Digital Commons Network^™

Machine Learning On Acoustic Signals Applied To High-Speed Bridge Deck Defect Detection, Yao Chou

Theses and Dissertations

Machine learning techniques are being applied to many data-intensive problems because they can accurately provide classification of complex data using appropriate training. Often, the performance of machine learning can exceed the performance of traditional techniques because machine learning can take advantage of higher dimensionality than traditional algorithms. In this work, acoustic data sets taken using a rapid scanning technique on concrete bridge decks provided an opportunity to both apply machine learning algorithms to improve detection performance and also to investigate the ways that training of neural networks can be aided by data augmentation approaches. Early detection and repair can enhance …

Arctic Thaw: Environmental Exploitation For Economic Profit, Stephen F. Moulton

HCNSO Student Capstones

“Arctic Thaw: Environmental Exploitation for Economic Profit,” is a comprehensive, interdisciplinary assessment of Arctic climate change (CC) impacts. Arctic CC alters the regions’ temperature, annual ice cover, and sea levels. This alteration influences the global economy through enriched international trade and fossil hydrocarbon extraction developments. This capstone examines the Arctic’s response to CC through economic statistical analysis, tracking relative sea-level (RSL) trends, as well as performing hydrographic and modeling reviews. The Northern Rim Countries (NRCs) economic analysis assesses potential CC and GSLR impacts by applying statistical techniques to calculate its effect on each country’s gross domestic product (GDP). The tidal …

Dronescape:Distributed Rapid On-Site Network Self-Deploying Cellular Advanced Phone Environment, Daryl Johnson, Bill Stackpole

Presentations and other scholarship

When disasters happen, the speed with which first responders and emergency personnel can contact and be contacted by the people affected by the disaster during the first minutes or hours is critical. Early communications can make the difference between life and death. During a disaster communications infrastructure of the affected area is likely to be compromised. This project proposes an inexpensive, rapidly deployable cloud of autonomous drones, each coupled with a micro-cellular base station that deploys from a transportable deployment module. The goal is to temporarily restore communications for both first responders to communicate amongst themselves as well as for …

Pesticide Seed Treatments Containing Neonicotinoids Have Limited Effect On Soil Microbial Community Structure Under Different Tillage Regimes, Jessica E. Mackay, Richard G. Smith, Jessica G. Ernakovich, Lukas T. Bernhardt

Faculty Publications

Pesticide seed treatments (PST) which contain fungicides and insecticides are commonly used in agriculture; however, little is known about their effect on soil microbial communities and soil health. Neonicotinoids – controversial insecticides which are common in PST – have received criticism due to potential non-target effects. While fungal pathogens need to be moderated, PST have the potential to disturb broader fungal communities which could lead to reduced nutrient cycling and poor soil health. Given the broad use of PST, their effect on soil fungi needs to be studied within the context of other agricultural management practices. For example, tillage regimes …

Joyce Howes, Former Assistant Dean Of College Of Mathematics And Science, Wright State University, Joyce Howes, Kathy Morris

Wright State University Retirees Association Oral History Project

On December 6, 2019, Kathy Morris interviewed Joyce Howes about her 35-year career at Wright State University as student, instructor, and Assistant Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics . Howes discusses student success initiatives, Banner implementation, faculty mentorship, and institutional change from the late 1960s through 2015. The interview also highlights her continued teaching after retirement and her decision to become a living kidney donor to a fellow Wright State employee.

Search For B− → Λp⊽ ⊽ With The Babar Experiment, J. P. Lees, V. Poireau, V. Tisserand, E. Grauges, A. Palano, G. Eigen, D. N. Brown, Yu G. Kolomensky, M. Fritsch, H. Koch, T. Schroeder, R. Cheaib, C. Hearty, T. S. Mattison, J. A. Mckenna, R. Y. So, V. E. Blinov, A. R. Buzykaev, V. P. Druzhinin, Milind Purohit, Et. Al.

Faculty Publications

A search for the rare flavor-changing neutral current process B− → Λp̅ νv̅ using data from the BABAR experiment has been performed. A total of 424 fb⁻¹ of e⁺e⁻ collision data collected at the center-of-mass energy of the ϒ(4S) resonance is used in this study, corresponding to a sample of (471 ± 3) × 10⁶ BB̅ pairs. Signal B− → Λp̅ νv̅ candidates are identified by first fully reconstructing a B⁺ decay in one of many possible exclusive decays to hadronic final states, then examining detector activity that is not associated with …

Hf Iq Mixer Vfo Temperature Compensation And Drive Level Optimization For Opposite Sideband Suppression, Katlin Anne-Rostomyan Dahn

Dissertations and Theses

An amateur radio 40m band temperature compensated variable frequency oscillator (VFO) with drive-level optimized for opposite sideband suppression for use as the local oscillator (LO) of a high frequency (HF) IQ image reject mixer is considered in this work. The first problem of this thesis was the discovery of the HF IQ mixer's opposite sideband suppression dependence on LO drive-level. As a solution to this problem, the author built a fixed drive-level VFO for the optimal opposite sideband suppression. This then led to the second problem of this thesis; the discovery by this author of the well-known problem of VFO …

Improving Aquifer Characterization Through Integration Of Airborne Electromagnetics (Aem) And Well Hydrographs, Jacqueline Polashek

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The objective of this study is to evaluate methods of hydrostratigraphic modeling using geophysics and well hydrographs at the eastern edge of the High Plains aquifer (HPA) in Platte and Colfax counties within Nebraska, USA. The HPA is very heterogeneous in the study area, being hosted by architecturally complex glacial sediments and having many irregular hydraulic boundaries. Further, the HPA exhibits local variations between unconfined and confined conditions. Pumping in such bounded aquifers can be unsustainable because of cost increases and lost agricultural productivity. Moreover, the large drawdowns typical of confined aquifers can contribute to well interference during heavy pumping. …

Semitransparent Sb2s3 Thin Film Solar Cells By Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis For Use In Solar Windows, Jako S. Eensalu, Atanas Katerski, Erki Kärber, Lothar Weinhardt, Monika Blum, Clemens Heske, Wanli Yang, Ilona Oja Acik, Malle Krunks

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Research

The integration of photovoltaic (PV) solar energy in zero-energy buildings requires durable and efficient solar windows composed of lightweight and semitransparent thin film solar cells. Inorganic materials with a high optical absorption coefficient, such as Sb2S3 (>105 cm−1 at 450 nm), offer semitransparency, appreciable efficiency, and long-term durability at low cost. Oxide-free throughout the Sb2S3 layer thickness, as confirmed by combined studies of energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and synchrotron soft X-ray emission spectroscopy, semitransparent Sb2S3 thin films can be rapidly grown in air by the area-scalable ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method. Integrated into a ITO/TiO2/Sb2S3/P3HT/Au solar cell, a power conversion …

Semitransparent Sb2s3 Thin Film Solar Cells By Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis For Use In Solar Windows, Jako S. Eensalu, Atanas Katerski, Erki Kärber, Lothar Weinhardt, Monika Blum, Clemens Heske, Wanli Yang, Ilona Oja Acik, Malle Krunks

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Research

The integration of photovoltaic (PV) solar energy in zero-energy buildings requires durable and efficient solar windows composed of lightweight and semitransparent thin film solar cells. Inorganic materials with a high optical absorption coefficient, such as Sb2S3 (>105 cm−1 at 450 nm), offer semitransparency, appreciable efficiency, and long-term durability at low cost. Oxide-free throughout the Sb2S3 layer thickness, as confirmed by combined studies of energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and synchrotron soft X-ray emission spectroscopy, semitransparent Sb2S3 thin films can be rapidly grown in air by the area-scalable ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method. Integrated into a ITO/TiO2/Sb2S3/P3HT/Au solar cell, a power conversion …

Violin Prosthetic, Justin Kransdorf, Julia Rifkin, Hayden Reynolds, Payal Hukeri

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

Sam, an 11-year-old violin player was born without fingers or a thumb on his right hand. In order to learn the basics of violin, he currently uses a custom made prosthetic that allows him to hold a violin bow. However, his current prosthetic does not allow for the bow angle to change relative to his wrist, and thus, he cannot perform many techniques that are important to him furthering his violin skills. Specifically, his prosthetic allows Sam to use only a small percentage of the bow. For this project, a prosthetic was designed for Sam with the goal being to …

Ice Cream Dispensing Machine, Katie Bahnck, Rachel Lockwood, Marie White, Simone Raeth

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

Each August, Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) welcomes hundreds of new engineering students to its McKelvey School of Engineering. Historically, during orientation activities, WashU’s Engineering Student Services (ESS) serves dessert bars to the new students, where they must line up and make their own desserts manually. To make the dessert bar more interactive and give students a primer for what their engineering studies hold, we would like to introduce an ice cream sundae making machine to the spread. A semi-automated ice cream machine would allow students to customize their ice cream sundae while observing the everyday mechanics required to …

Sweet Spot Demonstration, Andrew Amend, Mitchell Smith, Ian Fish, Curtis Hoffman

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

Our goal was to design and build an exhibit for the St. Louis Science Center to serve as a teaching tool to help explain the unintuitive concept of a baseball bat’s sweet spot to a typical children museum’s visitor, a 5th grade student, in an interesting and visually pleasing way. The sweet spot of the bat is colloquially known as the place that makes the best contact with the ball, and it is determined by a combination of the center of percussion and location of vibrational nodes. We focused on showing how the location of bat-ball impact affects the vibration …

Jet Beluga: Diver Propulsion Wearable, Jacob Graham, Bernardo Amaral Neves, Ethan Genter

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

Scuba diving is a physically and mentally challenging task performed in both recreational and professional settings. Recreational divers seek to experience the marine world for extended periods of time without buoyant resistance. Rescue divers, military personnel, and underwater construction workers train to execute complicated tasks in a limited time period. Diver propulsion vehicles can improve the quality of recreational diving as well as the effectiveness of diving as performed in professional settings. The following report describes the design and motivations for a wearable diver propulsion device that provides the benefits of increased speed and mobility while limiting the amount of …

Inclusion Of Kinetic Proteomics In Multi-Omics Methods To Analyze Calorie Restriction Effects On Aging, Richard Hajime Carson

Theses and Dissertations

One of the greatest risk factors for disease is advanced age. As the human lifespan has increased, so too have the burdens of caring for an increasingly older population suffering from rising rates of cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, diabetes, and dementia. The need for improving medical technology and developing new therapies for age-related diseases is manifest. Yet our understanding of the processes of aging and how to attenuate the effects of aging remains incomplete. Various studies have established calorie restriction as a robust method for extending lifespan in laboratory organisms; however the mechanism is a topic of much debate. Advancing …

Novel Ethylene-Bridged Hexadentate Bis(Amidines), Bis(Amidinates), And Multinuclear Coinage Metal Bis(Amidine) Complexes, Omar Ugarte Trejo

Master of Science in Chemical Sciences Theses

A new series of hexadentate flexible bis(amidine) ligands (L^1–6H₂) and the multinuclear coinage metal complexes 1–5 of L⁴H₂ were synthesized and characterized. The synthesis of L^1–6H₂ followed a 3-step protocol: first, the bis(amide) precursor is formed by reacting ethylene diamine with pivaloyl chloride; second, the bis(amide) is chlorinated with PCl₅ to produce the corresponding bis(imidoyl chloride); finally, the bis(imidoyl chloride) is reacted with the primary arylamine (L^1–6H₂ yields: 62, 54, 56, 61, 63, and 58%). L^2–6H₂ were found to …

A Desire Fulfillment Theory Of Digital Game Enjoyment, Owen M. Schaffer

College of Computing and Digital Media Dissertations

Empirical research on what makes digital games enjoyable is critical for practitioners who want to design for enjoyment, including for Game Design, Gamification, and Serious Games. But existing theories of what leads to digital game enjoyment have been incomplete or lacking in empirical support showing their impact on enjoyment.

Desire Fulfillment Theory is proposed as a new theory of what leads to digital game enjoyment and tested through research with people who have recently played a digital game. This theory builds on three established theories: Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory, Theory of Basic Human Desires, and Flow Theory. These three theories are …

Reconstructing Energy Flow Through Modern And Historical Marine Communities: Insights From Amino Acid Isotope Analysis, Emma A. Elliott Smith

Biology ETDs

The fundamental currency of life is energy. Organisms need energy to grow, to survive and to reproduce. Understanding the acquisition of energy by consumers is thus a foundational aspect of biological research. This is especially important in the modern era, as impacts of ongoing anthropogenic effects will be mediated or amplified through food webs. Here, I explore how isotopic analysis of individual amino acids – a technique new to ecological studies – can be used to trace energy flow through animal communities in modern and ancient time periods. In particular, I focus on kelp forest food webs, which are nearshore …

Asme 2020 Design Challenge, Anthony Acosta, Justine Alandy-Dy, Michael Lorberg, Nathan Vaska

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

Our project was to build a machine that would fulfill the requirements for the ASME 2020 design challenge, which was called, ”Building to the Sky.” The rules of the challenge were to build a machine that would take ordinary 8.5” x 11” sheets of paper and stack them into a tower. To accomplish this task, we decided to make our paper tower out of accordion-shaped folds that would be placed on top of each other, alternating in 90 degree orientations. Our device is divided into various sub-components, each which manipulate the paper in various ways. We first have a mechanism …

"An Idolatry Of Sound" : Nature, The Natural, And The Castrato's Body In The Eighteenth Century, Caitlin Elizabeth Pala

Dissertations and Theses

The castrati--Italian men castrated before puberty in order to retain their high singing voice--were Europe's first superstars, reaching the height of their popularity in the first few decades of the eighteenth century. While only a tiny percentage of the European population, the castrati embodied many of the significant medical and philosophical questions of the Enlightenment that aimed to understand humanity: human emotion, physiology, sexuality, and culture. As a part of the ongoing debate over what was "natural," the castrati hold an interesting place. At the broadest level, the very existence of the castrati asked what it was to be a …

Unfamiliar Territory: A Preliminary Exploration Of The Experiences Of International Junior Transfer Students, Nicole Mcintyre

Master's Theses

Over one million international students attend American institutions of higher education each year. For many of these students, community colleges are an accessible and increasingly popular enrollment option because they offer small class sizes, intensive English language courses, and affordable tuition costs. Many international students enrolled in community college seek to transfer to a four-year university and complete a Bachelor’s degree. To date, the experiences of international students who successfully complete this transfer pathway have gone largely unstudied. As a result, very little is known about the international junior transfer population. This qualitative study utilizes a phenomenology methodology to explore …

Scientific Productivity Of Cryogenic Research During 2014-2018:A Scientometric Study, Balaji Maddisetty

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study attempts the analysis of research output of the cryogenic during 2014-2018. The data extracted from Web of Science and analyzed and tabulated. The study analyses the author patterns, language, year, journal, continent wise distributions. This paper analyzed 8073 papers in cryogenic research output of which is 2018 topmost publication year and IEEE Transaction on Applied Superconductivity ranked first with 1104 Citations, Articles are preferred source of publications and English language got top position; Continent wise Europe occupied top position, degree of collaborations is 0.96 during the study.

Translating Soils Information Into Better Land Planning Decisions: An Example From The Peel-Harvey Catchment Western Australia, Heather M. Percy, Andrew Del Marco, Tom Lerner, Brett Flugge

The State of Soil Science in WA

State planning policy for the Peel-Harvey coastal plain catchment requires decision makers to consider land suitability when assessing proposals for intensive agriculture including for horticulture. This information is not accessible or easily understood by land use planners. We will describe how we translated this information into a model Local Planning Policy (LPP) for the Peel-Harvey.

Validating And Extending The National Better Fertiliser Decisions For Pasture Critical Values For Phosphorus, David Rogers, David Weaver, Ron Master, Robert Summers

The State of Soil Science in WA

Viable pasture based grazing systems in south-western Australia have been made possible over much of the landscape through input of nutrients to soils which were impoverished when first cleared. Initial dramatic increases in production stimulated subsequent applications of fertilisers, particularly phosphatic fertilisers, ever since. However, excessive fertiliser application can be tied to environmental impacts including the loss of phosphorus (P) to waterways impacting on water quality.

Legacy Phosphorus – Have We Fallen Asleep At The Wheel?, Simon Clarendon, David Weaver, Robert Summers

The State of Soil Science in WA

Reducing nutrient loss from agricultural landscapes using management practices in Australia has long been advocated to improve water quality. Water quality, i.e. phosphorus (P) concentrations are commonly used to measure the effectiveness of management practices at the paddock level. However, the effectiveness of paddock scale management practices is often not reflected at a catchment scale, in part due to levels of implementation, but also due to the equilibrium effects of legacy P.

Rapid Soil Analytical Techniques For International Agricultural Research And Development, Wendy Vance, Mike Tf Wong, Anthony Ringrose-Voase, Soil And Water Science Office, Cambodian Agricultural Research And Development Institute, Department Of Agricultural Research, Myanmar

The State of Soil Science in WA

Soil analysis is used to assess natural resources and inform management to improve long-term farming profitability. Conventional techniques typically use different methods, equipment, reagents and skills to measure each soil property of interest. The consequence is that a conventional soil laboratory is expensive to set up, maintain and run. These issues result in many countries (and organisations) having to do without a well-functioning conventional soil laboratory. Developments in spectroscopic and potentiometric methods of soil analysis means that these countries need not go without reliable soil analysis.

Soil Classification Based On Spectral And Environmental Variables, Andre Carnieletto Dotto, Raphael A. Viscara Rossel, Jose Am Dematte, Rodnei Rizzo

The State of Soil Science in WA

In the last decades, the volume of soil data collection has increased significantly. Because of that it is now possible to obtain a soil classification using spectral, climate and terrain attributes. The idea was to develop a soil series system, which intends to discriminate soil types according to soil, climate and terrain variables. This new system was called Soil-Environmental Classification.

Black Soldier Fly Technology Can Convert Manure Into Valuable Fertiliser, Sasha Jenkins, Zhuoda Huang, Bede Mikan, Morten Andersen, Luke Wheat, Lynette Abbott

The State of Soil Science in WA

Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens, BSF) farming provides an alternative low-cost waste management solution for converting agricultural waste into high quality insect meal (BSF larvae as animal feed) and a valuable fertiliser (BSF casting residue or frass).

The aim of this study was to investigate the slow-releasing effect of N after coating the BSF frass with three different fatty acids (lauric, myristic and stearic acid).

Ilime An App For Assessing The Management Of Soil Acidity In Agricultural Systems, James Fisher, Jenni Clausen, Fiona Evans, Chris Gazey

The State of Soil Science in WA

iLIme mobile app is available for download for Apple and Android devices from your preferred app store.

https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/apps/ilime

Awareness of soil acidity as a constraint to agricultural production in Western Australia has led to increased use of lime, but rates remain too low to manage existing acidic soil and ongoing acidification. To invest in lime, growers need confidence in likely economic and production responses. This paper describes the development of an acidification calculator, in app form, that was developed with input and feedback to ensure that it would meet the needs and requirements of users.

Extending The Message Of Soil Quality In The Mobile Device Era, Chris Gazey, Frances Hoyle

The State of Soil Science in WA

In this day and age, where everyone is time poor, making information easily and quickly available is paramount. However, with a topic as complex and as multi-dimensional as soil quality, a new approach to packaging information that is evidence-based and relevant to the local environment is required. Apple multimedia digital books provide a platform capable of delivering layers of information on mobile devices.