Digital Commons Network^™

Multi-Modal Human Fatigue Classification Using Wearable Sensors For Human-Robot Teams, Likhitha Nagahanumaiah

Theses

Our main objective of this study is to create a fatigue detection model using real-time data by using wearable sensors. The purpose of this research is to learn more about the way humans experience fatigue in a supervisory human-machine environment. The goal of this study is to evaluate machine learning algorithms that assess fatigue detection and to use robots for adapting its interactions. The environment itself consists of two different tasks to analyze Physical fatigue and Mental fatigue in two different task environments that are (i) Jigsaw puzzle-solving task, and (ii) Pick and Place task. Physical fatigue and mental fatigue …

Life Is Short Life Is Long, Conor Martin

Theses

In this paper I discuss my thesis book project Life is Short Life is Long which uses ten years of photographs to conjure an intimate memory of my life in my twenties throughout the American landscape. I discuss the purpose of the work and the conceptual foundation of a book with 360 pictures along with direct influences like Robert Frank, Boris Mikhailov, Nan Goldin, and Garry Winogrand, all artists whose work comes directly from the intersection of personal observation and public spectacle. The second part of this paper addresses my graphic printed work, which was a main part of the …

Addressing Energy Efficiency In Rental Units: A Preliminary Cost Assessment Of Minimum Energy Standards And Policy Alternatives For Rochester, Ny, Bryn Stricker

Theses

With the rising concern for climate change and energy consumption, global, national, and local policies attempt to reduce carbon emission and energy usage. Starting in 2010, the city of Rochester established a climate action plan which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% in the year 2030 (City of Rochester, NY, 2017). The city recognizes rental homes are a promising source to mitigate energy consumption and carbon emissions, a type of greenhouse gas. Minimum energy standards for rentals (MESR) are a relatively new type of policy which can help achieve energy and carbon reduction goals. By using an existing …

Variable Gain Amplifier With Digital Control, Diksha Singh

Theses

The design of CMOS variable gain amplifier (VGA) with digital control is presented in this project. The first stage of VGA is a two-stage op-amp connected in a voltage follower configuration with a series of resistors and transmission gates at the output followed by the second stage which consists of a two stage Op-amp in parallel with a series of transmission gates and resistors which is used to control the gain of the circuit. The two-stage op amp is designed using gm/Id methodology. The gain of this two-stage op amp is 80.34 dB, phase margin is 94.58º, input common mode …

Taxonomy Of Software Readability Changes, Stephen J. Cook

Theses

Software readability has emerged as an important software quality metric. Numerous pieces of research have highlighted the importance of readability. Developers generally spend a large amount of their time reading and understanding existing code, rather than writing new code. By creating more readable code, engineers can limit the mental load required to understand specific code segments. With this importance established, research has been done into how to improve software readability. This research looked for ways of measuring readability, how to create more readable software, and how to potentially improve readability. While some research has examined the changes developers make, their …

Sustainable Applications Of Biochar Derived From Food Waste And Paper Feedstocks, Steven T. Barber

Theses

There is general agreement in the scientific literature that carbon sequestration is an important tool to mitigate human-induced climate change, but current methods are lacking scalability and economic viability. Though charcoal has been a common fuel for millennia, it has only very recently been purposefully created to sequester carbon. This carbon dense material, called biochar, has been extensively studied as a soil amendment though less studied for industrial applications. Chapter 1 provides an in-depth overview and background discussion of the history and definitions of biochar, distinguishing it from closely related though often misconstrued terms like charcoal, activated carbon, and carbon …

Effects Of Fire On Vegetation Of The Black Oak Sand Savannas Of Kankakee Sands From 2002-2020, Megan Alkazoff

Theses

Many plant and animal species rely on tallgrass prairie and sand savanna ecosystems that once covered much of northern to central Illinois but are now fragmented landscapes across the Midwest. In northeastern Illinois, The Nature Conservancy manages five sites containing fragments of remaining tallgrass prairie and sand savanna within the Kankakee Sands section of Illinois using techniques such as prescribed burning and invasive species removal. The objective of this study was to conduct an eighteen-year resampling of the ground flora to assess management impacts on species composition and conservation status. Permanent transect lines were resampled using a 1m² quadrat to …

Hardwood Regeneration And Growth Following Multiple Silvicultural Treatments In A Central Hardwood Forest, Emily Inglis

Theses

The Central Hardwood Region (CHR) is experiencing a lack of desirable hardwood regeneration on productive sites across the landscape. To better understand what facilitates desirable hardwood regeneration, additional studies that test the interaction of multiple disturbances are needed. For this reason, a demonstration area on the north end of Trail of Tears State Forest (Union County, Illinois) was established to compare hardwood regeneration response following four treatments: (1) burn only, (2) thin/burn, (3) harvest/thin/burn, and (4) control. Treatments were implemented beginning in 2014 to determine what combination of silvicultural practices best promotes desirable hardwood regeneration among large saplings (>3.3’ …

Effect Of Simultaneous Application Of The Two Horizontal Orthogonal Ground Motion Components On The Seismic Behavior Of Buildings (Case Of Four-Story Steel Frame), Joel Mondo Kisekini

Theses

Joel Mondo Kisekini, for the Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering, presented on March 25, 2022, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.TITLE: EFFECT OF SIMULTANEOUS APPLICATION OF THE TWO HORIZONTAL ORTHOGONAL GROUND MOTION COMPONENTS ON THE SEISMIC BEHAVIOR OF BUILDINGSMAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. JALE TEZCAN During an earthquake, buildings are simultaneously excited by two horizontal and one vertical ground motion components. Modern seismic codes and guidelines such as ASCE/SEI 41-06 (Seismic rehabilitation of existing buildings, American Society of Civil Engineers), EUROCODE 8 (1998-1) (Design provisions for earthquake resistance of structures, European Committee for Standardization, 2003), FEMA 356 (Prestandard and Commentary for …

Effects Of Prompting Via Automated Phone Calls On Documentation Completion, Erin Malinowski

Theses

This study attempted to determine if a low-cost, minimally time consuming intervention could increase document completion – specifically end of shift reports. Using a concurrent multiple baseline design, automated phone calls reminded staff to complete their end of shift reports. Participants were the staff members at 16 group homes. All participants were trained Direct Support Professionals. The dependent variable was completion of end of shift reports as a percent of opportunities. There was a measurable response to the intervention. Overall, the percent of completion increased from 4% in baseline to 22% during intervention. The agency desired a much higher response …

The Effects Of Corrective Feedback Frequency On Esl Pronunciation Uptake, Repair, And Preference, Rachel Rosemarie Stuckel

Theses

Second language (L2) learning has begun recognizing that intelligibility, comprehensibility, and accentedness influence how nonnative speakers of English are perceived by others. As such, pronunciation instruction is becoming more common in L2 curriculum around the world. Corrective Feedback (CF) is commonly given in the pronunciation classroom to draw attention to and correct learners’ errors. Research has tried to understand what forms of CF are most effective for language learning, how CF affects pronunciation, and what learners believe about CF. What is lesser known is if the frequency or rate of CF affects learner’s uptake and pronunciation error repair. Participants in …

Density Functional Theory Studies Of Fermi Resonance In Small Aryl Azide Vibrational Probes, Gammanage Sathya Madhuwanthi Perera

Theses

Site-specific study of the protein using time-resolved IR spectroscopy with the assistance of vibrational probes (VPs) has been the most promising research discipline. However, azide VPs that are absorbed within the protein transparent window generate a complex absorption profile due to Fermi resonance (FR). In the current study, the azide absorption profiles of three aryl-azide compounds: 4-azidotoluene, 4-azido-N-phenylmaleimide, and 4-azidoacetanilide have been explored with basis set effect, solvent effect, intramolecular effect, and the effect of rotational isomerism. Basis set effect was studied using seven basis sets namely: 6-31G(d,p), 6-31+G(d,p), 6-31++G(d,p), 6-311G(d,p), 6-311+G(d,p), 6-311++G(d,p) and 6-311++G(df,pd) with DFT/B3LYP. Geometry optimization and …

Gcms, Lcms And Hs-Spme/Gcms Methods To Detect Adulteration Of Argan Oil., Afeez Ayodeji Olisa

Theses

Methods for identifying argan oil adulteration have become important due to the exponential increase in the use of argan oil in food and cosmetics products over the years. Argan is the most expensive vegetable oil, has a tedious extraction process and is endemic to Morocco. This paper focuses on identifying markers that can be used to identify adulteration of argan oil with cheaper vegetable oils. Authentic argan oil from Morocco, commercially available argan oil, adulterant oil (sunflower and olive oil) and admixtures of argan oil with each adulterant oil at 98:2, 95:5, 90:10, 80:20, 70:30, 60:40, 50:50, and 40:60 v/v …

Phylogenetic, Morphometric, And Biogeographic Investigations Of Trema Micrantha (Cannabaceae), Breanna Whitley

Theses

Trema micrantha L. Blume (Cannabaceae) is a pioneer tree species that is broadly distributed across the Neotropics. Taxonomic circumscriptions of this group have long been debated and problematic due to its morphological variation and broad geographic range. Delimitation of lineages within T. micrantha has remained unclear as molecular phylogenies with limited character and taxon sampling have not resolved the polyphyly of this group. To evaluate relationships within T. micrantha, I utilized phylogenetic, morphometric, and biogeographic methods. Using various DNA datasets, including ETS only, 5 DNA loci, plastome and whole nuclear ribosomal datasets, the recognition of 9 clades within T. micrantha …

Using Email Reminders To Increase Virtual Attendance For Middle School Students, Lauren Cline

Theses

As the COVID-19 pandemic progressed, professionals in the field of behavior analysis and education have continually asked how to help students access quality education while still keeping them safe and healthy. There have been multiple options presented that allow students to access their education, such as being fully in-person, fully virtual, and a hybrid option that includes both in-person and virtual learning. Due to different factors, families may choose a full virtual option for their children. But then the question becomes, “how do we make sure they log into their classes on time?” School attendance continues to be an issue …

An Intelligent Passive Islanding Detection And Classification Scheme For A Radial Distribution System, Mohannad Khaleel Subhi Suleiman

Theses

Distributed generation (DG) provides users with a dependable and cost-effective source of electricity. These are directly connected to the distribution system at customer load locations. Integration of DG units into an existing system has significantly high importance due to its innumerable advantages. The high penetration level of distributed generation (DG) provides vast techno-economic and environmental benefits, such as high reliability, reduced total system losses, efficiency, low capital cost, abundant in nature, and low carbon emissions. However, one of the most challenges in microgrids (MG) is the island mode operations of DGs. the effective detection of islanding and rapid DG disconnection …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Germanium Telluride Nanowires, Shaikha Saeed Alketbi

Theses

Random access memories (RAMs) made from phase change materials (PCMs) are a promising alternative for flash memory technology currently dominating the memory market owing to its many appealing traits such as non-volatility, fast read/write performance, excellent scalability, and compatibility with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) architectures. In fact, the scalability of PCMs is driving this class of materials to be the successor in the memory industry in the near future, and germanium telluride (GeTe) is one of the most viable PCMs in this context. In this study the phase change material GeTe nanowires, is fabricated using the vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) growth method. GeTe …

Mechanistic Insights On The Role Of Ambrisentan, An Endothelin Type-A Receptor Antagonist, In Breast Cancer, Ruba Saleem Lutfi Amer

Theses

The activation of the endothelin receptor type A (ETAR) by its ligand endothelin-1 (ET-1) is well known for its role in vasoconstriction. Interestingly, ET-1 and ETAR are over-expressed in various human tumours, including breast cancer. Several studies described the important role of ETAR in cancer progression and metastasis. The extensive network of interactions that exist between the ET-1 axis and other signalling pathways can trigger autocrine and paracrine signalling that modulates different tumorigenesis processes, such as cellular proliferation and survival, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and chemoresistance. The main objective of this study was to investigate the antitumor effects of Ambrisentan, a …

Desalination Waste Revitalization Using Carbon Capture: Process Optimization Using Machine Learning, Ahmed Mohamed Elsayed

Theses

Over the next five to ten years, desalination will play an ever-important role in our society. Developing nations will look at desalination from the point of water scarcity, while developed nations will consider the perspective of the Water-Energy-Food nexus. With current technology, for every liter of freshwater produced, one and a half liters is thrown away as waste. This body of research proposes to employ chemical precipitation in ammoniated brine solutions, that have reasonably high ionic concentrations. CO2 absorption in Bubble Column Reactors can reduce sodium ions by precipitating NaHCO3. Also, the absorbed CO2 can reduce chloride ions and induce …

Reducing A Dog’S Problem Behavior Using Functional Communication Training: A Case Study, Audrey Blunt, Robbie Hanson

Theses

Many dogs are relinquished to animal shelters and subsequently euthanized each year due to problem behaviors, such as excessive barking (ASPCA, n.d.). Unfortunately, punishment-based procedures (e.g., bark collars) have been commonly used to reduce these behaviors, despite negative side-effects such as escape and aggression. Functional communication training (FCT) involves teaching a replacement behavior that is functionally equivalent to the problem behavior and is a documented strategy to reduce problem behaviors in humans (e.g., Carr & Durand, 1985). In the current study, one 11-month old dog who had a history of whining, mouthing, and pawing was taught to mand (request) for …

Microgrid Energy Management Using Ann And Monitoring Platform For Micro-Grid Systems Using The Internet Of Things, Fatima Hassan Jalal

Theses

Energy management and monitoring are significant obstacles to microgrid implementation in smart homes. As a result, further research is required to address the modeling and operational aspects of the system's future findings for various applications. This work describes a novel technique for managing microgrid energy based on a robust control approach and the construction of a real-time monitoring platform. The proposed controller is based on an Artificial Neural Network (ANN), which is already in use in the energy internet paradigm, where Distributed Generators are connected to microgrids (DGs). When paired with the Thingspeak platform for real-time data analysis, the suggested …

Using Information Technology Tools To Help Address Company Supply Chain Communication Challenges: A Case Of Workflow Processes, Akinola Samuel Olorunfemi

Theses

The evolution of cloud computing is one of the major and recent developments in the computing world. Cutting-edge web technology applications have improved the manner in which business is conducted, allowing organizations to deliver business projects effectively. Microsoft SharePoint is an enterprise content management system that provides a collaborative platform for end users to design, monitor and execute business processes. It provides core functionality such as the ability to quickly undertake reporting, provision collaboration sites, and a sophisticated document repository featuring collaboration necessities. This study reviews the limitations of the current part setup workflow using email at Company XYZ, and …

(Un)Tethered, Morgan Sychtysz

Theses

(Un)Tethered is an exploration of my tendency to simultaneously build and deconstruct metaphorical structures throughout my life. This written thesis discusses visual metaphors implemented within the installation and prints, such as line and pattern, which represent my personal idiosyncrasies. These elements are realized as motifs such as step ladders, organic matter, and fibrous materials (crocheted, knotted, frayed, etc.) symbolizing my need for a thoroughly calculated life. Fibrous materials are ideal for representing my obsessive tendencies as they are continuous and malleable. One strand of torn fabric can be wrapped countless times around the crocheted form beneath, symbolizing a compulsion with …

Falling Through The Cracks: Two Understudied Populations In The Criminal Justice System, Ashley Hum

Theses

This capstone project aims to identify gaps in the criminal justice literature by examining how the criminal justice system interacts with demographic groups that have been historically overlooked in traditional criminal justice studies, specifically Asian Americans as a racial/ethnic group and LGBTQIA+ individuals of any race or gender identity.

An overarching narrative and finding in the first two sections of the following project is how constructed identities construct narratives and policies. Importantly, the constructed identities are most often assigned by those in power to Asian Americans or LGBTQIA+ people, rather than created for themselves by in-group members, and then become …

Alternative Participation: An Exploratory Study On Participation In Open Source Software Beyond Code Contributions, Benjamin Dow

Theses

While it is commonly accepted that well-engineered commercial software projects rely on a variety of activities, this not the case with open source software development. A poorly understood area of open source software is what types of activities are present and being completed day-to-day. Understanding what activities exist would give developers and project leads additional attributes of the software engineering process to modify and improve. Identifying these activities is challenging as they are often abstract in nature and activities may not be formally defined within projects, but may still be executed; for example, the way in which a project accepts …

Problematic Social Media Use In The Context Of Romantic Relationships: Relation To Attachment, Emotion Regulation, And Motivations For Use, Eleni Gogos

Theses

Social media is an increasingly popular form of connecting with others, especially among young adults, but problematic social media use (PSMU) has become a growing concern. Research has shown that people with anxious attachment styles and poor emotion regulation have a greater likelihood of having PSMU (Liu & Ma, 2019), but how social media usage might play a role in these relationships has not been well-studied. This research asked if the association between anxious attachment and PSMU will be affected by both emotion regulation and online social surveillance in romantic relationships as mediating influences. We utilized advanced mobile phone features …

Evaluating The Potential Impact Of Ototoxicant Exposure On Worker Health, Cody Beaver

Theses

Occupational exposure to ototoxicants, substances that can cause hearing loss or exacerbate the impact of noise exposure, is a workplace hazard that is not well understood. Existing research generally agrees that some solvents and heavy metals may be ototoxic, but few studies have attempted to establish the impact of exposure to ototoxicants in the workplace. This study examined trends in workplace exposure to ototoxicants among workers in the United States by comparing exposure data collected by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration against worker hearing loss data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for 2012 through 2019. The study …

Improving The Flexibility Of Clara's Automated Matching And Repair Processes, Maheen Riaz Contractor

Theses

More computer science researchers focus on automated program repair, with the world steadfastly moving towards automation. CLARA is an example of an automated program repair tool that provides feedback to novice programmers solving introductory programming assignments in Java, C++, and Python. CLARA involves test-based repair, requiring as input a correct program, an incorrect program, and its corresponding test case. Our work only focuses on Python. CLARA has two main limitations. The first involves lacking support for commonly used language constructs such as standard input, standard output, and import statements. We address this issue by extending CLARA's abstract syntax tree processor …

Efficient Sampling And Counting Of Graph Structures Related To Chordal Graphs, Wenbo Sun

Theses

Counting problems aim to count the number of solutions for a given input, for example, counting the number of variable assignments that satisfy a Boolean formula. Sampling problems aim to produce a random object from a desired distribution, for example, producing a variable assignment drawn uniformly at random from all assignments that satisfy a Boolean formula. The problems of counting and sampling of graph structures on different types of graphs have been studied for decades for their great importance in areas like complexity theory and statistical physics. For many graph structures such as independent sets and acyclic orientations, it is …

I Like To Think You Can Still Hear Me, Sage Green

Theses

My work performs the act of mourning. In this body of photographs, I resurrect the items previously owned by my great-grandmother as I explore the new reality those who are living face after losing a loved one. I am curious about how we grieve and remember moments from the past. Asking myself the question, when we no longer can physically hold onto our loved ones, what are the ways that we can still find moments of connection? I use the ambiguity offered by the lumen print process to illuminate the trace of the past in the presence. I examine and …