Digital Commons Network^™

Integrating Cognitive And Visual Scanning Strategies In Flight Instruction: Effects On Student Pilots’ Learning During Approach And Landing, Hyungwoo Jo

Theses and Dissertations

This interdisciplinary study employed a convergent parallel mixed-methods design to advance innovation in aviation education by incorporating eye tracking technology with enhanced performance traceability through visual modeling and comparative feedback. Specifically, the study investigated student pilots’ scanning behavior, cognitive strategies, and proficiency development on a normal approach and landing task by modeling flight instructors’ cognitive behavior. The first research phase revealed statistically significant differences in scanning ratios between 10 flight instructors and 10 student pilots along with substantial performance variation. The result showed that student pilots exhibited excessive outside fixation, often failing to monitor or respond to energy management in …

Dynamic Wellbore-Integrity Framework For Post-Blowout Capping Of Offshore Wells, Abdelhakim Khouissat

Theses and Dissertations

In the aftermath of a blowout, a well undergoes a period of unrestricted fluid discharge (de facto primary recovery) followed by pressure buildup after its shut-in, which can adversely impact wellbore integrity. The quintessential example is Union Oil’s 1969 “A-21” well blowout in California’s Santa Barbara Channel, where seafloor-broaching incidents (oil “boilups”) kept taking place from the sides of the well following several failed well-capping attempts, until reservoir depletion eventually allowed a successful shut-in.Analytical and numerical reservoir depletion models are coupled with near-wellbore geomechanics to quantify yardsticks related to the post-blowout discharge utilized to indicate dangers for underground blowouts, in …

Cross Cancer Toxicogenomic Modeling Of Arsenic Exposure Identifies A Four Gene Signature For Lung Cancer Risk, Joshua Kennedy

Theses and Dissertations

Arsenic is a naturally occurring carcinogenic element linked to DNA damage via reactive oxidation and epigenetic alteration that is ubiquitous throughout nature and has been associated with oncogenesis in the lungs, bladder, skin, and liver. Lung Cancer is both the most diagnosed cancer worldwide and the deadliest, comprising approximately 12.4% of all cancers globally and contributing to more human cancer death than any other condition, with roughly 90% of cases arising due to tobacco smoking, which exposes the user to arsenic trioxide and synergistic carcinogenicity when exposure includes both smoking and consumption of arsenic-contaminated drinking water. A novel set of …

Thermodynamic Evaluation Of The Thermal Methane Pyrolysis Process, Chinaecherem S. Okwuonu

Theses and Dissertations

Natural gas flaring is a persistent challenge which undermines global sustainability and decarbonization efforts as it leads to the waste of valuable energy resources alongside the release of harmful greenhouse gases into the environment. Even when natural gas is utilized through commonly adopted pathways, significant emission of carbon dioxide tends to be realized. Methane pyrolysis offers a promising route in which methane can be decomposed into solid carbon and hydrogen gas with no direct CO2 emissions. However, despite extensive studies of the methane pyrolysis process, a fundamental thermodynamic rationale of the process behavior remains insufficiently explored. This study 1) develops …

Methane Infusion Improved Oil Recovery In The Bakken Formation, Demetrius Maxey

Theses and Dissertations

This research establishes methane infusion improved oil recovery (MI IOR) as a technically viable and economically attractive early-stage intervention for unconventional reservoirs. Integrated multi-scale investigations included quantum molecular theory, nanoscale characterization, NMR experimentation, and field scale reservoir simulation. FEG-SEM analysis of core samples enabled development of a peer-reviewed pore size classification system informing MI operational design parameters. Integrated well logging quantified petrophysical properties across the Bakken stratigraphy. NMR relaxometry identified the lab-scale pore-level sweep efficiency of MI at 3,750 psi in Bakken core samples. Mobilization of hydrocarbons from Np1, Np2, and Np3 pores yielded recovery factors of 45-60%. Field-scale reservoir …

Optimizing Virtual Reality User Experience With Balanced Integration Of Quality Attributes, Ananth Ramaseri

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents a real-time adaptive framework for mitigating cybersickness and enhancing user experience in virtual reality (VR) environments by dynamically adjusting key visual rendering parameters in response to users’ head movements. Conventional VR systems typically rely on fixed or manually configured settings that do not account for individual motion patterns or varying susceptibility to discomfort, leading to suboptimal usability and degraded immersion. In response, this work integrates software architecture tactics with data-driven machine learning models to proactively manage cybersickness while preserving rendering performance.

The proposed system employs a client–server architecture based on the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern. We conducted a …

Integrated Machine Learning For Predicting Reservoir Properties And Experimental Approach For Evaluating Co2-Brine-Rock Interactions In Carbonate Formations, Luc Yvan Nkok

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding subsurface properties is fundamental for optimizing hydrocarbon recovery and ensuring the long-term integrity of carbon capture and storage (CCS) operations. Conventional methods such as empirical correlations, advanced logging, and laboratory measurements, though widely used, are costly, time-consuming, and often limited in accuracy within formations. This study develops an ML framework to enhance the prediction of petrophysical and geomechanical properties and experimental investigation to evaluate time-dependent alterations in petrophysical and geomechanical rock properties under CO₂-brine exposure.In the first phase, six ML algorithms Decision Tree, Random Forest, Extra Trees, XGBoost, LightGBM, and K-Nearest Neighbor were applied to predict key petrophysical parameters …

Data-Driven Evalutation And Optimization Of Fishbone Well Configurations For Geothermal Energy Recovery In The Red River Formation, Cedar Creek Anticline, Candace Proksch

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis evaluates the geothermal potential of the Red River C interval at the Cedar Creek Anticline and develops a workflow for screening fishbone multilateral designs in a heterogeneous carbonate reservoir. Regional heat-flow and depth maps delineated Cedar Creek as a thermally favorable site and the lower dolomite as the primary reservoir target, supporting construction of a 3D Petrel model that captured the five-member C-interval architecture, petrophysical properties, and temperature field. A multi-stage Particle Swarm Optimization and fast-marching framework used this model to generate and rank fishbone injector–producer configurations, and a line-source approximation combined with a fixed-efficiency Organic Rankine Cycle …

A Space Propulsion Concept Based On Inertial Confinement: Exploring Nuclear Fusion Utilizing Polywell Geometry, Preeti Nair

Theses and Dissertations

Nuclear fusion propulsion represents a promising solution for future interplanetarymissions due to its high energy density and potential for continuous power generation. However, existing fusion propulsion systems face significant limitations, particularly in achieving stable plasma confinement. The Polywell concept, introduced by physicist Robert Bussard in 1985, offers advantages through its compact, polyhedral geometry that is wellsuited for spacecraft applications where mass and volume constraints are critical. Despite these advantages, Polywell designs have encountered stability challenges in maintaining the electric potential well over time. Plasma instabilities induced by magnetic fields disrupt containment and reduce fusion efficiency, limiting overall performance and scalability …

Experimental And Computational Insights Into Reservoir Rock Mechanics And Petrophysical Properties, Prasad Pothana

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the influence of stress, mineralogy, and microstructure on the elastic and transport properties of reservoir rocks. A multi-scale framework integrating laboratory measurements, petrophysical inversion, and discrete-element simulations is developed to quantify the stress-dependent behavior of heterogeneous sedimentary formations relevant to hydrocarbon production and CO2 sequestration.

Core-scale experiments quantify velocity–effective stress and permeability–effective stress relationships in tight siliciclastic and mixed lithologies. Results demonstrate that pore-throat collapse and microcrack closure under confining stress cause systematic reductions in permeability and acoustic velocities. The derived empirical functions provide predictive capability for estimating in-situ stress effects on reservoir performance and time-lapse seismic …

Examining The Utility Of Haptic Feedback To Improve Pilot Situational Awareness & Performance: A Psychophysiological Approach, Jessica Van Bree

Theses and Dissertations

Pilot situational awareness (SA) has been deemed to be a critical component of flight efficacy, efficiency, and overall mission success. Studies have shown that several incidents and accidents have been the result of level-one SA errors, meaning that members of the flight crew have failed to accurately perceive the elements in their environments. As such, several strategies have been investigated to improve pilot SA. One potential avenue of research is the addition of haptics in to the flight deck. In some studies, the implementation of haptics have shown to improve piloting tasks, pilot safety, and aircraft control. The current study …

Degradable And Tunable Silyl Ether And Silyl Ester Containing Polymers: Synthesis, Characterization, Hyperbranching, And Applications, Vladimir Vladimirovich Zotov

Theses and Dissertations

The development of degradable polymers has emerged as a significant focus within academic research, driven by increasing concerns over non-degradable waste. Previous studies showed the ability to degrade the Si-O-C bond in mild conditions, which was further taken into medical applications. The slow degradation time of the linear polymers and their nanoparticles in mild conditions led us to pursue two different solution paths. In this work we looked at hyperbranched poly(silyl ether)s A2+B3 and A2A’+B3 methodologies and silyl ester containing polymers. Hyperbranched polymers show potential in drug delivery applications as they are capable of loading more of the drug and …

Creating An Iot User Centric Security And Privacy Label, Luke Joseph Gleba

Theses and Dissertations

Concerns for cybersecurity awareness and training in the public have been rising at astronomical rates over the past few years. People globally have entered a critical intersection with computers. Computers are being used in everyday life, and users do not have an easy way to understand their own cyber risk. Consumers deserve to know how secure their new Internet of Things (IoT) system is in a quick, efficient way before they purchase the device and while they own it. The following research looks to improve on ideas for the criteria and the development of a security label. Few prototypes currently …

Navigating Structure, Function, And Stability: Bridging Immunotherapy And Protein Engineering In The Era Of Machine Learning, Christopher J. Haynie

Theses and Dissertations

The immune system is a remarkably adaptive network, yet it often fails to function optimally due to evasion strategies of pathogens or mutated cells. Many of these evasion strategies involve alterations in protein expression and function. Protein design is an area of computational biology with potential applications in improving protein function and therapeutic protein engineering. This thesis explores methods to enhance immune function and protein design across multiple scales, from molecular engineering of antibody fragments and chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) to cellular immune responses, and computational approaches for protein structure optimization. We characterize Thymidine Kinase 1-specific single-chain antibodies, highlighting both …

Copper Oxide Based P-Type Chemiresistive Sensing Element And Electrochemical Electrode For Ethanol Detection Application, Reyoun Frances B

Theses and Dissertations

This study centers on the development of nanostructured sensing elements and electrochemical electrodes based on p-type CuO for ethanol detection, with a specific focus on application related onto targeting Breath and Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) monitoring. CuO nanostructures were deposited onto ceramic tubes via spray pyrolysis under optimized conditions to ensure uniform film formation. The CuO surfaces were subsequently functionalized with silver (Ag) nanoparticles via thermal evaporation and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) using the doctor blade method. Structural, morphological, and compositional analyses were conducted using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. …

Modeling Xilinx 7-Series Fpgas Within The Verilog To Routing Project, Joshua Peter Fife

Theses and Dissertations

Verilog to Routing (VTR) is the most widely used open-source tool for experimenting with FPGA placement and routing algorithms, as well as assessing how architectural changes impact routability, timing, and power consumption.

Historically, VTR has been tailored specifically for Intel’s Altera-like FPGAs, lacking support for key features that would enable greater flexibility in describing other architectures. In this work, we introduce a fully functional 7-Series architecture capture from the Xilinx family, utilizing VTR’s scalable architecture description language. We detail the necessary upgrades to achieve this description, including the ability to describe L and T-shaped wires and target hard multipliers with …

Contextual Bandits For Non-Stationary Multi-Agent Environments Using Assumptions-Alignment Tracking, Ethan Pedersen

Theses and Dissertations

A common challenge in AI is that of an agent possessing N distinct behaviors, each of which works effectively in certain tasks and circumstances, to choose from at any particular time. A popular approach to learn optimal selections in such contexts is found in bandit algorithms. However, traditional bandits often (1) assume the environment is stationary, (2) focus on asymptotic performance, and (3) do not incorporate available external information about the environment. While contextual bandits that do consider external information are designed to combat one of these challenges, the others remain problematic in realistic domains. This is especially true of …

Soccer In-Game Event Classification Using Spatio-Temporal Data, Million Haileyesus

Theses and Dissertations

Classifying soccer ball events, such as pass, shot, ball loss, and ball out, are crucial for advancing game analytics and tactical insights. This thesis investigates the application of machine learning to classify these ball events using player and ball spatio-temporal data, as well as additional features. We implement and compare traditional machine learning algorithms (AdaBoost, Logistic Regression, and Random Forest) with several deep learning approaches, including Feed-Forward Neural Network (FFNN), sequence-to-sequence (seq2seq) recurrent models (Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU)), and Transformer. Our experiments, evaluated on a dataset comprising of three professional soccer matches using accuracy, precision, …

Design And Implementation Of Home Energy Management System (Hems) In Smart Grid Through Demand Side Management (Dsm), Nirmala Jegadeesan Ms

Theses and Dissertations

The rising global energy demand, combined with environmental concerns and the depletion of conventional energy sources, has driven the need for the development of smarter and more sustainable energy systems. This research focuses on Home Energy Management System (HEMS) using soft computing techniques to optimize load scheduling, enhance energy efficiency, and integrate Renewable Energy Sources (RES) such as solar and battery storage. The primary goal is to balance supply and demand, reduce peak loads, and minimize energy costs while ensuring consumer comfort and system reliability.

Smart grids provide enhanced capabilities compared to conventional grids by enabling bidirectional flows of energy …

Mathematical Modeling And Optimization Of Polymer Cold Spray Deposition For Enhanced Efficiency, Okikiola Ganiu Agbabiaka

Theses and Dissertations

Cold spray (CS) is a promising additive manufacturing technique for various industries, including aerospace and automotive. However, the application of CS to polymers presents unique challenges due to their inherent properties and complex deposition mechanisms. This study addresses critical knowledge gaps in polymer cold spray processes, focusing on optimizing parameters for enhanced deposition of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyamide-6 (nylon 6). Through a comprehensive three-stage experimental approach, the effects of gas temperature, feed rate, standoff distance, gas pressure, raster speed, particle size, and crystallinity on deposition efficiency was investigated. Utilizing advanced design of experiments methodologies, including a response surface methodology, …

Blockchain-Driven Pharma Supply Chains Towards Industry 6.0, Vijay Ramasamy R

Theses and Dissertations

The pharmaceutical supply chain is undergoing an unprecedented evolution in the wake of Industry 6.0, driven by the need for heightened transparency, security, and real-time intelligence. However, current systems suffer from legacy Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) constraints, the risk of counterfeit products, temperature sensitivity, and scalability issues due to the surge in Internet of Things (IoT) data.

This research proposes a unified, blockchain-based framework that integrates legacy ERP systems, advanced AI driven forecasting, IoT-enabled traceability, and quantum-enhanced blockchain security to modernize pharmaceutical supply chains.

The study begins by addressing interoperability between ERP and blockchain using middleware and smart contracts, facilitating …

To What Extent Do Arkansas K-3 Elementary Classroom Teachers Understand The International Dyslexia Association's Definition Of Dyslexia?, Anetha Jane Hill

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative interview study explored the understanding of dyslexia among K–3 elementary classroom teachers in Arkansas, using the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) definition as adopted by the Arkansas Department of Education, specifically the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education. An interview protocol was used to gather information about teachers’ understanding of the full IDA definition of dyslexia. Since this definition has been formally adopted by the state of Arkansas, it has significantly influenced district policies, classroom instruction, and support services. It is essential that educators have a working knowledge of this definition to adequately support students’ reading success and provide …

Manufacturing Of Origami-Inspired Mechanisms Via Sheet Lamination, Tyler R. Stevens

Theses and Dissertations

Origami-inspired mechanisms combine compact, lightweight, reconfig- urable devices, yet despite decades of growth in origami theory, industrial uptake remains limited. As a result, origami predominately appears as prototypes or in low-volume, bespoke applications. Manufacturing (which has received little development) remains the chief bottleneck: most origami fabrication routes are still under-explored, labor-intensive, and fundamentally unsuited to scale. This dissertation addresses that barrier by establishing a process-centric framework for origami manufacturing and demonstrates fabrication workflows capable of transitioning designs from prototypes to production. A survey of more than 180 publications on origami manufacturing approaches yields a manufacturing-oriented taxonomy that links each surrogate …

Fabrication Of Nanofiber Hydrogel Composites And Their Effects On Single-Cell Morphology, Nikolas Belanger

Theses and Dissertations

Regenerating highly aligned soft tissues such as nerves, skeletal muscle, and cardiac tissue remains a major challenge in biomedical engineering due to the complex structural and biochemical cues needed to guide cellular behavior. Tissue engineering scaffolds for aligned soft tissue must allow massive cell infiltration and provide cues that direct cell alignment. Aligned nanofibers offer direction cues but must be included at low density to leave room for cell population. This thesis presents a strategy for fabricating and characterizing nanofiber-embedded hydrogel composites where a permissive hydrogel matrix supports the low density aligned nanofiber architecture. We hypothesized that embedded aligned nanofibers …

Development Of Natural Product Analogs As Therapeutic Agents, Jacob Mara

Theses and Dissertations

Cancer stem cells (CSC) are cancer cells in a tumor mass that may self-renew and develop into various cell types, resulting in a heterogeneous tumor. CSCs have been shown to have a role in many facets of cancer formation, including tumor genesis, proliferation, and metastatic activity. They are also implicated in chemotherapeutic treatment resistance and the recurrence of some malignancies. Based on these capacities, CSCs have been identified as the next target for cancer therapy and control. Salinomycin's potential for therapeutic use based on ongoing research, as well as the synthesis of its derivatives and their biological activity, will also …

Creativity In Large Language Models, Robert Kenneth Morain

Theses and Dissertations

As artificial intelligence systems approach human-level performance across a wide variety of domains, creative domains remain a critical yet underexplored area of research. Unlike traditional AI tasks with well-defined objectives, creative tasks rely on inherently subjective measures, making them particularly challenging for machines that lack human experiential context. This dissertation establishes the fundamental importance of creativity in AI systems and presents methods for improving and evaluating the creative capabilities of LLMs on the pathway toward AGI. This work addresses and examines key limitations in current LLM creativity through model innovations, development frameworks, and comparative studies. The dissertation develops novel architectural …

Erosion Of Bermuda Grass Covered Soils, Oru-Ntui Johnwatters Nkiri

Theses and Dissertations

Earthen embankments are the most common type of embankment due to the relatively low cost, simplicity, and material availability. However, they are also the most prone to erosion related failure, typically due to overtopping and piping. Research has been conducted to identify ways to control soil erosion and protect earthen embankments with different approaches such as addition of chemicals and biopolymer to the soil, installation of protective layering (geotextiles, concrete), increased soil compaction, and use of vegetation. This thesis considers the use of Bermuda Grass to increase resistance to erosion and protect embankments from failure during overtopping. Grass coverage and …

Cold Spray On Fiber Reinforced Polymer Substrates For Composite Repair And Tooling Applications, Patrick Allen Bailey

Theses and Dissertations

Cold Spray technology was first developed in the 1980’s and is an additive manufacturing and repair technique. It works by heating a pressurized carrier gas upwards of 600 °C and inserting metal particles downstream such that when they impact a substrate, the energy transformation causes plastic deformation of the particles. This thesis presents a use case for metal and polymer CS powder on fiber reinforced and fused filament fabrication polymer substrates. The state of the art for CS discusses the most up-to-date research within the field, and where new investigations are required. This research investigates the required process parameters to …

Electrode Engineering To Minimize Degradation In Lithium-Sulfur Batteries, Saheed Adewale Lateef

Theses and Dissertations

Lithium-Sulfur (Li-S) batteries have recently received significant attention as a potential candidate for next-generation energy storage technology. This is due to its high theoretical capacity (1675 mAh/g) which can provide theoretical energy density of 2500 Wh/kg as compared to 400 Wh/kg of the current Lithium-ion batteries. Moreover, the earth-abundant sulfur element as well as its environmental friendliness endows unique advantages on the cost and environmental impact. However, there are several roadblocks that need to be addressed for commercial adoption of Li-S batteries, such as: (i) poor conductivity of sulfur and its discharged product; (ii) solubility of lithium polysulfides and their …

Integrative Stem Approach Impact On Mathematical Acquisition And Mathematical Conceptual Understanding, Kayla Grace Eller

Theses and Dissertations

This mixed methods study investigates the impact of an integrative Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) approach on fourth grade students’ mathematical conceptual understanding and mathematical language acquisition. For the purposes of this research, mathematical language was defined as students’ comprehension and use of key mathematical terminology and concepts, while mathematical conceptual understanding was characterized as a comprehensive and practical grasp of mathematical ideas that goes beyond isolated facts and methods. The study was situated in the theoretical framework of situated cognition learning theory and informed by the conceptual framework of Wells PIRPSOAL model (2016), with particular attention to how …