Digital Commons Network^™

A Wearable Mxene-Based Sweat Sensor For Real-Time Monitoring Of Inflammatory Biomarkers, Ariel Pilger

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

Many conventional biosensing approaches rely on invasive sampling or bulky benchtop instrumentation, limiting their use in continuous and portable applications. This project focuses on the development of wearable sweat-based biosensors that enable non-invasive, continuous, and portable monitoring of physical, chemical, and biological markers. The system will be designed to target markers present in sweat and transduce the biochemical interactions into measurable electrical signals. These signals will be processed through integrated electronics to produce clear, interpretable outputs for users and medical professionals. Supporting circuitry including filters, amplifiers, and an independent power supply will be implemented as necessary to ensure signal accuracy, …

Tuning And Performance Of Pid Controlled Low Complexity Systems, Timothy Evans

Honors Theses

Proportional integral derivative (PID) controllers are used for precise position and orientation control in systems such as autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). This project supports the University of Southern Mississippi’s (USM) Robotics Club’s RoboSub AUV effort by developing, troubleshooting, and manually tuning PID controllers to characterize tracking performance and settling time across systems of increasing complexity. Initially, the project hypothesized that tracking performance would be reduced and settling times would increase as system complexity advanced from one degree-of-freedom (DOF) to two DOF. However, prior research was found that suggests that for small disturbances around an equilibrium state, separate PID-controlled DOFs can …

Ultragps: A Low-Cost, Open-Source Ultrasonic Positioning System, Scott Roelker Murillo, Nnamdi Jesse Onwuzurike

Posters - 2026

We want to raise the bar in high school robotics. In Texas, and likely in many other states as well, high school robotics has reached a roadblock when it comes to autonomous navigation. In many competitions, the autonomous portion sees few, teams successfully completing tasks that require positioning and guidance. In modern robotics, it is no longer sufficient for a robot merely be “remote controlled.” They need to be able to navigate independently and adapt to the environment around them. To achieve this goal a positioning system is needed to develop the foundational algorithms for autonomous controls. However, these systems …

Cooperative Unmanned Aerial System (Uas) Geolocation Of Emitters, Christopher Peters

Electrical Engineering Theses and Dissertations

A collection of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) can be networked as a cooperative wireless sensor array to geolocate an unknown-location RF emitter using time-based measurements. In operation, however, environmental multipath and hardware errors in sensor positioning and timing can degrade emitter localization accuracy and limit the practicality of single-snapshot solutions. This dissertation evaluates time-of-arrival and time-difference-of-arrival (TOA/TDOA) geolocation for cooperative UAS arrays under realistic error sources and develops geometry-control strategies that actively reduce localization uncertainty through iterative UAS repositioning.

This work studies the Location on a Conic Axis (LOCA) method for emitter localization. Using Monte Carlo simulations with hardware error …

Developing A Multi-Band Gnss Remote Sensing Station To Measure Precipitable Water Vapor For Flash Flood Nowcasting, Madison Gleydura

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Flash flood nowcasting in Central and Southern Appalachia is particularly challenging due to steep terrain, narrow valleys, highly localized rainfall patterns, and limited measurement coverage. Traditional remote sensing methods, such as Doppler radar and microwave radiometry, suffer from reduced resolution at long range and signal blockage by mountains. GNSS-meteorology offers an established alternative for measuring precipitable water vapor and is currently integrated into several numerical weather models. Recent research demonstrates that commercial-grade GNSS receivers can produce tropospheric products comparable to those from geodetic-grade equipment. The gaps in mountain coverage can be addressed by developing a low-cost, self-contained embedded system that …

Evaluating Uav Visual-Inertial Odometry Trajectory Error And Feature-Level Metrics Over Repetitive Floor Patterns, Anass El Mekkoussi

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Visual-Inertial Odometry (VIO) is a widely used state estimation technique for Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) navigation in environments where Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals are unavailable. VIO systems that rely on visual feature tracking are susceptible to performance degradation when operating over surfaces containing repetitive visual textures, where visually similar features can produce ambiguous correspondences that introduce errors into the trajectory estimate. Despite the prevalence of repetitive textures in indoor UAV operating environments such as warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and infrastructure corridors, the specific impact of different repetitive pattern geometries on per-surface VIO accuracy has received limited systematic study, and …

Control And Stability Analysis Of Three-Phase Grid-Connected Inverters In Renewable Energy Systems, Yasser Ayeva

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The increase in demand for renewable energy sources such as solar and wind systems has led to widespread use and integration of a three-phase grid connected inverters in electric modern electric power systems. The inverters are essential to convert DC power into AC power and to control the delivered power to the grid. However, the use of the inverters in a renewable energy system has some challenges related to stability and control due to the presence of power electronic interfaces and filter dynamics. This paper analyzes the control and stability of three phase grid connected inverter through an LCL filter. …

Using Ai To Predict Energy Expenditure In Lower Limb Prosthesis Users, Nelly Diaz, Siem Hadish

Posters - 2026

• Computer vision has evolved from simple image classification and object detection to analyzing human motion and biomechanics (1). • CNN’s are usually focused on image classification, but, in this case, we are not asking the model if a person is walking. • Many real-world problems require regression: Predicting a continuous number like energy expenditure of walking is a complex task. • It is essential for Prosthetists to understand energy expenditure of their prosthetic patients (2). • An amputee may use 20-30% more energy to walk. • In this project, we developed an AI model to analyze human motion and …

Comparative Numerical Analysis Of Lead-Free Perovskite Solar Cells Using Scaps-1d, Md Shazarul Islam, Md Abdul Kuddus Sheikh, Hasina Huq

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

A comprehensive numerical study of lead-free perovskite solar cells was conducted using the SCAPS-1D simulation framework with the device architecture ITO/SnO2/Perovskites/NiOx/Au. The work investigates the replacement of the central Pb cation with Sn, Ge, and Bi, followed by absorber-layer thickness optimization to enhance device performance. The impact of systematic Pb substitution on key photovoltaic parameters was first evaluated. Among the candidates, FASnI3-based devices exhibited the most promising performance, achieving a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 26.48%, with a short-circuit current density (Jsc) of 19.31 mAcm-2, an open -circuit voltage (Voc) of 1.57 V, and a fill factor (FF) of 87.29%. …

Device Engineering And Defect Characterization Of Wide-Bandgap Semiconductor Detectors, Ritwik Nag

Theses and Dissertations

This work investigates the device engineering and defect characterization of next-generation wide-bandgap semiconductor radiation detectors, specifically focusing on cadmium zinc telluride selenide (CdZnTeSe or CZTS) single crystal, 4H-silicon carbide (4H-SiC) epitaxial layer, and metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) 4H-SiC architectures. The research addresses the critical need for high-performance detectors capable of operating in harsh environments (i.e, in high radiation background and at high temperature) and at room temperature with superior energy resolution and low noise.

In the study of CZTS gamma-ray detectors, single crystals were grown using the vertical Bridgman method (VBM) and the vertical gradient freeze (VGF) method. Material characterization using EDX, …

Millimeter Wave Channel Modeling In Shipboard Environments, Patrick Morris

Theses and Dissertations

The millimeter wave (mmWave) band has been increasingly studied in recent years due to the saturation of other common frequency bands and the need for higher data rates for current and future communications systems. In this thesis, we quantify key channel parameters for mmWave channels in several environments, including an office setting, an indoor corridor, outdoor areas near a large building, and two shipboard environments. Using a center frequency of 30.5 GHz and signal bandwidth of 500 MHz, we quantify path loss and delay dispersion. The shipboard environments are a focus due to their novelty. Measurements were made using a …

Majority Vote Consensus Via Over-The-Air Computation, Davis Jianmin Mo

Theses and Dissertations

In this paper, we explore the reliability consensus algorithms using non-coherent Over-the-Air Computation (OAC) Majority Vote (MV) for multi-agent stochastic bias systems under ideal conditions with only sensor variance, and with both sensor noise and frequency selective fading channels. In this investigation, we will analyze the reliability data for the combination of these two concepts, such as observing computation error rate, and convergence.

Simulating K-Distributed Sea Clutter For Improvement Of X- Band Radar Littoral Object Detection Performance, Hudson Richard Dye

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides a statistically based method of simulating K- distributed sea clutter for littoral X-band radar object detection. Littoral radar systems must detect small objects in cluttered environments dominated by return from the sea surface. Accurate modeling of sea clutter is fundamental for improving radar detection performance. The clutter synthesizer presented here is an effort to enable computer modeling of realistic sea clutter even with restricted knowledge of sea clutter behavior.

The K-distribution is widely used to model sea clutter in X-band radar systems. Its parameters 𝜈 and 𝑏 are closely tied to third and fourth statistical moments and …

Advanced Modeling Techniques And Crosstalk Mitigation Methodology For High-Speed Interconnects In Modern Communication Systems, Yingcong Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

The increasing demand for higher data rates, greater computational performance, and continued PCB miniaturization has rendered interconnects a critical bottleneck in modern communication and computing systems. High-density routing, while enabling compact designs, significantly exacerbates signal integrity (SI) challenges such as impedance mismatch, far-end crosstalk (FEXT), and propagation delay. Despite advances in design practices, efficient closed-form analytical models capable of accurately characterizing complex, high-frequency interconnect geometries remain limited, necessitating reliance on computationally intensive numerical simulations. This dissertation addresses these limitations by developing analytical modeling methodologies and proposing novel interconnect structures to ensure robust SI in high-speed PCB systems.

The first part …

A Pcb-Based Three-Level Active-Neutral-Point-Clamp Converter With Gan Devices, Mohammad Hassan Adeli

Theses and Dissertations

Modern microgrids, EV chargers, and renewable energy systems require power converters that are efficient, compact, and capable of high-frequency, high-power operation. However, in tightly packaged high-power designs, parasitic inductances and capacitances become significant, leading to voltage overshoot and elevated electromagnetic interference (EMI) under rapid dv/dt transitions. To address these challenges, this work presents a PCB-based 25kW, 480V, 200kHz grid-connected three-level active neutral-point-clamped (3L-ANPC) converter employing GaN devices. The PCB design emphasizes the optimization of parasitic inductances and capacitances to enhance high-voltage safety and reliability. A multilayer PCB busbar structure is implemented to minimize parasitic loops, enabling fast switching with minimal …

Microstructural And Thermal Studies Of Niobium On Copper Fabricated By Sputtering And Multicharged Ion Deposition, Md Obidul Islam

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Niobium-coated copper (Nb/Cu) superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) cavities are a promising alternative to bulk niobium cavities for next-generation particle accelerators due to their reduced material cost and superior thermal conductivity of the copper substrate. However, cavity performance is fundamentally limited by the microstructural quality of sputtered Nb films and thermal transport across the Nb/Cu interface. Reduced thermal diffusivity in thin films and high interfacial thermal resistance contribute to localized heating and performance degradation under high RF fields. This dissertation addresses these challenges through a combined experimental and methodological investigation of thermal transport in Nb thin films, focusing on interface engineering using …

Efficient Energy Management In Networked Microgrids Using Multi-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning In The Presence Of Uncertainties, Ayodele Benjamin Chukwuyem

Dissertations

Microgrid technology is essential in facilitating the transition to smart energy grids in developed countries and mitigating energy poverty in developing countries, particularly in areas where grid extensions are not feasible. Recently, the concept of networked microgrids (NMGs) has garnered tremendous attention due to the plausibility of interactions among interconnected microgrids leading to power networks that are more resilient, reliable, and stable. However, because each microgrid has diverse distributed generation resources (renewables and controllable generators) and each microgrid operator (MO) has different objectives, coordinated energy management is required to satisfy local and system-wide goals under conditions with significant uncertainty. Existing …

A Low-Noise And High-Gain Integrated Photoplethysmography Sensor For Continuous Vital Signs Monitoring, Neethu Mohan

Dissertations

Photoplethysmography (PPG) sensing is an important technology used for measuring health parameters like, heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen saturation, and blood pressure (BP). The PPG sensing is used for individuals who have to periodically monitor their health due to chronic health conditions. The basic requirements of a wearable PPG sensor include non-invasiveness, prolonged battery life, and being userfriendly. These type of sensors have great demand in the healthcare applications and there is a significant rise in the demand of these sensors. The basic objective of these PPG sensors is to make the continuous vital health monitoring easier without the …

A Comparative Study On Performance Of Iot-Driven Ml-Enabled Forecasting Models For Efficient Air Quality Monitoring, Bara Ksiksi

Theses

Air pollution is one of the most critical environmental challenges affecting public health globally, responsible for approximately 4.2 million premature deaths annually according to the World Health Organisation. This thesis presents a comparative study of IoT-driven machine learning forecasting models for air quality monitoring in Abu Dhabi, UAE, introducing a zonal approach combined with satellite-based spatial validation. The primary objective is to evaluate forecasting performance across three distinct activity zones using ground station data from the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD), and to incorporate a spatial validation component using satellite imagery to assess the consistency of ground-based predictions at a …

Traditional And Machine-Learning Equalization Techniques For Bandwidth-Limited Short-Reach Optical Communication Channels, Abdullah Khawatmi

Theses

This thesis investigates equalization techniques for bandwidth-limited short-reach optical communication systems, with a focus on Visible Light Communication (VLC) and Step-Index Plastic Optical Fiber (SI-POF) links. Commercial light-emitting diodes and photodiode receivers impose severe bandwidth constraints, inter-symbol interference, and noise sensitivity, which fundamentally limit achievable data rates. The work addresses these impairments through systematic evaluation of traditional digital signal processing–based equalizers and modern machine-learning-based post-equalization methods. The primary aim of this thesis is to enhance the achievable data rate and reliability of commercial short-reach optical links while maintaining practical computational complexity. Specifically, the objectives are to (i) design and experimentally …

Analysis Of A Coaxial Transmission Line Filled With An Orthorhombic Dielectric-Magnetic Medium, Fathima Manikunnath Abdul Akbar

Theses

Coaxial transmission lines are fundamental means for Transverse Electromagnetic (TEM) wave propagation in RF, microwave and high-speed electronic systems. The study of transmission lines is often familiar when they are filled with isotropic materials; however modern engineered direction dependent materials reshape field distributions. In this thesis, we consider a coaxial transmission line of an inner radius and outer radius b filled with an orthorhombic dielectric-magnetic material, which is described by two anisotropy parameters αx and αy. The potential and field distributions are studied in relation to the ratio b/a as well as the anisotropy parameters αx and αy. Due to …

Efficient Fpga Implementation Of A 1 Million-Point Fft, Jwaher Abdulqader Al Tamimi

Theses

The one-million-point Fast Fourier Transform is implemented using a radix-2 single-path delay feedback pipeline architecture. To minimize the computational overhead, twiddle factors were pre-computed and stored in memory. The design uses a fixed-point representation with two integer bits and seven fractional bits, achieving a measured signal-to-noise ratio of 37.98. Given the substantial memory requirements, a memory partitioning approach was used. It mapped the delay buffers in each stage lookup table memory, block random-access memory, or ultra random-access memory, based on word width and memory depth.

The implementation operates successfully at 100 megahertz on a mid-scale field-programmable gate array. Post-implementation reported …

Breath-Based Detection Of Liver Cancer Biomarkers Using An Swcnt-Fet Nano-Biosensor: Quantumatk, Mohamed Mohieb Rashdan

Theses

Early detection of liver cancer remains limited by the slow pace and invasiveness of current testing methods. This study proposes a single-walled carbon nanotube field-effect transistor (SWCNT-FET) designed to detect hexanal—a volatile organic compound (VOC) elevated in liver cancer—directly from exhaled breath. The device is modeled in QuantumATK using a semi-empirical Extended Hückel Hamiltonian within the non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF) framework, emphasizing realistic contact physics by employing metallic SWCNT electrodes instead of conventional metal films. Zigzag channels with (11,0) and (12,0) chiralities are examined to analyze how geometry and contact matching influence charge transport. Simulations include current–voltage (I–V) characteristics and …

Behavioral-Centric Team Evaluation Via Consistent Rewards, Clement Kudakwashe Nyanhongo

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Across human domains ranging from sports to business and organizational settings, complex tasks are often solved by teams rather than individuals, leveraging benefits such as interaction, mutual support, complementary skills, cohesion, and task allocation. Evaluating team effectiveness, however, is inherently challenging due to the subjectivity of many existing techniques and the limitations of outcome-driven metrics that primarily focus on performance scores while overlooking the team processes that generated the scores. To address these challenges, this dissertation proposes a behavioral-centric, end-to-end framework for team evaluation grounded in reward functions that model sequential team behavior. Reward functions offer compact and interpretable representations …

Advancement And Characterization Of Next-Generation Solid-State Photon-Counting Image Sensors For Astrophysics Applications, Nicholas R. Shade

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Astronomers’ pursuit of detecting light from increasingly faint and distant objects in the expanse of space necessitates continuous improvement in signal-to-noise ratio of camera technology. Recent advancements in solid-state detector technologies have enabled the determination of photon-number, including single photon events, enabling observations at the fundamental limits of physics. These developments are instrumental not only for standard two-dimensional imaging but also for advanced spectroscopy, which increasingly drives future astrophysical applications. This thesis presents an evaluation of three next-generation silicon-based detectors capable of photon-counting with deep-sub-electron input-referred read noise: the electron-multiplying charge-coupled device (EMCCD), the single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD), and the …

Insect Inspired Behavioral Strategies For Improving Multi-Agent System Resilience In The Presence Of Contagious Faults, James E. Hand

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

As Multi-Agent Systems (MASs) become increasingly involved in every aspect of everyday life the need to maintain reliability and resilience within these systems grows. However, in equal measure bad actors wishing to maliciously control or alter these systems are growing in both scale and capability. Thus, there is a present need for control schemes and agent behaviors that provide security against these threats while also avoiding large degradation in system performance as a tradeoff. Current research has covered a wide breadth of avenues and strategies that provide measurable resilience to faulted agents. However, these strategies often require group consensus, specialized …

Ellie - Exteroceptive Light Locomotion In Eukaryote-Fungi, Brandon Etwarroo

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Over the past decade, fungal research and its technological applications have expanded across multiple disciplines, including the emerging field of biohybrid systems. This thesis develops and evaluates a wireless, untethered mobile robot controlled by the action potential-like activity generated by Pleurotus ostreatus sporocarps under red, green, and blue optical stimulation. Light is applied to the sporocarps, the resulting electrical responses are recorded, and these signals are transmitted wirelessly to actuate the mobile robot. Both the action potential-like activity patterns and the robot’s movement trajectories were analyzed. The results demonstrate that wireless robotic control mediated by fungal electrophysiology is feasible. Overall, …

Corrigendum To “Advanced Techniques In Quartz Wafer Precision Processing: Stealth Dicing Based On Filament-Induced Laser Machining” [Opt. Laser Technol. 171 (2024) 110474] (Optics And Laser Technology (2024) 171, (S0030399223013671), (10.1016/J.Optlastec.2023.110474)), Yun Wang, Yutang Dai, Farhan Mumtaz, Kaiyan Luo

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The authors regret, that the affiliation for author Yun Wang was incomplete. To accurately reflect both the author's academic affiliation and the research platform where the work was conducted. The correct affiliation for Yun Wang is updated as above. The authors would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused.

A Software-Defined Radio Testbed For Mimo-Ofdm Communications, Chaz G. Maschman

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In this thesis, we implement a testbed for multiple-input multiple-output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) systems via GNU Radio. Specifically, we implement a configurable framework for the construction of MIMO-OFDM software-defined radio (SDR) systems as a GNU Radio module. The GNU Radio MIMO-OFDM module consists of multiple algorithmic blocks necessary for implementation of a MIMO-OFDM system. This includes a library for the generation of orthogonal or pseudo-random pilot sequences, amendments to the Schmidl-Cox protocol for MIMO synchronization, and the creation of click-and-drag GNU Radio blocks implementing the conversion of arbitrary data sent via external programs to MIMO-OFDM frames, the initial …

A Low-Noise And High-Gain Integrated Photoplethysmography Sensor For Continuous Vital Signs Monitoring, Neethu Mohan

Dissertations

Photoplethysmography (PPG) sensing is an important technology used for measuring health parameters like, heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen saturation, and blood pressure (BP). The PPG sensing is used for individuals who have to periodically monitor their health due to chronic health conditions. The basic requirements of a wearable PPG sensor include non-invasiveness, prolonged battery life, and being userfriendly. These type of sensors have great demand in the healthcare applications and there is a significant rise in the demand of these sensors. The basic objective of these PPG sensors is to make the continuous vital health monitoring easier without the …