Digital Commons Network^™

Analysis Of The Impact Of Pavement Characteristics On Road Traffic Safety And Pavement Management Using Statistical Heterogeneity Models, Huiqing Lyu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pavement shall accommodate current and predicted traffic needs in a safe, durable, and cost-effective manner. Among pavement surface characteristics, pavement friction is a critical factor contributing to roadway safety, as it directly impacts a driver's ability to execute steering, braking, and acceleration maneuvers safely. Ensuring an adequate level of pavement friction is essential to minimize the skidding risk for all road users. Continuous pavement friction measurement (CPFM) has recently become a proven approach, revolutionizing safety-related pavement management and skidding crash injury prevention. Meanwhile, pavement roughness has long been linked to vehicle fuel efficiency and pavement structural degradation. Perceptions of pavement …

Stochastic Predictive Modeling Of Social Media Stocks And Reliability Of Hard Disk Drives, Sameer Anand

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, social media has emerged as a highly appealing investment sector due to its substantial returns. Our research focuses on creating a predictive model for the financial performance of social media companies. We gathered data from five companies in the S&P 500: Meta, Etsy, Match, Pinterest, and Alphabet. We developed a non-linear, data-driven stochastic analytical model that employs real data, incorporating six financial indicators and four economic indicators, to forecast the weekly closing prices of these social media companies with an accuracy of 94.7%. Additionally, we ranked the statistically significant indicators and their interactions based on their percentage …

Improving College Students’ Attention Retention With A Brain-Controlled Drone Simulation, Ji Won Bae

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In contemporary society, individuals are continuously exposed to a plethora of stimuli, which can precipitate distractions and impede cognitive performance in tasks such as professional work and academic studies. This investigation proposes an innovative approach aimed at enhancing attentional focus through the utilization of Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI). BCIs represent advanced methodologies for deciphering neural activity patterns. Specifically,electroencephalography (EEG), a technique for monitoring the brain's electrical signals, serves as the foundation for BCI applications. EEG analyses reveal distinctive wave patterns indicative of states of concentration, vigilance, and cognitive engagement. Consequently, BCIs hold promise for the real-time assessment of users' attentional states. …

Robotic Multi-Object Grasping From A Pile: Techniques And Algorithms For Enhanced Dexterity, Tianze Chen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As robots become increasingly integrated into real-world applications such as warehousing, fulfillment centers, and manufacturing, the need for efficient and adaptable robotic systems grows. One of the key challenges is enabling robots to grasp multiple objects simultaneously, as this significantly boosts the efficiency of tasks like batch picking, sorting, and object transferring, reducing both time and energy consumption. This dissertation presents a comprehensive multi-object grasping (MOG) pipeline that includes pre-grasp selection, end-pose selection, grasping synergy calculation, and a data-driven model for estimating the number of objects being grasped. Central to this work is the development of the Experience Forest structure, …

Performance Optimization And Application Of P-Type Transparent Semiconductors In The Cdte Solar Cells, Md Zahangir Alom

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

CdTe thin-film solar cells are one of the major interests in the solar industry for their favorable properties. For example, CdTe has a near-ideal bandgap (1.45 eV) for absorption of the solar spectrum, and a high absorption coefficient ( ̴ 105 cm-1) and can capture 99% of light with only 2 µm of film thickness. Moreover, CdTe can be doped both n and p-type. Additionally, low production costs contribute to more affordable panel prices (0.40 $/W) [1]. The highest efficiency achieved to-date for this material is 23.1% demonstrated by First Solar, which is still lower than the theoretical limit [2]. …

Developing Robotic Task Planning Methods For Diverse Real-World Challenges, Md Sadman Sakib

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The deployment of robotic systems across various domains has expanded significantly, with applications ranging from domestic tasks, such as cleaning and cooking, to industrial operations requiring precision and automation. These advancements highlight the critical importance of effective task planning in ensuring that robots can perform tasks safely, efficiently, and autonomously. However, task planning in robotics faces challenges related to generalization, executability, flexibility, and limitations in existing knowledge bases.

This dissertation addresses these challenges through innovative strategies aimed at enhancing robotic task planning and execution. We first focus on adapting to unknown scenarios by utilizing the Functional Object-Oriented Network (FOON) to …

Multi-Sided Information Asymmetry In A Single Contract: Why Revocable Living Trusts Go To Court, James P. Wells

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Revocable living trust documents (trusts) are among the most important documents created in contemporary estate planning. One of the trust’s objectives is to provide clear guidance to the trustees on how to carry out the grantor's intent. When a trust is contested in court, the objective of the trust has clearly failed. Consequently, understanding why trusts go to court and developing approaches that reduce or eliminate the number of trusts in our courts is an endeavor worthy of research and the primary objective of this research effort.

Ideally, with a clearly stated grantor’s intent and clearly executed interpretation of the …

Understanding And Alleviating The Impact Of Convective Weather To Airfield Efficiency, Huang Feng

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Extensive research in predicting annual passenger throughput at airports has been conducted, aiming at providing decision support for airport construction, aircraft procurement, resource management, flight scheduling, etc. However, few studies have been conducted on how airport operational throughput is affected by convective weather in the vicinity of the airport and how to predict short-term airport operational throughput. Convective weather near the airport could make arrivals miss their positions in the arrival stream and reduce airfield efficiency in terms of utilizing runway capacities. This research leverages the learning-based method (MB-ResNet model) to predict airport hourly throughput. It uses the Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Edge Line Sinusoidal Rumble Strips On Lane Departure Crash Prevention And Injury Severity, Shubhankar Chintamani Shindgikar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lane departure crashes are one of the most prevalent accidents in Florida and the United States. Various forms of rumble strips have been employed to mitigate and decrease these incidents. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) recently adopted a new sinusoidal rumble strip pattern for statewide implementation of audible and vibratory treatment (AVT). Recent research indicates sinusoidal rumble strips are highly effective in alerting drivers audibly and through tactile vibrations, thus aiding lane departure prevention. Moreover, they generate less external noise compared to other rumble strip textures.

However, a systematic assessment of the safety effectiveness of sinusoidal rumble strips in …

Electrochemical Copper Printing For Wearable Electronics, Nirmita Roy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Wearable electronics have become a transformative force across industries like healthcare, aerospace, and military applications. However, a significant challenge persists in directly integrating electronic circuits onto fabrics. Addressing this challenge, the aim of this research is to introduce a novel sequential manufacturing process. Initially, a fabric is coated with a customized ink containing lignin, establishing a conductive template through laser burning. Subsequently, a localized Hydrogen Evolution Assisted (HEA) copper electroplating method is applied, resulting in a low-resistive circuit layout. Our investigations encompassed nanostructure analyses using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), Raman Spectroscopy, and Fourier Transform Infrared …

Cactus Infused Beads For Off-Flavor Mitigation In Aquaculture Systems, Rama Mahita Kambhampati

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Aquaculture has become a vital component of global food production, now providing 50% of the world's fish supply. However, the industry encounters major challenges due to off-flavor compounds like Geosmin and 2-Methylisoborneol (MIB), which give fish an unpleasant earthy or musty smell. These compounds are detectable by humans at extremely low levels 0.7 parts per billion (ppb) for MIB and ten parts per trillion (ppt) for Geosmin—making them a persistent problem. Their presence not only reduces the sensory quality of aquaculture products but also results in significant economic losses, with U.S. catfish production incurring an additional $15–$23 million annually due …

Balancing Context And Clarity Through Visualizations For Better Decision-Making, Bhavana Doppalapudi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this era of a data driven world, the effective communication of data through visualizations is pivotal for converting complex information into accurate insights. Effective visualizations not only enhance users' comprehension of complex data but also induce trust, leading to better decision-making. This dissertation explores methods to improve trust in visualizations by providing additional context and enhancing their clarity, ensuring appropriate data interpretations and better decisions from users.

The work in the dissertation begins by examining the impact of scatterplots combined with statistical metrics such as accuracy on users' trust and decision-making focused on recommender systems. In addition, we show …

Coding Connections: Exploring Relationships Between Computer Science Learning And Mathematics Achievement In Secondary Education, Bradley Hayes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation in practice explores the intersection of computer science education, specifically computational thinking and programming, with mathematics achievement among 15-year-old students in selected English-speaking countries. The research addresses a gap in understanding whether skills developed through computer science can positively influence mathematics performance by assessing the extent to which learning in computer science transfers to mathematics.

To achieve this, a quantitative methodology was employed, incorporating pilot study data from a single school and large-scale survey data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022. The analysis assessed the correlation between regular participation in programming activities and mathematics attainment, …

Advanced Strategies For Improving The Robustness Of Deep Learning, Keyu Chen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) have achieved great success across diverse fields in the last decades, such as facial recognition, medical diagnosis, and language translation. The success, however, largely hinges on the assumption that the training and testing data share the same distribution or domain. In practice, real-world data often exhibits domain shifts, leading to notable degradation in model performance. Hence, the generalization capability of machine lea=rning models is of great importance, which refers to the domain generalization problem. In this dissertation, we present DADG, an effective algorithm for domain generalization, aiming to learn domain-invariant features from seen …

Phosphoglycerate Dehydrogenase Regulated By The Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Pathway Is An Actionable Vulnerability In Cutaneous Melanoma, Neel Jasani

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Metabolic alterations play a critical role in shaping tumor growth and development. Many metabolic enzymes are shown to play an important role in different aspects of tumor development, growth, and metastasis. One such enzyme that we are investigating in this project is the Phosphoglycerate Dehydrogenase (PHGDH). The PHGDH gene, encoding the rate-limiting enzyme of the serine synthesis pathway, is located at chromosome locus 1p12 and frequently amplified in melanoma. PHGDH is required for the proliferation of melanoma cells with chromosome 1p12 amplification. However, the role of PHGDH in chromosome 1p12 non-amplified melanoma is poorly understood. In this project, we sought …

Analyzing And Extending Machine Learning Frameworks On High Risk Domains, Chengbin Hu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Machine learning (ML) has become a transformative force in high-risk domains such as genomics and cybersecurity, where accurate predictions and robust defenses are essential. This dissertation advances ML frameworks in these areas by developing methods to enhance predictive power in health applications and assess vulnerabilities in machine learning systems.

In the genomics field, the work addresses challenges in Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) of monogenic disorders by proposing a deep learning model that reconstructs the fetal genome using maternal plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and parental whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data. This model achieves high accuracy in single nucleotide variation (SNV) prediction, surpassing …

Quality Assurance Of Cast-In-Place Foundation Elements, Tristen Mee

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Construction of cast-in-place concrete deep foundation elements is a common practice, yet performed almost entirely blind, leaving uncertainty in the quality of the as-built, below-ground element. This dissertation focuses on three quality assurance aspects of cast-in-place foundations: an automated concrete tracking system for drilled shafts, an alternate approach to identifying if mass concrete conditions exist in cast-in-place foundations, and as-built auger cast pile grout volume determination.

The volume of concrete in a drilled shaft is relatively easy to track on a truck-by-truck basis, as well as the height of the rising concrete per truck. However, a more detailed volume distribution …

Control Of Multiagent Networks With Misbehaving Nodes, Emre Yildirim

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The overarching objective of this dissertation is to introduce system theoretical frameworks in control of misbehaving multiagent networks subject to limited resources (i.e., limited number of driver nodes), and the presence of disturbances and/or uncertainties (i.e., misbehaving nodes). Below, we briefly summarize each problem studied in this dissertation with their proposed solutions.

Specifically, we first consider multiagent networks subject to misbehaving nodes over fixed undirected graph topologies. To address this problem, we apply proportional-integral control signals to a subset of nodes (i.e., driver nodes) in the network to address the undesired effects arising from misbehaving nodes. Since multiagent networks with …

Examining Emergency Remote Teaching And Undergraduate Academic Outcomes During The Pandemic, Melissa S. Ramge

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic represented an extraordinary public health emergency, leading to the most profound disruption to education systems in modern history. As higher education institutions expand their post-pandemic online course catalogs, it is necessary first to explore the student outcomes and student perceptions of learning related to the pandemic. This study used an explanatory sequential mixed methods research design to assess the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and students’ perceptions of online learning. The purpose of the study was to examine what, if any, trends in undergraduate student course grades and student perceptions of the instruction occurred coincident with the …

Telu Activation Function For Fast And Stable Deep Learning, Alfredo Fernandez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

We propose the Hyperbolic Tangent Exponential Linear Unit (TeLU), a neural network hidden activation function defined as $TeLU(x)=x \cdot tanh(e^x)$. TeLU’s design is grounded in the core principles of key activation functions, achieving strong convergence by closely approximating the identity function in its active region while effectively mitigating the vanishing gradient problem in its saturating region. Its simple formulation enhances computational efficiency, leading to improvements in scalability and convergence speed. Unlike many modern activation functions, TeLU seamlessly combines the simplicity and effectiveness of ReLU with the smoothness and analytic properties essential for learning stability in deep neural networks. TeLU’s ability …

Exploring Llm Integration And Its Influence On Agent Behavior And Productivity In Insurance Call Centers, Gerardo L. Wibmer Gonzalez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the theoretical impacts of supportive AI tools, specifically Large Language Models (LLMs), on agent behavior and communication dynamics in call centers. While technological advancements have streamlined operations, limited research addresses the indirect ways these tools influence agent behavior. Using frameworks like context switching—the cognitive shift required when external stimuli prompt attention shifts—and the Hawthorne effect, where perceived observation modifies behavior, we examine how LLMs shape communication patterns. In call centers, this context switching occurs indirectly as agents adapt to AI note-taking features, whereas in industries like Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC), automation tools prompt more immediate changes …

The Impact Of Hearing Aid User Speech On Environment Classification And Own Voice Listener Preferences, Robert Andrew Budinsky Iii

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hearing aids (HA) have improved over the past few decades with advanced signal processing, such as environment classification and background noise reduction, but are still limited by challenges related to when the user is speaking. These challenges include the potential interference a HA user’s voice has on device environment classification and the potential influence a HA has on own voice (OV) sound quality. However, the effects of OV on HA environment classification and signal processing are not well established, nor are the desired HA program settings regarding OV listening preferences. In this study, a combination of electroacoustic and behavioral methods …

Emergent Magnetism And Magneto-Transport Phenomena In Helimagnet-Based Heterostructures For Spin-Based Device Applications, Nivarthana Waruni Yapa Abeyrathna Yapa Mudiyanselage

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The study of magnetoresistance (MR) phenomena in magnetic materials has been pivotal for advancing magnetic sensors and spintronic devices. Helimagnets, characterized by a non-collinear arrangement of magnetic moments that form a helical or spiral configuration, present an intriguing avenue for MR-based device applications. Theoretical predictions suggest that the MR magnitude in the helimagnetic (HM) regime can exceed that in the ferromagnetic (FM) regime by over an order of magnitude. However, in metallic helimagnets like manganese phosphide (MnP), the MR in the HM phase remains modest (< 10%), limiting its applicability in MR devices. This dissertation investigates the emergent magnetism and magneto-transport phenomena in nanostructured MnP helimagnets and their interfaces with ferromagnets (Fe) and ferrimagnets (Fe3O4), aiming to enhance device performance.

In the first part of the dissertation, we present a novel approach to achieve …

Development Of A Coating For Radiative Cooling Of Buildings, Sudhansh Pramod Harkut

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC), aiming to enhance cooling efficiency for building applications. The study addresses the pressing need for effective and cost-efficient cooling solutions to mitigate global warming and reduce energy consumption. The research begins with a detailed literature review, tracing the evolution of radiative cooling materials and identifying existing research gaps. Experimental investigations involved testing various coatings, including combinations of aluminium phosphate, sodium silicate, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), and wollastonite. Among the tested configurations, an acrylic-based coating incorporating barium sulphate (BaSO4) and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) was found to maintain temperatures around ambient levels under intense solar …

Ai-Enabled Methodological Frameworks To Enhance The Robustness Of Machine Learning Models In Various Domains And Dynamic Environments, Mohammad Noroozi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores novel approaches to address complex challenges in various domains, focusing on ensuring that machine learning (ML) models can reliably detect both the data they are trained on and unseen data. Reliable detection of unfamiliar inputs is critical for deploying models in real-world applications, where performance can degrade when faced with novel or unexpected information. Each domain addressed in this work introduces a set of contributions aimed at enhancing model performance, broadening generalization through diverse training data, and improving robustness against adversarial attacks. Three sets of contributions are presented, each encapsulated in a chapter.

One of the contributions …

Satellite-Based Mapping Of Seagrass Habitats And Coastal Wetlands In The Us Gulf Of Mexico And Florida: A Remote Sensing Approach For Environmental Conservation And Management, Luis Lizcano-Sandoval

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coastal wetlands and seagrass meadows provide multiple services to nature and human society, but their spatial and temporal changes are often not well characterized. They are habitats that are threatened by natural and human causes such as changes in water quality, urban development, pollution, and climate change, among others. Coastal ecosystems rely on water quality and sea level variability for survival, and changes in those variables and their potential effects are of concern to many coastal communities. Satellite remote sensing is a powerful tool that has been used for mapping ecosystem distribution on land and in the ocean. Satellite sensors …

Evaluation Of Green Supercapacitor For Low Pass Rc Filter Implementation, Ramakrishna Kanneganti

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The need for use of sustainable and eco-friendly methods and processes in electronics is the need of the hour. The demand for electronics is growing by the day, consequently the use of passive components such as capacitors, resistors, and inductors is ever growing. It is desirable to manufacture and utilize passive components that are easily disposable and are biodegradable. Our research focuses on evaluating PolyMaterials APP’s supercapacitor in RC filter circuits replacing the conventional capacitor. The evaluated supercapacitor is biodegradable and does not use any heavy or contaminating metals. In this work, we have successfully evaluated various green supercapacitor component …

Self-Doubt: Impostor Phenomenon And The Doctoral Seeking School-Based Leader, Rose Apollon-Simon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative narrative inquiry explores the experiences of school-based administrators in K-12 public school settings within the state of Florida who navigate the challenges of Impostor Phenomenon while concurrently pursuing a doctoral degree. The research draws on the personal stories of four participants—three women and one man—who are currently or previously employed as principals or assistant principals. The study focused on how participants manage the psychological tensions coming from their experiences with Impostor Phenomenon or the persistent self-doubt and the fear of being exposed as a fraud. While most Impostor Phenomenon research has concentrated on fields like business, medicine, and …

On The Role Of Prediction In Streaming Hierarchical Learning, Ramy Mounir

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In today's world, AI systems need to make sense of large amounts of data as it unfolds in real-time, whether it's a video from surveillance and monitoring cameras, streams of egocentric footage, or sequences in other domains such as text or audio. The ability to break these continuous data streams into meaningful events, discover nested structures, and predict what might happen next at different levels of abstraction is crucial for applications ranging from passive surveillance systems to sensory-motor autonomous learning. However, most existing models rely heavily on large, annotated datasets with fixed data distributions and offline epoch-based training, which makes …

Enhancing Post Silicon Visibility Using Language Modelling Techniques, Nathaniel Joseph Fender

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The debugging phase is a critical time in the development of a new system on chip product. Specifically, the post-silicon validation phase is one of the most important, as it allows engineers to test the behavior of a device in a real world setting. However, the issue of noisy or incomplete data is a frequent issue when attempting to debug an SoC design during this step. This thesis examines the utility of utilizing machine learning models for the purpose of repairing missing data in a system trace. We trained various models using the transformer architecture to identify missing data in …