Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Large Language Models For Trustworthy Use: Insights From Research And Development, Sandeep Kalari, Sahithi Padidela, Vikas Ashok, Ravi Mukkamala

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Large Language Models (LLMs) are increasingly being adopted in a wide variety of domains, including sensitive domains such as healthcare and finance. However, persistent challenges such as unreliable data sources, privacy breaches, and hallucinated output continue to hinder their usage. We have experimented with several strategies to address these challenges. First, we developed BlockQwen, a blockchain-augmented framework that integrates decentralized trust validation, role-specific access control, and verifiable audit trails into the Qwen 2.5 LLM workflow. Second, we developed PrivAware, a multilayered privacy-enforcement framework, using a fine-tuned Flan-T5 model with self-attention masking, to safeguard data while maintaining high utility. Both systems …

A Comparative Analysis Of Explainable Ai (Xai) Techniques For Transparent And Reliable Image Classification, Sovon Chakraborty, Shakib Mahmud Dipto, Kevin R. Pilkiewicz, Michael L. Mayo, Pratip Rana

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Evaluating the trustworthiness of black-box machine learning models remains a significant methodological challenge. Their lack of transparency and interpretability limits applicability, because stakeholders often seek transparency before trusting the results of black-box machine learning models. Explainable AI (XAI) methods provide for human-understandable justifications and informed decision-making of these black-box architectures. Therefore, it is imperative to select the proper XAI model tailored to specific tasks. In this research, we focus on examining four XAI techniques: PEEK, LRP, GRAD-CAM, and LIME to understand how they perform against each other for image classification tasks. We evaluate the performance, robustness, generalizability, noise stability, and …

Susceptibility To High-Fidelity Misinformation: An Eye-Tracking Analysis, Yasasi Abeysinghe, Gavindya Jayawardena, Enkelejda Kasneci, Sampath Jayarathna

Computer Science Faculty Publications

With the rise of online misinformation and AI-generated text, understanding human perception of news truthfulness is critical. In this study, we examine visual attention and cognitive processing using eye-tracking measures as individuals read fake and real news articles sharing nearly identical structure and imagery, differing only in subtle textual changes. Using the public FakeNewsPerception dataset, we analyze advanced gaze measures, including scanpaths, AOI transitions, and luminance-corrected pupil measures, beyond basic gaze features, in relation to news truthfulness and perceived believability. Results show that, given the high fidelity of the fake news, readers exhibited comparable visual scanning patterns, attention allocation across …

Memebuddy: Dialog-Style Audio Representations For Engaging Non-Visual Meme Experiences, Chirag Bhansali, Vikas Ashok, Hae-Na Lee

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Image memes are a pervasive form of online communication, widely used to convey humor, opinions, and cultural references. Prior work has explored making memes accessible to blind users, primarily through auto-generated descriptive captions. While these approaches improve comprehensibility and sometimes incorporate prosodic or emotional cues, they often fail to capture the humor, narrative structure, and contextual nuances that make memes engaging. We present MemeBuddy, a system that models memes as dialog, generating structured, multi-turn audio representations using role-based speakers. MemeBuddy reinterprets a meme as a conversation between two speakers, integrating extracted meme text with contextual knowledge implicitly inferred by a …

Attf-Gnn: An Attention-Based Multi-Omics Graph Neural Network With Modality Learning For Disease Subtyping, Sovon Chakraborty, Eleni Adam, Terry Stilwell, Harold Riethman, Desh Ranjan, Pratip Rana

Computer Science Faculty Publications

We propose AttF-GNN, an attention-based graph fusion strategy for diseases classification and subtyping. In multiomics analysis, not all types of molecular data are equally relevant for disease subtyping and considering all modalities equally may obscure discriminative signals and limit the effectiveness of predictive models by overlooking modality-specific contributions. Therefore, we design an attention-based multimodal GraphSAGE framework that can automatically emphasize the modalities providing the most relevant information for classification. At first, we have constructed three graphs using mRNA, RNA-seq and DNA methylation modalities, and train each omics with individual GraphSAGE encoders. Next, a unified intersection graph is formed using an …

Distributed Semi-Speculative Parallel Anisotropic Mesh Adaptation, Kevin Garner, Polykarpos Thomadakis, Nikos Chrisochoides

Computer Science Faculty Publications

This paper presents a distributed memory method for anisotropic mesh adaptation that is designed to avoid the use of collective communication and global synchronization techniques. In the presented method, meshing functionality is separated from performance aspects by utilizing a separate entity for each - a multicore cc-NUMA-based (shared memory) mesh generation software and a parallel runtime system that is designed to help applications leverage the concurrency offered by emerging high-performance computing (HPC) architectures. First, an initial mesh is decomposed and its interface elements (subdomain boundaries) are adapted on a single multicore node (shared memory). Subdomains are then distributed among the …

Deep Incomplete Multi-View Clustering Via Hierarchical Imputation And Alignment, Yiming Du, Ziyu Wang, Jian Li, Rui Ning, Lusi Li

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Incomplete multi-view clustering (IMVC) aims to discover shared cluster structures from multi-view data with partial observations. The core challenges lie in accurately imputing missing views without introducing bias, while maintaining semantic consistency across views and compactness within clusters. To address these challenges, we propose DIMVC-HIA, a novel deep IMVC framework that integrates hierarchical imputation and alignment with four key components: (1) view-specific autoencoders for latent feature extraction, coupled with a view-shared clustering predictor to produce soft cluster assignments; (2) a hierarchical imputation module that first estimates missing cluster assignments based on cross-view contrastive similarity, and then reconstructs missing features using …

Attention-Based Multi-Omics Fusion For Drug Synergy Prediction, Kusal Debnath, Pratip Rana, Preetam Ghosh

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Drug combination therapy in disease management gained popularity in the last few decades. Computational modeling of such combinations is an active area of research in the drug discovery domain. While earlier approaches solely emphasized on the structural features of participating drugs for designing synergistic models, they lack other crucial factors directly linked with drug administration - omics expressions. As differential omics expression is a downstream consequence of the administered drug combinations, utilizing such expressions while designing synergistic models promises robust and dynamic modeling. In this work, we propose SynergyLM that fuses multi-omics features with drug embeddings to build an omics-aware …

A Survey Of Ai Methods For Geometry Preparation And Mesh Generation In Engineering Simulation, Steven Owen, Nathan Brown, Nikos Chrisochoides, Rao Garimella, Xianfeng Gu, Franck Ledoux, Na Lei, Roshan Quadros, Navamita Ray, Nick Winovich, Yongjie Jessica Zhang

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Artificial intelligence is beginning to reduce the manual effort in the CAD-to-mesh pipeline. Written for meshing and geometry practitioners with limited AI background, this survey organizes recent work by workflow step. We cover part classification and segmentation, mesh quality prediction, and defeaturing. We review AI guidance for unstructured meshing, block-structured meshing in 2D and 3D, and volumetric parameterization, including reconstruction from implicit or sampled geometry. We also discuss parallel mesh generation and scripting automation via reinforcement learning and large language models. Across these topics, AI complements established geometry and meshing algorithms rather than replacing them. We conclude with practical lessons …

Environmental Pesticide Exposure In The Etiology Of Pediatric Brain Tumors And Leukemia: A Scoping Review Of Epidemiological Studies, G. N. Vandesteeg, A. R. Russman, M. R. Sandbulte, E. G. Rogan, M. G. Rhodes

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Dynamic Social Impact Theory And The Consolidation And Dispersal Of Clusters In Squid Game: The Challenge, Adrienne Darrah, Robert J. Darrah

Iowa Journal of Communication

This study utilizes a dynamic social impact theory (DSIT) framework to analyze human influence on the popular Netflix television series Squid Game: The Challenge. A British reality competition, Squid Game: The Challenge is comprised of ten-episodes and features 456 contestants vying for $4.56 million. As contestants self-organize into social alliances, their shared attitudes, beliefs, and values transform the physical space into a dynamic social space. The creation of clusters through these alliances, the correlation between contestant attitudes and behaviors, and the consolidation of contestant attitudes and behaviors reflective of alliance needs is reinforced by the physical proximity of contestants, the …

T Cells Modulate The Development And Maintenance Of Painful Paclitaxel-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy In Rnu Rats, Ahmed Olalekan Bakare, Gerard Limerick, Vasudha Goel, Ratan K Banik, Lei Zheng, Andrew J Shepherd, Kristine Glunde, Qin Zheng, Eellan Sivanesan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The role of T cells in chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is complex and shaped by biological and experimental factors, including sex, hormonal status, genetic background, and cancer model. This complexity has contributed to inconsistent findings among studies, limiting therapeutic progress. In this study, we investigate how T cells contribute to painful paclitaxel (PTX)-induced peripheral neuropathy (PIPN). Adult male T cell-competent (RNU+/−) and T cell-deficient (RNU−/−) rats were subcutaneously inoculated with tumor cells and subsequently treated with intraperitoneal PTX (8 mg/kg total dose). Reflexive (mechanical, heat, cold) and non-reflexive (burrowing, gait) pain behaviors were assessed from baseline through week 6. Immunohistochemistry …

Initial Experience With Remote Mri Scanning Support In An Oncology Focused Practice: Opportunities For Expanded Access To Radiology Care, Christopher M Walker, Maria G Maldonado, Megan C Jacobsen, Suprateek Kundu, Michelle L Underwood, Joshua P Yung, Brandy J Reed, David Jaffray, R Jason Stafford, Marshall E Hicks, Caroline Chung, Aradhana M Venkatesan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: As medical imaging demand grows, there is increasing stress on the currently available workforce to deliver consistent, high-quality imaging studies while ensuring rapid study turnaround times and round-the-clock radiology coverage. Advances in remote access technology facilitating remote scan assistance and control are now commercially available to address these pressing clinical needs.

Methods: This work evaluated an early clinical application of a virtual scanner operations system (syngo Virtual Cockpit (VA13A, Siemens Healthineers, Erlangen, Germany) for remote magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) monitoring and scan control at three geographically distant outpatient sites associated with our primary institution.

Results: The system facilitated execution …

Engineering Mutation Clones In Mammalian Cells With Crispr/Cas9, Zijun Huo, Jian Tu, Rachel Shoemaker, Dung-Fang Lee, Ruiying Zhao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

CRISPR, Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat, as a powerful genome engineering system, has been widely accepted and employed in gene editing of a vast range of cell types. Compared to zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) or transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), CRISPR shows a less complicated process and higher efficiency. With the development of different CRISPR systems, it can be used not only to knock out a gene but also to make precise modifications, activate or repress target genes with epigenetic modifications, and even for genome wide screening. Here we will describe the procedure of generating a stable cell line …

Inclusive Psychology Pedagogy Is Linked To Increased Belonging And Reduced Prejudice Toward Consensually Non-Monogamous Relationships, Rose Bern, Rachel Dinero, Kate Linenbach, Amy Moors

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Students enrolled in an elective psychology course entitled Relationship Science, which emphasized inclusive curricula focused on relationship diversity, completed pre- and postcourse assessments of attitudes toward consensually nonmonogamous (CNM) relationships, relationship skills (e.g., constructive communication), and classroom belonging. Given the established literature on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer+-inclusive pedagogy, attitudes toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer+ individuals were also measured. Comparisons of pre- and postcourse assessments revealed significant reductions in stigma toward individuals engaged in CNM, alongside increased acceptance of CNM relationships more broadly. Students also reported increases in relationship skills and classroom belonging over the course of the …

A Quantum Walk Through Sustainability: Nonlinear Thinking For A Nonlinear World, Sanjay Wahal

Trade & Scholarly Monographs

We are living through a planetary inflection point. Conventional sustainability thinking-rooted in linear logic, siloed disciplines, and incremental fixes-no longer suffices. The climate crisis is nonlinear. Our response must be as well.

In this book, Dr. Sanjay Wahal, global systems strategist and founder of Decarbonization, LLC, delivers a visionary, paradigm-shifting framework that draws inspiration from quantum theory to reimagine how we think, act, and lead for climate action.

This is not a book about quick fixes or silver bullets. It is a meditation on coherence, emergence, and transformation. It is for those who believe sustainability is not just a policy …

Students With Vision And Hearing Loss: Successful Strategies For Teachers And Families, Karen A. Waldron, Michael Steer, Dolly Bhargava

Education Faculty Research

Students with Vision and Hearing Loss: Successful Strategies for Teachers and Families is an eBook containing extensive online Activities, Research, and Resources to support children and adolescents who are Vision Impaired or Blind, and those who experience a Hearing Loss or are Deaf.

This collaborative project was administered by Dr. Karen A. Waldron (Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas) and Dr. Michael Steer, with the support of graduate student Dolly Bhargava (Renwick College, New South Wales).

It includes the work of many experts at universities, schools, and regional service centers across the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, and provides specific …

Hydesville Goose Prairie: Early Pioneers And The Making Of A Town, Jack Mchenry, Paula Gundlach Mchenry, Janet Corbett Mattson

Trade & Scholarly Monographs

This book is laid out as a timeline beginning when Hydesville was first being settled. Included are not only happenings in the area, but also events that were occurring outside the area that would have affect-ed or been of interest to Humboldt County residents. Great care has been taken to preserve the history of the area, to learn who the families were, their reason for coming to the area, and from where they originated. This book was compiled through the effort and interviews of the entire community. The McHenrys began collecting Hydesville history some sixty years ago. Jack McHenry wrote …

Errors And Misconceptions In Mathematics Teacher Retraining: An Investigation Of Subject Knowledge Enhancement Course Results, Gabor Szalontai

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

This thesis investigates the subject knowledge capabilities and deficiencies of teachers who wished to enter or return to secondary mathematics teaching and took part in the Subject Knowledge Enhancement Plus programme. It focuses on the proportions, types and causes of their mistakes, as well as their potential for development and the possibility of increasing their awareness of errors.The study uses recorded responses of 1602 participants from the online assessment of the courses, which ran across England. The assessment, covering the entire secondary curriculum and consisting of 643 questions, provided an interactive, multiple-attempt design allowing the investigation of the participants’ results …

“We're Just Glorified Babysitters.” : Early Years Educators' Perspective On Learning And Expertism, Hayley Fisher

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

This qualitative study explores early years educators’ perceptions of learning and expertise, emphasising how they experience, develop, and articulate their professional knowledge in early childhood education. Based on ten in-depth semi-structured interviews, it critically examines the often complex and conflicting ways educators view their roles, identities, and professional development. The research is rooted in adult learning theories, including Knowles’ (1972) andragogy, Kolb’s (1984) experiential learning model, and Mezirow’s (1997) transformative learning theory, alongside Eraut’s (1994) work on professional knowledge and expertise, which highlights the relational, practice-based, and social dimensions of knowledge formation. Through thematic analysis, four key themes emerged: expertee-ism, …

Exploring And Increasing Women’S And Girls’ Recreational Ocean Access In A Coastal Community In The Tropical Majority, Florence Barraud

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

Vast gender inequalities restrict women’s and girls’ access to ocean spaces, particularly in the tropical majority. Globally, 68% of women cannot swim, compared to 43% of men. In many coastal communities, women are key stewards of highly biodiverse yet vulnerable marine environments that people rely upon for food security, livelihoods, culture, and coastal protection. Being able to swim is imperative for enabling access to the dominant environment and a core recreational, educational, and economic space. This study aimed to explore and increase women’s and girls’ recreational ocean access in the Maldives, a tropical majority island nation.Utilising a pragmatic feminist approach, …

Safe Family Therapy Activities And The Emotional Well-Being Of Parents Of Autistic Children, Gamze Camci

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

This thesis addresses a critical gap in the existing literature on the emotional well-being of parents of autistic children by applying SAFE family therapy activities grounded in the Narrative Attachment Therapy approach through a three-cycle action research design. Stage 1 involved 3 parents as primary participants, with their children present during selected sessions. Stage 2 included 2 families; the primary focus was on 3 parents across these families. Stage 3 engaged 5 therapists. Data were collected through interviews, diaries, questionnaires and therapy recordings. Data from interviews and journals were analysed thematically, whereas questionnaires were analysed idiographically. The first and second …

Exploring The Reading Motivation And Reading Experiences Of Secondary School Students With Dyslexia In England, Ahmet Kaan Alper

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

This research examines how a small group of secondary school students with dyslexia in England make sense of their reading experiences and motivation to read across school, home and everyday settings. It responds to concerns that literacy policy and practice foreground accuracy, speed and comparison, leaving limited space for reading for pleasure on students’ own terms. Drawing on Michel Foucault’s concepts, the study treats dyslexia and literacy as historically and institutionally produced categories and explores how discourses, norms and accountability regimes shape what counts as legitimate reading and a motivated reader. The research is grounded in a relativist ontology and …

Social And Emotional Experiences Of Higher Education Students With Dyslexia In Türki̇Ye And England: Exploring The Effect Of Context, Levent Yigit

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

This research study examined the social and emotional experiences of university students with dyslexia in Türkiye and England who had received an official diagnosis at some point in their lives. Findings were compared and the differing experiences in two different countries highlighted. Six students in Türkiye and five students in England participated in the study. To produce an in-depth subjective dataset capturing life-stories, a qualitative narrative approach was adopted. Three, and for some participants four, consecutive semi-structured interviews were conducted, with at least a one-week interval between each interview. The study adopted a longitudinal approach as each interview investigated students’ …

The Effects Of Altered Partial Pressures Of Gas On Cognitive And Neural Function, Daniel Graham

School of Psychology Theses

Oxygen is central to neural function, yet the precise mechanisms and effects by which varying oxygen levels, whether through Hypoxia, Hyperoxia, or Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), shape cognition and brain activity remain incomplete. This thesis adopts a novel, multi-modal framework that integrates normobaric gas manipulations, cognitive testing, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Electroencephalography (EEG), Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), and HBOT to examine how gas and pressure variability influences cognitive, motor, and neural processes. Chapter 3 presents the findings of a preliminary experiment investigating normobaric oxygen manipulations on cognition. Standardised cognitive assessments revealed domain-general impairments (i.e. memory and executive function) under …

Understanding Processes Involved In Firefighter/Ems Resilience And Suicidality: A Mixed Methods Analysis, Benjamin H. Barnette

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

First responders in the fire service and emergency medical services (EMS) are the subject of research focused on career suicide risk, occupational hazards, and psychological resilience; however, the nature of the relationships between these three variables is not well understood. This study employed a mixed methods design to test the moderating role of resilience in the relationship between the severity of critical incident exposure and two distinct processes involved in suicidality: suicidogenic cognitions and the acquired capability for suicide. A total of 248 eligible participants with experience in firefighting and/or EMS responded to an online survey. Psychological resilience was negatively …

Can You Hear Me Now?, Daniel Gonzalez, Amanda Moore

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Density Turbulence On Helicon Wave Propagation In The Core Plasmas, Eun-Hwa Kim, Syun'ichi Shiraiwa, Seung-Hoe Ku, A. Bortolon, Masayuki Ono, Nicola Bertelli, Robert I. Pinsker

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Existence, Nonexistence And Uniqueness Of Positive Solution To A General Elliptic System With Fixed Or Perturbed Growth Rates, Joon Hyuk Kang, Noah Koliadko

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Full-Wave Modeling Of Rf Waves In Fusion Plasmas With Finite Element Method: Progress In Past Decades And Its Future Role, Syun'ichi Shiraiwa, Nicola Bertelli, Eun-Hwa Kim

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.