilities for artistic expression, it also presents ethical challenges and potential threats to traditional notions of authorship. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of AI in creative writing education, emphasizing the need for a balanced approach that embraces technological advancements while preserving the human element …

Deconstructing The Cradle Of Literature: An Application Of Pierre Bourdieu’S “Field” Theory To The Studies Of Literary Subjectivity And Local Creative Writing, Gabriel F. Y. Tsang

Journal of Creative Writing Studies

Different from Northrop Frye, who intends to terminate literary discussions by stressing archetypical analysis, Pierre Bourdieu attracts many interdisciplinary attempts upon his scientific methodology. Although he rarely centralizes the internal value of literature, as he did in an exceptional commentary on Guillaume’s poetry by adopting conventional judgments (descriptive, rhetoric, narrative, and stylistic), his sociological delineation of the objective and habitual mechanism of the literary field and the possibility of change oriented by personal dispositions strikingly reveals a new integrative way to understand the dynamic process of literary formation. Adding Merleau-Ponty phenomenology of perception and perspective of communicative externalization to Bourdieu’s …

"Integrating The Seven Stages Of Conocimiento With Nahuatl And Ralámuri Wisdom In Kosmic Feminism: My Creative Writer Identity.", Hilda Yaneth Sotelo Dr

Journal of Creative Writing Studies

This paper explores the intersection of Kosmic Feminism and the seven stages of conocimiento as outlined by Gloria Anzaldúa, integrating Indigenous wisdom from Nahuatl and Ralámuri traditions. It examines how decolonial thought, feminist theory, and creative writing can be transformative tools for personal and communal healing. Drawing on personal experiences rooted in the borderlands of Ciudad Juárez-El Paso and Rarámuri heritage, the author blends Anzaldúa’s framework of conocimiento with Indigenous perspectives to offer a critique of patriarchal systems and a vision of holistic, cosmic resistance. The seven stages of conocimiento—awakening (El Arrebato), liminality (La Nepantla), commitment (El Compromiso), healing (La …

Crip Queer Storytelling: An Intersectional Analysis, Audrey T. Heffers

Journal of Creative Writing Studies

Abstract

Where are queer disabled characters, and how do they avoid tokenization? This particular approach will use the following criteria as its foundation:

1) The story has a character who is both disabled and queer. (This must be explicit in some way and not ambiguously coded within the text, or solely paratextual.)

2) The character is central to the narrative. (If the character were removed, would the story change significantly?)

3) The story can be affected by disability, but (with due respect to making space for such stories) the story isn’t solely/centrally about disability/overcoming ableism.

The hope with these criteria …

Transforming Through Art: Trauma & Domestic Violence, Bridget Provan

Theses

In this thesis, I explored bodily transformation and resilience after trauma through the lens of personal experience with domestic violence. I created sculptural installations using my imagery of bruises, scars, and injuries to convey the ideas of reclamation, healing, and empowerment. The ephemeral quality of natural dyes reflects the impermanence of bruises mirroring the organic journey of recovery. I approach my work from a personal perspective. The sculptural forms serve as fragmented representations of traumatic memory. My artistic practice is deeply tied to materiality and process—choosing natural dyes, textiles referencing care and domestic spaces, sculptural forms derived from personal documentation, …

Mundane, Ordinary And Eerie Undertones, Yixuan Xia

Theses

When people encounter fear and uncertainty, their mental and physical reactions can vary. Drawing from my personal experience and the ‘Uncanny Valley’ theory [2], I explore various materials and juxtapose ordinary elements with unsettling imagery. In this project, I focus on donuts, transforming them by adding surreal details to imbue them with eerie undertones. For example, in one of my works, a delicious-looking donut appears perfectly normal at first glance. When viewers have a close look at the donut, its surface is crawling with worms, creating an unsettling contrast between the familiar and the disturbing. By altering these familiar items, …

Exploring Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Peoples' Perspectives On Tasks In Augmented Reality: Interacting With 3d Objects And Instructional Comprehension, Sanzida Mojib Luna, Jiangnan Xu, Garreth W. Tigwell, Nicolas Lalone, Michael Saker, Alan Chamberlain, David I. Schwartz, Konstantinos Papangelis

Articles

Tasks in augmented reality (AR), such as 3D interaction and instructional comprehension, are often designed for users with uniform sensory abilities. Such an approach, however, can overlook the more nuanced needs of Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) users who might have reduced auditory perception. To better understand these challenges, our study utilized the single-player AR game Angry Birds AR as a probe to explore how 11 DHH participants and 15 hearing participants experienced AR interactions. Our findings highlight that DHH users prefer interaction based on context, effective haptic cues, audio cue substitutes, and clear instructional design. We, therefore, propose …

An Investigation Of Electrical Surface Impact As A Three-Dimensional Low-Energy Defibrillation Method, Rhiannan Ruef

Theses

Ventricular fibrillation is a medical emergency that leaves the heart unable to beat properly, and is fatal within minutes if left untreated. Furthermore, it’s the leading cause of sudden cardiac arrest according to the NIH, killing over 400,000 Americans every year. Previously, we’ve proposed a new low-energy defibrillation method to restore the heart to its normal rhythm during fibrillation. Our method required further investigation due to the presence of several important dynamical processes. In this dissertation, we report the results of these investigations. First, we will present our results related to a novel behavior called “flopping,” which occurs when a …

The Impacts Of Water Lily Invasion And Removal On Wetland Ecosystem Function, Vanessa R. Baker

Theses

Colonization by native and non-native invasive plants is considered a primary reason for the failure of wetland restoration and creation projects. We investigated the impact of invasion and subsequent removal of Nymphaea odorata (white water lily) in two permanently flooded wetlands in Western New York State. Long-term grazer exclusion experiments at these sites demonstrated that selective grazing by herbivores, such as waterfowl, reduced emergent vegetation and overall plant diversity, simultaneously facilitating N. odorata expansion. This interaction ultimately promoted a negative feedback to waterfowl use of the wetlands because of the lack of open water space. To evaluate potential remediation options, …

Intersectional Experiences Of Stem Students With Disabilities, Sandy Heath, Jade Metzger, Tarah Loy-Ashe

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities experience barriers to accessing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers during academic preparation for these careers. This pilot project explored the experiences of postsecondary STEM students who have a disability. The six students interviewed gave their insights into the need to further diversify who has access to STEM careers by describing that cultural and structural barriers posed more of a barrier than the course content during their STEM education. Academic preparation often starts in early childhood education with exposure to STEM topics and continues through postsecondary education. The implications impact both the individual student and society. …

Examining The Influence Of Sports Nutrition Counseling On Collegiate Athletes, Jenelle Leon Saravia

Theses

This study explored the influence of nutrition counseling provided by registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) on collegiate athletes’ dietary behaviors, knowledge, and perceptions of nutrition. A mixed-methods approach was employed, incorporating qualitative interviews with 15 athletes from six sports across four schools. Participants reflected on their counseling experiences, focusing on its impact on their nutritional habits, health, and athletic performance. Quantitative data, including a one-sample t-test on recommendation scores, revealed a mean score of 6.73 (SD = 0.46) on a 7-point scale, indicating consistently high satisfaction with nutrition counseling. Thematic analysis identified five themes: Influence of Counseling, Behavioral Changes, Self-Reported Understanding …

Animating The Mechanism Of Action Of The Novel Glioblastoma Vaccine Survaxm, Sheila Figel

Theses

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a deadly type of malignant brain tumor affecting over 11,000 people in the United States each year. Treatment options for GBM are limited, with the majority of patients receiving surgery and chemoradiation, and surviving around 15 months. New therapies are desperately needed. A novel peptide vaccine, SurVaxM, has shown promise in phase I and II clinical trials, and is currently under investigation in a Phase IIb trial (the “SURVIVE” trial) for newly diagnosed GBM. As SurVaxM moves closer to FDA approval, there is a need for education about the agent and how it works. In order to …

Scenes Of Self: Redressing Patriarchy Ii, C. Rose Smith

Theses

Drawing together self-portraits and photographic documents, Scenes of Self: Redressing Patriarchy II threads a narrative in black and white on the underpinnings of elitism in US history and culture—a history dating back to the 19th century—of an emerging wealthy economy sustained by the slave market and commodities of its production. A meticulous interpretation of a historicized past eliding with the future, this thesis charts a path toward ancestral recollection to critique the livelihoods of merchants who were also enslavers. This thesis takes up the concept of Afro-surrealism (a movement led by Black artists of the 1970s concerned with the future-past) …

The Use Of Robotic Surveillance In The Uae In 2035: Balancing, Innovation, Regulation, And Privacy, Oasha Yousuf Almohier

Theses

This research explores the future of robotic surveillance in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by 2035, aiming to balance innovation, regulatory oversight, and privacy protection. It investigates the intersection of national security objectives, ethical AI governance, and public trust within the UAE’s rapidly advancing smart city and law enforcement environments. The focus areas include regulatory gaps in current AI laws, ethical concerns such as data privacy and algorithmic bias, and the societal perception of AI-powered surveillance systems. The background of this study stems from the UAE’s ambition to lead in AI deployment, especially within public security initiatives such as autonomous …