Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

System Analysis Of An Internal Combustion Engine (Ice) – Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (Sofc) Hybrid Cycle, Jose Javier Colon Rodriguez

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Due to the intermittent nature of renewable energy and the rigid operation of existing coal plants, the need for flexible power generation technology is eminent. Hybrid energy systems have shown potential for flexible, grid following dynamics while maintaining higher efficiencies. The work below focuses on the performance analysis of a proposed 100 kW pressurized Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) and Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) hybrid system. The un-utilized fuel from the SOFC stack provided the chemical energy to operate the engine. A turbocharger was used to deliver the necessary air flow for both the stack and engine. An external reformer …

Optimal Deployment Of Air Vehicle As Communication Relay For Multiple Ground Vehicles, Juan David Pabon Arias

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Heterogeneous teams of both air and ground mobile vehicles can combine the advantages of mobility, sensing capability, and operation time when performing complex tasks. However, when ground vehicles operate in cluttered environments with randomized obstacles, they may experience line of sight (LoS) obstructions and loss of communication due to those obstacles. To mitigate this issue, an airborne relay can be positioned in the vicinity of the ground vehicles to aid communication by establishing two-hop communication links between the vehicles.

This thesis develops an analytical framework to calculate the probability of spanning a two-hop communication between a pair of ground vehicles …

Challenges And Solutions For Native Mandarin-Chinese Speakers In Singing German Lieder, Fei Xia

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

ABSTRACT Challenges and Solutions for Native Mandarin-Chinese Speakers in Singing German Lieder Fei Xia The purpose of this research is to focus on the challenges faced by Mandarin-Chinese speaking singers singing German Lieder, as well as providing these singers with solutions for overcoming these difficulties. Singing art songs such as French Mélodies and German Lieder can greatly improve singers’ artistic and aesthetic values because of the beauty of the poetry and the language. However, it is very difficult for native Mandarin- Chinese speakers to sing German Lieder. Some of the primary difficulties faced by Mandarin-Chinese-speaking singers are German diction and …

The Diversity And Synaptic Connectivity Of Somatostatin-Containing Inhibitory Interneurons In The Somatosensory (Barrel) Cortex, Rachel Elaine Hostetler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The neocortex is the most evolutionarily advanced part of the mammalian brain and is responsible for a multitude of important tasks, such as sensory processing, movement, memory and learning and, in humans, cognition, and language. Within the neocortex, there are intricate circuits of neurons that are responsible for these tasks. These circuits are comprised of a delicate balance of excitatory and inhibitory neurons. Inhibitory interneurons have the crucial role of constraining and controlling the amount of excitation in the brain; disruptions in this balance can lead to a number of neuropsychiatric diseases and disorders. Our studies focused on the subpopulation …

Footwear Image Quality Classification: Using Subjective Assessments And Objective Image Metrics To Predict Impression Quality, En-Tni Lin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Shoeprints deposited during the commission of a crime vary in quality as a function of numerous factors, such as substrates, media, and the specific physical activities carried out by perpetrators. This variability in impression quality impacts the amount of information available from questioned crime scene impressions, and therefore an examiner's confidence in providing opinions of source attribution. In response, this research attempted to characterize footwear impression quality based on image sharpness, contrast, entropy, homogeneity, noise, quantity of information, and complexity, and to integrate these hand-engineered feature descriptions with subjective opinions of impression quality.

The methodology followed a five-pronged approach. First, …

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 …

Evaluation Of Changes In Cellular Behavior Upon Exposure To Selected Analytes Used In Synthetic Applications, Olivia L. Rose

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are organic crystalline hybrids that have been used for a variety of applications from catalysis to gas storage and drug delivery. Studies have shown that generally, while such frameworks are more biocompatible than similar aspect ratio nanostructures, they are also more prone to transformation and disintegration due to their flexible and fragile nature as resulted from the structure assembly and implemented structure-function relationships. With extensive previous literature showing that materials with nano dimensions such as carbon nanotubes, quantum dots and other nanomaterials have unique physicochemical properties that lead to increased biosystems’ reactivity. With increasing concerns regarding adverse …

Abundance-Habitat Relationships And Aquatic-Terrestrial Habitat Selection Patterns For Wood Turtles (Glyptemys Insculpta) In The Upper Midwest, Jena Marie Staggs

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Due to range-wide population declines, wood turtles (Glyptemys insculpta) are under review for federal listing under the United States Endangered Species Act. Understanding how habitat associations and environmental conditions influence population dynamics and spatiotemporal activity patterns is fundamental for designing effective management strategies. Previous work on wood turtle abundance-habitat relationships focused on broad-scale habitat relationships in northeastern North America. However, regional differences in climate, habitat conditions, and land use patterns limit their applicability to much of the wood turtle’s Upper Midwest distribution. Much of our understanding of wood turtle activity patterns is based on radiotelemetry studies, which are biased towards …

Energy Digital Twins In Smart Manufacturing Systems, Anna Billey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In this thesis, an Energy Digital Twin for smart manufacturing systems was developed and evaluated. In particular, the study focused on bidirectional parameter communication between the physical and the virtual part with the aim of optimizing the energy used in the manufacturing process. Rising costs and the environmental impacts related to energy consumption have grown in importance worldwide. There are elevated concerns in sectors like manufacturing, leading to an urgent quest to reduce energy consumption. A recent advancement in Industry 4.0 technology, the Digital Twin, represents a promising smart technology and tool that researchers are investigating to help reduce energy …

Lithium-Ion Battery Safety Analysis With Physical Sub-Models, Samuel Abimbola Ogunfuye

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Ever-increasing explosions occurring globally at a rapid rate and in diverse situations have re-established the fact that novel, faster, and more accurate approaches must be developed to analyze and possibly curb these explosions and avert their future occurrences. Experimental endeavors and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations as compared to engineering models generally require enormous time, and resources, as well as a high-level of expertise and technicalities. This might, however, delay prompt analysis and the ability to draw conclusions, thereby causing setbacks in recommending safety measures for different situations and conditions. Therefore, robust models which are accurate and fast to give …

Face Image And Video Analysis In Biometrics And Health Applications, Na Zhang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Computer Vision (CV) enables computers and systems to derive meaningful information from acquired visual inputs, such as images and videos, and make decisions based on the extracted information. Its goal is to acquire, process, analyze, and understand the information by developing a theoretical and algorithmic model. Biometrics are distinctive and measurable human characteristics used to label or describe individuals by combining computer vision with knowledge of human physiology (e.g., face, iris, fingerprint) and behavior (e.g., gait, gaze, voice). Face is one of the most informative biometric traits. Many studies have investigated the human face from the perspectives of various different …

The Application Of Time Series Analysis To Injury Epidemiology Data, Eric Wayne Lundstrom

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Introduction: Injury fatality rates in the United States (US) decreased throughout the majority of the 20th century, mostly due to declining rates of occupational and motor vehicle injuries. However, near the beginning of the 21st century, fatal injury rates in the US began to increase. This is principally due to the nation’s opioid epidemic, which has been characterized by different epidemic “waves”, each driven by overdoses associated with specific substances. Given the temporally dynamic nature of US injury trends, this study aimed to explore the application of time series analysis to injury data in the US. First, rates of non-fatal …

The Everyday Work-Lives Of Public Librarians In A Diverse Us City, Mariam Jalalifard

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation is situated within the context of the author's personal experience as a librarian of color and educator, exploring the dissonance between the perceived value of their role and their own understanding of its worth. The study aims to bring to light the processes that shape the experiences of female librarians, particularly those who are women of color. The research is informed by Institutional Ethnography (IE) and Narrative Analysis, which focus on the everyday lived experiences of people as the research problematic, and progress through layers to uncover how external power structures influence daily life. Five active female and …

Distributed Energy Infrastructure Development: Geospatial & Economic Feasibility In Rural West Virginia, Xinming Andy Zhang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Energy transition from conventional to centralized power plants, including coal-fired units, is critical for West Virginia’s long-term energy and economic future. The socioeconomic downturn in West Virginia was deeply connected with the dependence on the centralized coal industry and the coal economy. Most traditional coal communities in rural West Virginia struggle to maintain economic viability, potentially leading to outmigrations and poor energy resilience. I investigated the possibility of introducing community-sized distributed energy systems in these rural communities to improve energy resilience and accommodate the future transition from centralized coal-generated energy.

My goal was to identify rural regions where distributed energy …

Spin Recovery Analysis On A Simulation Model Of The Nasa F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle (Harv) Using Thrust Vectoring, Brock M. Dolly

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the early years of aviation, spins were poorly understood and frequently fatal. With just over a century of research and experiments dedicated to spins, today’s aviation world has a very firm grasp on spin aerodynamics. Most fighter aircraft have airframes and control surfaces specifically designed to ensure the ability of departure from the possible spin modes the aircraft can enter. An alternative and/or additional approach is given by thrust vectoring. Implementing thrust vectoring into spin recovery can potentially save an aircraft and/or the life of the pilot in situation where control-surface-only spin recovery is not able to recover the …

Influence Of Maternal Nano-Titanium Dioxide Inhalation Exposure On Cyclooxygenase Metabolites: Maternal Microvascular And Sexually Dimorphic Feto-Placental Outcomes., Julie Anne Griffith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nano-titanium dioxide (nano-TiO₂) is an engineered nanomaterial (ENM), which is widely utilized in diverse products like surface coatings, cosmetics, medical devices, and filters. Inhaled nano-TiO₂ has been demonstrated to induce pulmonary inflammation, impair microvascular function, and hinder generational reproductive endpoints. These outcomes indicate why it is important to explore gestation, as it requires timely vascular adaptations to support maternal and fetal health and development. Therefore, the central hypothesis of my dissertation is: maternal nano-TiO₂ inhalation exposure will impact maternal microvascular function and fetoplacental hemodynamics and function in a sexually dimorphic manner.

The first purpose of …

The Role Of Digital Spaces In Caring For Children With Feeding Tubes: Home, Family, And Community Reconsidered, Sara Gilbert Loftus

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Abstract

This dissertation draws from feminist geographic research to critically examine the landscapes of care traversed by family caregivers of children with feeding tubes and complex medical and long-term care needs. Drawing from theories and methodologies from feminist disability and digital geographies, in combination with feminist science technology studies (STS), I explore the impact of neoliberal policy changes on daily caregiving tasks and how families, in response to these policy changes, (re)create digital spaces and relationships to satisfy their unmet needs. This research examines the growing and shifting roles of digital spaces in the everyday lives of marginalized and/or vulnerable …

Linkages Between Atmospheric Circulation, Weather, Climate, Land Cover And Social Dynamics Of The Tibetan Plateau, Shobha Kumari Yadav

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) is an important landmass that plays a significant role in both regional and global climates. In recent decades, the TP has undergone significant changes due to climate and human activities. Since the 1980s anthropogenic activities, such as the stocking of livestock, land cover change, permafrost degradation, urbanization, highway construction, deforestation and desertification, and unsustainable land management practices, have greatly increased over the TP. As a result, grasslands have undergone rapid degradation and have altered the land surface which in turn has altered the exchange of heat and moisture properties between land and the atmosphere. But gaps …

Understanding The Relationship Between Landscape Characteristics And Public Preferences: A Case Study In A Proposed Appalachian Geopark Project In Southern West Virginia, United States, Ganga Nakarmi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this dissertation was to understand the relationship between landscape characters and public preferences in the proposed Appalachian Geopark (pAGP) in southern West Virginia, United States (U.S.). This region was well-known for industrial activities such as coal mining logging and railways during the 1800s. With the diminishing industrial activities, the region was left behind with degraded environmental factors including landscapes and an economically challenged society. Because of these conditions, there is a need to develop this region without further damaging the lands and implement proper land management policies and practices. Understanding characteristics of those lands from the past …

Spatiotemporal Trends In Particle-Associated Microbial Communities In A Chlorinated Drinking Water Distribution System, Madison Haddix

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Bacteria can survive treatment and enter drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs), or enter DWDSs through intrusion or maintenance work on the system. DWDSs can also be suitable environments for bacterial regrowth. Many factors can affect the microbial community composition of DWDSs, including various spatiotemporal, hydraulic, and water quality parameters. Although most bacteria within DWDSs are harmless, opportunistic pathogens, such as Legionella pneumophila, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Mycobacterium avium, can inhabit DWDSs and premise plumbing and are the leading cause of waterborne disease outbreaks in developed countries. Previous studies have attempted to establish relationships between various parameters and microbial …

Ambient Ammonia Synthesis Via Microwave-Catalytic Materials And Plasma Chemistry, Siobhan Brown

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Ammonia is critical to supporting human life on earth because of its use as fertilizer. The Haber-Bosch process to produce ammonia has been practiced for over 100 years. This process operates at high pressure and temperature to overcome the thermodynamic and kinetic limitations of the ammonia synthesis reaction thus researchers have tried to overcome it for decades. At present this process represents 1% of global energy usage and 2.5% of global CO₂ emissions. The proposed chemical looping ammonia synthesis approach seeks to reduce the environmental impact of this critical process and to elucidate microwave-catalytic principles.

This research aims to …

Art-Based Social And Emotional Learning Curriculum In The K-6 Classroom: A Mixed Methods Study, Michelle Fegeley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Preparing elementary school students to succeed in a learning environment that was significantly transformed by a global pandemic will require a major investment in new curricula that focuses more on social and emotional learning and less on standards that primarily emphasize just knowing and doing. This research investigates how the implementation of social emotional learning and SEL-based art activities in the art classroom can help to lower student stress levels in the elementary school art classroom. By providing learners with an opportunity to grow socially and emotionally, teachers may help students understand their feelings and use artmaking as a way …

Optimal Design And Operation Of Integrated Hydrogen Generation And Utilization Plants, Ijiwole Solomon Ijiyinka

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

There are considerable efforts worldwide for reducing the use of fossil fuel for energy production. While renewable energy sources are being increasingly used, fossil fuel still contribute about 80% of the energy used worldwide. As a result, the level of CO₂ is still increasing fast in the atmosphere currently exceeding about 410 parts per million (ppm). For reducing CO₂ build up in the atmosphere, various approaches are being investigated. For the electric power generation sector, two key approaches are post-combustion CO₂ capture and use of hydrogen as a fuel for power generation. These two solutions can also …

Generative Prior For Unsupervised Image Restoration, Ahmed Cheikh Sidiya

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The challenge of restoring real world low-quality images is due to a lack of appropriate training data and difficulty in determining how the image was degraded. Recently, generative models have demonstrated great potential for creating high- quality images by utilizing the rich and diverse information contained within the model’s trained weights and learned latent representations. One popular type of generative model is the generative adversarial network (GAN). Many new methods have been developed to harness the information found in GANs for image manipulation. Our proposed approach is to utilize generative models for both understanding the degradation of an image and …

Governance From Below: Decentralization, Innovation, And Disaster Management In East Asia, Fatemah Muneer Nawabdin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Research on decentralization has emphasized that the distribution of power between the national and local levels has different effects on various outcomes. This dissertation aims to contribute to this discussion by shedding light on the three types of decentralization (political, fiscal, and administrative) and their effect on two main outcomes: the production of technological and intellectual innovation and COVID-19 management. I argue that decentralization – including its three types – works differently under different conditions, resulting in different outcomes. That is, fiscal and administrative decentralization empower local decision-makers to make autonomous decisions, which can be beneficial for promoting innovation, but …

Three Essays On Environmental And Energy Economics, Maher F. Mekky

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In this dissertation, three related topics are investigated about environmental and energy economics. The research in these essays utilize panel data and regression models. The overall theme of these essays is to explore the relationships between energy and the environment in the United States (U.S.).

In the first essay, using data from fifty U.S. states between 2012 and 2020, the impacts of three types of state level policies on electric vehicles (EV) adoption are examined: 1) policies that mitigate the environmental impacts from energy production, 2) policies that provide financial incentives to consumers for EV purchase, and 3) policies that …

Feasibility Of Applying Motion Magnification In Subsurface Defect Detection For Concrete And Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Specimens, Nagavardhani Malineni

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Irrespective of size and complexity, every civil infrastructure needs certain scrutiny regarding its structural health to ensure its serviceability during its lifetime. In olden times such scrutiny was done with the aid of destructive testing methods using sensors that required cumbersome and expensive installations and led to the destruction of at least part of the tested specimen. However, in recent times, many non-destructive methods, such as acoustic emission testing, electromagnetic testing, and laser testing methods have emerged, leaving the specified tested specimen undisturbed. With the advancement in sensor technology like motion magnification and with the help of access to high-speed …

Impacts Of Temperature And Salt Concentrations For Thermal Inactivation Of Salmonella In Moisture Enhanced Reconstructed Chicken Patties, Alik D. Browning

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this experiment is to determine the thermal kinetic parameters of Salmonella in moisture-enhanced, reconstructed ground chicken patties as affected by temperatures and salt concentrations. Salmonella is responsible for 35% of the foodborne illnesses associated with poultry products (Batz et al., 2011). Nonintact reconstructed chicken meat is mixed with brine solutions containing various salt and polyphosphate concentrations to increase water-holding capacity, decrease cooking losses, improve sensory tasting scores, and maintain the good quality of completed chicken products (Gill et al., 2004). Increasing salt concentrations within meats can increase the thermal inactivation of pathogens. In this study, Salmonella Typhimurium …

Personality And Academic Performance In College, Jacob E. Alderson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Despite mounting evidence for the role of personality in predicting college level academic performance, there are aspects of this association that are still unexplained. With a sample of U.S. undergraduates at a large Appalachian university, this study sought to further establish what is already known about the association between personality and grade point average, credits earned, and retention rates by testing for both linear and quadratic effects. Results showed linear positive effects of conscientiousness, negative linear effects of openness and nonlinear effects of neuroticism for GPA. However, personality traits were not associated with either retention or credits earned. These findings …