Digital Commons Network^™

Optimizing And Fortifying Ai Software Through The Lens Of Artifact Synthesis, Jieke Shi

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformed the software landscape, ushering in a new era of intelligent systems that increasingly shape our daily lives. This transformation is evident in various domains, including Software Engineering (SE), where Large Language Models (LLMs) support many development tools, and control systems, where self-driving cars and autonomous drones rely on deep learning models for real-time decision-making. These AI systems are collectively referred to as AI software, with the former categorized as AI4SE software (AI for Software Engineering) and the latter as AI4Control software (AI for Control). As AI software becomes central to modern computing infrastructure, its reliability …

The Impact Of Corporate Social Responsibility On Employees' Work Attitudes And Behaviors, Qian Yuan

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Why do some new employees voluntarily leave within a short period after joining a corporation, while others do not? Drawing on information asymmetry theory and adverse selection theory, this dissertation argues that information asymmetry and adverse selection between job seekers and firms before organizational entry, or during the job search process, are important reasons for new employees’ short-term voluntary turnover. Because corporate social responsibility (CSR) can provide people with information about a firm’s capabilities, willingness, and intentions, this dissertation proposes that firms’ CSR activities can provide job seekers with information about various aspects of the firm. In doing so, CSR …

The Impact Of Job Demands On Work And Family Outcomes Among Healthcare Workers In China: The Moderating Effect Of Gender And Professional Identity Integration (G-Pii) And Communal Orientation, Wei Zhou

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Long work hours, emotional strain, and stress are just a few of the high demands placed on healthcare workers in China, which have led to occupational burnout, tension between job and family, and worse health. This research investigates the relationship between job demands and burnout via the lens of the Job Demands-Resources model and social identity theory, work-family balance, subjective well-being, and career commitment among Chinese healthcare workers. We focus on the moderating roles of gender and professional identity integration (G-PII) and communal orientation. In a two-wave investigation, 317 medical professionals from different Chinese hospitals took part. Hierarchical regression studies …

How Product Innovation And Process Innovation Impact Product Performance, Wei Wang

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

In an increasingly competitive global market characterized by accelerating technological iteration and rapidly evolving consumer demands, innovation has become a critical means for firms to adapt to dynamic changes and achieve competitive advantage. Grounded in dynamic capabilities theory and the resource-based view, this study empirically investigates the mechanisms through which product innovation and process innovation affect product performance, drawing on survey data from 215 products. It further examines the mediating role of product flexibility and the moderating effect of product positioning. The results indicate that both product innovation and process innovation have a significant positive impact on product performance. Product …

A Study On The Relationship Between Traffic Spillover And Rental Rates Of Shopping Centre Stores Based On Consumer Movement Data, Hongjun Zhang

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This study is based on consumer movement trajectory data and examines the relationship between traffic spillover among stores within shopping centres and their rent ratios, responding to the practical limitation that traditional rental pricing mechanisms often overlook the dynamic structure of customer flows. Using micro-level consumer movement data and store rental data from three shopping centres in Shenzhen, Nanjing, and Chongqing, this paper constructs a store transition network reflecting customer movements between stores. Social network analysis is employed to measure stores’ network influence indicators (such as degree centrality, betweenness centrality, and structural holes) as well as traffic spillover indicators derived …

Securing Ai Models Against Backdoors, Jailbreaks, And Prompt Injections, Myat Min Nay

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Deep neural networks (DNNs) and large language models (LLMs) in safety-critical settings face a family of related threats: an adversary can corrupt training so a hidden trigger flips a model’s behavior (backdoor), craft inference-time inputs that override safety alignment (jailbreaks) or smuggle in task-overriding instructions (prompt injections), or steer the model’s stance on whole concepts (semantic inconsistencies). Current defenses address each of these in isolation. This dissertation argues they admit a unified treatment through a shared diagnostic design principle: a matched perturbation, probing, or operating condition exposes a method-specific diagnostic signal in the model’s internal computation or observable behavior, and …

Applying Direct Numerical Simulations To Investigate Wave Forcing Against A Vertical Wall, Hunter Boswell, Frank D. Han, Gaurav Savant, Guirong Yan, Wouter Mostert

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Current engineering standards lack the ability to predict the peak impact forces of breaking waves impinging directly upon coastal structures. In this study solitary waves impacting vertical and tapered walls are investigated. To capture the detailed physics of the wave profile that impacts the wall, two-dimensional direct numerical simulations are applied to model the wave traveling over a simplified bathymetry consisting of an initially uniform depth, followed by a uniform beach ramp and then terminating in a uniform depth inshore region and vertical wall. Such an approach can simulate wave runup on land and then the impact with the vertical …

An Adaptive Immersive Training Framework For Miner Self-Escape Readiness In Underground Mining Emergencies, Muhammad Azeem Raza, Samuel Frimpong, Saima Ghazal

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Underground mining environments are complex and hazardous operations where emergencies continue to happen. Underground mine emergencies require rapid, high-stakes decision-making under conditions of uncertainty, stress, and limited visibility. Conventional mine emergency training largely relies on instruction-based approaches which provide insufficient exposure to the cognitive and behavioral demands of real underground emergency situations. There has been an identified need to train miners for knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs). This study proposes an Adaptive Immersive Training Framework (AITF), a cognitively grounded architecture that integrates cognitive task analysis (CTA), KSAOs, and situational awareness assessment for miner self-escape training and readiness. The …

Microstructural Evolution Of Zirconium Diboride Irradiated With 5–10 Mev Au Ions At Room Temperature And 570 °C, Narrie Loftus, José Olivares, Miguel Crespillo, Esther Enríquez Pérez, Jeremy Watts, Eric W. Bohannan, Gregory Hilmas, William Fahrenholtz, Joseph Graham

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Zirconium diboride was irradiated with 5 MeV Au^2 + , 7 MeV Au⁴⁺ and 10 MeV Au³⁺ ions at room temperature and 570 °C to doses from 1 to 8 displacements per atom (dpa). Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) analysis revealed no secondary phase formation. Rietveld analysis of the GIXRD data indicated an accumulation of microstrain at low dpa and room temperature. Dislocations observed in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) cross-sections are likely the main contributor to the microstrain. High dpa and high-temperature samples exhibit lower lattice distortion than lower dpa samples, suggesting the presence of enhanced defect …

A Software Package For Generating Robust And Accurate Potentials Using The Moment Tensor Potential Framework, Josiah Roberts, Biswas Rijal, Simon Divilov, Jon Paul Maria, William G. Fahrenholtz, Douglas E. Wolfe, Donald W. Brenner, Stefano Curtarolo, Eva Zurek

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We present the Plan for Robust and Accurate Potentials (PRAPs), a software package for training and using moment tensor potentials (MTPs) in concert with the Machine Learned Interatomic Potentials (MLIP) software package. PRAPs provides an automated workflow to train MTPs using active learning procedures, and a variety of utilities to ease and improve workflows when utilizing the MLIP software. PRAPs was originally developed in the context of crystal structure prediction, in which one calculates convex hulls and predicts low energy metastable and thermodynamically stable structures, but the potentials PRAPs develops are not limited to such applications. PRAPs produces two potentials, …

Superhard Refractory High-Entropy Diborides, M. D. Hossain, N. S. Mcilwaine, N. O. Marquez-Rios, A. C. Feltrin, V. Chawla, R. A. Mayanovic, W. G. Fahrenholtz, D. Penumadu, E. Zurek, D. W. Brenner, D. E. Wolfe, S. Divilov, H. Eckert, S. Curtarolo

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Using first-principles calculations and companion experimental validations, we demonstrate that the valence electron concentration (VEC) can be used to self-consistently parameterize the bonding characteristics of high-entropy diborides (HEBs) and in turn predict their mechanical properties. When VEC is 10.0 per formula unit (f.u.), HEBs enter the superhard category where Hv>40GPa because bonding states are optimally filled to resist shear deformation. Conversely, above or below a VEC of 10.0, the hardness decreases due to the filling of antibonding or the emptying of bonding states of the HEBs, respectively. This result is supported by analyses of the electronic structure, bonding, antibonding, …

Warrior Bot, Relational Bot, Blameworthy Bot: How A Student Design Team Anthropomorphize Their Combat Robot Creations, Daniel Burton Shank, Frederick F. Sunkpal, Nova Lee Young, Karli Hoerstkamp, David Wright, Merilee A. Krueger, Carleigh J. Davis

Psychological Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

How do robot designers anthropomorphize their own creations? Because robot designers have the ability to alter the robot, identify as its creator, and understand their robot's internal makeup, their process of anthropomorphism and its outcomes may be different from that of the typical robot user. We investigate this research question in the domain of combat robots, where anthropomorphism is critical to decision-making, communication, and trust in high-stakes, high-emotion combat situations faced by robot-soldier teams. We conducted an in-depth case study of a university's student-led Combat Robotics Design Team over the design, construction, testing, and competition phases for their competitive combat …

Understanding Human Arm Stiffness Modulation In Overground Phri: The Roles Of Kinematics, Perturbation, And Trunk Sway, Mohsen Mohammadi Beirami, Sambad Regmi, Devin Michael Burns, Yun Seong Song

Psychological Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study examines human arm kinematics during overground physical human-robot interaction (pHRI). Previous work showed humans adjust arm stiffness with changing trajectory uncertainty, but the roles of arm kinematics and muscle activation remained unclear. Building on a preliminary study, we analyzed arm movements with more participants (10 individuals) to achieve more reliable findings and examined two potential influences that arose in the preliminary study: the robot's perturbation effect (a brief hand push) and left-to-right trunk sway. Using a linear mixed-effects model, we evaluated the effects of participant, block, and trajectory condition on arm angles. Results showed minimal kinematic contribution to …

Effect Of A 6-Week Structured Exercise Intervention On Tnf-Α During The Chronic Recovery Phase Of A Burn Injury Compared To Regular Daily Activities: A Pilot Randomised Cross-Over Trial, Tyler Jerome Osborne, Grant Rowe, Dale W. Edgar, Mark Fear, Fiona M. Wood, Timothy Fairchild, Brook Galna, Pippa Kenworthy, Brad Wall

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Burn injury induces a prolonged inflammatory response that may contribute to long-term metabolic dysfunction. Exercise is known to reduce inflammation in various clinical populations; however, its effect on chronic post-burn inflammation remains unclear. This crossover trial investigated the impact of a 6-week exercise intervention on tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in adults with non-severe burns sustained more than one year prior. Methods: Twenty-one participants were randomised to complete either a 6-week exercise program or a control period first, separated by a 4-week washout. The exercise program comprised three supervised sessions per week of combined resistance and cardiovascular training. Primary (TNF-α) …

Physical Activity And Exercise Patterns Of Submariners In Land And Sea Environments, Benjamin Kirk, Georgios Mavropalias, Anthony Blazevich, Jodie Cochrane Wilkie, Aus Molan, Kazunori Nosaka

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: Submarine environments pose unique challenges to maintaining physical activity and exercise routines due to confined spaces, demanding schedules, and limited resources. This study investigated submariners’ physical activity patterns, sleep quality, and perceived exercise barriers in both land- and sea-based settings, with the goal of informing targeted health interventions. Materials and Methods: Ethics approval was granted by the Defence Science and Technology Group and Edith Cowan University review panels. This cross-sectional study surveyed 21 Royal Australian Navy submariners (25-48 years; 18 male) using a modified version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Participants reported weekly engagement in general physical activity …

Data To Accompany "Test-Retest Reliability And Internal Consistency Of The Occupational Resilience Measure (Orm 1.0)", Bernard A. Muriithi, Milan Bimali, Kara Gore

Occupational Therapy Faculty Scholarship

Data to accompany upcoming paper published in The Human Occupation and Wellbeing Journal titled "Test-retest reliability and internal consistency of the Occupational Resilience Measure (ORM 1.0)"

A Mineralogical And Geochemical Characterization Of The Amo Meteorite, Karinn Johnson '27, Kenneth Brown, Chad Byers, Thomas Grier

Annual Student Research Poster Session

Meteorites provide a wealth of information about solar system evolution, planetary formation and differentiation, and provide clues to the origins of water and life on Earth. On December 10th, 2024 (4:04 EST), a meteor fall was observed approximately 50 km west of Indianapolis, over the small town of Amo, Indiana (Hendricks County). Several pieces of the meteor ranging from about 1g to >60kg were recovered. A local Greencastle, IN resident collected a 1451.3g sample, of which a 7.5g piece was donated to DePauw University for detailed textural, mineralogical, and geochemical characterization using stereomicroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), …

Expanding Public Health Insurance To Parents: Effect On Parents' And Children’S Well-Being, Michelle Marcus, Xuan Zhang

Research Collection School Of Economics

Expanding public health insurance to parents may not only improve parental outcomes but also have spillover effects on their children. This paper leverages the natural experiment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to estimate the causal effects of expanding public health insurance to low-income parents on their well-being and that of their children. Using a difference-in-differences model and data from the 2010–2017 National Health Interview Surveys, we observe significant improvements in health care access, increased health care utilization, reduced financial burdens, and slight improvements in health status among low-income parents. For children in Medicaid expansion states, we find reductions in …

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter, March 2026, University Of Northern Iowa. Iowa Waste Reduction Center.

Iowa Waste Reduction Center Newsletter

Contents:

--- Welcome, IWRC Advisory Committee
--- Growing Iowa’s Composting Movement to National Leadership
--- Diane Albertson Memorial Scholarship
--- P2 Green Brewery Webinar Registration is Now Open
--- Potential Hazards of Lithium-Ion Batteries in Landfills

Bridging 2d And 3d Computational Modeling Of Vacuum Arc Remelting: Capturing Rotating Arc Dynamics In Axisymmetric Simulations, Zilong Zhang, Elaheh Dorari, Ramesh Minisandram, Shakarjee Krishnamoorthi, Lang Yuan

Faculty Publications

Computational modeling of the Vacuum Arc Remelting (VAR) process has been developed to provide a deeper physical and metallurgical understanding and assist in the manufacture of defect-free ingots. While fully 3D, time-resolved arc models capture arc–melt interactions with high fidelity, their high computational cost makes 2D steady arc models still the preferred option in industrial applications. In this study, a multi-physics VAR model, which accounts for magnetohydrodynamics, heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and melting/solidification, was established in ANSYS Fluent for Alloy 718 in 3D with a rotating arc. It was validated against measured melt pool morphology. A new 2D axisymmetric oscillating …

Exploring The Potential Of Generative Artificial Intelligence In Enhancing Computational Thinking In Digital Literacy And Computer Science Education, Simone Elias, Richard Brutti, Linda Wilson-Jones

Journal of Research Initiatives

This conceptual article examines resources for facilitating computational thinking (CT) in Massachusetts schools within the context of the Digital Literacy and Computer Science (DLCS) Curriculum Framework. It advances an argument for the ethical, intentional, and educator supervised integration of computational thinking resources and generative artificial intelligence to support inclusive, developmentally appropriate, and student-centered learning environments. The analysis suggests that although no single resource may fully address the breadth of DLCS standards, their coordinated use may strengthen scaffolding, differentiation, personalization, and meaningful engagement with computational thinking concepts. Within this framework, generative artificial intelligence is understood as a supportive instructional tool, while …

Language Analysis Of "Gaslight" And "Narcissist" As Seen On Tiktok, Aaren Fernandez

Journal of Research Initiatives

TikTok is a popular social media platform from which users frequently obtain information. Specifically, psychological concepts such as anxiety, depression, and related conditions are becoming popular vernacular on TikTok through trends such as "story times." However, the accuracy of these terms' usage requires examination. In this qualitative analysis of TikTok posts and comments under the hashtags #gaslight and #narcissist, it was found that videos under these hashtags often originated from users attempting to warn viewers about psychological traits that align with common diagnostic language. However, comments under these videos tended to use these terms in a more casual sense than …

Pre-Legislative Indigenous Consultation, Erick Guapizaca Jiménez

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

No abstract provided.

From Surplus To Sustenance: Confronting Food Waste To Uphold The Right To Food, Emily M. Broad Leib, Noelle Musolino

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

No abstract provided.

Beyond Redemption?: Examining The Sixth Circuit’S Dangerousness Approach For As-Applied Challenges To The Felon-In-Possession Ban, Jack Baker

Vanderbilt Law Review

The federal felon-in-possession statute permanently bans felons from possessing firearms, regardless of the severity of the predicate felony conviction. Both a murder conviction and a mail-fraud conviction equally satisfy the statute's elements. Critics thus argue that the statute is too expansive. Despite the criticism, the felon-in-possession ban has generally survived Second Amendment challenges. But the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass'n v. Bruen opened a new angle for constitutional challenges to the felon-in-possession ban. In Bruen, the Supreme Court established a history-and-tradition test for Second Amendment cases. Courts must now find historically analogous gun …

Barriers To Occupational And Physical Therapy Utilization For Children With Cancer, Maria C Swartz, Shiming Zhang, Donna Kelly, Clark R Andersen, Keri Schadler, Alakh P Rajan, Eduardo Gonzalez Villarreal, Stephanie J Wells, Amy Heaton, Karen Moody

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Occupational and physical therapy (OT/PT) referrals and utilization barriers for childhood cancer patients have not been adequately examined. The current study investigated factors influencing referrals to and utilization of OT/PT services among children with cancer at an NIH-designated cancer center.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included pediatric cancer patients (up to 18.99 years) presenting to the center over a 33.5-month period. Variables that could influence referrals to OT/PT were extracted from the electronic medical record (EMR) including OT and PT referrals (inpatient and outpatient), OT and PT consult completion, age at diagnosis, cancer type, sex, race/ethnicity, insurance, cancer treatment, …

Selective Service And The Separation Of Powers, Jeremy K. Kessler

Faculty Scholarship

The legal history of the U.S. military draft is a case study in creative statutory interpretation. Throughout the twentieth century, this interpretive creativity tended both to expand draft registrants’ substantive and procedural rights, and to recalibrate the roles played by Congress, the courts, and various executive branch factions in the governance of tens of millions of young men. Today’s Military Selective Service Act (“MSSA”) reads much like the law that governed the land when the country last went to war with conscripts during the 1950s and 1960s. But between U.S. entry into the Korean War and its withdrawal from Vietnam, …

Optimizing Feasibility And Acceptability Of An Online Expressive Writing Intervention For Survivors Of Adolescent And Young Adult Cancer: A Pilot Randomized Trial Of Iterative Modifications And Outcomes, Eunju Choi, Yusi Aveva Xu, Celia Cy Wong-Meli, Michael E Roth, Yisheng Li, Qian Lu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of an online expressive writing (EW) intervention for survivors of adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer and determine whether iterative, theory-driven modifications can enhance response, adherence, and completion rates.

Methods: In this randomized pilot trial, survivors of AYA cancer were recruited through a hospital-based AYA oncology clinic and an online community. Forty participants were randomly assigned to the EW intervention or control group. To improve on lower-than-expected adherence and completion rates in a previous cohort, the protocol was iteratively revised using the Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications to Evidence-based Implementation Strategies (FRAME-IS). Modifications included …

A Comprehensive Biomechanical Material Characterization Of The Human Breast Fibro-Structural Support System, Aroj Bhattarai, Gregory P Reece, Kristy K Brock, Krishnaswamy Ravi-Chandar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Breast surgery for aesthetic purposes, such as breast augmentation or breast reduction, and breast reconstruction after cancer treatment require an accurate structural (anatomical) and mechanical (functional) understanding of the breast components, including the fascial-ligamentous support system of the breast, to achieve optimal results. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive description of the mechanical behavior of the ligamentous and fascial connective tissues of the human female breast. Fasciae and ligaments obtained from 17 patients between 35 and 85 years of age who were undergoing mastectomy and three female cadavers were tested. Uniaxial tensile tests were conducted, and three constitutive models …

Pharmacokinetic Modeling Strategies For Dynamic Hyperpolarized Urea Imaging, Keith A Michel, Collin J Harlan, Christopher M Walker, Matthew E Merritt, Yunyun Chen, Stephen Y Lai, James A Bankson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: To evaluate pharmacokinetic modeling methods for quantification of tissue perfusion/permeability with hyperpolarized 13C urea.

Methods: Three models for quantitative analysis of dynamic HP urea imaging data were proposed and evaluated in numerical simulations and a thyroid cancer mouse model. A multicompartment model resembling the extended Tofts model for DCE-MRI (Model I) and two simplified models were used. The simplified models each eliminate a volume parameter representing vascular (Model II) or impermeable cellular space (Model III). Signal curves were generated from Model I, and models were fit to these synthetic data to quantify the effects of acquisition settings, bias in …