Digital Commons Network^™

The Safety Kuznets Curve: Context In Occupational Safety, Andy Knickerbocker

ASEM Capstones

2025 ASEM 620 Capstone Project

Closeness, Conflict, And Achievement: The Role Of Parent–Child Relationships In Homeschooled And Public-Schooled Children, Celeste Gonçalves Tomaz

Honors Capstones

The parent–child relationship has been found to be a predictor of children’s academic and socio-emotional outcomes, with parent-child closeness linked to motivation and persistence (Mo & Singh, 2008; Silinskas & Kikas, 2022) and parent-child conflict associated with emotional and behavioral difficulties (Dotterer et al., 2008; Pinquart, 2017). The homeschooling context may increase these associations since children spend more time with their parents, who have caregiving and instructional roles (Padilla, 2021; Thomas, 2016). Even with growing research on academic and socio-emotional outcomes, few studies have examined whether the strength of the parent–child relationship is influenced negatively or positively by schooling type. …

Ract: Ranking-Aware Chain-Of-Thought Optimization For Llms, Haowei Liu, Xuyang Wu, Guohao Sun, Hsin-Tai Wu, Zhiqiang Tao, Yi Fang

Computer Science and Engineering

In information retrieval, large language models (LLMs) have demonstrated remarkable potential in text reranking tasks by leveraging their sophisticated natural language understanding and advanced reasoning capabilities. However, conventional supervised fine-tuning approaches for specializing LLMs in ranking tasks often lead to significant degradation of the models' general-purpose abilities. To address this fundamental challenge, this paper presents a novel methodology that strategically combines Chain-of-Thought (CoT) prompting techniques with an innovative two-stage training pipeline consisting of Supervised Fine-Tuning followed by Ranking Preference Optimization (SFT-RPO). The Chain-of-Thought prompting component encourages models to explicitly articulate their reasoning process during ranking decisions, creating a transparent pathway …

Changing Opinions: The Supreme Court After Dobbs, Lora E. Judge

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The Reception Of Neurodiversity Represented Within Netflix’S Wednesday, Anna Stevens

Graduate Theses & Dissertations

This paper explores how neurodiversity is represented through popular media - particularly Netflix's show Wednesday - and aims to discuss the effects this representation could have in regards to how it's received by the public, as well as those who are neurodiverse.

Proteome-Wide Association Study Of Prostate Cancer Risk Across Populations, Hua Zhong, Jingjing Zhu, Shuai Liu, Chong Wu, Liang Wang, Seamus P. Whelton, Catherine H. Marshall, Michael J. Blaha, Peter Durda, Xiuqing Guo, Craig W. Johnson, Henry J. Lin, Kent D. Taylor, Russell P. Tracy, Ronit I. Yarden, Ani W. Manichaikul, Stephen S. Rich, Jerome I. Rotter, Rajat Deo, Ruth F. Dubin, Peter Ganz, Lang Wu

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

There is insufficient understanding of the molecular basis of prostate cancer (PCa) across different populations. We perform a large-scale proteome-wide association study (PWAS) to identify proteins with genetically regulated expression in plasma to be associated with PCa risk across populations. We develop genetic prediction models for expression of 1578, 1993, 1218, and 1390 proteins for African (n = 450), European (n = 758), Asian (n = 289), and Hispanic/Latino (n = 474) males, respectively, and evaluate associations of genetically regulated protein expression with PCa risk in 19,391 PCa cases and 61,608 controls of African population, 122,188 cases and 604,640 controls …

Using Mean Airway Pressure (Map) As An Indicator To Help Predict Successful Extubationof Preterm And Term Infants In A Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, William F. Bucher, Rrt-Nps, Eliza C. Desantis, Md

Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine Posters

Background
Extubation of preterm and term infants in a neonatal intensive care setting has always proven to be a challenge often resulting in failure. One of the challenges to a successful extubation in this vulnerable patient population is maintaining proper lung inflation at the time of extubation. We often rely on the use of the mean airway pressure (MAP) as an indicator to help predict patient readiness to extubate these patients.

Methods
23 patients ranging from 24 weeks to 41 weeks corrected gestational age were extubated from either conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV) or high frequency ventilation (HFV) using their mean …

Characterization Of Peg-Modified Composite Membranes For Microfluidic Oxygenator Applications, Nicholas C. Higgins, David G. Blauvelt, Shuvo Roy

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

Microfluidic oxygenators promise to advance extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) devices with enhanced hemodynamics and low prime volume. We are developing a silicon-based membrane oxygenator that will offer improved gas transfer and fluid flow control. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) has been used to improve hemocompatibility by providing excellent resistance to protein adsorption. Here, we characterized a polyethylene glycol surface modification of composite silicon–PDMS membranes to evaluate their effects on microfluidic oxygenator properties. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and water contact angle goniometry confirmed successful PEG attachment, evidenced by the presence of characteristic C-O bonds and increased hydrophilicity, which was stable for 2 weeks. …

Improving Hiv Knowledge And Attitudes Of The Youth In The Philippines Through Mobile Text Messaging, James Montegrico

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Background: The Philippines has the highest HIV incidence rate in the Asia-Pacific region, with the highest incidence between the ages 15 to 34 years. There are low levels of HIV knowledge, negative attitudes towards people with HIV/AIDS, and a lack of interventional studies to improve HIV knowledge and attitudes in the country. The high rate of mobile phone use and text messaging in the Philippines offers potential in using technology to address gaps in HIV knowledge and negative attitudes regarding HIV.

Purpose: This pilot study determined the feasibility and effectiveness of mobile text messaging (MTM) in improving HIV/AIDS knowledge …

A Mobile Meditation Application To Impact Nursing And Nursing Student Stress, Lisa Corry

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Nurses care for all members of the community and are expected to be representatives of good health. They often place the needs of their patients before their own while they are faced with a variety of stressful situations and working environments (Linton & Koonmen, 2020). Nurses experience high levels of stress which can have negative effects on an individual. Over time, untreated stress for nurses may lead to burnout or compassion fatigue which has been associated with poor patient outcomes, decreased patient satisfaction, and high attrition rates (Bonamer & Aquino-Russel, 2019). This can result in increased costs related to callouts, …

Opportunities, Challenges, And Realities Of Graduate Student Submissions In Institutional Repositories: One Librarian’S Reflection, Sierra Pandy

Journal of Graduate Librarianship

The role of an institutional repository (IR) is to provide open access publishing and archival services for the institution’s faculty, staff, and students. However, despite the wide range of benefits this creates for university researchers, it can be difficult to communicate that value to graduate students. This article will discuss and reflect upon the various challenges, successes, and opportunities we experienced while promoting and utilizing the IR for graduate students at the University of Wyoming during and after a major platform migration, and touch upon goals for the future.

Sec. 531 Tax—Working Capital Needs And The Operating Cycle, Mario P. Borini, Stanley L. Malaga, John P. Sullivan

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Tax Planning-A Service Or A Crime?, K. S. Carmichael

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Private Foundations And Tax Reform: Composition And Concepts, William J. Lehrfeld

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Fine-Tuning Open Source Llms For Generating Pedagogically Aligned Practice Questions In University Level Algorithms Course, Anne Utegen, Tran Ho, Oguzhan Topsakal

Bellini College REU Symposium (BCREUS)

This project focuses on fine-tuning the open-source Gemma 3 model using Low-Rank Adaptation (LoRA) to generate pedagogically aligned practice questions for an Analysis of Algorithms course. The authors created a dataset consisting of 300 question-hint-answer conversations with progressive hints that would scaffold student reasoning. Gemma 3 was fine-tuned and evaluated against a prompt-only baseline using an LLM-as-a-judge framework (Gemini 2.5 Pro) across 187 question pairs. The results show that the fine-tuned model improved significantly in avoiding premature solution reveals, difficulty appropriateness, and pedagogical alignment. However, the model experienced decreases in hint quality, clarity, and correctness, which is hypothesized to be …

Alphafold3 And Intrinsically Disordered Proteins: Reliable Monomer Prediction, Unpredictable Multimer Performance, Tuan Minh Dao, Sebastien Ghent, Vladimir N. Uversky, Taseef Rahman

Bellini College REU Symposium (BCREUS)

AlphaFold3 represents a major advance in protein structure prediction, yet its performance on intrinsically disordered proteins remains uncharacterized. We present the first systematic evaluation of AF3 on disordered systems, revealing a striking dichotomy. For monomers, AF3's pLDDT scores reliably predict disorder (MCC: 0.693), matching AlphaFold2 and rivaling dedicated predictors. This consistency across fundamentally di ̄erent architectures confirms that disorder prediction emerges from training data, not model design. For multimers, the picture grows complex. Despite comparable aggregate performance (mean DockQ: 0.563 vs 0.571), AF3 and AF2 achieve these results through fundamentally di ̄erent mechanisms.

Conventional structural features explain 58% of AF2's …

On-Device Measurement Of Impact Of Artificial Intelligence Tools On Productivity, Navid Kagalwalla, Tom Piacentini, Jacques Mouton

Defensive Publications Series

This disclosure describes techniques to measure the net productivity impact of AI-assisted workflows on user productivity. Metadata regarding user activity on a user device is obtained with user permission, using a private, on-device architecture. The data is analyzed on-device to determine whether an AI-assisted workflow is in process and the impact of the use of AI on productivity. In an example implementation, an Activity Sensing and Filtration Layer (ASFL) and a Cognitive Workflow Engine (CWE) are implemented and used to calculate the true net time saved using AI assistance. This metric takes into account the hidden cost of the user …

Ai-Based Claims Assessment For Motor Vehicle Damage Detection, Anonymous

Defensive Publications Series

The insurance industry faces increasing pressure to optimize claims processing efficiency while minimizing claim leakage and fraud. Traditional rule-based and manual approaches are reaching their limits, particularly as market dynamics such as claims inflation and customer demand for faster, self-service experiences accelerate. To address these challenges, we present an AI-driven claims assessment framework that integrates computer vision and generative AI to support human interpretation of visual and textual evidence in vehicle damage claims.

The proposed system comprises two modules: Motor Damage Assessment for analyzing vehicle body damage and Glass Damage Assessment for evaluating windshield damage. The Motor Damage Assessment consists …

Closed Loop Correction Of Camera-To-Display Projection Using Piezoelectric Actuation, Na

Defensive Publications Series

Reconstructing a three-dimensional (3D) image of an object of interest requires high pixel accuracy between the optical plane and sensor images. While optical centers can be corrected for in the XY plane and along the roll axis with image cropping and rotation techniques, corrections based only on image processing are difficult in the yaw and pitch orientations. This disclosure describes techniques that leverage reference features in captured images calibrated with previously captured (yaw, pitch) data to correct, via trained machine learning models, the yaw and pitch of cameras. The camera orientations can be controlled by piezoelectric actuators.

Optimizing Data Transfer From Smart Glasses To Paired Device Based On Eye Tracking, Willy Horng Jean Cheung, Shenil Navin Dodhia, Gordon Wan

Defensive Publications Series

Smart glasses and other wearable devices that include cameras can capture the user’s environment as memories and can also answer questions or surface assistance proactively. However, smart glasses have limited compute and storage capabilities, and enabling continuous perception is therefore infeasible. A paired device such as a smartphone can enable smart glasses to operate in continuous perception mode and also provide compute power for artificial intelligence models. However, a key bottleneck is the data transfer between the smart glasses and the paired device, which is constrained by wireless data transfer rates. Even with aggressive data-compression schemes, the payload over the …

Dynamic Management Of Virtual Lanes And Buffer Zones For Autonomous Traffic, Sumukh Shevde, Kamran Mustafa, Abhijit Adsule

Defensive Publications Series

Static assignment of roadway lanes can result in inefficient traffic flow, where congestion may develop in one direction while opposing lanes remain underutilized. To address this, systems and methods for dynamic traffic management are described. A computational system, such as a central server or an in-vehicle computer, can treat a roadway as a single, partitionable surface, creating and modifying virtual lanes in near real-time. The number, width, and direction of these lanes can be adjusted based on current and predicted traffic demand. Autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles can be assigned to these virtual lanes, and a dynamic virtual buffer zone may …

A Real-Time Computer Vision System For Procedural Verification In Manual Assembly, Frank Mao, Sun Nee Chan, George Liu

Defensive Publications Series

Manual assembly processes can be susceptible to error, potentially leading to incorrect component handling or procedural deviations. A system for real-time procedural verification can use computer vision to address this. An inspection node, which may comprise an imaging device (e.g., a camera) and a processing unit, can capture and analyze an operator's physical actions at a workstation. These actions may be compared against a predefined digital blueprint, such as a standard assembly model (SAM), that codifies a specified sequence of events. Upon detection of a deviation between the operator's actions and the SAM, the system can provide feedback to the …

Helping Commercial Trailer Fleet Operators Successfully Hook Up A Trailer & Allowing The Fleet Manager To Monitor Their Skill, Anonymous

Defensive Publications Series

Commercial users of a trailer feature where an operator may be required to hook up various trailers and various vehicles, some of which may have different specific connections or different orientation/requirements. The truck using its cameras and sound exciters can become a trailer validation coach/monitor for commercial and fleet vehicle operators, reducing risk and liability of incorrect connections.

Artificial Minds, Alien Experiences: Navigating The Uncharted Territory Of Ai Phenomenology, Kevin H. Smith

University of Memphis Law Review

This Article advocates for a fundamental shift in the way artificial intelligence (“AI”) consciousness is evaluated, moving beyond anthropocentric models that rely on human cognitive benchmarks. Traditional tests, such as the Turing Test, assume that human-like behavior is the ultimate criterion for consciousness, overlooking the possibility of novel, non-human modes of consciousness. Instead, this Article proposes a multi-dimensional framework that assesses AI systems based on their unique architectures and cognitive processes. By combining dimensions such as information integration, autonomous goal-pursuit, metacognitive self-modeling, affective motivation, social communication, counterfactual simulation, imaginative reasoning, and causal modeling, this framework provides a comprehensive and empirically …

The Restatement Of Torts And Recovery For Loss Of The Human-Pet Bond Aftern An Intentional Tort, Merle H. Weiner

University of Memphis Law Review

Owners1 of pets2 are often unable to recover for the loss of the human-pet bond when their pets are tortiously injured or killed. However, empirical research confirms the owners may experience the loss as real harm.3 Pets have an especially important role in a “stressful and frenetic” world characterized by unstable family relationships.4 Indeed, a 2015 Harris Poll found that 95% of American dog and cat owners regard their pets as family members.5 This Article seeks to explain why some courts refuse to allow recovery for loss of the human-pet bond even in cases involving intentional torts, such as conversion …

Impact Of Test Conditions And Demographic Variables On Response Patterns In The Sdi-R 4.0, Cyrus R. Williams Iii, Kyle Lincoln, Robert D. Loper

Journal of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness: Research, Practice, and Education

This study investigates the impact of demographic variables and test conditions on response patterns within the Sexual Dependency Inventory-Revised (SDI-R 4.0), specifically focusing on their predictive value for high inconsistency, high exaggeration, and low underreporting scores. Employing logistic regression analyses on data from 2,212 participants, the findings reveal that pre-test delay time, age, and gender significantly influence these outcomes. These insights underscore the necessity for uniform testing conditions for the SDI-R 4.0 and the incorporation of demographic considerations in the interpretation of this and other sexual dependency assessments.

Keywords: Sexual Dependency Inventory, test conditions, demographic factors, test response patterns

The Tax Adviser, Volume 1, Number 4, April 1970, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Index: Cumulative Subject Index January-March, 1970; Cumulative Author Index January-March, 1970, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Tax Clinic, Jerome Toder

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Tax Planning—A Service Or A Crime?, K. S. Carmichael

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.