Digital Commons Network^™

Silvio - Analyzing Social Vulnerability Under The Influence Of Local Climate Change, Thais Lopez-Inojosa

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

This paper presents the methodology SILVIO (Social Vulnerability Order Methodology), a method for the analysis of social vulnerability. Local knowledge is used to build an index of social vulnerability from demographic, economic and social variables (Social Vulnerability Index - SVI). Social vulnerability is understood here as a multitude of relationships between society and the environment that can impact significantly on the livelihood of residents in a specific geographical area. SILVIO consists of a correlation analysis between the SVI and two selected local climate variables, temperature and precipitation (Local Climate Variables - LCV). The variables of both, the SVI and the …

Calibration Of An Agent Based Land System Model Using Machine Learning To Support Future Land Use Projections, Bumsuk Seo

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Land system models for future simulation offers computational support for analysing and decision making under severe uncertainty. It is an exploratory modelling approach as it uses computational experiments to understand an uncertain and complex subject. Among different advanced exploratory land system models, Agent Base Modelling (ABM) provides flexible descriptions of land use processes and useful supports for decision-making without making excessive assumptions about human and land system behaviours, with the trade-off that model results are often highly uncertain in the sense of being non-predictive. Still, evaluation and calibration of ABM is a critical task to be done properly, prior to …

Complex Hydro-Policy Modeling With Riverware For Collaborative Multi-Objective River System And Hydropower Planning And Operations, Mitch Clement

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Decision making for operating and planning in multi-objective river basins requires a modeling tool with detailed representation of both physical processes and operating policy. RiverWare is a hydro-policy model that combines an extensive library of physical process algorithms with fully customizable policy to drive the model solution. RiverWare offers two mathematical approaches for modeling policy, both resolving conflicting objectives via priorities. In Rulebased Simulation, prioritized rules set values of decision variables given logic that considers the current state of the system, then physical process algorithms simulate the effects throughout the system. Higher priority rules dominate the effects of lower priority …

Post Normal Model Validation? Surely You Must Be Joking, Andrea Saltelli

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

According to Eker et al. (2018) both a positivistic and relativistic approach are possible in dealing with validation and verification of mathematical models. While the terms are potentially misleading, we explore here what those so-called relativistic methods can offer. While the past science wars have left a sinister cloud on the incursion of the second culture into the first (Snow, 1959), and the term relativism - often accompanied by the adjective 'absolute' is synonymous with the desecrated post-modern constructivism (Otto, 2016; Pinker, 2018), we show how approaches based on contextualising knowledge are - even and especially in the case of …

Semantic-Driven Unsupervised Image-To-Image Translation For Distinct Image Domains, Wesley Ackerman

Theses and Dissertations

We expand the scope of image-to-image translation to include more distinct image domains, where the image sets have analogous structures, but may not share object types between them. Semantic-Driven Unsupervised Image-to-Image Translation for Distinct Image Domains (SUNIT) is built to more successfully translate images in this setting, where content from one domain is not found in the other. Our method trains an image translation model by learning encodings for semantic segmentations of images. These segmentations are translated between image domains to learn meaningful mappings between the structures in the two domains. The translated segmentations are then used as the basis …

A Developer Usability Study Of Tls Libraries, Jonathan Blake Armknecht

Theses and Dissertations

Transport Layer Security (TLS) is a secure communication protocol between a client and a server over a network. The TLS protocol provides the two endpoints with confidentiality through symmetric encryption, endpoint authentication using public-key cryptography, and data integrity using a MAC. However, studies show that security vulnerabilities within TLS connections are often caused by developers misusing TLS library APIs. We measure the usability of four TLS libraries by performing a developer user study. Participants were given code that connects to google.com through HTTP, and tasked with using a TLS library to change the code so that it connects securely to …

Ansible: Select-To-Edit For Physical Widgets, Benjamin M. Crowder

Theses and Dissertations

Ansible brings select-to-edit functionality to physical widgets. When programming sets of physical widgets, it can be bothersome for a programmer to remember the name of the software object that corresponds to a specific widget. Click-to-edit functionality in GUI programming provides a physical action--moving the mouse to a widget and clicking a button on the mouse--to select a virtual widget. In a similar vein, when programming physical widgets, it is natural to point at a widget and think, "I want to program that one." Ansible allows physical user interface programmers to "click" on a physical widget by making a physical action: …

Lack Of Educational Opportunities For The Roma People In Eastern Europe, Morgan Selander, Emily Walter

Ballard Brief

The Roma people constitute one of the largest ethnic minorities in Europe, with 10 to 12 million Roma in the European Union as of 2016. Although they make up a large part of Europe, it has been difficult for the Roma people to fully integrate into society, causing educational gaps between Roma and native children. One contributing factor to this educational disparity is discrimination. both racial and social, against the Roma people: this is also closely tied to Roma placement in inferior, special education schools. Additionally. some cultural traditions of the Roma (such as their occupations, migratory patterns, and early …

St. Thomas Aquinas And The Third Hellenization Period, Demetri Kantarelis

Comparative Civilizations Review

In this paper, I assert that currently the world has been experiencing the Third Hellenization Period that started with the Italian Renaissance, instigated by the teachings of the theologian and philosopher St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274 CE). Unlike philosophers in previous periods (First and Second Hellenization as well as Medieval), St. Thomas preached that Truth is a function of both Natural Revelation and Supernatural Revelation. This resulted in, simultaneously, Christianizing Aristotle (St. Thomas’ most referenced philosopher) and Aristotleizing Christianity, thus opening up the doors to human reason that had been muted during the Medieval centuries.

I also assert that the basic …

Benefits Of The Habit Of Reading, Jackson V. Wagstaff

Marriott Student Review

Reading offers great cognitive, emotional, and social benefits.

"Making It Real": The Effect Of Hispanic Peer Tutors On High School Spanish Learners, Carrie Dalton Sandholtz

Theses and Dissertations

This mixed methods study investigated the effects of a pilot peer-tutoring program for high school students between L1 Spanish-speaking tutors and Spanish second language (L2) tutees during Fall Semester 2018 (16 weeks). The purpose of this research was to explore the impact the peer-tutoring program had on the language acquisition, motivation to learn, intercultural sensitivity, and number of Spanish-speaking friendships of the L2 Spanish learners. The study consisted of a matched-group comparison and a qualitative exploration of reflective surveys completed by the participants in the pilot program. The experimental group (n=32) received a treatment of 20 minutes of peer tutoring …

Modular 3d Printer System Software For Research Environments, Clayton D. Ramstedt

Theses and Dissertations

The Nordin group at Brigham Young University has been focused on developing 3D printing technology for fabrication of lab-on-a-chip (microfluidic) devices since 2013. As we showed in 2015, commercial 3D printers and resins have not been developed to meet the highly specialized needs of microfluidic device fabrication. We have therefore created custom 3D printers and resins specifically designed to meet these needs. As part of this development process, ad hoc 3D printer control software has been developed. However, the software is difficult to modify and maintain to support the numerous experimental iterations of hardware used in our custom 3D printers. …

Gradient-Based Layout Optimization Of Large Wind Farms: Coupled Turbine Design, Variable Reduction, And Fatigue Constraints, Andrew P. J. Stanley

Theses and Dissertations

Wind farm layout optimization can greatly improve wind farm performance. However, past wind farm design has been limited in several ways. Wind farm design usually assumes that all the turbines throughout the farm should be exactly the same. Oftentimes, the location of every turbine is optimized individually, which is computationally expensive. Furthermore, designers fail to consider turbine loads during layout optimization. This dissertation presents four studies which provide partial solutions to these limitations and greatly improve wind farm layout optimization. Two studies explore differing turbine designs in wind farms. In these studies, Wind farm layouts are optimized simultaneously with turbine …

Physical Characterization Of Crackle-Related Events In Military Jet Aircraft Noise, Aaron Burton Vaughn

Theses and Dissertations

Crackle is a perceptual feature of supersonic jet noise that is related to the presence of acoustic shocks. The skewness of the time-derivative of the pressure waveform, or derivative skewness, is used as a metric indicative of crackle perception. The three main objectives of this work are: 1) Determine the potential spatial origin of crackle-related events in the near field of a high-performance military aircraft via an event-based beamforming method. 2) Investigate the potential for nonlinear, irregular shock reflections occurring along the near-field ground array and their implications on derivative skewness. 3) Relate the near-field, crackle-related events to far-field crackle …

Angular Dependence Of Nonlinear Thomson Scattering From Electrons In A High Intensity Laser Focus, Christoph Alexander Schulzke

Theses and Dissertations

The theory of nonlinear Thomson scattering is presented. A model for the scattered light is developed. The orthogonal polarizations of the second harmonic of the scattered light are examined. The predictions of the model are compared to measurements by our group in collaboration with the Extreme Light Laboratory at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). The veracity of the theory and model are confirmed by comparison to the experimental data.

Deep Learning To Predict Ocean Seabed Type And Source Parameters, David Franklin Van Komen

Theses and Dissertations

In the ocean, light from the surface dissipates quickly leaving sound the only way to see at a distance. Different sediment types on the ocean floor and water properties like salinity, temperature, and ocean depth all change how sound travels across long distances. Hard sediment types, such as sand and bedrock, are highly reflective while softer sediment types, such as mud, are more absorptive and change the received sound upon arrival. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the ocean floor is not mapped and the expenses involved in creating such a map are far too great. Traditional signal processing methods in …

Polarization Of Nonlinear Thomson Scattering From A High Intensity Laser Focus, Brittni Tasha Pratt

Theses and Dissertations

Thomson scattering from free electrons in a high-intensity laser focus has been widely studied analytically, but not many measurements of this scattering have been made. We measure polarization-resolved nonlinear Thomson scattering from electrons in a high-intensity laser focus using a parabolic mirror. The weak scattering signal is distinguished from background noise using single-photon detectors and nanosecond time-resolution to distinguish a prompt scattering signal from noise photons. The azimuthal and longitudinal components of the fundamental, second, and third harmonics were measured. Our measurements reasonably match theoretical results, but also show some asymmetry in the emission patterns.

Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Mindsets, Emily Ann Hales Kunz

Theses and Dissertations

Much research supports that student mindset influences how well students do in school and that teacher actions influence student mindset. Research has also shown that just because a teacher has a growth mindset, it does not imply that their students will also have a growth mindset. This research looks closer as to why a teacher's mindset does not correlate with their students' mindset by further examining teacher mindset and the connection between teacher mindset and teacher actions. In summary, teachers' mindsets do not directly influence student mindset for a few reasons: secondary mathematics teachers have different mindsets towards honors and …

Structure Of Collisional Metamorphism, Soft-Sediment Deformation, And Low-Angle Normal Faulting In The Beaver Dam Mountains, Jacob Isaac Voorhees

Theses and Dissertations

Precambrian metamorphic rocks in the Beaver Dam Mountains display asymmetric, isoclinal folds with consistent fold axes plunging to the NW. These folds are parasitic and have a recursive nature that occurs on wavelengths from centimeters to perhaps kilometers as part of a NW-SE striking shear zone. The vergence of the folds indicates oblique shearing with a transport direction plunging 29° to the south. This shear zone may be associated with the collision of Yavapai Province island arcs with Laurentia. Structurally overlying, and adjacent to the metamorphic rocks are allochthonous and attenuated Mississippian limestone blocks and other strata debated to be …

Dynamics Of Interal Phosporus Cycling In A Highly Eutrophic, Shallow, Fresh Water Lake In Utah Lake State Park, Utah, Usa, Sheena Marie Smithson

Theses and Dissertations

Eutrophication is an increasing global concern as human effluent saturates lakes with an over abundance of nutrients. Phosphorus, generally being the limiting nutrient, is often the most impactful, allowing cyanobacteria populations to grow out of control leading to harmful blooms that can produce cyanotoxins, anoxic lake conditions, and mass fish kills. Utah Lake, a shallow highly eutrophic fresh water lake located in central Utah Valley, has experienced these harmful algal blooms for the last several years. The internal phosphorus cycle is a significant driver in Utah Lake's eutrophication, as the sediments act as both a sink and a source for …

Characterization And Optimization Of An Image Charge Detector For The Measurement Of Martian Dust, Jace Rozsa

Theses and Dissertations

Image charge detector (ICD) technology has existed for decades. However, not until recently has an ICD been proposed for use in space exploration, specifically for studying the characteristics of the dust on Mars. Characterizing the dust on Mars is crucial for designing equipment to aid manned missions. It also improves our understanding of Mars' climate and weather systems. An ICD utilizing printed circuit board (PCB) electrodes, coupled with a custom differential amplifier, is best suited for this type of measurement because of its light weight, simplicity, and noise performance. The noise floor of our particular amplifier is measured to be …

A Review Of Coal Heating Value Correlations With Application To Coal Char, Tar, And Other Fuels, Andrew P. Richards, Denver Haycock, Jacob F. Frandsen, Thomas H. Fletcher

Faculty Publications

Accurately measuring a fuel’s heating value is one of the first steps in the classification of a new fuel. Heating values are widely used in coal combustion research and are becoming more useful in other fuel types as well. Many different empirical correlations to predict heating values based on primary organic (CHONS) elemental composition are found in the literature, many of which were originally created to predict heating values of parent coal, and some of which have been extended for biomass. However, no correlations exist for heating values of coal chars and tars. Thirteen literature heating value correlations (10 model …

Internships Shape Students' Future Career, Maria F. Arrayan

Marriott Student Review

Finding an internship has been more difficult than before due to COVID-19. For many, the search for an internship may be frustrating or pointless during this difficult time. Students need to empower themselves with the right tools to find an internship. Maria Fernanda Arrayan talks about the benefits of an internship and four ways to find one. Read this article to find motivation in your search for an internship and try a new way to find your next internship!

Differences In Immigrant Education By Destination Country: An Analysis Of Turkish Immigrants' Perception Of And Performance In Math And Science, Lisa Turley Smith

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis examines how the country to which Turkish immigrant students immigrate affects their educational outcomes – specifically, math and science test scores and four constructed variables that measure how much students enjoy math and science and their self-rated confidence in the subjects. I use data from the 2003, 2006, 2012, and 2015 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) exams. I examine Turkish immigrant students living in Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and Denmark.

My findings are consistent with prior research showing that immigrant student test scores vary by destination country. I also find that Turkish immigrant students’ perceptions of math …

Linbo3 Waveguide Modulators: A Gateway To Realizing Holovideo Technology, Jeffrey Christopher Leach

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I will present the various work I have accomplished in regards to the design, simulation, and fabrication of holovideo and holodeck display technology. This includes: 1) design and analysis of a wavelength division multiplexing LiNbO3 waveguide device, 2) loss characterization and reduction (by way of reverse proton exchange) 3) design of a curved, near-eye AR display, and 4) a basis for acoustic holodeck technology (meant to service a system built from our optical devices). All these accomplishments represent, in concert, a manifestation of LiNbO3's capacity to serve as the building material central to modern holovideo displays. It …

An Exploratory Study Of Parent Involvement In Church Schools In Tonga, Matthew B. Pope

Theses and Dissertations

The majority of research about parent involvement and family engagement indicates a positive relationship between parent involvement and student achievement. However, parent involvement as a useful strategy in education in developing countries is not well known, let alone researched. Until the current study no research has been published specifically about the types and frequency of family engagement in Tonga. This means there is no frame of reference for teachers, administrators and parents in Tonga to evaluate the applicability of existing family engagement research which has been predominantly conducted in developed countries, to schools in Tonga. This research is a descriptive, …

Synthesis Of Bacterial Surface Glycans For Conjugate Vaccines, Teron D. Haynie

Theses and Dissertations

Bacteria are coated with repeating units of oligosaccharides that exhibit remarkable diversity. Often, glycan units of three or even two sugars are sufficient to identify a species of bacteria. Such specificity makes bacterial surface glycans attractive vaccine targets. However, efforts to create effective vaccines against carbohydrates have been hampered by poor vaccine design as well as the human immune tendency to respond to glycan antigens with non-specific, T-cell independent mechanisms. As a result, carbohydrate vaccines have historically produced only adequate memory responses in healthy individuals and poor responses in the elderly or immunocompromised. To circumvent these issues, a novel conjugate …

The Emergence Of Teacher Self In The Elementary Classroom, Chelsea Cole

Theses and Dissertations

Significant research and ongoing inquiry highlight the importance of understanding and recognizing the development of identities and beliefs among teachers. These studies use techniques of reflection on the past or present to elucidate the developmental process of teacher identities and beliefs and their impact on the profession. The development of teacher identities and beliefs commence during childhood. A dearth of research exists that addresses the emerging developments of teacher identities and beliefs from the perspective of young children. This study uses qualitative methods through focus groups and individual interviews to examine the identities and beliefs held by fifth-grade students who …

Holistic Approaches To State School Grading Systems, Darryl Bond Denhalter

Theses and Dissertations

The United States education system has experienced an evolution of school accountability systems that has led to changes and variation in state school grading systems. This study shows that the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015, a recent reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, provides greater autonomy to individual states in evaluating and reporting school accountability than in preceding years and provides opportunities for states to implement a more holistic or well-rounded approach to school grading. ESSA policy and this study encourages states to choose to evaluate schools more holistically by implementing a wider …

Winning Souls Unto Christ: The Meanings Of Missionary Board Games, 1980–2008, Rachel Felt

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

No abstract provided.