Digital Commons Network^™

A Censorship Resistant News Website Using The Ethereum Blockchain, Hoang Lai

Master's Projects

Misleading information, false claims, and fabricated news articles not only misguide readers but also undermine the trustworthiness of the news platforms themselves. The blockchain provides decentralized, immutable data storage and offers a promising solution to prevent censorship on news websites. Compared to traditional news websites, a decentralized application (dApp) offers benefits such as greater stability and resistance to information manipulation. A decentralized web app is harder to attack than centralized servers since the database is stored across a blockchain network. Moreover, blockchain prevents censorship by letting readers check data across all blocks in the Blockchain, which is good for a …

Credit Score-Based Lending System On The Ethereum Platform, Mayuri Shimpi

Master's Projects

Traditional banking systems act as intermediaries, assessing risks and profiting from interest rate differentials. Credit scores, provided by trusted bureaus, are commonly used to evaluate the creditworthiness of borrowers. Cryptocurrencies have emerged as a significant and innovative medium due to their decentralized nature, operating without reliance on a central authority, such as a government.

This report describes a project to implement the Autonomous Lending system on the Ethereum Platform (ALOE), as proposed in [1], aiming to seamlessly integrate traditional credit scoring methodologies for evaluating a borrower's risk of default. The objective of this project report is to establish a robust …

Domain Switch On Sentiment Analysis Using Gradient Reversal Layer, Hemish Veeraboina

Master's Projects

Switching domains in sentiment analysis presents the challenge of transferring learned knowledge from one context to another without the need to label data. Traditional methods often struggle when dealing with differences in data distribution a problem known as the domain shift issue. To tackle this using Gradient Reversal Layers (GRL) has emerged as a solution for adapting to different domains in an unsupervised learning setting. This study introduces an enhancement to the standard GRL approach by incorporating a sigmoid function that gradually adjusts how intensely domain adaptation occurs during training. This upgraded GRL technique ensures controlled learning outcomes making it …

Emotion Detection Using Ensemble Learning, Priya Harika Yerapothu

Master's Projects

Emotion detection is gaining exponential necessity in today’s technological age. This research seeks to delve into ways conversational AI could be enhanced by integrating emotional intelligence using an ensemble learning approach. Traditional machine learning along with advanced neural network architectures are implemented to improve the understanding and intricacies of emotion detection from textual data. The dataset we use is GoEmotions dataset, annotated with 27 emotional labels, to conduct a detailed analysis of emotion recognition. Various machine learning models, such as HistGradientBoosting, LightGBM, CatBoost, and MLP, will be evaluated side by side with advanced models of Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (BiLSTM) …

Understanding Distracted Driving And Gaze Patterns In A Driving Simulator: Simple Vs. Complex Challenges, Rishi Prabhat Narayana Sannala

Master's Projects

Distracted driving has grown in criticality over the recent years, given the numerous distractions that drivers face today, and which have further been magnified by the proliferation of in-vehicle technologies and mobile devices. Such distractions can seriously compromise a driver's ability to be fully focused on the road and to carry out timely responses and informed decisions that are key in minimizing the risks of a crash and maximizing road safety. The general aim of the research is to observe how simple versus complex distractors affect driving performance and gaze patterns. The eyetracker used is the Tobii Pro Fusion, synchronized …

A Rule-Based Hybrid Translation Model For Context-Aware Speech To Indian Sign Language Tasks, Dania Jaison

Master's Projects

In India, one of the most significant tools to communicate with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) communities is Indian Sign Language(ISL). The issue of a scarcity of computational resources for ISL is even more pronounced when it comes to the translation of written or spoken English into ISL. This paper proposes a rule-based model for translation where the spoken english sentences are translated into ISL by focusing on the specific syntactic and grammatical differences between these two languages. ISL uses a simplified syntax unlike the nuanced sentence structures in English — we omit most of the auxiliary verbs …

Multimodal Emotion Detection In Conversations And Dialogues: A Fusion Model Approach, Abhinay Jatoth

Master's Projects

Emotion recognition is gaining traction due to its wide range of potential applications across different fields. With the rise of social media, chat platforms, and voice assistants, there is a vast increase in data through which humans implicitly and explicitly carry emotional cues. With new algorithms being developed for understanding the nuances of human language and emotion, businesses can tailor more personalized and empathetic service. Sentiment analysis, expresses a positive, negative, or neutral viewpoint laid the foundation of Emotion classification. Emotion classification in conversations represents the most advanced stage of classification. It is also challenging due to the existence and …

Lexigen: Lexical-Driven Image Generation, Sangram Prashant Chincholkar

Master's Projects

This research project proposes a novel approach to user-driven image editing via natural language descriptions. The aim is an accurate change of certain features of an image with respect to the descriptive text while maintaining, with equal concern, the integrity of the remaining parts of the image not affected by the description. The task is particularly relevant for fields like content creation, personalized design, and automated image editing that require both coherence of a visual scene and textual description. We propose a generative model, LexiGen, which perfectly integrates natural language descriptions with their corresponding visual changes within an image. The …

Exploring The Use And Misuse Of Large Language Models (Llms), Hezekiah Paul D. Valdez

Master's Projects

Large Language Models (LLMs) have quickly gone from simple rule-based systems to complex knowledge bases capable of tackling many different tasks across a variety of fields. What began as an exercise in human-computer interaction has become the basis for artificial intelligence in a variety of mediums. When attached to larger systems, LLMs become generative assistants that can perform highly on human proficiency assessments and other benchmark skill assessments. This increase in proficiency has led these systems to be deployed in fields such as cybersecurity, business, and programming to help improve productivity and efficiency. However, such a wide availability has allowed …

Optimizing Web Design Code Generation: A Comparative Study Of Finetuning, Pretrained Models, And Rag (Retrieval Augmented Generation), Srinivas Rao Chavan

Master's Projects

Website Creation is revolutionized by automated code generation, reducing the development effort, speeding the production process, and ensuring consistency in design. Automated web design code generation has emerged as a transformative tool bridging the gap between design and development. In this research, a website design tool is developed and used to create visual layouts, exporting them as JSON designs. These JSON outputs were then transformed into textual prompts, optimized using established HCI principles and UI/UX rules to ensure consistency, visual hierarchy, aesthetics and minimalistic design, accessibility, user-friendly navigation and flexibility. These generated prompts were fed into large language models for …

Teaching Children Programming Concepts Through Video Games, Kayla Musleh

Master's Projects

Children have a tendency to lose focus when they are presented with something that does not entertain them or tailor to their personal interests; such as studying [1], [3], [10]. The research performed for this project focuses on studying how much more children can comprehend and focus on learning educational material if they are learning through playing a video game rather than being taught information directly in a typical classroom manner. For this study I created a computer game designed to introduce educational subjects such as mathematics and programming concepts to the child playing the game. By completing the tasks …

The Hazard Prediction Problem, Mary E. Helander, Brendan Smith, Sylvia Charchut, Erika Swiatowy, Calvin Nau, Gregory Cavaretta, Timothy Schuler, Adam Schunk, Héctor Ortiz-Peña

Social Science - All Scholarship

This work formulates the hazard prediction problem while addressing the research question: Can machine learning create a model to automatically recognize patterns that correspond to hazard state conditions during a mission-critical operation? Supervised learning models were trained and tested on data observed from mission simulators, which allowed for safe observation of dynamic system states and undesirable casualty events. The prediction task was formulated as a binary classification problem, producing the probability of being in a hazard state at time t and providing situational awareness of a possible imminent loss. Several modeling architectures were investigated: neural networks, logistic regression, a support …

Towards Algorithmic Justice: Human Centered Approaches To Artificial Intelligence Design To Support Fairness And Mitigate Bias In The Financial Services Sector, Jihyun Kim

CMC Senior Theses

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has positively transformed the Financial services sector but also introduced AI biases against protected groups, amplifying existing prejudices against marginalized communities. The financial decisions made by biased algorithms could cause life-changing ramifications in applications such as lending and credit scoring. Human Centered AI (HCAI) is an emerging concept where AI systems seek to augment, not replace human abilities while preserving human control to ensure transparency, equity and privacy. The evolving field of HCAI shares a common ground with and can be enhanced by the Human Centered Design principles in that they both put humans, the user, at …

Synergistic Hardening In A Dual Phase High-Entropy (Hf,Nb,Ta,Ti,Zr)C–(Hf,Nb,Ta,Ti,Zr)B2 Ultra-High Temperature Ceramic, Rubia Hassan, William G. Fahrenholtz, Gregory E. Hilmas, Stefano Curtarolo

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A dual phase high-entropy (Hf,Nb,Ta,Ti,Zr)C–(Hf,Nb,Ta,Ti,Zr)B2 ultra-high temperature ceramic was synthesized using a single step boro-carbothermal reduction route. The synthesized powder was densified by spark plasma sintering at 2000°C, resulting in complete solid solution formation and a relative density of ≈99%. The dual phase ceramic was 43 vol% high-entropy carbide and 57 vol% high-entropy boride. The grain sizes were 0.85 ± 0.34 µm for the carbide and 0.87 ± 0.33 µm for the boride with minimal residual oxide (0.2 vol%) detected in the microstructure. The resulting composition had a higher microhardness than the individual boride and carbide ceramics across the range …

Hardness Removal By A Continuous Flow Electrochemical Reactor From Different Types Of Water, Shahad Fadhil Alrubaye, Naseer A. Al Haboubi, Hussein A. Al-Amili, Aiman H. Al-Allaq, Dhuha Ahmed Mohammed

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The present study focuses on the technique of hardness removal by using a novel reactor performing an electrocoagulation (EC) process. The variation of alkalinity is also recorded. Continuous flow experiments were conducted for Total Hardness (TH) removal using a transparent plastic reactor using aluminum plate electrodes that have holes so that the water flows through the plates in a zigzag way. The influence of various operating parameters such as the number of plates (two and four), flow rate (600, 1000 L/h), and water type (Tigris River & rejected water from Reverse Osmosis system RO) was investigated. The results showed that …

Verification And Validation Of Pavement Models, Jaime Hernandez, Angeli Jayme, Hasan Ozer, Eyal Levenberg, Lev Khazanovich, Emin M. Kutay

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Model development activities are increasing in pavement research and engineering applications. At the same time, there is ambiguity and a lack of consistency with regard to checking and quantifying credibility and suitability for the intended application. Specifically, usage of the terms Verification and Validation (V&V) is seen to vary across contributions. In this context, this paper was motivated by the desire to provide a best-practice reference that underlines the significance of the V&V terms, clarifies their definition, and promotes a more unified usage. Accordingly, the objective was to offer examples that introduce the V&V jargon, demonstrate basic V&V concepts and …

Stormwater Alters The Resistome Of Urban Surface Water, An Impact That Can Be Mitigated By Green Stormwater Infrastructure, Kassidy N. O'Malley, Walter M. Mcdonald, Patrick J. Mcnamara

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Antibiotic resistance poses an escalating threat to global health, with environmental reservoirs being pivotal areas of concern, as well as opportunities for potential mitigation. Stormwater systems are an important type of environmental reservoir in the urban water cycle with a dearth of research related to impacts on antibiotic resistance. In particular, there has been limited research exploring the impact of diverse antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) carried by stormwater from various land uses on surface water, nor has there been an examination of the role played by green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) in mitigating this impact. Therefore, this study sought to elucidate …

An Efficient And Trusted Deep Learning Framework For Real-Time Ppe Detection In Secure Iomt Environment, Anusha Verma

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Occupationally-acquired infections impact thousands of healthcare workers (HCWs) in the U.S., with many cases preventable through proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE). This study seeks to develop a robust system to enhance PPE compliance and reduce infection risks among HCWs. The objectives of this thesis are twofold: (1) to create a hybrid machine learning model that combines object detection and keypoint detection to ensure correct donning and doffing of PPE, and (2) to design a real-time feedback system using LED indicators and a display interface to offer actionable guidance to HCWs during PPE usage. The goal is to optimize …

A Novel Computational Analysis Of Boundary-Driven Two-Dimensional Heat Flow With Internal Heat Generation, Muhammad Abid, Madiha Bibi, Nasir Yasin, Muhammad Shahid

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

Accurate numerical solution of parabolic and elliptic partial differential equations governing two-dimensional heat transfer is critical for engineering simulations but computationally challenging. This work employs key numerical techniques finite differences, conjugate gradients, and Crank-Nicolson time stepping to solve the heat diffusion equation and analyze method performance. The Poisson equation is discretized using second-order central finite differences and solved with the conjugate gradient approach to determine the steady state solution. The transient heat equation is integrated in time via the Crank-Nicolson implicit scheme, also utilizing conjugate gradients. The methods effectively compute solutions matching analytical and boundary conditions. Convergence and stability are …

Cf/Sic Ceramic Matrix Composites With Extraordinary Thermomechanical Properties Up To 2000 °C, Min Sung Park, Jian Gu, Heesoo Lee, Sea Hoon Lee, Lun Feng, William Fahrenholtz

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The thermomechanical properties of carbon fiber reinforced silicon carbide ceramic matrix composites (Cf/SiC CMCs) were studied up to 2000 °C using high temperature in situ flexural testing in argon. The CMC specimens were fabricated using an ultrahigh concentration (66 vol%) aqueous slurry containing nano-sized silicon carbide powder. The SiC powder compacts were obtained by drying the slurry and were densified using the precursor impregnation and pyrolysis (PIP) method with field assisted sintering technology/spark plasma sintering (FAST/SPS). The high relative density of the SiC green body (77.6%) enabled densification within 2.5 days using four PIP cycles. In contrast, conventional PIP processes …

Phosphate-Based Dechlorination Of Electrorefiner Salt Waste Using A Phosphoric Acid Precursor, Paige Murray, Harmony Werth, Sean Sullivan, Brian J. Riley, Michael Simpson, Charmayne E. Lonergan, Krista Carlson

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Electrochemical processing of spent nuclear fuel in molten chloride salts results in radioactive salt waste. Chlorine removal from the salt has been identified as an effective and efficient first step in the management of high-level waste. In this work, a simple salt was dechlorinated with a phosphoric acid phosphate precursor, resulting in a glassy dechlorinated product. The dechlorination efficacy was evaluated in air and argon environments. This work serves as an initial step to advance the technological readiness level of h3po4-based dechlorination step toward implementation of iron phosphate waste forms to immobilize electrochemical fuel reprocessing salt waste streams.

Thermal And Electrical Properties Of Single-Phase High Entropy Carbide Ceramics, Paul M. Brune, Gregory E. Hilmas, William G. Fahrenholtz, Jeremy Lee Watts, Stefano Curtarolo

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Thermal and Electrical Properties Were Investigated for Five Nominally Phase-Pure High Entropy Carbide Ceramics. the Compositions (Hf0.2Nb0.2Ta0.2Ti0.2Zr0.2)C, (Cr0.2Hf0.2Ta0.2Ti0.2Zr0.2)C, (Hf0.2Mo0.2Ta0.2Ti0.2Zr0.2)C, (Hf0.2Ta0.2Ti0.2W0.2Zr0.2)C, and (Hf0.2Mo0.2Ti0.2W0.2Zr0.2)C Were Synthesized by Carbothermal Reduction of Oxides. the Thermal Diffusivity and Heat Capacity Were Measured from Room Temperature to 1800°C. the Room Temperature Thermal Conductivity Ranged from 5.1 W/mK for (Hf0.2Mo0.2Ti0.2W0.2Zr0.2)C to 9.0 W/mK for (Cr0.2Hf0.2Ta0.2Ti0.2Zr0.2)C. the Thermal Conductivity Increased over the Temperature Range with Maximum Conductivities of 19.6 W/mK Measured for (Hf0.2Mo0.2Ta0.2Ti0.2Zr0.2)C to 29.7 W/mK for (Cr0.2Hf0.2Ta0.2Ti0.2Zr0.2)C at 1800°C. the Electron Contribution to Thermal Conductivity Calculated from Measured Electrical Resistivity Varied from 41% to 52% of the …

Pressureless Sintering And Properties Of Additively Manufactured Zrb2–Sic, Marharyta Lakusta, Nicholas M. Timme, Jeremy L. Watts, William G. Fahrenholtz, Gregory E. Hilmas, David W. Lipke

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Densification behavior, grain growth kinetics, mechanical and thermal properties of pressurelessly sintered zirconium diboride–silicon carbide (ZrB2–SiC) fabricated by extrusion of high solids loading pastes have been studied. The effects of sintering temperature (1600–2300°C), heating rate during constant heating rate sintering (10–50°C/min), and time during isothermal sintering (3–24 h) on density and grain size were examined. The apparent activation energy for densification was determined to be 940 ± 90 kJ/mol, suggesting lattice diffusion as the dominant sintering mechanism. Grain growth of both ZrB2 and SiC followed a normal grain growth power law with grain growth exponent n = 2 indicating diffusion-controlled …

Fiber Assisted Re-Assembly Preformed Particle Gel For Conformance Control, Zhe Sun

Masters Theses

"In Enhanced Oil Recovery technology today, gel treatments have been implemented as a cost-effective method to improve the oil sweep efficiency in reservoirs by plugging the high permeability zones. This study presents a novel gel composition to be used in conformance control in order to improve oil recovery for mature oilfields.

The product is a fiber-assist re-assembly preformed particle gel which could be generalized to the preformed particle gels (PPG). The product developed in this study could be injected into the reservoir act as a conformance control agent by plugging water thief zones and channels in the beginning process. Due …

Production Of Glass-To-Metal Seals Using Additive Manufacturing Techniques, Aaron Read

Masters Theses

"Glass-to-metal (GtM) seals are hermetic barriers between glass and metal components, often used in the electronic and vacuum industries. Creating the seals traditionally requires heating all the components to the glass melting temperature, where the glass will flow and bond to the metal. Due to the manufacturing constraints of the individual components and sealing conditions there are geometric and material restrictions. Additive manufacturing techniques were used to make GtM seals to reduce these restrictions.

Hermetic, single pin seals were produced using printed metal shells, by selective laser melting (SLM), and digital light processing (DLP) printed glass preforms. Glass preforms were …

Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis Of Thermal-Hydraulic Phenomena In Nuclear Reactor Systems, Mehedi Hasan Tusar

Masters Theses

"A computational analysis of thermal-hydraulic processes in nuclear reactor systems is performed, leveraging Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to advance the design and ensure the safety of nuclear reactors. Divided into two primary sections, the initial part examines thermal-hydraulic behavior in the Replacement Research Reactor (RRR) operating at 20 megawatts and evaluates potential enhancements for the Missouri University of Science and Technology Reactor (MSTR) to operate at an increased capacity of 2 megawatts from the existing 0.2 megawatts. Detailed simulations reveal insights into flow characteristics, temperature distributions, and pressure drops, highlighting the effective use of realistic and porous media modeling techniques …

Novel Uses Of Distributed Optical Fiber Sensing For Geo-Mechanical Monitoring, Samuel Vincent Nowak

Doctoral Dissertations

"Rock mass monitoring in underground excavations is crucial for ensuring workplace safety and efficiency. As mines become deeper and more complex, the need to monitor larger volumes of rock during mining becomes impractical with existing instruments due to high costs. Distributed Optical Fiber Sensing (DOFS) is a powerful technology with advantages like long sensor length, real-time measurement capabilities, ease of installation, low cost, and distributed measurement. However, its application in rock mass monitoring is limited, especially in the mining industry. This study addresses a major gap in DOFS technology, specifically the inability of long-range distributed optical fiber strain sensors to …

Semiconductor Physics Based Signal Integrity Analysis For 3d Ic, Ze Sun

Doctoral Dissertations

"Three-dimensional integrated circuits (3DICs) are becoming increasingly popular in high-speed electrical systems. 3DICs are made by stacking multiple dies vertically and connecting them with through-silicon vias (TSVs). In this dissertation, three studies were carried out to model the performance of 3DICs in extreme working conditions and the signal integrity (SI) performance of 3DICs.

First, an in-house Monte Carlo particle simulator was developed to characterize extreme working conditions (ESD/EMP) for ICs at the microscopic level instead of the macroscopic level. The ability of the simulator was demonstrated by modeling a voltage regulator diode under forward and reverse bias. The diode simulation …

A Structure From Motion Photogrammetric Method For Continuously Measuring And Tracking The Deformations Of Soils During Triaxial Testing, Xiaolong Xia

Doctoral Dissertations

"Measuring soil deformation characteristics during triaxial testing is an important part of characterizing the stress-strain behavior of both saturated and unsaturated soils. The total and local deformations and volume changes of a soil specimen are indispensable parameters that need to be measured and are of great significance for understanding volume change and shear strength characteristics of the soil. Over the past several decades, numerous efforts have been made to measure the soil deformations during triaxial testing. However, it remains a great challenge for researchers to measure the volume-changes of unsaturated soils due to the existence of the air phase.

This …

Exploring Seismic Anisotropy In The Crust And Mantle Of The Tibetan Plateau And Analyzing Seismic Velocity Variations In Yellowstone, Cong Shen

Doctoral Dissertations

"Seismology is a scientific discipline that utilizes seismic waves to investigate the deep structures within the Earth's interior, which are otherwise inaccessible to direct observation by humans. These seismic waves can be categorized into two types: body waves and surface waves, each with distinct propagation modes and behaviors, carrying valuable information about their travel paths. The first paper concentrates on the analysis and inversion of body waves produced by large seismic events. It employs shear wave splitting and receiver function methods to explore the geodynamic structure of the south-central Tibetan Plateau, near the plate boundary. The investigation covers the depth …