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Optimal Feature Learning For Facial Expression Recognition, Kamran Ali
Optimal Feature Learning For Facial Expression Recognition, Kamran Ali
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
A great deal of research has been done to improve the performance of Facial Expression Recognition (FER) algorithms, but extracting optimal features to represent expressions remains a challenging task. The biggest drawback is that most work on FER ignores the inter-subject variations in facial attributes of individuals present in data. Hence, the representation extracted for the recognition of expressions is polluted by identity-related features that negatively affect the generalization capability of a FER technique on unseen identities. To overcome the effect of subject-identity bias, previous research shows the effectiveness of extracting identity-invariant expression features for FER. However, most of those …
How Does A Veteran Teacher Implement A Prekindergarten Math Curriculum?, Heidi Butterfield
How Does A Veteran Teacher Implement A Prekindergarten Math Curriculum?, Heidi Butterfield
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
The purpose of this study was to explore how a veteran teacher implemented a state-approved commercial math curriculum in a prekindergarten classroom. In this action research study, guided by ethnographic principles, I employed Spradley's (2016) developmental research sequence to study what resources from the curriculum the teacher used, how the teacher adapted the curriculum, and what influenced the decisions the teacher made while implementing the curriculum. Data collected for this study included: the teacher guide provided by the commercial curriculum; teacher lesson plans; photographs of student created artifacts; the teacher's reflection journal and notes; and videos of a teacher implementing …
Wavelet Particle Hydrodynamics For Less Smooth Flow, Oddny Brun
Wavelet Particle Hydrodynamics For Less Smooth Flow, Oddny Brun
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
The purpose of this research was to improve the smoothing operation in smoothed particle hydrodynamics, SPH, when the flow of matter is not smooth. Our main focuses are on the kernel selection, identifying the discontinuities in the sequences to be smoothed, and use of the Laplacian as opposed to artificial viscosity for improved physical accuracy. The results show that alternative kernels result in differences in how matter flows. These effects are explained by the kernels' gradient and Laplacian properties. Five alternative kernels were included in our analysis and our SPH-based simulation cases. Further, the sequences to be smoothed by the …
Change Sustainment Model (Csm) To Address Industry 4.0 In A Classified Environment, Hamilton Ervin
Change Sustainment Model (Csm) To Address Industry 4.0 In A Classified Environment, Hamilton Ervin
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Business and engineering have long intersected with each other in industry. In actuality, they are inseparable. That notion drove the thought process and actions taken to observe phenomena within a U.S. Fortune 500, Aerospace & Defense industry, Department of Defense, independent contractor. In Aerospace & Defense, the ability to implement technology freely and change to address an ever-evolving technological landscape in the world has proven to be difficult given the nature of the work performed. U.S. national security must be protected at all times, therefore information sharing guided by a "need-to-know" basis create an inability to easily implement organizational change …
Utilizing High Throughput Computing Techniques For The Predictions Of Spectroscopic Properties Of Astrophysically Relevant Molecules, Brian Ferrari
Utilizing High Throughput Computing Techniques For The Predictions Of Spectroscopic Properties Of Astrophysically Relevant Molecules, Brian Ferrari
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Here, we utilize Quantum Chemistry (QC) approaches to predict the structures, vibrational frequencies, infrared intensities and Raman activities of unusual molecular species using the General Atomic and Molecular Structure System (GAMESS(US)) package. A Python-based software, AutoGAMESS, was developed to automate the workflow and take advantage of High Throughput Computing (HTC) techniques enabling the automated generation of spectroscopic data from hundreds of calculations. This approach was utilized to determine these properties for a series of carbon oxides (C2On; n = 3 to 4), anticipated to be produced during the radiation of pure carbon dioxide ices, under conditions relevant to the interstellar …
Nonlinear Light-Matter Interactions In Novel Crystals For Broadband Mid-Infrared Generation, Taiki Kawamori
Nonlinear Light-Matter Interactions In Novel Crystals For Broadband Mid-Infrared Generation, Taiki Kawamori
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Mid-infrared (MIR) laser sources have demonstrated diverse applications in science and technology. For spectroscopy applications, numerous molecules have unique absorption features in this range, and one needs a spectrally broad coherent laser source for parallel detection of mixtures of species. Frequency down-conversion in nonlinear optical materials via second-order nonlinear susceptibility is one of the promising techniques to generate the spectral coverage of more than an octave in the MIR, assisted by emerging novel crystals. The nonlinear light-matter interactions in such special crystals as ZnSe ceramics have not been analyzed. Additionally, through the use of high-intensity few-cycle optical pulses, high-order nonlinear …
The Impact Of The Community Partnership School Model On Student Self-Efficacy And Civic Engagement, Brandon Lowe
The Impact Of The Community Partnership School Model On Student Self-Efficacy And Civic Engagement, Brandon Lowe
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to identify the impact of the Community Partnership Schools™ (CPS) model of community schools in the areas of social self-efficacy, academic self-efficacy, emotional self-efficacy, and civic engagement beyond the point of enrollment in the school. To answer the research questions, the researcher compared the responses of 96 high school students that had previously been enrolled in a CPS with the responses of 402 students from racially and socioeconomically similar schools that were not CPS, using the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Children (SEQ-C) and the Civic Engagement Scale (CES). Results showed a significant positive correlation …
Machine Learning Techniques For Topic Detection And Authorship Attribution In Textual Data, Fereshteh Jafariakinabad
Machine Learning Techniques For Topic Detection And Authorship Attribution In Textual Data, Fereshteh Jafariakinabad
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
The unprecedented expansion of user-generated content in recent years demands more attempts of information filtering in order to extract high-quality information from the huge amount of available data. In this dissertation, we begin with a focus on topic detection from microblog streams, which is the first step toward monitoring and summarizing social data. Then we shift our focus to the authorship attribution task, which is a sub-area of computational stylometry. It is worth mentioning that determining the style of a document is orthogonal to determining its topic, since the document features which capture the style are mainly independent of its …
The Effects Of A Tactile Display On First Responder Performance, Michael Schwartz
The Effects Of A Tactile Display On First Responder Performance, Michael Schwartz
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Firefighting is a dangerous and difficult task. Simulation affords researchers and practitioners the ability to examine performance and training in adverse conditions while preserving life, offering repeatable scenarios, and reducing costs. Multiple Resource Theory is used in this study as a model for assessing alternate sensory channels for information delivery when the optimal channel is not available. Specifically, this study tests the influence of a waist-worn vibrotactile display to assist navigation when visibility is reduced in a firefighter simulation. The present study measures participants' objective performance and self-reported workload while navigating a simulated fireground. Results from 70 research participants revealed …
Effect Of Various Speed Management Strategies On Bicycle Crashes For Urban Roads In Central Florida, Jorge Ugan
Effect Of Various Speed Management Strategies On Bicycle Crashes For Urban Roads In Central Florida, Jorge Ugan
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
In recent years, cycling has become an increasingly popular transportation mode around the world. In contrast to other popular modes of transportation, cycling is more economic and energy efficient. While many studies have been conducted for the bicycle safety analysis, most of them were limited in terms of bicycle exposure data and on-street data. This study tries to improve the current safety performance functions for bicycle crashes at urban corridors by utilizing crowdsource data from STRAVA and on-street speed management strategies data. Speed management strategies are any roadway alterations that causes a change in motorists' driving behavior. In Florida, these …
Mail Ballot Signature Rejections: Household Members Signing Each Other's Ballots, Craig Wilding
Mail Ballot Signature Rejections: Household Members Signing Each Other's Ballots, Craig Wilding
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Election administrators anecdotally mention that many ballots get signed by someone else in the household, such as the husband signing the wife's ballot. If household members are signing each other's ballots mistakenly, then there should be a rise in mismatched signatures as the number of people in the household increases. By matching household addresses of registered voters and the addresses that ballots were mailed to from the 2020 Florida general election, the study found that the probability of a signature mismatch did increase as the number of household members increased. While the data showed that black and Hispanic households have …
Using Iphone Significant Location Data To Improve Air Pollution Exposure Estimation, Elizabeth Eastman
Using Iphone Significant Location Data To Improve Air Pollution Exposure Estimation, Elizabeth Eastman
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
An accurate estimation of human exposure to ambient air pollution is crucial for air pollution health studies. Time-activity patterns may introduce substantial uncertainties in exposure estimation. As smartphones are becoming increasingly popular and their ownership is becoming ubiquitous in the US. Virtually all smartphones can collect location data, and such data is continuously somewhere. Therefore, it is clear that such stored location data has the potential to be used for characterizing an individual's time-activity patterns for air pollution health studies. However, studies on the accuracy and feasibility of using a smartphone's location data in air pollution exposure estimation are still …
An Exploratory Investigation Of Grit And Its Relationship To Student Integration In Athletic Training Education Programs, Carlos Gual
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Students must enroll in rigorous accredited academic programs and pass the National Board of Certification (BOC) examination to become athletic trainers. Therefore, studies in athletic training and student achievement focus on student persistence/retention and BOC Examination pass rates. The majority of studies conclude that cognitive measures like grade point average (GPA) have a relationship with both retention and exam pass rates. However, research should also consider meta-cognitive factors (i.e., personality traits). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between athletic training students' grit (a metacognitive factor) and their academic, clinical, and social integration. The population for this …
Distributed And Optimal State Estimation For Heterogeneous Dynamic Systems Operating Within A Strongly Connected Network, Matthew Howard
Distributed And Optimal State Estimation For Heterogeneous Dynamic Systems Operating Within A Strongly Connected Network, Matthew Howard
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
This dissertation is aimed at developing optimal and distributed state estimation algorithms for a team of cooperating nodes with the goal of improving accuracy through local sharing of relevant information. The nodes are assumed to be individually equipped with heterogeneous sensors for measuring a common target which can be dynamic and time-varying. Additionally, the nodes are assumed to be connected through a dynamically changing communication network modeled as a sequence of strongly connected digraphs allowing for local communication and distributed interactions. Using the data sharing afforded by the communication network, a weighted average state estimate consensus can be found across …
Big Five Aspect Personalty Scales And Social Anxiety Severity In A Nonpsychiatric Sample, Samantha Simpson
Big Five Aspect Personalty Scales And Social Anxiety Severity In A Nonpsychiatric Sample, Samantha Simpson
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Personality can be explored hierarchically with higher- and lower-order factors. Recent research suggests the personality hierarchy is comprised of higher-order Big Five traits with two lower-order factors per Big Five trait, termed aspects. There is a lack of research examining the relationship between these lower-order aspects and social anxiety (SA) severity. To better understand these relationships, 443 university undergraduate students (72.2% female; mean age = 20.48, SD = 4.64) completed the Big Five Aspects Scale (BFAS) and the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory- 23 (SPAI-23), and were retained following exclusionary criteria. Path analysis, covarying for sex, age, and general anxiety …
Hermeneutics Of Hate: How Martin Luther's Rhetorical Manipulation Of The Greek Bible Led To His Anti-Judaic Treatise On The Jews And Their Lies, Michael Parrish
Hermeneutics Of Hate: How Martin Luther's Rhetorical Manipulation Of The Greek Bible Led To His Anti-Judaic Treatise On The Jews And Their Lies, Michael Parrish
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Though lauded as a Protestant hero, it is impossible to read Martin Luther's On the Jews and Their Lies and not think about the numerous acts of violence inspired by his commentary. Luther argues that his anti-Judaic treatise is simply reiterating the Greek Bible (the New Testament) and anyone who reads the Greek Bible would come to the same conclusion. This thesis argues that Luther adopted a hermeneutical Jew from theologians and the Greek Bible before him to create his own hermeneutics that demonized the European Jewish population with devastating consequence. Though much of the Greek Bible was part of …
Structural Dynamics And Encapsulation Properties Of Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles, Sachit Shah
Structural Dynamics And Encapsulation Properties Of Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles, Sachit Shah
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Charged therapeutics such as nucleic acids and proteins can treat a vast range of human diseases that are traditionally undruggable. Their broadness in treating disease is due to their ability to influence cellular function. However, their high charge density and physiological barriers such as enzymatic degradation, hinder the deliverability of these molecules to the sites of disease. Polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) micelles are core-corona nanostructures that can encapsulate charged molecules and offer a platform for delivery. PECs form the core, when two oppositely charged polyelectrolytes are mixed in an aqueous solution, and the micelle corona is a neutral hydrophilic polymer that …
An Exploration Of Enrollment And Graduation Rates As A Result Of Title V Funding At Hispanic-Serving Four-Year Universities, Kelly D'Agostino
An Exploration Of Enrollment And Graduation Rates As A Result Of Title V Funding At Hispanic-Serving Four-Year Universities, Kelly D'Agostino
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
While the Latinx population continues to grow faster than any other racial population in the United States, Latinx students are graduating from four-year institutions at a rate 12 percent lower than their White peers (Excelencia in Education, 2020b). As first defined in 1992 by the Higher Education Act reauthorization, Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) are accredited, degree-granting, non-profit institutions with undergraduate populations made up of at least 25 percent Latinx students. The role of HSIs is important because the majority (66 percent) of Latinx students enrolled in college attend an HSI (Excelencia in Education, 2019). The problem under investigation is that HSI …
Directional Spectral Solar Energy For Building Performance: From Simulation To Cyber-Physical Prototype, Joseph Del Rocco
Directional Spectral Solar Energy For Building Performance: From Simulation To Cyber-Physical Prototype, Joseph Del Rocco
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
The original research and development in this dissertation contributes to the field of building performance by actively harnessing a wider spectrum of directional solar radiation for use in buildings. Solar radiation (energy) is often grouped by wavelength measurement into the spectra ultraviolet (UV), visible (light), and short and long-wave infrared (heat) on the electromagnetic spectrum. While some of this energy is directly absorbed or deflected by our atmosphere, most of it passes through, scatters about, and collides with our planet. Modern building performance simulations, tools, and control systems often oversimplify this energy into scalar values for light and heat, when …
Bringing Instagram Posts Into Being: A Study Of Fyc Students' Self-Sponsored Posting Practices And Transfer Opportunities, Jessica Kester
Bringing Instagram Posts Into Being: A Study Of Fyc Students' Self-Sponsored Posting Practices And Transfer Opportunities, Jessica Kester
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Social media platforms have offered students—and all of us—more opportunities for self-sponsored writing. In response to calls from researchers to explore students' 21st-century writing practices and their relevance to college writing instruction, this dissertation articulated and applied a feminist teacher research methodology and a mixed-methods research design to explore first-year composition (FYC) students' self-sponsored writing practices, attitudes, and transfer opportunities on a popular, albeit under-examined, social media application: Instagram. This study found that students have developed elaborate, rhetorical, multimodal composing processes that include planning, drafting, evaluating, selecting, and styling images as well as planning, drafting/revising, and styling captions. Additionally, though …
Creativity As A Resource: How Creativity Influences The Appraisal Of Work Stressors And Subsequent Strain, Alyssa Perez
Creativity As A Resource: How Creativity Influences The Appraisal Of Work Stressors And Subsequent Strain, Alyssa Perez
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Although creative behaviors are known to have positive effects on general well-being, little research has looked at the relationship between an individual's creativity and stress within the context of work. This research explored how creativity may work as a buffer against the strain of job stressors. In study 1, six vignettes were developed using Role Stressor Theory (Kahn et al., 1964) and the Challenge/Hindrance Framework of stress (Cavanaugh et al., 2000). A sample of 164 undergraduate students responded to the vignettes and results showed that trait-level creativity was directly related not only to the creativity of the solutions the participants …
High Spectral Brightness, Broad Area Quantum Cascade Lasers, Enrique Sanchez Cristobal
High Spectral Brightness, Broad Area Quantum Cascade Lasers, Enrique Sanchez Cristobal
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Quantum cascade lasers are unipolar semiconductor lasers that offer a unique combination of compact size, high efficiency, high optical power, and flexibility to achieve a targeted emission wavelength with the same laser core material composition, employing so-called bandgap engineering. Since their invention in 1994, watt-level CW power with 5 to 20 % wallplug efficiency was demonstrated for QCLs throughout the entire 4 to 12 µm range, which makes QCLs very attractive for a number of practical applications. Our earlier work on broad-area QCLs emitting in the 4.6 µm to 5.7 µm spectral range demonstrated that CW power scaling with lateral …
Efficient Data Structures For Text Processing Applications, Paniz Abedin
Efficient Data Structures For Text Processing Applications, Paniz Abedin
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
This thesis is devoted to designing and analyzing efficient text indexing data structures and associated algorithms for processing text data. The general problem is to preprocess a given text or a collection of texts into a space-efficient index to quickly answer various queries on this data. Basic queries such as counting/reporting a given pattern's occurrences as substrings of the original text are useful in modeling critical bioinformatics applications. This line of research has witnessed many breakthroughs, such as the suffix trees, suffix arrays, FM-index, etc. In this work, we revisit the following problems: 1. The Heaviest Induced Ancestors problem 2. …
Using A Data Based Coaching Model To Support Novice Teachers In Inclusive Classrooms, Timara Davis
Using A Data Based Coaching Model To Support Novice Teachers In Inclusive Classrooms, Timara Davis
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
The inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education classroom has changed over time. Teachers in inclusive classrooms need the skills to teach all students, including students with disabilities. The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD; 2019) reported in a survey of over 1500 general education teachers, only 17% noted they were well prepared to teach students with disabilities. A gap of in content knowledge exists between general and special education teacher preparation (Fonte et al., 2017) and the outcomes of students depends on the knowledge of the teacher (Burroughs et al, 2019). Lack of preparation of general education …
Investigation Into Wedge Turbulator Effects In High Aspect Ratio Cooling Channels, Daniel Garcia
Investigation Into Wedge Turbulator Effects In High Aspect Ratio Cooling Channels, Daniel Garcia
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
With reusability being a novel design parameter for liquid rocket engines (LRE), the need to lower internal wall temperatures for an increased engine longevity is a desired outcome. One of the mechanisms that has been effectively implemented is the use of high aspect ratio cooling channels (HARCC) to promote fin-like effects from internal cooling channel sidewalls. In the gas turbine industry, the use of wedge turbulators has gained recognition for its heat augmentation properties with relatively low pressure drop penalty. In an ideal case, LRE's could adopt the wedge turbulator cooling technique to enhance the benefits of HARCC with minimal …
Spectral Dependence Of Deep Subwavelength Metallic Apertures In The Mid-Wave Infrared, Heath Gemar
Spectral Dependence Of Deep Subwavelength Metallic Apertures In The Mid-Wave Infrared, Heath Gemar
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
For two decades, extraordinary optical transmission (EOT) has amplified exploration into subwavelength systems. Researchers have previously suggested exploiting the spectrally selective electromagnetic field confinement of subwavelength cavities for multispectral detectors. Utilizing the finite-difference frequency domain (FDFD) method, we examine electromagnetic field confinement in both 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional scenarios from 2.5 to 6 microns (i.e., mid-wave infrared or MWIR). We explore the trade space of deep subwavelength cavities and its impact on resonant enhancement of the electromagnetic field. The studies provide fundamental understanding of the coupling mechanisms allowing for prediction of resonant spectral behavior based on cavity geometry and material properties. …
Data Driven Methods For Large Scale Network Level Traffic Modeling, Rezaur Rahman
Data Driven Methods For Large Scale Network Level Traffic Modeling, Rezaur Rahman
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Rapid growth in population along with urban-centric activities impose a massive demand on existing transportation systems, thus increasing traffic congestion and other mobility related challenges. To overcome such challenges, we need network-scale models to accurately predict real-time traffic demand and associated congestion. However, traditional network modeling approaches have shortcomings due to the complexity in traffic flow modeling, limited scope to incorporate real-time data available from emerging data sources and requiring excessive computation time to generate accurate estimation of traffic flows. Advancement in traffic sensing technologies with big data has created a new opportunity to overcome these challenges and implement deployable …
On Mode Transition Phenomenon And Operating Conditions In Rotating Detonation Rocket Engines, Taha Rezzag-Lebza
On Mode Transition Phenomenon And Operating Conditions In Rotating Detonation Rocket Engines, Taha Rezzag-Lebza
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
The work presented herein consist of first studying the instantaneous properties of the detonation waves in a rotating detonation rocket engine by tracking each individual wave and recording its position, velocity, and peak intensity as it travels around the annulus. Results for a steady portion of a test performed on a rotating detonation rocket engine show that the wave properties exhibit oscillatory behavior. Results obtained from the rotating detonation rocket engine show that the properties are highly dependent on the azimuthal position. In an attempt to understanding the cause of such a behavior, similar investigations were performed on an air-breathing …
A Framework For The Design And Characterization Of Advanced Gaskets, Sannmit Shinde
A Framework For The Design And Characterization Of Advanced Gaskets, Sannmit Shinde
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Most industrial manufacturing or processing plants use bolted connections between pipes that transfer media from one location to another. Gaskets are often used to seal these systems as they offer elevated levels of leak mitigation; however, despite their nearly universal usage, the current understanding of gasket mechanics at the meso-scale is still limited. Contemporary gaskets feature viscoelastic materials, fillers, textures, and are fabricated at various thicknesses. They are used in a wide range of thermal, mechanical, chemical, and temporal conditions. The current work characterizes polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) gaskets made with several different filler materials and having vastly different geometries. The chemically …
Self Adaptive Reinforcement Learning For High-Dimensional Stochastic Systems With Application To Robotic Control, Sayyed Jaffar Ali Raza
Self Adaptive Reinforcement Learning For High-Dimensional Stochastic Systems With Application To Robotic Control, Sayyed Jaffar Ali Raza
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
A long standing goal in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) is to develop agents that can perceive richer problem space and effortlessly plan their activity in minimal duration. Several strides have been made towards this goal over the last few years due to simultaneous advances in compute power, optimized algorithms, and most importantly evident success of AI based machines in nearly every discipline. The progress has been especially rapid in area of reinforcement learning (RL) where computers can now plan-ahead their activities and outperform their human rivals in complex problem domains like chess or Go game. However, despite encouraging …