Digital Commons Network^™

Competencies Of Modern Musician Entrepreneurs: The Role Of Digitalization In The Music Industry, Richard A. Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

The culture creation industries are undergoing a period of accelerated digitization, globalization, and democratization. The 21st century music industry is bustling with lowered barriers to entry, increased knowledge sharing, and direct to consumer models which have resulted in a gold rush of entrepreneurial opportunities for musicians and increased competition to music firms and superstars. The music industry has been subject to innovative disruption providing valuable insight on the nuances of this paradigm shift for music entrepreneurs and scholars alike. Specifically, I explore competency factors in artist’s journey from musicians to entrepreneurs with successful self-managed careers. Employing Lazear’s Theory of Balanced …

Manufacturing Of A Flexible Piezoelectric Nanogenerator By Functionalizing Polyvinylidene Fluoride With Lithium Tantalate And Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes For Energy Harvesting And Sensing Applications, Islam Uddin Shipu

Theses and Dissertations

Mechanical energy is one of the readily accessible green energy sources that could be employed to meet the small-scale energy requirement. In order to capture mechanical energy, power the next generation of electronic gadgets, and health monitoring flexible piezoelectric nanogenerators made of light weight polymers and carbon nanotubes have drawn a lot of attention. Lithium tantalate (LiTaO3), a ferroelectric substance, was prepared here and utilized to create a flexible piezoelectric nanogenerator (FPNG). A compact piezoelectric nanogenerator that successfully transfers mechanical energy into electricity was then created using lightweight polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT), and LiTaO3 nanoparticles. To create …

Indium Doped Zinc Stannate-Pdms Based Piezoelectric Generator For Harvesting Mechanical Energy And Sensory Application, Tamanna Zakia

Theses and Dissertations

Piezoelectric materials are comparatively new among other alternative energy sources. Harvesting waste mechanical energy through these materials can be a potential solution of the increasing energy demand. In response to applied mechanical stress, piezoelectric materials accumulate electric charges on their surface. Upon connecting with a circuit, accumulated charges can flow and generate electricity. Based on this hypothesis piezoelectric nano-generator has been fabricated. Binary semiconducting oxides such as ZnO, TiO2 and SnO2 have attracted immense interest as they have unique properties of electron mobility. However, there is always a need for specially designed semiconductors to better match with the properties. This …

Fedbiometric: Image Features Based Biometric Presentation Attack Detection Using Hybrid Cnns-Svm In Federated Learning, S M Sarwar

Theses and Dissertations

In the past few years, biometric identification systems have become popular for personal, national, and global security. In addition to other biometric modalities, facial and fingerprint recognition have gained popularity due to their uniqueness, stability, convenience, and cost-effectiveness compared to other biometric modalities. However, the evolution of fake biometrics, such as printed materials, 2D or 3D faces, makeup, and cosmetics, has brought new challenges. As a result of these modifications, several facial and fingerprint Presentation Attack Detection methods have been proposed to distinguish between live and spoof faces or fingerprints. Federated learning can play a significant role in this problem …

A Preliminary Characterization And Assessment Of Mesophotic Octocoral Microbiomes In The Western Gulf Of Mexico, Edward P. Gniffke

Theses and Dissertations

Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems are highly diverse and productive ecosystems in the western Gulf of Mexico which are composed of, in part, by octocorals (subclass Octocorallia). Despite their importance as foundational organisms octocorals are an understudied group in this region, with little known about their microbial community. Ninety-eight Octocoral samples collected from the western and northwestern Gulf of Mexico were sequenced using 16S rRNA sequencing to characterize their microbial communities. The sequenced microbiomes were generally low in diversity composed of a few core microbial taxa. Octocoral group was the main driver of microbiome composition as opposed to depth, season, region, and …

The Effects Of Low Volume High-Intensity Interval Training Vs. Moderate-Intensity Interval Training With Blood Flow Restriction On Body Composition, Hormone Concentration, And Arterial Elasticity In Overweight And Obese Male Adults, Alexis Lopez

Theses and Dissertations

PURPOSE: This study compared the effects of HIIT and MIIT+BFR on the adaptations in body composition, salivary hormone concentration, peak oxygen uptake, anaerobic parameters, and arterial elasticity in young overweight and obese male adults.

RESULTS: There was a significant increase in total BMC (p<0.01), leg BMC (p<0.05), and trunk BMC (p<0.05) from baseline in response to HIIT. MIIT+BFR significantly increased LFM/TFM Ratio from baseline (p<0.01). HIIT significantly decreased AIx@75 (p<0.05) and CI (p<0.05). There was a significant increase in ISO 180o Away (p<0.05), Thor Begin. (p<0.01), and Thor Mid. (p<0.05) in response to HIIT. MIIT+BFR had a superior increase in Thor Mid. (p<0.05) and significantly increased ISO 180o Toward (p<0.01), VO2peak (p<0.05), and VO2peak:Time (p<0.05). In the last training session, HIIT significantly increased salivary leptin (p<0.05), but MIIT+BFR had a superior increase in salivary leptin (p<0.01) from pre- to post exercise.

CONCLUSION: HIIT significantly improved total BMC, leg BMC, trunk BMC, and AIx@75 but decreased CI from baseline. HIIT increased quad muscle strength, whereas MIIT+BFR increased hamstring muscle strength. HIIT and MIIT+BFR significantly increased peak torque in Thor Mid and salivary leptin. Only MIIT+BFR significantly improved VO2peak.

A Novel Technique To Solve Fractional Differential Equations Using Fractional-Order B-Polynomial Basis Set, Md Habibur Rahman

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis uses B-Polynomial bases to solve both one-dimensional and multi-dimensional linear and nonlinear partial differential equations and linear and nonlinear fractional differential equations. The approach involves constructing an operational matrix from the terms of these equations using Caputo's fractional derivative of fractional B-polynomials. This leads to a semi-analytical solution derived from a matrix equation, and the results obtained using this method are compared to analytical and numerical solutions presented by other authors. The method is shown to be effective in calculating approximate solutions for various differential equations and provides a higher accuracy level than finite difference methods. This technique …

Invading The Integrity Of Deep Learning (Dl) Models Using Lsb Perturbation & Pixel Manipulation, Ashraful Tauhid

Theses and Dissertations

The use of deep learning (DL) models for solving classification and recognition-related problems are expanding at an exponential rate. However, these models are computationally expensive both in terms of time and resources. This imposes an entry barrier for low-profile businesses and scientific research projects with limited resources. Therefore, many organizations prefer to use fully outsourced trained models, cloud computing services, pre-trained models are available for download and transfer learning. This ubiquitous adoption of DL has unlocked numerous opportunities but has also brought forth potential threats to its prospects. Among the security threats, backdoor attacks and adversarial attacks have emerged as …

Effect Of Pre-Growth Conditions On Foodborne Pathogen Survival Kinetics In Fresh Produce, Avninder Kaur

Theses and Dissertations

World-wide consumption of fresh-cut produce has seen a dramatic increase over the past few decades. However, fresh-cut produce has been implicated in several illness outbreaks due to contamination with foodborne bacterial pathogens. Post-harvest contamination during handling and processing is considered rare but several influencing factors are often overlooked. Specifically, studies have reported the growth, survival, and death kinetics of foodborne bacterial pathogens such as E. coli O157: H7, Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes in different fresh and fresh-cut produce. The effect of various factors such as storage temperature, time, and relative humidity are widely explored. It is increasingly evident that microbial …

Matrix Completion Problems For The Positiveness And Contraction Through Graphs, Louis C. Christopher

Theses and Dissertations

In this work, we study contractive and positive real matrix completion problems which are motivated in part by studies on sparce (or dense) matrices for weighted sparse recovery problems and rating matrices with rating density in recommender systems. Matrix completions problems also have many applications in probability and statistics, chemistry, numerical analysis (e.g. optimization), electrical engineering, and geophysics. In this paper we seek to connect the contractive and positive completion property to a graph theoretic property. We then answer whether the graphs of real symmetric matrices having loops at every vertex have the contractive completion property if and only if …

Developing Control System For Manufacturing Processes, Md Shahriar Forhad

Theses and Dissertations

Process control has been a critical component in today's manufacturing industry. Industrialists nowadays want reliable control to assure precision manufacturing. Modern control systems must be more dynamic, so that any needed modifications may be made quickly to accomplish the desired product change. For innovative research and development, system customization is critical to ensure freedom for experimental works. In addition, full control of manufacturing systems is necessary to realize and implement Industry 4.0. Often, it is difficult to achieve such control due to limited access to proprietary equipment. To this end, this thesis focuses on developing a custom control platform for …

Professional Development For Teaching In The Digital Age: Addressing Teachers’ Digital Competency, Blanca Nery Ibarra

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify teachers’ digital skills proficiency gaps in order to determine preparedness for teaching in the digital age. Using a survey research design helped identify teachers’ digital skills self-confidence, attitudes towards the use of technology in the classroom, and current uses of technology for instructional purposes. The participants in this research study consisted of 320 middle school teachers from a border school district in south Texas. The data was collected using a survey instrument consisting of the TPSA C-21 and researcher-developed items. The data was analyzed using the Spearman-rank order correlation to describe the …

Simulating Motion Success With Muscle Deficiency In A Musculoskeletal Model Using Reinforcement Learning, Daniel Castillo

Theses and Dissertations

Humans possess an extraordinary ability to execute complex movements, captivating the attention of researchers who strive to develop methods for simulating these actions within a physics-based environment. Motion Capture data stands out as a crucial tool among the proven approaches to tackle this challenge. In this research, we explore the effects of decreased muscle force on the body's capacity to perform various tasks, ranging from simple walking to executing complex jumping jacks. Through a systematic reduction of the allowed force applied to individual muscles or muscle groups, we aim to identify the threshold at which the body's muscles tolerate the …

Robust And Uncertainty-Aware Software Vulnerability Detection Using Bayesian Recurrent Neural Networks, Orune Aminul

Theses and Dissertations

Software systems are prone to code defects or vulnerabilities, resulting in several cyberattacks such as hacking, identity breach and information leakage leading to system failure. Vulnerabilities in software systems have severe societal implications, including threats to public safety, financial damage, and even risks to national security. Identifying and mitigating software vulnerabilities is critical to protect organizations and societies from potential threats. Machine learning algorithms have been employed to detect and classify potential vulnerabilities in software source code automatically. However, these algorithms are not robust to noise or malicious attacks and cannot quantify uncertainty in the model’s output. Quantifying uncertainty in …

Essays On The Influence Of Review And Reviewer Attributes On Online Review Helpfulness: Attribution Theory Perspective, Rakesh Guduru

Theses and Dissertations

With the emergence of digital technology and the increasing availability of information on the internet, customers rely heavily on online reviews to inform their purchasing decisions. However, not all online reviews are helpful, and the factors that contribute to their helpfulness are complex and multifaceted. This dissertation addresses this gap in the literature by examining the antecedents that determine online review helpfulness using attribution theory. The dissertation consists of three essays. The first essay examines the impact of authenticity (review attribute) on review helpfulness, showing that the expressive authenticity of a review enhances its helpfulness. The second essay investigates the …

Breaking Bridges: A Latina's Role In Familismo And Higher Education, Desiree Trejo

Theses and Dissertations

This research and collective experiences have been recorded to bring together an autoethnography that demonstrates my personal experiences of being the eldest daughter in a Latino family and how these experiences situate within a social context. The primary purpose of this autoethnography is to provide insight on Latino culture expectations placed upon first born daughters. My own experiences connect to my research covering Latino culture and gender expectations to further understand social meanings and understandings of this culture. This autoethnography presents qualitive research that allows me to self-reflect and apply these findings to my personal experiences within my family to …

Mitigate The Flood Risk At The Parking Lots At The University Of Texas Rio Grande Valley - Edinburg Campus, Mishell Carolina Mazon

Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on the analysis of the drainage system in the parking lots of the Edinburg campus of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The current project will use the rational method and modified rational method described in the Texas Department of Transportation manual to analyze and determine a solution for the current built drainage system. The primary objective of this study is to offer a practical and comprehensive solution to address the issue of this area that has flooded during heavy rainfall storm events. The proposed solution takes into consideration the building codes of the city of …

Organocatalyzed Four-Component On-Water Green Synthesis Of Spiroindolinpyranopyrazole, Tanzida Zubair

Theses and Dissertations

Although many synthetic and natural pharmaceuticals and drug-like compounds contain spiro center(s) in their structures, the synthesis of spiro centers is seen to be an exciting and difficult area of research. The synthesis of spiro compounds and their derivatives was carried out using a four-component process that included reagents like hydrazine hydrate, isatin, malononitrile, and an active methylene compound like ethyl acetoacetate. Microwave irradiation was used in a short time range (5 – 30 min) and moderate temperature (80°C), with water as a solvent, and N, N-Diisopropylethylamine (DIPEA) as a catalyst to give high yield of products. Our process complies …

Nrc-Sim: A Node-Red Based Multi-Level, Many-Core Cache Simulator, Ezequiel Treviño

Theses and Dissertations

As computational systems become ever-more integral to daily life, so too does the importance of understanding how these complex systems work. For those unfamiliar with the underlying concepts, this can be a daunting task. In an effort to address such concerns, this paper presents a Node-RED based cache simulator that enables users to observe the effects of their desired cache configuration, with users having the ability to easily modify various parameters, such as the core count, the number of levels within the cache, and coherence protocols, among other parameters. Through the use of Node-RED, NRC-SIM allows for simplicity of use …

¿Dónde Vamos?: Exploring Neoliberal Gentrification Within An Oak Cliff Barrio, Luis E. Macias Barrientos

Theses and Dissertations

Barrio working-class Latinx populations have been historically ignored and prevented from creating sustainable roots within their own communities due to the confluence of settler colonialism, neoliberalism, and gentrification. I argue the neoliberal city creates an unsustainable predicament that seeks to marginalize working-class individuals from inner-city life, thus systematically precluding future generations of working-class Latinxs from upward mobility. Little attention has been paid to Texas cities resulting from neoliberal policies perpetuating settler colonialism and gentrification. This thesis draws from theories of neoliberalism and the neoliberal city to explore the effects of gentrification on barrio Latinx geographies. To explore the relationship between …

The Effects Of Caffeine On Activity Levels And Motor Behaviors In The Honeybee, Apis Mellifera, Johana Castro

Theses and Dissertations

Caffeine is produced by plants as a defense mechanism against herbivores and pathogens. However, caffeine was found in floral nectar, which contradicts nectar's role in attracting pollinators. Interestingly, low concentrations of caffeine were shown to increase alertness and locomotion in mammals and invertebrates, indicating it may enhance the productivity of pollinators. This investigation examined how caffeine affects activity levels and motor behaviors in the honey bee, Apis mellifera. To test overall activity, forager bees were collected and fed 1 M sucrose to satiation. The following day, bees received 10 µl of 1.0 M sucrose alone or with caffeine ranging from …

Latino Men’S Barriers And Obstacles Towards Treatment Seeking Attitudes, Rebecca Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

There is a drastic difference in the number of Latino men utilizing mental healthcare as only 24 percent of Latino men with a severe mental illness ever receive treatment. Previous research has revealed stigma and attitudes are important factors in the help seeking process, but with limited Latino participants. The current study gathered survey data from Latino male university students about their levels of stigma, attitudes towards both tele – health and in person counseling, perceived barriers and benefits, treatment history, and current levels of depression. It was revealed that in contrast to previous studies, Latino men’s social stigma is …

Design Of Topological Structures With Desired-Shape Mid-Gap State, Elnaz Hamdarsi

Theses and Dissertations

Topological systems with their robust features are of interest in different fields including electronics, acoustics, and photonics. Systems with non-trivial topological configurations are the host of the so-called edge modes with energy eigenfrequency lying at the center of the gap and are protected by the symmetries of the structure. The eigenstates associated with these mid-gap modes are exponentially localized at the boundaries. For practical applications, it is of great interest to design systems that have a protected state not necessarily squeezed towards the edges, and in some cases, it is crucial to have it as a distributed state. Here, using …

Understanding The Distribution And Abundance Of Asclepias Prostrata In South Texas, Elizabeth Ann Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

Asclepias prostrata, commonly referred to as prostrate milkweed, is a rare South Texas native plant species. In February of 2023, A. prostrata was listed as a federally endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Due to the limited available observations and literature for A. prostrata, this study was completed to bring new information that could be utilized for future restorative efforts. This study includes multiple field observations of the plant’s morphology, plant-insect interactions, extraction and transplanting of the species, and a seed viability study. Results indicate that although A. prostrata has many pressures that limit its …

Application Of An Adaptive Controller On An Air-Bearing Vehicle-Manipulator System, Samuel Thomas Lovelace

Theses and Dissertations

The growing demand for on-orbit servicing and assembly as well as orbital debris capture and removal poses many engineering challenges. One primary challenge is that of position and attitude control of a spacecraft-manipulator system while performing these operations. Standard control approaches may be used for cases where the dynamics of the objects that the spacecraft-manipulator system interacts with are known are still plausible. However, there will likely be some uncertainty and lack of knowledge of the dynamic properties of orbital debris and parts required for servicing. Therefore, many have proposed the use of adaptive control schemes which can recalculate the …

Investigation Of Cyclic Gaseous Solvent Injection For Enhanced Oil Recovery In Unconventional Formations, Samuel Asante Afari

Theses and Dissertations

Unconventional resources have been known to hold vast quantities of hydrocarbons. However, exploiting the oil and gas they hold was previously challenging due to their low permeabilities. Recent advances in horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing have enabled oil and gas production from these reservoirs, leading to significant increases in energy supply to meet the growing energy demand. However, despite the relative technological success, considerable obstacles persist; oil production from unconventional wells often declines by more than 20% of their initial production rate within the first two years, leaving significant volumes of residual oil trapped in the formations. This overarching …

Machine Learning-Based Drone And Aerial Threat Detection For Increased Turret Gunner Survivability, Nikolas Koutsoubis

Theses and Dissertations

The introduction of aerial drones on the modern battlefield has transformed combat operations, posing a significant threat to ground-based military operations. Detecting drones in safety scenarios is crucial. However, modern machine learning (ML)-based object detectors struggle to detect small objects like drones. This thesis presents three main contributions: (a) data and algorithmic modifications to improve small object detection in YOLO to aid in drone detection, (b) the development of a benchmark drone detection dataset called DyViR, and (c) the implementation of explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) to ensure transparent and trustworthy decision-making. To boost the performance of small object detection, we …

Establishing Validity And Preliminary Clinical Utility Of A Behavioral Economic Measure Of Social Risk Discounting For Health Behaviors, Connor A. Burrows

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic has been the most profound public health emergency of the past several decades and the United States has faced numerous challenges with the timely adoption of mitigating health behaviors. Sustained ambivalence surrounding perceptions of public health recommendations of social distancing, mask wearing, and timely vaccination remain a barrier to slowing the spread of the virus years after its initial onset. Behavior analysis and behavioral economics offer compelling theoretical and quantitative models for framing the relationship between behaviors that are aversive in the short term but beneficial for individual and public good in the long term. The present …

Playing To Play: A Critical Analysis Of Masaaki Yuasa's Ping Pong: The Animation., W. Ranse Gale

Theses and Dissertations

Masaaki Yuasa's 2014 series Ping Pong: The Animation approaches the ideas of play, competition, and victory in unique ways, especially when compared to other series in the sports anime genre. Through the protagonist Smile, Yuasa encourages viewers to engage with play in a childlike, empathetic and naïve way, as opposed to focusing on victory. By analyzing the series using De Koven's ways to approach play, scholars and fans can better understand the variety of ways in which the characters approach play, and how each of them eventually learns to play well. Analyzing this series through the perspective of metamodernism as …

Evaluating The Permeability Of Porous Aggregate Concrete Using Electrical Resistivity-Based Measurements, Ariel Miguel Mendez Aragoncillo

Theses and Dissertations

Recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) and lightweight aggregates (LWA) are popular alternative aggregates for concrete. However, due to their highly porous structure, concrete with RCA and LWA shows a different microstructure and higher permeability than conventional concrete. Thus, the existing relationships used to evaluate the permeability and, consequently, the durability of concrete are not applicable in concretes with RCA and LWA. This research examined the permeation properties of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) and lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC). The relationships between electrical resistivity-based measurements in RAC and LWAC and their permeation properties were determined and compared to that of normal weight aggregate …