Digital Commons Network^™

An Experimental Study On The Seepage Characteristics Of Sandstones With Different Numbers Of Fractures Before And After Grouting, Chen Juntao, Zhou Haoyu, Yu Junjian, Li Guo, Fan Mingjin, Li Lu, Wang Yunhao

Coal Geology & Exploration

Background Grouting in surrounding rocks serves as a conventional approach to controlling disasters in coal mine roadways. The developmental degree of fractures significantly influences the reinforcement and sealing effects of grouting. Methods To determine the changes in the impermeability of fractured surrounding rocks before and after grouting, this study investigated sandstones—the most common sedimentary rocks in coal mines. Using laboratory experiments and numerical simulations, this study explored the permeability variations of sandstone specimens with varying fracture numbers under different confining pressures and assessed the impact of grouting on their seepage performance. Through triaxial compression-seepage experiments using a Rock Top multi-field …

Seismic Anisotropy Of Sandstone Aquifers In Coal Seam Roofs, Yu Hang, Chen Tongjun

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective The identification and assessment of sandstone aquifers in coal seam roofs play a vital role in the safe mining of mines. Investigating the rock physics and amplitude variation with incidence and azimuth (AVAz) responses of these sandstone aquifers is critical to the prevention and control of water hazards in mines. Methods By integrating rock physical models Voigt-Reuss-Hill (VRH), differential equivalent medium (DEM), Hudson, and Wood, as well as Gassmann’s anisotropic fluid substitution theory, this study proposed a rock physics modeling method for fractured sandstones of the horizontal transversely isotropic (HTI) media type (hereafter referred to as HTI sandstones). Using …

Experiments On The Diffusion Patterns Of Coal Gangue-Based Grout In Goaves Under Varying Rock Particle Sizes And Grout Mass Fractions, Zeng Yifan, Yuan Zilong, Li Hao, Wu Qiang, Zhao Gangyi, Zhou Anqi, Gao Xiang, Zhang Shuai, Bai Yanfei, Liang Jin, Yang Huxiong, Sheng Xinli, Yang Donghui, Zhao Yixia

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective Investigating grout diffusion patterns and predicting the grouting range hold great significance for coal gangue grouting and filling engineering in goaves. Specifically, they are significant for designing grouting hole and row spacing, guiding grouting construction, determining the grouting filling degree, and further ensuring grouting effects. Methods Using crushed rocks as the medium to be grouted and coal gangue-based grout as the grouting materials, this study conducted grouting experiments under different particle sizes of crushed rocks and varying mass fractions of grout. Accordingly, it investigated the flow patterns of gangue-based grout in goaves. Results and Discussion Under a mass fraction …

An Experimental Study On Seepage Characteristics And Grouting-Induced Permeability Reduction Of Burnt Rocks, Qian Ziwei, Tan Chunzhi, Sun Qiang, Wang Hai, Zhang Gailing

Coal Geology & Exploration

Background Burnt rocks represent special geobodies formed by the spontaneous combustion of coal seams. Their pore and fracture systems provide preferential spaces for groundwater occurrence and migration while also posing severe water hazard threats to the safe mining of adjacent coal seams. Methods To address this engineering challenge, this study systematically analyzed the void structures within burnt rocks using three-dimensional reconstruction technology. Through laboratory seepage and grouting experiments, this study revealed the seepage patterns and grouting-induced permeability mechanisms of typical burnt rock specimens. Results and Conclusions The burnt rock specimens contained highly developed pores and fractures, with the void structures …

Developmental Pattern Of Water Flowing Fractured Zones In The Soil-Bedrock-Type Overburden And Water-Controlled Mining Strategy Under A Super-Large Mining Height, Zhang Yujun, Hua Zhaolai, Song Yejie, Hu Haoyu, Li Jiawei

Coal Geology & Exploration

Background The heights of water flowing fractured zones represent a key concern in the prevention and control of water disasters occurring in mining face roofs and water resource protection of coal mines. Varying lithologies and structures of the overburden are identified as primary factors governing the height and characteristic differences of water flowing fractured zones. Methods Against the engineering background of a mining face with 10 m super-large mining height in the Caojiatan Coal Mine of Shaanxi Province, this study investigated the differences in the mining-induced responses of the soil-bedrock-type overburden using numerical simulations of stress-seepage coupling and measured heights …

Regularity And Mechanisms Of Water-Sand Inrushes Within Mining-Activated Faults, Zhang Shichuan, Huang Pu, Li Yangyang, Wang Chenggong, Wu Zhenhua

Coal Geology & Exploration

Background During underground coal mining, water-sand mixtures within faults may rush into mine floors. The water-sand inrushes are especially prominent under the conditions of high water-yield properties and loose filling structures in fault zones, severely threatening the safe mining of coal mines. Previous studies focus primarily on the impact of a single factor on inrushes. Hence, it is significant to systematical investigate the regularity of water-sand inrushes within faults under the combined effects of multiple factors. Methods Based on the fluid and granular mechanic theories, this study derived the instability criterion and flow formulas of water-sand mixtures. Using orthogonal experiments …

Advances In Key Technologies For The Management, Restoration, Development, And Utilization Of Coal Mining Subsidence Areas, Meng Zhuanghan, Wang Yutao, Tian Yanzhe

Coal Geology & Exploration

Background Coal mining subsidence areas, formed by the exploitation of coal resources, have emerged as severe challenges to the construction of ecological civilization and the sustainable development of the social economy in China. Their management, restoration, development, and utilization play a significant role in ecological security, food security, and energy transformation. Methods This study aims to address the unresolved and emerging issues in the management of coal mining subsidence areas. Based on the core concepts of management, restoration, development, and utilization, this study developed a dual-level zoning basis system combining theories and reality. Accordingly, coal mining subsidence areas in China …

Coli@Fire2024: Findings Of Word-Level Code-Mixed Language Identification In Dravidian Languages, Asha Hegde, Fazlourrahman Balouchzahi, Sabur Butt, Sharal Coelho, Kavya G, Harshitha S. Kumar, Sonith D, Shashirekha H. L., Ameeta Agrawal

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Code-mixing, a linguistic phenomenon where multiple languages are blended within a single text, has become increasingly prevalent in multilingual societies, particularly in digital communication. The CoLI-Dravidian shared task, organized as part of Forum for Information Retrieval and Evaluation (FIRE) 2024, aimed to address these challenges by inviting researchers to develop models capable of classifying words in code-mixed texts involving Dravidian languages — Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Tulu - interwoven with English. The task presents significant challenges due to the complexity of linguistic structures, mixed-language tokens, and dialectal variations, especially in low-resource languages like those in the Dravidian family. The participating …

Assessing The Adversarial Robustness Of Multimodal Medical Ai Systems: Insights Into Vulnerabilities And Modality Interactions, Ekaterina Mozhegova, Asad Masood Khattak, Adil Khan, Roman Garaev, Bader Rasheed, Muhammad Shahid Anwar

All Works

The emergence of both task-specific single-modality models and general-purpose multimodal large models presents new opportunities, but also introduces challenges, particularly regarding adversarial attacks. In high-stakes domains like healthcare, these attacks can severely undermine model reliability and their applicability in real-world scenarios, highlighting the critical need for research focused on adversarial robustness. This study investigates the behavior of multimodal models under various adversarial attack scenarios. We conducted experiments involving two modalities: images and texts. Our findings indicate that multimodal models exhibit enhanced resilience against adversarial attacks compared to their single-modality counterparts. This supports our hypothesis that the integration of multiple modalities …

Math Information Retrieval From Images Via Formula Extraction, Vector Embedding, And Multimodal Llm-Based Question Answering, Angel Wheelwright Crawford

Theses and Dissertations

Math Information Retrieval (MIR) aims to revolutionize the retrieval of math information by addressing the challenges in representing, retrieving, and producing highly specialized math content. In order to develop a robust MIR system, designers must be able to process math equations (MEs) to a format that different systems can use, which is difficult due to various formats math information are stored in, including visual images and document texts. To improve the usage of math information in varied forms for people who are learning and utilizing math, we propose three different methods of handling ME data. The first method is a …

Effects Of Plasma-Activated Water On Wheat: Germination And Seedling Development, Wafaa Abdulrazzaq Abdullah, Hadeel O. Ismael, Duaa A. Uamran, Hammad R. Humud

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The food sector must contend with issues such as pathogen resistance to some of the available chemical agents, environmental pollution, and climate change to provide healthy food for livestock and people. The application of atmospheric pressure plasma jets (APPJs) is one potential solution for such problems. Plasma is appropriate for effective surface decontamination regarding food products and seeds, surface decontamination, and achieving improved agricultural production yields. The impact of plasma-activated water (PAW) produced by plasma jet discharge (PJD) system on in vitro-cultivated wheat seeds is examined in this work. For this aim, a plasma jet system was constructed with a …

Teaching Ai Ethics And Skepticism: The Impact Of Instruction On Ethical Usage On Students’ Perceptions, Jenna D. Justin

Journal of Practitioner Research

This study investigates the ethical implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in K-12 education, focusing on how explicit instruction influences students' perceptions of AI tools like ChatGPT. Conducted with 80 sixth-grade students at A.D. Henderson University School and FAU High School, the research tracks changes in student understanding and skepticism of AI following a World History unit. Pre- and post-instruction surveys revealed a decline in comfort with AI as students became more aware of its ethical concerns, including plagiarism, bias, and misinformation. The findings suggest integrating AI ethics into the middle school curriculum to foster responsible AI usage among students.

Analytical Solution And Stability Of Ψ-Prabhakar Delayed Systems: Application To Antibiotic Production, Mustafa Aydin

Turkish Journal of Mathematics

The analytical solution of the linear ψ -Prabhakar delay differential equations is explored using the method of variation of parameters, in which a ψ -general delayed exponential matrix function is introduced. The ψ -Prabhakar calculus is enhanced in terms of the semi-group property, inversion results, and several simplified calculations and relations. The system's stability is analyzed within the framework of Ulam-Hyers stability. Finally, the theoretical findings are validated through an application to antibiotic production.

Digital Identity Management As A Critical Criminal Justice And Homeland Security Legal Issue: A Qualitative Analysis Of The Reasonable Person Factors Involved In Court Decisions, William H. Nicholson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this descriptive qualitative applied study is to define and explain through analysis the reasonable person standard as it relates to prosecution and sentencing computer crime cases involving digital identities while addressing the problem of digital anonymity. This has been done by analyzing computer crime cases with the advent of current and planned technologies, and surveying potential jurors to understand the current state of knowledge of digital attribution. This descriptive qualitative research method analyzed the problem through the use of criminological theories of control and social learning theory to better understand the reasonable person standard in computer crime …

Three-Stage Latent Dynamics Forecasting (T-Ldf) Framework For Shenzhen Metro Passenger Flow Prediction, Tianze Zhang

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

Accurate forecasting of metro passenger flow is vital for efficient urban transportation management and optimal resource allocation in modern cities. Traditional ARIMA-based models effectively capture regular, cyclical patterns but struggle with sudden, nonlinear fluctuations caused by random events such as weather disruptions, special events, or service interruptions. Moreover, existing research predominantly focuses on individual stations, overlooking the complex cross-station interactions inherent in networked metro systems where passenger flows are interconnected across the entire network.

To address these critical limitations, we propose the Three-Stage Latent Dynamics Forecasting (T-LDF) Framework, a novel approach that systematically integrates temporal decomposition, latent dynamics extraction, and …

A Cancer Education Needs Assessment: Informing Middle-Aged Female Patients About The Relationships Between Obesity And Women’S Health Concerns In The Reproductive System, Breast, And Endometrial Health, Batul Mirza

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Obesity significantly impacts women’s health, particularly among middle-aged women, by increasing the risk of hormone-sensitive cancers such as breast, endometrial, and reproductive system cancers. This study examines the educational needs of this demographic group regarding obesity-related cancer risks and explores effective intervention strategies. Obesity-induced mechanisms – hormonal imbalances, chronic inflammation, and insulin resistance – drive cancer susceptibility, emphasizing the need for targeted health education. The study employs a qualitative design, which includes interviews with subject matter experts (SMEs) and surveys of middle-aged women. The goal is to assess awareness, perceived barriers, and preferred learning methods. Findings suggest that with many …

A Web Application For Generating Argument Maps For Essays Using Llms, Alexis R. Chalmers

Theses

Argumentative writing is a critical skill that strengthens students’ reasoning, communication, and analytical abilities. However, maintaining a clear and organized argument structure while writing can be challenging. Argument maps — visual diagrams which explicitly show an argument’s structure — have been shown to improve students’ writing, but are rarely used outside of the planning stage of an essay due to the time and effort required to create them. Automatically generating argument maps from student essays helps students to evaluate the structure of their argument as they write and makes identifying unsupported claims visible. To evaluate whether large language models (LLMs) …

Source Characterization From Near-Field Acoustic Intensity On Moving Launch Vehicles, Carson F. Cunningham

Theses and Dissertations

Rocket launches generate extremely high acoustic levels, particularly in the low-frequency range, posing risks to both launch vehicle integrity and surrounding infrastructure. This thesis investigates the use of near-field acoustic intensity measurements to localize sound sources on moving launch vehicles, with a focus on characterizing source behavior during the early phases of liftoff. Using data from the Antares 230 NG-19 mission, acoustic pressure was recorded at multiple stations surrounding the pad, and the Phase and Amplitude Gradient Estimator (PAGE) method was employed to compute intensity vectors as a function of frequency and time. Signal processing parameters were systematically evaluated, including …

Life Cycle Assessment Of New Jersey Offshore Wind, Meghann Smith, Nawal Shoaib, Pankaj Lal

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

As offshore wind gains momentum within US (United States) renewable energy goals, New Jersey's ambitious targets for offshore wind development represent a significant opportunity to reduce emissions and transition towards cleaner energy sources. This study presents a life cycle assessment (LCA) of a planned offshore wind farm off of New Jersey's coast, emphasizing the implications of a domestic supply chain. Key findings suggest that the offshore wind farm is projected to produce 0.013 kg CO2 kWh−1 of electricity generated, reflecting a 98 % decrease in carbon emissions compared to natural-gas-derived electricity. Further, when compared to carbon emissions from other renewable …

Limited Soil Water Recharge In Summer Affects Seasonal Isotopic Signatures Of Tree Xylem Water, Marius G. Floriancic, Gregory R. Goldsmith, Harsh Beria, Scott T. Allen, James W. Kirchner

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Recent studies have reported that xylem waters in forest trees during the summer growing season are often isotopically similar to winter, rather than summer, precipitation. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain this observation, which can be viewed as a form of ecohydrological separation, but empirical tests spanning space and time remain limited. We hypothesise that variations in the seasonal origin of precipitation found in tree xylem waters can be explained by seasonal differences in soil water recharge. We test this hypothesis by evaluating to what extent climatic aridity can explain seasonal signals in extensive surveys of the isotope ratios …

What Drives Weight Status Among Female University Students? A Machine Learning Analysis Of Sociodemographic, Dietary, And Lifestyle Determinants, Radwan Qasrawi, Abir Ajab, Leila Cheikh Ismail, Ayesha Al Dhaheri, Sharifa Alblooshi, Razan Abu Ghoush, Stephanny Vicuna Polo, Malak Amro, Suliman Thwib, Ghada Issa, Haleama Al Sabbah

All Works

Background: Obesity and underweight are increasingly common among young adult women, often resulting from complex interactions between diet, lifestyle, and socioeconomic factors. This study addresses that gap by applying machine learning to a wide range of behavioral, dietary, and demographic data. The main research question asks: What are the key factors influencing weight status among female university students, and how accurately can machine learning models identify them? We hypothesize that different factors are significantly associated with underweight, overweight, and obesity, and that machine learning can reliably detect these patterns. The aim is to identify the strongest predictors and support more …

Perceptions Of Blind Adults On Non-Visual Mobile Text Entry, Dylan Gaines, Keith Vertanen

Michigan Tech Publications

Text input on mobile devices without physical keys can be challenging for people who are blind or low-vision. We interview 12 blind adults about their experiences with current mobile text input to provide insights into what sorts of interface improvements may be the most beneficial. We identify three primary themes that were experiences or opinions shared by participants: the poor accuracy of dictation, difficulty entering text in noisy environments, and difficulty correcting errors in entered text. We also discuss an experimental non-visual text input method with each participant to solicit opinions on the method and probe their willingness to learn …

Using Confidence Scores To Improve Eyes-Free Detection Of Speech Recognition Errors, Sadia Nowrin, Keith Vertanen

Michigan Tech Publications

Conversational systems rely heavily on speech recognition to interpret and respond to user commands and queries. Despite progress on speech recognition accuracy, errors may still sometimes occur and can significantly affect the end-user utility of such systems. While visual feedback can help detect errors, it may not always be practical, especially for people who are blind or low-vision. In this study, we investigate ways to improve error detection by manipulating the audio output of the transcribed text based on the recognizer's confidence level in its result. Our findings show that selectively slowing down the audio when the recognizer exhibited uncertainty …

The Response Of Mitochondrial Position To Glucose Stimulation In The Min6 Model System, Luis Perez

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The compartmentalization of eukaryotic cells into membrane-bound organelles with specific subcellular positioning enables precise spatial and temporal control of cellular functions. While functionally significant mitochondrial localization has been demonstrated in cells such as neurons, it remains unclear how general these cell principles are. Here, we examine the spatial organization of mitochondria within MIN6 pancreatic beta cells under variable glucose conditions. We observe glucose-dependent redistributions of mitochondria, favoring peripheral localization at elevated glucose levels when insulin secretion is also elevated. Our results suggest that active mitochondrial transport along microtubules and calcium activity, but not ATP synthesis, are critical regulators of this …

Synthesis Of Cancrinite Zeolite From Toraja Natural Bentonite For Heavy Metal Removal From Wastewater, Yuli Astuti, Paulina Taba, Siti Fauziah, Syarifuddin Liong, Yusafir Hala, Nur Umriani Permatasari, Satria Putra Jaya Negara, Fadliah Fadliah

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

This study explores the production of cancrinite (CAN) zeolite from bentonite found in Toraja (a place in South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia) and its effectiveness in removing Pb²⁺ and Fe³⁺ ions from wastewater. The synthesis was carried out using a hydrothermal method with varying NaOH concentrations, where a single phase of zeolite was formed at 5 M, as confirmed through XRD analysis. FTIR results showed the characteristics of CAN zeolite with typical absorption peaks at 676, 622, and 565 cm^-1, as well as the presence of carbonate groups (CO₃^2-) at 1300-1400 cm^-1. SEM …

Electropolymerization Of Nile Blue And Toluidine Blue Dyes For Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Electrocatalysts, Camellia N. Schwartzman

Macalester Journal of Physics and Astronomy

This work investigated electropolymerized (EPD) organic conductive polymers poly-Nile Blue (PNB) and poly-Toluidine Blue (PTB) on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrates as electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). We investigated the effect of changing the heteroatoms in the pi-conjugated structure of poly-Neutral Red (PNR). UV-vis spectroscopy was used to estimate film thickness. Catalytic activity was quantified by Tafel slope and formal redox potential. PNB and PTB exhibited low current densities and small standard rate constants. Although neither showed highly active catalysts for HER, future directions should continue to pursue structures similar to PNR for HER electrocatalysts.

"...Anything My Friend Shares, I Would Want To Support Them By Clicking On It": Co-Designing Story-Based Interventions Against Clickbait For Teenagers, Ankit Shrestha, Audrey Flood, Bryson Hackler, Mahdi Nasrullah Al-Ameen

Computer Science Student Research

Teenagers' lack of digital sophistication and cyber hygiene makes them vulnerable to social engineering attacks, especially as they start using social media. Clickbait, one of such attacks, is primarily performed through social media to trick users into clicking on malicious links. With teenagers' increasing use of social media, clickbait poses a substantial threat to their online safety. The existing online safety measures for teens mainly focus on parental mediation, which can be perceived as restrictive and privacy-invasive. To this end, researchers recommended empowering teens to deal with online risks. In order to design such interventions for clickbait, we conducted co-design …

Research And Education In Robotics: A Comprehensive Review, Trends, Challenges, And Future Directions, Mutaz Ryalat, Natheer Almtireen, Ghaith Al-Refai, Hisham Elmoaqet, Nathir Rawashdeh

Michigan Tech Publications

Robotics has emerged as a transformative discipline at the intersection of the engineering, computer science, and cognitive sciences. This state-of-the-art review explores the current trends, methodologies, and challenges in both robotics research and education. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the evolution of robotics, tracing its development from early automation to intelligent, autonomous systems. Key enabling technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), soft robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), and swarm intelligence, are examined along with real-world applications in healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture, and sustainable smart cities. A central focus is placed on robotics education, where hands-on, interdisciplinary learning is …

Digital Forensics And Ai: Artifact Analysis And Using Ai In The Forensics Domain, Clinton Joel Walker

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Digital Forensics (DF) is a field of forensic science focusing on the acquisition, authentication, and analysis of digital evidence while maintaining integrity of that data. DF analysts use forensic tools to parse large volumes of data for investigations and depend on them for identification of pertinent digital evidence in vast amounts of data. Keeping up with innovations and ever-expanding data volumes is a constant challenge for these investigators. The prevalence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in everyday computing is rapidly expanding, with the use of Machine Learning (ML) and Large Language Models (LLM)s becoming increasingly commonplace. Innovations in technology bring new …

Towards Leveraging Social Media Data For Fostering Collaborations Among Non-Profits, Monazil Chowdhury

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Nonprofit organizations serve a crucial role in tackling a wide range of significant social, environmental, and economic issues. But it is often hard to get a clear picture of their work because their information is spread out and it is difficult to see how they are collaborating. To address this issue we developed a web-based tool to collect scattered data—from a variety of sources, such as the IRS, social media, and the Census, into one easy-to-use resource. The tool begins by taking IRS records and geocoding each nonprofit’s physical address With its coordinates. It then retrieves census tract information from …