Digital Commons Network^™

Keeping Calm And Staying Balanced: Exploring The Academic Pressures Faced By Engineering Students To Attain High Grades And Their Impact On Mental Health, Eleazar Marquez, Samuel Garcia

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Studies reveal that grades have a short-term impact on students’ self-efficacy, motivation, and decision making. Earning high grades has become a focal point for engineering students to secure three types of opportunities: internships, post-graduation employment, and graduate school acceptance. Nonetheless, the desire to attain a competitive grade-point-average may lead to negative psychosocial effects such as increased mental exertion, physical exhaustion, anxiety, and overall lack of work-life balance. In this paper, the authors extend their prior study on the impact of grades in engineering education. The first study was conducted in the spring of 2019 at a tier one, small private …

Polyvinyl Alcohol (Pva)-Based Nanoniosome For Enhanced In Vitro Delivery And Anticancer Activity Of Thymol, Mohammadreza Abdihaji, Masoumeh Mirzaei Chegeni, Alireza Hadizadeh, Negar Farrokhzad, Zahra Kheradmand, Parastoo Fakhrfatemi, Fardad Faress, Kasra Moeinabadi-Bidgoli, Hassan Noorbazargan, Ebrahim Mostafavi

Information Systems Faculty Publications

Introduction: There is an unmet need to develop potent therapeutics against cancer with minimal side effects and systemic toxicity. Thymol (TH) is an herbal medicine with anti-cancer properties that has been investigated scientifically. This study shows that TH induces apoptosis in cancerous cell lines such as MCF-7, AGS, and HepG2. Furthermore, this study reveals that TH can be encapsulated in a Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-coated niosome (Nio-TH/PVA) to enhance its stability and enable its controlled release as a model drug in the cancerous region.

Materials and Methods: TH-loaded niosome (Nio-TH) was fabricated and optimized using Box–Behnken method and the …

A Conceptual Review Of Sustainable Development Goal 17: Picturing Politics, Proximity And Progress, Joanna Stanberry, Janis Bragan Balda

International Business and Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

We outline the discursive origins of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17, describing its ambiguous marching orders, which are further confused by shifting and contested stakeholder approaches. The widespread effect is to obscure the primary aim of making the tropics and other vulnerable countries more resilient, and also globally overcoming barriers to their development. We argue that ecological reflexivity, as developed and advanced by deliberative democracy and the Earth System Governance Project, belongs at the apex of those capacities needed for implementing the Agenda for Transformation. Ecological reflexivity conceptually grounds inclusive, open, critical, and consequential engagement of discourses situated …

Observation Of Robust Zero Energy Extended States, Jannatul Ferdous, Cem Yuce, Andrea Alu, Hamidreza Ramezani

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Topological edge states arise at the interface of two topologically distinct structures and have two distinct features: they are localized and robust against symmetry protecting disorder. On the other hand, conventional transport in one dimension is associated with extended states, which typically do not have topological robustness. In this letter, using lossy coupled resonators in one dimension, we demonstrate both theoretically and experimentally the existence of robust states residing in the bulk. We show that they are unusually robust against disorders in coupling between adjacent sites and losses. Our work paves the way to a different form of robust transport …

Endoscopic Transcecal Appendectomy (Eta): A Literature Review On Risks And Benefits, Basil N. Nduma, Kelly A. Mofor, Jason Tatang, Loica Amougou, Stephen Nkeonye, Princess Chineme, Chukwuyem Ekhator, Solomon Ambe

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

Different colorectal lesions have attracted different procedures in their management. One of the novel approaches that have been documented in recent times is endoscopic transcecal appendectomy (ETA). ETA is an endoscopic and less invasive approach to the excision of lesions within the appendix. The appendix is also completely resected in the process. The main aim of this paper is to establish some of the benefits and risks that come with ETA. The study was conducted from a systematic review perspective using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol, which governs the implementation of systematic reviews. Key …

A Generalized Two-Component Camassa-Holm System With Complex Nonlinear Terms And Waltzing Peakons, Xiaolin Pan, Shouming Zhou, Zhijun Qiao

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

In this paper, we deal with the Cauchy problem for a generalized two-component Camassa-Holm system with waltzing peakons and complex higher-order nonlinear terms. By the classical Friedrichs regularization method and the transport equation theory, the local well-posedness of solutions for the generalized coupled Camassa-Holm system in nonhomogeneous Besov spaces and the critical Besov space B5/22,1×B5/22,1 was obtained. Besides the propagation behaviors of compactly supported solutions, the global existence and precise blow-up mechanism for the strong solutions of this system are determined. In addition to wave breaking, the another one of the most essential property of this equation is the existence …

Hierarchical Wilson–Cowan Models And Connection Matrices, Wilson A. Zuniga-Galindo, Brian A. Zambrano-Luna

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

This work aims to study the interplay between the Wilson–Cowan model and connection matrices. These matrices describe cortical neural wiring, while Wilson–Cowan equations provide a dynamical description of neural interaction. We formulate Wilson–Cowan equations on locally compact Abelian groups. We show that the Cauchy problem is well posed. We then select a type of group that allows us to incorporate the experimental information provided by the connection matrices. We argue that the classical Wilson–Cowan model is incompatible with the small-world property. A necessary condition to have this property is that the Wilson–Cowan equations be formulated on a compact group. We …

Streaming Approximation Scheme For Minimizing Total Completion Time On Parallel Machines Subject To Varying Processing Capacity, Bin Fu, Yumei Huo, Hairong Zhao

Computer Science Faculty Publications

We study the problem of minimizing total completion time on parallel machines subject to varying processing capacity. In this paper, we develop an approximation scheme for the problem under the data stream model where the input data is massive and cannot fit into memory and thus can only be scanned a few times. Our algorithm can compute an approximate value of the optimal total completion time in one pass and output the schedule with the approximate value in two passes.

Experimental Evaluation Of Smart Electric Meters’ Resilience Under Cyber Security Attacks, Harsh Kumar, Oscar A. Alvarez, Sanjeev Kumar

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

For the first time, commercial grade smart meters have been subjected to cyber security attacks to understand their operation and security resilience under different attack scenarios. Cyber security is a matter of top concern for utility companies installing smart meters for remote collection of power usage data from customer premises. Keeping power-usage data secure and to maintain system’s resiliency under cyber security attacks is very important. In Smart electric grids, the power usage data from smart meters are periodically reported to the utility company. Reporting and remote monitoring of power usage data requires the use of data network protocols, which …

Simulating Water Adsorption In Metal–Organic Frameworks With Open Metal Sites Using The 12-6-4 Lennard–Jones Potential, Alicia Y. Leem, Haoyuan Chen

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Chemistry)

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with coordinatively unsaturated open metal sites (OMSs) are promising sorbent materials in atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) systems at low relative humidity (RH) due to their strong interactions with water molecules. However, accurate computational modelling of water adsorption in those materials are challenging, as standard force fields (FFs) based on the 12-6 Lennard–Jones (L–J) potential cannot properly describe the water–OMS interactions. In biomolecular simulations, the 12-6-4 L–J potential has been successfully used to model metal ion–water interactions in which the extra 1/r4-term is for charge-induced dipole electrostatics. In this work, we adopted this strategy and used …

Constraints On The Cosmic Expansion History From Gwtc–3, R. Abbott, H. Abe, F. Acernese, K. Ackley, N. Adhikari, Michael G. Benjamin, Teviet Creighton, Mario C. Diaz, Francisco Llamas, Soma Mukherjee, Gaukhar Nurbek, Volker Quetschke, Wenhui Wang

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We use 47 gravitational wave sources from the Third LIGO–Virgo–Kamioka Gravitational Wave Detector Gravitational Wave Transient Catalog (GWTC–3) to estimate the Hubble parameter H(z), including its current value, the Hubble constant H0. Each gravitational wave (GW) signal provides the luminosity distance to the source, and we estimate the corresponding redshift using two methods: the redshifted masses and a galaxy catalog. Using the binary black hole (BBH) redshifted masses, we simultaneously infer the source mass distribution and H(z). The source mass distribution displays a peak around 34 M⊙, followed by a drop-off. Assuming …

Math Attitudes And Identity Of High Schoolers Impacted Through Participating In Informal, Near-Peer Mentoring, Aaron T. Wilson, Xiaohui Wang, Mayra Ortiz Galarza, John Knight, Eliazar Patiño

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Research in mentoring has shown that students may at times be more willing and able to absorb information that is delivered to them by their near-peers, rather than by traditional figures of authority, like teachers and professors. In this study, underrepresented minority high school students participated in an informal learning experience that was led by college students who were "near-peers" to the high schoolers. Students were engaged by participating in interactive MathShows, following a Math Social Media Campaign, and attending a summer Math Internship. Participants in the quantitative component of the study included N = 559 U.S. high schoolers who …

Contextualizing The Mathematical Knowledge For Teaching Framework For Teachers Of Emergent Bilinguals, Luis M. Fernandez, Mayra Ortiz Galarza

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

We are amid a rapid demographic shift, with Emergent Bilinguals (EBs) being the fastest growing K-12 student population. This has created an ambitious goal for teacher education programs as they must prepare mathematics pre-service teachers (PSTs) to assess the needs of EBs. As a response, this study conducted a qualitative analysis of 16 PSTs to propose a contextualized version of the Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT) framework as an emerging knowledge base of teaching that can be used to further guide the planning and enactment of teacher education programs in the mathematics education of EBs, specifically.

A Survey On Security Analysis Of Machine Learning-Oriented Hardware And Software Intellectual Property, Ashraful Tauhid, Lei Xu, Mostafizur Rahman, Emmett Tomai

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Intellectual Property (IP) includes ideas, innovations, methodologies, works of authorship (viz., literary and artistic works), emblems, brands, images, etc. This property is intangible since it is pertinent to the human intellect. Therefore, IP entities are indisputably vulnerable to infringements and modifications without the owner’s consent. IP protection regulations have been deployed and are still in practice, including patents, copyrights, contracts, trademarks, trade secrets, etc., to address these challenges. Unfortunately, these protections are insufficient to keep IP entities from being changed or stolen without permission. As for this, some IPs require hardware IP protection mechanisms, and others require software …

Early Integrating Of Industry Certification Domains And Objectives Into A Modern A Cybersecurity Degree Curriculum, Mahmoud K. Quweider, Liyu Zhang, Hangsheng Lei

Informatics and Engineering Systems Faculty Publications

We have recently created a new bachelor’s degree in cyber security (B.Sc. CS) [1] to address the national and pressing needs for cybersecurity specialists, cyber-crime analysts, incident and intrusions analysts, IT auditors, and many other cyber security related fields. The new degree addresses not only the technical objective of the degree, but also the legal, corporate, policy, procedure, and human ones as well. To achieve such a wide range of objectives within the cyber security degree, a student is required to obtain two national certifications before they graduate. These certifications are embedded in the curricula and are an integral part …

The Coupled Modified Yajima–Oikawa System: Model Derivation And Soliton Solutions, Junchao Chen, Bao-Feng Feng, Ken-Ichi Maruno

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

In this paper, we consider a coupled modified Yajima–Oikawa (YO) system which describes the nonlinear resonant interaction between one long wave (LW) and two short waves (SWs). It is shown that this coupled system can be derived from a three-component modified nonlinear Schrödinger equations through asymptotic reductions. Furthermore, the bright, dark multi-soliton and multi-breather solutions in terms of determinants are obtained respectively by virtue of the bilinear Kadomtsev–Petviashvili-hierarchy reduction technique. The detailed analysis of dynamical properties for one- and two-solitons and breathers is performed, which show the interesting collision properties for the bright and dark solitons. Particularly, differing from …

Wave Energy Converters With Rigid Hull Encapsulation: A Review, Mahmodul Hasan Maheen, Yingchen Yang

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Highlights

• WECs with rigid hull encapsulation are water-tight and robust.

• Diverse internally embedded power take-off designs are summarized.

• Various mechanisms and strategies for frequency tuning are formulated.

• Typical WEC testing methods are discussed.

• Some future research considerations are suggested.

Abstract

Ocean wave energy has a great potential in mitigating energy and sustainability crises of the 21st century. The lack of mature and cost-competitive wave energy converter (WEC) technologies, however, has become a major roadblock for WEC products entering the marketplace. A harsh ocean environment, which includes extreme waves, strong biological activities, and chemical transformations, adds to the maintenance cost and …

Flow Patterns For Newtonian And Non-Newtonian Fluids In A Cylindrical Pipe, Erick Sanchez, Dambaru Bhatta

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

A fully developed laminar steady flow of an incompressible, viscous fluid in a horizontal cylindrical pipe is considered here. Flow patterns for an incompressible, viscous fluid for both Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids such as shear-thinning, shear-thickening and Bingham plastic fluids are analyzed in this study. Assuming that the flow is only due to the wall shear stress and the pressure drop, the velocity component in the axial direction for these cases is derived. Computational results of the velocity profiles for various cases are obtained using MATLAB and presented in graphical forms. It is observed that the velocity profile is parabolic …

Participation Of Electric Vehicle Aggregators In Wholesale Electricity Markets: Recent Works And Future Directions, Saeed Salimi Amiri, Fazlur Rahman Bin Karim, Pedro Cesar Lopes Gerum

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Electric Vehicles are key to reducing carbon emissions while bringing a revolution to the transportation sector. With the massive increase of EVs in road networks and the growing demand for charging services, the electric power grid faces enormous system reliability and operation stability challenges. Demand and supply disparities create inconsistency in the smooth delivery of electrical power. As a potential solution, EVs and their charging infrastructure can be aggregated to prevent the unwanted effects on power systems and also facilitate ancillary services to the power grid. When not need for transportation purposes, EVs can leverage their batteries for power grid …

Can The Mdcdw Condensate Withstand The Heat Of A Cold Neutron Star?, William Gyory

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

The correct description of strongly interacting matter at low temperatures and moderately high densities—in particular the conditions realized inside neutron stars—is still unknown. We review some recent results on the magnetic dual chiral density wave (MDCDW) phase, a candidate phase of quark matter for this region of the QCD phase diagram. We highlight the effects of magnetic fields and temperature on the condensate, which can be explored using a high-order Ginzburg-Landau (GL) expansion. We also explain how the condensate's nontrivial topology, which arises due to the asymmetry in the lowest Landau level modes, affects its physical properties. Finally, we comment …

Exceptional Point Based Lattice Gyroscopes, Masoumeh Izadparast, Gururaj V. Naik, Henry O. Everitt, Hamidreza Ramezani

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Ring laser gyroscopes (RLGs) based on non-Hermitian exceptional points (EPs) have garnered much recent interest due to their exceptional sensitivity. Such gyroscopes typically consist of two-ring laser resonators, one with loss and one with an equal amount of optical gain. The coupling strength between these ring resonators is a key parameter determining the sensitivity of EP-based RLGs. Here we explore how the exceptional sensitivity demonstrated in this coupled dimer may be further enhanced by adding more dimers in an array. Specifically, we propose two types of ring laser gyroscope lattice arrays, each composed of N coupled dimers arrayed serially or …

Photon Propagation In Magnetized Dense Quark Matter. A Possible Solution For The Missing Pulsar Problem., Efrain J. Ferrer

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

In this paper it is reviewed the topological properties and possible astrophysical consequences of a spatially inhomogeneous phase of quark matter, known as the Magnetic Dual Chiral Density Wave (MDCDW) phase, that can exist at intermediate baryon density in the presence of a magnetic field. Going beyond mean-field approximation, it is shown how linearly polarized electromagnetic waves penetrating the MDCDW medium can mix with the phonon fluctuations to give rise to two hybridized modes of propagation called as axion polaritons because of their similarity with certain modes found in condensed matter for topological magnetic insulators. The formation of axion polaritons …

Post-Harvest Eucalyptus Residue Removal Reduces Soil Aggregation And Biological Activities In Central-West Brazil, Karla Nascimento Sena, Thaís Soto Boni, Kátia Luciene Maltoni, Ana Maria Rodrigues Cassiolato, Engil Isadora Pujol Pereira

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Tree residue removal from Eucalyptus plantations after timber harvest can reduce soil functioning by reducing the organic matter input. To assess the effects of residue management systems (RMS) on soil aggregation, carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) content, and biological activities, a field trial was conducted in a commercial Eucalyptus plantation (loamy sand soil) in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The study assessed three RMS: cut-to-length (CTL), tree-length (TL), and bare litter (BL), respectively. After 21 months, undisturbed soil samples were collected and physically isolated into three aggregate-size fractions: large macroaggregates (LM), medium macroaggregates (SM), and microaggregates (MI). Results showed that …

Significance Of Storage Conditions On The Flow Properties Of Wheat Flours, Jared Lou Rivera, Jikai Zhao, Aminu Owonikoko, Kaliramesh Siliveru

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Flow properties of wheat flours are influenced by their intrinsic properties and environmental conditions during handling. This study evaluated the effects of environmental conditions (temperature and relative humidity- %RH) and flour properties (particle size and wheat class) on the flow properties of wheat flours. Size fractions from hard red winter (HRW) and soft red winter (SRW) wheat were produced through sieving. Flour fractions were then exposed to various temperature (25 and 35 oC) and relative humidity (50, 60, and 70%RH) combinations (t = 3 h) to evaluate the effects of environmental conditions. Flow indicators (Hausner ratio – HR and compressibility …

Titanium Dioxide Functionalized Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes And Silver Nanoparticles Reinforced Polyurethane Nanofibers As A Novel Scaffold For Tissue Engineering Applications, Taha Umair Wani, Anjum Hamid Rather, Rumysa Saleem Khan, Javier Macossay-Torres, Arvind H. Jadhav, Puneethkumar M. Srinivasappa, Abdalla Abdal-Hay, Sami-Ullah Rather, Faheem A. Sheikh

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Chemistry)

Polyurethane is a synthetic polymer that can be fabricated into nanofibers to mimic extracellular matrix properties facilitating cell attachment and growth on the fibrous network. However, enhanced hydrophilicity and high mechanical properties may improve their use in tissue engineering, suggesting additional modifications are needed. The current work presents the fabrication of polyurethane-based bone regenerative nanofibers reinforced with TiO2-MWCNT composites and harboring Ag NPs for bacterial inhibition. The fibers possessed smooth morphology with an average size ranging from 800 to 1200nm. Techniques like SEM, FTIR, XPS, XRD, EDAX, and UV-vis spectroscopy confirmed the presence of nanofiber components like TiO2-MWCNT and Ag …

A Mathematical Model To Optimize The Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Treatment Sequence For Triple-Negative Locally Advanced Breast Cancer, Juan C. Lopez-Alvarenga, Antonmaria Minzoni-Alessio, Arturo Olvera-Chávez, Gustavo Cruz-Pacheco, Juan C. Chimal-Eguia, Joselin Hernandez-Ruiz, Mario A. Alvarez-Blanco, Maria Y. Bautista-Hernandez, Rosa M. Quispe-Siccha

School of Medicine Publications

Background: Triple-negative locally advanced breast cancer is an aggressive tumor type. Currently, the standard sequence treatment is applied, administering anthracyclines first and then a taxane plus platinum. Clinical studies for all possible treatment combinations are not practical or affordable, but mathematical modeling of the active mitotic cell population is possible. Our study aims to show the regions with the tumor’s most substantial cellular population variation by utilizing all possible values of the parameters (������) that define the annihilatory drug capacity according to the proposed treatment.

Method: A piecewise linear mathematical model was used to analyze the cell population growth …

Multimessenger Observations Of Double Neutron Stars In The Galactic Disk With Gravitational And Radio Waves, Wen-Fan Feng, Jie-Wen Chen, Yan Wang, Soumya D. Mohanty, Yong Shao

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We evaluate the prospects for radio follow-up of the double neutron stars (DNSs) in the Galactic disk that could be detected through future space-borne gravitational wave (GW) detectors. We first simulate the DNS population in the Galactic disk that is accessible to space-borne GW detectors according to the merger rate from recent LIGO results. Using the inspiraling waveform for the eccentric binary, the average number of the DNSs detectable by TianQin (TQ), LISA, and TQ+LISA are 217, 368, and 429, respectively. For the joint GW detection of TQ+LISA, the forecasted parameter estimation accuracies, based on the Fisher information matrix, for …

Student Perceptions About Online Collaborative Coursework, Tracia M. Forman, Ava S. Miller

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

Objective: Collaborative coursework may improve student engagement but is often viewed as problematic by both students and faculty, particularly in the online classroom. The aim of this research is to present results of a retrospective, qualitative content analysis of student related perceptions about group work in the online classroom.

Methods: Data analysis was completed with the use of qualitative content analysis (QCA), a valid research method for describing the meaning of qualitative data in a systematic way. QCA was used to inform the following research question: What perceptions do students have about working with a group in the online classroom? …

A Stochastic Search For Intermittent Gravitational-Wave Backgrounds, Jessica Lawrence, Kevin Turbang, Andrew Matas, Arianna I. Renzini, Nick Van Remortel, Joseph D. Romano

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

A likely source of a gravitational-wave background (GWB) in the frequency band of the Advanced LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA detectors is the superposition of signals from the population of unresolvable stellar-mass binary-black-hole (BBH) mergers throughout the Universe. Since the duration of a BBH merger in band (similar to 1 s) is much shorter than the expected separation between neighboring mergers (similar to 103 s), the observed signal will be "popcornlike" or intermittent with duty cycles of order 10-3. However, the standard cross-correlation search for stochastic GWBs currently performed by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration is based on a continuous-Gaussian signal model, which …

P-Adic Statistical Field Theory And Convolutional Deep Boltzmann Machines, Wilson A. Zuniga-Galindo, Cuiyu He, B. A. Zambrano-Luna

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Understanding how deep learning architectures work is a central scientific problem. Recently, a correspondence between neural networks (NNs) and Euclidean quantum field theories has been proposed. This work investigates this correspondence in the framework of p-adic statistical field theories (SFTs) and neural networks. In this case, the fields are real-valued functions defined on an infinite regular rooted tree with valence p, a fixed prime number. This infinite tree provides the topology for a continuous deep Boltzmann machine (DBM), which is identified with a statistical field theory on this infinite tree. In the p-adic framework, there is a …