Digital Commons Network^™

Optimizing And Training An Svm-Based Breast Cancer Tumor Classifier, Kevin Lopatka

Master's Theses

With advancements in technology, turning to machine learning has become a popular choice for aiding clinicians in the diagnoses of breast cancer malignancies. While the neural networking approach has been vetted thoroughly, this work aims to take advantage of traditional machine learning techniques; mainly support vector machine learning and the optimizing of feature extraction. The discrete-wavelet transform is used in the feature extraction stage of machine learning. Previous works that use this feature extraction technique are analyzed and expanded upon by utilizing a variety of different wavelets as well as other color-spaces with the goal of achieving higher result metrics …

Modeling And Analysis Of A Hybrid Ac/Dc Green Seaport Power System With Photovoltaic Generation And Battery Energy Storage Systems, Corey Zaas

Master's Theses

This thesis investigates the modeling, simulation, and analysis of a Green Seaport power system integrating photovoltaic (PV) generation, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and coordinated protection within a hybrid AC/DC framework. The work improves a previously established model, enhancing it with detailed protection studies and simultaneous AC/DC power flow analysis using EasyPower software. The system was evaluated under a wide range of operating conditions, including varying solar irradiance, battery charge and discharge states, and both full and zero load conditions. Key performance indicators included voltage regulation, power factor behavior, equipment loading, protection device coordination, and total system power losses. Simulation …

Design And Analysis Of An Isolated Resonant Pulsed Dc-Dc Buck-Boost Converter, Edgar Arturo Mora Tena

Master's Theses

This thesis entails the design, modeling, simulation, construction, and analysis of a new isolated DC-DC buck-boost converter with Zero-Current-Switching (ZCS) operation, continuous input current, and a low-side switch to simplify driving requirements. The proposed converter was designed to regulate a 5V output from an input range of 15V-18V, at a rated output power of 20W, and a switching frequency range of 90kHz-500kHz. Software simulations are performed to develop a mathematical model that describes the converter’s modes of operation, as well as the current and voltage waveforms of the resonant power components. Results from hardware experimentation confirm that the converter effectively …

A Comprehensive Analysis Of The Production Of Biofuels From Nanno 3600 Microalgae And Algae Native To Connecticut Via Greener Alternative Extraction Solvents For Lipid Recovery, Juhkory Najar

Master's Theses

As the world continues to evolve and expand in both technology and population, the energy demand continues to increase as well to keep up with the production of new products and higher production rates. The depletion of fossil fuels and the considerable amount of greenhouse gases from the use of nonrenewable energy sources fuel the demand for renewable energy sources. These renewable energy sources originate from a variety of places, such as wind power, hydroelectric, and solar. Biomass continues to grow in the renewable energy sector due to its versatility in high lipid content and minimal competition with other biomass …

The Rise Of Cyber Conflict As A Policy Tool: A Comparison Of The United States And The People's Republic Of China, Sophia Radzim

Master's Theses

This thesis explores cyber incident trends and its effects on conflict resolution of interstate relationships between the U.S. and China. Key findings of this research discovered that the U.S. relies on diplomatic negotiations to resolve cyber conflicts and does not utilize an aggressive approach within the cyber domain. China, on the other hand, has aggressively expanded its cyber capabilities. They leverage cyber attacks to promote their technology, military, and economy sectors, while undermining the U.S.’ global status as a political leader and innovator. China’s dominance in cyberspace poses a great threat to the national security of the U.S. Through descriptive …

Does 9/11 Still Act As A Motivator For Individuals Entering The Criminal Justice And National Security Fields?, Ashleigh Lane

Master's Theses

The terror attacks on September 11, 2001 changed the world in an instant, leaving lasting effects on the United States and the international community. This thesis investigates whether the 9/11 attacks continue to serve as a motivating factor for individuals pursuing careers in the Criminal Justice and National Security fields, despite the passage of more than two decades since the event.

This study utilizes secondary research analysis to examine data from empirical studies conducted between 2006 and 2022, with a particular emphasis on students enrolled in Criminal Justice programs at institutions of higher education. Key variables explored include personal victimization, …

Extraction Of Bioethanol From Seaweed Via Hydrolysis And Fermentation Using Mass-Produced Enzymes And Yeast, Timilehin Esther Oluwole

Master's Theses

The increasing global energy demand, depletion of fossil fuel reserves, and environmental concerns have driven the search for sustainable biofuel alternatives. Seaweeds (macroalgae) are promising feedstocks for bioethanol production due to their high carbohydrate content, rapid growth rates, lack of lignin, and non-competition with arable land. This study investigates the bioethanol production potential of three seaweed species, Codium fragile, Monostroma grevillei, and Fucus distichus, using enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation via Separate Hydrolysis and Fermentation (SHF) and Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation (SSF) processes. Hydrolysis was catalyzed using either α-Amylase or Celluclast 1.5L, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae was employed for fermentation. Out of …

Evaluating Cannabigerol As A Therapeutic Agent In Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Michael J. Viereckl

Master's Theses

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is a prolific disease worldwide, with rising incidence and limited treatment options. The disease is progressive, what begins as simple lipid congestion within the cells of the liver eventually leads to incitement of inflammatory reactions and destruction of the liver which can further develop into cancer. Epidemiological data suggests that Cannabis use is associated with reduced incidence of NAFLD, and relatively recent changes in the plants legal status now affords us with the opportunity to investigate unstudied cannabinoids in the context of NAFLD. Further, growing popularity of these bioactive compounds as supplements warrants investigation into …

The Adirondack Frontier: Reclaiming A Vital Role In Shaping The Nation, Peter Nelson

Master's Theses

The traditional version of Adirondack history from the revolutionary period to the middle of the nineteenth century, which portrays the region as unexplored primeval wilderness, is nineteenth-century romantic mythology. It ignores thousands of years of Indigenous habitation and misrepresents early Euro-American activity in the region as well. In fact, from the earliest days of colonial exploration of North America until the middle of the 19th-Century, New York's Adirondack region was a dynamic American frontier, as important in shaping the destiny of the nation as the Northwest Territory or, later, the West. Activities in the Adirondack frontier contributed to the decimation …

Dewatering Of Chlorella Algae Using Co2 Gas Hydrate Formation For The Biofuel Production, Sumeet Oak

Master's Theses

When microalgae are processed for producing biofuel, dewatering the algae is an important step, particularly when combined with extracting valuable byproducts like algal oil. Conventional methods like centrifugation and filtration can be harsh on the algae and usually need high-energy inputs. In this work, the new application of CO2 gas hydrates as an algae dewatering agent was investigated. A CO₂ hydrate, CO2-nH2O, where n (n>5.75), is a nonstoichiometric compound where water molecules with hydrogen bonds are structured in an ice-like fashion to form polyhedral cavities. CO₂ gas hydrates are crystalline because gas molecules are trapped in a lattice of …

Assessing The Effect Of Prolonged Saltwater Exposure On Dna Recovery In Submerged Skeletal Remains From Sus Scrofa Domesticus (Erxleben, 1777), Malia Wellens

Master's Theses

Both water-related and mass disasters occurring over or in water (e.g., boating disasters, commercial plane crashes, and natural disasters) result in multiple deaths every year. Due to the ocean's vastness and lack of equipment, remains may not be recovered for some time, resulting in soft tissue decomposition, leaving bone as the last repository of recoverable DNA for identification purposes. Skeletal remains' physical and chemical components protect them from environmental deterioration and biological attack and preserve DNA well. Therefore, identifying an individual may depend on DNA obtained from skeletal remains. However, there is limited research on how long DNA can be …

Postmortem Detection Of Substance P And Met-Enkephalin Expression As A Possible Indicator For Pain Estimation Prior To Death, Amy M. Lischin

Master's Theses

Substance P (SP) and Met-Enkephalin (MET) are neuropeptides critical to the central nervous system (CNS) and are released as immediate responders to physical stressors like pain. In blood, SP and MET adapt based on an incident-death time interval to suggest the potential to use these as biomarkers in the assessment of pain prior to death. The mRNA and DNA manipulations of RNA isolation, cDNA synthesis, and RT-qPCR allowed for investigation into SP and MET gene expression (TACl, TACRl, OGFR) in those who experienced chronic tissue damage (e.g. domestic abuse) as compared to those who underwent an acute pain event (e.g. …

The Distribution Of Spinal Cord Injury Severity Across Age And Injury Location In Frontal Impact Automobile Collisions, Alyssa Teixeira

Master's Theses

Automobile collisions are a leading cause of spinal cord injuries (SCIs) worldwide, accounting for about 42% of SCIs in the United States alone (McDonald & Sadowsky, 2002; Roberts et al., 2017). The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies road traffic injuries as the leading cause of death for individuals aged 5-29 years, emphasizing the urgent need for effective prevention strategies (World Health Organization, 2023). The primary aim of this study was to identify differences in spinal column injury severity and location (cervical, thoracic, or lumbar) across multiple age groups to identify any discrepancies or similarities. A total of 302 traffic accidents …

Impact Of Temperature And Microbial Infection On The Honey Bee Hemocytes, Michael E. Oeth

Master's Theses

Introduction

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) rely on hemocytes for immunity, wound healing, and hemolymph homeostasis. While 32°C reflects optimal hive conditions, suboptimal temperatures (22°C) and stressors like pathogens (Varroa destructor, bacteria) or pesticides impair hemocyte function. Using clodronate liposomes (CLD) to deplete hemocytes, we assessed how immune suppression interacts with these stressors.

Methods

Newly emerged (5-day-old) and older (15-day-old) bees were assigned to: CLD, control liposomes (LP), PBS, injection wound, or no treatment. Cohorts were exposed to 32°C (optimal) or 22°C (stressful for non-immunosuppressed bees). Fifteen-day-old bees were challenged with Escherichia coli or Staphylococcus aureus. Survival, hemolymph volume, and hemocyte …

Key-Based Authentication Scheme For Evtol Drones Using Chebyshev Chaotic Maps, Eduardo A. Hernandez Escobar

Master's Theses

The development of electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) drones signifies a substantial advancement in urban air mobility, ready to transform transportation models in densely populated regions. These advanced drones, distinguished by their capacity to function in limited spaces and their minimized environmental impact, are set to transform individual, shipping, emergency services, and public safety activities. Nonetheless, like any transformational technology, the implementation of eVTOL systems presents many challenges, especially in the realm of cybersecurity. Adding many devices and entities to an eVTOL network increases the risk of privacy and security attacks. This paper proposes a key-based authentication scheme that …

Does Resilience Moderate The Relation Between Caregiver Behaviors And Post-Traumatic Symptoms In Young Adults?, Akila Uma Gopalkrishnan

Master's Theses

Exposure to a potentially traumatic event (PTE) is not an uncommon experience for children and adolescents. After exposure to adverse events, youth may experience significant maladjustment and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). As such, researchers continue investigating potential risk and protective factors contributing to youth post-trauma adjustment. Considering their critical role in children’s development, caregivers likely play a key role in youth post-trauma adjustment. However, the field lacks studies on caregiver behaviors following youth PTE exposure and on factors, such as resilience, that could influence how children respond to stress and caregiver environments. I aimed to evaluate: (a) how perceived caregiver …

“From The Synagogue To The Streets”: Outsider Rabbis, Mississippi, And The Civil Rights Movement, Holli Elaine Parker

Master's Theses

The historiography of Jews in the Civil Rights Movement is extensive, and recent scholarship has reevaluated the relationships between Jews and civil rights organizations. The role of southern Jews in critical states, such as Mississippi, is often amalgamated into one category: supportive but scared. The focus on two rabbis known for their outspokenness regarding racial equality, Charles Mantinband of Hattiesburg and Perry Nussbaum of Jackson, is central to most southern Jewish studies. However, it neglects aspects of their background. Neither rabbi was a native Mississippian nor accepted as truly Southern due to the stances they took regarding racial equality. Charles …

Those Magnificent Men In Their Fighting Machines: An Investigation Into The Lives Of Wwi Tankmen, Lucas C. Campbell

Master's Theses

This thesis will look at the immense backlog of war diaries, journals, personal letters, government documentation, and oral histories left behind by British tank crewmen of the First World War. The purpose of this investigation is mainly to uncover the reasons that individuals were chosen for transferal into the Royal Tank Regiment, where they were transferred from, what their training consisted of before their deployment, and their combat history once they were sent into the battlefields on the Western Front. The goal of this project is to gauge the reaction to the emergence of this crucially important technology on a …

Evaluating Coordination And Variability Within Collegiate Basketball Players Using Vector Coding, Minali G. Patton

Master's Theses

The countermovement jump (CMJ) is a popular tool used to assess neuromuscular capabilities and production of power. The literature has also shown the CMJ to assess differences in strategic approaches, and it is common to see the variables countermovement depth, impulse, and ground-reaction force (GRF) curve shapes being used to describe differences in strategy. However, these variables are not descriptive enough to evaluate how individuals are moving at a segmental level. Vector coding, a qualitative analysis of coordination, may be the better answer for assessing differences in strategy from a coordination point of view. Thus, the purpose of this project …

Jump Strategy Changes In Collegiate Women Soccer Players, Madeline Klubertanz

Master's Theses

Countermovement jumps (CMJ) are often utilized to monitor athletes because of their sensitivity to neuromuscular fatigue, which can be seen through assessing jump strategies. The current literature has reported conflicting views on how jump performance is impacted over acute and longitudinal testing. This is likely due to insufficient analyses regarding the impact of fatigue on jump strategy. This study aimed to investigate how the integration of jump strategy metrics and single-subject analysis could provide a better representation of the presence of fatigue among collegiate women soccer players. Eighteen participants were utilized in this study. Participants were required to complete three …

Empowering Narratives Or Marketing Strategy? Nigerian Audience Reactions To Femvertising In The “Joy Soap ‘My Life, My Script’ Campaign”, Oare Danielle Addeh

Master's Theses

Guided by Feminist Theory, this thesis examines how audience responses to Joy Soap’s ‘My Life, My Script’ campaign reflect, reinforce, or resist dominant gender norms in Nigerian society. Positioned as a form of femvertising, the campaign aims to challenge traditional expectations placed on women and promote narratives of empowerment. However, audience reactions reveal a complex negotiation of cultural values, personal experiences, and shifting gender ideologies.

This study uses Critical Discourse Analysis to examine purposively sampled comments from the campaign’s Instagram comment section, focusing on four selected episodes. The analysis identifies discursive patterns that reveal key themes, including the reinforcement and …

Examining The Mediating Effects Of Symptoms Of Depression, Anxiety, And Perceived Stress On The Association Between Bereavement And Inflammation, Kylee Faith Behringer

Master's Theses

Bereavement is a stressor that impacts the psychological well-being of an individual and their physical health. This study aimed to develop a more nuanced understanding of the association between bereavement and its psychological and biological consequences, and the potential mediating role of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress within the relationship between bereavement and inflammation. Data was collected through Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Refresher 1, a longitudinal study that examines social, psychological, and biological vulnerabilities associated with potential health outcomes (Weinstein et al., 2019). The study consisted of 863 participants (bereaved=373, non-bereaved=490) who completed an in-person study visit …

Interconnections Among Self-Awareness Constructs In Schizotypy: The Importance Of Interoceptive Sensibility, Kendall Beals

Master's Theses

Interoception involves the sensing, interpreting, and integrating of signals from within the body and mind. Interoception is a central concept to our awareness of bodily sensations and thus can be classified as one form of self-awareness. Differences in other forms of self-awareness, such as alexithymia, cognitive insight, and introspective accuracy, have been observed between those with high and low schizotypy. Given the conceptual similarity in these constructs, understanding inter-relationships across measures of self-awareness will serve to advance our understanding of the concept and its various facets for people with high schizotypy. This study examined the relationships between interoceptive sensibility and …

Mapping The Underthing: Literary Geography And Geographic Education In The Slow Regard Of Silent Things, Colby Mcclain

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the imagined geography of Patrick Rothfuss’ The Slow Regard of Silent Things. Through textual analysis, it investigates how fictional spaces can be mapped, the significance of toponyms (i.e., place-names), and the broader implications for literary and geographic studies. Of the fifty-two (52) toponyms analyzed, thirty-eight (38) were meaningfully identified using the text and the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), revealing deliberate naming schemes associated with function, emotion, or symbolism. These findings provide insight into the main character’s world, and her unique relationship with space and place. This study demonstrates that even wholly imagined settings have an underlying …

A Herpetofaunal Inventory Study Of Two National Wildlife Refuges In The Mississippi Delta And Associated Evaluation Of Trapping Efficacy, Andrew Holzinger

Master's Theses

The objectives of this project were to record the diversity and distribution of amphibian and reptile species present at Panther Swamp and Hillside National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) and to quantify trapping efficacy as a result of various methodologies under different habitat variables. The primary methods employed were two varieties of drift fence trap arrays consisting of 100-foot sections of silt fencing with buried 2.5-gallon buckets as pitfall traps and box traps placed at the end of each fence to capture larger organisms. When conditions permitted, aquatic trapping was also employed across the Refuges. A total of 55 species were documented, …

Doin' Time: Entertainment And Exploitation At Decommissioned Prison Museums In The United States, Jessi Robbins

Master's Theses

This thesis aims to explore how decommissioned prison museums in the US, such as Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary (BMSP), shape societal attitudes and understanding of the carceral system as a whole and the presence of systemic racism within by addressing three questions: (1) What histories do prison museums tell, and which are erased?, (2) How do objects displayed in prison museums reflect past and present racial attitudes toward the incarcerated?, and (3) Does visiting or working at a prison museum affect individual attitudes regarding the US carceral system? Grounded in James Scott’s (1992) concept of “hidden transcripts” and Michel Foucault’s …

Design Of A Novel Low-Cost Hybrid V-Shape Spoke-Type Ferrite Ipm-Synrm For Ev Traction Using Fem Software, Kenghao Cai

Master's Theses

This paper presents a hybrid V-shape spoke type ferrite Interior Permanent Magnet Synchronous Reluctance Machine (PMA-SynRM) for electric vehicle traction application. Ferrite or ceramic IPM-SynRMs compared to Neodymium (NdFeB) based IPM-SynRMs typically have lower torque, power density, and efficiency overall. Motivated by rising costs and international policies making it increasingly more challenging to obtain rare-earth metals, alternatives should be explored. With the help of finite element method (FEM) software, Ansys Maxwell, this study probes into a novel three-phase ferrite-only hybrid Spoke-type V-shaped IPM-SynRM using Tesla Model 3's neodymium powered V-shape interior permanent magnet machine as a benchmark. The proposed motor …

A Heuristic Approach To Portrait Segmentation And Its Application To Synthetic Bokeh Generation, Charles J. Snead

Master's Theses

Segmentation of portrait images is an important technique used to separate the foreground and background of an image. This separation of layers is useful for selectively applying post-processing techniques to enhance the quality of the image, such as blurring the background. Automatic portrait segmentation is a complex process that can be completed with a high degree of accuracy using deep learning with neural networks, but training and inference are often very computationally expensive. This thesis aims to take a heuristic approach to portrait segmentation by combining classical image processing and computer vision techniques into a solution that can be run …

Improved Management Strategies For Botrytis Fruit Rot, Macrophomina Root Rot, And Verticillium Wilt In California Strawberry Production, Joseph A. Ramirez

Master's Theses

Strawberry production in California is limited by plant diseases such as Macrophomina root rot (MRR) caused by Macrophomina phaseolina, Verticillium wilt (VW) caused by Verticillium dahliae, and Botrytis fruit rot (BFR) caused by Botrytis cinerea. Current disease management strategies are compromised due to fumigant regulations or ineffective disease management practices. This thesis investigated methods to potentially improve the management of these three diseases. Two host plant resistance evaluations for MRR and VW were conducted for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 growing seasons. Sixty-three strawberry genotypes were screened in both years. All plants were exposed to the pathogen via artificial …

Aiops–Driven Adaptive Anomaly Detection In Evolving Cloud Environments Using Transfer Learning, Mayur Shivakumar

Master's Theses

As cloud-based microservice architectures have become the foundation of contempo- rary enterprise solutions, performance interference, wherein co-located services com- pete for shared resources, remains a significant challenge. This phenomenon, often referred to as the noisy neighbor problem, manifests when one workload unexpect- edly increases the CPU, memory, disk I/O, or network consumption, resulting in latency spikes or throughput degradation for other services. While existing isolation mechanisms (e.g., cgroups and QoS policies) provide some mitigation, they rarely prevent contention entirely, particularly in dynamic, rapidly evolving environments with frequent code deployments.

This thesis proposes an AIOps-driven adaptive anomaly detection framework that integrates …