Digital Commons Network^™

Advancing Cell Segmentation Methods Through An Innovative Technique And Systematic Evaluation, Yuxing Wang

Theses

In the biomedical field, downstream cell-level analysis is a crucial step for comprehensively characterizing cells' location, function, morphology, and phenotype, relying on the accurate identification of individual cells. Consequently, there is increasing interest in the high quality of identified cell boundaries for biologists or researchers. Currently, cell segmentation methods are categorized into two types: Image-based and RNA-based cell segmentation. However, these methods face significant challenges. For example, most image-based methods tend to identify cell nuclear boundaries rather than entire cell boundaries when only nuclear staining images are available, and their performance is affected by noise in images and training labels. …

Methodology, Deployment, And Performance Of Pico Balloons In Antarctica, Todd Mckinney

Theses

During the 2022/2023 Antarctic summer, eight pico balloon flights from Neumayer Station III unveiled insights into Antarctic troposphere/stratospheric winds (9 - 15 km AMSL). The most impressive flight lasted an astounding 98 days, completing eight circumnavigations of the Southern Hemisphere. Flight data indicated zonal velocities from -50 to 250 km/hr and meridional velocities of ±100 km/hr, with total wind speeds from 2.0 to 270 km/hr. Pico balloons can ascend due to convection, altering their float density. They also drift further south than larger stratospheric balloons, reaching latitudes close to the south pole. This study showcases the transformation of budget-friendly party …

Identifying Redox Active Metalloligands For Catalytic Applications With Special Focus On Enabling Photoredox Processes On Cerium(Iii) Centers, Yogesh Lnu

Theses

Terminal cerium(IV)-oxo (CeIV=O) species are known to be highly reactive and tend to oligomerize and degrade organic ligands. This is preventing their application as atomic oxygen radical anion (O.-) transfer reagents. CeIV=O species have been successfully stabilized via non-covalent interactions between the oxo-group and Lewis acids. However, our work is focused on incorporating CeIV=O species into robust polyoxometalates (POMs) to avoid stabilizing the terminal oxo-group and preserving its full reaction potential. Redox-active metalloligands, such as lacunary POMs, have the capability to act as electron reservoirs and promote multi-electron redox-processes as required for catalysis. Therefore, two all-vanadium(V) dodecavanadate, {V12}, metalloligands were …

Adaptive Sliding Mode Control For Plants With Unknown Parameters With Adaptive Boundary Layer Thickness For Chatter Attenuation, Josiah Schlabach

Theses

This thesis presents the development of an adaptive boundary layer sliding mode control (SMC) methodology tailored for plants with unknown parameters. The primary challenge addressed is the mitigation of chattering while ensuring robust performance in systems subject to high disturbances and parameter uncertainties. The research introduces a control law that combines existing work that dynamically adjusts the boundary layer thickness with existing work that uses adaptive laws to estimate unknown plant parameters. The stability of the proposed controller is validated with Lyapunov analysis. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the adaptive boundary layer SMC in producing good tracking control in …

Characterizing A Web Server Deployed In A Lightweight Kubernetes Cluster In An Iot Computing Environment, Jackson Lawrence

Theses

As the world’s reliance on the internet continues to grow, so does the need for cloud-based computing solutions. These solutions offer a degree of flexibility, scalability, and reliability that traditional computing methods cannot provide. This thesis focuses on characterizing a web server deployed in a lightweight Kubernetes cluster hosted across three Raspberry Pi 4 minicomputers. Characterization metrics include the transfer rate of data from the web server as well as the CPU utilization and power consumption of the Raspberry Pi devices when under load. The background on cloud-based technology is introduced and the tools used in the thesis research are …

Gpu Acceleration Of Kinetic Simulations Of Dust Particles In Rf Plasmas, Aaron A. Applegate

Theses

Dusty plasmas are characterized by micro to nanometer sized particles interacting with ions and electrons in a plasma. Dust grains interact with each other via Coulomb forces as they acquire electric charge through the collection of electrons and ions. This interaction can generate crystalline structures because of mutual repulsion and produce collective behaviors. Under the influence of gravity, dust crystals are squeezed into a two-dimensional monolayer. In microgravity, three-dimensional crystal structures and a broad range of collective behavior are possible as dust grain interaction forces and plasma effects become dominant. In this study, dusty plasmas were modeled via a continuum …

Development Of A Simulation Tool For Assessing Electrical Short Risks From Metallic Whiskers On Printed Circuit Boards Using Unity, Joseph Eric Black

Theses

Tin whiskers are metal strands that spontaneously form on tin surfaces and can grow up to a centimeter long. These whiskers can cause electrical shorts by breaking off and landing on circuit boards, yet there is limited simulation and analysis data regarding their shorting probability. This thesis presents a software tool developed using Unity, Blender, and FreeCAD to simulate the behavior of tin whiskers on PCBs. The tool accurately represents PCBs and whiskers, applying various forces to predict whisker landing positions and the impacted metal faces. By importing STEP files of PCBs, the software automatically sets up the simulation in …

Enhanced Suppression Of Stimulated Brillouin Scattering In High Energy Fiber Lasers Through Novel Chaotic Phase Modulation, Zachary Helton

Theses

Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) poses a significant challenge in the development of high-power, single-mode continuous-wave fiber lasers. SBS occurs when the laser intensity is sufficient to generate acoustic vibrations in the fiber, leading to the reflection of light and limiting the maximum achievable power. Spectral broadening of the laser linewidth is a common SBS suppression technique. This thesis presents a novel approach using sine waves phase-modulated by chaotically generated noise to achieve improved SBS suppression. Experimental results demonstrate that this method achieves flatter and broader optical linewidths compared to traditional white noise modulation, even at lower power levels. This approach …

Complexity, Grouping, And Similarity: Effects On Numerosity Estimations, Keighly Harris

Theses

This study looked at the effects of visual features like complexity, grouping, and similarity on numerosity estimations. I hypothesized that complex visual stimuli would be more difficult to accurately estimate than simple visual stimuli. Additionally, I hypothesized that stimuli that were visually similar or displayed in spread out, distributed patterns would have more accurate estimations compared to visually random or closely grouped stimuli. Lastly, this study was designed to assess the combined effects of these visual features on numerosity estimation accuracy. Participants were asked to briefly look at images displaying groups of items containing these visual features, estimate the number …

A Study Of The Quantum Edge Extraction Technique Using Bitplane-Based Quantum Boolean Image Processing Algorithm, Sowmik Kanti Deb

Theses

Quantum image processing (QIMP) uses quantum information processing to create and work with quantum images. Due to the inherent properties of quantum computation, QIMP technologies have the potential to surpass their classical computing equivalents in terms of computing speed and storage requirements. In this thesis, we investigated quantum image edge detection, which is a fundamental tool used in image processing for feature detection and extraction. Quantum edge detection can exploit quantum mechanics' superposition and entanglement properties to perform operations simultaneously on all pixels and accelerate the process. To this end, we adopted the bitplane based framework of Quantum Boolean Image …

3d Co-Culture Of Human B Lymphocytes With Cd40l-Expressing Fibroblasts Using An Ultra-Hydrophilic Surface For In-Vitro Mimicry Of Secondary Lymphoid Organs, Ananta Kumar

Theses

B cells are critical components of the adaptive immune system that proliferate and differentiate within the secondary lymphoid organs. Traditional two-dimensional (2D) cell cultures fall short of replicating the intricate structures and dynamic evolution of 3D tissue environments, prompting more physiologically pertinent in vitro models. Our approach employs ultra-hydrophilic surfaces engineered from methacrylated N-hexanoyl glycol chitosan to cultivate a three-dimensional (3D) co-culture of CD40L-expressing MS5 stromal cells and naive B cells derived from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of healthy human donors. This novel system aims to mirror the structural and cellular intricacies of germinal centers within the secondary …

Impact Of The Substrate Stiffness On Macrophage Function, Aaron Newchurch

Theses

This study explores macrophage cell function in healthy and diseased tissue that alters the synovial membrane housing fibroblasts and macrophages by examining how substrate stiffness impacts macrophage function. Current research suggests macrophages adapt, becoming more inflammatory in this environment. Divalent ions (CaCl2 or SrCl2) are used to adjust alginate hydrogel stiffness. The monocyte cell line THP-1 is transformed into macrophages through PMA, LPS, and IFNγ treatment within hydrogels, then cultured for 12 days. Divalent ions affect macrophage functionality; Sr2+ crosslinked hydrogels show higher viability, as well as an increased expression of M1 markers CD197 and IL1β, while M2 marker expression …

Application Of A Scale Resolving Turbulence Model To A Jet In Supersonic Crossflow, Noah Schwalb

Theses

The Partially-Averaged Navier-Stokes (PANS) methodology is applied to variable-density flow to derive the Blended PANS (BPANS) model. A supersonic jet-in-crossflow problem is numerically simulated using the BPANS model to show its capabilities in a variable-density flow with complex physics. The shock systems and vortex structures of this problem observed during experiments are numerically reproduced. The time-averaged Mach number and streamwise velocity contours show good agreement compared to LES and experimental data. The streamwise and wall-normal velocity profiles, wall pressure distribution along the flat plate, and trajectory of the jet are compared to LES and experimental data to show that BPANS …

Ambient Temperature Modelling With Ecostress And Private Weather Stations, Gaurav Khatri

Theses

This thesis explores the development and application of a novel data architecture for predicting ambient temperatures across US cities, focusing on integrating multi-source data i.e. ECOSTRESS land surface temperatures, urban surface properties, and crowdsourced weather data. The methodology is designed for scalability and adaptability across different urban regions, employing rigorous data quality control to enhance prediction accuracy. The validation of this model across diverse urban settings, demonstrated through rigorous RMSE comparisons and spatial mapping, validates its superiority over traditional models. Through experiments in diverse climatic conditions in Madison, Wisconsin, and Las Vegas, Nevada, the study assesses the model’s generalizability and …

A Multi-Decadal Analysis Of Urban Heat And Pollution Islands In New Delhi, India, Saumya Omala Yamineni

Theses

New Delhi, India's capital, is a mega-city with complex urban environments and significant Urban Heat Island (UHI) and Urban Pollution Island (UPI) footprints. Over the past two decades, the city has experienced steady urban growth, increased land cover and green spaces, and rising pollution from local and interstate sources. Currently, a comprehensive multi-decadal analysis of the co-evolution of UHI and UPI in New Delhi is lacking. Such an analysis was conducted using a fusion of in situ data, NASA satellite products, and MERRA-2 reanalysis, reveals: 1) Significant trends of daytime cooling (decreasing by ~ 0.16 ∘C), nighttime warming (increasing by …

Modeling The Impacts Of Land Use/Land Cover Change On Hydrological Dynamics In The Belize River Watershed Using The Soil And Water Assessment Tool, Nina Copeland

Theses

Forest cover loss from land cover/land use (LCLU) change (LCLUC) can alter watershed hydrology. The primary goal of this study was to understand how LCLUC in the Belize River Watershed (BRW) impacted streamflow and related hydrological dynamics from 2000 to 2020 using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The main objectives were to (1) calibrate and improve the accuracy of the SWAT model using in-situ streamflow data, (2) investigate the predominant LCLUCs leading to forest cover loss in the BRW, and (3) examine changes in streamflow and related hydrological dynamics in the BRW comparing four LCLU scenarios. Findings showed …

An Assessment Of Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene Carolina Carolina) In North Alabama With A Focus On Ranavirus Prevalence And Urbanization, Emma M. Jordan

Theses

Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) are susceptible to many threats, including development, urbanization, and disease. A novel Ranavirus has been attributed to mortality in both captive and wild box turtles, including one known occurrence in a captive box turtle in Alabama, but no further assessment has been made. The aims of this study were to assess if Frog Virus 3-like Ranavirus infects wild box turtles and if its prevalence is related to urbanization in North Alabama, USA. I conducted visual encounter surveys in eight survey areas in North Alabama that occur across a gradient of urbanization and development. Twenty-six …

Analysing The Prevalence Of Servant Leadership Characteristics And Cultural Values In A Uae-Based Multinational And Multicultural Workforce, Richard John Atkinson

Theses

In an increasingly virtual, pandemic-affected working environment, cross-cultural and people-centric leadership approaches are needed. Scholars have explored leadership effectiveness under different conditions and influences. However, in the body of leadership literature, there is scant attention to the variance across cultures for servant leadership to manage workers effectively.

This mixed-methods study explores whether servant leadership relates to cultural characteristics across three different nationalities in a UAE-based multinational organisation, providing a more comprehensive understanding of these relationships and differences and employees' perceptions. The quantitative method is examined using context-specific knowledge and the qualitative method explores the nuances of participant responses making the …

Ngala Kaditjiny ’Our Culture’, Barbara Bynder

Theses

In this study I explored some of the key components of Noongar cultural practice that remain embedded within Noongar society today yet have adapted, changed, and evolved over time and demonstrate that there remains a sense of duty and commitment among Noongar women to follow cultural values and value systems that determine rights, responsibility, and obligation during the practice of disputes.

The target group for this inquiry is Noongar women, The target group is made up of nine Noongar women who shared their personal story, a group of senior Noongar women called the Kookaburra Club who guided me through the …

The Cumulative Incidence And Site Of Recurrent Metastatic Breast Cancer And Post-Metastasis Survival Of Females With An Initial Diagnosis Of Non-Metastatic Breast Cancer In New South Wales, Sarah Jane Lord

Theses

This dissertation aimed to investigate the population-level incidence, site, and survival of recurrent metastatic breast cancer (rMBC) occurring after stage I−III breast cancer, and changes over time. Breast cancer mortality has declined over the last 30 years due to advances in screening, diagnosis, and treatment. However, the impact of improved cancer care on rMBC is not yet well understood because cancer registries do not routinely report on cancer recurrence (Chapter 1). A systematic review of 20 population-based studies provided evidence of improvements in survival for people with de novo metastatic breast cancer (stage IV at diagnosis) since 1995 in high-income …

Optimising Care For Musculoskeletal Conditions To Reduce Burden On Hospital Emergency Department And Orthopaedic Services, Piers Truter

Theses

Worldwide health care systems are under increasing pressure due to aging amongst ever growing populations with increasing co-morbidity and treatment options (WA DoH, 2019). Furthermore, how people choose to engage with health care and access and literacy for health information is also changing, as is understanding of the factors associated with good health outcomes. These changes are driving evolution in health care delivery. There is a need for high quality and sustainable models of care accompanied by judicious evaluation of impact in terms of health services deliverables and the consumer experience of care. This thesis explores the feasibility and applicability …

The Impact Of Rosenwald Schools On Black Communities In The Southern United States From 1912 - 1932, Kimberly Chapman

Theses

This is a story of Black people who transitioned from slavery to freedom, rising early in the mornings to work in the fields but also to get their children ready to walk miles to school. Many adults took night classes to learn the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic. These simple things, such as knowing how to spell their names, had great meaning for formerly enslaved people, who wanted the opportunity to be identified by their names rather than a number or simply “boy” or “gal.” Some parents felt it was too late for them, but they were determined for …

Cougars And Lambs, Lonna Adams

Theses

"Cougars and Lambs is an original novella written for my Master of Arts thesis in Creative Writing. The heroine of the story has escaped an abusive relationship and chooses to hide out in a small Northern Californian town. She opens a cafe and gets to know the locals in this tightly knot community. Unfortunately, her abuser tracks her down and is hell-bent on destroying her new life and possessing her once more. This story deals with crimes against women and the lives it affects.(This novella is actually 115 pages and just under 30,000 words. However, in order to fit the …

Revitalizing Lagrange, Jessie Johnson

Theses

LaGrange Mountain is located in Colbert County, Alabama, approximately sixteen miles from the University of North Alabama. The mountain is the site of a prehistoric bluff shelter used by Native Americans, Alabama’s first chartered college-- LaGrange College--as well as a nineteenth century village that included a school for women, and, today is the location of a distillery that is owned by the Dawson family. The LaGrange Living History Association currently manages the college site, which includes an open-air museum that explores early pioneer life and Civil War history as it connects to LaGrange College. The current interpretation of the site …

Assessing Learning Outcomes In Electrical Engineering Using Natural Language Processing: A Comparative Analysis Of Student And Employer Evaluations, Toka Khalil

Theses

The Co-op program is a graduation requirement for all majors in RIT Dubai. Just like any course, Co-op has also learning programs that is different from one major to another. The academic departments ensure that those learning programs are being achieved throughout the co-op duration that the student goes for to complete the requirement. By end of each co-op duration, the student completes a student evaluation form which consists of questions that are supposedly related to the learning outcomes of the academic program. At the same time, also the employer evaluation which needs to be filled by the employer, includes …

Advancing Elastomer Cutting Tool Development Through Material-Centric Cutting Mechanism Analysis, Shuhuan Zhang

Theses

Cutting elastomers is a very common procedure that is used in a wide variety of applications, including rubber product manufacturing, food processing, and surgical process. To conserve energy and improve cutting accuracy, decreasing the cutting force and elastomer deformation is always of interest. Numerous studies have concentrated on methods for reducing cutting force and deformation, but only a few have explained the underlying mechanics of these cutting techniques. Without a deep understanding of elastomer cutting mechanics, it's difficult to improve or develop a new cutting method. To understand the cutting mechanics, the mechanical, tribological, and rheological properties of the elastomer …

Predictive Methods And Data Pattern Analysis For Reducing Car Plate Theft, Noor Alzayani

Theses

The project titled " Predictive Methods and Data Pattern Analysis for Reducing Car Plate Theft" seeks to provide innovative solutions to combat car plate theft. The project contains data of 6500 thieves who have stolen number plates and were involved in various other types of criminal activities by putting that number plate in their vehicle. The data collected for the present project is from the emirates of Dubai. It contains information related to thieves age, education, nationality, type of crime committed, area in which crime is committed, number of crimes committed, timing of crime, residential status of criminal, visa status, …

Integration Of Blockchain And Cryptographic Techniques For Location Based Services, Rashed Al Shamali

Theses

As digital systems continue to evolve in complexity, protecting user identities and ensuring the secure transmission of data has become paramount. Conventional techniques such as passwords and digital signatures are often insufficient to address modern security threats unless paired with more sophisticated technologies. This thesis proposes a framework that integrates Blockchain Technology with Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) to fortify identity verification protocols and enhance location-obscuring methods. Blockchain’s inherent features of decentralization, immutability, and non-repudiation makes it an ideal platform for secure data exchange. When combined with ECC, which provides robust encryption with smaller key sizes, the system achieves a heightened …

New Treatments And The Impact Of Psychological Disorders On Migraine Headache, Rachel Urbank

Theses

Objective: The objective of this paper is to thoroughly research the new treatment options for migraine, including both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic therapies, and investigate the risk of psychological disorders to migraine. This paper proposes to analyze outcomes of current work on the clinical manifestations, risk factors, and treatment of migraines. Methods (Evidence Acquisition): Keywords such as “migraine headache” and “new treatment” were searched on PubMed which yielded 2,623 results between the years 2003-2023, in which 16 articles were used. After narrowing the search on PubMed to “migraine headache” and “psychological comorbidities”, 261 results appeared, and 2 articles used. Other scholarly …

Extending The Prediction Of Fear Of Crime, Doreen Boateng

Theses

This study aims to expand what we know about fear of crime to reveal the different levels of fear among genders. Although there exists extensive research on the subject matter, the current work examines how different each gender perceives crime given the predictors as vulnerability, disorder and social integration. This study therefore addresses these gaps by assessing gender differences in crime fear and how these models separately influence each gender. To do that, crosstabulations and logistic regression analysis was used in analyzing the relationship between gender, perceptions of neighborhood disorder (street graffiti/litter), social integration (family ties), to determine the relationship …