Digital Commons Network^™

Performance Analysis Of Underground-To-Aboveground Communication In Agricultural Iot Networks, Irfana Ilyas Manzil

Theses

This thesis investigates the potential of LoRa, a low-power, wide-area networking technology, for establishing reliable communication between underground sensors and aboveground infrastructure. We comprehensively analyze LoRa's performance in both single-hop and multi-hop configurations, considering the impact of diverse environmental factors such as soil composition, moisture content, underground transmission distance, and path loss on signal propagation. We delve into the crucial role of the spreading factor (SF) within the LoRa communication system, analyzing its influence on network performance. Furthermore, we develop a comprehensive mathematical model for bit error rate (BER) under various channel conditions, including additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and …

Tribological Performance Of Ceramic On Textured Polyethylene Contact For Artificial Hip Implants, Sandhya Vaidyanathan

Theses

Revision total hip arthroplasty (rTHA) is an expensive and surgically risky procedure that is necessary in the case of a failed primary total hip arthroplasty (pTHA). The cause of failure in artificial hip joints is often rooted in the tribological performance of the bearing surfaces such as increased wear and reduced lubrication. Surface texturing is a surface modification technique which has been studied for aerospace and automotive applications and has shown promise in the biomedical field of artificial human joints in the last two decades. Several studies have been done to assess the tribological performance of introducing surface micro-textures as …

Methodology For Developing Biodegradable Polymer Blends And Composites For Agriculture, Fangzhong Xing

Theses

The use of polyethylene (PE) films to improve soil conditions and to increase crop yield has produced microplastics that are harmful to our ecosystem. The overall objective of this thesis is to develop an effective biodegradable polymer/composite to replace PE, and hence, to reduce microplastic pollution. The focus of this research is to develop a systematic protocol for assessing the suitability of the biodegradable films based on industry standards in agriculture. For this purpose, a range of biodegradable polymer blends are prepared using polylactic acid (PLA) and polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT) with varying PLA to PBAT ratios. Solvent casting combined with …

Targeted Drug Delivery: Investigating Protein Corona Behavior, Atharva Markale

Theses

Due to high specificity and less toxicity, nanoparticles have become promising for targeted drug delivery against cancer, although they face challenges when they enter the bloodstream, making their behavior unpredictable. The deposition of proteins on nanoparticles, the protein corona, changes their biosignature, affecting their circulation, drug release potency, targeting ability, and immunogenicity. The continuous exchange of protein layers on a nanoscale is complex to analyze.

Nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) is a method to characterize nanoparticles in blood plasma by combining principles of light scattering microscopy and Brownian motion. In this work, time-dependent experiments with plasma were conducted to analyze the …

Strawberry Nectar Preservation Through Innovative Techniques And Energy Evaluation For High-Pressure Processing, Caterina Scaioli

Theses

Strawberries are universally adored by people of all ages, owing to their richness in vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants, offering myriad health benefits, including combating free radicals. However, despite their popularity, strawberry juices or nectars are not commonly found in markets due to their delicate structure, which makes them prone to rapid deterioration of their prized qualities and vibrant red color. In the food industry, preventing browning and nutrient deterioration are often the primary challenges faced when processing red juices. Traditional preservation methods, such as pasteurization, are inadequate in maintaining their freshness. The focus of this study is to explore alternative …

Utilization And Justification Of Generative Ai Technologies For Schematic Architectural Design, Aaric Celeste

Theses

Today, architecture is heavily assisted by computer programs. As technology advances, these programs will be more impactful in the design space and will become more inseparable as a result. It is nearly certain that architectural design will no longer be as time-consuming and reiterative as it is today. Computer software and AI-assisted tools will be able to interpret information and produce practical designs that architects otherwise couldn’t. It may seem futuristic and a not-in-our-lifetime phenomenon, but it in fact already exists today. Algorithms are already developed to assist and in some cases take over design work. This thesis discovered existing …

The Babysitter, Diane Catsburrow Linnet

Theses

After producing several short animated films of different moods and visual designs, I designed the thesis film production with the challenge of telling a longer, more complex story with themes of human connection. I curated the narrative as a slice of life, favoring a somewhat nonsensical series of events rather than a clean-cut narrative, but also sought to tap into the whimsical animated humor by incorporating fantastical elements such as a bear baby. These combined to create a film about not understanding everything, but being able to see what is necessary to help someone in need, told in a form …

Anthropogenic Impacts Lead To Plant Biodiversity Losses In A Unique And Fragile Coastal Dune Ecosystem, Natalie Clagett

Theses

At the southern end of the California Floristic Province lie the El Socorro Dunes. These Dunes have the highest biodiversity of any dune system in Mexico, hosting at least 11 perennial endemic and rare plant species. The El Socorro Dunes’ perennial vegetation was surveyed between 2008 to 2010, but since then these dunes have faced pressure from regional land transformations, such as off-roading and mining, invasive species spread, and climate change. This study examines the plant community changes within the El Socorro Dunes and potential links to stressors. Our results show significant losses of native plants, and significant increases in …

Improving Design And Physical Boundary In Temporary Post-Disaster Relief Shelters: Analysis Of Existing Literature, Min-Hye Jang

Theses

Natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes, cyclones, storms, earthquakes, wildfires, and landslides displace people. As responses at the community resilience level, the temporary post-relief shelter is critical for the community's rapid recovery. Converting existing public facilities is the fastest way to respond to a crisis. However, the Hurricane Katrina Superdome Shelter alerted society to the prevalence of sexual assault in transitory catastrophe contexts. Not only has sexual abuse occurred, but prior shelters did not equip every user with physical barriers to suit their needs. This study examined academic journals, articles, and books to identify issues with natural disaster shelters created …

Syn: Exploring Multi-Sensory Sound Experiences Through An Immersive Installation, Samara Sudhir

Theses

The project titled 'SYN.' is a thesis that explores the realm of multi-sensory experiences in visual communication by taking inspiration from synesthesia. Synesthesia is a phenomenon where sensory information is transmitted through multiple unrelated senses, causing individuals to experience more than one sense simultaneously, such as seeing music and hearing color/shapes. The project aims to create an immersive and interactive installation that evokes a feeling of being inside the music by blurring the boundaries between auditory and visual stimuli. Through meticulous mapping and projection of visuals onto various surfaces, a three-dimensional space is created where participants can interact and alter …

Pawssenger--Enhance The Experience Of Flying With Pets, Xinxin Li

Theses

As demand for long-distance air travel with pets surges, airlines must adapt by enhancing accommodations for safe, comfortable, and sustainable pet transport over extended periods. This paper presents a proposed, innovative, comprehensive approach to redesigning airplane cabin and cargo spaces to create a more pet-friendly, eco-conscious experience for travelers on long-haul flights with animal companions. A key innovation needed for pets accompanying owners in the cabin on lengthy journeys is seamlessly integrating lightweight, modular pet carriers into passenger seating units. These redesigned carriers prioritize ventilation, comfort, and easy access to food/water during extended travel. They eliminate cumbersome separate pet carriers …

Cut, Beth Lane

Theses

Abstract “cut” is a documentary film which explores themes of systemic sexism in the film industry. It was produced between September 2023-April 2024 including pre-production to post-production. This paper describes and analyzes the filmmaking process for Beth Lane, Director. In this paper I will also attempt to put to words the intangibles of that process, including the social dynamics of filmmaking, and larger cultural happenings at the time of production.

Visualizing Poems, Qiran Cui

Theses

With its profound expressions of emotion and insights, Chinese poetry has long been revered as a cultural heritage. However, its intricacies often challenge non-Chinese speakers seeking to appreciate its depth. This thesis proposes an exploratory approach to interpreting Chinese poetry, using geometric shapes and motions to discover potential emotional and thematic interpretations. The geometric shapes and their associated motions—circles for continuity, squares for stability, triangles for conflict, and rounded rectangles for historical depth—reflect their psychological and cultural significance in conveying specific emotions within the poems. From Chinese poetry's subjects, structure, content, and emotional resonance, the exploration delves into how visual …

Enola, Justin Gibson

Theses

Enola, is a photographic collection of visual fragments without a beginning or end. These moments reflect on my inner psychological landscape, translated from pieces of stories, dreams, recollections. My project, inspired heavily by the town that I once called home, Enola, Pennsylvania, acts as a cultural origin point for my photographs. This work highlights aspects of the uncanny, the quiet, and the unfamiliar tendencies of life. These formulations usually manifest as dreamlike scenes. My work weaves these disconnected pieces into a cohesive reflection.

Continual Learning For An Ever Evolving And Intelligent Malware Classification System, Mohammad Saidur Rahman

Theses

Malware classification poses unique challenges for continual learning (CL) systems, driven by the daily influx of new samples and the evolving nature of malware threats that exploit new vulnerabilities. Antivirus vendors encounter hundreds of thousands of unique software pieces daily, encompassing both malicious and benign files. Over its operational life, a malware classifier can accumulate more than a billion samples. Training malware classification system with only new samples and classes leads to catastrophic forgetting (CF), where the system forgets previously learned data distribution. While retraining with all old and new samples effectively combats CF, it is computationally expensive and necessitates …

Revitalizing The Rochester Gorge Strategic Urban Site Planning To Enhance Water Quality In The Lower Genesee River, Stephen Adam Stoker

Theses

The project began with investigating a regional asset of interest: the Genesee River. Initial research into this area revealed that the river suffers from poor water quality. The causes and effects of poor water quality were explored, and it was determined that excess nutrients – namely phosphorus – play a critical role in the water quality of the Genesee River and present downstream risk at the river’s point of outflow in Lake Ontario. An examination of peer-reviewed literature, contemporary examples in the built environment where similar water quality issues were addressed, and existing watershed design frameworks were conducted to understand …

The Space That Tell Stories, Asia Gonzalez

Theses

This project focuses on visual storytelling in game design. The primary focus of this project is to create an environment that tells a story through visual exposition and very minimal dialogue or written words. Furthermore, the project studies the ways in which a story can be both a visual and interactive experience.

A Comparison Of Shaping And Imitation For Reducing A Dog’S Problem Behavior, Carlee Weir, Robbie Hanson

Theses

Over one million dogs have entered shelters in 2024 alone with approximately 31% of those dogs being relinquished by their owners (Shelter Animal Count, 2024). Further, non-aggressive behavioral issues are often cited as a primary cause for owner relinquishment (Best Friends Network Partners, 2018; Howard & DiGennaro Reed, 2014). Previous research has shown the effectiveness of training methods based on positive reinforcement to reduce problematic behavior with dogs and to increase desirable behavior, such as shaping and clicker training, and there has been a growing interest in the use of imitation during training. Fugazza and Miklosi (2015) compared a shaping …

A Preliminary Analysis Of Functional Communication Training Via Voice-Recorded Buttons To Reduce Undesirable Behaviors With Dogs, Mya Watson-Blake, Robbie Hanson

Theses

Undesirable behavior, such as excessive barking, jumping up, and biting, is prevalent among pet dogs with an estimate of 72%-85% of dogs exhibiting at least one type of undesirable behavior (Dinwoodie et al., 2019; Powell et al., 2021; Salonen et al., 2020). Further, canine undesirable behavior has been found to be the leading cause of owners relinquishing their dogs to rescue shelters (Powdrill-Wells et al., 2021). Functional communication training (FCT) is a method that has shown to be effective with human populations for reducing challenging behaviors by teaching an individual an alternative response that results in the same class of …

Revealing The Similarities Between Bosch's Garden Of Earthly Delights And Medieval Musical Forms, Lindsay A. Nevin

Theses

This paper analyzes the triptych entitled The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch painted between 1490 and 1510. This specific piece is Bosch’s most famous and therefore garners the largest amount of discourse analyzing the visual components of it. This specific paper is unique in its approach by using methodology similar to music historians to relate the forms of music popular at this time to the visual elements in the work. Some of the most popular music genres at the time were those of madrigal and polyphonic. An additional element popular in the transition between the 15th and 16th …

Selenate-Mediated Impacts On Mercury Methylation By Pseudodesulfovibrio Mercurii With Dissolved And Nanoparticulate Mercuric Nitrate, Md Sayeduzzaman Sarker

Theses

Inorganic mercury (Hg) is converted to potential neurotoxic methylmercury (MeHg) by a natural process called Hg methylation. MeHg can be biomagnified in the food chain, thus the consumption of Hg-contaminated fish contributes to harmful human health issues. Selenium (Se) inhibits the Hg bioavailability to the methylating bacteria by forming mercuric selenide (HgSe). Pseudodesulfovibrio mercurii, a type of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) cultures were grown in anaerobic environments using an estuarine sulfate lactate growth medium to evaluate the effects of Hg concentrations, bacterial growth phase, and sodium selenate in the Hg methylation process. Bacterial cultures contained two types of mercuric (II) nitrate, …

Investigation On The Synthesis And Characterization Of Novel Phase Change Materials For Packaging Application, Sriram Srinivasan

Theses

Phase change material (PCM) is one of the majorly growing techniques used for thermal heat storage in various fields including construction for insulation and packaging industry. PCMs are widely used to increase the shelf life of the produce and prevent from harsh climatic conditions during transportation. In this present investigation, a PCM system was developed in the form of microcapsules using lauric acid (LA) and capric acid (CA) emulsions in melamine formaldehyde (MF) solution and polyurethane foam (PUF) using polytetrahydrofuran, isoprene diisocyanate, and polyethylene glycol (PEG). Acetic acid and triethylamine were used to control the pH during microcapsule preparation. The …

Effect Of Strategic Blending Of Food Industry By-Products With Protein Supplements On Performance Of Growing And Finishing Beef Cattle, Richard Augustine Atedi Bien

Theses

The objective of this research was to evaluate the impact of strategical blending of by-products of pea protein extraction such as pea molasses (PMS) and pea starch and fiber (PSF) with canola meal (CM) or distillers dried grains (DDGS) on the growth performance, rumen fermentation, and total tract nutrient digestibility of beef cattle. Preliminary evaluation (study 1) involved 4 runs of in vitro and two runs of in situ to evaluate the rumen fermentation and nutrient degradation of strategically blended CM. The treatments included regular CM (CM), CM blends containing PMS and PSF at 5% (CM5) and 10% (CM10) levels …

Investigating Native Bamboo Practices For Reservoir Conservation And Habitat Restoration, Taryn Elizabeth Ann Bieri

Theses

Reservoirs are an important resource for both humans and wildlife. They provide drinking water, recreational opportunities, wildlife habitat and more. A major issue land managers face on reservoirs is shoreline erosion leading to water quality impairments, sedimentation, and habitat loss. Traditionally, riprap has been used to mitigate this issue, but is costly and has limited ability to provide habitat. A promising measure to mitigate shoreline erosion and provide habitat is the establishment of giant cane [Arundinaria gigantea (Walt.) Muhl], on shorelines. Giant cane, a bamboo species native to southern Illinois and the southeastern United States, forms monodominant stands called canebrakes. …

An Intelligent Academic Advising System For Course Recommendation Using Large Language Models, Malika Maya Iratni

Theses

Academic advising is an important resource for students, especially in higher education, in order to guide them to make the best possible decisions to improve their overall academic performance and overall academic journey. With the increasing number of students joining these institutions each year, traditional advising becomes a time-consuming and inefficient process that can leave students discouraged, and advisors overwhelmed. Therefore, there is a need to develop intelligent advising systems that make use of the recent advancements in technology, to support the advising process, and increase overall student satisfaction. In this work, an academic advising model that uses Recommender Systems …

Biomass Estimation Of Mature Mangrove Trees In The Uae Using Spaceborne Remote Sensing Techniques, Yasmine Ashraf Heikal

Theses

Mangrove forest ecosystems play an essential role in diminishing the effects of climate change caused by the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Estimating mangrove forest aboveground biomass (AGB) and hence aboveground carbon (AGC) can assist in decision-making for conservation, sustainable use, and protection of these forests. The goal of this research project was to map the AGB of mangrove forests along the coasts of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with the aid of Landsat-8-9 satellite imagery data acquired in September 2023. 12 AGB estimation models were developed based on the combination of in situ measurements and Landsat-8-9 derived …

Emulsion Stability, Rheological Properties, And Combustion Characteristics Of Water-Jojoba Biofuel Emulsion, Ihab Mohamed Helal

Theses

This thesis comprehensively investigates the stability, rheological properties, and engine performance implications of Water in Jojoba Biodiesel (WJBD) emulsion. The research delves into multiple aspects, including the influence of diverse surfactants and water concentrations on emulsion stability. It also yields valuable insights into the development of stable water in jojoba biodiesel emulsions, specifically tailored for diesel engines. These insights contribute significantly to the body of knowledge of positioning emulsion fuels as viable alternative to traditional diesel fuels. The anticipated benefits include notable reductions in emissions, improvement in combustion efficiency, and lower production cost. Importantly, this study underscores the critical importance …

Vascular Brain Digital Twins For Medical Training And Education In Metaverse, Shamma Khaled Alghafri

Theses

This study addresses the need for innovative educational tools in the field of anatomy, specifically focusing on brain anatomy. The objective is to develop a virtual reality application and a 3D visualization that offer immersive and interactive learning experiences for students. The VR application, developed using Unity and designed for the Oculus Quest 2 headset, creates an immersive virtual laboratory environment. This environment includes interactive elements such as a table with buttons for displaying brain models and a whiteboard for user interaction. Users can manipulate and explore different brain structures, enhancing their understanding of complex anatomical features. Additionally, we integrated …

The Influence Of Woody Cover And An Exploration Of Raptor Density On Northern Bobwhite Survival In Southern Illinois, Blake Baum

Theses

Northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) are a culturally and economically significant game bird characteristic of grassland landscapes throughout their range. Despite the variety of research conducted on this species for nearly a century, populations continue to steadily decline, raising concern for future populations and highlighting the need for region-specific research. My research was conducted at Burning Star State Fish and Wildlife Area in northeastern Jackson County, Illinois from 2020-2022. My research addressed the following two objectives to provide insight on the population ecology of bobwhites at this site: (1) investigate the impact of multiple woody cover types within the home ranges …

The Impact Of Vehicular Noise On The Effectiveness Of Acoustic Indices, Rebecca Ducay

Theses

Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is a valuable tool in wildlife research, offering non-invasive and cost-effective means to collect acoustic data. However, the processing of PAM recordings can be time-consuming, prompting the use of acoustic indices to expedite analysis. Acoustic indices are numerical values that characterize biological information in sound recordings based on an environment’s acoustic characteristics. While acoustic indices have been correlated with species richness across ecological contexts, their reliability diminishes in areas with heightened vehicular noise. However, it is unclear if index biases caused by vehicular noise are consistent across all traffic levels, and which acoustic indices are most …