Digital Commons Network^™

Reconstructing The Kantian Ends Of Reason: Holiness Analytically Entailing Beatitude In An Eternal Highest Good, Anthony Gudwien

Dissertations

This dissertation argues that an eternal highest good is the final end of sensible, rational agents. This final end occurs in a noumenal world – what I have labelled World Four – that has holiness analytically entailing beatitude. However, before meritorious moral agents are incorporated into this final noumenal world, they will exist in three prior worlds. World One is our current phenomenal world where sensible, rational agents can adopt a maxim to resolutely pursue holiness. World Two, which is made possible by the immortal soul postulate, is where sensible, rational agents continue their resolute pursuit in order to become …

Application Of Machine Learning Techniques For Traffic State Estimation, Pattern Recognition, And Crash Detection, Muhammad Usama

Dissertations

In the quest to optimize traffic management through machine learning (ML), this dissertation delves into three foundational areas: Traffic state estimation (TSE), traffic pattern classification, and traffic crash detection. The first facet of this dissertation focuses on TSE. Traditionally, TSE methods are categorized into two approaches: model and data-driven methodologies, each with its limitations. Data-driven ML models can falter with limited training data or misleading samples. Moreover, their “black-box” nature makes them hard to interpret. This research introduces a physics-based neural network (PINN) framework that combines the strengths of both TSE methods. The presented approach uses limited observational speed data …

Joint Sonar And Communication (Soncomm) System Using Solvable Chaos, Tamseel Mahmood Syed

Dissertations

An ever increasing number of actively interconnected wireless devices tend to exert congestion on the naturally limited resources provided by the electromagnetic spectrum. This fact imposes a significant engineering challenge on efficient utilization of communication channels. One method to lessen the stringency of the spectrum access is to combine functionality of wireless applications via jointly operational (multi-purpose) waveforms. Solvable chaos was previously shown to have inherent detection benefits when used independently in practical demonstrations of either acoustic ranging or communication. This dissertation focuses on the design of a joint sonar-communication (SonComm) system via solvable chaotic waveforms. First, individual hardware demonstrations …

Bioimpedance-Based Real-Time Wearable Physiological Monitoring, Robert Joseph Mathews

Dissertations

Cardiovascular and respiratory diseases account for nearly forty percent of worldwide deaths. A critical factor in preventing these deaths is early detection, treatment, and monitoring of the diseases. Remote patient monitoring coincides with significant advances in integrated circuit technology resulting in greater performance and lower power consumption. In this work, novel monitoring configurations and frequency excitations are assessed across ten subjects to evaluate their suitability for monitoring cardiac and respiratory activity. A custom bioimpedance controller board was fabricated and integrated into the existing UAH euHy board. In the pilot experiment, the average inter-beat interval (IBI) derived from bioimpedance compared with …

Spectral And Radiometric Calibration And Atmospheric Modeling For Sounding Rockets, Nicolas Gene Donders

Dissertations

Sounding rocket telescopes are demonstration test beds for novel science capabilities. These programs explore cutting-edge solar physics around the globe, leading to missions aboard satellites and orbital labs. My research with the sounding rocket team at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) involved various experimental efforts in the lab alongside computer modeling of spectroscopic signals. This dissertation focuses on the Full-Sun Ultraviolet Rocket SpecTrograph (FURST), which is led by a team at Montana State University (MSU) and will deliver spectroscopic observations over a range of 120-181 nm. FURST aims to provide full-disk data at a similar spectral resolution to Hubble (R …

Propagation Of Laguerre-Gaussian Laser Beams Through Heat-Induced Optical Turbulence, Samantha Jo Gregory

Dissertations

Low order Laguerre-Gaussian beams have been produced (from the Hermite-Gaussian profile emitted by a Helium-Neon laser) in the UAH Turbulence Lab. Both collimated and converging beams propagate a free space path (with and without turbulence) of 164m in the current experimental arrangement. Experimental data showing the relationship between the spatial coherence radius of a lowest order Gaussian beam and the Fried parameter has been verified. Data supporting a new relationship between the low order Laguerre-Gaussian spatial coherence radius (now defined as the ouroboros radius) and the Fried parameter has been collected and analyzed. The index of refraction structure constant values …

Exploring Reliability Issues In Non-Volatile Memories Using Numerical Simulation, Sijay Huang

Dissertations

Semiconductor non-volatile memory (NVM) devices are predominantly used for storing the large amount of data produced by the proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT), mobile networks, and sensor node applications. Since data are growing at an exponential rate, future NVM solutions need to provide even higher bit densities, superior performance, better energy efficiency, and improved resilience. Technological scaling has been the primary driving force for increasing the bit density of semiconductor NVM technologies. However, the scaling leads to reliability challenges, such as endurance, data retention, and thermal noise effects. This dissertation numerically evaluates reliability issues associated with the two …

A Comprehensive Study Of Deep Learning Frameworks For Uavs-Centric Land Remote Sensing Data Analysis Applications, Bishwas Praveen

Dissertations

Land Remote Sensing data analysis presents a distinctive Artificial Intelligence (AI) research paradigm bolstered through its rich collection of data, which are high-dimensional, generally in the form of tens/hundreds of spectral bands, and accommodates significant spatial and spectral/temporal information about the underlying terrain. Traditional remote sensing data analysis methodologies in literature are often observed to be biased towards providing more importance to spectral information, which evidently hurts the efficacy of such approaches. As a result, a considerable amount of effort in terms of research has been invested in effectively building data analysis methodologies which are spatial-, spectral-, and contextual-information inclusive, …

Molecular Interactions In Engineering: Peptide-Driven T Cell Activation And Accelerated Drug Discovery Applications, Armin Ahmadi

Dissertations

In pursuit of an interdisciplinary exploration of molecular interactions from an engineering perspective with a focus on protein-protein and protein-small molecule interactions, multiple research projects were undertaken, leveraging both experimental and computational approaches. The focus of the wet-lab experimental project was on the identification and evaluation of a novel peptide ligand that binds specifically to the human CD3ε and study how this interaction influences T-Cell activation, proliferation, and calcium signaling. A novel peptide ligand, WSLGYTG, was discovered through phage display peptide technology. Peptide interaction to the CD3ε receptor was simulated using molecular docking calculations. This peptide ligand was synthesized and …

Extending Machine Learning Of Cyberattack Strategies With Continuous Transition Rates, Edwin Michael Bearss

Dissertations

Cyberattacks are a growing threat to organizations of all sizes and industries. By better understanding these attacks, better ways to defend against them can be developed. Petri Nets with Players, Strategies, and Costs (PNPSC) is an extension of Petri nets specifically designed to model cyberattacks. The PNPSC formalism includes a representation of the strategies used by the competing players, i.e., attacker and defender, to achieve their goals. This formalism has been the basis for a long-running research program consisting of several interconnected research projects. Projects within that program include automatically generating PNPSC nets from the MITRE Common Attack Pattern Enumeration …

Modeling Energetic Particle Acceleration By Dynamic Small-Scale Flux Ropes In The Inner Heliosphere, Keaton Thomas Van Eck

Dissertations

Interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) are major drivers of space weather in the inner heliosphere (which can negatively affect our spacecraft, astronauts, etc.). Traditionally, the scientific community has sought to explain energetic particle acceleration near ICME-driven shocks by invoking diffusive shock acceleration (DSA), which has been well studied. However, recent studies suggest that processes related to magnetic reconnection behind ICME-driven shocks can explain observed flux enhancements that contradict predictions by standard steady state DSA theory. In the previous decade, a combination of DSA at and acceleration by dynamic small-scale flux-ropes (SMFRs) downstream of the shock has been introduced to explain …

The Vulnerability Through Cyberattacks Related To Technological Differences Between Centralized, Server-Based And Ethereum Based Smart Home Systems, Friederike Johanna Haberl

Dissertations

Many people use the digital support of smart home systems to improve their homes' comfort, security, and efficiency (Komninos et al., 2011). However, with the growing number of users comes an increasing number of security challenges that must be addressed (Albany et al., 2022). To mitigate these concerns, the smart home industry is exploring new technologies beyond the traditional centralized server model. One promising technology is the Ethereum blockchain, a distributed database technology. However, it is unclear which concrete security advantages the use of this technology offers in the smart home area. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to …

When She Speaks: A Black Feminist Autoethnography Exploring Joy And Positionality In Higher Education, Leslye M. Tinson

Dissertations

This dissertation examines the intersections of race, class, and gender of a Black woman as an educational leader and doctoral student. Through autoethnography, I explore self-meaning in cultural contexts and focus on how my positionality contributes to my attempts to find joy in academe. Chapter I discusses the gender and racial gaps in the American professoriate and introduces three research questions. Chapter II interprets extant literature and identifies a conceptual framework that utilizes Black feminist thought, critical race feminism, intersectionality theory, and multicultural feminist perspectives to analyze my lived experiences. Chapter III outlines the research methodology of autoethnography to address …

An Examination Of The Influence Of Ethnic Identity, Spirituality, And Social Support As Predictors Of Resilience Among Black Male College Graduates Born In The United States, Sandy Belizaire

Dissertations

Problem

This study aimed to assess the influence of ethnic identity, spirituality, and social support on resilience among Black males (BM) who were born in the United States of America and are recent college graduates. The achievement gap between BM and their counterparts is among education's most infuriating problems. Educators are more likely to dissuade Black men from going to college, and those who enroll drop out before they graduate (Noguera 2003; Wilborn 2013).

Method

This study employed a non-experimental, quantitative correlation research design using self-report questionnaires. The target population for this study was American-born Black males who were graduates …

The Relationships Between Flow, Mathematics Self-Efficacy, And Mathematics Anxiety Among International Undergraduate Students In The United States, Samah Abduljabbar

Dissertations

Problem

A worldwide problem, math anxiety is defined as an anxious state with an unpleasant feeling of tension characterized by fear of failing to achieve mathematics targets. Psychologically, math anxiety involves anxiety, tension, discomfort, nervousness, fear, shock, and insecurity. Math anxiety has been perceived as a key influencer of reduced math achievement, and avoidance of math-related careers. On the other hand, abilities, flow, interests, and psychological conditions contribute to student mathematics success. Belief in one's ability to perform a specific task boosts self-efficacy, which has been studied widely as a predictor of student academic performance. When students are interested in, …

Predictors Of Statistics Anxiety Among Graduate Students In Saudi Arabia, Rabab Abdulghani

Dissertations

Problem

The problem addressed in this study is the anxiety experienced by graduate students toward statistics courses, which often causes students to delay taking statistics courses until the end of their program. Students believe that statistics courses are not essential and are the greatest obstacles to obtaining their degree. Previous theoretical models have focused on predicting student performance in statistics. However, this study aims to identify specific factors that could decrease student statistics anxiety and enhance positive attitudes and self-efficacy toward statistics. The study developed a conceptual model to predict statistics anxiety among graduate students in educational and social science …

Play On; Give Me Excess Of It: Intercorporeality And Musical Definitions, Abram Basil Soucy Capone

Dissertations

Philosophy of music, especially in the 20th and 21st centuries, presides over a relatively narrow range of field-specific ontological and metaphysical questions. I claim that a focus on classical music and a reliance on analogies to the plastic arts constitutes an unhelpful (but pervasive) methodology in philosophy of music, one that stands in tension with its purported aim of accurately accounting for “the ways we talk, think, and act” in relation to music and musical works (Rohrbaugh 2003, 179). While philosophers of music explicitly aim to describe praxis, a significant gap exists between existing theory and ordinary musical experiences. To …

Dynamic Control Of The Cardiac Calcium Pump, Sean Robert Cleary

Dissertations

The sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) sequesters Ca2+ into the endoplasmic reticulum of cells to establish a reservoir for Ca2+ signaling. In the heart, the activity of this transporter is tightly controlled via direct interactions with two competing regulatory micropeptides: phospholamban (PLB) and dwarf open reading frame (DWORF). PLB inhibits SERCA, while DWORF activates SERCA. These competing interactions determine cardiac performance by modulating the Ca2+ signals that drive the contraction/relaxation cycle. Previous studies indicated these SERCA-micropeptide interactions are Ca2+-sensitive; SERCA binds PLB more avidly at low cytoplasmic [Ca2+] but binds DWORF better when [Ca2+] is high. Here, FRET-microscopy demonstrated that this …

Design And Synthesis Of Novel Antibiotics And Anticancer Agents Targeting Pharmaceutically Relevant Enzymes, Sebastian Flieger

Dissertations

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a binary radiotherapeutic modality for cancer treatment, in which delivery agents containing 10B atoms are transported into tumor cells and then irradiated with low-energy thermal neutrons. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of zinc-dependent endopeptidases that are involved in the remodeling and degradation of all components of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Overexpressed levels of MMP activity have been implicated in several disease states including tumor growth and metastasis. We have appended a borane-rich carborane cluster onto MMP-targeting pharmacophores to enable delivery of 10B atoms to a tumor. Herein, we describe the molecular docking experiments …

Key Stakeholders' Perceptions Of Stem Education In Zambia: A Mixed Methods Inquiry, Choobe M. Maambo

Dissertations

In the recent past, the concept of STEM education has become a “buzz phrase” in the Zambian education system, and yet, very little is known about STEM education let alone what those involved in STEM think or know about STEM in the country. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate key STEM stakeholders’ perceptions of STEM education in Zambia. To better understand STEM in the country, it was critical to explore the perceptions of STEM held by STEM teachers, STEM administrators, and STEM policymakers in the perception domains of STEM vision, STEM definition, STEM purpose, STEM relevance, and …

Using Materialized Views For Answering Graph Pattern Queries, Michael Lan

Dissertations

Discovering patterns in graphs by evaluating graph pattern queries involving direct (edge-to-edge mapping) and reachability (edge-to-path mapping) relationships under homomorphisms on data graphs has been extensively studied. Previous studies have aimed to reduce the evaluation time of graph pattern queries due to the potentially numerous matches on large data graphs.

In this work, the concept of the summary graph is developed to improve the evaluation of tree pattern queries and graph pattern queries. The summary graph first filters out candidate matches which violate certain reachability constraints, and then finds local matches of query edges. This reduces redundancy in the representation …

Android Security: Analysis And Applications, Raina Samuel

Dissertations

The Android mobile system is home to millions of apps that offer a wide range of functionalities. Users rely on Android apps in various facets of daily life, including critical, e.g., medical, settings. Generally, users trust that apps perform their stated purpose safely and accurately. However, despite the platform’s efforts to maintain a safe environment, apps routinely manage to evade scrutiny. This dissertation analyzes Android app behavior and has revealed several weakness: lapses in device authentication schemes, deceptive practices such as apps covering their traces, as well as behavioral and descriptive inaccuracies in medical apps. Examining a large corpus of …

Carrier Transport Engineering In Wide Bandgap Semiconductors For Photonic And Memory Device Applications, Ravi Teja Velpula

Dissertations

Wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors play a crucial role in the current solid-state lighting technology. The AlGaN compound semiconductor is widely used for ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs), however, the efficiency of these LEDs is largely in a single-digit percentage range due to several factors. Until recently, AlInN alloy has been relatively unexplored, though it holds potential for light-emitters operating in the visible and UV regions. In this dissertation, the first axial AlInN core-shell nanowire UV LEDs operating in the UV-A and UV-B regions with an internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of 52% are demonstrated. Moreover, the light extraction efficiency of this …

Improving The Stimulation Selectivity In The Human Cochlea By Strategic Selection Of The Current Return Electrode, Ozan Cakmak

Dissertations

The hearing quality provided by cochlear implants are poorly predicted by computer simulations. A realistic cochlear anatomy is crucial for the accuracy of predictions. In this study, the standard multipolar stimulation paradigms are revisited and Rattay’s Activating Function is evaluated in a finite element model of a realistic cochlear geometry that is based on µ-CT images and a commercial lead. The stimulation thresholds across the cochlear fibers were investigated for monopolar, bipolar, tripolar, and a novel (distant) bipolar electrode configuration using an active compartmental nerve model based on Schwartz-Eikhof-Frijns membrane dynamics. The results suggest that skipping of the stimulation point …

Photonic Monitoring Of Atmospheric Fauna, Adrien P. Genoud

Dissertations

Insects play a quintessential role in the Earth’s ecosystems and their recent decline in abundance and diversity is alarming. Monitoring their population is paramount to understand the causes of their decline, as well as to guide and evaluate the efficiency of conservation policies. Monitoring populations of flying insects is generally done using physical traps, but this method requires long and expensive laboratory analysis where each insect must be identified by qualified personnel. Lack of reliable data on insect populations is now considered a significant issue in the field of entomology, often referred to as a “data crisis” in the field. …

Twitter Sentiment Analysis: Applications In Healthcare And Finance, Jiali Wang

Dissertations

This research explores the influence of Twitter sentiment on healthcare and finance industries. It assesses how Twitter sentiment and culture measure influence COVID-19 statistics, and it investigates the impact of Twitter sentiment on S&P 1500 stock mispricing. Furthermore, it examines how tweet sentiment predicts major industry returns.

The first part examines how Hofstede’s Culture Dimensions (HCD) and Twitter economic uncertainty index (TEU) relate to COVID-19 infection rate and death rate. The results show certain aspects in HCD, such as power distance index (PDI) and masculinity (MAS) both are negatively and significantly associated with the infection rate, while indulgence (IVR) and …

Integrated Machine Learning And Optimization Approaches, Dogacan Yilmaz

Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the integration of machine learning and optimization. Specifically, novel machine learning-based frameworks are proposed to help solve a broad range of well-known operations research problems to reduce the solution times. The first study presents a bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory framework to learn optimal solutions to sequential decision-making problems. Computational results show that the framework significantly reduces the solution time of benchmark capacitated lot-sizing problems without much loss in feasibility and optimality. Also, models trained using shorter planning horizons can successfully predict the optimal solution of the instances with longer planning horizons. For the hardest data set, …

Helioseismic Diagnostics Of Active Regions And Their Magnetic Fields, John T. Stefan

Dissertations

While two and a half decades of nearly constant observation by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) spacecraft have yielded key insights into the structure and dynamics of active regions, it is still unclear if active regions can be identified before emerging on the solar surface and, once emerged, whether the subsurface structure of an active region’s magnetic field can be measured. Regarding the dynamical processes associated with active regions, the height and mechanism of sunquake excitation remains poorly understood. To answer these questions, a comprehensive survey of active region magnetic fields and their …

Hydrodynamic Investigation Of The Discharge Of Complex Fluids From Dispensing Bottles Using Experimental And Computational Approaches, Baran Teoman

Dissertations

The discharge of non-Newtonian, complex fluids through orifices of industrial tanks, pipes, dispensers, or packaging containers is a ubiquitous but often problematic process because of the complex rheology of such fluids and the geometry of the containers. This, in turn, reduces the discharge rate and results in residual fluid left in the container, often referred to as heel. Heel formation is undesired in general, since it causes loss of valuable material, container fouling, and cross-contamination between batches. Heel may be of significant concern not only in industrial vessels but also in consumer packaging. Despite its relevance, the research in this …

Interactions Of Amyloid Peptides With Lipid Membranes, Yanxing Yang

Dissertations

The aggregation of amyloid proteins into fibrils is a hallmark of several diseases including Alzheimer’s (AD), Parkinson’s, and Type II diabetes. This aggregation process involves the formation of small size oligomers preceding the formation of insoluble fibrils. Recent studies have shown that these oligomers are more likely to be responsible for cell toxicity than fibrils. A possible mechanism of toxicity involves the interaction of oligomers with the cell membrane compromising its integrity. In particular, oligomers may form pore-like structures in the cell membrane affecting its permeability or they may induce lipid loss via a detergent-like effect. This dissertation aims to …