Digital Commons Network^™

Urban Illumination And Circadian Disruption: Examining Artificial Light At Night, Caitlin Mcmasters

Theses

Artificial light at night is increasingly prevalent in dense urban environments, yet it remains unclear how often typical city lighting conditions likely exceed recommended nighttime limits for residential circadian health. This thesis evaluates nighttime light exposure in two contrasting urban districts, Back Bay in Boston and Times Square in New York City, using satellite derived nighttime radiance, GIS based urban morphology, and documented lighting infrastructure characteristics. Rather than relying on calibrated photometric simulations, the study employs a qualitative, evidence based comparative approach to assess relative façade exposure and interpret conditions against established benchmarks, including the WELL Building Standard and ILP …

Illustrations For A Scientific Review Article Publication : Human Stem Cell-Derived Organoids, Sunghwan Bae

Theses

This thesis explores the role of scientific illustration in improving the comprehension of complex scientific concepts. It traces the historical development of illustrations in scientific literature and examines their functions in both research and review articles. The central contribution of this work is the development of twelve vector-based illustrations that elucidate the applications of human organoids within a review article context. These visuals transform intricate ideas into clear, engaging representations, supported by extensive research and verification to maintain scientific accuracy. The thesis concludes by addressing the future of scientific illustration, advocating for reader-oriented design approaches and the use of innovative …

Human-Aware Reinforcement Learning For Adaptive Human-Robot Teaming, Saurav Singh

Theses

The rise of Industry 5.0 has shifted robotic systems toward human-centric design, emphasizing collaboration between humans and machines. While collaborative robots (cobots) are equipped with sensors for safety, they typically overlook human internal states such as fatigue, stress, and workload—factors that significantly impact performance. This lack of awareness limits their ability to adapt and collaborate effectively, particularly in dynamic, real-time environments where human conditions fluctuate. This thesis introduces a novel framework that integrates human internal states into robot decision-making to enhance human-robot collaboration. This research leverages reinforcement learning (RL) to develop methods that enable robots to adapt their behavior based …

Subconscious Warnings As A Safety Mechanism Against Phishing Attacks, Henry Schulz

Theses

Phishing attacks are very common and considerably successful in stealing people’s information, but unfortunately normal security procedures fail to warn the user of their possible dangers. By considering how subliminal messages are very effective in informing people without actively disrupting their attention, a prototype of a browser extension was made by implementing subconscious messages and the elements of an effective warning, in an attempt to subconsciously warn users of possible phishing attempts, with minimal impact on browser performance.

The Effect Of Angiogenesis On Thermal Properties Of In-Vivo Human Tissue, Shriya Musuku

Theses

Bioheat transfer is the study of heat transfer in biology. There are several sources of heat in biology including external ones such as surgical applications of heat, or internal ones like cancer tissue. Blood flow networks affect both types of processes and are often generated during disease phenomenon through a process called angiogenesis. This affects the properties of the tissue. Several attempts were made to model flow and heat transfer within various tissues through physical measurements or computer simulations. Both types of models used bioheat transfer models do not consider the geometry of vasculature at its most fundamental level. The …

New Treatment Modality For Metastatic Cancer By Targeting The Endothelin Type A Receptor (Etar), Elbara Fathelrahman Abdelmoula

Theses

Ambrisentan, an FDA-approved selective antagonist of the Endothelin Type A Receptor (ETAR) for pulmonary arterial hypertension, has shown potential in limiting cancer growth and metastasis. While effective treatment options for melanoma remain elusive, this study investigates the effects of Ambrisentan on invasive, metastatic B16F10 melanoma using a syngeneic mouse model, aiming to assess Ambrisentan’s impact on tumor growth, metastasis, and overall host survival in B16F10 melanoma, along with gaining mechanistic insights into ETAR antagonism. C57Bl/6 mice were divided into two groups, receiving either dH2O or Ambrisentan orally. Treatments commenced prior to tumor implantation and continued post-implantation. Luciferase-expressing B16F10 cells facilitated …

Does Alzheimer’S Disease Begin In Your Gut? A Review Of The Gut-Brain Axis Effect On Cognitive Impairment And The Potential For Therapeutic Targeted Interventions., Jane Greenberg

Theses

Objective: To summarize current data regarding the bidirectional communication of the gut microbiota and the brain, specifically in relation to cognitive improvement, microbiota diversity, and dietary interventions. Additionally, the mechanisms underlying these relationships will be explored. Evidence Acquisition: Using the key terms “gut-brain axis" and "Alzheimer’s disease” PubMed and Web of Science were searched for papers published between 2014 and 2023. This yielded 297 results, of which 23 were relevant to this topic. Articles that failed to address cognitive impairment or only studied animal subjects were excluded. After scanning each paper, nine review articles and 14 new studies were selected …

The Impact Of Mkp-2 Deficiency On Hematological Parameters In Diet Challenged Mice, Cassandra Secunda

Theses

Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) regulate metabolic homeostasis and MAPK dysfunction promotes metabolic diseases. MAPK phosphatases (MKPs) regulate MAPKs and are implicated in obesity and platelet activation. To elucidate the role of MKP-2 in platelet function and NAFLD, tail bleed, platelet isolation, and western blot assays were performed. MKP-2 KO mice and control mice were fed either a chow or 12- 13 week high fat diet (HFD), a 10 week iron deficient (ID), or an iron supplement (IS) regimen. On the chow diet, the bleeding time was significantly reduced in female MKP-2 KO mice. Male MKP-2 KO IS mice showed significantly …

Quality-Of-Service Provisioning For Smart City Applications Using Software-Defined Networking, Basima Kurungadan

Theses

In the current world, most cities have WiFi Access Points (AP) in every nook and corner. Hence upraising these cities to the status of a smart city is a more easily achievable task than before. Internet-of-Things (IoT) connections primarily use WiFi standards to form the veins of a smart city. Unfortunately, this vast potential of WiFi technology in the genesis of smart cities is somehow compromised due to its failure in meeting unique Quality-of-Service (QoS) demands of smart city applications. Out of the following QoS factors; transmission link bandwidth, packet transmission delay, jitter, and packet loss rate, not all applications …

Deep Learning For Medical Imaging In A Biased Environment, Usman Mahmood

Theses

Deep learning (DL) based applications have successfully solved numerous problems in machine perception. In radiology, DL-based image analysis systems are rapidly evolving and show progress in guiding treatment decisions, diagnosing, localizing disease on medical images, and improving radiologists' workflow. However, many DL-based radiological systems fail to generalize when deployed in new hospital settings, and the causes of these failures are not always clear. Although significant effort continues to be invested in applying DL algorithms to radiological data, many open questions and issues that arise from incomplete datasets remain. To bridge the gap, we first review the current state of artificial …

A Physiological Computing System To Improve Human-Robot Collaboration By Using Human Comfort Index, Celal Savur

Theses

Fluent human-robot collaboration requires a robot teammate to understand, learn, and adapt to the human's psycho-physiological state. Such collaborations require a physiological computing system that monitors human biological signals during human-robot collaboration (HRC) to quantitatively estimate a human's level of comfort, which we have termed in this research as comfortability index (CI) and uncomfortability index (UnCI). We proposed a human comfort index estimation system (CIES) that uses biological signals and subjective metrics. Subjective metrics (surprise, anxiety, boredom, calmness, and comfortability) and physiological signals were collected during a human-robot collaboration experiment that varied the robot's behavior. The emotion circumplex model is …

Pranayama Breathing Detection With Deep Learning, Bikash Shrestha

Theses

Yoga, a complementary health approach, according to a 2017 National Health Interview Survey by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is a choice of around 14.3% adults in the US. Kapalbhati pranayama, a yoga practice of alternating fast exhales and longer passive inhales, is understood to improve our health. Incorrect and irregular practices, however, can cause injuries and adverse effects. To avoid these undesired effects, it is essential to maintain a pace fit for the practitioner. In the absence of any tools to observe a pace of practice, this work develops a deep learning method that listens to …

Fabrication Of Chemically-Functionalized 3dprinted Porous Scaffolds For Biomedical Applications, Eiman Hamed Alblooshi

Theses

Hard tissues, such as bone and teeth, are natural composites of collagen nanofibers that are reinforced by inorganic calcium phosphate Nano crystallites, in the form of nanocomposites. The interlocking between these components in hard tissues explains their unique characteristics. Bone is mainly classified into two major types; compact and cancellous depending on the extent of porosity. Fractures in the compact bone can be treated using bone fixation implants, such as rods, screws, and plates, or can be totally replaced by bone implants if complete substitution is required. Cancellous bone, on the other hand, is highly porous and its substitution with …

Evaluation Of A ‘Well-Elderly’ Physical Activity Programme, Robert Purcell

Theses

Both in Ireland and internationally people are living longer and there is an increasing proportion of older adults in the population (Clark 2020). As such, the maintenance of health and physical function for older adults is of critical importance. Physical activity is widely acknowledged as being crucial for the maintenance of positive health, particularly for older adults (Spartano et al., 2019). Research has suggested that physical activity programmes are an effective means of engaging older adults in physical activity for the promotion of positive health (Sherrington et al., 2017). The central aim of this research project was to explore the …

Speculative Fashion: A Spacesuit For Life Outside Earth, Lauren Miyoko Furushima

Theses

When Earth is no longer able to house living creatures, humans will need a new environment to inhabit. Space tourism companies are already looking toward building civilizations in outer space. In accordance, humans will need space wear that is able to support their bodies for long periods of time, therefore supporting life outside of Earth. NASA’s white spacesuits protect astronauts but are hard to move in and costly to manufacture. As designers, it is vital to envision different solutions for spacesuits because it will soon become our normal clothing. The importance of designing for future space travel for everyone may …

Dynamic Speed And Separation Monitoring With On-Robot Ranging Sensor Arrays For Human And Industrial Robot Collaboration, Shitij P. Kumar

Theses

This research presents a flexible and dynamic implementation of Speed and Separation Monitoring (SSM) safety measure that optimizes the productivity of a task while ensuring human safety during Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC).

Unlike the standard static/fixed demarcated 2D safety zones based on 2D scanning LiDARs, this research presents a dynamic sensor setup that changes the safety zones based on the robot pose and motion.

The focus of this research is the implementation of a dynamic SSM safety configuration using Time-of-Flight (ToF) laser-ranging sensor arrays placed around the centers of the links of a robot arm. It investigates the viability of on-robot …

Mcnp Design Of Radiation Shielding For Pulsed Fusion Propulsion, David Jason Hewitt

Theses

Pulsed fusion, fission and fission-fusion hybrid systems are currently being studied for advanced propulsion to enable rapid interplanetary space travel. A testbed for evaluating these technologies at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, called Charger-1, utilizes a form of Magneto-Inertial Fusion to implode small plasma loads with z-pinch that will produce thrust when coupled with a magnetic nozzle. Like all forms of nuclear propulsion, this experiment will also be able to produce significant amounts of ionizing radiation in the form of high energy neutrons and photons that need mitigation to protect personnel and equipment. The laboratory housing this testbed has …

Interaction Design Needs Modified Principles Of “Design Affordance” For Navigation Applications, Shannon Connell

Theses

It is a common scene for many of us getting from point A to point B these days. One we forget did not exist a little over a decade ago. A phone or device is taken out, a destination is typed into a search box, and a route or several are offered. The user then makes a route decision, places the device within sight, or holds it as they travel. The user relies on provided instructions for most of the route taken and tangential subsequential decision-making. These behaviors are not only accepted as the norm, but our reliance deems them …

Paleo Journey: An Interactive Paleolithic Cave Art Experience. Using The User Experience (Ux) Design Process To Develop An Interactive And Immersive Paleolithic Cave Art Exhibit Suitable For Children Between Five (5) And Seven (7) Years Old., James J. Parrillo

Theses

Most European caves containing Paleolithic cave art paintings (dating from approximately 10,000 – 50,000 years BP) are no longer accessible to the general public, and their visitor centers often require lengthy travel for tourists. In addition, the interactivity associated with these exhibits largely focus upon computer screens, and not a tactile interface. This Thesis project seeks to create a prototype of a tactile interface on a mock cave surface using projection mapping and motion tracking.

In developing this exhibit, the user experience (UX) design process was used as a methodology for defining, researching and co-designing for a particular user segment. …

Low Cost, Multi-Purpose Genotyping Panels For Dairy And Beef Cattle, Michelle Judge

Theses

rhe selection of animals based on DNA has revolutionised animal breeding, but the associated high cost of obtaining genotypes has limited its uptake. The objective of this thesis was to develop a low-cost, low-density, multi-purpose genotyping panel for the procurement of reliable genotype information, and to quantify the long-term consequences of using such low-density genotype panels in breeding programs. The objectives were achieved through a combination of real-life cattle genotype data and simulations to mimic a cattle population. The in-silico development of genotype panels was based on actual genotypes from up to 58,705 beef cattle. Alternative novel strategies were used …

Development & Validation Of An Improved Biomechanical Model For Motion Analysis, Darren Dawson

Theses

Three dimensional motion analysis systems are utilised across a number of different disciplines, including clinical gait analysis, sports performance studies and analysis of tasks of daily living. These systems utilise biomechanical models which define body segment coordinate systems and calculate kinematic and kinetic relationships about the joints between adjacent coordinate systems. In this study, a biomechanical model for general use in motion analysis was developed and validated. It was designed to improve upon the accuracy and capability of currently available models. The newly developed model utilises state of the art techniques to accurately define body segment coordinate systems. Accurate predictive …

Visualization Of Hiv-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders, Tim Fitzgerald

Theses

It is widely known that human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) can cause acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), but treatments to prevent the virus from escalating to that severity have come a long way since the virus was first described in the 1980s. The medications, combined antiretroviral therapy (cART), keep the virus from replicating, thus stopping its progression to AIDS. However, this treatment does not seem to ultimately benefit the brain, in part because cART does not uniformly penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB), and in part because HIV-1 seems to permanently turn on the part of the immune system that causes …

Intrinsic Inter-Subject Variability In Functional Neuroimaging: Verification Using Blind Source Separation Features, Shruti Gopal Vij

Theses

The holy grail of brain imaging is the identification of a biomarker, which can identify an abnormality that can be used to diagnose disease and track the effectiveness of treatment and disease progression. Typically approaches that search for biomarkers start by identifying mean differences between groups of patients and healthy controls. However, combining data from different subjects and groups to be able to make meaningful inferences is not trivial. The structure of the brain in each individual is unique in size and shape as well as in the relative location of anatomical landmarks (e.g. sulci and gyri). When looking for …

Determining The Daily Caloric Needs Of Collegiate Female Athletes, Alicia D. Watson

Theses

Dietary requirements in athletes are critical to overall health and performance, yet no formula to predict dietary needs is available for female athletes. This study's purpose was to develop a validated prediction equation to predict the resting metabolic needs of female athletes. 63 NCAA Division II female athletes (19.7 ± 1.1 years, 169.3 ± 8.6 cm, 67.5 ± 9.1 kg) were recruited as participants in this study. Upon providing their informed consent, study participants arrived for testing in the morning between the hours of 0600 - 1000 after observing a ~10 hour fast and within 30 - 60 minutes of …

Non-­‐Invasive Fault Detection In Axial Flow Blood Pump Used As Ventricular Assistive Device, Rohit Rana

Theses

A Ventricular Assistive Device (VAD) is a mechanical pump used to assist the functioning of a weak heart. A catastrophic obstruction in the VAD system could cost the patient their life. This thesis presents a set of fault detection techniques using the commercially available Jarvik 2000 Flowmaker® VAD in a closed loop circuit that incorporates the ability to alter common causes of VAD congestion. The first goals of this research is to determine the nominal pressure-low performance of the Jarvik pump, which is a graphical presentation of the static head and guides us about the major and minor losses in …

Energy Analysis Of Co2-Based Demand Controlled Ventilation And Economizer For Air Source Heat Pump In Schools, Nihal Al Raees

Theses

This study discusses the application of the CO2-based demand-controlled ventilation (CO2-DCV) strategy along with an economizer for air source heat pumps in schools. An investigation was performed of their impact on annual energy consumption, and the potential savings achieved in different USA locations was determined. The study includes detailed energy analysis on an existing middle school through entire building energy simulation software. The simulation model is first calibrated and checked for accuracy using the actual monthly utility data of the school. Second, this model is used for saving calculations due to the application of an integrated CO2- based DCV and …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Hydroxyapatite Doped With Strontium Carbonate Thin Film Coatings, Stephen Ayodeji Ajinola

Theses

The main purpose of the research is to investigate the corrosion rate and mechanical properties of thin film of strontium carbonate (Sr2CO3) doped with hydroxyapatite (HA) on titanium substrates using DC Corrosion of Potentiodynamic and Nanoindentation respectively. The variation in the weight percentages of strontium carbonate in hydroxyapatite on a titanium substrate was used to investigate the beneficial effect of strontium on surface modification in biological application such as to improve hardness of dentures and prevention of cavities, menopause bone loss and enhancement of remodeling. The corrosion rate, the hardness and elastic moduli of different weight percents of variation in …

A Study Of Biodegradable Ceramic Coatings For Magnesium-Based Implants, Erica L. Clinard

Theses

The objective of this study is develop some understanding of biodegradable, ceramic coatings that control the rate of corrosion of a magnesium-based implant by: optimizing parameters for fabricating metal oxides, determining surface roughness parameters, determining dependence of resorption time on coating thickness and determining the biological compatibility of aluminum oxide, ferric oxide and zinc oxide. Magnetron sputtering has been used to manufacture high quality ceramic coatings through pulsed direct current sputtering technique. Aluminum oxide, zinc oxide and iron oxide were characterized by an optical density method, x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. From this study, it was …

Morality In The Virtual Space: Applying Moral Philosophy To Digital Worlds, James O'Sullivan

Theses

Since the turn of the century and the dawn of the digital age, online communities have witnessed significant growth in their importance. Significant numbers of virtual environments now exist, within which millions of individuals interact socially and economically, engaged fully in what is equivalent to a physical encounter, the only differences being the virtual representations through which they interact, and the physical security that this representation affords them. Though physically absent, individuals are fully engaged psychologically, and thus open to the same ethical dilemmas presented through reality. Application of real-world moral codes is encumbered by the existence of what 1 …

Development Of A Device For Whole Body Stimulation Of The Otoliths, Jon Edward Weimer

Theses

Over the past few decades, research has been conducted to explore the effects of microgravity on human musculature, As seen in astronauts upon their return to Earth after prolonged spaceflight, extensive muscle atrophy due to adaptation to conditions of microgravity many times decreases a person's ability to walk or even stand, With an understanding of the anatomical mechanisms that provide postural control, the proper stimulation, resulting in a reduction in spasticity, could be provided by simulating these conditions of microgravity.

In order to simulate microgravity, a device has been developed that is capable of providing whole body stimulation of the …