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Towards Improving The Robustness Of Neural Abstractive Summarization, Kaiqiang Song Jan 2021

Towards Improving The Robustness Of Neural Abstractive Summarization, Kaiqiang Song

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Recent deep learning and sequence-to-sequence learning technology have produced impressive results on automatic summarization. However, the models have limited insights on the underlying language and it remains challenging for system-generated summaries to be truthful to the original input or cover the most important information. This is especially the case for generating abstractive summaries using neural models. My work aims for a flexible and controllable summarization system that can be adapted to cater to different scenarios. It is designed to incorporate linguistic structure information into deep neural networks, have the capability to produce abstracts by re-using a varying amount of source …


Chitosan-Gallium Nanocomposite: Synthesis, Characterization And Antibacterial Activity, Samjhana Bhandari Jan 2021

Chitosan-Gallium Nanocomposite: Synthesis, Characterization And Antibacterial Activity, Samjhana Bhandari

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains of bacteria and the lack of a novel class of antibiotics has become a global health concern. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one common MDR bacteria responsible for nosocomial infections and related mortality worldwide. It has developed resistance against commonly available antibiotics and is in the WHO's priority list of bacteria for which new antibiotics are desperately needed. Currently there is a growing interest in developing metal and non-metal-based nanoparticles to target multidrug-resistant bacteria. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a novel nanocomposite of two non-traditional antimicrobials: a metal (Ga-III) and …


Influence Of Geography On The Healthy Gut Microbiome And The Role Of The Gut Microbiome In Ibd Symptom And Disease Progression, Sayf Al-Deen Hassouneh Jan 2021

Influence Of Geography On The Healthy Gut Microbiome And The Role Of The Gut Microbiome In Ibd Symptom And Disease Progression, Sayf Al-Deen Hassouneh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The human gut microbiome is believed to play an integral role in host health and disease. In a microbial community, associations between constituent members play an important role in determining the overall structure and function of the community. To understand the nature of bacterial associations at the species level in healthy human gut microbiomes, we analyzed previously published collections of whole-genome shotgun sequence data, from fecal samples obtained from four different healthy human populations. Using a Random Forest Classifier, we identified bacterial species that were prevalent in these populations and whose relative abundances could be used to accurately distinguish between …


Applying Machine Learning Techniques To Improve Safety And Mobility Of Urban Transportation Systems Using Infrastructure- And Vehicle-Based Sensors, Zubayer Islam Jan 2021

Applying Machine Learning Techniques To Improve Safety And Mobility Of Urban Transportation Systems Using Infrastructure- And Vehicle-Based Sensors, Zubayer Islam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The importance of sensing technologies in the field of transportation is ever increasing. Rapid improvements of cloud computing, Internet of Vehicles (IoV), and intelligent transport system (ITS) enables fast acquisition of sensor data with immediate processing. Machine learning algorithms provide a way to classify or predict outcomes in a selective and timely fashion. High accuracy and increased volatility are the main features of various learning algorithms. In this dissertation, we aim to use infrastructure- and vehicle-based sensors to improve safety and mobility of urban transportation systems. Smartphone sensors were used in the first study to estimate vehicle trajectory using lane …


A Framework And Model For Managing And Sustaining A Successful Cross Functional Project Operations Team In A Multi-Project Manufacturing Environment In The Aerospace And Defense Industry, Anisulrahman Nizam Jan 2021

A Framework And Model For Managing And Sustaining A Successful Cross Functional Project Operations Team In A Multi-Project Manufacturing Environment In The Aerospace And Defense Industry, Anisulrahman Nizam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Project manufacturing is a production manufacturing mode that develops and produces large and complex systems that is supplemented by project management techniques for planning and execution. Project manufacturing is better understood by examining it along with three other key areas: manufacturing, project management, and team management. Critical success factors for each of these areas have been examined in the literature but have not been examined in a real world setting in the aerospace and defense industry. This research examines the association between perspectives of project teams and senior management on critical success factors along the four identified dimensions of success …


Wind Turbine Main Bearing Fatigue Prognosis With Physics-Informed Machine Learning, Yigit Yucesan Jan 2021

Wind Turbine Main Bearing Fatigue Prognosis With Physics-Informed Machine Learning, Yigit Yucesan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Unexpected main bearing failure on a wind turbine causes unscheduled maintenance and increased operation costs (mainly due to crane, parts, labor, and production loss). Unfortunately, historical data indicates that failure can happen far earlier than the component designed lives (due to manufacturing problems, for example). For the legacy fleet, which composes the majority of the installed basis, fatigue has become a major issue. Although bearing fatigue can be expressed with physics-informed models, they often inherent large uncertainties due to operation and unknown lubricant degradation mechanism. Apart from the unknown physics of failure, additional uncertainties associated with the grease that surrounds …


Unmanned Aerial Vehicles In Opportunistic Networks, Salih Safa Bacanli Jan 2021

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles In Opportunistic Networks, Salih Safa Bacanli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This dissertation presents novel algorithms for utilizing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) through various scenarios within opportunistic networks. The opportunistic networks are considered challenging due to the intermittent and unreliable communication between nodes. UAVs can be used for delivering packets within opportunistic networks that can alleviate communication issues. We start examining the UAV usage in opportunistic networks by first investigating their effectiveness and proposing a UAV scanning approach. To validate the usage of UAVs, we evaluated the performance of an opportunistic network with and without using UAVs. The scanning techniques we investigated were random scan, meander scan, and our proposed approach …


Exploring Relationships Between Ground And Aerial Views By Synthesis And Matching, Krishna Regmi Jan 2021

Exploring Relationships Between Ground And Aerial Views By Synthesis And Matching, Krishna Regmi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Cross-view images, referring to the images taken from aerial and street views, contain drastically differing representations of the same scene of a given location. Due to the differences in the camera viewpoints of ground and aerial images the same semantic concepts in the two viewpoints look very different. Therefore the problem of relating them is very challenging. Thus, it becomes crucial to explore the cross-view relations and learn appropriate representations such that images from these two domains can be associated. In this dissertation we explore the relationship between ground and aerial views by synthesis and matching. First, we explore supervised …


Test Overfitting In Automated Program Repair: Measurements And Approaches Using Formal Methods, Amirfarhad Nilizadeh Jan 2021

Test Overfitting In Automated Program Repair: Measurements And Approaches Using Formal Methods, Amirfarhad Nilizadeh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Bugs exist in software systems; unfortunately, manually finding bugs and repairing them is complex, time-consuming, and expensive. Automated Program Repair (APR) techniques have promising results to make the debugging process automatic and dramatically decreasing the cost of developing a software system. Almost all developed APR tools use test suites to bug localization and evaluate generated candidate patches' correctness; thus, it is named dynamic APR. Test overfitting is one of the main challenges of dynamic APR tools, which is evident from several recent studies. Test overfitting means the repaired program is not correct based on the program's expected behavior while the …


Reliable And Efficient Cognitive Radio Communications Using Directional Antennas, Hassan Yazdani Jan 2021

Reliable And Efficient Cognitive Radio Communications Using Directional Antennas, Hassan Yazdani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Cognitive Radio (CR) is a promising solution that enhances spectrum utilization by allowing an unlicensed or Secondary User (SU) to access licensed bands in a such way that its imposed interference on a license holder Primary User (PU) is limited, and hence fills the spectrum holes in time and/or frequency domains. Resource allocation, which involves scheduling of available time and transmit power, represents a crucial problem for the performance evaluation of CR systems. In this dissertation, we study the spectral efficiency maximization problem in an opportunistic CR system. Specifically, in the first part of the dissertation, we consider an opportunistic …


Evaluation Of Unconventional Signalized Intersections On Arterial Roads And A Proposition For A Novel Intersection Design, Ma'en Al-Omari Jan 2021

Evaluation Of Unconventional Signalized Intersections On Arterial Roads And A Proposition For A Novel Intersection Design, Ma'en Al-Omari

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Several unconventional intersection designs were proposed and implemented to enhance traffic safety and operation at intersections. The efficiency of these intersection designs was not sufficiently evaluated in the previous research because of the limited implementation of such designs. However, with the growing interest in the implementation of unconventional intersections by municipalities and transport agencies, it has become a need for a comprehensive evaluation of their safety and operational benefits. Therefore, this dissertation aims to evaluate the safety and operational aspects of unconventional intersection designs by employing different research approaches: crash analysis, microscopic simulation, and driving simulation. Firstly, this dissertation evaluated …


Development Of Adjunctive Agents For Difluoromethylornithine Anti-Cancer Therapy, Aiste Dobrovolskaite Jan 2021

Development Of Adjunctive Agents For Difluoromethylornithine Anti-Cancer Therapy, Aiste Dobrovolskaite

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The native polyamines putrescine, spermidine, and spermine are small positively-charged molecules that can interact with negatively-charged macromolecules like DNA, RNA and proteins. These interactions aid in nucleic acid and protein conformational stability, thereby, making polyamines essential building blocks for cells. Polyamines are involved in various cellular functions including gene regulation, protein synthesis, and cell proliferation. Rapidly-proliferating cells, such as cancer cells, utilize high polyamine levels for cell growth. Targeting the polyamine addiction of cancers is a validated anti-cancer strategy. To achieve the maximal reduction of polyamine levels, polyamine blocking therapy (PBT) employs several compounds in combination. First, one can inhibit …


Atomically Thin Platinum-Based Dichalcogenide Materials For Multifunctional Photo-Sensitive Applications, Mashiyat Sumaiya Shawkat Jan 2021

Atomically Thin Platinum-Based Dichalcogenide Materials For Multifunctional Photo-Sensitive Applications, Mashiyat Sumaiya Shawkat

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are a distinct class of atomically thin materials assembled by weak van der Waals bonding. They exhibit 2D layer number-dependent bandgap tunability promising exciting applications in electronics and optoelectronics. Among them, there is a surge of interest in Platinum-based dichalcogenides (e.g., PtSe2 and PtTe2). 2D PtSe2 has a theoretically predicted carrier mobility of > 1000 cm2/(Vs), at room temperature, which is higher than that of most 2D TMDs. Additionally, 2D PtSe2 exhibits a semiconducting to metallic transition with an increasing number of layers. 2D PtTe2 is highly metallic in its few- layer form and exhibits …


An Exploration Of The Intersection Of Critical Disability Theory, Multiple Dimensions Of Identity, And Institutional Policy On Students' Persistence Towards Degree Attainment, Michael Gilmer Jan 2021

An Exploration Of The Intersection Of Critical Disability Theory, Multiple Dimensions Of Identity, And Institutional Policy On Students' Persistence Towards Degree Attainment, Michael Gilmer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to gain insight into the personal experiences of undergraduate students with learning disabilities and what they identify as impediments to their degree attainment. This study was guided by a conceptual framework connecting the Model of Multiple Dimensions of Identity, Critical Disability Theory, institutional policy/practices, and barriers to the persistence of students towards degree attainment. This qualitative study utilized ten in-depth interviews with undergraduate students who identify as having learning disabilities. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using Moustakas's (1994) model of analysis. Through this analysis, an understanding was gained of how the participants …


Econometric Frameworks For Energy Prediction, Naveen Chandra Iraganaboina Jan 2021

Econometric Frameworks For Energy Prediction, Naveen Chandra Iraganaboina

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Global warming and associated role of energy consumption across various sectors is a well-researched topic in recent years. Understanding current urban energy consumption patterns will allow us to understand how future energy consumption patterns will evolve. With electrification of vehicles and potentially altering culture of work from home, the energy usage at regional level would see a significant change in the future. The current PhD dissertation contributes to energy consumption analysis of a region by analyzing residential energy consumption, commercial energy consumption and transportation energy use by households. The aggregation of these energy consumption within a region contributes to the …


Fpga-Augmented Secure Crash-Consistent Non-Volatile Memory, Yu Zou Jan 2021

Fpga-Augmented Secure Crash-Consistent Non-Volatile Memory, Yu Zou

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Emerging byte-addressable Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) technology, although promising superior memory density and ultra-low energy consumption, poses unique challenges to achieving persistent data privacy and computing security, both of which are critically important to the embedded and IoT applications. Specifically, to successfully restore NVMs to their working states after unexpected system crashes or power failure, maintaining and recovering all the necessary security-related metadata can severely increase memory traffic, degrade runtime performance, exacerbate write endurance problem, and demand costly hardware changes to off-the-shelf processors. In this thesis, we summarize and expand upon two of our innovative works, ARES and HERMES, to design …


Data-Driven Analysis For Integrated Transmission And Distribution Systems With High Penetration Of Distributed Energy Resources, Inalvis Alvarez-Fernandez Jan 2021

Data-Driven Analysis For Integrated Transmission And Distribution Systems With High Penetration Of Distributed Energy Resources, Inalvis Alvarez-Fernandez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

With the high penetration of inverter-based distributed energy resources (DERs), network situational awareness is a challenge for both transmission and distribution (T&D) system operators and planners. It is becoming increasingly important to equip transmission planners with the visibility of DER dynamic performance in distribution systems. Not having visibility of the disconnection of DERs with the occurrence of transmission events, could result in an erroneous view of the stability of bulk power system. The aggregated distributed energy resource (DER_A) model is able to model the aggregated dynamic response of inverter-based DERs in distribution circuits. The parameterization of DER_A model requires extensive …


First Impressions Of The Bedside Nurse From The Patient Perspective, Sharon Imes Jan 2021

First Impressions Of The Bedside Nurse From The Patient Perspective, Sharon Imes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Relationships begin with first impressions. Since nurses are the cornerstone to hospital experiences, the nurse-patient relationship is of vital importance, beginning with the first impression. The nurse-patient relationship has the potential to impact the patient's trust, comfort, fear, and ultimately satisfaction with the entire hospital experience. Evidence is found in other disciplines emphasizing the importance of the first impression, however there is minimal research in nursing about first impressions of the bedside nurse. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the first step in understanding the first impression of the bedside nurse from the patient perspective. Additionally, this research …


The Effect Of Annealing Temperatures And Inert/Reactive Gasses On Optical Properties Of Cu2o And Cuo Thin Films, Radu Bunea Jan 2021

The Effect Of Annealing Temperatures And Inert/Reactive Gasses On Optical Properties Of Cu2o And Cuo Thin Films, Radu Bunea

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The Cu2O and CuO thin films were synthesized by using RF sputtering technique. Comparisons were made with films created by deposition at room temperature followed by thermal annealing between 1000C and 4000C and using different gases, oxygen (O2) (oxidizing and reactive gas) and nitrogen (N2) (inert gas), besides air. The thickness of the thin films were kept constant, around 2000 Å (Angstrom). In addition, the RF power and pressure deposition were kept constant, as well. The thin films were evaluated for a range of wavelengths between 200 nm and 400 nm (Ultra Violet spectrum), …


Computation Of Effective Properties Of Smart Composite Materials With Generalized Periodicity Using The Two-Scales Asymptotic Homogenization Method, David Guinovart Sanjuan Jan 2021

Computation Of Effective Properties Of Smart Composite Materials With Generalized Periodicity Using The Two-Scales Asymptotic Homogenization Method, David Guinovart Sanjuan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

In this work, a general mathematical models for flexoelectric heterogeneous equilibrium boundary value problems are considered. A methodology to find the local problems and the effective properties of flexoelectric composites with generalized periodicity is presented, using a two-scales asymptotic homogenization method. The model of the homogenized boundary values problem is presented. A procedure to solve the local problems of stratified multilayered composites with wavy geometry with perfect contact at the interface is proposed. Further, a study of a multilayered piezoelectric composite with imperfect contact at the interface and the influence of the flexoelectric constituents in the behavior of heterogeneous structures …


Invasive Bullfrogs Maintain High Levels Of Immune Gene Diversity Despite Elevated Bd Infection Relative To Native Populations, Jacob Lafond Jan 2021

Invasive Bullfrogs Maintain High Levels Of Immune Gene Diversity Despite Elevated Bd Infection Relative To Native Populations, Jacob Lafond

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Maintenance of genetic diversity at ecologically-relevant loci may be important for allowing invasive populations to become established despite decreases in genomic diversity due to founder effects. To evaluate this prediction, we compared genetic diversity at an expressed MHC class IIß gene fragment to a 909 bp region of the neutral cytochrome b (cytb) locus from 20 populations of the American bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) across its North American invasive and native ranges and quantified the presence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a pathogen, for which R. catesbeiana is a vector species. We recovered 28 unique MHC alleles and found that invasive populations …


Perceived Impacts Of Collaborative Technology On Grant Writing Teams: Collaboration, Productivity, And Quality Of Writing, Joshua Roney Jan 2021

Perceived Impacts Of Collaborative Technology On Grant Writing Teams: Collaboration, Productivity, And Quality Of Writing, Joshua Roney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

When a team works together on a collaborative grant proposal, each member will bring expertise and past experience in developing this complex text. Online collaborative tools can be used to support this effort, but it is important to understand how team members perceive the tools, the ways they can or should be used, and the impacts of using them. By adapting the Task-Technology Fit (TTF) model to this context, we can consider perceived task and technology characteristics, performance impacts, and utilization. Trends can be analyzed regarding the perceived fit of specific online collaborative tools to support collaboration, productivity, and quality …


Pivoting To Deeper Experiences In Higher Education Classrooms, Danielle M. Pratt, Daniel W. Eadens Jan 2021

Pivoting To Deeper Experiences In Higher Education Classrooms, Danielle M. Pratt, Daniel W. Eadens

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

In higher education, pivoting quickly to a fully virtual experience online in the midst of a global pandemic is an adventure. There are marked differences between the online experience for a student who was already in a web-delivered course versus one that started face-to-face and quickly pivoted to an online setting. Some assignments, lessons, and courses are easily delivered in alternate formats while other learning opportunities are much more difficult to transition for online delivery. For example, assignments that involve internships or in-person experiences had to shift dramatically, be delayed, or cancelled. Beyond the experiences within the higher education classroom, …


Library-Sourced Etextbook Focus Group Questions, Lily Dubach, Penny Beile, Sara Duff, Rich Gause, Amanda Walden Jan 2021

Library-Sourced Etextbook Focus Group Questions, Lily Dubach, Penny Beile, Sara Duff, Rich Gause, Amanda Walden

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

These focus group questions were utilized in a study exploring student success metrics and how the students used and perceived a library-sourced eTextbook for a Medical Terminology course in Fall 2021. The questions were adapted with permission from Beile, deNoyelles, and Raible's 2020 study Analysis of an Open Textbook Adoption in an American History Course: Impact on Student Academic Outcomes and Behaviors.


The Role Of Emotions In Consumer Behavior, Aysu Senyuz Jan 2021

The Role Of Emotions In Consumer Behavior, Aysu Senyuz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Feelings and thoughts are inseparable in decision making process. As social beings, individuals frequently integrate their emotions in relation to other people in their consumption choices. In my two dissertation essays, I seek to examine the role of emotions on consumption decisions. In the first essay, I explore the impact of self-transcendent emotion of awe on preferences for limited edition products. Findings across seven studies indicate that awe-eliciting appeals commonly used in the promotion of limited edition products decrease consumer preferences towards those products. This effect is due to reduced feelings of connection for individuals feeling awe in response to …


Immersion's Relationship To Enjoyment In Gaming, Ronald Ray Eddy Jan 2021

Immersion's Relationship To Enjoyment In Gaming, Ronald Ray Eddy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The term immersion has become ubiquitous in descriptions of entertainment activities, including theme park attractions, virtual reality experiences, video games, and more. In nearly all cases, an expectation is that immersion in an activity is a desired outcome. However, this implication is challenged by a lack of research into the relationship between immersion and enjoyment. A further challenge is presented by the lack of a consensus among researchers regarding a precise definition of immersion. This dissertation explores the immersion-enjoyment relationship by first examining the construct of immersion itself, followed by an exploration of the myriad concepts surrounding immersion, including engagement, …


Signals As Symbols: Applying Normalization Of Deviance To Improve User-Centered Design, Amy Vanschaik Jan 2021

Signals As Symbols: Applying Normalization Of Deviance To Improve User-Centered Design, Amy Vanschaik

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Mistakes can happen in the process of designing and developing interactive digital projects. Sometimes these mistakes negatively impact users' perception and trust of digital interfaces. This research applies the concept of normalization of deviance to identify potential missed opportunities in user-centered design data within the context of a website redesign. By doing this I explore how through observing accidental deviant behaviors or processes we can identify ways to improve the usability and user experience of digital environments. I review the concepts of normalized deviant behavior as addressed by Diane Vaughan in the field of engineering and identify a process for …


Assessment Of Work-Related Feelings Among Teachers Within The United States And Jordan, Shahed Obeidat Jan 2021

Assessment Of Work-Related Feelings Among Teachers Within The United States And Jordan, Shahed Obeidat

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Human personalities combined with working conditions affect how employees react to different work situations. Personality and work environment have also been shown to affect workers' feelings. Employees' psychological health plays an essential role in their performance and productivity in the workplace, and organizational awareness of work-related feelings has sparked interest in investigating this field of study. Teaching is a stressful job; however, research evaluating discrete states of work-related emotions in teachers remains somewhat limited. This study investigated the effects of job demands on teachers' work-related feelings within middle and high schools in the United States and Jordan. The study results …


Analyzing The Self-Reported Experiences Of Japanese English As A Foreign Language Pre-Service Teachers With Listening Comprehension Skills, Akira Yamamoto Jan 2021

Analyzing The Self-Reported Experiences Of Japanese English As A Foreign Language Pre-Service Teachers With Listening Comprehension Skills, Akira Yamamoto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purpose of the study was to analyze the self-reported experiences of Japanese English as a foreign language (EFL) pre-service teachers with listening comprehension skills in their teaching classroom as university students and in their learning classroom as EFL students. Currently, Japanese EFL education is changing rapidly and focusing on developing overall English skills that include listening, speaking, reading, and writing. However, pre-service teacher EFL education in Japan does not stress the importance of listening comprehension pedagogy. Moreover, there have been few studies about listening pedagogy from the perspective of preservice teachers. Through analyzing pre-service teacher's self-reported listening learning experiences, …


Representation Of Death In Independent Videogames: Providing A Space For Meaningful Death Reflection, Alexander Boyd Jan 2021

Representation Of Death In Independent Videogames: Providing A Space For Meaningful Death Reflection, Alexander Boyd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This thesis examines the unique representation of death in independent videogames. Specifically, in three titles: That Dragon, Cancer, Spiritfarer, and A Mortician's Tale. These three games break traditional norms of death in video games and how death is presented in other more traditional mediums. These unique perspectives are more concerned with the personal and societal side of death, the reflection, and confrontation of our mortality. Each game is a stand-out example of a growing trend in independent titles coined as "death positive" games. These types of games are made with the intent to approach death differently, potentially providing comfort to …