Digital Commons Network^™

Performance Of Sensor Fusion For Vehicular Applications, Nikola Janevski

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Sensor fusion is a key system in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, ADAS. The perfor-
mance of the sensor fusion depends on many factors such as the sensors used, the kinematic
model used in the Extended Kalman Filter, EKF, the motion of the vehicles, the type of
road, the density of vehicles, and the gating methods. The interactions between parameters
and the extent to which individual parameters contribute to the overall accuracy of a sensor
fusion system can be difficult to assess.
In this study, a full-factorial experimental evaluation of a sensor fusion system based
on a real vehicle was performed. …

Learning Mathematics While Black In Rural Appalachia: Black Students' Counterstories And Freedom Dreams About Mathematics Education, Sean P. Freeland

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation aims to illuminate and uncover the experiences of Black students’ learning mathematics in rural Appalachia and specifically West Virginia. The focal theory for this study is Critical Race Theory (CRT) which centers the experience of Black students and their voices. The intersection of race, mathematics education, and the context of rural Appalachia contribute to the analysis of these experiences in specific ways. Participants for this study included six Black high school students from various communities throughout West Virginia. Through interviews and mathematical autobiographies, these students shared their experiences learning mathematics across their schooling experiences and also considering their …

Hot-Carrier Dynamics And Transport Mechanisms In Inas/Alassb Multiple Quantum Wells, Herath Pathiranage Janaka Chathuranga Piyathilaka

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Semiconductor photovoltaics convert light into electricity through the extraction of photo-excited charge carriers. Among the most important parameters for a photovoltaic cell are good optical absorption in the desired region of the electromagnetic spectrum, and sufficient excited-state lifetimes and mobilities of the photocarriers to allow for charge separation and extraction before recombination. For solar cell applications there are significant challenges to overcome to improve the efficiency of the light-to-electricity conversion. The cells are most commonly made of silicon, which has a nearly perfect bandgap for absorbing the most solar radiation, an indirect bandgap to give a long photocarrier lifetime and …

Generation Of High Performing Morph Datasets, Kelsey Lynn O'Haire

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Facial recognition systems play a vital role in our everyday lives. We rely on this technology from menial tasks to issues as vital as national security. While strides have been made over the past ten years to improve facial recognition systems, morphed face images are a viable threat to the reliability of these systems. Morphed images are generated by combining the face images of two subjects. The resulting morphed face shares the likeness of the contributing subjects, confusing both humans and face verification algorithms. This vulnerability has grave consequences for facial recognition systems used on international borders or for law …

Polychromatic Colorings Of Certain Subgraphs Of Complete Graphs And Maximum Densities Of Substructures Of A Hypercube, Ryan Tyler Hansen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

If G is a graph and H is a set of subgraphs of G, an edge-coloring of G is H-polychromatic if every graph from H gets all colors present in G on its edges. The H-polychromatic number of G, poly_HG, is the largest number of colors in an H-polychromatic coloring. We determine poly_HG exactly when G is a complete graph on n vertices, q a fixed nonnegative integer, and H is the family of one of: all matchings spanning n-q vertices, all 2-regular graphs spanning at least n-q vertices, or all cycles of length precisely n-q. …

Frayed Connections: How Long-Term Nitrogen Additions Disrupt Plant-Soil Interactions And The Carbon Cycle Of A Temperate Forest, Brooke A. Eastman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Forests are expected to mitigate some of the negative effects of climate change by sequestering anthropogenic carbon (C) from the atmosphere, but the degree to which they drawn down C will depend on the availability of key nutrients, such as nitrogen (N). There is a fair amount of uncertainty in the future of the forest C sink, mostly owing to the fate of soil organic matter (SOM) and soil heterotrophic respiration to future conditions. In N limited systems, plants allocate a significant amount of their photosynthate belowground for the acquisition of nutrients, but under conditions of chronic N deposition, plants …

Hydrocarbon Pay Zone Prediction Using Ai Neural Network Modeling., Darren D. Guedon

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This paper captures the ability of AI neural network technology to analyze petrophysical datasets for pattern recognition and accurate prediction of the pay zone of a vertical well from the Santa Fe field in Kansas.

During this project, data from 10 completed wells in the Santa Fe field were gathered, resulting in a dataset with 25,580 records, ten predictors (logs data), and a single binary output (Yes or No) to identify the availability of Hydrocarbon over a half feet depth segment in the well. Several models composed of different predictors combinations were also tested to determine how impactful some logs …

Extension Of A Bayesian Method For Viral Genome Re-Sequencing To Multi-Dimensional Parameters, Sarah Fleischer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) refers to all sequencing methods post Sanger Sequencing. Sequencing By Synthesis is the most well-known method, however it’s inaccessible price is difficult for some. Thus, a different method also exists, re-sequencing– which relies on a reference genome to check the validity of each base call. The standard for determining the validity of a base call is a one parameter quality score. But, previously a two-parameter Bayesian method was successfully used for re-sequencing the viral genome. However, a quality parameter was previously not used in the construction of the cumulative density function for the likelihood. This paper …

The Largest Linear Subspace Contained In Darboux-Likr Functions On R, Gbrel Mohammad Albkwre

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Consider an arbitrary $\mathcal F\subset\mathbb R^\mathbb R$, where the family $\mathbb R^\mathbb R$ of all functions from $\mathbb R$ to $\mathbb R$ is considered as a linear space over $\mathbb R$. Does $\mathcal F\cup\{0\}$ contain a non-trivial lineal subspace? If so, how big the vector space can be? These questions are at the core of lineability theory. In particular, we say that a family $\mathcal F\subset\mathbb R^\mathbb R$ is {\em lineable (in $\mathbb R^\mathbb R$)}\/ provided there exists an infinite dimensional linear space contained in $\mathcal F\cup\{0\}$.

There has been a lot of attention devoted to lineability problem of subsets …

Design And Control Of Intensified Membrane Reactor Systems Through Module-Based Design Approach, Brent Bishop

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As interest in the modularization and intensification of chemical processes continues to grow, more research must be directed towards the modeling and analysis of intensified process units. Intensified process units such as membrane reactors pose unique challenges pertaining to design and operation that have not been fully addressed in the reported literature. This work aims to address the design and control challenges caused by the integration of phenomena and the loss of degrees of freedom (DOF) that occur in the intensification of modular membrane reactor units.

First, a novel first-principles approach for modeling membrane reactors is developed using the AVEVA …

Uav Path Planning And Multi-Modal Localization For Mapping In A Subterranean Environment, Kieren Yoshiki Samarakoon

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), especially quadcopters, have become popular in academia and industry due to their small size and maneuverability. These UAVs can be programmed to autonomously execute missions that are usually difficult and risky for humans, such as subterranean exploration, infrastructure surveying, and even disaster response. However, inaccessible and remote environments pose a challenge in terms of navigation as they often lack access to Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) connections and lack features. To address these challenges, UAVs are equipped with multiple sensors to acquire different types of data. These include range, acceleration, and even images, …

Using Landsat-Based Phenology Metrics, Terrain Variables, And Machine Learning For Mapping And Probabilistic Prediction Of Forest Community Types In West Virginia, Faith M. Hartley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study investigates the mapping of forest community types for the entire state of West Virginia, USA using Global Land Analysis and Discovery (GLAD) Phenology Metrics analysis ready data (ARD) derived from the Landsat time series and digital terrain variables derived from a digital terrain model (DTM). Both classifications and probabilistic predictions were made using random forest (RF) machine learning (ML) and training data derived from ground plots provided by the West Virginia Natural Heritage Program (WVNHP). The primary goal of this study is to explore the use of globally consistent ARD data for operational forest type mapping over a …

Development Of Capillary Vibrating Sharp-Edge Spray Ionization For Improving Continuous Flow Mass Spectrometry Analysis, Chong Li

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Capillary Vibrating Sharp-Edge Spray Ionization (cVSSI) is new ionization technique developed in the year of 2018. This ionization technique has attractive features such as simplicity, compactness, ease of manipulation, low costs, compatible with continuous flow, etc. However, the development of high performance cVSSI for mass spectrometry analysis is a process that needs unremitting optimizations. In this dissertation, I demonstrate the development of cVSSI for improving continuous flow mass spectrometry analysis. The chapter 2 focuses on improving the ionization efficiency of cVSSI through reducing the droplet size. Three strategies were tested to reduce the droplet size of VSSI. The most effective …

Navigating Abrupt Shifts In Contextual Discourses During A Pandemic And Lack Of Mentorship: A Preservice Teacher’S Journey Developing Critical Pedagogical Discourses, Casey L. King

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study is centered on one English language arts (ELA) preservice teacher’s development of her critical pedagogical discourses (CPD) with the contextual discourses of a school placement for preservice teaching and later shift to a full-time teacher before the placement was complete during a pandemic and in the midst of implementing online learning. Data is drawn from a 4-month interpretive qualitative case study that included classroom observations and semi-structured interviews. The objective for this study included how a preservice teacher uses their beliefs and identity about instruction amid changing contextual discourses in a pandemic and with a lack of mentorship. …

Synthesis And Cyclotrimerization Of Sulfonyl Enynes, Alexa C. Martin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The synthesis of complex, polysubstituted aromatic rings from simple, non-aromatic building blocks is a consistent challenge to the synthetic community. Neopentylene ring fusions are found in several natural products but are largely absent from synthetic compound libraries. This discrepancy reflects the limitations in modern chemical synthesis. Utilizing, in part, a thoroughly developed fragmentation/olefination methodology from the Dudley Lab, a library of novel 1-sulfonyl-1,6-enynes have been developed. In this methodology, they are prepared in three steps from dimedone (5,5-dimethyl-1,3-cyclohexanedione), an inexpensive starting material. A total of 14 novel 1-sulfonyl-1,6-enynes were synthesized. These substrates were subjected to a novel benzannulation reaction based …

Deep Radio Observations And The Role Of The Cosmic Web In Galaxy Evolution, Nicholas M. Luber

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A current open question in the evolution of galaxies, is what are the physical mechanisms that cut off galaxies from their primordial gas reservoirs, resulting in the end of their star-formation capabilities? Recent observational programs have shown that the properties of galaxies show dependencies on their placement within the large-scale structure (LSS) of the universe. These observations have motivated recent developments in theoretical work that have shown how a galaxy's interaction with the LSS may impact its connection to primordial gas supply, and ability to continue to accrete gas, the fundamental ingredient in star-formation.

In order to investigate the role …

Computational Analysis Of The Stability Limits Of Premixed Methane-Air Combustion In Micro-Channels, Almoutazbellah Adnan Kutkut

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Technological progress in the last decades facilitated the development of integrated microsystem devices, including electrical and mechanical components for micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). Such systems necessitate an external power supply, but typical batteries yet have some unavoidable limitations. To address this problem, numerous studies have been conducted to develop alternatives powered by micro combustion – in order to effectively utilize the high-density energy of hydrocarbon fuels. Such a global need has resulted in much more attention devoted to the combustion-based micro-power generation systems. However, to better understand the typical combustion characteristics in such microscale systems, design and performance restrictions need to …

Impact Of Radio Frequency Interference And Real-Time Spectral Kurtosis Mitigation, Evan T. Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

We catalog the ubiquity of Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) plaguing every modern radio telescope and investigate several ways to mitigate it in order to create better science-ready data products for astronomers. There are a myriad of possible RFI sources, including satellite uplinks and downlinks, cellular communications, air traffic radar, and natural sources such as lightning. Real-time RFI mitigation strategies must take these RFI characteristics into account, as the interfering signals can look significantly different at very high time and frequency resolutions.

We examine Spectral Kurtosis (SK) as a real-time statistical RFI detection method, and compare its flagging efficacy against simulated …

Bottleneck Management Through Strategic Sequencing In Smart Manufacturing Systems, Sayantee Roy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nowadays, industries put a significant emphasis on finding the optimum order for carrying out jobs in sequence. This is a crucial element in determining net productivity. Depending on the demand criterion, all production systems, including flexible manufacturing systems, follow a predefined sequence of job-based machine operations. The complexity of the problem increases with increasing machines and jobs to sequence, demanding the use of an appropriate sequencing technique. The major contribution of this work is to modify an existing algorithm with a very unusual machine setup and find the optimal sequence which will really minimize the makespan. This custom machine setup …

Detecting Adverse Drug Events Using A Deep Neural Network Model, Saminur Islam

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Adverse drug events represent a key challenge in public health, especially with respect to drug safety profiling and drug surveillance. Drug-drug interactions represent one of the most popular types of adverse drug events. Most computational approaches to this problem have used different types of drug-related information utilizing different types of machine learning algorithms to predict potential interactions between drugs. In this work, our focus is on the use of genetic information about the drugs, in particular, the protein sequence and protein structure of drug protein targets to predict potential interactions between drugs. We collected information on drug-drug interactions (DDIs) from …

Black Walnut Plantations In West Virginia: Maximizing Financial Returns Through Decision Modeling And Cash Flow Analysis, Erin Duffy Shaw

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to identify the management strategies that lead to maximum financial returns from a black walnut plantation. To evaluate a selection of plantation establishment scenarios, thinning treatments, and product objectives, an Excel-based black walnut financial model was updated and revised. Key updates to the model included incorporating three cash flows for 1) the collection and wholesale of black walnut sap, 2) producing black walnut syrup, and 3) leasing black walnut trees for tapping. Additionally, outputs from the Forest Vegetation Simulator were integrated into the model’s growth and yield projections as a means of more accurately …

Deep Learning Detection In The Visible And Radio Spectrums, Greg Clancy Murray

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Deep learning models with convolutional neural networks are being used to solve some of the most difficult problems in computing today. Complicating factors to the use and development of deep learning models include lack of availability of large volumes of data, lack of problem specific samples, and the lack variations in the specific samples available. The costs to collect this data and to compute the models for the task of detection remains a inhibitory condition for all but the most well funded organizations. This thesis seeks to approach deep learning from a cost reduction and hybrid perspective — incorporating techniques …

Aerodynamic Performance Of A Biologically Inspired Hybrid Plasma-Mechanical Flow Control And Sensing Device, Joseph Dygert

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The continued high global demand for passenger and freight air traffic along with increased use of unmanned aerial vehicles operating in broader Reynolds number regimes has resulted in researchers examining alternative technologies, which would result in safer, more reliable, and superior performing aircraft. Aerodynamic flow control may be one of the most promising approaches to solving this problem, having already proven its ability to enable higher flow efficiency while simultaneously improving overall control of flow behavior such as laminar-to-turbulent transition. Recent research in aerodynamic flow control has seen a pronounced growth in the areas of biomimicry and plasma flow control …

Information Theoretical Analysis Of The Uniqueness Of Iris Biometrics, Katelyn M. Hampel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

With the rapid globalization of technology in the world, the need for a more reliable and secure online method of authentication is required. This can be achieved by using each individual’s distinctive biometric identifiers, such as the face, iris, fingerprint, palmprint, etc.; however, there is a bound to the uniqueness of each identifier and consequently, a limit to the capacity that a biometric recognition system can sustain before false matches occur. Therefore, knowing the limitations on the maximum population that a biometric modality can uniquely represent is essential now more than ever. In an effort to address the general problem, …

Combustion Feature Characterization Using Computer Vision Diagnostics Within Rotating Detonation Combustors, Kristyn B. Johnson May

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In recent years, the possibilities of higher thermodynamic efficiency and power output have led to increasing interest in the field of pressure gain combustion (PGC). Currently, a majority of PGC research is concerned with rotating detonation engines (RDEs), devices which may theoretically achieve pressure gain across the combustor. Within the RDE, detonation waves propagate continuously around a cylindrical annulus, consuming fresh fuel mixtures supplied from the base of the RDE annulus. Through constant-volume heat addition, pressure gain combustion devices theoretically achieve lower entropy generation compared to Brayton cycle combustors. RDEs are being studied for future implementation in gas turbines, where …

The Potential Of Diabase Sills In Eastern Pennsylvania To Store Co2 And H2, Rhiannon R. Schmitt

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

With anthropogenic CO₂ concentrations rising, geologic carbon sequestration and H₂ storage are essential processes in mitigating climate change. Typical geologic carbon sequestration involves the capture of anthropogenic CO₂ and injection into depleted oil/gas reservoirs or saline formations with an impermeable cap rock to prevent the buoyant migration of CO₂. The risk of eventual CO₂ migration through these low permeability cap rocks adds expensive monitoring costs to this traditional sequestration strategy. Another method for CO₂ sequestration utilizes the reaction of CO₂ with mafic and ultramafic rocks. CarbFix, a sequestration project in Iceland, has …

Screen Media Use Among Children And Adolescents – Applications Of Supervised And Unsupervised Machine Learning And Sentiment Analysis, Yifan Zhang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Screen media has become increasingly pervasive in our everyday lives and has profoundly changed the way people communicate and interact with each other. However, we are still unclear about the long-term influence of screen media use on our physical health, mental health, and social wellbeing. Children and adolescents are in an important stage of brain development and are susceptible to the environmental influence that screen media possess. This dissertation pursued three aims to address research gaps related to screen media use among children and adolescents: 1) identify topics and knowledge gaps in screen media use research among children and adolescents …

Quantifying Water Security In West Virginia And The Potomac River Basin, Eric Carl Edvard Sinius Sjostedt

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

All healthy ecosystems, communities, and economies are founded on access to clean, adequate water sources to support ecosystem services, provide clean drinking water, and allow the production of water-intensive goods and services. The state of available water resources must be analyzed through the lens of water security, defined as the capability to safeguard sustainable access to adequate quantities of acceptable quality water for people, the economy, and ecosystems. Mountain regions are sources of freshwater resources for downstream regions, which produce disproportionately higher runoff than downstream regions. As a result, mountain regions are often referred to as natural water towers …

Exploring How Children Use Their Everyday Thinking To Construct Scientific Explanations Of The Natural World, Ashley Nicole Kooken

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory study was to describe and explain children’s thinking present in multiple related contexts surrounding a single Earth Space disciplinary core idea in order to provide insight on whether and how children’s everyday thinking forms the basis for learning in science classrooms. As most previous work on children’s thinking focuses more on what ideas and thinking are present within specific science learning contexts, there is a knowledge gap as to how children’s everyday ideas across multiple contexts provide the basis from which they construct a deeper conceptual understanding about scientific phenomenon in the world …

Monitoring The Systemic Immune System To Understand And Improve The Efficacy Of Immunotherapy For Metastatic Osteosarcoma, Justin Edward Markel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a complex tumor with no effective targeted therapies due to its genomic heterogeneity and pleomorphism. The immune response it creates, particularly against metastatic lesions, is considerable; however, various suppressive mechanisms induced by the tumor prohibit its effectiveness. The presence of infiltrating lymphocytes suggests that therapeutic disinhibition through checkpoint blockade could increase antitumor immunity, though none have been successful in clinical trials. The complexities of the immune response to OS tumors have yet to be unraveled; however, there is evidence to suggest that cell-mediated immunity (CMI, specifically T cells, Natural Killer [NK] cells, and myeloid-lineage cells [MLCs]) plays …