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Safety Considerations For Setting Variable Speed Limits On Freeways, Md Tarek Hasan Jan 2023

Safety Considerations For Setting Variable Speed Limits On Freeways, Md Tarek Hasan

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This thesis focuses on evaluating the appropriate speed at which vehicles should travel under different traffic conditions on freeways and its impact on crash frequency. The common belief is that the lower speed results in fewer crashes as reduced speed provides drivers with more time to react effectively and avoid collisions. However, this perspective overlooks the interplay among traffic speed, average spacing between consecutive vehicles, and the distance available for stopping a vehicle. Hence, we propose a safety parameter termed ‘Safety Correlate' (SCORE), which is defined as the proportion of average spacing relative to the stopping distance. To determine the …

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Improving Deep Neural Network Training With Knowledge Distillation, Dongdong Wang Jan 2023

Improving Deep Neural Network Training With Knowledge Distillation, Dongdong Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Knowledge distillation, as a popular compression technique, has been widely used to reduce deep neural network (DNN) size for a variety of applications. However, in recent years, some research had found its potential for improving deep neural network performance. This dissertation focuses on further exploring its power to facilitate accurate and reliable DNN training. First, I explored data-efficient method for blackbox knowledge distillation where the specifics of the DNN for distillation is inaccessible. I integrated active learning and mixup to obtain significant distillation performance gain with limited data. This work reveals the competence of knowledge distillation to facilitate large foundation …

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Methodologies For Evaluating Interaction Cues For Virtual Reality, Xinyu Hu Jan 2023

Methodologies For Evaluating Interaction Cues For Virtual Reality, Xinyu Hu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Virtual reality (VR) games and educational systems commonly employ interaction cues to provide information on how to take appropriate actions at particular moments. Interaction cues can be employed for different purposes, such as informing the user to look, go, pick, and operate. Additionally, different types of interaction cues can directly affect usability and user experiences. In our early research, we conducted two ecologically valid empirical studies with a preexisting VR training application and evaluated the effects of delayed interaction cues, in addition to comparing the purposes of interaction cues for learning and retention. Our results indicated that immediate interaction cues …

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Towards Optimization And Robustification Of Data-Driven Models, Ehsan Kazemi Foroushani Jan 2023

Towards Optimization And Robustification Of Data-Driven Models, Ehsan Kazemi Foroushani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

In the past two decades, data-driven models have experienced a renaissance, with notable success achieved through the use of models such as deep neural networks (DNNs) in various applications. However, complete reliance on intelligent machine learning systems is still a distant dream. Nevertheless, the initial success of data-driven approaches presents a promising path for building trustworthy data-oriented models. This thesis aims to take a few steps toward improving the performance of existing data-driven frameworks in both the training and testing phases. Specifically, we focus on several key questions: 1) How to efficiently design optimization methods for learning algorithms that can …

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From Human Behavior To Machine Behavior, Zerong Xi Jan 2023

From Human Behavior To Machine Behavior, Zerong Xi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

A core pursuit of artificial intelligence is the comprehension of human behavior. Imbuing intelligent agents with a good human behavior model can help them understand how to behave intelligently and interactively in complex situations. Due to the increase in data availability and computational resources, the development of machine learning algorithms for duplicating human cognitive abilities has made rapid progress. To solve difficult scenarios, learning-based methods must search for solutions in a predefined but large space. Along with implementing a smart exploration strategy, the right representation for a task can help narrow the search process during learning. This dissertation tackles three …

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Comparing Phosphorus Removal Efficiencies And Mechanisms Via Two Cost-Effective Specialty Adsorbents In A Cascade Upflow Filtration System, Sydney Kilgus-Vesely Jan 2023

Comparing Phosphorus Removal Efficiencies And Mechanisms Via Two Cost-Effective Specialty Adsorbents In A Cascade Upflow Filtration System, Sydney Kilgus-Vesely

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Finding solutions to treat water that contains phosphorus is an important effort due to the harmful impacts it presents to both human health and the environment. Phosphorus is considered a limiting factor in water oftentimes and therefore controls the growth of algal bloom in a water body. The increase of algal populations due to wastewater effluent, stormwater runoff, and agricultural discharge in Florida waters has a direct link to the event of harmful algal blooms such as red tide in coastal regions, eutrophication of waterbodies, and fish kills. Finding low cost, energy efficient, and low maintenance green sorption media (GSM) …

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A Framework For The Automatic Identification Of Optimized Yield Surface Parameters, Kevin Hanekom Jan 2023

A Framework For The Automatic Identification Of Optimized Yield Surface Parameters, Kevin Hanekom

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Advanced engineering materials are designed to display tensile-compressive asymmetry (TCA) and anisotropy to provide unique attributes to critical components necessary in the hot section of turbines. The never-ending chase for higher efficiencies, and with them, higher temperature gradients, intrinsically leads to more and more of these complex materials, like single crystal turbine blades, embedded within the turbine environment. Mathematical models, known as yield criteria, allow engineers to visualize the mechanical behavior of these materials in various orientations under complex loading. Yield criteria are dependent on three key items in determination of their governing parameters: material test data, mathematical constraints, and …

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Modeling Individual Activity And Mobility Behavior And Assessing Ridesharing Impacts Using Emerging Data Sources, Jiechao Zhang Jan 2023

Modeling Individual Activity And Mobility Behavior And Assessing Ridesharing Impacts Using Emerging Data Sources, Jiechao Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Predicting individual mobility behavior is one of the major steps of transportation planning models. Accurate prediction of individual mobility behavior will be beneficial for transportation planning. Although previous studies have used different data sources to model individual mobility behaviors, they have several limitations such as the lack of complete mobility sequences and travel mode information, limiting our ability to accurately predict individual movements. In recent years, the emergence of GPS-based floating car data (FCD) and on-demand ride-hailing service platforms can provide innovative data sources to understand and model individual mobility behavior. Compared to the previously used data sources such as …

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Musical Form Reconstruction In Printed And Handwritten Lead Sheets Via Optical Recognition Of Chord Symbols, Nashir A. Janmohamed Jan 2023

Musical Form Reconstruction In Printed And Handwritten Lead Sheets Via Optical Recognition Of Chord Symbols, Nashir A. Janmohamed

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Optical music recognition (OMR) is the field of study which seeks to use computer vision to extract musical information from images. Most OMR work focuses on music symbols (such as notes, time signatures, clefs, etc.); to date, only two prior works pay attention to chord symbols (shorthand notation commonly used in jazz and popular music lead sheets to describe the harmony of the music) in musical documents. Chord symbols lay the foundation for jazz improvisation - a sequence of chord symbols is repeated during the improvisatory section, and the soloist and accompaniment (primarily, though not exclusively) use the chord symbols …

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A Thermal, Mechanical, And Materials Framework For A Shape Memory Alloy Heat Engine For Thermal Management And Energy Recovery, Maria Chikhareva Jan 2023

A Thermal, Mechanical, And Materials Framework For A Shape Memory Alloy Heat Engine For Thermal Management And Energy Recovery, Maria Chikhareva

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Shape memory alloy (SMA) heat engines possess an inherent property of sensing a change in temperature, performing work, and rejecting heat through the shape memory effect resulting from a temperature-induced phase transformation. This work presents a framework for the design and implementation of an SMA-based Stirling heat engine for maximum power or speed incorporating and combining mechanical, thermal, and material aspects. The motivation for this work comes from the growing need for reliable thermal management and energy recovery in both ground and space applications of interest to NASA and commercial space companies. In future lunar and Mars missions, an SMA …

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Machine Learning Applications In Advanced Additive Manufacturing: Process Modeling, Microstructure Analysis, And Defect Detection, Peter Warren Jan 2023

Machine Learning Applications In Advanced Additive Manufacturing: Process Modeling, Microstructure Analysis, And Defect Detection, Peter Warren

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques are critical for assessing the integrity, health, and mechanical properties of materials manufactured from various methods. High fidelity NDE techniques are essential for quality control but often lead to massive data generation. Such a vast data load cannot be manually processed, this leads to a severe bottleneck for process engineers. Machine learning (ML) offers a solution to this problem by providing powerful and adaptable algorithms capable of learning patterns, identifying features, and finding hidden relationships in large sets of data. Various ML models are used in this work to improve predictions, improve measurements, detect anomalies, classify …

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An Evaluation Of Thermocouple Reconstruction Techniques, Derek Brauneis Jan 2023

An Evaluation Of Thermocouple Reconstruction Techniques, Derek Brauneis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Temperature measurements can be difficult to obtain across many different harsh environments such as engine combustion chambers, engine exhaust temperatures, and explosion fireballs. While there are alternate methods to measure fluid temperature such as laser measurements, acoustic measurements, and camera imaging techniques, these methods can often be expensive, difficult to implement, and not able to see within the environment. Thermocouples are popular sensors because they are cheap and easy to implement across a wide range of applications and can measure temperature in areas where other methods cannot reach or see. However, while these sensors are very popular and versatile, they …

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Developing A Data-Driven Statistical Model For Accurately Predicting The Superconducting Critical Temperature Of Materials Using Multiple Regression And Gradient-Boosted Methods, Emil Agbemade Jan 2023

Developing A Data-Driven Statistical Model For Accurately Predicting The Superconducting Critical Temperature Of Materials Using Multiple Regression And Gradient-Boosted Methods, Emil Agbemade

Data Science and Data Mining

This study focuses on developing a statistical model for estimating the superconducting critical temperature (Tc) of materials using a data-driven strategy. The study analyzed 21,263 superconductors and used a combination of multiple regression and gradient-boosted models to make predictions. The analysis included a descriptive analysis of the distribution of Tc, feature selection using the Backwards selection method, and model diagnostics. The results showed that the gradient-boosted method outperformed the multiple linear regression method with an RMSE of 12.01 and an R2 value of 88.23 after fine-tuning its hyperparameters. The study concludes that the gradient-boosted method is an effective approach …

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A Linear Regression Model To Predict The Critical Temperature Of A Superconductor, Amir Alipour Yengejeh Jan 2023

A Linear Regression Model To Predict The Critical Temperature Of A Superconductor, Amir Alipour Yengejeh

Data Science and Data Mining

Since the superconductivity has been introduced, almost all studies in this area have been striving to predict the critical temperature ($T_{c}$) through the features extracted from the superconductor's chemical formula. In this study, thus, we are interested in exploring the linear association between $T_{c}$ and the related features.

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Predation And Harvesting In Spatial Population Models, Connor R. Shrader Jan 2023

Predation And Harvesting In Spatial Population Models, Connor R. Shrader

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Predation and harvesting play critical roles in maintaining biodiversity in ecological communities. Too much harvesting may drive a species to extinction, while too little harvesting may allow a population to drive out competing species. The spatial features of a habitat can also significantly affect population dynamics within these communities. Here, we formulate and analyze three ordinary differential equation models for the population density of a single species. Each model differs in its assumptions about how the species is harvested. We then extend each of these models to analogous partial differential equation models that more explicitly describe the spatial habitat and …

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Evolution Of Density And Velocity Perturbations In A Slowly Contracting Universe, Olivia R. Bitcon Jan 2023

Evolution Of Density And Velocity Perturbations In A Slowly Contracting Universe, Olivia R. Bitcon

Honors Undergraduate Theses

One focus of research in cosmology regards the growth of structure in the universe: how we end up with stars, galaxies, galaxy clusters, and large scale structure in a universe that appears homogeneous and isotropic on large scales. Using cosmological perturbation theory, we investigate the evolution of density and velocity perturbations corresponding to a universe that is slowly contracting (Ijjas and Steinhardt), testing with and comparing different values for the equation-of-state parameter. This allows for the comparison of the growth of large scale structure in scenarios including a matter-dominated expanding universe, a dark energy-dominated expanding universe, and now, an ekpyrotic …

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Split Catalytic Probes For The Detection Of Monkeypox Virus, Jaehyun Ahn Jan 2023

Split Catalytic Probes For The Detection Of Monkeypox Virus, Jaehyun Ahn

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The COVID-19 outbreak highlighted the important role that diagnostic tests play in the healthcare system. To reduce the impact of infectious disease outbreaks, the development of rapid and cost-effective point-of-care-tests (POCTs) is crucial. With the dissemination of the Monkeypox (Mpox) virus, it became a necessity to produce POCTS that are inexpensive and easy to use. This work explored the construction of two colorimetric assays that aim to detect Mpox genetic signatures. One is based on the split-peroxidase-like deoxyribozyme probes (sPDz), while the other utilizes a cascade system of split RNA-cleaving deoxyribozyme (sDz) and peroxidase-like deoxyribozyme (PDz). Both rely on catalytic …

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Leaving The European Union: When Euroscepticism Meets Internal Crisis Within Member States, Isabella M. Dimesa Jan 2023

Leaving The European Union: When Euroscepticism Meets Internal Crisis Within Member States, Isabella M. Dimesa

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In the era of global stability, it is crucial to understand the nuances that maintain peace. Neoliberal institutionalism is the ideal that institutions bound together promote peace through sharing stakes and developing positive cost-benefit matrixes that ensure cooperation. The European Union (EU), a neoliberal institution, was developed to establish a peaceful, cooperative European system to further the European agenda and foster power through combined assets. The EU has manifested this success and prosperity—until one of its member states, the United Kingdom, defected from the institution, causing a shock to the EU system. Why would an institution yielding positive returns see …

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Discovering Vulnerabilities And Designing Trustworthy Defenses In Iot Systems And Devices, Bryan Pearson Jan 2023

Discovering Vulnerabilities And Designing Trustworthy Defenses In Iot Systems And Devices, Bryan Pearson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Internet of Things (IoT) dominates many functions in the modern world, from sensing and reporting temperature, humidity, and air quality, to controlling and automating homes, commercial buildings, and equipment. However, IoT systems have received scrutiny in recent years due to countless security incidents, which can have physical and even deadly consequences. This research provides a comprehensive assessment of the security of IoT systems and devices, including low-cost microcontroller (MCU) based sensors, cloud services, and Building Automation Systems (BAS). We begin by exploring the current landscape of vulnerabilities and defenses in modern IoT applications. We show that many security needs can …

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Developing Cost-Effective Specialty Adsorbents To Meet The Emerging Challenges Of Pollutant Removal In Surface Water Systems, Diana Ordonez Jan 2023

Developing Cost-Effective Specialty Adsorbents To Meet The Emerging Challenges Of Pollutant Removal In Surface Water Systems, Diana Ordonez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The production of clean water is emphasized under the United Nations goals for sustainable development (SDGs), enlightening the acute need of developing new sustainable technologies in all disciplines. SDGs have urged all engineers in the 21st century to mitigate pollution of drinking water sources and prevent all receiving waterbodies from the impact of agriculture discharge, wastewater effluent, and stormwater runoff. Current water matrix constituents of concern include traditional pollutants (i.e., total nitrogen and total phosphate), natural organic matters (i.e., total organic carbon (TOC), tannic acid), heavy metals (i.e., copper, calcium), and harmful algae toxins (i.e., microcystin), as well as contaminants …

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Impact On Infinite Asteroids: Analysis Of Ejecta Outcomes In Small Body Binary Systems, Jennifer Larson Jan 2023

Impact On Infinite Asteroids: Analysis Of Ejecta Outcomes In Small Body Binary Systems, Jennifer Larson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Binary asteroid systems make up roughly 15% of objects occupying near-Earth space, the Main Belt, and trans-Neptunian space. The impact history of asteroids in binary systems represents an interesting aspect of the general problem pertaining to the nature and evolution of surfaces for such objects. Specifically, the post-impact dynamics of ejecta and its relation to surface modification is a challenging question owing, in part, to the unusual gravitational field in a binary system and the subsequent capture and emplacement of debris on either binary component. Observable differences or similarities between the two bodies in the color, reflectance, thermal properties, and …

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To The Cosmos And Back: Modelling Ritualized Movement And Natural Sanctuaries Around The Manialtepec Lagoon, Sami Savateri Jan 2023

To The Cosmos And Back: Modelling Ritualized Movement And Natural Sanctuaries Around The Manialtepec Lagoon, Sami Savateri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Depictions of movement in Late Postclassic and early Colonial Mesoamerican art, maps, and documents show a multi-faceted conception of movement as not only a means of physical travel through the landscape of the mundane world, but also a means to reach the cosmic realms of divine forces. In this thesis, I explored the intersection of movement and ritual in Late Postclassic Oaxaca by modelling a hypothetical ritual circuit around the Manialtepec Lagoon: a bioluminescent lagoon near Oaxaca's Pacific Coast that is significant in oral histories of the Indigenous Chatinos. The Manialtepec Basin lacks the level of continuous occupation or historic …

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The Impact Math Interventions Have On Student Achievement In An Urban School Setting, Jennifer A. Bellinger Jan 2023

The Impact Math Interventions Have On Student Achievement In An Urban School Setting, Jennifer A. Bellinger

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Intense intervention is needed for students who have persistent math challenges and perform below grade level. In the classroom setting, teachers need to provide additional support for some students based on their specific needs. This correlational study was an examination of interventions' impact on student achievement in math. The sample comprised students enrolled in Algebra I during the 2021–2022 school year. The results of this study showed that interventions may have a positive impact on student performance, especially when carried out in the proper educational setting. The findings from the research showed that there is no significant statistical correlation between …

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Mapping The Focal Points Of Wordpress: A Software And Critical Code Analysis, Bryce Jackson Jan 2023

Mapping The Focal Points Of Wordpress: A Software And Critical Code Analysis, Bryce Jackson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Programming languages or code can be examined through numerous analytical lenses. This project is a critical analysis of WordPress, a prevalent web content management system, applying four modes of inquiry. The project draws on theoretical perspectives and areas of study in media, software, platforms, code, language, and power structures. The applied research is based on Critical Code Studies, an interdisciplinary field of study that holds the potential as a theoretical lens and methodological toolkit to understand computational code beyond its function. The project begins with a critical code analysis of WordPress, examining its origins and source code and mapping selected …

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Reflective Planar Optics With Cholesteric Liquid Crystal For Near-Eye Displays, Yannanqi Li Jan 2023

Reflective Planar Optics With Cholesteric Liquid Crystal For Near-Eye Displays, Yannanqi Li

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Display market has undergone dramatic changes as the near eye displays (NED) are gaining increasing attention because they offer a deeper level of human-computer interaction with the advancement of electronic devices and computer sciences. The NEDs can be presented in two ways: virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). The former is completely immersive while the latter combines the digital information with the surrounding scenes. Although several VR headsets have been commercialized for consumers and AR products for prosumers because of their high cost, but there is still a long way to go to satisfy the strict requirements of human …

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Integrated Frequency Combs For Applications In Optical Communications & Microwave Photonics, Chinmay Shirpurkar Jan 2023

Integrated Frequency Combs For Applications In Optical Communications & Microwave Photonics, Chinmay Shirpurkar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This dissertation reviews the advancements made in chip-scale optical frequency combs and their applications towards optical communications and optical to RF links. We review different chip-scale comb sources and in particular, chip-scale Kerr microresonator frequency combs. Then, we establish the theoretical background in nonlinear optics which allows the formation and stabilization of Kerr solitons in nonlinear cavities. We also discuss the concept of optical injection locking and in particular, multi-tone injection locking which precedes the idea of regenerative harmonic injection locking. We then go on to show the experimental work involved in soliton generation and characterization. We show efforts towards …

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It Is Time To Change The Way We Change, Thane Keller Jan 2023

It Is Time To Change The Way We Change, Thane Keller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Seventy percent of organizational change initiatives fail. Among organizations where change and adaptation are necessary for survival, the U.S. military stands at the top. The disparity between desired health and fitness behaviors and actual behaviors is a glaring reminder that change is difficult to implement and that current change systems struggle. Merit-based systems offer a solution by rewarding and reinforcing good behavior to generate lasting change. This paper evaluates Kotter's Change Model and Nudge Theory and found them insufficient because they do not sufficiently address reinforcement learning or the temporal tie between behaviors and rewards for reinforcement. This paper then …

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Capturing And Scaffolding The Complexities Of Self-Regulation During Game-Based Learning, Daryn Dever Jan 2023

Capturing And Scaffolding The Complexities Of Self-Regulation During Game-Based Learning, Daryn Dever

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Game-based learning environments (GBLEs) can offer students with engaging interactive instructional materials while also providing a research platform to investigate the dynamics and intricacies of effective self-regulated learning (SRL). Past research has indicated learners are often unable to monitor and regulate their cognitive and metacognitive processes within GBLEs accurately and effectively on their own due mostly to the open-ended nature of these environments. The future design and development of GBLEs and embedded scaffolds, therefore, require a better understanding of the discrepancies between the affordances of GBLEs and the required use of SRL. Specifically, how to incorporate interdisciplinary theories and concepts …

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Structural Transformations In Photo-Thermo-Refractive Glass For Hologram Recording, Roberto Alejandro Alvarez Aguirre Jan 2023

Structural Transformations In Photo-Thermo-Refractive Glass For Hologram Recording, Roberto Alejandro Alvarez Aguirre

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This dissertation focuses on the structural transformations in photo-thermo-refractive (PTR) glass that enable recording phase holograms for efficient transformation of optical beams and high resolution spectroscopy. PTR glass is a multicomponent silicate matrix doped with Ce, Ag, Sn and Sb. It is a holographic phase medium with the ability of permanent refractive index change after UV exposure and thermal development above 500°C due to the precipitation of a NaF crystalline phase. Electronic processes are studied by analyzing the structure of absorption and luminescence bands of PTR glass matrix and its dopants. We analyze the structural transformations in PTR glass from …

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Analysis Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons In Tobacco Related Samples Via High Performance Liquid Chromatography And Laser Excited Time Resolved Shpol' Skii Spectroscopy, Ahmed Comas Jan 2023

Analysis Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons In Tobacco Related Samples Via High Performance Liquid Chromatography And Laser Excited Time Resolved Shpol' Skii Spectroscopy, Ahmed Comas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Human exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) due to cigarette smoke is well known. It is also known that PAHs are not inherent components of tobacco. Their presence in cigarette smoke results from the curing process of tobacco leaves used for the fabrication of cigarettes and the incomplete combustion of tobacco during the smoking process. The two chromatographic versions of EPA method 610 are popular approaches for the analysis of PAHs in a wide variety of samples. This method, which is based either on High-Performance Liquid-Chromatography (HPLC) or Gas-Chromatography (GC) has shown the presence of Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) in tobacco samples …

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