Digital Commons Network^™

Efficient Multimodal Foundation Model Tuning For Hallucination Mitigation, Fei Zhao

ETDs from 2020-2029

Over the past few years, multimodal foundation models have achieved remarkable progress in perception and understanding. However, two challenges limit their reliability: (1) dependence on offline training, which in most real-world settings requires large volumes of labeled data and, as a result, hinders the model’s ability to adapt to new data or domains; (2) weak cross-modal grounding, which often leads to hallucinated content generation, producing descriptions that are linguistically fluent but inconsistent with the input visual evidence. This dissertation frames hallucination mitigation as an outcome of transitioning from fixed learning (static, offline fine-tuning) to adaptive, feedback-driven lifelong learning. By incorporating …

Behind The Screen: Exploring How Undergraduate Students Experience Sense Of Belonging In Online Learning Environments In The United States, Grace Ellen Kiersznowski

ETDs from 2020-2029

Enrollment in online courses in higher education has been rising rapidly over the past couple of decades and has accelerated since the COVID-19 pandemic. This has made higher learning more accessible for students who would otherwise have difficulty earning a degree. Online education poses many barriers to students’ development of a sense of belonging, something research has been found to be of great importance to student success and well-being. Relatively little was known about students’ sense of belonging in online learning environments prior to the pandemic. Since the pandemic, online education has undergone major changes, changing the landscape in a …

Bone Marrow Adiposity, Obesity, And Tumor Burden In Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma, Ananya Deshpande

ETDs from 2020-2029

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematologic malignancy in the United States. It is characterized by the accumulation of clonally expanded plasma cells in the bone marrow, which leads to end organ damage and myeloma-defining events requiring treatment. The only modifiable risk factor for MM is obesity. However, associations between obesity, bone marrow adipocytes, and tumor burden at MM diagnosis remain unclear. We evaluated associations of bone marrow adipocytes, body mass index (BMI), and clinical features of tumor burden among 168 patients with histologically confirmed newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) enrolled in the Integrative Molecular and Genetic Epidemiology …

Caring Through Cancer: The Role Of Stress And Social Support In The Lives Of Caregivers Diagnosed With Cancer, Antoinette Shantay Williams

ETDs from 2020-2029

Caregivers living with cancer face overlapping burdens that are often overlooked in research, policy, and practice, despite the profound implications for their mental health and the care they provide. The main objective of this dissertation is to examine how cancer status, gender, and social support intersect to influence the number of poor mental health days reported by caregivers in the United States and a U.S. territory. Specifically, this study assesses differences in poor mental health days between caregivers with and without cancer and examines whether gender and social support independently and jointly moderate this potential association. Using 2022-2023 data from …

Challenges Of Lutetium-177 Metastable Concentration In Radiopharmaceutical Waste, Cameron Robert Liggitt

ETDs from 2020-2029

Lutetium-177 (Lu-177) is an upcoming radiopharmaceutical with commercial use recently approved for cancer treatment by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA). During production, a contaminate, Lutetium-177 metastable (Lu-177m), can also be produced. The concentration of Lu-177m will vary greatly depending on the production method. One of the largest problems posed by this metastable contaminant is disposal challenges due to its longer half-life and more energetic decay process. This research models the potential for the decay in storage method to be used for disposal of Lu-177 waste based on the concentration of Lu-177m. Utilizing varying ratios of metastable per therapeutic dose, this …

Nazi Propaganda In The United States Prior To American Entry Into The Second World War, Trenton Alexander Bowen

ETDs from 2020-2029

This thesis examines the multifaceted nature of Nazi propaganda in the United States during the interwar years. I argue that these publications were not just a parade of familiar cliches about Jews or the wisdom of American neutrality. Rather, they and the organizations that disseminated them presented a jumbled patchwork of lies, hypocritical claims, contradictions, and distortions. In other words, I argue that Nazi propaganda was so dangerous in the United States because it relied on mixed and confusing messaging, and in turn, on the ignorance of Americans about the nature of the “new Germany.”

The Medicalization Of Rapists In Psychiatry From 2000-2024, Lily Plowden

ETDs from 2020-2029

The process of human problems coming to be defined as medical conditions and thus under the purview of medical professionals is called medicalization. This study examines how psychiatrists medicalize perpetrators of sexual violence, looking particularly at debates around whether to include a new disorder, Paraphilic Coercive Disorder, in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition. Using a content analysis of n=102 articles, it finds that discussions of the pathology of sexual violence perpetration were prevalent among psychiatric journals from 2000-2024. Psychiatrists medicalize rapists through three pathways: advocating for a new medical disorder; attributing the cause of sexual …

Investigation Of The Noise Reduction Performance Of A Commercial Active Noise Canceling (Anc) Device, Eli O'Connor

ETDs from 2020-2029

It is estimated that 22 million workers are exposed to potentially damaging noise at work each year. According to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), active noise canceling (ANC) devices are generally not adequate to use for hearing protection in an occupation setting. This study examined the noise attenuation of AirPod Pros 3, to investigate how the device performs at different sound levels. AirPods Pros 3 and a CARL mannequin were used for this study. Two dosimeters were placed inside the mannequin’s right and left ear canals. A speaker played pink noise at external ear sound levels of 90, 95, …

Evaluating The Service Life Of A Respirator Cartridge When Exposed To Various Volatile Organic Compounds, Neha Murad Alwani

ETDs from 2020-2029

Inhalation is the most common exposure pathway. With the significant presence of respiratory exposure, respirator cartridges are widely used as personal protective equipment (PPE) to reduce exposure to gases, vapors, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This study evaluated the breakthrough time of respirator cartridges under various VOC environments commonly encountered in beauty salons and automotive repair shops. Breakthrough time is the duration a respirator cartridge can provide protection before contaminants can be inhaled and the respirator cartridge is no longer effective. The breakthrough time of three VOCs was examined: acetone, toluene, and m-xylene. Using a custom designed test chamber equipped …

Potential Noise Exposure During Post-Trip Inspection Among Commercial Freight Truck Operators, Makayla Ashley Baker

ETDs from 2020-2029

Noise exposure is one of the most common occupational hazards. Transportation and mate-rial moving occupations reported exposure to noise levels that ranged from moderate (81.4%), loud (15.9%), to very loud (< 0.5%). This study aimed to assess the working noise environment of freight truck operators while completing post-trip inspection. Area noise sampling was performed while freight truck engines were in idle states. A type 2 sound level meter (SLM) was utilized to record noise levels, positioned at rear of the truck cab with the microphone towards the source at a height of 5 feet. The SLM was set up for three noise metrics: Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) permissible exposure limit (PEL) and Hearing Conservation (HC) action level in addition to the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) threshold limit value (TLV). 4 trucks were sampled and for each truck, recording duration lasted approximately 15 minutes, reflecting the time spent conducting post inspections. Data collection included the average sound level (Lavg), A-weighted equivalent continuous sound level (LAeq), and maximum A-weighted sound level (LASmax). The measurements were repeated 3 times for each truck and the data were averaged. Lavg was compared to the three respective occupa-tional exposure limits (OELs), assuming a worst-case scenario. Lavg values of each sampling round among four trucks obtained using the OSHA PEL values ranged from 45.1 to 51.4 dB(A), OSHA HC criteria ranged from 37.8 to 51.9 dB(A), and ACGIH TLV values ranged from 55.5 to 67.9 dB(A). The average LAeq of three sampling rounds of the four trucks ranged from 75.4 to 76.9 dB(A) with Truck 3 having the highest average level. The average LASmax of three sampling rounds ranged from 79.3 to 92.0 dB(A), with Truck 3 having the highest average level. Though none of Lavg averages exceeded the respective OELs, Truck 3 under the ACGIH TLV criterion had the highest Lavg at 51.6.9 dB(A), LAeq at 76.9 dB(A), as well as the highest LASmax at 92.0 dB(A). The elevated sound level may be attributed to engine turnover from automated shutoff in prolonged idle states. Further studies need be conducted to investigate other potential factors such as air-brake systems, engine/cab model and age.

Clinical Validation Of Tabpfn-2.5: Zero-Shot Performance, Data-Scarce Robustness, And Distilled Models For Real-Time Clinical Decision Support, Baraa Aljawawdeh

ETDs from 2020-2029

Accurate clinical risk prediction plays an important role in improving patient outcomes, particularly in perioperative settings where early intervention can influence care decisions. Although machine learning has shown promising results using electronic health record (EHR) data, its use in clinical practice is often limited by complex development processes, the need for hyperparameter tuning, and variability in performance across datasets. These challenges are especially relevant in data-scarce clinical settings. This thesis evaluates TabPFN-2.5, a transformer-based tabular foundation model designed to perform classification without dataset-specific training. The model was applied to two real-world perioperative prediction tasks: unplanned care escalation (UCE) following post-anesthesia …

Leadership In Parent Engagement: A Phenomenological Study Of School Principals’ Preparedness To Lead Parent Engagement, Aqila Malpass

ETDs from 2020-2029

Researchers consistently report a strong positive correlation between parent engagement and student achievement. When parents are engaged, students benefit in all grade levels and backgrounds (Auerbach, 2010; Epstein, 2011; Henderson & Mapp, 2002; Jeynes, 2005; Weiss et al., 2010). Policy-makers and educators acknowledge the influence of parent engagement on student outcomes (Mapp, 2012). Consequently, communities need effective parent engagement systems and structures within their schools. Principals should understand parent engagement and be equipped to lead its implementation in their schools. It is also necessary to identify key training and support conditions that help to equip principals to lead effective parent …

Effects On Households Of A Proposed Anchorage Municipal Sales Tax: 2026 Update, Matthew Berman, Noah Burke

ISER Reports

This is an update to the 2024 study.

Executive Summary A coalition of Anchorage business leaders has proposed a sales tax for the Municipality of Anchorage. The tax would be levied at 3% of taxable expenditures. The proposal would allocate 2/3 of the revenues from the tax (2% of taxable expenditures) allocated to property tax relief, and the remaining one third (one percent of taxable expenditures) set aside to fund a capital improvements program. The tax would be temporary, set to expire after about 8 years. A study led by Nolan Klouda at the University of Alaska Anchorage Center for …

Cotton/Soybean Insect Newsletter, June 18, 2026, Jeremy K. Greene

Clemson University Cotton/Soybean Insect Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Unveiling Resistance Mechanisms To Fusarium Wilt Through Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Of Cicer Arietinum And Cicer Reticulatum, Özlem Tuna, Yasi̇n Kaymaz, Talap Talapov, Canan Can, Muhammed Bahatti̇n Tanyolaç, Duygu Ateş

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Developing resistant chickpea cultivars is essential for managing Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum, a major pathogen responsible for substatial yield losses. In this study, we conducted RNA-seq–based transcriptome analysis to characterize gene expression changes in resistant and susceptible genotypes of Cicer arietinum L. and C. reticulatum following inoculation with Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris race 0. Susceptible genotypes exhibited markedly higher numbers of differentially expressed genes compared with resistant genotypes. Defense-related genes were induced in all plants upon infection; however, resistant genotypes specifically upregulated genes functioning in the apoplast or extracellular region while downregulating intracellular processes—a pattern not observed …

Ameliorating Chromium-Induced Stress In Maize Through Phosphorus And Melatonin Application, Zunaira Zafar, Shoaib Ahmad, Muhammad Akhtar, Shafaqat Ali, Sarah Owdah Alomrani, Muhammad Ali Alshehri

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Chromium (Cr+6)  toxicity is a significant environmental stress factor that severely hampers plant growth and productivity. This study aimed to evaluate whether the combined application of phosphorus fertilizer and melatonin could alleviate chromium induced stress in maize  (Zea mays L.).  A foliar spray of melatonin (50 µM) was applied alongside two phosphorus sources—phosphoric acid (PA) and diammonium phosphate (DAP), each at 60% of the recommended rate. Two maize cultivars (FH-1046 and YH-1898) were grown under chromium stress (0, 15, and 30 mg kg–1) to assess treatment effects. The results demonstrated that FH-1046 plants treated with PA + melatonin under noncontaminated …

Interview With Orca Winner John Hibbing, Political Science; How Political Attitudes Correlate With Physiological Traits, Mark A. Griep, John Hibbing

UNL ORCA Interview Series

Dr. John Hibbing was awarded the ORCA in 1993. John was born in 1953 in Paullina, Iowa. He earned a bachelor's in secondary education from Dana College in Blair, Nebraska, but then realized that teaching high school wasn't for him. Instead, he attended the University of Iowa, where he earned a master's and doctorate in political science. In 1981, he joined the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as an assistant professor of political science and rose quickly through the ranks. Initially, he studied the reasons that members of the U.S. Congress retire. This led to a longer-term collaboration with Kevin Smith and …

Driving-Related Challenges For Autistic Youth, Jeong-Heun Kim

ETDs from 2020-2029

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often face barriers to driving. Despite evidence that they have potential to drive safely, some unique challenges exist, manifested in a substantially lower licensure rate than typically developing (TD) peers and restricted driving patterns among this population. Therefore, the overarching goal of this dissertation project was to investigate driving-related challenges that young autistic people face. Both objective and subjective measures were used to comprehensively explore this research topic. The first two papers focused on investigating perceptual, cognitive, and behavioral factors underlying hazard response using data from a total of 34 licensed drivers (17 with …

A Pilot Study Of The Acute Effects Of Isometric Exercise And Aerobic Exercise For Improving Blood Pressure And Vascular Hemodynamics In Hypertensive Adults, Ayih Cedric Edoh

ETDs from 2020-2029

Hypertension (HTN) is one of the most prevalent and modifiable risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). Aerobic exercise is a well-known method to lower blood pressure (BP), but recently, isometric exercise has been purported to lower BP to a similar or greater extent. There is little known about the effects of isometric exercise on acute BP and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure (ABP). Therefore, the purpose of this pilot study was to compare the effects of isometric and aerobic exercise on improving vascular hemodynamics and 24-hour ABP in hypertensive adults. METHODS: Seven participants (age 25-65 years) with a diagnosis of …

Altered But Adaptive: Network Integration In Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Survivors A Diffusion Mri Graph Theory Analysis, Amanda Cook

ETDs from 2020-2029

Pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) survivors face treatment-related risk for late-emerging cognitive difficulties. Chemotherapy can disrupt white-matter structure leading survivors to experience subtle but persistent challenges with processing speed, working memory, and executive functioning. However, cognitive outcomes vary widely even among survivors with similar treatment exposures. To better understand this variability, this study examines how the brain adapts after treatment and how that adaptation is shaped by the environment. This study used diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) connectomics to characterize white matter network organization in 18 pediatric ALL survivors compared with 20 typically developing controls (ages 10-18). Structural connectomes were …

Epidemiology And Outcomes Of Geriatric Trauma At Uab, Lindy Reynolds

ETDs from 2020-2029

Adults over the age of 65 are the fastest growing portion of the population and account for a growing percentage of the trauma patient volume at trauma centers around the country. Older adults experience longer length of stays, higher mortality and complication rates than their younger counterparts. As a result, there has recently been an increased focus on models of geriatric trauma care, one of which is the addition of geriatric medicine consults for older trauma patients. The primary objectives of this dissertation were to examine the effect of the consult policy on outcomes using an interrupted time series approach, …

Subjection To Chivalry: Agency, Consent, And Assault In Roman De Silence And Sir Gawain And The Green Knight, Jeremy Clay Birchfield

ETDs from 2020-2029

Violations of consent and sexual assault occurred frequently within the genre of romance popular across medieval England and France during the late Middle Ages. While many of the characters who experienced sexual assault in these pieces of literature were women, “Subjection to Chivalry” investigates two masculine characters whose consent is violated within their respective romances. The essay explores how the experiences of Silence, the Roman de Silence’s protagonist, and Sir Gawain of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight can read as violations of consent and assault at the hands of both male and female aggressors, and questions how those violations …

Histone Deacetylases In Kidney Injury: Distribution, Injury-Specific Regulation, And Fibroblast Hdac1 Function, Huy Nguyen

ETDs from 2020-2029

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is increasingly recognized as a major contributor to the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) through maladaptive repair and interstitial fibrosis. Epigenetic regulation has emerged as a critical factor of kidney injury responses, however the injury-specific and cell-type specific roles of histone deacetylases (HDACs) remain poorly defined. This dissertation investigates the regulation and functional significance of HDACs in kidney injury, with a particular focus on fibroblast HDAC1 as a mediator of interstitial fibrosis development following AKI. In my cisplatin-induced AKI model, a single dose of cisplatin caused a significant decline in kidney function in both male …

Mindfulness Across Media: Examining The Effects Of Audio, Audio-Visual, And Virtual Reality Mindfulness Interventions On Social Media Mindsets And Psychological Wellbeing, Rashmi Salian

ETDs from 2020-2029

Social media is so deeply ingrained and integrated into daily life that concerns about its impact on psychological wellbeing continue to grow, prompting pressing questions about how to foster healthier and more intentional use of technology. Recent studies suggest that low-agency mindsets toward social media lead users to develop habitual usage patterns and ambiguous information consumption behaviors, both of which negatively impact psychological outcomes. However, limited research is available on mechanisms that could effectively alter these mindsets. This study uses an experimental methodology to investigate whether mindfulness interventions delivered through varying levels of media immersion can improve psychological mindsets toward …

Bringing Clarity To Tutors' Work: Designing An Effective Writing Center Staff Handbook, Maria Bunting

ETDs from 2020-2029

Writing center literature often focuses on the documents used to justify a center’s role in the larger institution while largely ignoring internal documents that aid in training. By also answering Babcock & Thonus (2012) and Driscoll & Perdue (2014)’s call for more replicable, aggregable, and data-based (RAD) research in writing centers, this study addresses this literature gap by conducting a qualitative study about a newly-implemented handbook at a public R1 university. The author first includes a description of the collaborative document creation process before describing the empirical methods used to assess the handbook’s effectiveness. The findings illustrate how effective handbooks …

Investigation Of Air Emissions With A Local Composites Industry, Chris White

ETDs from 2020-2029

Workers at an office space raised complaints about a sweet-smelling odor directly outside their building. After an initial assessment of the surrounding businesses and their processes, it was determined that the workers were most likely exposed to styrene emissions from a nearby composites company. This investigation utilizes multiple weeks of direct readings with a photoionization device and active environmental sampling with a charcoal tube and pump to confirm the styrene exposure hypothesis. Weather trends were also recorded to determine correlation between weather and exposure to the sweet-smelling chemical. The direct readings found an exposure maximum of less than 2 ppm …

Holding The Dying: Worldview, Community, And The Practice Of End-Of-Life Doula Care, Amy J. Shields

ETDs from 2020-2029

As populations age and chronic illness increasingly characterizes the final stages of life in the United States, end-of-life doulas (EOLDs) have emerged as non-medical practitioners who support dying people and their families through education, companionship, advocacy, and ritualized care. Drawing on a thematic analysis of 18 semi-structured interviews with practicing EOLDs across the United States, this thesis examines how EOLDs conceptualize a “good death,” navigate emotionally intensive work, and sustain themselves in an unregulated and often marginal professional landscape. Situating EOLD practice within anthropological scholarship on death and dying, the study highlights the ways EOLDs challenge dominant biomedical narratives that …

Enhancing Dynamic Balance And Mobility In Adolescents With Cerebral Palsy Or Spina Bifida, Phuong Thi Minh Quach

ETDs from 2020-2029

Cerebral Palsy (CP) and Spina Bifida (SB) are among the most prevalent pediatric neuromotor impairments, posing significant challenges to independent mobility and dynamic balance. Although arising from different neurological origins, CP from non-progressive brain disruptions during development and SB from lower motor neuron lesions in the neural tube, both the conditions often lead to similar functional limitations, including muscle weakness, impaired gait and limited mobility. Affected children typically exhibit compromised postural control and an increased dependence on assistive devices. Over time, this decline in independent physical activity often triggers secondary health issues, such as early onset of osteoporosis, hypertension, and …

Small Rna Sequencing Identifies Tsrna-05020 As A Potential Regulator Of Cervical Cancer Progression, Cheng Peng, Cong Liang, Jie Liu, Yunlu Liu, Ping Liu

Turkish Journal of Biology

Background/aim: Cervical cancer (CC) is a malignant gynecologic tumor. Small RNAs derived from tRNA (tsRNAs) have been reported to play regulatory roles in tumor progression and suppression. However, the functional role of tsRNAs in CC remains largely unclear.

Materials and methods: Small RNA sequencing was performed on normal, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), and CC clinical cell samples to identify differentially expressed tsRNAs (DEtsRNAs). qRT-PCR was used to validate the selected DEtsRNAs. The effects of tsRNA-05020 on HeLa cell proliferation, apoptosis, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition were assessed.

Results: Compared with the normal group, 215 tsRNAs were significantly differentially expressed in CIN tissues, …

An In Vitro Mechanistic Study Of Cholinergic-Associated Mechanisms Relevant To Masld In Hepg2 Cells, Gamze Sönmez, Müslüm Gök, Suat Sari, Ebru Bodur

Turkish Journal of Biology

Background/aim: Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and the hepatic cholinergic axis are critical regulators of lipid metabolism and inflammatory signaling; however, their time-dependent interplay in hepatocytes remains incompletely understood. Clarifying how n-6 and n-3 PUFAs interact with cholinergic pathways may provide mechanistic insight into metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).

Materials and methods: HepG2 cells were used to examine the combined effects of butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) overexpression and PUFA exposure. Cells were treated with linoleic acid (LA; n-6) or α-linolenic acid (α-LA; n-3) for 24 or 48 h. Gene expression analyses were performed to assess pathways involved in de novo lipogenesis, β-oxidation, …