Digital Commons Network^™

Quantum Local Search For Graph Community Detection, Ruslan Shaydulin, Hayato Ushijima-Mwesigwa, Ilya Safro, Susan Mniszewski

Graduate Research and Discovery Symposium (GRADS)

We present Quantum Local Search (QLS) approach and demonstrate its efficacy by applying it to the problem of community detection in real-world networks. QLS is a hybrid algorithm that combines a classical machine with a small quantum device. QLS starts with an initial solution and searches its neighborhood, iteratively trying to find a better candidate solution. One of the main challenges of the quantum computing in NISQ era is the small number of available qubits. QLS addresses this challenge by using the quantum device only for the neighborhood search, which can be restricted to be small enough to fit on …

Targeting Kinase Networks In Glioblastoma, Deepraj Sarmah, Gregory Smith, Samuel Dillon, Pamela Bretcher

Graduate Research and Discovery Symposium (GRADS)

Nanoparticles with same core size and shell thickness were made. Samples with low, medium, and high gradients were compared with a control with no gradient. TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy) results showed a well-controlled size with a mean diameter of 10 nm and standard deviation of 1 nm. The elemental distribution throughout the particle was analyzed by EELS (Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy) to confirm the existence of core-gradient shell structure. Physical properties, such as saturation magnetization, blocking temperature, and effective anisotropy were then measured and calculated based on VSM (Vibration Sampling Magnetometry) and ZFC-FC (Zero Field Cooling-Field Cooling) measurements.

Modeling The Behavior Of Anaerobic Work Capacity In Cycling, Vijay Sarthy M. Sreedhara

Graduate Research and Discovery Symposium (GRADS)

Models of fatigue are based on physiological parameters such as Critical Power (CP) and Anaerobic Work Capacity (AWC). CP is a theoretical power that can be maintained indefinitely and AWC is a finite anaerobic energy reservoir for efforts above CP. There is an increasing interest in developing mathematical models of energy expenditure and recovery for athletic training and performance. Recently, researchers have developed formal mathematical models that aid in better management of performance. Most available models have originated from cycle ergometer tests due to the ease of measuring power in cycling. The objectives of this research are (i) to develop …

The Science Project Portfolio, Joan Hedman, Brooke A. Whitworth

Publications

The phrase science fair project likely conjures up images of students working independently on smoldering model volcanoes, catapults, and Rube Goldberg contraptions. To create their projects, students and teachers blindly follow a set of seemingly incomprehensible steps, assembling various pieces. This process continues until the due date arrives, when all the pieces are packaged up for the science fair. Teachers are then expected to assess all the projects in a timely manner while somehow continuing to deliver their curriculum. Eventually, the student receives feedback and, often, a semester-making grade. By that time, everyone is exhausted and relieved it’s over.

A Hybrid Experimental‐Computational Modeling Framework For Cardiovascular Device Testing, Ethan Kung, Masoud Farahmand, Akash Gupta

Publications

Significant advances in biomedical science often leverage powerful computational and experimental modeling platforms. We present a framework named physiology simulation coupled experiment (“PSCOPE”) that can capitalize on the strengths of both types of platforms in a single hybrid model. PSCOPE uses an iterative method to couple an in vitro mock circuit to a lumped-parameter numerical simulation of physiology, obtaining closed-loop feedback between the two. We first compared the results of Fontan graft obstruction scenarios modeled using both PSCOPE and an established multiscale computational fluid dynamics method; the normalized root-mean-square error values of important physiologic parameters were between 0.1% and 2.1%, …

Situation-Aware Left-Turning Connected And Automated Vehicle Operation At Signalized Intersections, Sakib Mahmud Khan, Mashrur Chowdhury

Publications

One challenging aspect of the Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) operation in mixed traffic is the development of a situation-awareness module for CAVs. While operating on public roads, CAVs need to assess their surroundings, especially the intentions of non-CAVs. Generally, CAVs demonstrate a defensive driving behavior, and CAVs expect other non-autonomous entities on the road will follow the traffic rules or common driving behavior. However, the presence of aggressive human drivers in the surrounding environment, who may not follow traffic rules and behave abruptly, can lead to serious safety consequences. In this paper, we have addressed the CAV and non-CAV …

Fraught With Friction, Brittany Westman, Brooke A. Whitworth

Publications

In this activity, a question is posed to second-grade students and they are asked to make predictions to answer it: “How will different surfaces affect the distance a toy vehicle travels?” Students observe how different surfaces affect the distance traveled by a toy car and are able to amend their predictions. They are then asked to think of reasons why the vehicle was affected the way it was. During this stage of the lesson, students are led to contemplate their understandings of science concepts, and teachers are able to assess changes in student understanding as a result of discussions and …

Relaxation-Based Coarsening For Multilevel Hypergraph Partitioning, Ruslan Shaydulin, Jie Chen, Ilya Safro

Publications

Multilevel partitioning methods that are inspired by principles of multiscaling are the most powerful practical hypergraph partitioning solvers. Hypergraph partitioning has many applications in disciplines ranging from scientific computing to data science. In this paper we introduce the concept of algebraic distance on hypergraphs and demonstrate its use as an algorithmic component in the coarsening stage of multilevel hypergraph partitioning solvers. The algebraic distance is a vertex distance measure that extends hyperedge weights for capturing the local connectivity of vertices which is critical for hypergraph coarsening schemes. The practical effectiveness of the proposed measure and corresponding coarsening scheme is demonstrated …

(Mis)Alignments In Mentorship: Exploring Challenges To Preservice Science Teacher Preparation, Mandy Biggers, Alison Riley Miller, Laura Zangori, Brooke A. Whitworth

Publications

The mentoring relationships between preservice teachers and their cooperating teachers have been established as critical to the retention or attrition of novice teachers (Clarke, Triggs, & Nielsen, 2014), yet little research has been conducted to examine what factors around mentor teacher selection and support are most salient to creating strong mentoring structures. In this study, we investigated how four U.S. states (one in the Southwest, one in the Northeast, one in the Midwest, and one in the South) recruit mentor teachers for secondary science preservice teachers, what requirements the mentor teachers must possess, how mentor teachers are incentivized to serve …

Journal Of South Carolina Water Resources Volume 5, Issue 1

Journal of South Carolina Water Resources

The Journal of South Carolina Water Resources (JSCWR) is an annual peer-reviewed journal dedicated to scientific research and policy on all aspects of water management to prepare for and meet the growing challenge of providing water resources for the sustainable growth of South Carolina’s economy, while preserving its natural resources.

Assessment Of Spatial And Temporal Variation Of Potential Evapotranspiration Estimated By Four Methods For South Carolina, Devendra M. Amatya, Augustine Muwamba, Sudhanshu Panda, Timothy Callahan, Scott Harder, C. Alex Pellett

Journal of South Carolina Water Resources

Given South Carolina’s ongoing water planning efforts, in this study, we evaluated seasonal and annual potential evapotranspiration (PET) using measured Class A pan evaporation (PE) and 3 widely used estimation methods for the state with 3 distinct physiographic regions (Coastal, Piedmont, and Mountain). The methods were temperature-based Hargreaves-Samani (H-S), radiation-based Priestley-Taylor (P-T), and process-based Penman-Monteith (P-M). The objectives of the study were to (a) describe seasonal and temporal distribution of PET by all methods, (b) quantify differences among PET methods, and (c) identify relationships between monthly PE and estimated PET by each method. Daily weather variables from 59 National Oceanic …

Low Cost Solutions - Textbooks, Courses, Coursework, Yang Wu

Open Education Week 2019

No abstract provided.

Reaching For The Future - Building A Professional Trajectory, Julie A. Luft, Brooke A. Whitworth

Publications

Science teachers need to consider how they want to grow professionally. Thinking about one’s future involves identifying the knowledge, practices, and attributes needed in a new role. By using a framework such as the science education trajectory (SET), teachers can more easily consider their professional options and work strategically toward them.

The report on science teacher learning (NASEM 2015) emphasizes that teachers need strategic and coherent learning opportunities. Until there are defined pathways toward different positions, science teachers will need to organize their learning opportunities in such a way that they can learn intentionally and progressively. This is important to …

Modeling And Measuring Students' Computational Thinking Practices In Science, Golnaz Arastoopour Irgens, Sugat Dabolkar, Connor Bain, Philip Woods, Kevin Hall, Hillary Swanson, Michael Horn, Uri Wilensky

Publications

In recent decades, computational tools and methods have become pervasive in mathematical and scientific fields (National Research Council, 2010a). Tools such as mathematical and statistical models have expanded the range of phenomena that are explored and have become necessary for analyzing increasingly large data sets across disciplines (National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, & Institute of Medicine, 2007). With these advances, entirely new fields such as computational statistics, neuroinformatics, and chemometrics have emerged. The varied applied uses of computational tools across these fields have shown that future scientists will not only need to know how to program, but …

Modeling For Ecological Engineering, Lauren Simpson, Brooke A. Whitworth

Publications

In this classroom, high-school biology students learned how pine beetle outbreaks in North America have become some of the worst in a decade. To make sense of this phenomenon, students created iterative models with in-depth explanations over the course of the unit. These models were formative in developing students’ conceptual understanding of ecology and applying their knowledge to a real-world context. The models showed students the detrimental effects of the outbreaks and helped them wonder about efforts to manage them and preserve the forests. This allowed the teacher to connect their learning to an ecological engineering task. This task pushed …

Building Organizational Affinity: The Relationship Between Affinity For College And Youth Outcomes Within The Context Of University-Based Summer Camps, Barry A. Garst, Ryan J. Gagnon, Jay Woodward, Matthew Bowen

ACA National Camp Research Forum Abstracts

No abstract provided.

Mindful Reflection On Daily Structured Experiences: Evaluation Of A Strategy For Enhancing Learning At Residential Camps, Travel Camps, And Related Programs For Youth, Andrew Lacanienta, Billy Zanolini, Gary D. Ellis, Darlene Locke, Dottie A. Goebel

ACA National Camp Research Forum Abstracts

No abstract provided.

Source Attribution In Asl-English Interpreter Education: Testing A Method, Laura Maddox

International Journal of Interpreter Education

In interactive signed/spoken language interpreting situations, participants in the conversation learn who is speaking if the interpreter identifies the “source” or initiator of each utterance. This interpreting technique is referred to as source attribution (SA). Although attributing interpreted utterances is a critical skill for interpreters, this is the first study to test a method for teaching SA techniques to signed language interpreting students. Using a mixed-method approach involving an experimental group and a control group, data was collected using a pretest/instruction/posttest method, along with journals, questionnaires, and interviews. The experimental group improved significantly more than the control group after the …

Clemson Commencement Program,December 2018, Clemson University

Clemson Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Procedurally Generating Biologically Driven Bird And Non-Avian Dinosaur Feathers, Jessica Renee Baron

All Theses

A key element in computer-graphics research is representing the world around us, and immense inspiration may be found in nature. Algorithms and procedural models may be developed that can describe the three-dimensional shape of objects and how they interact with light. This thesis focuses particularly on bird and other dinosaur feathers and their structure. More specifically, it addresses the problem of procedurally generating biologically driven geometry for modeling feathers in computer graphics. As opposed to previously published methods for generated feather geometry, data is derived from a myriad of real-world specimens of feathers and used in creating graphical models of …

Intrinsic Geometrical Constraints Of Spontaneously Excited Leidenfrost Drops, Jesse Edward Bergen

All Theses

A liquid drop placed on a heated surface above the Leidenfrost temperature will levitate on a vapor cushion. The static shape of these non-wetting Leidenfrost drops is that of a flattened sphere, reflecting the balance between gravitational, surface tension and lubrication pressures. In this thesis, we study Leidenfrost drops on curved substrates where we observe spontaneous star-shaped surface oscillations of characteristic frequency and mode number. Experiments are conducted using six different liquids and the temporal response of the observed modes n = 2 – 13 is analyzed to dene the oscillation spectrum. We observe that large drops oscillate with a …

Dimensional Analysis And Variational Formulation Of Diffuse Optical Tomography (Dot) Model, Thowhida Akther

All Theses

Diffuse Optical Tomography (DOT) is an emerging modality for soft tissue imaging with medical applications including breast cancer detection. DOT has many benefits, including its use of non ionizing radiation and its ability to produce high contrast images. However, it is well known that DOT image reconstruction is unstable and has low resolution. DOT uses near infra-red light waves to probe inside a body; for example, DOT can be used to measure the changes in the amount of oxygen in tissues, which can detect early stages of cancer in soft tissues such as the breast and brain. In this thesis, …

Tools For The Investigation Of Reduced Exercise Capacity In Fontan Patients, Akash Gupta

All Theses

Univentricular heart defects represent one of the most complex forms of congenital heart defects, which left untreated, is fatal. Univentricular patients typically undergo three highly invasive surgeries that culminate in the Fontan procedure. The Fontan physiology is associated with several long-term complications, one of which is reduced exercise capacity. Previous studies have found an empirical correlation between the fluid power losses in the Fontan junction (indexed to body size and flow rate), and reduced exercise capacity. There is evidence suggesting that the narrowing of vessels in the Fontan junction results in increased indexed power loss and lowered exercise capacity. Several …

Models For Networks With Consumable Resources: Applications To Smart Cities, Hayato Montezuma Ushijima-Mwesigwa

All Dissertations

In this dissertation, we introduce different models for understanding and controlling the spreading dynamics of a network with a consumable resource. In particular, we consider a spreading process where a resource necessary for transit is partially consumed along the way while being refilled at special nodes on the network. Examples include fuel consumption of vehicles together with refueling stations, information loss during dissemination with error correcting nodes, consumption of ammunition of military troops while moving, and migration of wild animals in a network with a limited number of water-holes. We undertake this study from two different perspectives. First, we consider …

On Some Environmental Applications Of Stochastic Processes, Liu Zhu

All Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the study of some environmental applications of stochastic processes. In the first Chapter, we study an extreme value time series, where the extremes are derived using the block maxima/minima method. In extreme value analyses, the block maxima/minima are typically assumed to be statistically independent from block to block. However, extreme data arising from applications often present significant correlations. The main result of the chapter is to develop a simple and efficient method to estimate extreme model parameters and compute standard errors for them that account for correlation. More precisely, we develop a likelihood for sequences of …

Cyber Physical System Security — Dos Attacks On Synchrophasor Networks In The Smart Grid, Xingsi Zhong

All Dissertations

With the rapid increase of network-enabled sensors, switches, and relays, cyber-physical system security in the smart grid has become important. The smart grid operation demands reliable communication. Existing encryption technologies ensures the authenticity of delivered messages. However, commonly applied technologies are not able to prevent the delay or drop of smart grid communication messages. In this dissertation, the author focuses on the network security vulnerabilities in synchrophasor network and their mitigation methods. Side-channel vulnerabilities of the synchrophasor network are identified. Synchrophasor network is one of the most important technologies in the smart grid transmission system. Experiments presented in this dissertation …

Hardware Obfuscation For Finite Field Algorithms, Ankur A. Sharma

All Theses

With the rise of computing devices, the security robustness of the devices has become of utmost importance. Companies invest huge sums of money, time and effort in security analysis and vulnerability testing of their software products. Bug bounty programs are held which incentivize security researchers for finding security holes in software. Once holes are found, software firms release security patches for their products. The semiconductor industry has flourished with accelerated innovation. Fabless manufacturing has reduced the time-to-market and lowered the cost of production of devices. Fabless paradigm has introduced trust issues among the hardware designers and manufacturers. Increasing dependence on …

Design And Analysis Of A Single Stage, Traveling Wave, Thermoacoustic Engine For Bi-Directional Turbine Generator Integration, Mitchell Mcgaughy

All Theses

The demand for clean, sustainable, and cost-effective energy continues to increase due to global population growth and corresponding use of consumer products. Thermoacoustic technology potentially offers a sustainable and reliable solution to help address the continuing demand for electric power. A thermoacoustic device, operating on the principle of standing or traveling acoustic waves, can be designed as a heat pump or a prime mover system. The provision of heat to a thermoacoustic prime mover results in the generation of an acoustic wave that can be converted into electrical power.

Thermoacoustic devices offer highly reliable and transportable power generation with low …

Comparison Of Electrical Impedance Tomography Reconstruction Algorithms With Eidors Reconstruction Software, Matthew Brinckerhoff

All Theses

Electrical impedance tomography ("EIT") has many significant applications, ranging from geophysical and medical imaging, to the military, to industrial fields. Due to the relevance of EIT in fields of critical importance to society, further development of EIT is vital. The instability of image reconstruction and the highly nonlinear behavior of the image reconstruction problem, make the problem particularly difficult, are referred to as ill-posed inverse problem. Specifically, development of a comprehensive set of techniques to solve the EIT problem is necessary, due to both its ill-posed, nonlinear nature, and its scope. In this thesis, several approaches to the inversion of …

Effects Of Performance Pressure On Response Inhibition Performance, Daniel N. Endres

All Theses

Previous research suggests that psychological pressure tends to exert detrimental effects on action-oriented cognitive tasks. However, the effect of psychological pressure on inhibitory cognitive processes has been relatively overlooked. Consequently, the goal of this study was to examine the effect of psychological pressure on response inhibition performance. Participants (N = 125) were assigned to either a time pressure condition or control condition, and then completed the Stop Signal Task, which tests response inhibition. Outcome variables of interest were stop accuracy, stop signal reaction time, and post error slowing. The results from the study indicated that time pressure significantly impaired stop …