Digital Commons Network^™

Effect Of Virtual Reality Technology On Computer Science/Engineering Based Laboratories Education – A Case Study, Mariam A. Al Nuaimi

Theses

Virtual reality (VR) is becoming increasingly popular and essential in education as institutions strive to incorporate technology in education. In Engineering and Computer Science, students face difficulties in comprehending many abstract complex concepts that are typically studied in Labs. This situation worsens with hardware failure and the lack of pedagogical tools. The main goal of this paper is to investigate the impact of VR environments on learning advanced and complex STEM concepts. We also explore the impact of different human-computer interaction (HCI) techniques including gamification on the learning experience of STEM students. To measure such impact, we developed a VR …

Molecular Dynamics Investigation Of The Influenza Hemagglutinin Conformational Changes In Acidic Ph, Shadi A. Badiee, Vivek Govind Kumar, Mahmoud Moradi

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

The surface protein hemagglutinin (HA) of the influenza virus plays a pivotal role in facilitating viral infection by binding to sialic acid receptors on host cells. Its conformational state is pH-sensitive, impacting its receptor-binding ability and evasion of the host immune response. In this study, we conducted extensive equilibrium microsecond-level all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the HA protein to explore the influence of low pH on its conformational dynamics. Specifically, we investigated the impact of protonation on conserved histidine residues (H106₂) located in the hinge region of HA2. Our analysis encompassed comparisons between nonprotonated (NP), partially protonated …

Exploring The Family Well-Being Of Dual-Coast Guard Marriages In The Philippines, Marie Shermaine Andrade

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Evaluation Of The Legal Framework For Seizure And Detention Of Ships For Maritime Law Enforcement In Nigeria, Adetayo Yusuf Adesokan

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Acci̇Dental Oi̇L Polluti̇On From Tankers İN The Caspi̇An Sea : Problem Causes And Lessons Learned, Emin Sadirov

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Prominent Future Fuel : Methanol & Risk Assessment Of Methanol Fuel System Of Tanker As A Case Study, Jaeho Jin

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Study To Examine Vessel Traffic Services In The Context Of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships : Strait Of Malacca As A Case Study, Nadarajan Perumal

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Contactless And Scalable Approaches For Human Health And Performance Sensing, Ngoc Doan Thu Tran

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Human health and performance sensing has been extensively studied, from physiology to mental health and movement analytics. However, typical approaches rely on invasive and contact sensors or require professional practitioners, limiting their scalability. For example, the gold standard for measuring heart rate is through an electrocardiogram (ECG), which requires multiple probes attached to the skin and is impractical for individuals with skin issues. Additionally, it typically needs to be performed in a hospital setting under the supervision of a trained cardiac physiologist. Depression detection often relies on the expertise of psychologists or psychiatrists. However, there is a shortage of these …

Food Computing: Domain Adaptation And Causal Inference, Qing Wang

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This dissertation addresses two challenges in food computing: food recognition and food image-to-recipe retrieval. The main research ideas are: (1) leveraging Large Language Models (LLMs) to augment food image representations to mitigate the combined challenges of domain gaps and data imbalance in fine-grained food recognition; (2) proposing a causal-theory inspired cross-modal representation learning formulation for reducing the bias caused by the emphasis on certain ingredients for cross-modal recipe retrieval; and (3) extending the framework to incorporate multiple confounding factors, particularly ingredients and cooking actions, allows for more comprehensive modeling of the food image-torecipe retrieval problem.

We first explore the challenges …

Noncontact Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy Of Synovial Fluid Samples For Rapid Identification Of Infections, Erin E. Drewke, Robert L. Brand, Caroline G. Geels, Hanna K. Jensen, Kevin Wong, Jarret D. Sanders, Narasimhan Rajaram

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Severe joint infections, such as septic arthritis, require rapid diagnostic testing of the synovial fluid aspirated from joints level so that a surgical team can be assembled quickly. We present a diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) system for noncontact determination of infection. Using a light-tight syringe holder and fiber optic probe, diffusely reflected light from 475 to 655 nm was acquired from 18 patient samples through the wall of a syringe in a noncontact and sterile manner. We determined the reflectance ratios at two different wavelengths—R ₄₉₀/R ₆₀₀ and R ₅₈₀/R ₆₀₀ and found statistically significant …

Final West Side Soils Operable Unit Remedial Investigation Sampling Data Summary Report, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Draft Final Materials Management Plan Silver Bow Creek Conservation Area, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Draft Final 2022 Insufficiently Reclaimed Sites Sampling: Bres No. 158 Site Evaluation Summary Report, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Final Quarterly Operations And Maintenance Report Butte Treatment Lagoon System – Fourth Quarter 2022, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

September 2024 Berkeley Pit Migratory Waterfowl Protection Monthly Report, Mark Thompson, Loren Burmeister

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Tritrophic Interactions Mediated By Zoophytophagous Predator-Induced Host Plant Volatiles, Bashiru Adams, Abdullahi Ahmed Yusuf, Baldwyn Torto, Fathiya Mbarak Khamis

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The zoophytophagous mirid predator Nesidiocoris tenuis and the ectoparasitoid Stenomesius japonicus are important biological control agents for several agricultural pests including the invasive leafminer, Phthorimaea absoluta, a destructive pest of Solanaceous crops especially tomato in sub-Saharan Africa. However, little is known about how feeding by N. tenuis can influence the tritrophic interactions in the tomato plant. Here, we tested the hypothesis that N. tenuis phytophagy would influence the tritrophic olfactory interactions between the host plant tomato and pest, predator, and parasitoid. In olfactometer assays, P. absoluta females and N. tenuis adults were both attracted to constitutive volatiles released by the …

Tackling Toxicity And Harassment In Online Environments Through The Use Of Artificial Intelligence, Heba Saleous

Dissertations

With the increase in popularity of online communities, such as social media platforms, online games, and chatroom servers, there is a need to improve chat and content moderation. Platforms have reported an increase in the prevalence of toxic behavior and hate speech. Meanwhile, moderators are reporting difficulties in keeping up with the amount of data to check as well and the type of content they are exposed to, which further harms their own mental health. The main objective of this work is to address the challenges that exist within online communities with the rising prevalence of hate speech. Additionally, some …

The Effects Of Wildfires On The Mental And Physical Health Of School-Age Children In North America: A Scoping Review, Sarah Oerther, Sarah Manspeaker, Alison Wix, Daniel Oerther, Carmen Marsit

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Background: Wildfires are occurring more often and with greater intensity, leading to longer and harsher fire seasons. As a result, children are more frequently exposed to wildfire smoke, which increases their risk of mental and physical health effects. Purpose: The purpose of our scoping review is to explore the current literature on what is known about the direct and indirect impacts of wildfires on the mental and physical health of school-age children in North America (5 to 18-year-olds). Methods: A health sciences librarian-assisted literature search, with input from the research team, was performed. Results: A total of 16 studies were …

Neutrosophic Logic-Based Crop Yield Prediction And Risk Assessment Using Least Squares Regression, M. Srikanth, R.N.V. Jagan Mohan, M. Chandra Naik

Neutrosophic Systems with Applications

Agriculture faces significant challenges due to climate change and unpredictable environmental factors, which impact crop yields and threaten food security. This study proposes a novel approach to crop yield prediction and risk assessment using neutrosophic logic and least squares regression. By integrating these methods, we aim to improve accuracy in predicting crop losses under uncertain conditions. The model classifies crops based on profitability and environmental risks, utilizing the independence test to evaluate the relationships between crop attributes. Our approach leverages deep learning techniques, such as restricted Boltzmann machines (RBM), to enhance the analysis of crop data and provide farmers with …

National Use Of Artificial Intelligence For Eye Screening In Singapore, Dinesh Visva Gunasekeran, Steven Miller, Wynne Hsu, Mong Li, Tym Hon Wong, Mun Tuck Lee, Ecosse Lamoureau, Daniel Shu Wei Ting, Gavin Siew Wei Tan, Tien-Yin Wong

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Diabetes is a major health care challenge, affecting 10% of the global population. One third of patients with diabetes have an ocular complication known as diabetic retinopathy (DR). DR progression to manifestations such as vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy (VTDR) remains the leading cause of blindness in working-aged adults. Yearly DR screening is a universally recommended practice in primary care settings for patients with diabetes, but it is often difficult to implement due to a lack of staffing and screening capacity in primary care. This case study highlights our experience with developing a medical artificial intelligence (AI) software-as-a-medical-device (SaMD) solution for DR …

Navigating Weight Prediction With Diet Diary, Yinxuan Gui, Bin Zhu, Jingjing Chen, Chong-Wah Ngo, Yu-Gang Jiang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Current research in food analysis primarily concentrates on tasks such as food recognition, recipe retrieval and nutrition estimation from a single image. Nevertheless, there is a significant gap in exploring the impact of food intake on physiological indicators (e.g., weight) over time. This paper addresses this gap by introducing the DietDiary dataset, which encompasses daily dietary diaries and corresponding weight measurements of real users. Furthermore, we propose a novel task of weight prediction with a dietary diary that aims to leverage historical food intake and weight to predict future weights. To tackle this task, we propose a model-agnostic time series …

Class Name Guided Out-Of-Scope Intent Classification, Chandan Gautam, Sethupathy Parameswaran, Aditya Kane, Yuan Fang, Savitha Ramasamy, Suresh Sundaram, Sunil Kumar Sahu, Xiaoli Li

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The paper introduces Semantics of Class Labelbased Unsupervised Out of Scope Intent Detection (SCOOS), a novel method aimed at enhancing out-of-scope (OOS) intent classification in task-oriented dialogue systems. Unlike prior approaches that rely solely on indomain (ID) data features, SCOOS leverages semantic cues embedded in class labels to improve classification accuracy. The method entails forming a compact feature space centered around the semantics of class labels by minimizing losses between ID features and class names. SCOOS achieves this by creating a compact feature space centered around class label semantics, achieved through minimizing losses between in-domain (ID) features and class names. …

Irl For Restless Multi-Armed Bandits With Applications In Maternal And Child Health, Gauri Jain, Pradeep Varakantham, Haifeng Xu, Aparna Taneja, Prashant Doshi, Milind Tambe

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Public health practitioners often have the goal of monitoring patients and maximizing patients’ time spent in “favorable” or healthy states while being constrained to using limited resources. Restless multi-armed bandits (RMAB) are an effective model to solve this problem as they are helpful to allocate limited resources among many agents under resource constraints, where patients behave differently depending on whether they are intervened on or not. However, RMABs assume the reward function is known. This is unrealistic in many public health settings because patients face unique challenges and it is impossible for a human to know who is most deserving …

Lr-Auth: Towards Practical Implementation Of Implicit User Authentication On Earbuds, Changshuo Hu, Xiao Ma, Xinger Huang, Yiran Shen, Dong Ma

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The increasing use of earbuds in applications like immersive entertainment and health monitoring necessitates effective implicit user authentication systems to preserve the privacy of sensitive data and provide personalized experiences. Existing approaches, which leverage physiological cues (e.g., jawbone structure) and behavioral cues (e.g., gait), face challenges such as limited usability, high delay and energy overhead, and significant computational demands, rendering them impractical for resource-constrained earbuds. To address these issues, we present LR-Auth, a lightweight, user-friendly implicit authentication system designed for various earbud usage scenarios. LR-Auth utilizes the modulation of sound frequencies by the user's unique occluded ear canal, generating user-specific …

Developing Policies For Digital Twin Data Quality And Security Controls, Ahmad Abdelbaset Hassan

Theses

This thesis is concerned with the data quality and security of the digital twin and how it is going to impact its adoption, trustworthiness, and potential for real-world applications. By addressing the potential vulnerabilities and ensuring the integrity of data, this research aims to contribute to the development of robust and trustworthy digital twin policies that to complement the existing international standards across different domains. Moreover, it underscores the important need to establish robust policies to ensure the successful and secure deployment of digital twins across industries. Previous research, while valuable, may not have fully addressed the critical interplay between …

Advancing Crispr-Based Solutions For Covid-19 Diagnosis And Therapeutics, Roaa Hadi, Abhishek Poddar, Shivakuma Sonnaila, Venkata Suryanarayana Murthy Bhavaraju, Shilpi Agrawal

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a variety of diagnostic approaches, including RT-qPCR, RAPID, and LFA, have been adopted, with RT-qPCR emerging as the gold standard. However, a significant challenge in COVID-19 diagnostics is the wide range of symptoms presented by patients, necessitating early and accurate diagnosis for effective management. Although RT-qPCR is a precise molecular technique, it is not immune to false-negative results. In contrast, CRISPR-based detection methods for SARS-CoV-2 offer several advantages: they are cost-effective, time-efficient, highly sensitive, and specific, and they do not require sophisticated instruments. These methods also show promise for scalability, enabling diagnostic tests. …

Toward A Responsible Future: Recommendations For Ai-Enabled Clinical Decision Support, Steven Labkoff, Bilikis Oladimeji, Joseph Kannry, Anthony Solomonides, Russell Leftwich, Eileen Koski, Amanda L Joseph, Monica Lopez-Gonzalez, Lee A Fleisher, Kimberly Nolen, Sayon Dutta, Deborah R Levy, Amy Price, Paul J Barr, Jonathan D Hron, Baihan Lin, Gyana Srivastava, Nuria Pastor, Unai Sanchez Luque, Tien Thi Thuy Bui, Reva Singh, Tayler Williams, Mark G Weiner, Tristan Naumann, Dean F Sittig, Gretchen Purcell Jackson, Yuri Quintana

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare settings has the potential to benefit clinical decision-making. Addressing challenges such as ensuring trustworthiness, mitigating bias, and maintaining safety is paramount. The lack of established methodologies for pre- and post-deployment evaluation of AI tools regarding crucial attributes such as transparency, performance monitoring, and adverse event reporting makes this situation challenging.

OBJECTIVES: This paper aims to make practical suggestions for creating methods, rules, and guidelines to ensure that the development, testing, supervision, and use of AI in clinical decision support (CDS) systems are done well and safely for patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: In May …

Puccinellia (Puccinellia Ciliata) For Dryland Salinity Management, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Natural resources factsheets

Puccinellia (Puccinellia ciliata) is a potentially valuable fodder on waterlogged saline land. Puccinellia, Distichlis and marine couch are the most salt tolerant of the commercially available grasses. It is best suited to areas with more than 400mm annual rainfall and where the watertable is shallow over summer.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development recommends that any dryland salinity management is part of a whole farm, and preferably a whole catchment, water management plan.

Excavated Tanks (Farm Dams), Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Natural resources factsheets

Guidelines and information for planning, legal requirements, design, construction and management of excavated tanks for water storage on farm.

Excavated tanks (farm dams) provide effective water storage wherever surface water run-off can be harvested for livestock, crop spraying, irrigation and domestic use on rural properties.

Excavated tanks for rainfall storage are common in the southern agricultural areas of WA.

Well-designed and constructed dams are farm assets, safe and require little maintenance.

Poor design and construction can lead to poor water harvesting and storage, excessive costs, downstream erosion and risks to property and people.

DPIRD recommends that excavated tanks should be …

Improving Lambing Rates And Changing Turnoff Times To Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Mandy Curnow, Sud Kharel, Claire Macleay

Animal production and livestock research reports

Running a flock of sheep and raising lambs generates both direct (enteric fermentation) and indirect (lime, fertiliser, fuel, production of feed) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. There are ways to reduce emissions through sheep reproduction.