Digital Commons Network^™

Performance Of Neural Networks On Fpga For Embedded Devices Using Hls4ml Framework, Alam N. Romo Lopez

Master's Theses

As machine learning models such as neural networks are investigated for their applications across many fields, the demand for models that can be implemented on an embedded device grows. Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) have become an attractive option for implementing these models in hardware. This thesis considers the viability of FPGA implementations for machine learning on low-resourced embedded systems. The hls4ml project is a promising prospect for machine learning on FPGA devices. To test hls4ml, we used a model trained on the MNIST digits dataset, which was then synthesized for the PYNQ-Z2 device. We fine tuned the performance by …

Yolot: A Recurrent Yolo Model For Robust Video-Based Automotive Object Detection, Dylan Jay Baxter

Master's Theses

Though incredibly effective at detecting objects in isolated frames, modern object detection models are often not designed to take advantage of information present in previous frames of a video stream, despite that data being readily avail- able. To address this shortcoming, this paper proposes YOLOT, a modification of the widely used YOLOv8 object detection model, which seeks to utilize this temporal information with the addition of recurrent structures. In the design of YOLOT, a series of recurrent convolutional modules were inserted at backbone and neck outputs and the final and most effective design was found to be the insertion of …

Type Qualifiers As Catalysts For Language Evolution, Jasper Kahn

Master's Theses

Mainstream programming languages continually evolve to make correct and perfor- mant programs authored in the language easier to write. Successful new languages often succeed by improving on these qualities over existing languages that have not evolved fast enough. Many improvements derive from research in Static Analysis, but there is often a significant lag between the research and features becoming available in mainstream languages. This thesis focuses on the theory of type qualifiers as a possible means of accelerating the adoption of research results into common usage. Type Qualifiers have a two-decade lineage of static analysis tools, with active research today, …

Optimizing Biofungicide Use In Managing Winegrape Powdery Mildew On The Central Coast Of California, Edgar G. Godoy Monterroso

Master's Theses

Grapevine powdery mildew caused by the fungal pathogen Erysiphe necator is a persistent threat to wine grape production in California. While synthetic fungicides remain the primary management strategy, increasing concerns over pesticide resistance, environmental impact, and regulatory restrictions have driven interest in biofungicides as a sustainable alternative. However, their efficacy is inconsistent, requiring research into optimized application strategies, integration with synthetic fungicides, and their effects on disease suppression, grape yield, and fruit quality.

This two-year study (2023–2024) was conducted at two vineyard sites, Trestle Vineyard in the San Luis Obispo Coast AVA and a commercial vineyard in the Arroyo Grande …

Risc-V Gpu Acceleration On Low-Cost Embedded Systems, Fadi M. Alzammar

Master's Theses

The Vortex project from Georgia Institute of Technology was created to provide an open-source hardware and software GPGPU research platform based on RISC-V. Skybox was introduced as an extension to Vortex to provide dedicated support for 3D graphics rendering acceleration as a complete GPU platform. This work presents contributions to the render output unit of Skybox, including the development of a blend unit, cache bypassing mechanisms, and performance monitoring metrics. With these, Skybox has succeeded in its goal of accelerating graphics rendering on RISC-V platforms. This work also establishes a foundation for adapting Vortex to low-cost embedded platforms such as …

Transcleral Chemotherapeutic Delivery By Fibrin Sealant In The Treatment Of Retinoblastoma, Christopher Himes

Master's Theses

Retinoblastoma is the most common intraocular cancer in children, accounting for roughly 9,000 new cases each year—claiming the lives of up to 70% of cases in certain regions of the world. While modern retinoblastoma treatments in developed countries have significantly reduced mortality rates, post-treatment consequences such as vision loss, off-site organ dysfunction, and secondary metastases remain unmet clinical needs. Past studies have confirmed transscleral delivery as an efficacious means to achieve high intraocular drug concentrations possibly superior to the standard systemic regimen of vincristine, etoposide, and carboplatin (VEC) for tumor suppression. This led to several studies exploring the use of …

Leveraging Data Science For Resilience: Improving Trauma-Informed Care Practice For Adverse Childhood Experience With Ai & Data Science Application, Mohmmad Arif Shaik

Master's Theses

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have long-lasting effects on physical health, mental well-being, education, and socioeconomic outcomes. Resilient Georgia (RG), a statewide initiative, seeks to address ACEs through trauma-informed care and data-driven strategies. However, challenges in data collection, analysis, and tracking set back the effectiveness of these efforts. This study explores the role of data science and interactive visualization tools in improving outcomes for individuals and communities affected by ACEs. A key focus of this research is the development of a data science management application designed to enhance data collection and improve real-time decision-making. The application features interactive dashboards that allow …

Stream Response To A Dam Removal: Mill Creek, Davenport, Ca, Jessica J. Williamson

Master's Theses

Dams have many effects on stream morphology and ecology, including a loss of sediment supply downstream, reduced access to the entire stream for aquatic fauna, and a flooded area upstream of the dam. Dams are a hurdle for migrating organisms such as anadromous fish, which is a group of concern. An over 100-year-old dam on Mill Creek, a stream draining a coastal watershed in central California, was removed in the fall of 2021. The site is in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where endangered salmonids such as steelhead, Oncorhynchus mykiss, have historically lived. To study the change in the stream from …

Fault Box Modeling Of Dip Slip Faults: A Framework For Fault Box Design And Future Studies, Hailey Pressnell

Master's Theses

The behavior of soils during surface fault rupture is a serious concern in the planning and design of infrastructure that may be located within or near a fault zone. Challenges associated with developing mitigation measures for surface fault rupture include the uncertainty of fault rupture and the variability of fault behavior. Current analytical procedures define surface fault rupture according to the type of fault movement (strike slip, normal or reverse), the amount of displacement on the fault, and the mechanics of the material overlying the fault. The purpose of this thesis is to reconfirm analytical solutions and gain a better …

Analyzing The Safety Effects Of Edge Lane Roads For Motor Vehicle Users, John Yang

Master's Theses

This thesis builds upon a prior study that analyzed the safety effects of Edge Lane Roads (ELRs) within the U.S. context, addressing gaps related to collision, traffic volume, and speed data. An ELR is a roadway configuration that accommodates two-way automobile traffic within a single center lane while providing edge lanes for vulnerable road users (VRUs), i.e., bicyclists or pedestrians. Although the concept of a single shared lane for opposing traffic often raises safety concerns among the public, ELRs have demonstrated potential to control speeds, optimize roadway space, and improve traffic operations on low-volume roads.

To evaluate safety outcomes, this …

Closed Domain Question Answering With Language Models: Application Of Retrieval-Augmented Generation And Parameter Efficient Fine-Tuning In Healthcare, Aaron Cummings

Master's Theses

Dementia care presents significant challenges for informal caregivers, particularly in managing behavioral symptoms that affect over 90% of individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) during the moderate-to-severe stages. These symptoms, including agitation, wandering, and repetitive activities, impose emotional and physical burdens on caregivers, often exacerbated by a lack of reliable, accessible, and personalized resources. Non-pharmacological interventions, while evidence-based, are underutilized due to knowledge gaps and the inefficiency of traditional training and information retrieval methods.

This research explores the adaptation of large language models (LLMs) to address these challenges by developing a framework for closed-domain Question Answering (QA) systems, …

Real-Time Feedback-Driven Framework For Automated Cybersickness Mitigation, Md Jahirul Islam

Master's Theses

As technologies are becoming more advanced day by day, the embracement of virtual reality (VR) technology among users is also increasing in daily activities for various purposes, and subsequently, the barrier between the real and virtual world is fading. Despite the versatile uses, cybersickness (CS) is a major problem which is induced among users due to the immersive VR experience. There is a plethora of research findings and methods to measure the users’ CS such as virtual reality sickness questionnaire (VRSQ), simulator sickness questionnaire (SSQ), fast motion scale questionnaire (FMS), and others. Recently, machine learning approaches have also been adopted …

Reframing And Reclaiming Poetry In The Esl Classroom, Rebecca C. Eagleson

Master's Theses

The debate over using poetry as an authentic text in the ESOL classroom has persisted for nearly a century. However, emerging research from an EFL context suggests that reconsidering poetry in the ESL classroom may be timely. This literature review examines the origins of the controversy by highlighting the intersections of linguistics and literary criticism and how they shaped current ESOL approaches to poetry. It then outlines the standard points and counterpoints of the ESOL controversy over poetry. Finally, it evaluates recent case studies and methodological reviews from EFL contexts that have reignited new interest and research into utilizing poetry …

Measuring Gait Of Total Knee Arthroplasty Patients Pre-Op And Post-Op Using A Smartphone, Celeste A. Thai

Master's Theses

Motion capture technology is a tool often used in orthopedic applications, including measuring gait dysfunctions. However, gait analysis research focused on total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients is limited, especially using motion capture systems. This may be due to a multitude of factors, such as inaccessibility to gait labs to the general public, difficulty of travel post-surgery, and overall costs of care and maintenance of motion lab equipment. New emerging novel methods use wearable devices such as smartphones and inertial measurement devices (IMUs) to perform gait assessment and are becoming favorable due to their increasingly ubiquitous nature. One such method using …

Host Response To Implantation Of A Poly N-Isopropylarylamide Injectable Cell Therapy Vehicle, Cole Matthew Burk

Master's Theses

There is a need to develop novel and effective therapies targeting end-stage peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD). Inducing collateral arteriogenesis is a possible novel treatment that produces a natural bypass for blood flow, a promising solution to the long-term issues seen with current treatments. Regenerative therapies, and progenitor cells specifically, have demonstrated great promise in repair after injury and disease. While most progenitor or stem cells have poor efficacy in this context, muscle progenitor cells, or myoblasts, have encouraging results. Myoblasts enhance arteriogenesis and secrete cytokines or chemokines that recruit monocytes to injury sites. Implanting these adherent cells in a …

Design And Testing Of A Prototype Prosthesis For Pediatric Upper-Limb Transradial Amputees To Provide Adjustable Size And Modular Characteristics, Paul Heli

Master's Theses

This study was conducted to develop a financially accessible body-powered upper-limb prosthetic socket that can be adjusted to maintain fit and function for a growing child with a transradial amputation. The main objectives of the study were to design, manufacture, and test a device that was comfortable, functional, affordable, and adjustable. The socket was designed to be comfortable using global variables controlling the computer-aided design (CAD) model size with user-specific measurements. Comfort was also incorporated using shape-forming of the socket for specific residual limb features. The device was designed to perform the two main functions of suspension, or attachment to …

Development Of A Pressure Sensing System Coupled With Deployable Machine Learning Models For Assessing Residual Limb Fit In Lower Limb Prosthetics, Maxwell D. Lewter

Master's Theses

Lower limb amputations pose significant challenges for patients, with over 150,000 cases annually in the U.S., leading to a high demand for effective prosthetics. However, only 43% of lower limb prosthetic users report satisfaction, primarily due to issues with socket fit, which is critical for comfort, stability, and preventing injury. This study presents a deployable sensing system for potentially real-time monitoring of prosthetic socket fit by using pressure sensors and convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to analyze the pressure distribution within the socket. A novel CNN architecture, utilizing both dilated and strided convolutions, is proposed to effectively capture spatial-temporal patterns in …

Practical Model Of A Labview Controlled Active Magnetic Bearing On A Bently Rotor Kit Validated With Matlab And Msc Adams, Luis Herrera-Delgado

Master's Theses

This thesis aimed to model a rotor supported by an active magnetic bearing (AMB). The magnetic force equation due to a single electromagnet was first derived which served as the basis of AMB modeling. The finalized model utilized Matlab, Simulink, and MSC Adams to simulate a rotor supported by an AMB. Matlab and Simulink were used to model the AMB control system and actuator output. MSC Adams was used to capture the dynamics of a flexible rotor. This model was verified by comparing the model’s simulated vibration to real vibration data measured from a modified Bently Nevada rotor kit equipped …

Victory Gardens: Helping On The Home Front, A Curriculum Outreach Project, Kelly Hoomes

Master's Theses

The Victory Garden: Helping on the Homefront traveling trunk outreach project links past, present, and future by introducing students to the historical significance of World War II victory gardens and emphasizing the continued relevance today. Partnering with Kennesaw State University’s Museum of History and Holocaust Education (MHHE), the traveling trunk focuses on a fifth-grade audience, aligning with Georgia Standards of Excellence for Social Studies, Health, and Science. The traveling trunk designed as a “museum-in-a-box" includes primary sources, artifacts, and a practical gardening activity that fosters critical thinking and analysis. By encouraging an understanding of the past and the connections to …

Perceptual Hash Based Content Matching, Nicholas Daniel Chenevey

Master's Theses

The proliferation of video content and AI generated imagery has introduced a number of new challenges in content identification and verification. The ability to trace content back to its source has become a critical problem as video content increases both naturally and synthetically through AI generation. This thesis provides the design, analysis, and experimental verification for a perceptual hash based framework aimed at addressing these challenges. Perceptual hashing is a method for encoding the visual content of images into compact and easily comparable binary strings. This process is used as the foundation for content matching in videos and source verification …

The Integration And Validation Of A Class 3b Laser For Stereo Particle Imaging Velocimetry, Jensen Lam

Master's Theses

Particle Imaging Velocimetry (PIV) is a laser flow diagnostic measurement technique used to measure spatial and temporal velocity fields. In an effort to promote experimental aerodynamic research, specifically an entry point for students to learn Particle Imaging Velocimetry, an in-house Class 3B laser PIV system was developed and its experimental results were verified with a Class 4 laser. Both systems were integrated on the Cal Poly Water Tunnel Laboratory. The work emphasizes the application of lasers controlled by a micro-controller to perform microsecond-based pulses and integrating a newly-developed device with an old system consisting of software, cameras, and synchronizers. The …

Design, Manufacturing, And Assembly Of Modular Snake-Like Robotic Arm, Alongside Design And Implementation Of System’S Digital-Twin, Scott Brown

Master's Theses

A unique modular snake-like robotic arm, also referred to as MA\RS – the Modular Arm \ Robotic System - was designed, manufactured, assembled, simulated, and programmed to create a modular robot which could move to a desired end position given the number of links, the position of the end link and the duration of motion. This robotic arm serves as the start of research into a modular space robotic system to be used in low-gravity environments. As such, this project focused on developing the initial design of the robot and its digital twin. The system’s modularity allows for changes to …

Generating A Novel Legislator Organization Score, Brandon Lin

Master's Theses

Ever since the 2010 Citizens United v. FEC, corporations and organizations have been able to contribute expenditures and resources into political legislators and campaigns. It has become apparent over the years that organizations can excise significant influence in direct ways to influence campaigns across the United States. During this period, Digital Democracy has collected large amounts of data pertaining to legislative bill information, voting patterns, and donations on behalf of the California public to raise awareness. Digital Democracy has also released its own scoring system that compares the amount of aligning votes between a legislator and an organization. However, this …

Counting Catalan: An Experimental Evaluation Of The Mixing Time For The Triangulation Markov Chain, Roy Gotlieb

Master's Theses

Monte Carlo Markov chains (MCMCs) are used in many areas as a way to model a system’s behavior. By running a probabilistic simulation on a system’s state space, we can estimate properties of the system that could be untenable to directly compute. It is of interest to determine how quickly a Markov chain mixes\textemdash that is, settles into its stationary distribution. One such chain is induced by taking a binary search tree and performing a rotation or flip on one of its edges. We know that this chain eventually settles into the uniform distribution, but the time complexity bounds on …

Investigation Of Social Networks Upon Academic Performance And Mental Health, Rachel Izenson

Master's Theses

It has been shown that computing students have a statistically significantly lower overall sense of belongingness compared to other science students. A sense of community is important for many reasons. For example, there are studies that show that a student's sense of belonging correlates with improved academic performance. Our research aims to analyze the sense of belonging among computing students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo through a network science lens. We surveyed for their sense of belonging, as well as their social network, to understand how friendships impact one's sense of belonging. When student responses were split by gender, …

Exploring The Impact Of Dance Arts Integration On General Education Teaching Practices: Insights Into Classroom Environment, Planning, Instruction, And Assessment, Sara Kessler-Kennon

Master's Theses

The purpose of this research study was to explore the impact of dance arts integration facilitation on teaching practices by emphasizing classroom environment, planning, instruction, and assessment. The researcher created the following four essential questions to guide the study:

Q1 How does incorporating movement-based arts integration alter classroom environment, student behavior, student engagement, and inclusivity of students with various abilities and diverse backgrounds?

Q2 How does incorporating movement-based arts integration impact the general educators' planning time, process, style, and understanding? Does the general educator feel as though they can effectively incorporate movement-based arts integration without collaborating with a dance educator? …

Investigating Nekton Response To Changing Salinities In The Mississippi Sound: An Experimental And Statistical Approach, Adam Murray

Master's Theses

The Mississippi Sound provides nursery habitats for many coastal species and is recognized for its commercial fisheries. Previous freshening events linked to the Bonnet Carré Spillway, a Mississippi River flood diversion structure, proved catastrophic for oyster populations in the Mississippi Sound, but effects on mobile fish and shellfish species are not well-defined. The planned Mid-Breton Sediment Diversion (MBSD), an initiative to combat wetland loss, is also forecasted to lower salinities in the region, increasing the need to better understand responses of commercially and ecologically important species to freshening events. The objective of this study was to characterize effects of salinity …

Nature-Based Solutions For Flood Risk Mitigation: Mapping And Hydrological Modeling In An Under-Resourced Urban Area On The Mississippi Gulf Coast, Jennifer Makenzie Holifield

Master's Theses

Flooding is the most frequent and costly disaster in the United States, affecting people disproportionately based on environmental, societal, and economic limitations. Through stakeholder engagement, open-access research, and nature-based solutions (NBS), ecology and hydrology can be bridged with local-scale politics to raise awareness of local issues and form strong interdisciplinary bonds. I approached nature-based equity from a ground front, in which I engaged with local stakeholders and city officials to gain insight and calibration on flooding experiences and flooding presence within Moss Point, MS. This engagement helped calibrate GIS models, from which, I found that the flooding hazards of Moss …

Geomorphic Assessment And Flow Modeling Of Pearl Darter (Percina Aurora) Habitat In The Pascagoula River Watershed, Malia Davidson

Master's Theses

Freshwater ecosystems are complex ecosystems driven by hydrologic, geomorphic, and biological processes. Considering both abiotic and biotic factors is important to understanding resident species habitat. Geomorphology is a known, but often neglected factor in habitat assessment for freshwater fishes. A crucial feature commonly seen in alluvial stream systems are sandbars, which are dynamic and variable sediment structures that are known to have many associated species. One such species is the Pearl Darter, Percina aurora, a federally threatened species that only resides in the Pascagoula River watershed. Despite its status, habitat preference remains unclear. To fill this knowledge gap, I …

Soldiers In The Sideshows: The 409th Infantry Regiment In World War Ii, Nicholas Garrett

Master's Theses

In the European Theater of World War II certain battlefields or campaigns such as Operation Overlord, Operation Market Garden, and the Battle of the Bulge are core aspects of American memory. However, the men of the 409^th Infantry Regiment of the 103^rd Infantry Division do not fall into this image. This unit fought as part of the U.S. Seventh Army across eastern France through the Vosges Mountains, defended against the German Operation Nordwind and broke through the Siegfried Line into southeastern Germany. Though the 409^th represents a small portion of the men of the 103^rd, …