Digital Commons Network^™

How Negative Sampling Provides Class Balance To Rare Event Case Data Using A Vehicular Accident Prediction Project As A Use Case Scenario, Jeremy Roland

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Rare event case data occur at such an infrequent rate that even having high amounts of it can leave researchers starving for more information. There has always existed a tug and pull relationship among rare event case data, where a higher count of entries often leads to a lack of explanatory variables, and vice versa. In the research spectrum of rare event case probability prediction, several methods of data sampling exist to remedy the main issue of rare event case data: a lack of data to collect and learn from. The most effective methods often involve altering the distribution of …

Clustering Algorithms To Further Enhance Predictable Situational Data In Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks, Adam Dean

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The modern world is constantly in a state of technological revolution. Everyday some new technological idea, invention, or threat emerges. With modern computer software and hardware advancements, we have the emergence of more internet-enabled devices - or, Internet of Things (IoT) devices. We can now create large networks with any device to gather real-time information about an environment. In conjunction, modern car companies across the board have a push from public demand for a fully-autonomous car. In order to accomplish autonomy safely and effectively, Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks (VANETs) must be established for a local group of cars and their environment …

Toward A Valid And Reliable Measure Of Play: The Dimensions Of Play Framework, Aubrey Henriksen

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

While it is established that play is important for development, researchers do not have a measure that examines both play type and complexity. Existing measures are limited to examining play type without complexity, complexity of a specific play type, or ethnographic measures. Based on a combination of scales in the literature, I developed the Dimensions of Play Framework as a tool for observational quantitative measurement of play in children's museums. The purpose of this initial study was to investigate interrater reliability using a time-sampling method. Video tapes of 140 children interacting with either a simple or elaborate version of a …

The Rhetoric Of Natural History And Philip Henry Gosse, Anna Henderson

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The objective of this thesis is to re-contextualize the genre of natural history writing along with rhetorical theory to delineate an argument for examining the rhetoric of natural history as a method for exploring the spatial, symbolic, and ecological relationships between collected specimens and their cultural, historical, and political moments in the greater canon of knowledge of the natural world. I am using a history of science approach to conduct interdisciplinary research of Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-century natural history as an early form of science writing in order to better understand how science is made and the conditions under which facts …

Distributed Online Algorithms For Energy Management In Smart Grids, Shailesh Wasti

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The 21st-century electric power grid is transitioning from a centralized structure designed for bulk-power transfer to a distributed paradigm that integrates the variable renewable energy (VRE) resources spatially distributed across the grid. This work proposes algorithmic solutions for distributed economic dispatch based on Subgradient method and Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM), both designed to be agnostic with any initialization vector. The proposed distributed online solutions leverage a dynamic average consensus algorithm to track the time-variant linearly coupled constraint that allows an abrupt change in power demand of the network because of the high penetration of VRE resources. The problems …

Mixed Poisson Modeling Of Claim Counts, Yidan Guo

All Theses

This thesis introduces two estimation mechanisms to estimate risk premium; namely, Bayesian premium and Bühlmann-Straub credibility premium. To implement the two models, we use a data set from Singapore Driving Experience in 1993. We estimate the average claim counts of each insured when weighted by their exposure of risk, i.e., given the record of claim counts and exposure weights, we build a model to estimate the claimcounts of the insured by means of Bayesian premium and Bühlmann-Straub credibility premium.

Development Of A Single Emitter Ionic Liquid Ion Source Research Platform, Thomas V. Kerber

Masters Theses

A single emitter ionic liquid ion source using porous borosilicate glass was developed. Two emitters with different radii of curvatures were tested using 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (EMI-BF₄). I-V curves of the currents on the extractor electrode and a collector plate were obtained for potential differences between the emitter and the extractor ranging from 0 V to 3500 V. For the first emitter chip, extraction began near 2400 V. The highest emission current measured on the first chip was 80 µA at 3500 V with an interception current on the extractor of 4.86 µA. An new collector plate was used …

Applied Behavior Analysis In The Secondary Art Classroom, Linda S. Stewart

Masters Theses

Special needs students in the secondary art classroom can be difficult to reach. Students with special needs are required by law to be provided with a fair and appropriate education. The challenge for art educators is to adequately meet the needs of all students in the classroom. This paper examines a brief history of education for students with special needs, behavior management in the classroom, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, the token system, and the value of a structured classroom environment. ABA therapy techniques in the secondary art classroom provide a tool in the classroom management aspect of providing structure …

The Legacy Of Contamination By Lead Smelters In Missouri, Robert S. Armstrong

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Missouri has a rich history of lead mining. In the smelting process lead particles are emitted, which may be toxic to plants and animals. This study focuses on two primary lead smelters, Herculaneum and Glover, in Missouri. Smelting operations have ceased at these two sites, and unlike Herculaneum, Glover has no reported lead concentrations. Findings from air and sediments of these two sites were compared to background conditions and to each other. Thirty-three samples were collected from Herculaneum and Glover (thirty samples and three replicates) and eleven samples (ten samples and one replicate) for background. For Herculaneum sediment, lead levels …

All-Dielectric Magnetic Metasurface For Advanced Light Control In Dual Polarizations Combined With High-Q Resonances, Daria O. Ignatyeva, Dolendra Karki, Andrey A. Voronov, Mikhail A. Kozhaev, Denis M. Krichevsky, Alexander I. Chernov, Miguel Levy, Vladimir I. Belotelov

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Nanostructured magnetic materials provide an efficient tool for light manipulation on sub-nanosecond and sub-micron scales, and allow for the observation of the novel effects which are fundamentally impossible in smooth films. For many cases of practical importance, it is vital to observe the magneto-optical intensity modulation in a dual-polarization regime. However, the nanostructures reported on up to date usually utilize a transverse Kerr effect and thus provide light modulation only for p-polarized light. We present a concept of a transparent magnetic metasurface to solve this problem, and demonstrate a novel mechanism for magneto-optical modulation. A 2D array of bismuth-substituted iron-garnet …

Scalable Structural Index Construction For Json Analytics, Lin Jiang, Junqiao Qiu, Zhijia Zhao

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

JavaScript Object Notation ( JSON) and its variants have gained great popularity in recent years. Unfortunately, the performance of their analytics is often dragged down by the expensive JSON parsing. To address this, recent work has shown that building bitwise indices on JSON data, called structural indices, can greatly accelerate querying. Despite its promise, the existing structural index construction does not scale well as records become larger and more complex, due to its (inherently) sequential construction process and the involvement of costly memory copies that grow as the nesting level increases. To address the above issues, this work introduces Pison …

Raman Spectroscopic Investigation Of The Speciation Of Uranyl (Vi) And Thorium (Iv) Ions In Chloride-Bearing Aqueous Solutions Under Hydrothermal Conditions, Nadib Akram

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Raman spectra were acquired for a uranyl chloride aqueous solution at temperatures ranging from 25°C to 500°C at the chloride concentration of 6M and uranium (vi) concentration of 0.05M. The measurements were taken by sealing the sample in a hydrothermal diamond anvil cell (HDAC) which enabled spectra acquisition at non-ambient conditions. The pressure inside the cell was measured by estimating the liquid-vapor homogenization temperature (T_H) and using the isochoric equation of state diagram of water. The acquired spectra were then fitted to determine the speciation distribution of the various uranyl chloride species for the mentioned concentration. The developed …

Kinetic Monte Carlo Investigations Involving Atomic Layer Deposition Of Metal-Oxide Thinfilms, David Tyler Magness

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Atomic Layer Deposition is a method of manufacturing thin film materials. Metal-oxides such as zinc-oxide and aluminum-oxide are particularly interesting candidates for use in microelectronic devices such as tunnel junction barriers, transistors, Schottky diodes, and more. By adopting a 3D Kinetic Monte Carlo model capable of simulating ZnO deposition, the effect of parameters including deposition temperature, chamber pressure, and composition of the initial substrate at the beginning of deposition can be investigated. This code generates two random numbers: One is used to select a chemical reaction to occur from a list of all possible reactions and the second is used …

Lightweight Deep Learning For Botnet Ddos Detection On Iot Access Networks, Eric A. Mccullough

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

With the proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT), computer networks have rapidly expanded in size. While Internet of Things Devices (IoTDs) benefit many aspects of life, these devices also introduce security risks in the form of vulnerabilities which give hackers billions of promising new targets. For example, botnets have exploited the security flaws common with IoTDs to gain unauthorized control of hundreds of thousands of hosts, which they then utilize to carry out massively disruptive distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. Traditional DDoS defense mechanisms rely on detecting attacks at their target and deploying mitigation strategies toward the attacker …

Assessing Grassed Waterway Implementation Using Acpf And Swat Models, Kirsten Schaefer

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Agriculture is the most significant contributor of nonpoint source pollutants in US waterways, with sediment being the most prevalent cause of impairments. Sediment loss mitigation occurs through Best Management Practices (BMPs), such as grassed waterways. Federal and state agencies incentivize the implementation of BMPs through cost-share programs for farmers. The investment of public funds has increased pressure to demonstrate the effectiveness and value of individual projects, necessitating the development of strategies for prioritizing projects based on the sensitivity of sites to sediment erosion and optimal locations for implementation. This study has three primary objectives: (i) document existing locations of grassed …

Predictors Of Student Success In An Upper Division Agriculture Chemistry Class, Maddison V. May

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

To attempt to find what made students successful within a higher division class at Missouri State University’s (MSU) Darr College of Agriculture, de-identified academic records of 172 students enrolled in AGR 300 - Food and Agriculture Chemistry were studied over four semesters. Deidentified data were collected and compared to final letter grade received at the end of the class using correlation coefficients, analysis of variance, and stepwise regression. Analysis of variance was used to evaluate the influence of semester on letter grade. Correlation coefficients were used to determine and evaluate relationships between the variables and final grade. Stepwise regression was …

Developing A Tourism Opportunity Index Regarding The Prospective Of Overtourism In Nepal, Susan Phuyal

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This research explores Nepal's overtourism scenario based on the capacity of a locality to manage sustainable tourism practices. Environmental degradation, local infrastructure degradation, negative tourist experience and local resident responses regarding visitors are the four main variables used in this study to analyze overtourism. In order to analyze the case study of overtourism, we select the three top touristic cities of Nepal, Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Chitwan based on the number of annual visitors. Nepal's case analysis of overtourism conditions reviews the overall threat of over-tourism and establishes a metric by which tourism can be viewed as potentially detrimental to sustainability. …

Existence Of Ballistic Capture Transfer Trajectories From Trans-Lunar Injection To Lunar Polar Orbit For All Lunar Phases At Time Of Departure, Anthony Lawrence Genova

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation reveals several families of trajectories that can reduce the change in velocity(ΔV) required to transfer from trans-lunar injection (TLI) to a lunar polar circular orbit with 100 km altitude by up to 26.5% compared to conventional transfers. The primary hypothesis states that such trajectories, termed lunar polar ballistic capture (LPBC) transfers, exist for all lunar phases at the time of lunar departure (i.e., initial lunar flyby).The existence of LPBC transfers for all lunar phases can enable missions with ride-share restrictions (CubeSat), limited propellant capability (small spacecraft), and/or payloads that are not time sensitive (cargo).Evidence to support the primary …

Existence And Stability Of The Doubly Nonlinear Anisotropic Parabolic Equation, Huashui Zhan, Zhaosheng Feng

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

In this paper, we are concerned with a doubly nonlinear anisotropic parabolic equation, in which the diffusion coefficient and the variable exponent depend on the time variable t. Under certain conditions, the existence of weak solution is proved by applying the parabolically regularized method. Based on a partial boundary value condition, the stability of weak solution is also investigated.

Artificial Intelligence, The Law-Machine Interface, And Fair Use Automation, Peter K. Yu

Faculty Scholarship

From IBM Watson's success in Jeopardy! to Google DeepMind's victories in Go, the past decade has seen artificial intelligence advancing in leaps and bounds. Such advances have captured the attention of not only computer experts and academic commentators but also policymakers, the mass media and the public at large. In recent years, legal scholars have also actively explored how artificial intelligence will impact the law. Such exploration has resulted in a fast-growing body of scholarship.

One area that has not received sufficient policy and scholarly attention concerns the law-machine interface in a hybrid environment in which both humans and intelligent …

Predictable Punishments, Brian Galle, Murat C. Mungan

Faculty Scholarship

Economic analyses of both crime and regulation writ large suggest that the subjective cost or value of incentives is critical to their effectiveness. But reliable information about subjective valuation is scarce, as those who are punished have little reason to report honestly. Modern “big data” techniques promise to overcome this information shortfall but perhaps at the cost of individual privacy and the autonomy that privacy’s shield provides.

This Article argues that regulators can and should instead rely on methods that remain accurate even in the face of limited information. Building on a formal model we present elsewhere, we show that …

An Efficient 3-D Stochastic Hie-Fdtd Algorithm For Investigation Of Statistical Variation In Electromagnetic Field, Kaikun Niu, Zhixiang Huang, Xingang Ren, Ke Xu, Minquan Li, Xianliang Wu, Ping Li, Lijun Jiang, Hakan Bagci

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We propose a stochastic hybrid implicit-explicit finite-difference time-domain method (S-HIE-FDTD) to compute the mean and variance of the electromagnetic (EM) fields using a single simulation, given those of the conductivity and permittivity in the computation domain. The mean and variance field update equations underlying the proposed method are derived from the field update equations of the 'traditional' deterministic HIE-FDTD. The Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy condition of the S-HIE-FDTD depends on the spatial discretization sizes only in two dimensions; therefore, for computation domains with fine geometric features only in the remaining dimension, it uses a time step size that is larger than that of …

Nebraska School Gardens And The Potential For Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math Learning, Erin Ingram, Jenny Keshwani

Journal of Extension

School-based growing spaces support student engagement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning through authentic agricultural pursuits. We conducted a survey of Nebraska schools to characterize existing school-based growing spaces and to identify challenges limiting garden-based STEM learning. Our findings confirm the use of school-based growing spaces for kindergarten through 12th-grade STEM instruction, especially in the sciences. Opportunities for technology and engineering experiences are currently limited, and additional professional development support is needed to broaden garden-based STEM learning efforts. Our findings are relevant to current and future Extension efforts supporting school gardens, especially in rural agricultural communities.

Comprehensive Survey Of The Litter Bacterial Communities In Commercial Turkey Farms, Bishnu Adhikari, Guillermo Tellez-Isaias, Tieshan Jiang, Brian Wooming, Young Min Kwon

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The importance of microbiota in the health and diseases of farm animals has been well-documented for diverse animal species. However, studies on microbiotas in turkey and turkey farms are relatively limited as compared to other farm animal species. In this study, we performed a comprehensive survey of the litter microbiotas in 5 commercial turkey farms in the Northwest Arkansas (H, M, V, K, and R farms) including one farm with positive incidence of cellulitis (R farm). Altogether 246 boot swabs were used for 16S rRNA gene profiling of bacterial communities. At phylum level, 11 major bacterial phyla (≥0.01%) were recovered. …

Dna Aptamer‑Based Rolling Circle Amplification Product As A Novel Immunological Adjuvant, Adil Sabr Al-Ogaili, Rohana Liyanage, Jack O. Lay Jr., Tieshan Jiang, Christine N. Vuong, Shilpi Agrawal, Thallapuranam Krishnaswamy Suresh Kumar, Luc R. Berghman, Billy M. Hargis, Young Min Kwon

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Several agonists to CD40 have shown to induce acquired immune responses. Here, we developed and evaluated the rolling circle amplification (RCA) products that are based on anti-CD40 DNA aptamers as a novel vaccine adjuvant. First, we developed DNA aptamers with specific binding affinity to chicken CD40 extra domain (chCD40ED). Next, we prepared the RCA products that consist of these aptamers to increase the spanning space and overall binding affinity to chCD40ED. Using 8 DNA aptamer candidates, 4 aptamer-based RCA products (aptamer RCAs) were generated, each consisting of two distinct aptamers. We demonstrated that all 4 aptamer RCAs significantly induced the …

Social Media Posts About Racism Leads To Evaluative Backlash For Black Job Applicants, Simon Howard, Kalen Kennedy, Francisco Tejeda

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Black Americans post about race and race-related issues on social media more than any other racial group. In this study, we investigated whether Black Americans who post about racism on social networking sites (i.e., Facebook) experience evaluative backlash during the employee selection process. Participants (N = 154) were given a Black job candidate’s cover letter, resume, and a scanned printout of their social media. Depending on what condition they were randomly assigned to, the applicant’s social media contained posts about racism or posts that were race neutral. Results indicated that Black individuals whose posts were about racism were evaluated …

Real-Time Full Face Closed Eyes Detection, Lucas De Morais Tramasso

Theses and Dissertations

Intelligent systems based on machine-learning techniques are becoming a common way of solving problems in many different areas. In this thesis, our goal is to apply machine learning to a computer vision problem. We propose a new solution to detect closed eyes in full-face images. Accurate detection of closed eyes can be used in many problems such as driver drowsiness detection, human-computer interaction, and computer user monitoring. Most algorithms used to detect blinks or closed eyes follow a similar workflow. They require detection of a region of interest that is then used with different algorithms and techniques to determine if …

A Parametric Evaluation Of Iot Applications To Freight Transportation Using Model-Based Systems Engineering, Paul George Crawford

Theses and Dissertations

Industrial Internet of Things or IIoT consists of computing and communication at the operational edge of a value chain. Applications span manufacturing, energy, and transportation, among others. In the transportation context, IIoT translates to connected vehicle architecture and ITS applications. Current trends in communication allow more applications and devices to contribute to functions traditionally allocated to transportation ITS infrastructure. This poses challenges to design engineers to prototype emerging technologies in the existing transportation context and reduce integration, validation, and time to market. Model-based systems engineering is crucial step for IIoT deployment since it allows for a feature-rich digital representation of …

Development Of A Deformation-Based Structural Health System With Contactless Sensors And Machine Learning For Health Characterization And Failure Prediction, Juan Camilo Avendano Arbelaez

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents the design and development of a structural health monitoring (SHM) system specifically tailored for transportation infrastructure components, such as bridges. The proposed system collects data by using contactless sensors and performs health characterization and failure prediction. It is capable of simulating multiple load conditions on structures, identifying possible failure points, and detecting and predicting failure scenarios. Both hardware and software implementations of a model of a bridge were performed as a pilot project in order to validate the proposed system. Computer simulation in ANSYS and the application of gradient boosting neural networks were performed to produce a …

A Finite State Automata-Based Description Of Device States For Function Modeling Of Multi-State Technical Devices, Ahmed Mohammed Sobhan Chowdhury

Theses and Dissertations

Many modern and innovative design problems require multi-modal, reconfigurable solutions. Function modeling (FM) is a common tool used to explore solutions in early stages of mechanical engineering design. Currently, function structure representations do not abet the modeling of formally-defined reconfigurable function models as graph-based function models used in early-stage systems design usually represent only one operational mode of the system. Currently there is a need, but no rigorous formalism to model multiple possible modes in the model and logically predict the behavior of the system as it transitions between the modes. Additionally, function modeling representations will benefit from dynamically capturing …