Digital Commons Network^™

Development Of Deep Neural Architecture For Continuous Sign Language Video Generation, Natarajan B

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents a deep neural network based sign language video generation framework for translating the multilingual sentences into sign videos. This thesis addresses the challenges persist with the sign language video generation such as (i) Handling longer sequences of input sentences and new words (ii) Pose estimation with higher accuracy (iii) High quality photo realistic sign gesture video generation (iv) Improving realism in sign video generation. Hence, the thesis focuses four contributions to address the above issues.

The first contribution of this thesis automates the translation of multilingual sentences into sign glosses without manual intervention by incorporating Hybrid Neural …

Tunable Dual-Phase Dual-Drug Delivery System Using A Plga Microparticle/Pva Hydrogel Composite, Timothy John Eck

Theses and Dissertations

Current drug-eluting coatings have demonstrated controlled long-term, sustained release but have only tried to mitigate short-term burst release as a negative side effect. For applications like wound healing, there is a need for a drug-eluting coating which is adjustable in both short- and long-term release, independent of each other. We present a tunable dual-phase dual-drug delivery coating composed of drug-loaded polymer microparticles and drug-loaded hydrogel which can control short term and long term release individually in this study. This coating was created using lidocaine and dexamethasone encapsulated in poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) particles combined with lidocaine- and dexamethasone-loaded poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel. Hydrogel drug …

Assessing Past Airworthiness Directives And How Safety Management Systems May Benefit Aviation Product Design And Manufacturing, Damon Lercel, Manoj Patankar, Richard Steckel

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) continues to promulgate Safety Management Systems (SMS) across aviation organizations when it recently issued SMS requirements for EASA certificated Part 145 maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) organizations and Part 21 Design & Manufacturing (D&M) organizations. Currently, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has no such rule in place for these U.S.-based organizations, which may challenge those doing business in countries where EASA policies apply. Given that a majority of the United States’ D&M and MRO population is made up of smaller organizations, it is likely a U.S. SMS regulation will require justification of the …

History’S Slowest Digital Transformation: The Long Road To Flight Data Monitoring, Michael Ott

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

Flight data monitoring (FDM) began in the flight test community in 1939 and entered the airline industry in 1974. In the 48 years since, however, very few operators have chosen to adopt this practice, which has shown clear safety benefits where it has found acceptance. While technical issues have created some obstacles, cultural issues have proven the greatest hindrance to wider FDM adoption. These cultural issues originated in the traits associated with pilots’ personalities, especially distrust of the regulators and operators who would administer flight data analysis programs (FDAP) that used FDM information. U.S. regulators have relied on voluntary adoption, …

Application Of Density Altitude Climatology To General Aviation Impacts, Thomas A. Guinn, Daniel J. Halperin, Sarah Strazzo

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

Density altitude (DA) plays a key role in flight safety because it helps pilots anticipate poor aircraft performance when temperatures are warmer than standard. In this study, a 30-year climatology of DA for the conterminous United States was created using the fifth-generation European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts atmospheric reanalysis of the global climate (ERA5) dataset was applied to four separate DA-based, aircraft-performance, rules-of-thumb for general aviation (GA) flight. The goal was to demonstrate a technique to create educational visualization tools showing the variation of operational flight impacts with both month and location. Four such parameters were chosen to show …

Training Methods Research Opportunities For A Pilot Workforce In Transition: A Literature Review, James Birdsong, Kurt L. Reesman

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

Over the next 15 years, 50% of the U.S. commercial air carrier workforce will retire, making way for younger pilots from Generations Y and Z. This review identifies the emerging pilot workforce and training methods, including emerging technologies and learning methods, as well as research gaps.

Interpersonal Skills In A Sociotechnical System: A Training Gap In Flight Decks, Kimberly Perkins, Sourojit Ghosh, Crystal Hall

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

This research analyzed the perceptions of interpersonal skills on established aviation safety models, Crew Resource Management (CRM), and Threat and Error Management (TEM) using feedback from industry pilots. The flight deck is a sociotechnical system where much research has focused on the technical aspect, whereas we spotlight its socio aspect. The aviation industry must invest in training pilots on interpersonal skills to enhance safety through increased efficacy of safety models integrated throughout existing training programs. A 34-question survey was disseminated across both commercial and business aviation pilots (N=822). We explored three research questions regarding pilots’ perceived training on interpersonal skills …

Production Of Mrna Vaccine For Influenza, Christina Miller

Honors Theses

The objective of this project is to design a process to produce an mRNA influenza vaccine that serves as an alternative to conventional influenza vaccines, replacing current options with innovative mRNA technologies. Given that older populations are most likely to follow up on immunizations consistently, and the increasing average age worldwide, the market for this project appears to be expanding in the next 80 years. Additionally, experts predict more frequent mutations and outbreaks of viral disease from a variety of factors including globalization and global temperature trends. Rapid response to these viral outbreaks will continue to be as, or even …

Systems, Models, And Simulation For Novel Microfabrication Of Silicon Carbide And Metal Mesh Filters, Hunter R. J. Stevenson

Theses and Dissertations

As the boundaries of Moore's Law rapidly approach, research is increasingly turning to exotic materials and metamaterials to advance the capabilities of electronic and micromechanical systems. This thesis presents systems, models, and simulation techniques for novel microfabrication in the realms of silicon carbide (SiC) and metal mesh filters. Through the unification of femtosecond laser pulses, high numerical aperture (NA) objective lenses, and system power and motion control, a system capable of achieving arbitrary 3D features without line-of-sight with aspect ratios up to 109:1 in SiC is developed. Additionally, a model of a direct-write femtosecond-laser-ablation fabricated metal mesh filter (MMF) is …

Modified Coulomb Approach For Squat Silos, Mitchell Cade South

Theses and Dissertations

Traditional methods for calculating lateral pressures in silos, such as Janssen's Method and Coulomb's Method, have limitations due to the underlying assumptions of each methodology. This research investigates an approach which adapts Coulomb's Method to account for the cylindrical geometry of silos. The Silo Wedge Method (SWM) distinguishes between two cases based on the aspect ratio (height/diameter) of the silo. Comparative analysis reveals that the SWM accurately matches Coulomb's Method for linear retaining walls when the silo aspect ratio approaches zero. As the aspect ratio increases above 0.25, the SWM exhibits behavior similar to Janssen's Method. This suggests a potential …

Development Of Novel Analytical Methods For The Investigation Of Mammalian Tissues And Cells, Grace A. Binder

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation endeavors to advance the frontiers of analytical chemistry by addressing critical challenges across three distinct chapters. In the first chapter, the focus is on the evaluation of digestion methods for the analysis of trace metals in mammalian tissues and the Standard Reference Material NIST 1577c. The primary goal is to optimize methodologies, laying the groundwork for reliable trace metal analysis and furthering our understanding of their roles in biological systems.

Transitioning into the realm of immunomodulation, the second chapter elucidates immune response, disease and treatment through the optimization and discovery of STING modulators, utilizing the luciferase assay for …

Controlling The Broadband Enhanced Light Chirality With L-Shaped Dielectric Metamaterials, Ufuk Kilic, Matthew Hilfiker, Shawn Wimer, Alexander Ruder, Eva Schubert, Mathias Schubert, Christos Argyropoulos

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

The inherently weak chiroptical responses of natural materials limit their usage for controlling and enhancing chiral light-matter interactions. Recently, several nanostructures with subwavelength scale dimensions were demonstrated, mainly due to the advent of nanofabrication technologies, as a potential alternative to efficiently enhance chirality. However, the intrinsic lossy nature of metals and the inherent narrowband response of dielectric planar thin films or metasurface structures pose severe limitations toward the practical realization of broadband and tailorable chiral systems. Here, we tackle these problems by designing all-dielectric silicon-based L-shaped optical metamaterials based on tilted nanopillars that exhibit broadband and enhanced chiroptical response in …

Deficiencies In Safe Practices By Pilots Operating General Aviation Aircraft In Weather Conducive For Icing, Douglas Boyd Phd, Thomas Guinn Phd

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

Introduction: Flights of general aviation aircraft in icing conditions pose safety hazards especially since few airplanes are equipped with ice protection systems (FIKI). Herein, we sought to answer the following questions not previously addressed: (i) Has the general aviation icing-related accident rate declined over time? (ii) Which phase(s) of flight lead(s) to the highest fraction of fatal accidents? (iii) Do general aviation pilots adhere to safe practices when operating in forecasted icing?

Methods: Retrospectively, icing-related accidents were per the National Transportation Safety Board database. Prospectively, non-FIKI single-engine airplanes, operating in forecasted icing, were tracked (January–March 2023) using FlightAwareR. Presumptive icing …

Incremental Image Dehazing Algorithm Based On Multiple Transfer Attention, Jinyang Wei, Keping Wang, Yi Yang, Shumin Fei

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: In order to improve the processing ability of the depth-neural network dehazing algorithm to the supplementary data set, and to make the network differently process the image features of different importance to improve the dehazing ability of the network, an incremental dehazing algorithm based on multiple migration of attention is proposed. The teacher's attention generation network in the form of Encoder-Decoder extracts the multiple attention of labels and haze, which is used it as the label of the characteristic migration media network to constrain the network training to form the migration media attention as close as possible to the …

Sustainability In Civil And Construction Engineering, Connotations, Paradigms, And Perceptions, Xiaomei Wang

Theses and Dissertations

Over the last four decades, the concept of sustainability has evolved significantly, gaining prominence since the Brundtland report in 1987. Operating at the intersection of built and natural environments, Civil and Construction Engineering (CCE) projects and designs inherently impact the natural surroundings. In this context, the concept of sustainability serves not only as a guiding principle to mitigate depletion but also as a pathway to achieving balance among diverse societal needs so every creature can survive and thrive. Despite considerable efforts in this domain, the definition of sustainability within the CCE discipline remains elusive. Paradoxically, the popularity and vagueness of …

Development Of Zr(Iv) Mof-Enabled Nerve Agent Electrochemical Hydrolysis Sensors, Tyler James Marlar

Theses and Dissertations

Nerve agents are acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and among the most toxic chemical warfare agents ever synthesized. Detection of these chemicals is critical for the protection of populations and strategic resources. G-series nerve agents are volatile compounds. V-series nerve agents are persistent phosphonothioate compounds. Persistent nerve agents do not readily volatilize and can contaminate environmental resources for extended periods. While nerve agents are inherently non-electroactive, they can be hydrolyzed to electroactive products compatible with electrochemical sensing. Zr(IV) MOFs are next-generation nanoporous materials, which have been shown to rapidly catalyze nerve agent hydrolysis. In this work, the catalytic processes of MOF-808, a specific …

Spatial Correspondence Of Cortical Activity Measured With Whole Head Fnirs And Fmri Toward Clinical Use Within Subject, Anthony Zinos, Julie C. Wagner, Scott A. Beardsley, Wei-Liang Chen, Lisa Conant, Marsha Malloy, Joseph Heffernan, Brendan Quirk, Robert W. Prost, Mohit Maheshwari, Jeffrey Sugar, Harry T. Whelan

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) both measure the hemodynamic response, and so both imaging modalities are expected to have a strong correspondence in regions of cortex adjacent to the scalp. To assess whether fNIRS can be used clinically in a manner similar to fMRI, 22 healthy adult participants underwent same-day fMRI and whole-head fNIRS testing while they performed separate motor (finger tapping) and visual (flashing checkerboard) tasks. Analyses were conducted within and across subjects for each imaging approach, and regions of significant task-related activity were compared on the cortical surface. The spatial correspondence between …

Development Of A Discrete Element Model For Artificial Turf, Justin Rittenhouse

Dissertations

NFL data exhibits a distinct correlation between an elevated lower extremity injury rate and synthetic surfaces. These ubiquitous injuries frequently relate to excessive foot traction (i.e., failure to release causing fracture or soft tissue damage). Consequently, a discrete element model was developed using open-source software to analyze stud traction. First, laboratory data was collected via bench level experiments covering seventeen different testing scenarios. A minimum of twenty-five samples were collected per scenario. Total work, average torque, and maximum torque were used as indicators of stud grip. And the latter two were statistically analyzed for outliers and significant differences. Next, an …

General Non-Destructive Evaluation For Friction Stir Welding, Johnathon Bryce Hunt

Theses and Dissertations

Friction stir welding (FSW) is an advantageous solid state joining method for many different engineering designs. It was invented in 1991 by TWI and since that time a tremendous amount of research has been executed to understand and implement FSW in a myriad of materials in numerous industries such as aerospace, ship building, train, automotive, energy, agriculture and others. Most industries have strict weld inspection processes to validate a weld before it is put into service. One of the main weld characteristics that is measured is the size of any subsurface volumetric voids. The current standard to test friction stir …

Excellence Summit 2024, Office Of Research And Sponsored Projects Operations

Excellence Summit (Research Week) Archived Proceedings

In it's 17th year, the University of the Incarnate Word, welcome all to read and review the proceedings of the annual research week. The 2024 Excellence Summit highlighted academic excellence across all schools featuring topics from nutrition studies to soil amendments, artificial intelligence, medical case studies, and music composition studies. The rich mixture of humanities, health sciences, physical sciences, education, and business can be found in this booklet. We thank all that contributed to these works and hope the community enjoys learning from today's and tomorrow's leaders in research, inquiry, and scholarship.

W/V-Band Propagation Modeling, Nolan Rebernick

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Enhancing the accuracy of atmospheric loss modeling holds the potential to significantly refine estimations of received power, thereby enhancing the overall quality of satellite communication links. This study aims to pioneer and validate an innovative modeling framework to reliably predict atmospheric attenuation along satellite-to-ground propagation paths, particularly focusing on portions of the W-band (81-86 GHz) and V-band (71-76 GHz). By leveraging meteorological data, this approach will encompass various weather scenarios, including clear skies, cloud cover, and diverse forms of precipitation. Utilizing the generated time domain data, the research aims to construct complementary cumulative distribution functions, enabling the analysis of satellite …

Electrodeposition Of Gadolinium Metal Thin Films For Neutron Phase Contrast Imaging, Mary Louise Gucik

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

A rare earth metal, gadolinium has unique magnetic properties and the largest neutron absorption cross section making it highly sought after in emerging technology. However, unlike most metals, it is difficult to work with and lacks a damascene process. When incorporated into alloys, gadolinium’s properties are muted and the film thickness must increase to account for the low concentration. Gadolinium metal films have been deposited successfully through sputter coating, but these films have density deficiencies and are limited to line-of-sight substrates. In this work, the deposition of gadolinium metal thin films was investigated for use on complex geometries via electrophoretic …

Ml/Ai Enabled Intelligent Next Generation Autonomous Network System: Performance Enhancement And Management, Harsh Kumar

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

The smart next generation autonomous system for network performance enhancement and management, specifically suitable for networks like 5G, B5G, 6G, and SDN, is presented in this PhD dissertation powered by ML/AI. The dissertation has been divided into six critical parts. First, it focuses on QoS monitoring and provisioning using intelligent QoS agent design in 6G network. Second, it elaborates on LSTM and SP-LSTM comparative analysis towards network traffic prediction in 6G networks. Third, digging into 6G frontier navigation using SE-DO for intelligent Agent Optimization. Fourth, the dissertation delves into role delegation function as a service to improve reliability and latency …

Predictive Ai Applications For Sar Cases In The Us Coast Guard, Joshua Nelson

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

This paper explores the potential integration of predictive analytics AI into the United States Coast Guard's (USCG) Search and Rescue Optimal Planning System (SAROPS) for deep sea and nearshore search and rescue (SAR) operations. It begins by elucidating the concept of predictive analytics AI and its relevance in military applications, particularly in enhancing SAR procedures. The current state of SAROPS and its challenges, including complexity and accuracy issues, are outlined. By integrating predictive analytics AI into SAROPS, the paper argues for streamlined operations, reduced training burdens, and improved accuracy in locating drowning personnel. Drawing on insights from military AI applications …

Improved Modeling And Application Of Data Assimilation In Gas Influx Management During Managed Pressure Drilling, Chen Wei

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The management of gas influxes in a drilling well has been considered one of the most critical topics for maintaining petroleum drilling safety and efficiency. Reliable modeling of gas influx behaviors in a wellbore or a marine riser greatly benefits the improved understanding of a gas kick event and the development of optimized influx management strategies. However, the current studies on transient multiphase flow modeling show varying limitations on both the model rigorousness and the overall numerical efficiency. Meanwhile, the existence of great system uncertainties, such as the unclear influx sizes and distributions in the well/riser, has brought significant challenges …

The Santa Clara, 2024-04-12, Santa Clara University

The Santa Clara

No abstract provided.

Multiscale Characterization Of Dislocation Development During Cyclic Bending Under Tension In Commercially Pure Titanium, Nathan R. Miller

Theses and Dissertations

Continuous bending under tension (CBT) has been shown to increase room temperature elongation-to-failure (ETF) in various sheet metals past that of simple tension (ST). In commercially pure titanium (CP-Ti) Grade 4, up to 3x extended elongation over ST has been achieved. A greater understanding of deformation mechanisms in CBT would allow for its elongation-enhancing effects to be more fully exploited in HCP and other metals, creating potential for new forming strategies. While most of the extended ETF has been attributed to delayed localization via incremental deformation inherent to the CBT process, together with compressive stabilization and relaxation of mechanical strain …

Application Of High-Deflection Strain Gauges To Characterize Spinal-Motion Phenotypes Among Patients With Clbp, Spencer Alan Baker

Theses and Dissertations

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a nonspecific and persistent ailment that entails many physiological, psychological, social, and economic consequences for individuals and societies. Although there is a plethora of treatments available to treat CLBP, each treatment has varying efficacy for different patients, and it is currently unknown how to best link patients to their ideal treatment. However, it is known that biopsychosocial influences associated with CLBP affect the way that we move. It has been hypothesized that identifying phenotypes of spinal motion could facilitate an objective and repeatable method of determining the optimal treatment for each patient. The objective …

Time-Dependent Strain-Resistance Relationships In Silicone Nanocomposite Sensors, Alex Mikal Wonnacott

Theses and Dissertations

Flexible high-deflection strain gauges have been demonstrated as cost-effective and accessible sensors for capturing human biomechanical deformations. However, the interpretation of these sensors is notably more complex compared to conventional strain gauges, partially owing to the viscoelastic nature of the strain gauges. On top of the non-linear viscoelastic behavior, dynamic resistance response is even more difficult to capture due to spikes in resistance during strain changes. This research examines the relationships between stress, strain, and resistance in nanocomposite sensors during dynamic strain situations. Under the assumption that both macroscopic stress and resistance are governed by microscopic stress concentrations at the …

High Data Rate Signal Processing Architectures And Compilation Strategies For Scalable, Multi-Gigabit Digital Systems, Daniel Alexander Nybo

Theses and Dissertations

In this study we present a high-performance computing architecture and hardware acceleration strategy for a heterogeneous multi-gigabit computing system. The system architecture integrates a BeeGFS distributed file system, capable of achieving 80 Gbps of sustained write throughput across five nodes, essential for managing the high data volumes generated by a 25 high performance computer (HPC) compute cluster. To ensure operational efficiency and scalability, the tasks performed on the Linux compute cluster consisting of 30 nodes are automated using Ansible, facilitating seamless deployment, management, and updates. We present compilation strategies for a hardware accelerated Polyphase Filter Bank (PFB) channelization routine optimized …