Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Math Word Problem Generation With Llms, Trung Hieu Vuong

Master's Theses

Math Word Problem (MWP) is an important building block for learning math. This type of problem is particularly useful for younger audiences because solving it involves two simultaneous skill sets: reading comprehension and mathematical reasoning. With publicly available large language models (LLMs), generating additional MWPs is readily achievable. While researchers have started using LLMs as MWP facilitators, there still exists a gap in studies about the diversity of MWPs generated by unmodified, publicly accessible LLMs. For that reason, our study focused on two goals: (1) to evaluate the diversity of MWPs generated by publicly available LLMs when provided with examples …

A Methodology To Reconstruct The Extent And Dynamics Of Historic Wildfires (1850-1950) In The Santa Cruz Mountains Of California, David Vásquez Ospina

Master's Theses

This thesis reconstructs the extent and dynamics of historic wildfires in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California between 1850 and 1950 using qualitative archival evidence from historical newspapers, maps, and related documents. A systematically coded database of 225 reports, consolidated into 155 unique wildfire events, was developed to analyze temporal and spatial patterns, ignition sources, vegetation types, suppression strategies, and impacts on communities and infrastructure. Historical rainfall records from the Boulder Creek station were integrated using water-year totals, three-year rolling averages, and standardized precipitation indices to examine how multi-year dryness relates to fire occurrence and size. Linear regressions show only …

Building A Data-Driven Security Ai Framework Using Machine Learning Models, Christopher Chan Vi

Master's Theses

This research project explores a modern approach to Intrusion Detection System (IDS) anomaly detection by leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Large Language Models (LLM), and Explainable AI (XAI). The purpose is to assess the effectiveness of these technologies in enhancing the understanding of intrusion events. This research study addresses the challenges of threshold determination and the interpretability of anomaly detection results. The proposed solution involves an LLM-based framework with XAI capabilities, integrated with a Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) architecture, to provide clear explanations for detected anomalies, utilizing both custom and pre-trained datasets. The study navigated inherent challenges, including …

Using Noninvasive Calibrated Cuff Plethysmography To Observe The Effects Of Lifestyle Habits On Arterial Compliance, Joshua M. Whitaker

Master's Theses

Cardiovascular disease remains as a leading cause of death for both sexes and across all racial backgrounds. Continuing to research causes, early predictors, and preventative actions are paramount to ensuring that cardiovascular disease starts to decrease in its activity. Endothelial dysfunction is the earliest known predictor of cardiovascular disease, therefore investigating early detection methods of endothelial dysfunction can improve health outcomes. This study revolves around a non-invasive calibrated cuff device that uses the principles of segmental plethysmography and oscilliometry to measure arterial compliance of baseline and induced hyperemic conditions in human subjects to determine how well arteries vasodilate in response …

Caring For Others And Self Care: Examining “Good” Care Among The Older Vietnamese Community In San José, California, Chloe Nguyen

Master's Theses

In this thesis, I present a study of the older Vietnamese community in San José, California. I explore the concept of "good" care through the anthropology of care, a conceptual framework that examines how care is understood and practiced across different cultural and social contexts. Using ethnographic methods, such as interviews and participant observation, I examine caregiving practices and experiences, as well as community members' perceptions of what constitutes "good" care. I draw on concepts of "good" care, reciprocal caregiving, and self-care to analyze themes that emerge from their caregiving practices and experiences. I also discuss caregiving at a distance …

An Analysis Of Neuroidal Memory Formation Within D. Melanogaster, Jerry Chang

Master's Theses

The Neuroidal model poses a neurobiologically plausible theory for modeling the brain. This symbolic network has been shown to capture realistic memorization behaviors using the JOIN algorithm. The model has also been recently improved by incorporating Watts-Strogatz small-worlds within its base structure. From the efforts of neuroscience researchers, we have access to the Drosophila melanogaster (D. melanogaster) fruit fly’s connectome, which has been found to also contain small-worlds in this thesis. By synthesizing the Ocellar Ganglion (OCG) region of Drosophila, we compare a digitized version of a real-world brain with an instance of the Neuroidal model. In this thesis, we …

A Comparative Evaluation Of Feedback Strategies For Enhancing Student Software Test Suite Writing Outcomes, Ashton Alonge

Master's Theses

Background and Context

Software testing is a fundamental component of computer science education, forming the basis for students’ ability to ensure program correctness and reliability. Despite its importance, many students struggle to design test cases that effectively expose faults and achieve meaningful test coverage. Traditional instructional approaches often emphasize code coverage metrics such as line or branch coverage, but these metrics may not adequately capture the quality of student tests. Mutation analysis, which measures how well tests detect small, artificial faults (mutants) introduced into the program, offers a potentially richer measure of test effectiveness. However, little is known about how …

Generalized Detection Of Animal Behavior Using Accelerometers, Alexander J. Arrieta

Master's Theses

Animal mounted sensors are becoming increasingly used to passively monitor both domestic and wild animals. Advances in lightweight accelerometer and GPS technology have allowed many animals to be fitted with high accuracy sensors for extended periods of time. This leads to new opportunities to study animal behavior without direct observation. However, interpreting the raw data is difficult due to the high volume and missing context of the information. Machine learning techniques excel at extracting information from raw data streams and are excellent candidates for processing the sensor data. However, due to large variance in how different animals execute the same …

N-Aryl Phenoxazines As Polymer Supported Photocatalysts, Mary Kathryn Hall

Master's Theses

In photosynthesis, the energy of sunlight is perfectly harnessed to facilitate the production of small molecules that are essential for plant life on earth. Inspired by this model of energy efficiency and simplicity, this work seeks to mimic that ability to use the energy in visible light to perform new and more efficient chemistries. Just like in photosynthesis, photocatalysts can act as chromophores absorbing light to excite electrons opening new pathways for previously untapped reactivity. Recent research has provided a wide range of small molecule reactions that are made possible or easier by the use of a photocatalyst. However, these …

A Study On Deepsea Fish Detection Using Convolutional Neural Networks, Poojitha Priyadarshini Madari

Master's Theses

This study investigates automated deep-learning methodologies for two primary tasks, firstly fish and its habitat classification and deep-sea fish detection using the DeepFish dataset. A pretrained ResNet-50 model attained a validation accuracy of 82.8% for multi-class habitat classification, demonstrating robust performance in most habitats based on 6,517 images, although exhibiting lower recall for visually similar or underrepresented classes. A binary ResNet-50 classifier achieved 99.8% accuracy in distinguishing fish from. no-fish images using approximately 40,000 images. The YOLOv5s model, trained on 4,505 images containing 15,463 bounding-box annotations, achieved a mean average precision ([email protected]) of 98.2% All models were trained on the …

Differences In Loading Rate In Shod And Unshod Treadmill Walking, David Austin Kropushek

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare the loading rates of shod and unshod conditions in treadmill walking. It was hypothesized that walking barefoot would demonstrate higher loading rates than walking with shoes. It was also hypothesized that walking barefoot on a treadmill would result in greater stride-to-stride variability than walking with shoes. Sixteen healthy adult females volunteered and provided their consent to participate in this study. Participants were given time to accommodate to the instrumented treadmill both while wearing shoes and without. Two 10-minute trials were collected with a rest period between. Data were analyzed using Vicon Nexus …

Moving Beyond The Tiktok Frame: Exploring Middle School Students' Understanding Of Dance Composition Through The Use Of Choreographic Exercises, Heather Barrett

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was two-fold: (a) to measure student initial understanding of choreography against student final understanding of choreography and (b) to measure student dependency on social media for choreographic initiation. This study focused on the impact of choreographic exercises on participants’ abilities to create dance. This study also focused on the impact of using social media for inspiration on participants’ abilities to create dance. Participants were given a survey, choreographic exercises, reflections, an interview, and a rubric for a final performance project as metrics. These instruments measured participants’ responses in comparison to the beginning of the study …

Best Practices For Local Law Enforcement In Counterterrorism: Enhancing Interagency Communication & Developing Modern Information Sharing Systems, Michael G. Fitterman

Master's Theses

Local law enforcement agencies play a critical and increasingly central role in the United States’ domestic counterterrorism architecture. While federal agencies possess sophisticated intelligence capabilities, local officers are often the first to encounter early indicators of radicalization, pre-operational planning, and suspicious behavior. Despite this frontline role, communication between local, state, and federal agencies remains fragmented, inconsistent, and sometimes informal. These gaps weaken national situational awareness and limit the ability of agencies to identify emerging threats.

This thesis examines the structural, technological and cultural challenges hat impede effective information sharing among law enforcement agencies. It outlines best practices that local departments …

Short-Arc Angles-Only Initial Orbit Determination For Leo And Geo Objects Using A Genetic Algorithm, Joseph R. Piini

Master's Theses

An ever-growing interest in utilizing space for scientific, commercial, and defense applications has led to an exponential rise in orbital debris recent years. With this sharp increase in space objects comes a greatly increased risk of potential collisions, necessitating an increase in Space Situational Awareness. In order to best mitigate the risk of future collisions in an increasingly congested space environment, it is crucial to be able to accurately determine the orbits of these new objects for trajectory tracking. This process is initial orbit determination (IOD), and is especially difficult when only observation angles are available for short observation times. …

Effects Of Urbanization On The Population Genetics And Morphology Of The White-Footed Mouse (Peromyscus Leucopus) Across An Urban–Rural Gradient, Sydney A. Morton

Master's Theses

Urbanization alters landscapes in ways that can reshape wildlife populations by changing habitat connectivity, resource availability, and selective pressures. To investigate how urbanization influences both genetic differentiation and morphology in small mammals, I examined Peromyscus leucopus (PELE) across an urban–rural gradient in northern Georgia. Using RADseq SNP data from PELE individuals across 13 sites, I quantified pairwise genetic differentiation (F_ST) and tested how various environmental variables, including impervious surface cover, human population density, and tree canopy cover, predict genetic differentiation after accounting for geographic distance. Genetic differentiation increased with geographic distance and, after controlling for isolation by …

“What Are We And What’S Coming Next?”: Queer People’S Experiences During Sociopolitical Unrest In The Us, Ariana Cristal Morales

Master's Theses

Queer (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or other gender and sexual identities) folx have become a major focal point during political elections. As political climates have projected forced attacks towards queer populations, society has followed suit. Investigation on the impacts of such changes towards queer folx is important to uncover, as sociopolitical climates have shifted within the last 10 years in the US. The present study utilizes a phenomenological framework to understand the lived experiences of queer participants living in the US from 2015-2025 during political and social shifts. Semi-structured interviews were utilized to explore 10 queer participant’s lived experience …

A Triple Bottom Line Analysis Of Food Waste-To-Bioenergy At California University Campuses: Social Enablers Break Down Economic Barriers, Anjali Sharma

Master's Theses

Greenhouse gas emissions from food waste (FW) and energy generation are two major hurdles to the climate crisis. Previous research shows that waste-to-energy systems may provide a solution to both these challenges, particularly at university campuses, due to their high FW generation and high energy needs. Despite this, few academic institutions in California, US, have adopted waste-to-energy systems, and campus-specific challenges and opportunities associated with these systems remain underexplored. For this study, I use an Environmental, Economic, and Social (EES) lens to document the current landscape of FW management and implementation of food waste-to-bioenergy at campuses in each of the …

Climatology Of Northeast Winds In Northern And Central California: A New Characterization Of The Diablo Wind, Alana R. Macken

Master's Theses

Diablo winds in northern California are known for driving some of the most destructive wildfires in state history. The Camp Fire of 2018, which caused at least 85 civilian fatalities, is just one example of the devastating outcomes associated with these rapidly developing downslope windstorms. While they are known to occur most frequently from fall through spring, much about the structure, evolution, and full spatial extent of these events remains poorly understood. Most previous studies have focused on a limited number of high-impact cases or have defined events using humidity-based thresholds in isolated regions such as the North Bay. As …

Building A Novel Question-Answering System Using Retrieval-Augmented Generation For The California Fair Political Practices Commission, Saanvi Dua

Master's Theses

The California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) receives a high volume of inquiries via email from public officials, the general public, and other agencies, which currently requires staff to manually search through informational documents and manuals to provide timely responses. This process is both labor- and time-intensive.

To address this challenge, we design a question-answering (QA) system that drafts responses to emailed questions by retrieving relevant information from the FPPC’s manuals using a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) framework. Although the current implementation focuses on a single manual, the system is designed to be adaptable to the broader set of FPPC documents. …

Dietary Intake And Changes In Body Composition Over The Course Of One Season In Ncaa Division 1 Football Players, Blayke W. Harrison

Master's Theses

Energy intake and macronutrient composition of an athlete’s diet is highly important when considering performance. Additionally, having a favorable body composition (i.e. low levels of fat mass and high levels of lean body mass) is crucial in high-level athletes.The role of nutrition-related support personnel is highly needed by many collegiate athletics programs to achieve these outcomes, yet this resource seems to be undervalued and underused in many settings. The present thesis investigates the effects of providing nutritional support to improve dietary habits and compare changes in specific body composition metrics over the course of one season (pre- and post-season) among …

Sparse-Data Orbit Estimation In Low Earth Orbit Using The Markov Chain Monte Carlo Ensemble Gaussian Mixture Filter, Nicholas J. Oden

Master's Theses

The number of space objects (SOs) in low Earth orbit (LEO) continues to increase rapidly, creating challenges for the current ground-based tracking network, which cannot accommodate the projected growth in SOs. Catalog maintenance relies on frequent observations for reliable reacquisition, with Two-Line Element (TLE) sets typically generated daily to mitigate rapid error growth from poor TLE accuracy. This constraint limits the ability to track more objects with existing infrastructure. This work evaluates the Markov Chain Monte Carlo Ensemble Gaussian Mixture Filter (MCMC EnGMF), a nonlinear, non-Gaussian filter well-suited for sparse tracking scenarios where higher post-update accuracy is needed to reduce …

Vitamin B12 Deficiency: Confidence, Perspectives, And Practices Among Registered Dietitian Nutritionists, Avery Miller Adams

Master's Theses

Vitamin B12 deficiency is common in the United States, occurring in 20% of adults aged 60 and above (Andres et al., 2004). Veterans are susceptible to B12 deficiency due to tobacco product usage, alcohol consumption, and poor diet quality. Megaloblastic anemia is the second most prevalent vitamin deficiency disorder recorded in military personnel from 1997 to 2015 (Knapik et al., 2021). This exploratory, analytic research aims to assess registered dietitian RDN nutritionists’ (RDN) knowledge, perceptions, and intentions regarding treating vitamin B12 deficiency in a clinical setting. Due to population prevalence differences, responses from VA and non-VA practicing registered dietitian-nutritionists (RDNs) …

Development Of A Control System For An 8-Dof Quadrupedal Robotic Research Platform, Jack Butler

Master's Theses

Quadrupedal robots offer a versatile locomotion option that can extend the operating space of a robot into uneven terrains. However, controlling these systems presents significant challenges due to nonlinearities introduced by various factors.

In this thesis, model-predictive control (MPC) is applied to an 8-DOF legged robot developed by Cal Poly’s Legged Robotics group. The MPC framework employs a lumped rigid-body model that treats the robot as a single rigid body with forces applied directly at the foot contact points. The controller is developed within the ROS2 environment, with integration of state estimation and gait-pattern generation, to provide maximum modularity and …

Using Inquiry Classroom Experiences To Correct Student Misconceptions In Elementary Science: An Action Research Study, Hope A. Ellison

Master's Theses

Misconceptions in elementary science education can significantly hinder students' ability to construct accurate and lasting conceptual understandings. Grounded in the constructivist learning theory, this quasi-experimental study investigates how inquiry-based instruction influences the identification and correction of third-grade students’ misconceptions in science, specifically in the domains of energy, force, and matter. Using a pre- and post-test design, along with data derived from daily teacher field notes, the research was conducted with a sample of fifteen third-grade students at a public elementary school in Mississippi. The results, discussed in the methods section, revealed a statistically significant improvement in students’ conceptual understanding following …

Trust Across Difference In Radical Social Movement Organizations: The Case Of The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Kerstin Miller

Master's Theses

Social movement literature does not properly address trust between activists as a foundation of social movement organizations. This thesis aims to fill that gap by examining how trust within the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, a radical civil rights organization in the sixties, was built and broken over the course of the decade. I drew on first-hand accounts written by SNCC activists to find patterns in how they thought about trust building and trust breaking in their own organization. I found that trust was built primarily through sustained interaction between activists, and that trust in the organization led to activists being …

Drug Delivery, Disulfide Crosslinked Hydrogel Coating For Polydimethylsiloxane (Pdms) Implant Materials, Paul A. Contos, Paul Anthony Contos

Master's Theses

Though polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is often used in medical devices due to its desirable mechanical properties and biocompatibility, its surface is often prone to bacterial adhesion. This is especially a problem for catheters, where bacteria can adhere and form biofilms that can in turn result in Urinary Tract Infections (UTI). In order to deter the presence of UTI causing bacteria on PDMS catheters, methods were developed to formulate a disulfide crosslinked hydrogel coating and create a methodology to allow adhesion to a PDMS substrate. The hydrogel coating discussed in this paper will be synthesized by chemically crosslinking stimuli-responsive vesicles, that carry …

Experienced Latinx Urban Gardeners In San Jose, Ca, Offer Strategies For Climate Justice And Resilience, Claudia S. Damiani Fontana

Master's Theses

Low-income and underinvested communities will be disproportionately affected by climate change due to limited resources, inadequate infrastructure, and insufficient support systems. Urban gardeners are responding to the need to adapt to new climate conditions while sustaining their food sources and cultural practices. Many have adapted thanks to local interventions led by the government and non-profit agencies. For this study, I partnered with La Mesa Verde (LMV), a gardening and food justice program that works with low-income Latinx families in San José, and I documented the contributions of experienced Latinx gardeners, especially those with agricultural backgrounds, to climate-resilient gardening in San …

Understanding User Behaviors: Impact Of A 28-Day Intervention On Screen Time And Problematic Internet Use, Cade T. Campigli

Master's Theses

This thesis examines a 28-day self-monitoring intervention to reduce problematic internet use among undergraduate Instagram users. A quasi-experimental factorial mixed design with a repeated measures component was used, with participants split into an experimental group (daily Instagram screen time logging) and a control group (reporting Instagram interactions). Problematic Internet use was measured using the Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale 2 (GPIUS2). Results showed no reduction in problematic internet use in the experimental group compared to the control, nor a correlation between screen time changes and problematic internet use. However, the experimental group showed a modest decrease in mean screen time …

How Effective Are Engineered And Non-Engineered Riparian Forest Restoration Projects In Providing Salmonid-Quality Habitat In The San Francisco Bay Area?, Alexander Ivanov

Master's Theses

Streams and their riparian zones in the San Francisco Bay Area have been degraded, severely harming salmonid populations in the region. Ecological restoration is a common approach to return stream function. Such restoration projects vary widely in intensity, from low-impact vegetation removal/planting to highly engineered projects involving structures and grading. This research investigated the effectiveness of streams restored using engineered versus non-engineered solutions in supporting salmonid habitat viability in San Francisco Bay Area streams. Fourteen streams, seven from each of the two types of restoration, were sampled in the wet and dry season in 2024, three times each season. Data …

Generalizability Of Existing Ai Models For Automatic Disfluency Detection In Children's Speech, Caryn W. C. Iwakiri

Master's Theses

Achieving consensus in identifying disfluencies and diagnosing developmental stuttering has been a significant challenge for many clinicians, particularly in young bilingual children, who tend to show increased disfluencies. Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to recognize more complex yet systematic patterns that might not be easily observable by even trained clinicians. It also has the potential to bring consistency in the measurement of stuttered speech. This study compares the performance of four AI models, their performance on detecting disfluencies including both stutter-like-disfluencies (SLD) and typical disfluencies (TD) in monolingual and bilingual children's data, then explores whether increasing the quantity of …