Digital Commons Network^™

Enabling Iov Communication Through Secure Decentralized Clustering Using Federated Deep Reinforcement Learning, Chandler Scott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Internet of Vehicles (IoV) holds immense potential for revolutionizing transporta- tion systems by facilitating seamless vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. However, challenges such as congestion, pollution, and security per- sist, particularly in rural areas with limited infrastructure. Existing centralized solu- tions are impractical in such environments due to latency and privacy concerns. To address these challenges, we propose a decentralized clustering algorithm enhanced with Federated Deep Reinforcement Learning (FDRL). Our approach enables low- latency communication, competitive packet delivery ratios, and cluster stability while preserving data privacy. Additionally, we introduce a trust-based security framework for IoV environments, integrating a central authority …

Moral Disengagement And The Tendency To Engage In Academic Dishonesty In Prelicensure Nursing Students, Sarah Guimaraes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite decades of research, academic dishonesty remains a significant concern in nursing education. The connection of academic dishonesty to dishonest clinical practice presents a moral imperative for nurse researchers to find new facets of understanding these phenomena. Literature regarding moral disengagement in health care is minimal and is even less prevalent in the context of nursing education. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of moral disengagement on prelicensure nursing students’ tendencies to engage in academic dishonesty in their last or next to last semester of a nursing program. A correlational design via survey method was used. …

Texas High School Counselors’ And Advisors’ Ccmr Self-Efficacy: An Exploratory Descriptive Study, Amanda R. Jolivet

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the last 20 years, there has been a growing emphasis on ensuring high school graduates are prepared for college and career in the 21st century. This is especially true in Texas, a state that has not only instituted college, career, and military readiness (CCMR) policies but has also monetarily incentivized schools and districts for meeting specific CCMR accountability metrics. Although Texas high school counselors and advisors are responsible for ensuring students across the state have access to CCMR information, support, and resources, not much was known about Texas high school counselors/advisors’ self-efficacy as it relates to postsecondary planning or …

Dismantling Barriers: Exploring Effective Support Systems For African American Success In Stem At Community Colleges, Traci L. Ramsey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the barriers and effective support systems for African American male students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields at community colleges. Given that African Americans represent a significant portion of community college students but a disproportionately small percentage of STEM graduates, this research sought to identify the factors contributing to this disparity. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand the support systems that can enhance academic and social success for African American men STEM majors. Questionnaires, semistructured interviews, and archival records were the data collection methods used to examine African American male students …

Industrial Applications Of Molecular Techniques., Jesse Lee Rozsa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Multidisciplinary research is vital in modern science. Combining molecular genetics with engineering disciplines such as material science, robotics, or 3D printing is not a new concept but one that can continue to lead to breakthroughs that will benefit society. Science does not and should not occur in a vacuum, and, in early 2020, the world saw the emergence of a pandemic that shifted the focus of scientific research for a time. This manuscript describes aspects of this journey and the fruit that was born from this historic event. In this dissertation, we used plants and bacteria to produce compounds that …

Analysis Of The Relationship Between Flow Patterns In The Post-Stenotic Region Of Model Arteries And Stenosis Severity., Michael Laroche

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this study, contour fields of mean age and turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) in the post-stenotic region of model arteries were analyzed to explore their correlation with FFR. While both high and low FFR cases exhibited similarities with an inner low-age region and an outer high-age region, low FFR cases displayed asymmetry in their low-age regions due to eccentric stenosis. Moreover, gradients of age across the artery diameter were more pronounced for low FFR cases. Additionally, low FFR cases demonstrated significantly higher TKE in the post-stenotic blood jet stream compared to high FFR cases that are reflected in low-age boundary …

Assessing The Impacts Of Soil Arthropods On Geochemical Transformations., Thomas Blake Hudson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis contains four individual chapters, two of which highlight studies assessing how arthropods contribute and drive geochemical transformations by directly and indirectly manipulating the availability of anoxic conditions. The first chapter serves as an introduction to the literature on the subject to contextualize the work carried out in later chapters. The second chapter is a field study conducted throughout the summer of 2023 in a lowland tropical rainforest in Costa Rica, where I characterized the temporal and environmental variation impacting greenhouse gas emissions from the nests of leaf-cutting ants (Atta cephalotes). From flux measurements taken across 29 …

Deep Reinforcement Learning-Based Dynamic Routing And Spectrum Access In Aeronautical Networks., Zhe Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the airspace is experiencing an increasing number of aircraft, spectrum sharing among Air Vehicles (AVs) and Terrestrial Users (TUs) emerges as a compelling solution to improve spectrum utilization efficiency. I investigated three types of aeronautical communication including the single-hop Air-Air Communication Network (AACN), the multi-hop Air-Air Ad-hoc Network (AAAN), and the Aerial and Terrestrial Hybrid Network (ATHN). I assume a spectrum-limited scenario through all communication networks. Thus, the number of communication pairs is greater than that of the available channels, resulting in co-channel interference due to the reuse of the same channel among communication links. In a single-hop AACN, …

Uncovering The Hidden Diversity Of Antibody Heavy Chains And Their Implications For Autoantibody Mediated Disease., Easton Earl Ford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the diversity of antibody (IG) molecules at the DNA and RNA level is imperative for understanding immunological processes and disease. Much of the work to uncover IG diversity has been focused on diversity in the variable region of the IG molecule which is crucial for antigen binding. However, the diversity of the constant region responsible for the functions of IG has largely been ignored in the field of immunogenetics. The work presented in this thesis challenges the dogma that the constant region is invariant in terms of genetic diversity. In this thesis we present the development of a long-read …

Development And 3d Printing Of Glass Fiber And Carbon Fiber Reinforced Shape Memory Polymer Composites For Structural Applications., Krishna Sai Aparna Munjuluri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aims at the development of shape memory polymer composites with two types of reinforcements, milled glass fibers, and chopped carbon fibers, for potential structural applications in aircraft and automotive industries. Glass fiber-SMP composites were made at fiber loading wt.% of 0%, 5%, 10%, and 20%. In contrast, carbon fiber-SMP composites were made at fiber loading wt.% of 0%, 5%, 10% and 15%. The feedstocks were extruded into filaments and characterized by their physical, rheological, chemical properties and morphologies. Fused Filament Fabrication 3D printing was used to manufacture specimens for mechanical testing of hardness and flexural properties. The findings …

Development And Processing Of Shape Memory Polymer Composites (Smpcs) For Application In Structural Robotics And Robotic Sensors., Kavish Sudan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Shape Memory Polymers (SMPs) have attracted significant attention since their introduction in the 1980s due to their remarkable ability to regain their original shape from a temporarily deformed state when exposed to an external stimulus, typically heat. This shape memory effect, driven by thermal transitions such as the glass transition temperature (T_g) or melting temperature (T_m), has made SMPs highly attractive for applications in soft robotics, aerospace, and biomedical devices. However, SMPs face challenges such as limited mechanical strength, thermal stability, and electrical conductivity, which hinder their broader adoption in advanced applications. To address these challenges, …

Application Of Functionalized Organosilicas In Adsorption Of Nitrates, Stephen Amoako

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study addresses the critical environmental issue of elevated nitrate levels in water bodies, primarily due to excessive use of nitrogenous fertilizers and improper waste disposal. It focuses on reducing nitrate concentrations in polluted water to permissible levels through the effectiveness of hybrid materials in nitrate adsorption. We synthesized nine amino-functionalized adsorbents using grafting and sol-gel techniques. Batch adsorption tests confirmed the high nitrate adsorption capacities of these adsorbents, with sol-gel materials showing the highest efficiency due to their abundant amino group contents. Among these, the surfactant-free, sol-gel adsorbent was the most effective, combining ease of synthesis with cost-efficiency. Our …

Implementation Of A Mobile-Based Mindfulness Intervention To Lower Perceived Stress Levels In Undergraduate Nursing Students, Wendy S. Carley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project analyzed the effect of the daily use of a mindfulness-based mobile application on associate degree nursing undergraduate prelicensure students’ perceived stress levels. Nursing students experience elevated stress levels that may be reduced through mindfulness behaviors. Undergraduate, prelicensure nursing students participated in establishing the impact of mindfulness on perceived stress levels in a quantitative pre/postintervention study. The evidenced-based studies chosen for this review consisted of randomized controlled trials, pilot studies, pre/posttest designs, systematic reviews, and quantitative and qualitative studies. The investigator collected presearch data using a pre/posttest design to evaluate the effectiveness of a stress management program in reducing …

Diversity Management And Organizational Resilience Among Midsized Cccu Institutions In Christian Higher Education, Kristopher M. Sutton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory qualitative cross-case analysis was developed to investigate how diversity management strategies were implemented and whether they coexist with organizational resilience capabilities at three U.S. private, midsized Christian-affiliated institutions of higher education associated with the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities. The researcher collected data from a senior-level chief diversity officer at each institution to determine how their diversity strategy was managed and whether a mature diversity program was concurrently present with organizational resilience capabilities. Data were collected using two primary instruments: the Diversity Management Competencies Questionnaire and semistructured interviews focused on organizational resilience. The collected data were supplemented …

Parental View On Hpv Vaccination, Rebecca Elaine Rhodes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted infection widely seen in the United States. Millions of Americans are affected by it each year, especially those in their late teens and early 20s. Although most infections will resolve on their own, 1 in 10 will lead to health problems such as cancer. The HPV vaccine can prevent over 90% of associated precancers and cancers. However, uptake of the HPV vaccine and its completion among adolescents are significantly lower than other recommended adolescent immunizations, falling short of the Healthy People 2030 goal of 80% coverage. Understanding parental attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions …

Trust, Transparency, And Transport: The Impact Of Privacy Protection On The Acceptance Of Last-Mile Drone Delivery, Jurgen Heinz Famula

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A common set of problems commercial delivery companies face is finding ways to increase the efficiency and reliability of the “last mile” of a package’s journey, all while reducing operating costs. This need for efficiency has driven many companies to explore using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, to get packages to their final destination. Although UAVs have great potential to help increase efficiency in commercial package delivery, this comes at a potential cost to the privacy of people who intersect the flight paths of these unmanned vehicles. This thesis explores the effect of a mobile phone application for commercial …

Bridging Design And Perception: Novel Tools And Technologies For Creating Effective Human-Robot Interactions, Benjamin Dossett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores human perception of robots through the use of novel tools and technologies. First, the impact of Augmented Reality (AR) data presentation on human perception of robots is investigated. A study conducted with the AR human-robot teaming system found that robot performance significantly influenced participants’ perceptions, overshadowing the impact of matching or mismatching robot confidence feedback. Second, the DU Want to Build-A-Bot platform is presented, which enables participatory robot design and opens the door for novel research of how robot design affects human perception. The Build-A-Bot platform enables the collection of diverse robot designs, facilitating machine learning analysis …

Self-Efficacy And Racial Identity For Undergraduate Music Majors, Rachel E. Lim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students’ identities can impact their self-efficacy, or their confidence in their ability to succeed in producing a desired outcome (Bandura, 1997; Klassen, 2004a; Klassen 2004b; Oettingen, 1995; Usher & Pajares, 2008); however, little peer-reviewed research explores the relationship between racial identity and self-efficacy for undergraduate music majors. In the United States, undergraduate music students of color often navigate educational experiences where they do not find their identities represented in the curricula (Ewell, 2020), their faculty (Higher Education Arts Data Services [HEADS], 2020), or their fellow students (HEADS, 2020).

This convergent mixed methods study utilized the theoretical framework of critical race …

Bridging The Geometric And Quantum Information Of Structured Light, Andrew Alexander Voitiv

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this Dissertation, we review the several advances we have developed for preparing and measuring the geometric and quantum information of structured light. The geometric phase acts as a memory of transformations undertaken by physical processes; quantum entanglement underpins quantum information science which explores the theoretical and technological applications of nonclassical correlations. Beginning with classical light, we demonstrate novel experiments and measurements of geometric phase that are enabled by spatially structuring laser beams. We then extend those concepts to complement the richer possibilities within quantum optics. Our work covers new abilities in tailoring and measuring the phase content of spatially-structured …

The Elephant In The Baithak: Tabla And Audio Technological Discourse, Tyler Thom

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses how power, status, and performance practices play out between performers of tabla (North Indian hand drums) and audio engineers. To do so, I analyze engineer, performer, and music critic discourse surrounding tabla performances and technology to place it within a broader scholarly debate regarding recording technology, cultural/technological capital, technological determinism, and agency. I extend Christopher Scales’s (2012) concept of “recording culture” to “live sound culture,” or the behaviors, power struggles, and labor surrounding tabla mic’ing and amplification. I argue that audio technology separates the artist’s sound into several domains of control (stage, hall, recording, playback), each controlled …

Spin And Charge Transport In Metallic Ferrimagnets And Disordered Magnetic Oxides, Leopoldo A. Hernandez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent efforts have been exploring the use of thin film synthetic ferrimagnets and disordered magnetic oxides for applications in spintronic devices. Due to the antiferromagnetic exchange interaction, ferrimagnetic materials offer the ultrafast dynamics of the antiferromagnetic exchange, with a net magnetization that can be influenced externally. With two, or more, competing ferromagnet sublattices, interesting properties arise that depend on the final magnetic landscape after growth of the material and it’s inherent magnetic anisotropy energies. Properties such as magnetic compensation temperatures, and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy are attractive for applications in spintronic memory and logic devices, some already being implemented in MRAM …

Comparing The Preparation Of Youth Services Librarians To Their On-The-Ground Experiences: A Grounded Theory Study Incorporating Criticism And Connoisseurship, Anne Holland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to better understand the on-the-ground preparation of youth services librarians, in contrast to their professional training in Master’s of Library Science (MLIS) programs. Classic Grounded Theory was the predominant methodology for this qualitative study, and elements of Criticism and Connoisseurship were also utilized. Document review, interviews, and journaling activities with ten participants were the primary methods of data collection. Key findings from this dissertation include a grounded theory explaining the current state of preparation for youth services librarianship, and multiple avenues for further study.

Navigating University Of Denver As A Latinx Male-Identifying Undergraduate Student, Quisi Rodriguez-Oregel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students of color continuously persist at a lower rate than their white counterparts in higher education. Particularly for Latinx males, the number is lower than Latinx women. Universities have incorporated Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategies to focus on their diverse student population and address issues of race, ethnicity, class, and gender. Despite these efforts, low retention rates for Latinx males persist. This study explores how Latinx male undergraduate students navigate a predominantly white institution as well as explore some of the challenges of DEI efforts at that institution. I conducted participant observations at the University of Denver (DU) and …

Effect Of Oxidation Of Graphene On Agglomeration And The Mechanical Properties Of Thermosetting Resins, Matthew A. Reil

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Thermosetting resins are used extensively worldwide in applications ranging from adhesives to structural components. However, these resins generally fail in a brittle fracture mode which is undesirable in most situations. Graphene (G) and its derivatives have been considered as additives to epoxy for material property enhancement and varied results have been reported in the literature. In this work, the effects of the oxidation of G to graphene oxide (GO) on polymer interactions and plate agglomeration were studied by classical molecular dynamics (MD). Results from those simulations concluded that agglomerates were likely present in all G-based nanocomposites. The effect of these …

The Foundations Of Civilian Supremacy: Civil-Military Relations During The American Civil War, Riley Callahan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The American Civil War was the defining event that shaped civil-military relations in the United States. This master's thesis explores the multifaceted dynamics between civilian and military leadership during this crucial period in American history. It examines the relationship between civilian political authority and the military establishment, while incorporating the related roles of Congress, public opinion and international influences. The research explores the decision-making processes, the balance of power, and the impact of leadership styles and personalities on civil-military interactions during times of armed conflict.

This thesis explores in particular the significance of President Lincoln's leadership, his ability to manage …

Leadership In Extreme Contexts: An Emerging Typology, Ashley Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the relationship between leadership and extreme contexts through the lens of rural hospitals facing environmental jolts. Rural hospitals offer a unique setting for this research, given their inherent geographic isolation, lack of resources, and the critical role these facilities play in their communities. Through a qualitative analysis of interviews with Chief Executive Officers of rural hospitals, this research takes a grounded approach to build theory surrounding how leadership not only shapes but is shaped by extreme contexts and environmental jolts. The research results in four primary contributions. Namely, this study extends existing typologies on leadership in extreme …

An Exploration Of Rural Advanced Placement Differentiation, Kristin M. Shapiro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Advanced Placement classes are introductory college courses taught in high school. Over 60% of all secondary gifted programs report utilizing AP classes as part of their program offerings (Callahan et al., 2017). Despite the prevalence of AP courses, there is no exact match between this particular type of programming and the needs of gifted learners (Gallagher, 2008). The use and occurrence of AP programs across the United States have not been equal, with subsequent underrepresentation of underserved groups, including rural students (Gagnon & Mattingly, 2016) in AP classes. Rural gifted students benefit from all the same classroom differentiation techniques that …

Incremental Quantities Based Permissive Overreaching Transfer Trip Scheme For Protecting Inverter-Based Renewable Resources, Osama Zangoti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The power generation landscape evolves, with the increase of inverter-based resources (IBRs) such as solar photovoltaics and wind turbines, providing sustainable and clean energy sources. The shift towards IBRs mitigates climate change, creating considerable challenges to traditional power system protection due to their low fault current. Conventional protection schemes are designed around the internal dynamic of synchronous generators where they can supply an elevated fault current. This thesis explores a protection scheme designed to enhance the security of IBRs. The incremental characteristics of voltage and current coupled with the Permissive Overreaching Transfer Trip scheme (POTT) provide a remarkable ability to …

Evaluating The Effect Of Domain-Specific Large Language Models On Question And Response, Phillip D. Crippen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Large Language Models have emerged to great fanfare in the Information Technology market. Business and Information Technology leaders are currently exploring ways to apply these models to assist their organizations in executing business processes and generating innovation. Software vendors, consultants, and academics promote various approaches to making Large Language Models work effectively for business. However, little academic literature is available today that quantifies the degree of improvement possible with these domain-specific approaches over the standard capabilities of generalized Large Language Models.

The study seeks to quantify the benefits of one approach, Retrieval Augmented Generation. The study uses a collection of …

Patient-Specific Musculoskeletal Modeling Of Total Shoulder Arthroplasty, Brendan M. Curran

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) is often considered a surgery of last resort for patients with debilitating pathologies of the glenohumeral joint such as osteoarthritis, humeral head fracture, and advancing rotator cuff tears. TSA replaces the articulation between the humeral head and the glenoid fossa, with the goals of relieving pain and restoring function. Two types of total shoulder implants are available: Anatomic Total Shoulder Arthroplasty (aTSA) and Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty (rTSA). TSA survivorship is lower than that of the survivorship seen in total knee and hip replacements [1]. Shoulder muscle moment arms and lines of action have been measured …