Digital Commons Network^™

Generative Artificial Intelligence (Genai) In Procurement And Supply Chain Management: Applications, Opportunities And Challenges, Vinay Singh, Laurie Hughes, Mousa Ahmed Albashrawi, Il Jeon, Yogesh K. Dwivedi

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: This article aims to explore the transformative potential of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in procurement and supply chain management (SCM), with a focus on its practical applications, strategic implications and integration challenges. Design/methodology/approach: Adopting a conceptual approach, this article presents the authors’ views and arguments, supported by a review of existing literature and informed by insights from discussions with industry experts. The discussion in this conceptual article is anchored in the supply chain operations reference model. Findings: This research addresses critical questions regarding the practical and strategic impacts of GenAI, emphasizing its ability to simulate scenarios, deliver real-time insights …

Voltage Stability Enhancement Of Large Load Interconnections Using Syncronous Condensers, Muhammad Ibrahim Abbas

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

The rapid integration of hyperscale data centers as large, concentrated loads presents a growing voltage stability challenge in grids weakened by synchronous generator retirement and increasing inverter-based resource penetration. This work proposes a Jacobian-based sensitivity framework for systematically identifying voltage-critical buses and optimally siting synchronous condensers as voltage support resources. A voltage-weighted sensitivity index, extracted from the full Jacobian inverse, is introduced to combine network-wide reactive coupling strength with observed voltage drops into a single deployable placement criterion. Validation on IEEE 14-bus and 30-bus test systems under multiple loading scenarios demonstrates that the proposed criterion consistently identifies the correct placement …

An Analysis Of The Influence Of Project-Based Assessments In Middle School Mathematics, Andrea Fettkether

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In today’s diverse classrooms, teachers face the challenge of educating students with varied academic abilities, including those with disabilities, gifted learners, and students at grade level. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ensures inclusive access to core curriculum, but educators must differentiate instruction to meet all learners’ needs. Traditional assessments focus on rote memorization, often failing to reflect deeper understanding or real-world problem-solving.

In middle school math, standard curricula often lack project-based assessments, despite research supporting their effectiveness in improving academic achievement and student engagement. Students benefit from working in collaborative environments where they can discuss mathematical ideas, receive …

Examining Patient Safety Culture Trends In U.S. Healthcare Through A Multi-Year Analysis, Hassan Alabdullah

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Patient Safety Culture (PSC) is recognized as a cornerstone of healthcare quality and a key determinant of patient outcomes. Despite the Institute of Medicine’s early calls to establish safety-oriented systems, evidence on the long-term stability of PSC in U.S. hospitals has remained limited. This dissertation addresses this gap through a multi-year evaluation of PSC using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC v1.0) and advanced statistical methods. Drawing on one of the largest national datasets—comprising over 993,000 healthcare providers from 1,601 U.S. hospitals across three survey cycles (2013–2020)—the study employed a longitudinal repeated cross-sectional design. Analyses combined descriptive statistics, …

Robust Linking Estimation In Item Response Theory Using Quantile Regression: Applications To The Graded Response And Generalized Partial Credit Models, Ibrahim Almansour

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This dissertation investigates robust estimation of linking coefficients in Item Response Theory (IRT) using quantile regression and its extensions. Linking procedures are essential for placing item and ability parameters from different test forms onto a common scale, thereby ensuring comparability of examinee scores across administrations. Traditional approaches such as moment methods, characteristic curve methods, and mean-based regression procedures like Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Generalized Least Squares (GLS) perform adequately under ideal conditions but tend to lose accuracy when ability distributions deviate from normality or include outliers.

To address these limitations, this research proposes a quantile-based regression framework that estimates …

First-Principles Insights Into Electronic And Magnetic Structure At Hybrid Interfaces And Low-Dimensional Materials And Reaction On Surfaces, Bushra Ashraf

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Low-dimensional materials and transition metal surfaces/interfaces provide complementary platforms for understanding how dimensionality, symmetry, spin–orbit coupling (SOC), and interfacial charge transfer/hybridization jointly control electronic structure, emergent magnetism, and surface reactivity. Using first-principles modeling with experimental comparisons, this work aims to establish interfacial structure–property relationships across low-dimensional systems.

Strained Pd adlayers on 2H-MoS₂(0001) provide a controlled platform to separate strain-driven exchange from interface-induced quenching in an itinerant d-electron metal. Although expansive strain promotes magnetism in free-standing Pd, strong Pd–MoS₂ hybridization and charge transfer suppress the monolayer moment and leave a narrow thickness window where magnetism re-emerges in …

Establishing And Testing Experiential Critical Theory (Ect), Dolores M. Batten Mrs.

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

There is a current gap in academia which has been largely overlooked in both pedagogy and assessment: the value of personal experience as key evidence of interpretation and meaning-making correlation. Aside from narrative writing, most current methods of literary analysis writing do not place a high value on personal experience beyond the inclusion of brief anecdotes. Yet experience is the major pathway by which an individual forms their worldview, which then informs the ways in which they interpret the world—and by extension, text. This dissertation both establishes and examines the use of Experiential Critical Theory (ECT) in pedagogical application for …

An Integrated Framework For Last-Mile Delivery Optimization Using Reinforcement Learning And Social Media-Based Traffic Prediction In Underdeveloped Megacities, Vasanth Bhat

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Supply chain management has become increasingly critical as transportation costs rise and urban delivery systems place additional pressure on already congested networks. Last-mile delivery—the movement of goods from distribution centers to end users—represents the most expensive and operationally complex segment of the logistics process, particularly in underdeveloped megacities characterized by unpredictable traffic, limited infrastructure, and sparse real-time data. This dissertation proposes an integrated framework for optimizing last-mile delivery in such environments by combining social media–based traffic intelligence, machine learning, and deep reinforcement learning. The framework leverages unstructured, real-time data from social media platforms to enhance traffic prediction and incorporates these …

An Algorithmic Framework For Polyhedral Gravity Modeling And Trajectory Propagation Near Small Bodies, Micah S. Boudreau

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) and other irregular celestial bodies have become increasingly significant targets for scientific investigation and space mission development due to their relevance to resource utilization, origins-of-life studies, planetary defense, and understanding of early solar system formation. As launch costs continue to decline, missions such as NASA’s NEAR Shoemaker, OSIRIS-REx and JAXA’s Hayabusa series demonstrate the expanding feasibility of detailed small body exploration. Despite this growing interest, most standard astrodynamics tools are not designed to model the complex, highly irregular gravitational fields that are a signature of small bodies. Such limitations pose challenges for trajectory design, navigation, and control …

Computational Modeling Of Bubble Dispersion In Alginate Hydrogel Foams For Radiologically Equivalent Biomedical Phantoms, Godson N. Brako

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

The foaming of hydrogels presents a promising strategy for tailoring mechanical and radiological properties to replicate biological soft tissues for biomedical phantoms. Achieving uniform and predictable void fraction distributions in alginate hydrogel foams remains a challenge due to the complex interplay between bubble dynamics, matrix rheology, and interfacial forces during the pre-gelation aeration stage. This thesis develops a Computational Fluid Dynamics framework using the transient Eulerian two-fluid approach to predict void fraction distribution in alginate hydrogel precursor solutions aerated by air injection through a bottom nozzle. The objective is to use the framework for design of the foaming system to …

Examining Team Leader Visual Dynamics And Team Performance In Pediatric Emergency Simulations, Annamarie Brosnihan

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Pediatric medical emergencies are dynamic, high-intensity clinical situations that demand coordinated interdisciplinary actions for optimal patient outcomes. Effective teamwork and leadership are critical, especially during the preparatory phase. Here, team leaders define task goals, assign individual roles, and maintain situational awareness. This phase directs attention, organizes team dynamics, and ensures medical interventions are deployed properly. Medical simulations provide a unique opportunity to capture dynamic leadership behaviors in a controlled low-stakes environment using multimodal data, such as eye tracking, to gain insight into team leader cognitive processes (i.e., attention allocation and information processing). Prior research suggests that leaders who visually attend …

Making Art For The Love Of The Game, Alissa Beth Burch

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

“Making Art for the Love of the Game” interweaves visual aesthetics from video games and associated online fan community practices with self-portraiture to reflect and process personal past medical trauma, a developmental period in online interactive environments, and showcases self-expressive fan content which joins an underrepresented and emerging sub-culture to contemporary art. Working through an interdisciplinary studio practice, combining printmaking, found-sticker collage, and painting refracts digital aesthetics found in online communities. I intentionally juxtaposed these physical modes of making with digital subjects to examine these subjects’ merit as artistic mediums.  It reflects a contemporary mode of art making, and acts …

Club Sport Injury Rates, Injury Characteristics, Functional Movement Screen Relationships, And Impact Of Core Training, Rebecca Carson

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

It is estimated that over 10% of college students take part in club sports at their college or university, yet sport-related injuries are a common consequence of participation. The Functional Movement Screen™ (FMS™) is a movement analysis tool that identifies functional deficits and asymmetries and is widely applied in athletic settings to assess injury risk and inform rehabilitation and injury prevention programs. Core strength and stability play a crucial role in functional movement quality and may even reduce risk of injury and improve sport performance. This dissertation aimed to establish club sport injury rates and characteristics for club men’s ice …

Applying Harm Reduction To Binge-Eating Disorder: Protective Behavioral Strategies Against Uncontrolled Eating, Emily Burr

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Binge-eating disorder (BED) is a highly deleterious mental illness, with ramifications ranging from psychological impairment to premature mortality. Despite the awareness of intervention urgency, treatment strategies to manage BED have limited long-term efficacy. Therefore, it is of high necessity to illuminate other methods of reducing the potential effects of binge eating (BE), either by combatting severity or frequency of the behavior. Protective behavioral strategies (PBS), first identified in the substance use field, are methods by which an individual attenuates potential harm from a behavior without expectation of abstaining (i.e., a harm reduction approach). Given high likelihood of treatment relapse for …

Detection And Discrimination Of Targets In Infrared Imagery, Adam T. Cuellar

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Automated infrared (IR) imagery analysis is essential for persistent surveillance, defense, and security, yet it remains difficult when sensors move and when unknown objects appear. This dissertation addresses two fundamental problems: (1) detecting small moving targets amid platform-motion induced parallax and (2) distinguishing between known stationary targets and out-of-distribution (OOD) objects.   For detecting moving targets while the platform itself is in motion, auxiliary Global Positioning System and Inertial Navigation System data are combined with image analysis. Direction Cosine Matrices from calibrated inertial measurements enable sub-pixel frame alignment unattainable with purely image-based registration. The stabilized sequence is processed by a Reed–Xiaoli …

En Tiempos De Extinción, Adialyz Del Valle Berríos

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

En Tiempos de Extinción is a collection of short, mostly speculative, stories exploring themes of community, exploitation, resistance, and the ever-present effects of colonialism in nearly every aspect of life. “El Amor de una Diosa es Amor Suficiente” centers on a young girl’s initiation into a community that will do whatever it takes to indoctrinate the young. “Al Aire Libre” focuses on two tenured professors determined to enjoy their last day on the job, navigating the complicated feelings of what progress means in a world that prioritizes capital. In “OVNI,” the history of a wacky television dating show unravels …

Repeatability And Reproducibility Of Likelihood Ratio Estimation For Forensics Using Machine Learning: An Application To In-Silico Fire Debris Data, Cameron Ezazi

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

The importance of using statistical evidence to help inform the interpretation of forensic evidence has grown greater over time. This is especially evident in the field of forensic fire debris analysis, where the reliability and reproducibility of statistical results are crucial. This thesis investigates how the application of 5 different common machine learning methods on an in-silico fire debris dataset can be reduced to a univariate forensic score to create score-based likelihood ratios (SLRs), and how these ratios should be interpreted. These SLRs are crucial in supporting or rejecting a Prosecutor’s or Defense’s hypothesis, thus making the previously mentioned reliability …

Temperature And Speciation Measurements Of Aluminum-Laden Detonation Flows Via A Three-Color Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopic Sensor, Marc B. Etienne

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Tunable diode lasers are widely used and are known to be great options for continuous wave lasing applications. Because of their stability and spectral selectivity, they have become an important diagnostic tool for modern combustion research. Previous combustion research, particularly those focused on solid and hybrid rocket systems, have shown that the interaction of aluminum with a reacting flow can greatly affect the dynamics and the thermochemical properties of the surrounding gas, therefore understanding the effects of aluminum-laden flows is critical for the advancement of these propulsion systems. However, due to the high degree of optical interference, high temperatures, and …

I, Cock-A-Doodle-Do: Reclaiming Masculinity Through Queer Joy And Humorous Self-Exploration, Nelson J. Garcia

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

I examine the contemporary norms of masculinity. My research wrestles with ultimately unresolvable stereotypes and imagery influencing current masculine behavior. I unearth queer potential through the physicality and behavior of the stereotypical “man’s man”. I infuse my own queer identity into my studio practice with an emphasis on humor and joy to subvert traditional models of male performance. This process drives self-exploration that allows me to personally respond, react, be directed, and redirected by the interactions between queerness and masculinity. Masculine and queer representations across various media, such as film, music, and television, historically and continuously inform restrictive cultural norms. …

Privacy-Preserving Matrix Computations Using Homomorphic Encryption With Applications In Ai, Yang Gao

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Homomorphic encryption (HE) enables computation directly on encrypted data, offering strong privacy guarantees for sensitive applications. Despite its promise, the practical adoption of HE remains limited by high computational overhead and inefficient support for fundamental operations such as matrix multiplication, sparse computation, and secure retrieval.

This dissertation addresses these challenges by developing efficient and scalable methods for privacy-preserving computation under HE. First, it presents HEGMM, a framework for secure general matrix multiplication that reduces redundant computation and improves efficiency through optimized data layouts. Second, it introduces the Compressed Sparse Sorted Column (CSSC) format for sparse matrix-vector multiplication (SpMV), enabling efficient …

An Examination Of The Impact Of School Accountability On Data-Driven Decision-Making By Florida Educational Leaders, Emily Galucho

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This mixed-methods study examined how accountability influences educational leaders' data-driven decision-making (DDDM) practices in Central Florida. Grounded in the principal-agent and consequential accountability frameworks, the study investigated demographic predictors, implementation challenges, and the role of accountability in DDDM. Educational leaders completed online surveys measuring DDDM perceptions across five subscales and responded to open-ended questions. The responses were analyzed through multiple regression, correlation, and thematic coding.

Accountability emerged as DDDM's strongest predictor, significantly exceeding demographic and organizational variables. Five implementation challenges were identified: Data Literacy Gaps, Data Timeliness Issues, Resource Constraints, Implementation Fidelity, and Systemic Barriers. Accountability demonstrated dual effects: many …

Carbaryl Exposure Alters Gut Microbiome Composition Without Affecting Morphometrics In Eastern Purple Martin (Progne Subis Subis) Nestlings, Stephanie A. Gaspar

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Eastern purple martins (Progne subis subis) rely entirely on human-provided nesting structures throughout their breeding range in eastern North America. To control haematophagous mites that commonly infest these nests, many landlords apply the carbamate insecticide, carbaryl. Although effective at reducing ectoparasite populations, carbaryl exposure may have unintended effects on the gut microbiome, growth, and condition of developing birds. This study examined the effects of carbaryl exposure on gut microbial communities and morphometric condition in wild nestlings. Nests were experimentally treated with carbaryl, and nestling morphometrics and fecal microbiomes were compared between treated and untreated groups at 18 days …

Emotional Support Friends: Creating Social Impact Through Art And Polite Humor, Kenyari Gil Rosario

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This thesis aims to provide new imagery to the conversation of mental health and neurodivergence. It does this through forms of soft sculpture, digital paintings, marker drawings, and community murals. Inspired by the practices of Keith Haring, iconographic characters are used to portray common struggles and coping habits of mental conditions in an endearing light. With the goal of social impact, this project is affiliated with the non-profit organization Providing Autism Links and Support (P.A.L.S). This partnership has given the community an opportunity to share their compassion through art and donations and uses art as a means of social impact …

Reflection In Still Waters: Generative Ai's Production Of Language, Jonathan D. Hawks

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Language is a conceptual process of meaning-making as well as a social construction as defined by Saussure, Bakhtin, and Lacan. Large Language Models (LLMs) engage with neither process and instead present language as a finished and consumable product which undermines its fundamental aspects. The difference between representing language through probability and its structural components instead of its more inherent qualities is not a pointless distinction. This paper utilizes Narcissus as a central metaphor to show how people misread the outputs of LLMs as language which imparts to those reflected words meaning on par with our own conceptualizations of reality. People …

Centered A Story Of Family And Compassion In The Face Of Parkinson's Disease, Savannah Hill

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Centered is a three-dimensional (3D) animated short film that explores the topic of parental illness and how families must respond with compassion and adaptability when loved ones face mental or physical challenges. The story is inspired by the director’s own experience with her father’s diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease when she was in high school. The main characters, a father and daughter, must navigate the father’s changing needs after his diagnosis by prioritizing their connection and adapting to his new physical challenges. In the film, they do this through the creation of pottery. The imperfect, handmade design style of the film …

If Your Muses Don't Hate You..., Hannah Howe

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

If Your Muses Don’t Hate You… interrogates a speaker who feels she lacks the tools needed to properly assess trauma and grief. This collection follows the speaker as she delves into obsessive analysis of self, often using metaphysical lenses as methods of comprehension. Each section explores a facet of the subject’s identity, and examines whether her heartache is self-inflicted, preordained, or both. Six of the seven sections provide the reader with imaginative interpretations of the speaker’s natal chart, allowing the reader the opportunity to analyze alongside the speaker. The first half of these sections present the speaker struggling to separate …

Benchmarking And Advancing Heterogeneous Data Reasoning With Large Language Models, Yebowen Hu

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Large language models (LLMs) increasingly face complex real-world tasks requiring complex reasoning over heterogeneous inputs, including text, numbers, and structured data. This dissertation first investigates the capability boundaries of LLMs under such scenarios. Through the MeetingBank and SportsMetrics benchmarks, we show that while LLMs exhibit linguistic fluency, they struggle with factual accuracy, information density, and quantitative cross-referencing in meeting summarization and sports analysis. Using DecipherPref, a pair-wise evaluation framework grounded in the Bradley-Terry-Luce model, we further probe LLMs' inherent preferences for information-rich and lengthy inputs, and we identify critical deficiencies in financial decision-making through DeFine, where models lack precise insight …

Essays On Network Resilience: Enhancing Network Resilience Through Network Governance Structure, Process, Environment, And Leadership, Hanvit Kim

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

As disasters become more complex, their impacts often cascade across interdependent systems, creating failures that extend beyond any single organization or sector. Because such crises cut across organizational and sectoral boundaries, effective response depends not only on the capacity of individual organizations but also on the resilience of interorganizational networks. Yet despite the growing importance of networked coordination in disaster response, the concept of network resilience remains underdeveloped in the literature, with limited consensus on its definition, measurement, and determinants. This dissertation addresses that gap by systematically examining what network resilience is, how it can be conceptualized and assessed, and …

Investigation Of Bulk And Periodically Stacked X(2) And X(3) Materials Using Mid-Infrared Femtosecond Pulses, Woraprach Kusolthossakul

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Mid-infrared (MIR) spectral region represents a vital part of the electromagnetic spectrum, offering applications in spectroscopy, biomedicine, and remote sensing. However, there are no direct broadband MIR laser sources. Nonlinear frequency conversion techniques using second-order nonlinear materials, such as optical parametric oscillator (OPO) and intra-pulse difference frequency generator (IDFG), are promising methods for generating a broadband MIR spectrum. To achieve an efficient conversion, the phase matching condition between the interacting waves of the nonlinear process must be satisfied. Quasi-phase matching (QPM) is a special technique that enables efficient nonlinear processes in materials that cannot be conventionally phase matched using birefringence. …

Numerical Simulation Of Micro-Cutting Processes For The Estimation Of Material Fracture Toughness, Juan J. Lainez

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Accurate determination of plane-strain fracture toughness is essential for structural integrity assessments of engineering components, yet conventional ASTM standardized testing methods require large, notched specimens that are impractical in many industrial and research contexts. This thesis presents a finite element method-based approach for estimating the mode I plane-strain fracture toughness of engineering materials from orthogonal micro-cutting simulations if the continuum damage mechanics-based fracture locus is calibrated. This method will eliminate the need for pre-cracked specimens while maintaining physically grounded fracture mechanics principles. The methodology applies to the Atkins energy-based cutting force model, in which the depth-independent intercept of the specific …