Digital Commons Network^™

Visual Communication – A Designer’S Guide To Reaching Target Audiences, Timothy Lerch

Theses

Visual communication is the cornerstone of graphic design. All graphic design projects communicate a visual message. As with all forms of communication, visual communication is a two-way street. For a message to be effective, a designer must understand how to reach their audience. Scholarly design programs focus primarily on visual cues, while marketing programs focus on in-depth audience analysis and consumer behavior. This creates a problem for designers as they complete their degree program and enter the job market, particularly if they intend to seek freelance work. This guide is innovative because it presents components of visual communication from perspectives …

Real-Time Uav Pose Estimation And Tracking Using Fpga Accelerated April Tag, Ethan Tola

Theses

April Tags and other passive fiducial markers are widely used to determine localization using a monocular camera. It utilizes specialized algorithms that detect markers to calculate their orientation and distance in three dimensional (3-D) space. The video and image processing steps performed to use these fiducial systems dominate the computation time of the algorithms. Low latency is a key component for the real-time application of these fiducial markers. The drawbacks of performing the video and image processing in software is the difficulty in performing the same operation in parallel effectively. Specialized hardware instantiations with the same algorithm scan efficiently parallelize …

An Enhanced Statistical Phonon Transport Model For Nanoscale Thermal Transport And Design, Michael P. Medlar

Theses

Managing thermal energy generation and transfer within the nanoscale devices (transistors) of modern microelectronics is important as it limits speed, carrier mobility, and affects reliability. Application of Fourier’s Law of Heat Conduction to the small length and times scales associated with transistor geometries and switching frequencies doesn’t give accurate results due to the breakdown of the continuum assumption and the assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium. Heat conduction at these length and time scales occurs via phonon transport, including both classical and quantum effects. Traditional methods for phonon transport modeling are lacking in the combination of computational efficiency, physical accuracy, and …

Protic Ionic Liquids As Neat Lubricants & Lubricant Additives To Nonpolar And Polar Base Oils: Lubricating And Wear Mechanisms Of Sliding Steel-Steel And Aluminum-Steel Contacts, Hong Guo

Theses

Friction and wear are unavoidable problems that affect moving workpieces in all machines, resulting in significant energy and lifespan losses. Researchers have estimated that almost 23% of the world’s total energy consumption is generated from friction and wear in mechanical moving parts. The aforementioned energy loss could be reduced by up to 62% when employing advanced lubricants between the contacting surfaces to increase the durability and efficiency of working components. In the recent decade, ionic liquids have shown great potential as high-performance lubricants and “tailor-made” lubricating additives across different tribological systems due to their unique properties such as nonvolatility, excellent …

Study Of Tribological Properties Of Laser Micro-Texturing Titanium Surfaces Under Lubrication With Protic Ionic Liquids, Junru Pang

Theses

Adding micro textures by laser texturing technology to one or both sliding surfaces of relative motion has been recently studied as an environmentally friendly and efficient way to improve tribological behaviors of metals, including the reduction of friction and wear. Meanwhile, protic ionic liquids are gradually gaining increasing attention as neat lubricants and lubricant additives because of their simple synthetic procedures where the halogen elements can be easily avoided from their molecular components. The eco-friendly protic ionic liquids can be strongly adsorbed on the substrate surfaces to form ordered lubricant films which prevent the rubbing pair from direct contact. Also, …

Manipulation Of Carbon Nanotube Growth Direction Utilizing Magnetic Fields, Rees D. Folaron

Theses

Carbon nanotubes are, as the name implies, nano-scale cylindrical structures consisting of monolayer carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice rolled into tubes. The resulting tubes can either be multi-walled or single walled and have a plethora of handy properties that make them functional in a wide range of applications. Carbon nanotubes, or CNTs, are known to be ultra-high strength, low weight, material that possess highly conductive electrical and thermal properties. These attributes make CNTs well suited for virtually any application requiring high strength, durability, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and lightweight. As such, carbon nanotubes are being applied to a …

Using Linear Arrays Of Micro-Ring Resonators To Enhance The Hong-Ou-Mandel Effect For Quantum Optical Networks In Silicon Nanophotonics, Peter Kaulfuss

Theses

Quantum Information Processing (QIP) is a quickly evolving field, from basic research to next-generation, deployable technology. Its development is catalyzed by the inherent scalability and efficient packaging provided by working in silicon nanophotonics. The Hong-Ou- Mandel (HOM) effect is a versatile quantum photonic tool used in a wide variety of applications throughout QIP. In this thesis we examine new types of circuits using linear arrays of Micro- Ring Resonators (MRRs) to enhance the attainability of the HOM effect. We propose three new devices: a circuit exhibiting robust expansion to the HOM effect using small series of identical MRRs, a HOM …

3d Object Detection Via 2d Lidar Corrected Pseudo Lidar Point Clouds, Saurabh Mahendra Sonje

Theses

The age of automation has led to significant research in the field of Machine Learning and Computer Vision. Computer Vision tasks fundamentally rely on information from digital images, videos, texts and sensors to build intelligent systems. In recent times, deep neural networks combined with computer vision algorithms have been successful in developing 2D object detection methods with a potential to be applied in real-time systems. However, performing fast and accurate 3D object detection is still a challenging problem. The automotive industry is shifting gears towards building electric vehicles, connected cars, sustainable vehicles and is expected to have a high growth …

Calibrating Knowledge Graphs, Aishwarya Rao

Theses

A knowledge graph model represents a given knowledge graph as a number of vectors. These models are evaluated for several tasks, and one of them is link prediction, which consists of predicting whether new edges are plausible when the model is provided with a partial edge. Calibration is a postprocessing technique that aims to align the predictions of a model with respect to a ground truth. The idea is to make a model more reliable by reducing its confidence for incorrect predictions (overconfidence), and increasing the confidence for correct predictions that are closer to the negative threshold (underconfidence). Calibration for …

Synthesis Of Single-Modal And Dual-Modal Targeted Molecular Imaging Agents For Mri-Nir Imaging Of Breast Cancer, Basant Kaur

Theses

Our research is focused on the early and accurate detection of breast cancer (BrCa) by molecular imaging. Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women. Each year about one in eight women will be diagnosed, and over 500,000 deaths occur from breast cancer globally. To improve chances of survival, breast cancer must be diagnosed and treated at an early stage. Conventional imaging uses mammography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasound. Limitations in these can result in false-positive results or undetected tumors. It is vital to create more sensitive imaging methods to diagnose BrCa, to reduce false-positives and …

Greenhouse Gas Sensor Using A Novel Conducting Polymer-Gqd Composite Material, Reeba Thomas

Theses

As Greenland’s ice is melting by a record amount with the concurrent increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, there is a concern for examining global warming in more detail. To control and keep the levels monitored, the precise measurement of greenhouse gases is desirable as there are interferences in the measurements. A novel method is developed to make sensors from conducting polymers. An Emeraldine Green (EG) – Graphene Quantum Dots (GQD) composite material is synthesized and used as the active material with enhanced sensing properties, owing to the larger surface area available. The active material is characterized to ensure …

High Heat Flux Dissipation Using Innovative Dual Tapered Manifold In Pool Boiling, And Thermosiphon Loop For Cpu Cooling In Data Centers, Aranya Chauhan

Theses

The current trend of electronics miniaturization presents thermal challenges which limit the performance of processors. The high heat fluxes in CPUs are affecting the reliability and processing ability of the servers. Due to these thermal limitations, large amount of energy is required to cool the servers in data centers. The advanced two-phase boiling heat transfer systems are significantly more efficient than currently used single phase coolers. In the current work, a novel approach is adopted by using a dual tapered microgap over the heated boiling surface for enhanced heat transfer. The theoretical work has identified the role of two-phase pressure …

Observer Metamerism Quantification And Visualization, Yue Yuan

Theses

An observer metamerism quantification method to describe the potentiality of observer metamerism of any stimulus pairs with respect to the population variation of color-normal observers is introduced. The method is further extended for use in quantifying the observer metamerism capability of any lighting system or a system-primary combination. A dual seven-primary lighting system is constructed to create customized lighting stimuli for a better demonstration of observer metamerism. The multi-primary lighting system was verified to have crucial advantages over conventional displays/projectors to probe observer metamerism through the generation of individualized metameric color stimuli and a set of stimuli pairs that either …

Fraud Detection Using Data Analytics, Ayesha Karmustaji

Theses

At present, the biggest concern of every organization is to detect and control financial fraud. Tax frauds cause the loss of billions of dollars every year. As a result, data mining techniques are used to combat the growing problem of tax fraud. Tax evasions cause a reduction in revenue collection. It also has a bleak impact on government policies and budget. The goal of this study is to describe the use of data analytics tools to process and analyze tax data related to value-added tax evasions. This study is a conceptual perspective that provides a theoretical and methodological basis for …

Improvements And Analysis Of Challenging Numerical Simulations Of Binary Black Holes, Nicole Rosato

Theses

We explore different gauge choices in the moving puncture formulation in order to improve the accuracy of a linear momentum measure evaluated on the horizon of the remnant black hole produced by the merger of a binary. In particular, motivated by the study of gauges in which the damping term in the shift m eta takes on a constant value, we design a gauge via a variable shift parameter m eta(r(t)). This parameter takes a low value asymptotically, 1/m, and then takes on a value of approximately 2 at the final hole horizon. This eta then follows the remnant black …

Development Of Highly Functional, Surface Tunable, And Efficient Composite Coatings For Pool Boiling Heat Transfer Enhancement, Aniket Mohan Rishi

Theses

Rapid growth and advancements in high-power electronic devices, IC chips, electric vehicles, and lithium-ion batteries have compelled the development of efficient and novel thermal management solutions. Currently used air and liquid cooling systems are unable to remove the heat efficiently due to significant pressure drops, temperature differences, and limited heat-carrying capacities. In contrast, phase-change cooling techniques can remove the larger amount of heat with higher efficiency while maintaining safer operational temperature ranges. Pool boiling heat transfer is a type of phase-change cooling technique in which vapor bubbles generated on the boiling surface carry away the heat. This pool boiling performance …

The Scene- Interactive Video Scene Controller, Haena Lee

Theses

In modern society, people spend much time watching videos to meet their emotional and social needs. Movies and TV shows increasingly contain violence and sexuality to catch the eye. In addition to this trend, the current age-based rating becomes more and more lenient than the one in the past. As a result, the content rating system does not provide a clear standard about the level of graphic intensity anymore. This situation prevents a particular group of viewers from fully enjoying the video contents: parents and highly sensitive people. Whenever these two groups watch movies or live TV, they need to …

The State Of Practice For Security Unit Testing: Towards Data Driven Strategies To Shift Security Into Developer's Automated Testing Workflows, Danielle Nicole Gonzalez

Theses

The pressing need to “shift security left” in the software development lifecycle has motivated efforts to adapt the iterative and continuous process models used in practice today. Security unit testing is praised by practitioners and recommended by expert groups, usually in the context of DevSecOps and achieving “continuous security”. In addition to vulnerability testing and standards adherence, this technique can help developers verify that security controls are implemented correctly, i.e. functional security testing. Further, the means by which security unit testing can be integrated into developer workflows is unique from other standalone tools as it is an adaptation of practices …

A Comparison Of Virtual And In-Person Learning On The Observation Of Puzzle Manipulation Among Neurotypical And Neurodiverse Children, Katrina Verhagen

Theses

Virtual learning has been used long before the COVID-19 pandemic for mental health care or acute conditions but was rarely used as a replacement for in-person visits. Additionally, virtual learning was primarily used for those earning graduate and undergraduate degrees. Virtual learning for individuals younger than eighteen is not typically researched, as it has not been a subject of importance or seen as a replacement for in-person learning. The current study worked with four male children under the age of eighteen from both the neurotypical and neurodiverse populations. Participants were paired into dyads to assess learning done both virtually and …

Exploring Wireless Data Center Networks: Can They Reduce Energy Consumption While Providing Secure Connections?, Sayed Ashraf Mamun

Theses

Data centers have become the digital backbone of the modern world. To support the growing demands on bandwidth, Data Centers consume an increasing amount of power. A significant portion of that power is consumed by information technology (IT) equipment, including servers and networking components. Additionally, the complex cabling in traditional data centers poses design and maintenance challenges and increases the energy cost of the cooling infrastructure by obstructing the flow of chilled air. Hence, to reduce the power consumption of the data centers, we proposed a wireless server-to-server data center network architecture using millimeter-wave links to eliminate the need for …

Securing In-Memory Processors Against Row Hammering Attacks, Sahil K. Gogna

Theses

Modern applications on general purpose processors require both rapid and power-efficient computing and memory components. As applications continue to improve, the demand for high speed computation, fast-access memory, and a secure platform increases. Traditional Von Neumann Architectures split the computing and memory units, causing both latency and high power-consumption issues; henceforth, a hybrid memory processing system is proposed, known as in-memory processing. In-memory processing alleviates the delay of computation and minimizes power-consumption; such improvements saw a 14x speedup improvement, 87\% fewer power consumption, and appropriate linear scalability versus performance. Several applications of in-memory processing include data-driven applications such as Artificial …

Experimental Analysis Of Using Radar As An Extrinsic Sensor For Human-Robot Collaboration, Shravan Bhoopasamudram Krishna

Theses

Collaborative robots are expected to be an integral part of driving the fourth industrial revolution that is soon expected to happen. In human-robot collaboration, the robot and a human share a common workspace and work on a common task. Here the safety of a human working with the robot is of utmost importance. A collaborative robot usually consists of various sensors to ensure the safety of a human working with the robot. This research mainly focuses on establishing a safe environment for a human working alongside a robot by mounting an FMCW radar as an extrinsic sensor, through which the …

Understanding And Identifying Vulnerabilities Related To Architectural Security Tactics, Joanna Cecilia Da Silva Santos

Theses

To engineer secure software systems, software architects elicit the system's security requirements to adopt suitable architectural solutions. They often make use of architectural security tactics when designing the system's security architecture. Security tactics are reusable solutions to detect, resist, recover from, and react to attacks. Since security tactics are the building blocks of a security architecture, flaws in the adoption of these tactics, their incorrect implementation, or their deterioration during software maintenance activities can lead to vulnerabilities, which we refer to as "tactical vulnerabilities". Although security tactics and their correct adoption/implementation are crucial elements to achieve security, prior works have …

Hormone Receptors And Steroidogenic Enzymes In Oocytes, Cumulus And Granulosa Cells, Follicular Fluid Hormone Milieu, And Follicle Blood Perfusion In Mares, Marilia Pastorello

Theses

Ovulatory follicle development and associated oocyte maturation involve complex coordinated molecular and cellular mechanisms not fully understood. This study addresses, for the first time in any species, the relationships among diameter, vascularization, follicular-fluid factors, and gene expression for follicle growth, steroidogenesis, angiogenesis and apoptosis in granulosa/cumulus cells and oocytes during different stages from the beginning of largest/ovulatory follicle to impending ovulation. Follicle dynamics was tracked and follicle-wall blood flow evaluated daily through transrectal ultrasonography in mares. The largest follicle of the ovulatory wave was distributed in six diameter groups (predeviation, deviation, postdeviation, early preovulatory, preovulatory, and impending ovulation) according to …

Is Violent Crime A Function Of Drug Enforcement?, Emmanuel Ibifafa Ubani

Theses

This paper examines the relationship between the incidences of violent crime and the level of drug enforcement. To do this, the paper compiles a panel dataset from 30 large cities across the US and using fixed effect regression analyzes the dataset. The paper finds that increase in drug enforcement does not lead to significant or noticeable decrease in violent crime offenses. Specifically, the paper finds that the relationship between drug enforcement and violent crime offenses has a positive and significant contemporaneous relation although it is no longer significant with lagged enforcement.

Characterization Of Proteostasis Mechanisms In Chlamydia Trachomatis, Amanda M. Blocker

Theses

Chlamydia trachomatis is a gram negative, obligate intracellular pathogen with a highly reduced genome of ~1 Mbp. It is the leading cause of the reportable sexually transmitted infection known as chlamydia in the United States and is the leading cause of preventable blindness (trachoma) worldwide. While treatment of infections is possible, weaknesses of current approaches include treatment failure, antibiotic-induced dysbiosis, and resistance development of bystander bacteria during chlamydial treatment. These weaknesses support the need for improved therapeutic approaches. C. trachomatis undergoes a biphasic developmental cycle with two forms, the infectious elementary body (EB) and replicative reticulate body (RB), that have …

Study Of Electrodeposition Of Copper-Indium Material For Fabrication Of Cis Thin-Film Solar Cells, Leher Farooq

Theses

Abstract

Copper-Indium material for the fabrication of CIS/CIGS thin-film solar cells and for applications as an alloy is one of the most auspicious materials currently being studied and has attracted significant interest in solar energy and other industries. In the past, there have been several methods used for the fabrication of chalcopyrite thin-film solar cells. However, one of the best methods in the industry is electrodeposition, which employs the principles of electrochemistry to deposit materials on a working electrode. The cyclic voltammetry and constant potential deposition studies have been conducted for the electrodeposited copper indium material. In order to better …

Can Home Garden Be A Safe Haven In Times Of Crisis? To Measure Householders Attitudes, Preferences And Willingness To Have Home Garden At Time Of Pandemics, Noura Mubarak Al Mansouri

Theses

The new coronavirus that has rapidly become a worldwide outbreak leads people to Self-quarantine, where work, school, and shopping have become through remote applications. Keeping fit and being healthy is important at any time, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. Having a garden or outdoor space provides the opportunity to have a place that can be used to maintain a healthy life and well-being of an individual. The coronavirus lockdown has provided the time ad opportunity to create a garden that has been always wanted by householders. A Garden is a plot of ground where herbs, fruits, flowers, vegetables, and etc. …

A Reinforcement Learning Approach To Vehicle Path Optimization In Urban Environments, Shamsa Abdulla Al Hassani

Theses

Road traffic management in metropolitan cities and urban areas, in general, is an important component of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). With the increasing number of world population and vehicles, a dramatic increase in road traffic is expected to put pressure on the transportation infrastructure. Therefore, there is a pressing need to devise new ways to optimize the traffic flow in order to accommodate the growing needs of transportation systems. This work proposes to use an Artificial Intelligent (AI) method based on reinforcement learning techniques for computing near-optimal vehicle itineraries applied to Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs). These itineraries are optimized based …

Heat Transfer Intensification In Microchannel Heat Sinks (Mchs) - Wavy Channels Embedded With Pin Fins, Anas Mohammad Amin Alkhazaleh

Theses

This work conceptualizes heat sinks for electronics employing wavy/sinusoidal microchannels embedded with pin fins and subsequently analyzes their performance in terms of thermal resistance, pressure drop, maximum chip temperature, and the associated pumping power due to the pressure drop. The conceptualized wavy Microchannel Heat Sink (MCHS) is mathematically modeled using a combination of governing equations including energy equations, continuity equations, and Navier- Stokes equations. The performance of the wavy microchannel heat sink embedded with pin fins is evaluated based on a parametric study covering multiple parameters; microchannel’s amplitude, frequency, hydraulic diameter, pin fins’ diameter, and location, and Reynolds number. The …