Digital Commons Network^™

Dubai Real Estate Investment: A Predictive And Time Series Analysis, Nikhil Krishna

Theses

The capstone aims to provide real estate investors suitable portfolios for investment in Dubai, considering maximum return on investment as per their investment goals. CRISP-DM methodology was used as it is a structured approach for planning a data mining project. The datasets from Dubai Land Department, RERA and Property Finder was used to conduct Exploratory Analysis, Predictive Analysis using Linear Regression, Random Forest Regression, Decision Tree Regression, Gradient Boost Regression and Time Series analysis using Exponential Smoothing, Holt forecasting, Holt Winter Method, ARIMA and SARIMA. To facilitate investors in easily searching for suitable portfolio to invest in based on their …

Sustainable Packaging Design For Online Order Delivery, Fong-Yun Su

Theses

Due to the rising demands of package delivery, packaging for online orders has been produced rapidly in recent years. It includes plastic waste, paperboard waste, and energy waste. These wastes negatively impact the surrounding environment, natural creatures, and even human health. In this paper, a sustainable packaging design for online orders is explored that can not only help ecological systems on this planet, but also benefit the online retailers with a better package life cycle. This project is aimed to design a new packaging solution with adjustable and reusable features, which reduces packaging waste and provides a better package life …

A Programmable Processing-In-Memory Architecture For Memory Intensive Applications, Mark Connolly

Theses

While both processing and memory architectures are rapidly improving in performance, memory architecture is lagging behind. As performance of processing architecture continues to eclipse that of memory, the memory architecture continues to become an increasingly unavoidable bottleneck in computer architecture. There are two drawbacks that are commonly associated with memory accesses: i) large delays causing the processor to remain idle waiting on data to become available and ii) the power consumption required to transfer the data. These performance issues are especially notable in research and enterprise computing applications such as deep learning models. Even when data for an application such …

Architectural Style: Distortions For Deploying And Managing Deception Technologies In Software Systems, Elijah Cantella

Theses

Deception technologies are software tools that simulate/dissimulate information as security measures in software systems. Such tools can help prevent, detect, and correct security threats in the systems they are integrated with. Despite the continued existence and use of these technologies (~20+ years) the process for integrating them into software systems remains undocumented. This is due to deception technologies varying greatly from one another in a number of different ways. To begin the process of documentation, I have proposed an architectural style that describes one possible way deception technologies may be integrated into software systems.

To develop this architectural style, I …

The Application Of Echo State Networks To Atypical Speech Recognition, Daniel W. Adams

Theses

Automatic speech recognition (ASR) techniques have improved extensively over the past few years with the rise of new deep learning architectures. Recent sequence-to-sequence models have been shown to have high accuracy by utilizing the attention mechanism, which evaluates and learns the magnitude of element relationships in sequences. Despite being highly accurate, commercial ASR models have a weakness when it comes to accessibility. Current commercial deep learning ASR models find difficulty evaluating and transcribing speech for individuals with unique vocal features, such as those with dysarthria, heavy accents, as well as deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals.

Current methodologies for processing vocal data …

A Comparison Of Quantum Algorithms For The Maximum Clique Problem, Andrew R. Haverly

Theses

Two of the most promising computational models for quantum computing are the qubit-based model and the continuous variable model, which result in two different computational approaches, namely the qubit gate model and boson sampling. The qubit gate model is a universal form of quantum computation that relies heavily on the principles of superposition and entanglement to solve problems using qubits based on technologies ranging from magnetic fields created from superconducting materials to the spins of valence electrons in atoms. Boson sampling is a non-universal form of quantum computation that uses bosons as continuous-variable values for its computation. Both models show …

Process Investigations On Sputter Deposited Indium Tungsten Oxide Tft, Rishmithaa Sivakanthan

Theses

Indium-Tungsten Oxide (IWO) has been investigated as a potential semiconductor material for next-generation display devices. Several publications have reported on IWO thin-film transistors (TFTs) with a channel mobility μch ~ 20cm2/Vs, approximately 2X higher than typically reported for Indium-Gallium-Zinc Oxide (IGZO). However, other attributes of the device characteristics have not performed as well as IGZO such as the subthreshold behavior. This work presents a study on the electronic properties of sputtered IWO, with the sputter ambient (i.e. percent O2 ) and O2 annealing conditions as the primary factors investigated. In the early stages of the study, a problem with the …

Safeskin: A Blockchain System Of Products’ Lifespan Development To Help The User Find Safer Products, Ru Li

Theses

Due to the escalating demand for cosmetics skincare products and a growing number of beauty products putting people’s health at risk by counterfeits or using chemical ingredients in order to give a better skincare result, people start to have more concerns about the quality of cosmetics and skincare products. Today, many companies strive to make the transparency of the ingredients by labeling on the packaging and knowledge their customers about the benefits of the ingredients they are using. However, the consumers unable to find out how does the product being produced by the original company, and being transferred to the …

Daylighting In Supermarket Retrofits To Improve Social & Economic Features, Kaytlyn Johnson

Theses

Supermarkets are capable of retrofits with remodeling expansions using existing infrastructure. However, most are not sustainable. The application of daylighting offers these reuse projects three equally significant benefits. First, the daylighting system enhances the shopper’s experience. Second, it offers the supermarket reduced economic costs. Third, this technique enhances environmental benefits by reducing energy loads. Because this case study is in Rochester, New York both the local climate and visiting hours of the buildings factor into the daylight design practices. The objective of the thesis is to propose a re-design of an existing supermarket by testing the light quality with Illuminance …

Spatial Vs. Graph-Based Formula Retrieval, Robin Avenoso

Theses

Recently math formula search engines have become a useful tool for novice users learning a new topic. While systems exist already with the ability to do formula retrieval, they rely on prefix matching and typed query entries. This can be an obstacle for novice users who are not proficient with languages used to express formulas such as LaTeX, or do not remember the left end of a formula, or wish to match formulas at multiple locations (e.g., using `$\int \quad\quad dx$' as a query). We generalize a one dimensional spatial encoding for word spotting in handwritten document images, the Pyramidal …

Introducing Handwriting Into A Multimodal Latex Formula Editor, Yancarlos Diaz

Theses

Handwriting has been shown to be a useful input modality for math. However, math recognizers are imperfect, especially when recognizing complex expressions. Instead of improving the recognizer itself, we explore ways to best visualize the recognizer's output to help the user fix recognition mistakes more efficiently. To do this, we propose changes to the visual editing operations in MathDeck, a math-aware search engine and formula editor, as well as the addition of an n-best list of results for each symbol in the recognizer's output. We present two experiments to help us find good ways to help users fix errors in …

Matching As Color Imaging: Thermal Feature Detection, Bhavesh Deshpande

Theses

Feature detection and extraction is considered to be one of the most important aspects when it comes to any computer vision application, especially the autonomous driving field that is highly dependent on it. Thermal imaging is less explored in the field of autonomous driving mainly due to the high cost of the cameras and inferior techniques available for detection. Due to advances in technology the former is not a major limitation and there lies tremendous scope for improvement in the latter. Autonomous driving relies heavily on multiple and sometimes redundant sensors, for which thermal sensors are a preferred addition. Thermal …

Evaluating Performance And Efficiency Of A 16-Bit Substitution Box On An Fpga, Daniel F. Stafford

Theses

A Substitution Box (S-Box) is an integral component of modern block ciphers that provides confusion. The term "confusion" was introduced by Shannon in 1949 and it refers to the complexity of the relationship between the key and the ciphertext. Most S-Boxes are non-linear in order to promote confusion. Due to this, the S-Box is usually the most complex component of a block cipher. The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) features an 8-bit S-Box where the output depends on the Galois field multiplicative inverse of the input.

MK-3 is a sponge based Authenticated Encryption (AE) algorithm which provides both authenticity and confidentiality. …

Predicting The Required Demand Flow To A Customer, Thani Almansoori

Theses

Yearly District Cooling Company (DCC) needs to upgrade the plants to meet customer requirements. Moreover, this project will help the company to find when the demand load of flow will reach above the plant's installed capacity and how much increase is expected. So, the dataset was provided by the company for previous years. By applying ML and Arima, KNN, and SVM algorithms, it was found that the best result was the KNN algorithm with an accuracy of 94%, and the maximum flow load will be reached in summer of upcoming years. Hence, the company needs to take further action to …

The Cosmic Infrared Background Experiments: Probing Large-Scale Structure Formation Using Near-Infrared Sounding Rocket Payloads, Chi Hanh Nguyen

Theses

The ensemble emission from all sources outside of the Milky Way is known as the extragalactic background light (EBL). At optical and near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths, the EBL is primarily stellar emission tracing back to the Epoch of Reionization (EOR) at redshifts z > 6 when the first luminous structures formed. Given the large uncertainties in our understanding of the EOR, measurements of the EBL provide an important probe of the galaxies that were responsible for reionization. Direct observations of the EBL are challenging due to contamination from bright local foregrounds. In recent years, intensity mapping has emerged as a successful technique …

Flexible Memory Protection With Dynamic Authentication Trees, Matthew T. Millar

Theses

As computing appliances increase in use and handle more critical information and functionalities, the importance of security grows even greater. In cases where the device processes sensitive data or performs important functionality, an attacker may be able to read or manipulate it by accessing the data bus between the processor and memory itself. As it is impossible to provide physical protection to the piece of hardware in use, it is important to provide protection against revealing confidential information and securing the device's intended operation. Defense against bus attacks such as spoofing, splicing, and replay attacks are of particular concern. Traditional …

Using Advanced Analytics To Predict Vehicle Registrations And Help In Business Continuity Planning, Khalid Ibrahim Alzarouni

Theses

Dramatic changes happen in the world. People and organizations face problems with these changes. The ones who have everything planned in case of emergencies; survive, and the ones who do not plan it right, have a chance of falling. Today, a lot of organizations suffer because of the Covid-19 global pandemic, even the largest organizations in Dubai like Roads and Transport Authority. Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is one of the largest government entities and the sole planner and executer of all transport, road, and traffic projects in Dubai. It has happiness centers which register all the cars that are …

Technique To Reduce The Robbing Crime Rate In Dubai During The Event Of Expo 2020 By Analyzing Relevant Data., Abdulla Ahmed Kankzar

Theses

Dubai’s crime rate appears to be significantly lower. However, do not let this lull you into a false sense of security. Most of the crime occurs in areas populated primarily by lower-income, temporary laborers originating from other countries. Most crimes attributed to this group consist of petty theft, public offenses (e.g., fighting, public intoxication, and property damage), sexual harassment, and rare incidents of violent assault. Using advanced techniques to classify which category the crime belongs to; it will help the concerned authorities to tackle the major crime happening in the City and helpful to find out rare crimes in the …

Satellite Vision And Atomic Trails, Anson Wigner

Theses

Satellite Vision and Atomic Trails is an installation of photographs and a three-channel video crafted from an eclectic combination of government archival material, the theory of panopticism, Cold War propaganda, and satellite photographs of secret or obscured sites. Probing the creation and interpretation of what remains “unseen” within these satellite images, Satellite Vision and Atomic Trails decodes the anxious ambitions and failed promises of totalized surveillance. Satellite surveillance both envisions the surface of events and creates a map of their socio-political significance. But just as clouds obscure the view of earth from a CIA satellite, our pursuit of a totalizing …

Evaluating Electronic Pulse Generators For Cooling Tower Sanitation, Hannah Saxena

Theses

Cooling towers are possible sources of contamination to the environment, with implications to human health. Cooling towers are known sources for disease outbreaks. The cooling process releases aerosols, which if cooling towers are not adequately sanitized, pathogenic bacteria may be released and contaminate the environment. Compounding the risk of pathogenic bacteria release, cooling towers provide ideal conditions for biofilms to grow which encourage the exchange of antibiotic resistance genes. Current sanitation methods are unable to prevent or effectively remove biofilms in cooling towers. Therefore, a new sanitation method is necessary. This research explores the feasibility of using electrical pulse generators …

Socio-Ecological Context Matters For Wetland Project Outcomes, Sydney Vanwinkle

Theses

Restoration or creation of wetlands is used to counteract wetland loss in the United States. However, projects often fail to meet functional equivalence with natural wetlands, and the shortcomings increase with time since construction. Many restoration projects are located in suburban or urban areas and are highly influenced by human impacts. Lack of understanding of how human communities influence restoration outcomes, in ways both positive and negative, hinders the ability of restoration managers to produce favorable long-term outcomes. This thesis investigates relationships among ecological metrics of success and the biotic, abiotic and social context for 38 created and restored wetlands …

Epilogue To Resonance, Robert Arthur Stone Iii

Theses

Epilogue to Resonance is a body of photographic work that focuses on how the resonance of imagery can be used as a tool for communication. This thesis expounds upon that idea, reflecting on photography as a medium to convey emotional affect and thought in a non-verbal form. After situating the photographic project within the historical moment of the 2020-21 coronavirus pandemic, this thesis goes on to analyze historical, psychological, and philosophical groundings as they relate to the processing of thoughts in the mind. This is accomplished through research into concepts by Thomas Nagel, and Stephen Kosslyn, and through interviews with, …

Overview Of The Proceedings Of The 2020 Inclusion In Science, Learning A New Direction, Conference On Disability (Island), Cary Supalo, Jasodhara Bhattacharya, Daniel Steinberg

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

Elevating The Voices For All Learners Through Shared Stories Of Science Learning, Lauren Madden, Stuart Z. Carroll, Amy K. Schuler

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

This study examines the science learning experiences across the lifespan of two groups of college students: adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities in a post-secondary inclusive program, and adults in a preservice secondary education teacher candidate program. Data, in the form of personal narrative science stories were collected using a paired-interview approach in which students from each group interviewed one another about their science learning across their lifespans, and recorded responses using an online form. Across the stories, several clear themes emerged. Similarities and differences were found across and within the groups and are shared in a narrative format. Trends …

Publishing Successful Practitioner (Teaching Techniques) Manuscripts For The Journal Of Science Education For Students With Disabilities, Jonte C. Taylor

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

The Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities (JSESD)d is the premier journal focusing on the intersections of science education for students with disabilities. JSESD provides valuable content and context for teachers and researchers on what works in advancing science access, practices, and knowledge for all students across settings, grades, ages, and exceptionality. One way in which JSESD supports teachers and researchers is through publication of practitioner manuscripts also referred to as Teaching Techniques. These manuscripts focus on the how-to portion of science education. That is, JSESD practitioner publications give detailed information on how-to provide science instruction or how-to …

Advanced Iii-Nitride Leds For Display Applications, Matthew T. Hartensveld

Theses

Gallium Nitride (GaN) light emitting diodes (LEDs) are viewed as the next generation of display technology as a replacement for both liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays. GaN based LEDs offer immense improvements in terms of efficiency, reliability, and resolution as compared to these conventional display technologies. New device opportunities are presented with the advent of LED displays, however there are a number of key challenges that also need to be addressed. Displays rely upon transistors in order to individually control the brightness of each color in a pixel. LED displays are no different, though …

A Risk Management Framework Using Digital Transformation For The Healthcare Sector During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Mohammad Awni Khasawneh, Mohamed Alayat

Theses

Despite the many changes in the orientation of the world economy and the spotlight positioning, the healthcare sector remains one of the most important and critical sectors for its contribution in every aspect of human life. Improvements in the healthcare sector are seen and evident on a daily basis to cope with the technological and digital advancements in the world, and the recent COVID-19 pandemic has put these improvements into a faster pace. Several challenges in the health sector have risen to surface since the beginning of the pandemic; some of these challenges have been properly addressed and tackled, while …

A Framework For Evaluating Technology-Mediated Collaborative Workflow, Christopher Bondy

Theses

The adoption of new technology into collaborative workflows has permeated every aspect of our personal and professional lives with the promise of performing work processes more efficiently and with greater capability. The continued rise of ubiquitous computing and heightened need for collaborative features suggest that a view of enabling technologies in a workflow should include the physical computing infrastructure, the collaborative interaction between humans and computers, and the informatics (i.e., collection and representation of data within the workflow). The development and integration of technology for collaborative workflows introduces many variables that are of great concern to companies, organization, and individuals. …

Making Games To Teach Physics And Mechanics, David Schwartz

Presentations and other scholarship

This survey paper introduces engineering educators to a subfield of computer graphics called physically-based animation (PBA) to advocate for collaboration in creating courses to improve student learning in STEM fields, especially in engineering. Engineering students may not realize the degree to which they can leverage their education to enter the entertainment and simulation industries. The central hypothesis of the paper is that introductory physics can be taught via PBA. The paper provides case studies that demonstrate early promise. The paper gives an overview of how “game engineers” leverage theoretical physics and mathematical concepts merged with design aesthetics to portray realistic …

Methods For Generating High-Fidelity Trace Chemical Residue Reflectance Signatures For Active Spectroscopy Classification Applications, Cara Patrice Murphy

Theses

Standoff detection and identification of trace chemicals in hyperspectral infrared images is an enabling capability in a variety of applications relevant to defense, law enforcement, and intelligence communities. Performance of these methods is impacted by the spectral signature variability due to the presence of contaminants, surface roughness, nonlinear effects, etc. Though multiple classes of algorithms exist for the detection and classification of these signatures, they are limited by the availability of relevant reference datasets.

In this work, we first address the lack of physics-based models that can accurately predict trace chemical spectra. Most available models assume that the chemical takes …