Digital Commons Network^™

Are We Ready For Synchronous Conceptual Modeling In Augmented Reality? A Usability Study On Causal Maps With Hololens 2, Anish Shrestha, Philippe J. Giabbanelli

VMASC Publications

(1) Background: Participatory modeling requires combining individual views to create a shared conceptual model. While remote collaboration tools have enabled synchronous online modeling, they are limited to desktop settings. Augmented reality (AR) offers a new approach by potentially providing the sense of presence found in physical collaboration, which may better support participants in achieving the sense of presence found in physical locations, thus supporting them in negotiating meaning and building a shared model. (2) Methods: Building on prior works that developed technology, we performed a usability study with pairs of modelers to examine their ability at performing key conceptual modeling …

Assessing Local Public Officials' Roles, Challenges, And Opportunities Encountered When Integrating Newcomers: A Case Study To Evaluate The Cities Of Rochester And Worthington., John Dassou

School of Business Student Theses and Dissertations

Immigrants’ integration plays an important part in policy concerns and goals in many local governments since it is a major issue for local officials to integrate immigrants and incorporate them into the host community successfully. Concurrently, it is important to know the roles of local public officials, host communities, and immigrants in the process. The purpose of this study is to assess the challenges that local officials face, and how they handle these encounters effectively and efficiently. Greater collaboration between all stakeholders, social cohesion, and collective efforts implies the idea that immigrants’ integration depends on many players and factors. It …

The Rise And Fall Of Religion: An Agent-Based Model Of Secularisation, Security And Prosociality, Ivan Puga-Gonzalez, F. Leron Shults, Ross Gore, Konrad Talmont-Kaminski

Center for Secure and Intelligent Critical Systems (CSICS) Publications

The relationship between religion, society, and individual behaviour has been a subject of extensive inquiry, drawing upon a rich collection of historical and contemporary perspectives. The scientific study of religion at the social level has often found its roots in the foundational work of Durkheim (Durkheim, 1912), who posited that religion serves as a catalyst for social order and the promotion of prosocial behaviour. At the same time, Malinowski’s observations regarding the connection between ritual and anxiety have led to a number of lines of inquiry that have come to extend to other aspects of religion. Yet, taken together, these …

The Artificial Intelligence Trolley Problem: Governance In The Post-Chevron World, James M. Cooper, Kashyap Kompella

SMU Science and Technology Law Review

This Essay addresses a growing Constitutional challenge in public governance: the increasing delegation of consequential decisions to algorithmic systems that encode value trade-offs between liberty and security, equity and efficiency, and expression and control, without visibility, legal justification, or institutional oversight. We view this hidden normative choice an example of the “Artificial Intelligence (AI) Trolley Problem.” Like the classic moral dilemma, it involves unavoidable sacrifices among competing goods. Unlike its philosophical counterpart, however, algorithmic trade-offs occur silently. They are embedded in data proxies, optimization logic, and model design, and insulated from scrutiny by claims of technical neutrality. This Essay argues …

Perspectives 2025, Oberlin College Libraries

Perspectives Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

Retail Innovation Through Ai: Benefits And Liabilities, W. Michael Schuster, Simon E. Corrigan

SMU Science and Technology Law Review

This article investigates the transformative capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) within the retail industry. We highlight significant opportunities for product customization, innovation, and enhanced supply chain efficiency, while also examining complex legal challenges associated with AI-generated content. In particular, concerns in the copyright realm are highlighted— including documented biases against AI-produced works. Recognizing these issues, retailers should adopt proactive legal strategies, ensure transparency, and consider hybrid human-AI collaborative approaches. Strategically addressing these issues will help maximize consumer and business benefits while mitigating legal exposure.

Willful Ignorance Or Embracing Ai To Find Prior Art? Uspto Misses The Mark, Henry H. Perritt Jr.

SMU Science and Technology Law Review

Artificial intelligence (AI) is frequently in the news. Policymakers and business executives must decide whether it is a revolutionary phenomenon, likely to overturn established enterprises and practices, or if it is a mere modest advancement in decades-old natural language capability over-advertised by Silicon Valley seeking the “next big thing” and hyped by reporters eager for the next byline. The patent office and the patent bar are not immune from the turmoil. The USPTO has issued several policies and inquiries related to the impact of AI on various aspects of patent prosecution. Most recent is a Request for Comments on the …

Data Property & Digital Sales, Christina Mulligan

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Research In Fostering Dentistry’S Partnership In Healthcare, Scott Tomar Dmd, Drph, Facd

Journal of the American College of Dentists

In 2000, the landmark report Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General highlighted the magnitude of oral health disparities in the country and emphasized the importance of oral health for overall well-being, calling for a health infrastructure that effectively integrates oral health into overall health. More than two decades later, dental and oral diseases remain prevalent among parts of the American population, key strategies for disease prevention are under attack, and dentistry remains largely isolated from the rest of the US healthcare system. While many factors need to be addressed to change that status, it is widely …

Leveraging Intrinsic Properties For Classification Of Coal Seams Towards Spontaneous Combustion Proclivity And Predicting Susceptibility Using Machine Learning: Smart And Sustainable Mining Approach, Siddhartha Agarwal, Pradeep K. Gautam, Yuhao Zou, Rishabh Dwivedi, Durga C. Panigrahi, Cihan H. Dagli, A. Singh

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Mine fires and other hazards caused by spontaneous coal combustion are a pervasive and longstanding issue in Jharia coalfields, India. This study proposes a novel approach to classify coal seams based on their propensity to spontaneous combustion using the intrinsic properties of 30 coal samples from different seams. This method eliminates the need for expensive and time-consuming experimental determinations of susceptibility indices (SI) such as crossing point temperature (CPT), critical air blast (CAB), and differential thermal analysis (DTA). All clustering models, viz. hierarchical, k-means, and multidimensional scaling, aptly classify coal seams into three categories: highly risky, medium risky, and low …

Data-Driven Layout Design For Smart Remanufacturing: A Flexible Optimization Model And A Case Study, J. A. Afari, A. Gosavi, J. Hu, R. J. Marley

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Abstract: In remanufacturing, a vital segment of the sustainable, low-carbon circular economy, existing versions of the traditional unequal-areas facility layout problem (UA-FLP) model face significant limitations in designing layouts. To be specific, in the process of minimizing the material-handling cost (MHC), these models also alter departmental dimensions, often diverging from construction specifications. This poses a difficulty, as critical equipment required for remanufacturing, e.g., sorting and cleaning machines, have unalterable dimensions, which implies that departmental dimensions cannot be changed from specifications provided. To address this, a novel Flexible Envelope UA-FLP (FE-UA-FLP) model is proposed in this work for designing layouts wherein …

Transplant Surgeon Fuzzy Associative Memory (Tsfam): Model For Capturing Surgeon Perspective, Rachel Dzieran, Cihan H. Dagli, Robert J. Marley

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

AI-driven healthcare decision-making is multi-faceted, requiring complex logic to adapt to evolving policies and societal demands. Effective change implementation by healthcare providers and multidisciplinary organ transplant teams depends on adaptive decision-making. The proposed Transplant Surgeon Fuzzy Associative Memory (TSFAM) model introduces a novel approach to Human-AI Teaming, keeping human expertise central while dynamically adjusting to changing requirements. TSFAM employs fuzzy logic to manage imperfect data and human ambiguity, integrating the transplant surgeon perspective with the AI deep learning decision-making tool, creating a resilient solution in this critical domain. By embedding adaptive capabilities into the architecture, TSFAM exemplifies the adaptability of …

Electricity Theft Detection With An Adaptive Deep Learning Architecture, Mohammed Sleiman, Cihan Dagli, Rui Bo

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Electricity theft presents a significant challenge to the power industry. This paper demonstrates an adaptive deep framework integrating dimensionality reduction, graph modeling, attention mechanisms, and dynamic feature refinement for improving theft detection. Principal Component Analysis squeezes consumption data while an Autoencoder extracts latent representations and denoises the input. A Gated Graph Convolutional Neural Network uses k-Nearest Neighbors to model local relationships, while Transformers capture long range global dependencies. Neural Ordinary Differential Equations then refine features over continuous time, improving adaptability to complex patterns. The framework achieves 94.01% accuracy with stratified 5-fold cross validation. However, class imbalance challenges the minority class …

Cyber Forensics With Deep Learning Recurrent Neural Networks, Pfautch Ric, Dagli Cihan, Ashiku Lirim

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Detection of anomalies and anti-patterns is essential for adaptive systems with the ability to perform without foreknowledge. Some problems require both classification and regression along with sensitivity tuning and explainability. Some have highly dimensional datasets that are time dependent. This research offers results for Long-Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and Gated Recurrent Units (GRU) algorithms using the BETH dataset. It unpacks metadata attributes and stages a unique approach via Abstract-Feature Analysis (AFA), hyper parameter tuning, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) within the RNN model. By removing foreknowledge, this research offers insights into RNN anomaly detection performance when an event absent in training …

Estimating Electric Power Consumption Of Grid-Enabled Residential Heat Pump Water Heaters, Dana Paresa, Robert Bass

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

We present two methods for estimating compressor electric power consumption of residential heat pump water heaters. Power is calculated using data from voltage and current instrumentation, which add costs and potential failure points to the unit. The two methods presented herein use thermal instrumentation or derived data that are typically included within modern residential heat pump water heaters. One method uses data from lower and upper tank temperature sensors. The other method uses an attribute that is commonly available within grid-enabled flexible load heat pump water heaters. For both methods, fit equations were derived, for which coefficients are tuned to …

Grid Services Demonstration Using Service-Oriented Derms, Midrar Adham, Sean Keene, Tylor E. Slay, Jaime T. Kolln, Robert Bass

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This work demonstrates four grid service use cases using a service-oriented DER Management System within an Energy Grid of Things network. Imposed by a set of rules referred to as the Energy Service Interface, the DER Management System uses IEEE 2030.5 as its primary communication protocol. To simulate the efforts of Grid Operators, Grid Service Providers, and consumers to provide grid services, a co-simulation environment that leverages the GridAPPS-D simulation platform was developed. The results show that a service-oriented DER Management System provides a means of achieving reliable and impactful grid services while protecting customers’ privacy and ensuring their agency …

Fairness In Contract Law: An Impossibility Theorem?, Francesco Parisi, Brian H. Bix

Articles

Scholars have long debated whether contract law should prioritize maximizing efficiency and social welfare or, instead, prioritize justice, fairness and other deontological values. The debate is partly prescriptive (what should we try to do with contract law rules) and partly conceptual (how should we understand contract law). This article surveys central positions in this debate, distinguishing between the corrective and redistributive functions of contract law and between doing justice between the parties and more systemic effects. It highlights an impossibility theorem that underscores the self-defeating nature of redistributive policies in price-based contractual relationships, using a numerical example and two policy …

Standardization And Accuracy Of Race And Ethnicity Data: Equity Implications For Medical Ai, Alexandra Tsalidis, Lakshmi Bharadwaj, Francis X. Shen

Articles

Abstract

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into healthcare has raised many concerns about race bias in AI models. Yet, overlooked in this dialogue is the lack of quality control for the accuracy of patient race and ethnicity (r/e) data in electronic health records (EHR). This article critically examines the factors driving inaccurate and unrepresentative r/e datasets. These include conceptual uncertainties about how to categorize races and ethnicity, shortcomings in data collection practices, EHR standards, and the misclassification of patients’ race or ethnicity. To address these challenges, we propose a two-pronged action plan. First, we present a set of …

Core Skills & "Cool Tools" From The Third Generation Of Fcil Librarians, Meredith Capps, Clement Lin, Devan Orr, Alison A. Shea, Loren Turner, Latia Ward

Articles

There have been three generations of foreign, comparative, and international law (FCIL) librarians in the United States (US) in the postwar era. FCIL librarians of the first generation were foreign lawyers who emigrated to the US after World War II. Those of the second generation were American lawyer-librarians who built the infrastructure of FCIL librarianship into what it is today. The third generation of FCIL librarians includes the authors of this article. We perform many of the same research tasks as our predecessors, but we do so primarily online through an ever-evolving array of new and emerging technologies. This article …

Critical Incident Debriefing: Impact On Oncology Nurses And The Infusion-Related Reaction Care Bundle, Megan A. Corbett

DNP Scholarly Projects

Background: A critical incident is a sudden, unexpected, emotionally distressing event commonly experienced by oncology nurses. Debriefing is an evidence-based best practice that facilitates communication, reflection, and learning to identify quality improvement opportunities to enhance clinical practice, patient safety, and quality of care. However, debriefing within oncology care settings is inconsistent despite the demonstrated benefit and availability of frameworks. Infusion-related reaction management follows an algorithm that directs care delivery, aligning with a care bundle approach. Care bundles, when consistently and reliably applied, help identify connections between the critical incident (i.e., infusion-related reaction) and opportunities for improvement to ensure clinicians follow …

The Pursuit Of Sustainability In Solar Power Generation, Leni John

Open Access Dissertations

Solar energy has become an important source of power generation. Like all technologies, photovoltaic (PV) components have limitations in their usefulness and operational effectiveness. The rapid development of solar power technology, along with the costs and requirements for long-term maintenance, complicate the serviceability of these technologies when they become obsolete. As critical component spare parts are depleted, warranties expire, or original equipment manufacturers cease support for their legacy technology, it poses a significant risk to maintaining PV power plant operations. As a result, owners lack a comprehensive Decision Support System (DSS) to address failures in obsolete technology.

This dissertation aims …

Mechanical Response Of Drop-Stitch Inflatable Structures To Shock And Impact Loading, Tyler Chu

Open Access Dissertations

The structural response of drop-stitch inflatable panels to dynamic loads was experimentally investigated. Several experimental facilities were utilized: a shock tube facility to simulate air blasts, an air gun facility to impart low-velocity projectile impacts, and an underwater explosion facility to deliver underwater explosive loads. Measurements were taken with high-speed cameras and air-blast or underwater-blast sensors as appropriate. Images were processed through Correlated Solution’s VIC 3D-9 digital image correlation software, and numerical data processed with MATLAB. Generally, results showed different behaviors than what would be expected for traditional monolithic or composite structures. These differences are suspected to be due to …

Project Manager Risk Response Via The Schedule Duration Mechanism In New Product Development, James S. Bryant

Open Access Dissertations

This experimental study investigated the relationship between project risk level and forecasted project schedule duration. Grounded within a systematic literature review, the research is motivated by the continuing high failure rate for new product development (NPD) projects to meet their time objectives. U.S.-based project managers (PMs) were given a project network diagram, assigned to one of four experimental groups (each group also receiving varying information regarding project risks), and asked to forecast the most likely schedule duration from start to finish. The data suggest that there is no correlation between the level of project risk and the forecasted duration and …

Investigating Mono-Driver Versus Multi-Driver Oncogenesis Via Alterations To Cell Signaling Pathways, Abygail Chapdelaine

Open Access Dissertations

The latest edition of Global Cancer Statistics released by the American Cancer Society reported approximately 20 million newly diagnosed cancer cases worldwide in 2022 with 9.7 million deaths. This ranks cancer as the second leading cause of death worldwide. For the majority of cancer patients, the standard treatment approach is chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, and while this has been successful in some patients, a lack of specificity to cancer cells causes severe side-effects when these agents damage healthy cells. Despite extensive efforts that have gone into developing targeted cancer therapeutics that block functions specific to cancer, they have not been …

College Health Provider Experiences With Inclusive And Affirming Care Of Sexual And Gender Minorities, Somatra Lynn Connolly

Open Access Dissertations

Increasing numbers of individuals in the U.S. are identifying as sexual and gender minorities (SGM). Approximately 17-21% of U.S. college students identify as SGM, comprising a sizable portion of minoritized groups on college campuses. College students who identify as SGM are at significant risk for physical and mental health issues, experiences of victimization, and poorer health outcomes. It is essential that colleges and universities ensure their campuses are meeting the needs of their entire student body, including SGM students. This study aims to: (1) obtain an in-depth understanding of college healthcare provider (HCP) experiences and their perceptions with inclusive and …

Electro-Vascular Dynamics During Auditory Processing: Variation Along The Schizotypy Continuum, John P. Mclinden

Open Access Dissertations

Electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) are complementary noninvasive neuroimaging modalities that have contributed greatly to our understanding of the mechanisms of auditory processing. As an emerging technology, fNIRS has produced promising insights into the mechanisms of auditory processing, although considerable work remains to characterize hemodynamic responses in auditory tasks. In addition, the complementary nature of EEG and fNIRS and the relationships between the signals they record have been underexplored. In particular, nonlinear interactions between these signals remain under-characterized, despite the potential benefit to future multimodal neuroimaging studies. A challenge in understanding these interactions is the influence of systemic …

Democratizing Deep-Sea Technology Development Using Rapid Prototyping Techniques, Breanna Motsenbocker

Open Access Dissertations

Deep-sea research and exploration have consistently been inaccessible to a broader oceanographic community due to the lack of affordable technology and resources that are required for this type of work. Traditionally, to investigate the deep sea, large research vessels are required to operate the expensive and massive equipment that can withstand the intense pressure and harsh environment beyond 200 meters of water. Not only does this lessen the capacity for exploring the deep sea but it also introduces an extreme inequity for who can participate and lead these efforts. With a growing demand for the global Blue Economy and a …

Development Of A Scituate Reservoir Mitigation Model For Assessing Flood Control During Extreme Scenarios, Supria Paul

Open Access Dissertations

Effective reservoir management is essential for mitigating downstream flooding, especially with the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events impacting major drinking water reservoirs such as the Scituate Reservoir in Rhode Island. These reservoirs provide water for large populations but can be overwhelmed by intense precipitation, flooding and land cover changes. Climate change is expected to increase precipitation in the study area located in New England, highlighting the need for improved reservoir systems, especially given the aging dams and higher risk of failures. Additionally, land cover changes, like the widespread defoliation caused by the Gypsy Moth infestations, affect water …

Impacts Of Multiple Coastal Stressors Across Life-History Stages In The Eastern Oyster, Amaelia Zyck

Open Access Dissertations

Urbanized estuaries are characterized as a complex of biotic and abiotic stressors, which currently challenge marine life and are expected to intensify and become increasingly unpredictable under the ongoing impacts of climate change. The persistence of coastal species that inhabit these stressful environments will ultimately depend on their ability to adapt. Many of these species have complex life cycles, featuring distinct morphological and physiological developmental stages that can exhibit unique responses to environmental pressures. However, since all stages share the same genome, selective pressures acting on one stage can have cascading effects throughout the life cycle. The larval stage, being …

Novel Methodology And Proof-Of-Concept For Proton Ct Using Spot Profile Rather Than Bragg Peak Location, Brett Albert Ruben

Open Access Dissertations

Proton radiation therapy offers a highly precise method for cancer treatment, theoretically providing superior dose deposition characteristics compared to conventional X-ray radiation therapy. Its steep and finite dose fall-off region allows for superior tumor coverage while reducing, though not eliminating, dose to surrounding healthy tissue. However, its full potential is limited by range uncertainties, particularly those arising from the reliance on X-ray-based imaging methods called computed tomography (CT) for proton-based treatment. CT image Hounsfield Units (HU) must be converted to stopping power ratios (SPR) as these ratios are the clinically relevant value for accurately planning particle interactions during proton therapy. …