Digital Commons Network^™

Engineering Materials Function With Reconfigurable Colloids, Laura Galeano Tirado

Theses

The function of a material is defined not only by its chemical composition, but also by the structural organization of its constituents across multiple length scales, from the architecture of individual building blocks to their collective arrangement. Developing strategies to access, engineer, and reconfigure that structure on demand represents a central opportunity in the design of adaptive materials. Here, we present a thermoresponsive polymer-colloid platform that enables high-precision tuning of colloidal structures using only thermal stimuli. Rather than adsorbing to the surface, our polymers diffuse inside organosilica colloids to reshape them from within, allowing continuous modulation of their size, shape, …

Characterizing Heavy Water Displacement In Molecular Sieve Drying Beds For Practical Trace Tritium Capture Methods, Brandon M. Massett

Theses

Tritium plays a crucial role in nuclear fusion power plant designs, and adsorption beds are essential tools for managing tritiated water vapor. A series of tests was performed to investigate whether a saturated adsorption bed preferentially adsorbs heavy water vapor. The design of passive tritium control systems could potentially rely on adsorption beds preferentially trapping heavier isotopologues of water. This work investigates the displacement phenomenon and the effects of carrier gas superficial velocity on bed performance. Significant displacement was observed when a humid stream containing heavy water was diverted through a bed pre-saturated with light water, as indicated by changes …

Multimodal Brain-Computer Interface For Real-Scene Object Selection And Shared Robotic Arm Control, Mohammad Keshtkar

Theses

Due to the limited bandwidth and reliability of non-invasive electroencephalography (EEG)-based brain–computer interface (BCI) systems, it is difficult to control a six-degree-of-freedom (6-DoF) robotic arm using such a system. This thesis proposes a multimodal BCI system for controlling a robotic arm that divides control into three stages: initiating the task through right-hand motor imagery (MI), selecting an object of interest from a real scene using steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) and webcam-based eye tracking, and autonomously performing the pick-and-drop task using a WidowX 250 robotic arm. Two separate offline experiments, each involving ten participants, were performed to test the SSVEP …

Semiconductor Laser Calibration Through Photonic Chip With Microcontroller Driven Wavelength Inference, Clayton Acheson

Theses

Integrated Silicon Photonics leverages light-speed operation with lower power and higher data rates than electronic counterparts. To achieve this, light is sent through a silicon circuit, where it is manipulated to perform various operations. Primarily, the light for these circuits comes from laser sources. Semiconductor lasers are typically used for their small form factor and ability to be heterogeneously integrated into larger, more complex systems. Because the optical phase and wavelength of light respond to minute changes in local refractive index, light is increasingly used for high-sensitivity sensing in integrated photonic circuit applications. As such, schemes that integrate the laser …

Predicting Rental Prices For Dubai Properties, Abdulrahman Mohammad Arab

Theses

This study explores the application of machine learning models to predict rental prices in the dynamic real estate market of Dubai. With increasing demand for data-driven valuation tools, accurate rental price estimation has become essential for tenants, landlords, investors, and property consultants. The research is grounded in the theory of supervised machine learning, focusing on the use of structured property features—such as location, size, furnishing status, and number of rooms—to forecast monthly rent values. The study employed the “Dubai Real Estate Goldmine, UAE Rental Market Data” from Kaggle as its primary dataset. This data, which reflects thousands of residential listings …

Enhancing Net-Zero Strategies At Rit Dubai Campus Through Life Cycle Assessment, Razan Ali

Theses

Net-zero commitments are pushing higher education institutions to measure their environmental impact more rigorously. RIT Dubai has aligned its sustainability targets with the UAE Net Zero 2050 initiative, and earlier greenhouse gas reporting identified commuting and electricity as the campus’s dominant emission sources, with transportation modelled only from city-level estimates. This thesis develops an individual-level, use-phase Life Cycle Assessment of transportation at RIT Dubai across the entire campus community of 2,795 members in seven segments: local and international students, faculty and staff, and the contracted service staff who travel to campus daily. A transportation Life Cycle Inventory was built from …

Passive House Envelope Retrofit For Heritage Buildings In Hot Semi-Arid Climates: A Shoebox Energy Simulation Study Of The Former British Residency (Osmania University College For Women), Hyderabad, India, Hasini Kadaru

Theses

This study assesses interior-oriented envelope retrofits based on Passive House principles, applied to the British Residency of Hyderabad, now called Telangana Mahila Viswa Vidyalayam since 2022, and to Osmania University College for Women (OUCW) for the prior 70 years. This Grade 1-listed building was constructed in several phases starting in the 1790s, then remodeled and extended under Resident James Achilles Kirkpatrick from 1798 to 1805 and completed around 1808. It served as the Residency until 1947, when it was handed over to Osmania University.    Due to the conservation approach applied to the site, which does not allow any external changes, …

What Representations Preserve: Information-Theoretic And Geometric Conditions For Out-Of-Distribution And Hallucination Detection, Hong Yang

Theses

Models deployed outside controlled settings encounter inputs unlike their training data and may generate outputs unsupported by what they learned. A reliable system should recognize these cases. Out-of-distribution detection and hallucination detection are usually studied separately, but both depend on the same condition: the model's representation must retain the information that distinguishes an anomalous case from an ordinary one. If training never captures that information, or later suppresses it, no downstream detector can recover it. We study this condition from two complementary perspectives. Mutual information measures how much information about the relevant distinction remains in a representation, while feature-space geometry …

A Best-Practice And Risk-Assessment Framework For Auditable Ai Integration In Uae Government Socs, Nasser Hassan Nasser Abdulrazaq Alrazooqi

Theses

The growing use of artificial intelligence and generative AI in security operations centres  have the ability to improve alert triage, investigation, threat-intelligence enrichment,  and incident response. It also introduces governance risks including explainability, data  leakage, prompt injection, model lifecycle management, human oversight, and the  traceability of AI-assisted decisions. This study has developed a best-practice and risk assessment framework for the auditable integration of AI in UAE’s governmental SOCs.  The research follows a qualitative and practitioner-informed documentary analysis.  Publicly available UAE cybersecurity policies, internationally recognised NIST and  ISO/IEC standards, academic literature, industry guidance and compliance  publications were reviewed. Moreover, they were …

Beyond Conventional Construction A Sustainability Assessment Of 3d-Printed Concrete For Multi-Family Housing, Jennifer Candelier

Theses

The construction industry continues to face significant challenges, including labor shortages, increasing housing demand, rising material costs, and pressure to reduce environmental impacts. Three-dimensional printed concrete (3DPC) has emerged as a potential alternative to conventional construction methods by improving automation, material efficiency, and construction productivity. However, existing research has focused primarily on single-family applications, leaving limited understanding of its feasibility for multi-family residential construction. This study evaluates whether 3D printed concrete can become a standardized construction method for multi-family residential buildings by comparing it with conventional concrete masonry unit (CMU) construction. A comparative, performance-based methodology was developed using two equivalent …

Population Inference Of Compact Binaries With Eccentricity, Muhammad Zeeshan

Theses

Gravitational waves opened a new window to study the properties of compact binary systems, providing insights into their astrophysical formation and evolution. Initially, population studies relied on mass and spin distributions to distinguish between isolated, dynamical, and hierarchical merger channels; however, orbital eccentricity offers a complementary probe of binary formation scenarios. Historically, eccentricity received limited attention due to the lack of eccentric wave- form models and the absence of strong observational evidence within the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA sensitivity band. A growing catalog, recent advances in eccentric waveform modeling, and analyses reporting candidates consistent with non-zero eccentricity motivate a systematic population-level study with …

Biochar-Derived Ethylene Scavengers For The Preservation Of Bananas, Morgan Samson

Theses

Ethylene regulates the rapid ripening of numerous climacteric fruits (e.g., banana, tomato, mango, and avocado). Minimization of ethylene formation and action in fruits during harvest or at any stage along the supply chain has become an important approach to prolong storage periods and minimize postharvest losses. Active packaging with ethylene scavengers has been proven to extend the shelf life of climacteric fruits; however, a cost-effective and sustainable solution is needed. Biochar-derived ethylene scavengers offer a promising approach to minimize postharvest losses, along with the valorization of abundant organic residues. This study produced and characterized biochars from two different feedstocks (i.e., …

Ikaros: See Through Time, Aisha F. A. Alnouri

Theses

Conventional heritage interpretation often relies on static signage, creating an "information void" where physical ruins sit uncontextualized. This thesis addresses this issue by proposing an interactive spatial information system designed to dynamically display, and contextualize architectural heritage in real time. Designed as a global framework, Failaka Island in Kuwait serves as the primary case study, driven by a personal cultural connection and the need to bridge the island's post-war generational disconnect. Positioned at the intersection of information design, interactive media, and spatial visualization, the system, Ikaros, utilizes Hellenistic Temple B, a 3rd-century BCE sanctuary, as its core testbed. The touchscreen …

Cross-Layer Security And Responsive Evaluation Architectures For Quantum Resistance In Connected Vehicles, Geoff Twardokus

Theses

Connected vehicle (CV) technologies are emerging as a crucial technology for improving safety on future roadways. Wireless vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication allows CVs to exchange information that provides enhanced awareness and supports better driving decisions, especially in high-risk or non-line-of-sight scenarios. However, V2X also exposes new surfaces to physical layer attacks and increasingly sophisticated, potentially quantum-capable threat actors. As human or autonomous CV drivers will make split-second safety-critical decisions based on the contents of V2X messages, ensuring their authenticity, as well as their reliable and timely delivery, is crucial. Otherwise, malicious attackers may interfere with safety services or spoof messages to …

Carbon Credits, Capture And Storage Markets In The Uae, Fatema Adnan Majed

Theses

The growing urgency to address climate change has placed carbon markets and carbon capture technologies at the core of global climate strategies. This thesis looks into whether the United Arab Emirates can develop its emerging carbon credit framework into a platform that supports viable private investment and national sustainability goals. While systems that are established, such as the EU Emission Trading System (EU ETS) and voluntary schemes, such as Verra's Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), provide mature models, the UAE shows a unique case: a market still in its early stages yet backed by ambitious climate commitments and world-class hydrocarbon infrastructure. …

Radical Regionalism: Integrating Historical Vernacular Wisdom With Modern Building Science For Resilient Envelope Design, Barbara Patricia Montano

Theses

This thesis investigates how vernacular environmental knowledge can be integrated with contemporary building science to inform climate-responsive residential building-envelope design. In response to the limitations of standardized construction approaches across diverse climatic regions, the research proposes Radical Regionalism, a framework that combines vernacular environmental principles, passive design strategies, sustainable material selection, building-envelope science, and resilience considerations within a performance-based design methodology. A comparative climate-based modeling methodology is applied to a representative single-family residential prototype across four contrasting United States climatic contexts: Miami, Florida (hot-humid); Phoenix, Arizona (hot-dry); Boston, Massachusetts (cold-humid); and Denver, Colorado (cold-dry). Representative conventional code-minimum wall assemblies are …

Modeling Intercellular And Intracellular Organization And Dynamics Of The Bacteria Escherichia Coli : From Population Dynamics In The Gut Microbiome, To Condensate Formation In Starved Cells, Alberto Alonso

Theses

Escherichia coli is a predominantly non-pathogenic species of bacteria present in the gut of most healthy adults. It plays a critical role in the health of the gut microbiome and is also widely used as a model organism in microbiology and synthetic biology studies. This thesis discusses results from two ongoing projects on E. Coli organization and emergent biophysical properties at two very distinct length scales. The first project focuses on using genetically modified engineered E. coli bacteria for early detection and intervention in colorectal cancer (CRC), a significant public health issue in the US. The success of these engineered …

Personalization And Generalization In Machine Learning For Affective Ai, Rajesh Titung

Theses

Human emotional communication involves subtle, low-intensity, and context-dependent expressions influenced by sociocultural and interpersonal factors. Their inherent ambiguity and variability create heterogeneous data distributions, making affective phenomena difficult to model in naturalistic settings where expressions differ from exaggerated affect behaviors in acted environments. Affective AI faces the fundamental challenge of balancing personalization, which captures individual nuances, with generalization, which ensures robustness of affective AI systems across individuals. Traditional centralized models emphasizing generalization often fail to capture fine-grained expressive heterogeneity, while fully personalized models improve system performance for individuals but lack transferability and robustness. The central task is thus to develop …

A Hyperpipeline For Joint Inference Of The Equation Of State And Population Of Binary Neutron Stars, Marc Ebiri

Theses

The extreme environment within neutron stars presents the opportunity to probe the nuclear equation of state at high densities and study the nature of stellar remnants near 1 solar mass. Parameter inference for the equation of state has received abundant attention in previous studies, but only a fraction of those have employed nontrivial population models in their priors. In this work, we introduce an upgrade to the generalized version of the popular RIFT algorithm known as HyperPipe, enabling the inclusion of flexible, user-provided priors within preexisting likelihood marginalization scripts that will facilitate joint inference of the equation of state and …

Development And Characterization Of Pellet-Printable Pla/Waste Tire Rubber Composites For 4d Additive Manufacturing, Deepak Haresh Devjani

Theses

Waste tire rubber (WTR) presents a persistent environmental challenge but also offers potential as a functional filler for polymer-based additive manufacturing. This study developed and characterized pellet-printable polylactic acid (PLA)/WTR composites for conventional and 4D printing. WTR powder was treated using a nominal 6 wt% sodium hydroxide solution and incorporated into PLA at 0, 1, 3, 5, and 7 wt%. The formulations were mechanically premixed, melt-compounded, pelletized, and processed by fused granulate fabrication under constant printing conditions. Optical microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, tensile, compression, and impact testing were conducted. Shape-memory performance was evaluated by compressing grid-infilled specimens to …

Model-Free Sliding Mode Control On Dc Motor Modules Using Coulomb Friction Simulation, Donovan Barros

Theses

Classical control methods such as PID control are effective for simple systems where the system model is well-known and tuning can be completed without significant time and financial investment. However, systems in the modern world have become more intricate and complicated to model, which also results in more extensive tuning being required to develop effective controllers. Sliding Mode Control was developed as a more robust way to handle nonlinear systems while ensuring global asymptotic stability using Lyapunov’s stability theorem. Traditional Sliding Mode Control does still require a well-known system model, necessitating the development of a new control method. Model-Free Sliding …

Accurate 3d Computational Modeling Of Multiphase Flows In Boiling Heat Transfer, Winston O. James Iii

Theses

In the past ten years, the electronics industry has seen a sustained demand to reduce thermal resistances while increasing volumetric heat removal. The limitations of traditional air-cooled systems have caused a major industry shift toward liquid cooling. To maintain beam quality, high output efficiency, and continuous uptime, high-powered lasers require cooling to manage the waste heat of 5-55 kW. Small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) have a capacity of 350 MW or less per unit and operate at an efficiency of 33.4% to 45%. As a result, 55% to 66% of the heat generated must be dissipated. Within data centers, a …

A Minimum-Phase Approach To Optical Signal Processing, Hector Alejandro Rubio Rivera

Theses

Phase retrieval is the algorithmic process of recovering the phase of a signal from more accessible quantities, such as iterative transformations of its magnitude response. The phase often reveals far more about the underlying system than the magnitude alone, yet conventional retrieval methods rely on software approaches that use computationally expensive iterative algorithms or hardware solutions that are sensitive to manufacturing variations.  In this dissertation, we show that the phase can be retrieved via a Hilbert transform of the magnitude response, bypassing iteration entirely, provided that the underlying system structure satisfies the minimum-phase condition. We apply this to three classes …

Machine Learning For Practical Quantum Computing: Adaptive Mitigation And Data-Driven Noise Characterization, Steven Szachara

Theses

Quantum error mitigation (QEM) is essential for reliable near-term quantum computing, yet practical deployment requires balancing mitigation strength against runtime overhead under nonstationary noise. This work introduces GSC-QEMit, a telemetry-driven context–forecast–bandit framework that adaptively selects mitigation intensity using unsupervised context discovery, uncertainty-aware Gaussian process forecasting, and a cost-aware contextual bandit. Evaluated on benchmark quantum circuits under drifting noise in simulation, the approach improves logical fidelity while reducing unnecessary intervention cost. Complementing this systems-level contribution, we apply unsupervised machine learning to broadband cryogenic transient dielectric spectroscopy data to analyze two-level system (TLS) noise mechanisms. Through clustering, dimensionality reduction, and spectral analysis, …

Framework For Building A Social Media Marketing Strategy For Micro-Small Businesses, Joanna Byrne

Theses

Existing social media marketing literature consistently fails micro-small businesses with five or fewer staff. These sources default to models built for brands with dedicated marketing teams and large budgets. This project addresses that gap using a mixed-methods, practitioner-based action research design. It combines quantitative platform analytics with qualitative process documentation. The research covers four businesses at distinct stages of digital development: Torched Motorsport Supply, a new automotive parts retailer built from zero digital infrastructure; Byrne Diesel Performance, an established diesel shop with an unoptimized presence; Texas Best Compost, a startup developing its brand identity and digital launch disrupted by supply …

From Grid To Freedom: A Comparative Analysis Of Canva’S Guardrails And Adobe Illustrator’S Design Flexibility, Caroline Wilmes

Theses

This project focuses on graphic design software becoming increasingly accessible and questions emerging regarding the role of professional designers and the value of industry-standard design tools. This project examines the differences between Canva, a widely used template-driven design platform, and Adobe Illustrator, a professional vector-based design application. Through a hands-on, project-based research approach, the same brand identity was developed in both programs, including a style guide, business card, website homepage mock-up, and tri-fold. The comparison focused on workflow efficiency, creative freedom, typography, color management, scalability, and production readiness.

Findings revealed that Canva excels in accessibility, speed, and ease of use …

Beyond Affection Meters: A Framework For Relationship Repair Mechanics And Meaningful Play, Christopher B. Del Gesso

Theses

This thesis develops and tests a repair-centered framework for relationship mechanics in narrative games, positioned as an alternative to the affection-meter model that reduces relationships to a single accumulating score. Drawing on eudaimonic media research, relational repair theory, and interpretive-attribution research, the framework argues that meaningful relationship play depends on tracking multiple, potentially divergent relational dimensions; distinguishing repair attempts from repair outcomes; modeling interpretation of player actions rather than fixed action-to-effect mappings; and treating stable, non-restorative endings as legitimate outcomes rather than failure states. A comparative survey of five commercial games, Fallout 4, Tell Me Why, Life is Strange Remastered, …

The Significance Of Abstract Art In Self-Expression: A Study Developed By Analyzing Kandinsky's Black Lines And Producing Visual Juxtapositions, Keturah K. Bowles

Theses

This paper will contemplate how the creation of abstract art, a creative style born from the Avant-Garde movement of the 20th century by artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, was imperative in the pursuit of artistic freedom. Additionally, it will seek to prove that abstraction is one of the unparalleled genres to utilize for self-expression in comparison to genres that uphold traditional art techniques, such as realism. This theory is further emphasized when considering abstract art in juxtaposition to the art standards maintained by the academy. Moreover, the research conducted to support the proposed theory falls into various categories, such as …

What Is Media Authenticity?: A Guide To Detecting Authentic Media Literacy, Kawan Yarbrough

Theses

This project seeks to answer the question of what media authenticity is, as it relates to different forms of popular media such as social media and content creators, content consumers that also actively post on social media, Reality Television and also touching base on how Artificial Intelligence has infiltrated the lives of many. Aside from discussing academia that has been published on this topic prior, my project will additionally include a quick guideline for being able to detect inauthentic media, and give quick points and recommendations for people that have no active media literacy training of any kind that can …

Color Shift: A Graphic Design Process Book Exploring How Color And Motion Influence Emotional Perception And Brand Connection In Affordable Women's Fashion Jewelry, Elizabeth Voight

Theses

This study examines how manipulating color and motion within a single brand identity system influences consumer emotional response and brand consistency. Using a fictional modern jewelry brand, Quanta & Co., the research isolates color as the primary variable by applying nine distinct mid-range color palettes to identical layouts, logos, and structures across both print and digital touchpoints. These collateral assets include jewelry packaging, vehicle wraps, digital advertisements, and an animated logo. A quantitative survey was executed to capture real-time audience impressions regarding brand traits, perceived quality, and the overall alignment of each color variation with the brand's identity.

The findings …