Digital Commons Network^™

Simultaneous Activation Of Stable Molecules- Methane And Nitrogen- Using Microwave Reactor With And Without Plasma- To Produce Ethylene And Ammonia, Sarojini Tiwari

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The discovery of stranded natural gas around the world has made shale gas cheaper and widely accessible. This has driven the relevant research towards the direct utilization of Methane (CH4), a major component of natural gas. CH4 is a highly stable molecule, hence its activation and consequent formation of value-added chemicals in a direct and efficient manner is a relevant problem of the 21st century. All the commercial processes convert natural gas to chemicals indirectly, via the formation of syngas followed by several reactions. The conventional systems are energy intensive and one of the major contributors to green-house gas emissions. …

Planning Algorithms Under Uncertainty For A Team Of A Uav And A Ugv For Underground Exploration, Matteo De Petrillo

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Robots’ autonomy has been studied for decades in different environments, but only recently, thanks to the advance in technology and interests, robots for underground exploration gained more attention. Due to the many challenges that any robot must face in such harsh environments, this remains an challenging and complex problem to solve.

As technology became cheaper and more accessible, the use of robots for underground ex- ploration increased. One of the main challenges is concerned with robot localization, which is not easily provided by any Global Navigation Services System (GNSS). Many developments have been achieved for indoor mobile ground robots, making …

Identical Twins As A Facial Similarity Benchmark For Human Facial Recognition, John Andrew Mccauley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The problem of distinguishing identical twins and non-twin look-alikes in automated facial recognition (FR) applications has become increasingly important with the widespread adoption of facial biometrics. Due to the high facial similarity of both identical twins and look-alikes, these face pairs represent the hardest cases presented to facial recognition tools. This work presents an application of one of the largest twin datasets compiled to date to address two FR challenges: 1) determining a baseline measure of facial similarity between identical twins and 2) applying this similarity measure to determine the impact of doppelgangers, or look-alikes, on FR performance for large …

Single And Differential Morph Attack Detection, Baaria Chaudhary

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Face recognition systems operate on the assumption that a person's face serves as the unique link to their identity. In this thesis, we explore the problem of morph attacks, which have become a viable threat to face verification scenarios precisely because of their inherent ability to break this unique link. A morph attack occurs when two people who share similar facial features morph their faces together such that the resulting face image is recognized as either of two contributing individuals. Morphs inherit enough visual features from both individuals that both humans and automatic algorithms confuse them. The contributions of this …

Assessing Synthetic Aperture Radar (Sar)-Derived Temporal Patterns And Digital Terrain Data For Palustrine Wetland Mapping, Jaimee L. Pyron

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Palustrine wetland systems are important ecosystems and provide numerous ecosystems services to support society. Unfortunately, they remain under constant threat of devastation due to land use practices and global climate change, which underscores the need to identify, map, and monitor these landscape features. This study explores harmonic coefficients and seasonal median values derived from Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data, as well as digital elevation model (DEM)-derived terrain variables, to predict palustrine wetland locations in the Vermont counties of Bennington, Chittenden, and Essex. Support vector machine (SVM) and random forest (RF) machine learning models were used with various combinations of …

Francis Poulenc: The Compositional Influences Of Les Six And Sergei Prokofiev On The Poulenc Oboe Sonata (1962), Evan Klein

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research document contextualizes the compositional influences found within Francis Poulenc’s oboe sonata. In his lifetime, Poulenc was an extremely well-connected individual, often dedicating his works to his close friends and patrons. The Sonata for Oboe and Piano, in particular, is one of these compositions dedicated to his friend and famous composer Sergei Prokofiev. Written in 1962 toward the end of Poulenc’s life, he glanced back to the start of the twentieth century for inspiration and source material. The oboe sonata is then a collage of sorts—it takes on the shared contextual principles of Les Six in which he was …

Polarized Policymaking: The Effect Of Ideological Division On Legislative Outcomes In The United States Congress, Aaron Tyler Mentzer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation examines the effect of political polarization on legislative productivity and policymaking in the United States Congress. As the ideological distance between Republicans and Democrats increases, both parties face pressure to obstruct the legislative process in order to defeat their opponent’s policy proposals. This leads to legislative gridlock and alters the means by which Congress can perform its legislative duties. This theory is not a new one, but this dissertation expands on existing literature in several ways. In Chapter 2 I ask: does polarization limit the types of policy that Congress is able to pass, and is Congress restricted …

Modified Firearm Discharge Residue Analysis Utilizing Advanced Analytical Techniques, Complexing Agents, And Quantum Chemical Calculations, William J. Feeney

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The use of gunshot residue (GSR) or firearm discharge residue (FDR) evidence faces some challenges because of instrumental and analytical limitations and the difficulties in evaluating and communicating evidentiary value. For instance, the categorization of GSR based only on elemental analysis of single, spherical particles is becoming insufficient because newer ammunition formulations produce residues with varying particle morphology and composition. Also, one common criticism about GSR practitioners is that their reports focus on the presence or absence of GSR in an item without providing an assessment of the weight of the evidence. Such reports leave the end-used with unanswered questions, …

Psychometric Evaluation Of Genetic Literacy Instruments In A National Sample, Jamey T. Brumbaugh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The concept of genetic literacy continues to grow in clinical and social significance. Whether transforming current healthcare practices or raising questions about genetically-modified foods, genetic information and technologies are primed to further influence people’s lives. There is a growing need to understand how genetic literacy is currently assessed in order to inform and improve future test development. This study aimed to investigate the assessment of genetic literacy by psychometrically examining three contemporary genetic literacy instruments (i.e., Genetic Knowledge Survey, International Genetic Literacy and Attitudes Survey (iGLAS-GK), and University of North Carolina Genomic Knowledge Scale (UNC-GKS). Psychometric properties, including internal consistency …

More Than One Story: A Bioecological Model Of Elementary Educators’ Perceptions And Representations Of Diversity, Angela Curfman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Classroom teachers have long employed children’s literature in the classroom. Exposure to children’s literature offers a plethora of gains and benefits. Through the usage of children’s literature, critical thinking skills are fostered and factual information is obtained (Hancock, 2000). Varied cultures, linguistic backgrounds, families with diverse socio-economical, and academic backgrounds constitute our public school classrooms. Children’s literature provides readers an opportunity for self-affirmation; therefore, they often seek a mirror in books, (Bishop, 1990). The thoughtful selection of children’s literature in the classroom is essential. Through the lens of Bishop’s (1993) metaphorical notion of books as mirrors, windows, and sliding glass …

Using Distributed Ledger Technologies In Vanets To Achieve Trusted Intelligent Transportation Systems, Fares Nabil Elamine

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

With the recent advancements in the networking realm of computers as well as achieving real-time communication between devices over the Internet, IoT (Internet of Things) devices have been on the rise; collecting, sharing, and exchanging data with other connected devices or databases online, enabling all sorts of communications and operations without the need for human intervention, oversight, or control. This has caused more computer-based systems to get integrated into the physical world, inching us closer towards developing smart cities.

The automotive industry, alongside other software developers and technology companies have been at the forefront of this advancement towards achieving smart …

Three Essays On Energy And Agricultural Price Analysis, Sara Farhangdoost

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation consists of three essays on energy and agricultural commodity price analysis: 1) Natural Gas Price Forecasting in a Changing World; 2) The Effect of EIA Storage Announcement on Natural Gas Returns: A Comprehensive Analysis; and 3) Forecasting the U.S. Season-Average Farm Price of Corn: Derivation of an Alternative Futures based Forecasting Model.

The first essay evaluates the performances of various individual and composite forecasting models when predicting natural gas prices in the United States. The empirical results show that forecast generated by the Energy Information Administration Short-Term Energy Outlook provides a more accurate price prediction at longer forecasting …

A Survey Of Musical Expectations In The Marine Forces Reserve Band Stationed In New Orleans, Louisiana, Brandon Paul Carbonari

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research document examines the musical expectations of United States Marines serving in the Marine Forces Reserve Band from 2017 to 2021. Chapter One of this study provides a detailed foundation of the musical and non-musical responsibilities of a United States Marine musician. Training regime, rehearsal schedule, and logistical area responsibilities will be described to help convey the full scope of duty. The source material for Chapter One includes dissertations, journal articles, published books, online sources, and interviews. Chapter Two provides results of a survey that was conducted with members of the band. The questions were designed to record the …

Identification And Classification Of Radio Pulsar Signals Using Machine Learning, Di Pang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Automated single-pulse search approaches are necessary as ever-increasing amount of observed data makes the manual inspection impractical. Detecting radio pulsars using single-pulse searches, however, is a challenging problem for machine learning because pul- sar signals often vary significantly in brightness, width, and shape and are only detected in a small fraction of observed data.

The research work presented in this dissertation is focused on development of ma- chine learning algorithms and approaches for single-pulse searches in the time domain. Specifically, (1) We developed a two-stage single-pulse search approach, named Single- Pulse Event Group IDentification (SPEGID), which automatically identifies and clas- …

Modeling, Optimization And Uncertainty Quantification Of Solids-Based Co2 Capture Technologies, Anca Ostace

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Solids-based carbon dioxide (CO₂)adsorption, where CO₂ is adsorbed under high pressure/low temperature and desorbed at low pressure/high temperature, is a low energy consumption capture technology with high carbon uptake efficiency. Chemical looping combustion (CLC), where a solid oxygen carrier (OC) transports oxygen between two high-temperature reactors – a fuel and an air reactor –, is a low energy penalty, fuel-flexible technology with inherent CO₂ capture for power/heat and syngas production.

In this work, state-of-the-art equation-oriented (EO) mathematical models of a fixed-bed (FxB) contactor for CO₂ adsorption and moving-bed (MB) reactors for gas-, and solid-fueled CLC …

Microwave-Assisted Natural Gas Conversion To Value-Added Chemicals, Xinwei Bai

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Stranded gas is a raw gas mixture of volatile hydrocarbons where the main composition is methane. The producers flare the stranded gas at the site because the cost of collecting and transporting the gas is higher than the value of the gas itself. To reduce the waste of this natural resource, it is worthwhile to utilize the on-site stranded natural gas as feedstock to produce value-added chemicals without emitting greenhouse gas. Direct natural gas conversion process is more desirable because of lower capital investment. Methane and ethane, the two major components of natural gas, are very stable molecules that usually …

Analysis Of Millimeter-Wave Networks: Blockage, Antenna Directivity, Macrodiversity, And Interference, Enass Hriba

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Due to its potential to support high data rates at low latency with reasonable interference isolation because of signal blockage at these frequencies, millimeter-wave (mmWave) communications has emerged as a promising solution for next-generation wireless networks. MmWave systems are characterized by the use of highly directional antennas and susceptibility to signal blockage by buildings and other obstructions, which significantly alter the propagation environment. The received power of each transmission depends on the direction the corresponding antennas point and whether the signal’s path is line-of-sight (LOS), non-LOS (i.e., partially blocked), or completely blocked. A key challenge in modeling blocking in mmWave …

Is Burnout A Depressive Condition? A 14-Sample Meta-Analytic And Bifactor Analytic Study, Renzo Bianchi, Jay Verkuilen, Irvin S. Schonfeld, Jari J. Hakanen, Markus Jansson-Fröjmark, Guadalupe Manzano-García, Eric Laurent, Laurenz L. Meier

Publications and Research

There is no consensus on whether burnout constitutes a depressive condition or an original entity requiring specific medical and legal recognition. In this study, we examined burnout–depression overlap using 14 samples of individuals from various countries and occupational domains (N = 12,417). Meta-analytically pooled disattenuated correlations indicated (a) that exhaustion—burnout’s core—is more closely associated with depressive symptoms than with the other putative dimensions of burnout (detachment and efficacy) and (b) that the exhaustion–depression association is problematically strong from a discriminant validity standpoint (r = .80). The overlap of burnout’s core dimension with depression was further illuminated in 14 exploratory structural …

Overture: Love—Love Is A Pink Cake, Or, Queering Chopin In Times Of Homophobia, Antoni Pizà

Publications and Research

Abstract:

An introduction to the three essays included in this section. The article highlights the right to know whether Chopin was gay and contextualizes this inquiry in a very long and pervasive historiographical tradition, essentially two-hundred years long, dedicated to examine Chopin sexual orientation, on the one hand, and on the other the more recent tradition of queering western classical music composers. The main point is not to demonstrate categorically that Chopin was “gay” (a relative, modern identity marker in any case) but rather to highlight the discourses that have presented him as unequivocally heterosexual.

Resumen:

Una introducción a los …

A Transnational Law Of The Sea, Josh Martin

Chicago Journal of International Law

It is widely accepted that we are presently struggling to govern the vast expanse of the ocean effectively. This Article finally gets to the real cause of much of the failures of the law of the sea: Westphalian sovereignty. In particular, it evidences that certain features of our obstinate model of public international law—such as sovereign exclusivity, equality, and territoriality—can be linked with a large majority of the governance “gaps” in the global ocean context. It thereby exonerates the falsely accused Grotius’s mare liberum doctrine and flag state regulation, which both still continue to receive an unmerited level of condemnation. …

Lives In Musicology: My Life In Writings, Kofi Agawu

Publications and Research

Responding to an invitation from the editors of Acta Musicologica to tell the story of his life in musicology, Kofi Agawu describes his upbringing and early education in Ghana and his university studies in the UK and the US. In a career focused on teaching, research, and writing, he outlines a number of intellectual projects involving the analysis of African and European music. He ends by acknowledging renewed discussions of race and identity in the musical academy today, and hints at his own growing interest in African art music.

The ‘Global South’ In The Study Of World Politics: Examining A Meta Category, Sebastian Haug, Jacqueline Braveboy-Wagner, Günther Maihold

Publications and Research

This introductory contribution examines the ‘Global South’ as a meta category in the study of world politics. Against the backdrop of a steep rise in references to the ‘Global South’ across academic publications, we ask whether and how the North–South binary in general, and the ‘(Global) South’ in particular, can be put to use analytically. Building on meta categories as tools for the classification of global space, we discuss the increasing prominence of the ‘Global South’ and then outline different understandings attached to it, notably socio-economic marginality, multilateral alliance-building and resistance against global hegemonic power. Following an overview of individual …

Wavefront-Selective Fano Resonant Metasurface, Adam C. Overvig, Andrea Alù

Publications and Research

Fano resonances are conventionally understood as sharp spectral features with selectivity in the momentum-frequency domain, implying that they can be excited only by plane waves with specific frequencies and incident angles. We demonstrate that Fano resonances can be made generally selective in the space-frequency domain. They can be tailored to resonate only when excited by a frequency, polarization, and wavefront of choice. This generalization reveals that Fano systems are characterized by eigenwaves that scatter to their time-reversed image upon reflection. Although in conventional Fano systems this trivially occurs for normally incident plane waves, we show that, in general, the selected …

The Association Of Pregnancy Control, Emotions, And Beliefs With Pregnancy Desires, Meredith G. Manze, Diana R. Romero, Prabal De, Josette Hartnett, Lynn Roberts

Publications and Research

Context

Standard pregnancy intentions measures do not always align with how people approach pregnancy. Studies that have investigated beyond a binary framework found that those with “ambivalent” feelings towards pregnancy are less likely to use contraception consistently, but the reasons for this are unclear. We sought to gain a nuanced understanding of pregnancy desires, and how perceptions about pregnancy are associated with contraceptive use.

Methods

We used non-probability quota sampling based on sex, age, and geographic region for a web-based survey of heterosexual men and women, aged 21–44 years, who could become pregnant/impregnate and were not currently pregnant (n = …

The Role Of The Physical And Social Environment In Observed And Self-Reported Park Use In Low-Income Neighborhoods In New York City, Javier E. Otero Peña, Hanish Kodali, Emily Ferris, Katarzyna Wyka, Setha Low, Kelly R. Evenson, Joan M. Dorn, Lorna E. Thorpe, Terry T. K. Huang

Publications and Research

Physical and social environments of parks and neighborhoods influence park use, but the extent of their relative influence remains unclear. This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between the physical and social environment of parks and both observed and self-reported park use in low-income neighborhoods in New York City. We conducted community- (n = 54 parks) and individual-level (n = 904 residents) analyses. At the community level, observed park use was measured using a validated park audit tool and regressed on the number of facilities and programmed activities in parks, violent crime, stop-and-frisk incidents, and traffic accidents. At the …

Jazz Colors: Pigment Identification In The Gouaches Used By Henri Matisse, Ana Martins, Anne Catherine Prud’Hom, Maroussia Duranton, Abed Haddad, Celine Daher, Anne Genachte-Le Bail, Tiffany Tang

Publications and Research

Jazz, the illustrated book by Henri Matisse, is a testament to the vitality of the artist in the last decade of his career. The book consists of twenty illustrations reproduced in 370 copies using a stencil-based printing technique and the same Linel gouaches the artist had used for the original maquettes. This study reports on the comprehensive analysis carried out to identify the pigments in the gouaches used in Jazz by transmitted and reflectance infrared, Raman, SERS, and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopies, and describes the lightfastness of these gouaches as evaluated by microfaedometry. This study also highlights the necessity of …

Research Justice: A 25 Year Reflection On Critical Participatory Action Research Behind Bars, Michelle Fine, María Elena Torre, Kathy Boudin, Cheryl Wilkins

Publications and Research

In this chapter, we introduce the notion of research collaboratories where critical inquiry-based collaboration – not experimentation – flourishes; where critical participatory action research (CPAR) projects are conceived and implemented across universities and communities/movements to build theory, transform policy, support social change and forge new solidarities. In these spaces, academics, policy makers, community members, students and activists design research projects together, pool intentionally diverse standpoints, integrate qualitative, quantitative, archival and historic evidence to probe questions of (in)justice, enacting - No Research on Us, Without Us!

Mismatch And Burnout: An Exploration Of Burnout And Work Passion Amongst Academic Affairs Professionals Through An Organizational Lens, Alexa Elizabeth Cecil

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Though the concept of burnout is well developed, there is less research on burnout in higher education, especially on specific staff populations, and loss of work passion. The current study aimed to understand burnout and work passion for academic affairs professionals who work with undergraduate students on academic probation and students conditionally admitted to the institution, including impacts, how these experiences have been navigated, and organizational supports that help alleviate these outcomes. Utilizing a sequential mixed methods research design, the study collected survey responses from identified professionals working with these student populations at a specific institution type. Demographic and t-test …

Speaking Music: A Historical Study Of Edwin Gordon's Music Learning Theory, David M. Alfred

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Music Learning Theory, conceived, researched, and developed by Dr. Edwin Elias Gordan, has been on the periphery of music education for decades and is the only extant comprehensive theoretical framework that fully addresses the development of music literacy from early childhood through maturity. The concurrent research gap suggests that a Fordist approach may exist throughout music education – one that insists upon behavioral goals, direct instruction, and educational, artistic, and ideological exclusivity. This historical study elucidates Gordan’s work in order to understand the stages and processes that are like spokes of a wheel between his idea of audiation at the …

Short Glass Fiber Reinforced Composites Manufactured By Stereolithography, Michael John Holthaus

Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics

The effectiveness of manufacturing short glass fiber composites using stereolithography (SLA) was investigated. Modifications were made to a standard SLA printer to induce a flow field through the resin tank. In this study a 1/32 inch glass fiber content of 15% by volume was printed in combination with a commercial Peopoly SLA UV curable resin. Testing was performed for fiber dispersion and whether the addition of glass fiber would increase the mechanical properties of the composites. While printing it was found the surface finish of the specimens was coarse from the glass fibers. Computational fluid dynamics simulations were performed to …