Digital Commons Network^™

Forecasting And Optimizing Sensitivity To Low-Frequency Gravitational Waves, Andrew Ryan Kaiser

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Pulsars are among the most exotic objects in our Universe. These rapidly
spinning, high magnetic field neutron stars can be used for a wide range of
scientific studies: from the makeup of their own extremely dense and poorly
understood interior to using their extremely regular signals to detect gravita-
tional waves (GWs). Pulsar timing continues to expand to broader communi-
ties, with larger and more sensitive radio telescopes planned and partnerships
between pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) that span the entire globe. A realm of
new physics with the detection of a background hum of gravitational waves
from black holes merging …

The Influence Of Instrumental Sources Of Variance On Mass Spectral Comparison Algorithms, Isabel Cristina Galvez Valencia

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Current search algorithms for the identification of substances based only on their electron ionization mass spectra provide the correct compound as their top result approximately 80% of the time. One contributing factor to the ~20% deviation in the first-hit recognition rate is that traditional algorithms work by comparing the unknown spectrum to an ‘ideal’ or consensus spectrum of each reference compound. The inclusion of replicate reference spectra in a database has been shown to improve the probability of ranking the correct identity in the number one position, but the variance in ion abundances caused by different conditions or different instruments …

Drift Orbit Bifurcation Effects On Earth’S Radiation Belt Electrons, Jinbei Huang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Energetic charged particles trapped in the Earth’s radiation belt form a hazardous space environment for artificial electronic systems and astronauts. The study of Earth's radiation belt is becoming increasingly important with the development of communication technology, which plays a significant role in modern society. Earth’s radiation belt is highly dynamic, and the electron flux can drop by several orders of magnitude within a few hours which is called radiation belt dropout. The fast dropout of energetic electrons in the radiation belt, despite its significance, has not been thoroughly studied. One of the most compelling outstanding questions in Earth's radiation belt …

Imitation Learning For Swarm Control Using Variational Inference, Hafeez Olafisayo Jimoh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Swarms are groups of robots that can coordinate, cooperate, and communicate to achieve tasks that may be impossible for a single robot. These systems exhibit complex dynamical behavior, similar to those observed in physics, neuroscience, finance, biology, social and communication networks, etc. For instance, in Biology, schools of fish, swarm of bacteria, colony of termites exhibit flocking behavior to achieve simple and complex tasks. Modeling the dynamics of flocking in animals is challenging as we usually do not have full knowledge of the dynamics of the system and how individual agent interact. The environment of swarms is also very noisy …

Workflow For Integrating Geomechanics, Hydraulic Fracturing, And Reservoir Simulation To Determine Marcellus Shale Horizontal Well Production Potential, Awadh Aljassasi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The main goal of the study was to accurately predict the production potential of Marcellus shale horizontal well with multistage of hydraulic fractures by incorporating geomechanical factors, gas adsorption, hydraulic fracturing treatment data in the reservoir simulation model. To achieve this goal, core plug measurements, well logs, image logs, hydraulic fracture treatment data, and production data were analyzed, combined, and used to develop a reservoir simulation model. Rocks mechanical properties were estimated from the well logs and then correlated with the core measurement to accurately predict the minimum horizontal stress in the reservoir. Adsorption characteristics, porosity, and permeability were estimated …

Quantifying Variation In High-Quality Footwear Replicate Impressions, Samantha K. Brady

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A footwear impression collected at a crime scene can provide information about the shoe that created it, yielding investigative leads, excluding persons-of-interest, and linking evidence between cases. The analysis of footwear evidence often requires the preparation of test impressions from known exemplar shoes created under controlled laboratory conditions for comparison to questioned impressions. The goal of these comparisons is to evaluate the degree of similarities and differences between the questioned impression and potential sources.

Given that this comparison leads to an assessment of the nature and degree of agreement between questioned and known impressions, it is important to characterize the …

Finite Matroidal Spaces And Matrological Spaces, Ziyad M. Hamad

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this thesis is to present new different spaces as attempts to generalize the concept of topological vector spaces. A topological vector space, a well-known concept in mathematics, is a vector space over a field \mathbb{F} with a topology that makes the addition and scalar multiplication operations of the vector space continuous functions. The field \mathbb{F} is usually \mathbb{R} or \mathbb{C} with their standard topologies. Since every vector space is a finitary matroid, we define two spaces called finite matroidal spaces and matrological spaces by replacing the linear structure of the topological vector space with a finitary matroidal …

Multimaterial, Core-Shell Direct Ink Writing Of Flexible Strain Sensors For Pneumatically-Actuated Soft Robotic Hinge Joints, John Michael Burke

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Direct ink writing (DIW) provides for an expansive material library and the ability to print multiple materials with tailored functionalities in a controllable and single-step process. Particularly beneficial is the net shape printing under ambient conditions of a wide range of materials normally incompatible with one another. Coaxial DIW is a 3D printing technique that allows for two dissimilar inks to be extruded simultaneously in a co-flow manner. In this work, custom-designed coaxial nozzles were 3D-printed using a stereolithography printer. Composite inks comprised of thermoplastic polyurethane and silver were developed and studied. The coaxial nozzles were then used to co-extrude …

Bedrock Channel Geometry: Meter To Micron Scale Controls On Fluvial Incision, Nicholas J. Colaianne

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The relative resistance of various rock types to incisional processes vary widely and the properties governing bedrock erodibility are poorly understood. Lithologic properties influencing erodibility are the culmination of a rock’s depositional, diagenetic, and exhumation processes. Difficulty identifying a convenient physical proxy for erodibility suggests examining evidence of these processes holistically may offer insight into the role of each in setting a rock’s resistance to incisional forces. In this study we use measured channel geometries along a short stretch of the Dry Fork, WV hosting three distinct lithologic settings to infer relative erodibility against measured and observed fluvial, lithologic, and …

Solid State Nmr Analysis Of Insect Wing Membranes, Samuel Eddy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Solid State NMR is a powerful tool for analyzing the chemical composition of insects. Previous studies have used Solid State NMR to investigate the chemical composition and investigate the sclerotization (tanning) process of insect exoskeletons. Acquiring sufficient exoskeleton sample for analysis has been relatively simple. This is however not the case for other components of an insect’s physiology, particularly the wing membrane material. The wings of an insect only compose a small percentage of their overall body mass, and many hundreds to thousands of insects must be processed in order to achieve a few milligrams of wing membrane sample. The …

Comparative Analysis Of Artificial Intelligence And Numerical Reservoir Simulation In Marcellus Shale Wells, Arya Maher Sattari

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation addresses the limitations of conventional numerical reservoir simulation techniques in the context of unconventional shale plays and proposes the use of data-driven artificial intelligence (AI) models as a promising alternative. Traditional methods, while providing valuable insights, often rely on simplifying assumptions and are constrained by time, resources, and data quality. The research leverages AI models to handle the complexities of shale behavior more effectively, facilitating accurate predictions and optimizations with less resource expenditure.

Two specific methodologies are investigated for this purpose: traditional numerical reservoir simulations using Computer Modelling Group's GEM reservoir simulation software, and an AI-based Shale Analytics …

Applications Of Digital Filters In Radio Astronomy, Joseph William Kania

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The radio sky spans tens of orders of magnitude in length, density, and time.
In this thesis, using novel filtering techniques and two different telescopes,
we investigate two tracers of cosmic structure: Baryon Acoustic Oscillations
(BAOs) and Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs). BAOs formed as the universe cooled
after the Big Bang. BAOs provide a fiducial length scale of the universe
throughout cosmic time and thus can be used to understand how the universe
is evolving. FRBs are very bright, short timescale, bursts of as-yet unknown
origin which occur uniformly on the sky at a rate of a few thousand per …

Probabilistic Short Term Solar Driver Forecasting With Neural Network Ensembles, Joshua Daniell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Commonly utilized space weather indices and proxies drive predictive models for thermosphere density, directly impacting objects in low-Earth orbit (LEO) by influencing atmospheric drag forces. A set of solar proxies and indices (drivers), F_10.7, S_10.7, M_10.7, and Y_10.7, are created from a mixture of ground based radio observations and satellite instrument data. These solar drivers represent heating in various levels of the thermosphere and are used as inputs by the JB2008 empirical thermosphere density model. The United States Air Force (USAF) operational High Accuracy Satellite Drag Model (HASDM) relies on JB2008, and …

Characterizing & Mitigating Interstellar Scattering In Radio Observations Of Pulsars, Jacob E. Turner

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Pulsars are rapidly rotating neutron stars that emit concentrated beams of radiation from their magnetic poles. Measuring the arrival of these pulses via pulsar timing is a powerful tool in efforts to detect low frequency gravitational waves (GWs). However, the interstellar medium (ISM) presents a significant source of timing uncertainty that must be mitigated to improve the sensitivity of pulsar timing efforts to these GW signals. By examining the effects of pulsar emission interactions with this medium, we can properly correct for the resulting effects in pulsar timing efforts, as well as study the astronomical unit-to-parsec scale structure and behavior …

Biologically – Plausible Load Feedback From Dynamically Scaled Robotic Model Insect Legs, William Zyhowski

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Researchers have been studying the mechanisms underlying animal motor control for many years using computational models and biomimetic robots. Since testing some theories in animals can be challenging, this approach can enable unique contributions to the field. An example of a system that benefits from this modeling and robotics approach is the campaniform sensillum (CS), a kind of sensory organ used to detect the loads exerted on an insect's legs. The CS on the leg are found in groups on high-stress areas of the exoskeleton and have a major influence on the adaptation of walking behavior. The challenge for studying …

Advancing Prosthetic Design Using Neural And Mechanical Dynamics, Kacie E. Hanna

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Limb loss poses a significant challenge to mobility and the performance of daily activities. Currently, nearly half of the amputees using powered prosthetics abandon their device due to inadequate limb coordination and movement control abilities. In the healthy system, passive and neural dynamics facilitate the synchronized activation of muscles necessary for coordinated movement. However, in the amputee, the system is disrupted. The goal of this research is to use neural and mechanical dynamics to inform the design of prosthetic devices in order to restore intuitive control and coordinated limb movement.

The first aim of this research is to investigate neural …

Cluster Homolog Of Immunoglobulin-Like Receptor Genes In Chicken Immune Responses, Brandi A. Sparling

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation explores the identity and role of immunoglobulin-like (Ig-like) receptors in chickens, with focus on their implications in disease and disease progression. These receptors, wisely expressed across immune cells, interact with the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules to modulate immune responses in mammals. Due to the insufficient representation of chicken Ig-like receptors in online databases, this study systematically annotates the chicken Cluster Homolog of Immunoglobulin-like Receptors (CHIR) genes using advanced bioinformatic techniques, aligning with the release of the 7th edition of the chicken genome assembly that comprises builds for a broiler and layer chicken. The analysis identifies …

Ai-Based Smart Proxy Modelling Of Ibdp Field Reservoir Pressure Of Carbon Sequestration, Idongesit Bassey Ansa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in engineering holds great promise for addressing the challenge of climate change. One key focus in the fight against climate change is the geological storage of CO2, which has gained significant attention as a crucial strategy for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. The primary objective is to ensure the safe and controlled containment of injected CO2 over an extended period, which has proven to be a major challenge in the journey toward carbon capture, and geologic storage (CCS). To achieve this goal, several critical tasks must be accomplished. These include ensuring …

Development Of Novel Mass Spectrometry Method For The Analysis Of Complex Compounds, Jing Wang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As mass spectrometry methods continue to advance, there is a growing need for innovative interfaces that can seamlessly integrate sample pretreatment, separation, and ionization, allowing for direct mass analysis while maintaining a simple and flexible system. The evolution of ambient ionization techniques has made it feasible to nebulize analyte compounds at ambient pressure. Moreover, single-cell proteomics using mass spectrometry is gaining increasing attention, necessitating the development of precise sample preparation techniques to enhance sensitivity. In this dissertation, I demonstrate the novel mass spectrometry system to couple the sample pretreatment with the direct mass spectrometry detection for the analysis of diverse …

The Effect Of Different Fracturing Fluids On The Productivity Of Multi-Staged Fractured Marcellus Shale Horizontal Wells, Vida Gyaubea Matey-Korley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

While hydraulic fracturing has undeniably improved the production from oil and gas reservoirs, this technology is not without limitations. The primary hurdles lie in the areas of proppant transport, fluid rheology, and stress management. Despite the extensive research conducted in this domain, there remains a considerable amount of work to be done for comprehensive solutions that account for the complex interactions among fracturing fluid, proppant distribution, and geomechanical conditions. Achieving this will then make room for a holistic and efficient hydraulic fracturing strategy.

This study addresses the above-mentioned problem by examining the impact of fluid type on proppant transport and …

Integrated Immunity-Based Methodology For Uav Monitoring And Control, Ryan G. Mclaughlin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A general integrated and comprehensive health management framework based on the artificial immune system (AIS) paradigm is formulated and an automated system is developed and tested through simulation for the detection, identification, evaluation, and accommodation (DIEA) of abnormal conditions (ACs) on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The proposed methodology involves the establishment of a body of data to represent the function of the vehicle under nominal conditions, called the self, and differentiating this operation from that of the vehicle under an abnormal condition, referred to as the non-self. Data collected from simulations of the selected UAV autonomously flying a set …

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence And Geomechanical Data For Accurate Shear Stress Prediction In Co2 Sequestration Within Saline Aquifers (Smart Proxy Modeling), Munirah Alawadh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research builds upon the success of a previous project that used a Smart Proxy Model (SPM) to predict pressure and saturation in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) operations into saline aquifers. The Smart Proxy Model is a data-driven machine learning model that can replicate the output of a sophisticated numerical simulation model for each time step in a short amount of time, using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and large volumes of subsurface data. This study aims to develop the Smart Proxy Model further by incorporating geomechanical datadriven techniques to predict shear stress by using a neural network, specifically through supervised …

Application Of The Flowing Material Balance To Unconventional Gas Reservoirs, Amanda Jo Parrish

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the realm of conventional reservoirs, the estimation of Original Gas-in-Place (OGIP) has long been established using traditional material balance method. However, the emergence of unconventional shale reservoirs accessed through horizontal well and hydraulic fracturing presents new challenges for estimation OGIP by the traditional material balance. The flowing material balance (FMB) has the potential to provide an estimate of the OGIP in the stimulated reservoir volume (SRV).

Adsorption of hydrocarbons to the organic matter within the shale rock matrix represents a significant component of the overall OGIP. The inclusion of the Langmuir volume and pressure in the material balance equation …

Application Of Computational Biophysics Techniques To Characterize Cell Membrane-Associated Events, Kyle Billings

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Cell membranes are crowded environments which can modulate protein structure-function relationships through interaction with lipids, other proteins, carbohydrate structures and so on. This work focuses the impact of the membrane environment on two varieties of peptides: Microbial rhodopsin proteins, and cyclic peptides.

Life on Earth is dependent on the ability of plants and microbes to harness sunlight for energy production. Their ability to transform light into carbohydrates requires tailor-made machinery, and for a wealth of microorganisms, microbial rhodopsin proteins (MR) are critical for maintaining the concentration gradients used to produce the energy molecule Adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The central retinal molecule …

Exploiting The Advantages And Overcoming The Challenges Of The Cable In A Tethered Drone System, Rogerio Rodrigues Lima

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation proposes solutions for motion planning, localization, and landing of tethered drones using only tether variables. A tether-based multi-model localization framework for tethered drones is proposed. This framework comprises three independent localization strategies based on a different model. The first strategy uses simple trigonometric relations assuming that the tether is taut; the second method relies on a set of catenary equations for the slack tether case; the third estimator is a neural network-based predictor that can cover different tether shapes. Multi-layer perceptron networks previously trained with a dataset comprised of the tether variables (i.e., length, tether angles on the …

Examining The Relations Among Academic And Non-Cognitive Factors And Student Achievement, Dona Sachini Hasanjalie Hewagallage

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Since the 1980s, Physics Education Research (PER) has explored the factors influencing students' success in college. This manuscript reports three different studies to understand the impact of different factors on students' college physics achievement. The first study explored several academic (high school physics preparation, high school preparation, math readiness, and ACT or SAT verbal and mathematics scores) and non-cognitive (self-efficacy, personality, belonging, grade expectation, and demographic) factors using correlation and linear regression analysis to understand their relation to students' physics conceptual understanding measured by the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation (FMCE). High school preparation was found to be the most …

Studies On Depth And Torsion In Tensor Products Of Modules, Uyen Huyen Thao Le

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation represents an in-depth exploration of two distinct yet interconnected research topics within commutative algebra: one centered around a conjecture of Huneke and R. Wiegand and the other concerns a depth inequality of Auslander. It consists of the following three papers as well as the author's work under the direction of Professor Olgur Celikbas:

• Remarks on a conjecture of Huneke and Wiegand and the vanishing of (co)homology, Journal of Mathematical Society of Japan Advance Publication. (joint work with Olgur Celikbas, Hiroki Matsui, and Arash Sadeghi).
• An extension of a depth inequality of Auslander, Taiwanese Journal of Mathematics, …

Investigating The Interactions Of The Iron-Sulfur Mitochondrial Protein, Mitoneet With Its Binding Partners, Ebenezer Osei Newton

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

MitoNEET belongs to the CDGSH Iron-Sulfur Domain (CISD)-gene family of proteins and is a [2Fe-2S] cluster-containing protein found on the outer membrane of mitochondria. The specific functions of mitoNEET/CISD1 remain to be fully elucidated, but the protein is involved in regulating mitochondrial bioenergetics in several metabolic diseases. Unfortunately, drug discovery efforts targeting mitoNEET to improve metabolic disorders are hampered by the lack of ligand-binding assays for this mitochondrial protein. We have developed a protocol amenable for high-throughput screening (HTS) assay, by modifying an ATP fluorescence polarization method to facilitate drug discovery targeting mitoNEET. Based on our observation that adenosine triphosphate …

Implementing Test Automation With Selenium Webdriver, Ramana Inturi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Many software programs, such as applications for designing, modeling, simulating, and analyzing systems, are now commonly available as web-based applications. The testing of such sophisticated web applications is highly challenging and can be extremely tedious and error-prone if done manually. Recently automation tools have become increasingly used for testing web-based applications, as they minimize human involvement and repetitive work.

For this problem report project, we have built and implemented an automation testing framework for web applications. The project specifically uses a tool called Selenium WebDriver, which has been used to develop the testing framework. By using this framework, testers may …

Spatio-Temporal Deep Learning Approaches For Addressing Track Association Problem Using Automatic Identification System (Ais) Data, Md Asif Bin Syed

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the realm of marine surveillance, track association constitutes a pivotal yet challenging task, involving the identification and tracking of unlabelled vessel trajectories. The need for accurate data association algorithms stems from the urge to spot unusual vessel movements or threat detection. These algorithms link sequential observations containing location and motion information to specific moving objects, helping to build their real-time trajectories. These threat detection algorithms will be useful when a vessel attempts to conceal its identity. The algorithm can then identify and track the specific vessel from its incoming signal. The data for this study is sourced from the …