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Real-Time Minimum Jerk Optimal Trajectory Synthesis And Tracking For Ground Vehicle Applications, Naga Venkata Murali Veerapaneni

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

Research on wheeled mobile robots has been an active research field for several decades with focus on the problems of stability, maneuverability and control. The trajectory generation for wheeled mobile robots is usually handled by considering a smooth function satisfying the boundary conditions. Even though this problem is well posed for several function classes, the real issue occurs in generating a feasible trajectory for the robot which takes into account the constraints of the system. Another problem from the control system perspective is, whether the derived controller is stable for the entire trajectory span to track the given trajectory. The …

Pseudo-Spectral Methods Based Real-Time Optimal Path Planning For Unmanned Ground Vehicles, Denish Kamleshkumar Baman

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

Real-time optimal trajectory design and tracking for autonomous ground vehicles are maturing technologies with the potential to advance mobility by enhancing time and energy efficiency in application such as indoor surveillance robots or planetary exploration rovers. Pseudo-spectral methods based trajectory generation framework provides the desired trajectory which minimizes a prescribed objective function (i.e. minimum time, acceleration, and energy) while satisfying kinodynamics and various types of constraints (i.e. obstacle avoidance and smooth turning at waypoint transitions). In this thesis cyber-physical system architecture is used for the communication between rover-vehicle and the ground station. By using optimal state and control vector from …

Framing Leadership Rhetoric: Exploring Gender (In) Equality In Corporate Training Material, Anna Elizabeth Prieto

Communication Theses - Archive

This study explores gender equality in the workplace using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Two sets of data were analyzed: leadership training and development materials and in-depth interviews. This two-fold method allowed for a holistic approach to analyzing data and made it possible to compare findings from the textual analysis with insights gained from the interviews. This study revealed a lack of attention being devoted to developing and promoting leadership training materials and experiences that acknowledge gender differences and encourage gender equality. It was determined that overall, gender associated rhetoric used in the course titles and descriptions made up barely …

Attrition In A High School College Readiness System: Advancement Via Individual Determination (Avid), Michael D. Mozingo

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations - Archive

The purpose of this study is to examine the substantial attrition that occurs during the high school years in the college readiness system known as Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID). The literature on this topic is very minimal, and studies in which students are dropping out of AVID are virtually non-existent. Through this study, I attempt to determine which characteristics of students that join AVID in the ninth grade are associated with exiting AVID prior to high school completion, and relative to one another, how strong those characteristics are as predictors of AVID dropout. I analyze student-level data from a …

Bidirectional Three-Phase Ac-Dc Power Conversion Using Dc-Dc Converters And A Three-Phase Unfolder, Weilun Warren Chen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Strategic use of energy storage systems alleviates imbalance between energy generation and consumption. Battery storage of various chemistries is favorable for its relatively high energy density and high charge and discharge rates. Battery voltage is in dc, while the distribution of electricity is still predominantly in ac. To effectively harness the battery energy, a dc-ac inverter is required.

A conventional inverter contains two high-frequency switching stages. The battery-interfacing stage provides galvanic isolation and switches at high frequency to minimize the isolation transformer size. The grid-interfacing stage also operates at high frequency to obtain sinusoidal grid currents and the desired power. …

Usarray Imaging Of North American Continental Crust, Xiaofei Ma

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The layered structure and bulk composition of continental crust contains important clues about its history of mountain-building, about its magmatic evolution, and about dynamical processes that continue to happen now. Geophysical and geological features such as gravity anomalies, surface topography, lithospheric strength and the deformation that drives the earthquake cycle are all directly related to deep crustal chemistry and the movement of materials through the crust that alter that chemistry.

The North American continental crust records billions of years of history of tectonic and dynamical changes. The western U.S. is currently experiencing a diverse array of dynamical processes including modification …

Advancing The Cyberinfrastructure For Integrated Water Resources Modeling, Caleb A. Buahin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Like other scientists, hydrologists encode mathematical formulations that simulate various hydrologic processes as computer programs so that problems with water resource management that would otherwise be manually intractable can be solved efficiently. These computer models are typically developed to answer specific questions within a specific study domain. For example, one computer model may be developed to solve for magnitudes of water flow and water levels in an aquifer while another may be developed to solve for magnitudes of water flow through a water distribution network of pipes and reservoirs. Interactions between different processes are often ignored or are approximated using …

Emotional Experience During Couple Support Interactions: The Role Of Attachment Anxiety And Avoidance, E. Megan Lachmar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Marriage and Family Therapy clinic at Utah State University conducted a study called the Relationship Checkup in which couple data was collected in an initial 2-hour session and feedback was provided for them in a follow-up 1-hour session. This checkup included completing self-report surveys, having an in-person interview, as well as couple interactions. The current study was carried out within the context of this broader relationship checkup, focusing on the couple support interactions, in which partners discussed a personal issue they would like to change about themselves.

Although a substantial amount of attention has been given to the role …

Rancher Perceptions Of Ecosystem Services From Rangelands Of The Intermountain West, Elisabeth C. York

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Rangelands within the Great Basin are responsible for the provision of multiple resources that humans depend on for a variety of reasons. Ranchers in this region are dependent on public lands to remain economically viable in their cattle operations. As a majority of land in this region is publically owned, there are varying interests at play in what should and could be the focus of management. Ranchers are charged with implementing strategies aimed at conserving these landscapes and their motivations for what to manage may significantly influence resource provision from Intermountain West ecosystem.

In this study, I sought to understand …

The Field-Programmable Gate Array Design Of The Gridded Retarding Ion Distribution Sensor, Anthony P. Swenson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mankind's ability to predict weather on earth has been greatly enhanced by new instrumentation technology. Similarly, mankind's ability to predict space weather benefits from new technologies. Just as increasing the amount of atmospheric measurements on earth heightened mankind's ability to predict Earth weather, many scientists expect that expanding the amount of plasma measurements in space could be key to enhancing mankind's ability to predict space weather. Small satellites are one of these new technologies that have the potential to greatly enhance our ability to predict space weather. Utilizing many low-cost small satellites allows scientists to take data from more locations …

Landscape Architecture Education: A Study Of Patterns, Tanya Rice

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research is focused on analyzing landscape architecture education of accredited bachelor programs in the U.S. The primary intent was to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the current state of landscape architecture education and the direction in which it is heading. This was conducted through an evaluation of each landscape architecture program’s course offerings. The objectives were to explore the degree of coherence and dispersion of course requirements among programs, compare similarities and differences and identify current patterns, trends, strengths and emphases of the programs. Then design course descriptions were analyzed for identification of word families and cluster networks to …

Impacts Of Distributions And Trajectories On Navigation Uncertainty Using Line-Of-Sight Measurements To Known Landmarks In Gps-Denied Environments, Ryan D. Lamoreaux

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Unmanned vehicles are increasingly common in our world today. Self-driving ground vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) such as quadcopters have become the fastest growing area of automated vehicles research. These systems use three main processes to autonomously travel from one location to another: guidance, navigation, and controls (GNC). Guidance refers to the process of determining a desired path of travel or trajectory, affecting velocities and orientations. Examples of guidance activities include path planning and obstacle avoidance. Effective guidance decisions require knowledge of one’s current location. Navigation systems typically answer questions such as: “Where am I? What is my orientation? …

Allowing The Untellable To Visit: Investigating Digital Folklore, Ptsd And Stigma, Geneva Harline

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In the introduction of 2012 issue of The Journal of Folklore Research, Diane Goldstein and Amy Shuman issue a “call to arms for folklorists … to concentrate on the vernacular experience of the stigmatized.” (Goldstein and Shuman, 2012:116). Drawing on this call to arms, this thesis investigates how Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is portrayed in social media through memes and captioned images. I argue that the genres of memes and captioned images in digital folklore work to help mitigate the stigma of PTSD because the veneer of anonymity in the digital world allows people with PTSD to be willing …

Relationship Between The Built Environment, Physical Activity, And Chronic Disease Among Individuals With Disabilities In Rural Communities, Nicholas F. Tanner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Increased risk for chronic disease is closely associated with individual nutrition, tobacco use, and physical inactivity. This thesis focuses on physical activity as a means of preventing select chronic diseases. A major barrier preventing engagement in physical activity is the built environment. Populations residing in rural environment are not afforded the abundance of opportunities for physical activity prevalent in most urban networks. Of the demographic living in rural environments, individuals with disability face additional barriers to physical activity than those without disability. This leads to a higher prevalence of chronic diseases associated with sedentary lifestyles among populations with disability. Few …

Integrating Social And Ecological Methods To Assess And Inform Park Monitoring And Management, Kelly A. Goonan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Managing outdoor recreation requires that managers do the following: (1) consider the user experience, environmental and cultural resources, and type and intensity of management actions; (2) specify desired conditions to be maintained, monitor conditions, and take appropriate action if unacceptable impacts occur; (3) adapt to new conditions and information; and (4) exercise good judgment based on their professional experience and the best information available to them. Social science studies of visitors and studies of significant recreation resources like campsites are important sources of information for managers and are commonly used in parks and protected areas to support planning and decision-making. …

Language Proficiency And Cultural Intelligence In Distance English-Language Learning, Jared Marcum

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study is to explore the viability of an international distance English-language program in the development of language and cultural proficiency. Students participated in tests at the beginning and at the end of the course to determine how well they developed both language and cultural proficiencies. The measures included (a) the computer-administered Oral Proficiency Interview (OPIc) from theAmerican Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), (b) ACTFL-aligned assessments of reading, listening, grammar, and vocabulary skills, and (c) the Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS). In addition, course activities surveys provided additional information about student perceptions of course activities. …

Acculturation And Language Use In Intimate And Sexual Relationships Among Chinese Bilinguals, Tianyi Xie

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

People of Chinese heritage often face complex challenges because of the conflicting values from China and America, especially on sexuality. Through two thousand years of socialization, Chinese culture grew to endorse conservative sexual values and gender roles. In traditional Chinese culture, women are expected to remain chaste and play submissive roles in marriage. Sexuality is treated as a taboo topic that should not be discussed directly. Asian American youth who endorse less traditional Chinese values experience lower sexual satisfaction, lower confidence in their own abilities, and higher adherence to traditional gender roles. Language has also been found to potentially influence …

Stillbirth: A Phenomenological Exploration Of The Clinical Encounter For Couples, Michael Q. King

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

With approximately 65 stillbirths occurring each day in the United States, a significant number of parents are left to navigate a difficult grieving process. An event like stillbirth presents many individual and relational challenges. For this study, researchers focused on the hospital experience for couples following notification of stillbirth. Interviews were held with 8 couples that had experienced stillbirth within the past 10 years. Researchers wanted to know what similarities and differences existed in how mothers and fathers described the clinical encounter.

The data for this study were collected through interviews. Couples were encouraged to share as much or as …

Evidence-Based Practices For The Design Of Inclusive Playgrounds That Support Peer Interactions Among Children With All Abilities, Courtney L. Fernelius

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Play is necessary for the social, emotional, intellectual, and physical development of all children. Although playgrounds are designed to support the play of children, children with disabilities are often unable to fully participate in play on playgrounds. In part due to the lack of awareness of evidence-based practices supporting the play of children with disabilities, playground designers continue to perpetuate this disparity. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the evidence-based practices for inclusive playground design that support peer interaction between children of all abilities, and to demonstrate how they can be implemented into a playground design.

A …

Changing The World Through The Word: Developing Critical Consciousness Through Multicultural Children’S Literature With Critical Literacy In An Elementary Classroom, Hyekyoung Lee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to explore how fifth graders develop critical consciousness regarding the self and the world through critical literacy approaches using multicultural children’s literature. I employed Lewison, Flint, and Van Sluys’ four dimensions of critical literacy. I used a qualitative case study to design, frame and conduct this study in order to collect data and examine students’ cultural patterns including values, beliefs, behaviors, and language that they enacted in the critical literacy practices. I collected data through classroom observations, semi-structured students and teacher interviews, informal conversation, researcher’s reflective journal entries and field notes, and student-made artifacts. …

Design, Development, And Characterization Of Breathforce : A Respiratory Training System For Patients With Spinal Cord Injuries., Kevin L Tran

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pulmonary and cardiovascular dysfunction are consistently reported as the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among the 1,275,000 people who are living with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) in the United States. Respiratory-cardiovascular complications from neurological disorders (primarily COPD and sleep apnea) are currently the number one cause of death and disability in the US.

The main goal of this project is to develop an inspiratory-expiratory training device for use in the rehabilitation of patients with respiratory motor and cardiovascular deficits that incorporates existing technologies and promotes successful training methodologies performed at the clinic and at home.

An embedded microprocessor …

The Art Of Silence., Lydia Anne Kowalski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation argues that the role of silence as essential to experience the full aesthetic beauty of art in a museum setting. Museums have changed their focus due to socio-economic and financial pressures. They have changed from silent “temples” for art conservation and exhibition to places for interactive art education, entertainment, and social gathering. The results of these changes have been both positive and negative. Attendance has increased, enhancing the museum experience, engaging more diverse audiences in museum activities, and dispelling the “elitist” image of the museum. These changes, however, have resulted in the loss of a silent space to …

Challenging The Self : An Examination Of The Media's Role In Creating Idealized Bodies And The Artists That Challenge Them., Jessica Oberdick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Seeking to understand the media’s influence over society, and the way the media motivate us to conform to specific ideals, this thesis focuses on how female bodies in particular are consistently idealized and objectified in mainstream media. Through television, print, and the internet, the media serve as our world’s main means of mass communication. Noting this, this text seeks to understand the female body’s historical objectification through art history and genres of the nude, how this has transferred to contemporary media, and finally states that these stereotypes and norms can be challenged through the work of contemporary artists. By reclaiming …

The Feelings We Harbor - The Role Of Collage In Arousing Powerful Emotions In An Esl Classroom., Irina V. Mcgrath

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Traditional literacy education in the U.S. relies exclusively on language-based models. This can be particularly challenging for English language learners, who often find themselves bound by the constraints of the English language and limited in their expressions of thought and emotion. Current research on English language teaching, largely targeted towards native English-speaking students, suggests that incorporating various alternate modes of communication and representation improves literacy learning. Studies that address English language learning for non-native speakers are sparse. The purpose of this arts-based, qualitative, descriptive study is to fill this gap in the literature. Using collage making as a communicative mode, …

Culturally Relevant Teachers : A Critical Beacon In The Educational Standards Movement., Angela Pleasant

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe culturally relevant teachers’ beliefs and teaching practices as they implement the Reading CCSS. It was hypothesized that by exploring the beliefs and practices of teachers who practice a culturally relevant pedagogy, this research could provide evidence of the specific and identifiable practices that demonstrated high expectations, culturally competency, and critical consciousness. This research could provide evidence of effective strategies, which could be used to impact the literacy achievement of students of color while the teacher implements the Reading Common Core State Standards or any standards movement that follows. A qualitative case study …

Self-Management As A Mediator Of The Relationship Between Social Support And Health Outcomes Of African American Adults With Type 2 Diabetes., Tariq N. Al-Dwaikat

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is often associated with serious complications. African American adults have higher rates of diabetes-related complications than other ethnicities. Diabetes self-management reduces the risk of developing biological and psychological symptoms. Social support promotes positive behavior change and self-management that leads to improved biobehavioral and psychosocial outcomes. Few studies explored the relationship between social support dimensions and self-management behaviors, diabetes biomarkers, and psychosocial outcomes of African American adults with T2D. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the relationships of various dimensions of social support with self-management behaviors and diabetes biomarkers and psychosocial outcomes of African American …

Pcb-Associated Steatohepatitis And The Role Of Nuclear Receptors., Heather Brooke Clair

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Metabolic diseases, including fatty liver disease, hyperglycemia, and obesity, result when body systems responsible for managing allostasis (dynamic homeostasis across systems) are pressured beyond their collective compensatory reserve. Nutritional excess contributes to this state, the capacity of which is limited by genetic variation, and failure of one system will gradually lead to pathological overload in the others. Agents which act directly on the communication machinery linking these connected systems can also change the point at which allostatic load becomes allostatic overload. Environmental exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a class of persistent organic pollutant, is associated with a specific form of …

The Relationship Between Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports In Elementary Schools And Mathematics Achievement., Robert Larry Taylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This causal-comparative study examined the relationship between Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and academic achievement in elementary school mathematics. Research has shown that PBIS may help establish a positive school climate, which supports the conditions for effective teaching and learning (Bradshaw, Koth, Bevans, Ialongo, & Leaf, 2008; Horner, Sugai, & Vincent, 2005; Hoy, Tarter, & Bliss, 1990). Accordingly, this study examined variables of particular interest, which were mathematical performance, including mathematical performance by male academic achievement, female academic achievement, and socioeconomic status, based on PBIS implementationThe data used were school-level, 5th grade mathematics achievement scores. Elementary schools, which participated …

Farmscapes : Picturing Land Transformation In Nineteenth-Century America., Eileen L Yanoviak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines American farmstead imagery of the nineteenth-century and how those images reflect the environmental history of the North. In this study, images of farms illustrate, through the landscape, the transition from subsistence farming to agribusiness that fundamentally changed American life and the land over the century. By comparing the actual ecological and economic conditions of the farm and farmer to the images depicted by artists, it is possible to see both representations of change and the persistence of the agrarian myth in spite of dramatically different realities. This study focuses on the process of change in the American …

Market Learning After Recurrent Meat And Poultry Recalls, Briana Thomas

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Several studies have been conducted to evaluate the cost of meat and poultry product recalls to food firms. The goal of this analysis is to formally test whether or not subsequent recalls are associated with less negative stock price returns, and whether or not there is a difference in the magnitude of returns between a first, second, and third or more recall. This is completed through an event study analysis. Results indicate that recurring recall events affecting a firm within 12 months of the first recall incident are indeed associated with less impactful negative outcomes. On average, initial recall events …