Digital Commons Network^™

Transboundary Groundwater Flow Between Niger And Nigeria In The Iullemeden Aquifer System, Gare Ambrose-Igho

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Groundwater is important in regions where water resources are not abundantly distributed such as arid and semi-arid regions. In many countries in Africa, groundwater serves as the most reliable source of water supply and supports over 50% of the African population. Groundwater is stored in underground water-bearing permeable rocks, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials known as aquifers. Groundwater can be transboundary, meaning it crosses international political boundaries between two or more sovereign states. Transboundary aquifers are prone to overexploitation that depletes the groundwater resource and can cause a lowering of the water table and possible ground subsidence. Overexploitation in transboundary …

Exploring Ai-Driven Scaffolding For Critical Questioning In Argument Evaluation, Ebenezer A. Belete

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The fast-paced changes caused by generative AI (GenAI) innovations call for exploring the potential benefits of GenAI in empowering 21st-century pedagogical strategies. Previous studies in the field of argumentation have shown how students can benefit from using critical questions. However, scaffolding argument evaluation through custom GenAI using critical questions has not been systematically investigated. This study involved two components: (1) designing and determining the usability of a GPT-powered conversational assistant (CQMAA Conversational Assistant) and (2) testing its impact on participants' efficacy for argument evaluation and their acceptance of GenAI as a learning tool through a pretest–posttest experiment. A convergent mixed-methods …

Interpretable Deep Learning Models For Trustworthy Prediction Of Enzyme Functions, Louis Dumontet

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Trustworthy prediction of enzyme function from protein sequences remains a central challenge in computational biology, particularly when annotated data are limited, imbalanced, or incomplete. This dissertation develops interpretable deep learning methods for enzyme discovery and enzyme function prediction from amino acid sequences. First, it introduces PEPIC, an interpretable convolutional neural network for substrate-level prediction of hydrolytic plastic-degrading enzymes. Using curated and expanded sequence datasets, PEPIC improved predictive performance over benchmark methods, identified sequence regions aligned with catalytic and substrate-binding residues, and supported the discovery and experimental validation of a previously uncharacterized PET-degrading enzyme. Second, this dissertation investigates the integration of …

Establishing A Comprehensive Framework For Sfrt Lattice Treatments: Optimization, Planning, And Clinical Evaluation, Gregory M. Gill

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Spatially fractionated radiation therapy (SFRT) using lattice radiotherapy (LRT) has emerged as a promising treatment technique for bulky, nonresectable tumors by delivering spatially heterogeneous dose distributions consisting of high-dose vertices embedded within lower-dose regions. Although early clinical experiences have demonstrated potential therapeutic benefit, widespread clinical implementation of LRT remains limited due to the absence of standardized treatment planning workflows, consistent optimization strategies, and clearly defined evaluation metrics for heterogeneous dose distributions. The objective of this study is to develop and evaluate a structured framework to support efficient, reproducible, and safe clinical implementation of LRT.

To address these challenges, a comprehensive …

A Modified Maximum Likelihood Estimation Algorithm For Modeling Threshold Exceedances With The Generalized Pareto Distribution, Jeffrey Harkness

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A modified maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) algorithm is proposed for modeling threshold exceedances with the generalized Pareto distribution (GPD). The algorithm addresses multiple issues with an approach originally published in the Journal Computational Statistics and Data Analysis (Castillo and Serra, 2015). The modified algorithm is intended to be comparatively simple to understand and implement, accurate in the handling of boundary conditions, relatively fast and reliable for most data sets, and relatively easy to transfer between computer languages by leveraging existing optimization routines.

A reproducibility study of work in recent literature published in the journal Extremes (Belzile, et al., 2023) is …

Micromagnetic Simulations Of Field-Driven Antiferromagnetically Coupled Skyrmions, Aidan D. Kirk

Physics and Astronomy Honors Papers

Competing magnetic interactions can stabilize smooth magnetization textures and can be characterized by a topological winding number. A specific spin configuration/texture, spatially localized within a two-dimensional plane, is commonly known as a skyrmion. On the classical level, the significance of skyrmions for condensed matter physics and their potential for applications, ranging from spintronic devices to qubits, has been intensely investigated in recent years. This thesis focuses on antiferromagnetically (AF) coupled Neel-type magnetic skyrmions, which are comprised of two skyrmions with opposite topological charges, yielding a net topological charge of 0. This configuration results in the cancellation of their respective Magnus …

Digital Literacy And Language Proficiency As Factors Of Accessible Digital Training In The Hospitality Industry: Employee Perspectives Of Training And Working In A Diverse Industry, Gillian Bowden

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This explanatory sequential mixed methods study explored how digital literacy and language proficiency impact employees’ access to and engagement with digital training, as well as how these experiences influence their perceptions of training and the organization. In the quantitative phase, survey data were collected from hourly employees at a large foodservice corporation (n=67). Four constructs were assessed: digital literacy, language proficiency, accessibility, and engagement. Results indicated strong, statistically significant relationships with higher levels of digital literacy and language proficiency associated with greater accessibility and increased engagement with digital training materials. The large effect sizes suggest these competencies play a meaningful …

Iterative Silver-Label Refinement For Temporal Information Extraction In Biomedical Literature, Chan Lee

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Temporal information extraction plays a critical role in the biomedical domain, where the ability to identify events and their temporal relationships is central to interpreting research findings. However, annotated corpora for this task remain scarce and costly to produce and the existing models developed for clinical text do not transfer well. This work bridges that gap through iterative silver-label refinement. A temporal model originally trained on news-domain data is adapted to biomedical text through cycles of automatic labeling, targeted correction, and retraining without the need for comprehensive manual annotation.

Key contributions include a practical iterative refinement methodology demonstrating that the …

At The Crossroads Of Traditional And Nuclear Forensics: Decontaminating Radiologically Contaminated Dna Evidence Using Magnetic Beads, Rin Nyx Ruby

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Known for its impressive discriminatory power, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fingerprinting stands as the “gold standard” of forensic investigation. However, complications arise when such evidence is contaminated with radioactive material. Though biological samples exposed to ionizing radiation can still yield comprehensive DNA profiles, most forensic laboratories lack the facilities which meet the safety and security requirements necessary for handling radioactive material. While nuclear facilities can decontaminate samples prior to forensic analysis, conventional methods for radiological decontamination – such as mechanical cleaning and chemical washes – may degrade the quality of the forensic evidence. The purpose of this study is to evaluate …

Phase Identification Of (La, Sr)Coo3 Solid Oxide Cell Electrode Films Using Dft Based Exafs, Musab A. Siddiqui

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Perovskite structured mixed ionic electronic conductor (MIEC) materials formed as films by metal-organic precursor deposition have excellent electrochemical performance in solid oxide cell (SOC) air electrode applications due to the large surface area provided by the manufacturing approach. MIEC films created by metal organic precursor deposition are often multi-phased due to low heat treatment temperatures and locally generated low oxygen partial pressures caused by the release of carbonaceous gases during the drying step of the fabrication process. In this work, we use extended x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS) to examine the phase contents of La0.8Sr0.2CoO3 (LSC82) and La0.6Sr0.4CoO3 (LSC64) …

Parhsom: A Novel Parallel Hierarchical Self-Organizing Map Implementation, Rebekah E. Lane

Theses and Dissertations

The digital age has completely transformed the way that information is processed and stored, which makes cybersecurity a crucial field of research. Cybersecurity contains many different domains, but this work focuses on Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs). Within the literature, Hierarchical Self-Organizing Maps (HSOMs) have been used to create trustworthy, explainable, and AI-based IDSs. However, HSOMs are trained sequentially, which means that training HSOMs on large datasets is slow. This work presents a novel parallel HSOM architecture, called parHSOM. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect that parallel computation has on the HSOM training time. parHSOM is tested …

Shelters In Motion, Erin Nicole Vallido Trasmano

Hospitality Design Graduate Student Capstones

Shelters in Motion is a modular temporary shelter system for festival and outdoor events that replaces disposable tents with reusable, durable design. Overall reducing environmental impact while significantly improving comfort and user experience.

A Descriptive Analysis Of Plant Leaf Disease Detection Using Machine Learning And Deep Learning Models: A Systematic Review, Arzoo Chamoli, Anuj Kumar

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Plant leaf disease detection (PLDD) is a growing active research area with burgeoning practical applications across various sectors such as agricultural monitoring, food security, and environmental conservation. Accurate segmentation and classification of plant leaf diseases remains a key challenge in the field of plant leaf disease prediction. The challenge demands automated methods for the plant disease identification because it needs to develop better crop management systems, which will boost agricultural production. In this article, we provide a systematic review of various machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) methods extensively used for PLDD. The review strategy follows a formal protocol, …

Multiobjective Optimization Framework For Renewable Energy Iot Networks Balancing Security, Energy Efficiency, And Communication Reliability, Muhammad Hjouj Btoush, Ashraf S. Mashaleh, Amjad Gawanmeh

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

The deployment of Internet of things (IoT) networks powered by renewable energy sources presents unique challenges in balancing security requirements, energy efficiency, and communication reliability. This paper presents a comprehensive multiobjective optimization framework for secure renewable energy IoT nodes that addresses fundamental trade-offs between these competing objectives. We develop a mathematical model incorporating energy harvesting dynamics, security protocols, and communication performance metrics across various environmental scenarios. The proposed framework employs a modified NSGA-II algorithm to identify Pareto-optimal configurations for different deployment contexts. Through extensive simulation analysis, we demonstrate that hybrid energy sources (solar-wind combinations) with lightweight security protocols achieve optimal …

Predictive Current Control Approach For Grid-Integrated Multifunctional Converter Under Source And Load Disturbances, Ravi Kumar Majji, Tirumalasetty Chiranjeevi, Chilukoti Varaha Narasimha Raja, Nagulapati Kiran

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

This paper discusses and presents a model predictive control (MPC)-based predictive current control technique for a solar photovoltaic (PV)-integrated grid system during dynamic operation. This control technique employs extension pq (EPQ) theory to estimate reference currents and utilizes an MPC framework for tracking reference currents. Various MATLAB/Simulink simulations were conducted for solar PV generation (source disturbances) and dynamic loading. The results of the OPAL-RT OP4510 real-time simulation are also presented. A multifunctional grid-integrated converter (MFGC) integrates solar active power into the utility grid while achieving unity power factor, reactive power compensation, current balancing, and harmonic suppression. EPQ optimizes mathematical calculations, …

Integrating Augmented Reality Visualizations Into Data Science Notebooks Using Microsoft Hololens 2, Derek Willis

Theses and Dissertations

Data-science notebooks support iterative analysis but are limited to two-dimensional (2D) displays. This work presents an approach to extend such environments with rapid augmented reality (AR) visualization while preserving conventional 2D workflows. An opensource R package was developed to convert notebook objects into three-dimensional (3D) models, export them in the Graphics Language Transmission Format (glTF), and transfer directly to a Microsoft HoloLens 2 via a USB connection for viewing in the native 3D Viewer application. The proposed workflow eliminates manual conversion and transfer steps required by earlier methods. A user study employing a post-session questionnaire indicated that participants found the …

Adaptive Channel Switching For Contention Resolution, Shafqat Hasan

Theses and Dissertations

Contention resolution is a fundamental problem in distributed computing, where multiple devices compete to transmit over a shared channel without centralized coordination. Classical models typically assume a single always-available channel and focus on minimizing makespan. However, modern wireless systems increasingly operate under spectrum-sharing frameworks in which access to high-capacity spectrum is opportunistic and may be interrupted by higher-priority users. These settings introduce new challenges, including asymmetric channel speeds, adversarially scheduled evictions, and non-trivial switching costs. In this thesis, we study contention resolution in a dual-channel model consisting of a slow, always-available channel and a faster channel subject to adversarially scheduled …

A Pedagogically Effective Conceptual Framework For The Resilience Of Unit Test Suites To Refactoring, Daniel Paul Knight

Theses and Dissertations

Unit test suites are intended to support safe and efficient source code refactoring, yet in practice they can hinder rather than help when tests are tightly coupled to implementation details. Such non-resilient tests require frequent co-evolution, consume valuable engineering time, and may disincentivize beneficial code improvements. While concepts such as passive and active resilience, test smells, and technical debt have been studied individually, they have not been integrated into a single actionable framework, nor has their pedagogical value been systematically evaluated. This dissertation introduces a novel conceptual framework for the resilience of unit test suites to refactoring, grounded in resilience …

Assessment Of Local Ecological Knowledge, Oyster Predation, And Habitat Function To Improve Management Of Nearshore Habitats, Cynthia Evelyn Marie Lupton

Theses and Dissertations

Coastal ecosystems along the northern Gulf of Mexico are ecologically and economically vital yet increasingly threatened by environmental change, habitat degradation, and knowledge gaps that complicate restoration and management efforts. This dissertation integrates social and ecological approaches to improve understanding of predator dynamics, stakeholder perceptions, and habitat function related to nearshore habitats. Thereby, providing information that can inform adaptive management and restoration in the region through addressing three overarching objectives: 1) evaluate stakeholder perceptions of oyster (Crassostrea virginica) predation and management practices; 2) quantify environmental and habitat factors influencing oyster drill (Stramonita haemastoma complex) abundance; and, 3) assess the influence …

A Comparative Performance Analysis Of Task Allocation Methods In Uav-Sdn Networks, Yasameen Ali Al Janabi, Ahmed Mhdi Al-Salih

Journal of Intelligent Informatics, Networking, and Cybersecurity

Task allocation is really important for how unmanned aerial vehicle-software-defined networking networks work and how much energy they use. This is especially true when the network is big or small and when things around it change. We looked at three ways to assign tasks: giving them out randomly giving them out in a manner that maintains load balance, and using something called ``particle swarm optimization'' We tried these methods in two situations: when the unmanned aerial vehicle-software-defined networking network is in open space and when it has to deal with obstacles. We used several unmanned aerial vehicles and tasks: 10 …

College Algebra With Review, Lanee Young Ph.D., Jayme Goetz

All Open Educational Resources

This text is disseminated via the Open Education Resource (OER) LibreTexts Project (https://LibreTexts.org) and like the thousands of other texts available within this powerful platform, it is freely available for reading, printing, and "consuming." The LibreTexts mission is to bring together students, faculty, and scholars in a collaborative effort to provide an accessible, and comprehensive platform that empowers our community to develop, curate, adapt, and adopt openly licensed resources and technologies; through these efforts we can reduce the financial burden born from traditional educational resource costs, ensuring education is more accessible for students and communities worldwide. Most, but …

Pwnagotchi: Deauthentication Attacks, Wpa Handshakes, And Wireless Network Security, Emily Musgrove

Computer Science Honors Papers

Wireless networks are the foundation of modern device communication infrastructure. This project examines the security implications of automated WPA/WPA2 handshake collection using the Pwnagotchi, a portable Wi-Fi network auditing and penetration testing device. The paper provides a technical analysis of WPA and WPA2 authentication mechanisms, including the structure of the 4-way handshake, the creation of cryptographic keys, and the role of deauthentication attacks in forcing reconnections for handshake capture. Additionally, the project explores the vulnerabilities associated with using legacy wireless security protocols such as WEP and TKIP to allow for older technologies that continue to require such encryption methods. This …

Effectiveness Of The Guided Discovery Method In Teaching The Surface Area Of A Cylinder, Paul Ahortu

2026 Symposium

This study investigates the impact of the guided discovery instructional method on students’ understanding of the surface area of a cylinder. A quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test design was conducted with 100 senior high school students in Cape Coast, Ghana, divided into experimental and comparison groups..

Results showed a substantial improvement in performance for students exposed to guided discovery, with mean scores increasing from 1.25 (pre-test) to 9.43 (post-test) and a large effect size (Cohen’s d = 2.70). Statistical analysis also revealed significant gender differences in achievement.

These findings indicate strong improvement following the guided discovery intervention and suggest its potential to enhance …

Synthergy: Social Deduction And Deception In Llm-Powered Agents, Lauren Campbell, Andrew Forney

Honors Thesis

Synthergy is an online social deduction game designed to enable comparative analysis of how large language model-powered agents engage in social deduction and deception under conditions of asymmetric information. Inspired by social deduction games such as Town of Salem, Throne of Lies, and Mafia, the game consists of two factions, Harmony and Discord, to which agents are secretly assigned. Agents must infer others’ affiliations through dialogue, in-game abilities, and voting behavior. To evaluate agent behavior, we conducted 100 simulated games across six agent types: a random baseline agent (RandomSynth), an LLM-based agent (Synth), a chain-of-thought agent (CoT Synth), a Bayesian …

On Sequences Arising From The Action Of Modular Group, Tuncay Köroğlu, Bahadir Özgür Güler

Turkish Journal of Mathematics

This paper examines the sequences produced by the natural action of specific elements of the modular group on extended rational numbers. The polynomial sequences Pr(c) and Qr(c) are derived from the orbit of the point at infinity under a specific modular transformation. These sequences satisfy linear recurrence relations, which are analyzed using generating functions. The polynomials encode k-Fibonacci numbers, and studying their behavior modulo a fixed integer m reveals notable arithmetic and combinatorial properties. We also explore the connection between these modular actions and Farey graphs, illustrating the hyperbolic transformations as nested geodesic paths in the upper half-plane.

A Module Theoretic Approach To (B,C)-Invertibility, Tuğba Pakel, Burcu Üngör, Handan Köse, Sai̇t Halicioğlu, Abdullah Harmanci

Turkish Journal of Mathematics

In this paper, we introduce and investigate the concept of an (r, f)-inverse in the context of modules, drawing inspiration from the (b, c)-inverse, which is the analogous notion in ring theory. We demonstrate the uniqueness of (r, f)-inverses in modules whenever they exist. We provide some necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of (r, f)-inverses in modules.

Proportion Of Nilpotent Subgroups In Finite Groups And Their Properties, João Victor Monteiros De Andrade, Leonardo Santos Da Cruz

Turkish Journal of Mathematics

​This work introduces and investigates the function J(G) = Nil(G) / L(G) , where Nil(G) denotes the number of nilpotent subgroups and L(G) the total number of subgroups of a finite group G. The function J(G), defined on the interval (0,1], represents the proportion of nilpotent subgroups relative to the total number of subgroups, including trivial ones. It serves as a tool for analyzing structural patterns in finite groups, particularly in nonnilpotent families such as supersolvable and dihedral groups. Analytical results reveal the distribution of J(G) values across products of dihedral groups, emphasizing its density over (0,1]. Additionally, a probabilistic …

Comparisons Of Some Weighted Mixed Biased Estimators For The Linear Regression Model, Dünya Karapinar, Murat Polat, Ni̇met Özbay, Selahatti̇n Kaçiranlar

Turkish Journal of Mathematics

This paper presents comparative results on the two-parameter weighted mixed estimator, which is a distinct class of estimator defined to address the problem of multicollinearity. The two-parameter weighted mixed estimator is a general estimator that includes the weighted mixed estimator, the weighted mixed Liu estimator, and the weighted mixed ridge estimator. Detailed comparisons among the mentioned estimators are carried out based on the matrix mean square error. Theoretical findings are supported by two numerical examples in addition to a Monte Carlo simulation study.

2026 Revised Draft Final Bpsou Backfill And Cover Material Quality Assurance Project Plan (Qapp), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Using Effect Sizes, Confidence Intervals, And The Bayes Factor To Better Understand The T-Test, Analysis Of Variance, And Regression Results, Holmes Finch

Perspectives on Early Childhood Psychology and Education

Null hypothesis testing is a widely used paradigm for assessing research hypotheses across the social sciences. Despite their ubiquity, researchers have discussed a number of problems and limitations to hypothesis testing and have suggested alternatives that might provide greater depth and explanation of research results. The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of several such alternatives and to show how they can be integrated with one another and with null hypothesis testing in order to provide a more holistic view of research hypotheses.