Digital Commons Network^™

Bosons In Anti De Sitter Spacetime, Thi Khanh Linh Pham

Master's Theses

I am extremely grateful to Dr. Kassahun Betre for his support and guidance throughout my thesis journey. His wisdom, knowledge, and encouragement have been invaluable to me. His willingness to take me on making this project and the collaborative friendship is the highlight of my master’s program. Many thanks to Dr. Curtis Asplund and Dr. Ehsan Khatami for participating on my committee and with regard to their valuable feedback on my thesis draft, ensuring the completion of this work. Finally, I am grateful to my family for their unwavering love and all the support and absolute patience over the years …

Controllability-Constrained Deep Neural Network Models For Enhanced Control Of Dynamical Systems, Suruchi Sharma

Master's Theses

Control of a dynamical system without the knowledge of dynamics is an important and challenging task. Modern machine learning approaches, such as deep neural networks (DNNs), allow for the estimation of a dynamics model from control inputs and corresponding state observation outputs. Such data-driven models are often utilized for the derivation of model-based controllers. However, in general, there are no guarantees that a model represented by DNNs will be controllable according to the formal control-theoretical meaning of controllability, which is crucial for the design of effective controllers. This often precludes the use of DNN-estimated models in applications, where formal controllability …

Daily Synoptic-Scale Influences On Weather-Dependent Renewable Energy Supply And Demand In Hypothetical Fully Electrified North American Interconnections, Howard Tang

Master's Theses

Energy grids around the world are becoming increasingly penetrated by renewable energy sources, resulting in progressively variable energy generation. This study aims to provide a fundamental basis for observing atmospheric conditions in relation to weather-dependent renewable energy supply, where daily synoptic-scale influences are considered in hypothetical fully electrified North American interconnections. Three renewable energy types – 100% wind energy, 100% solar energy, and a 50-50 split of wind and solar energy – are scaled to meet weather-driven energy demand on average in three interconnections, namely the Western Interconnection, the Eastern Interconnection, and a hypothetical combined interconnection composed of the Western, …

Reconstructing Auditory Evoked Cortical Response With Fewer Trials, Zoey Y. Zhang

Master's Theses

Auditory evoked fields (AEF) paradigm is a common research tool to study human auditory responses by using Magnetoencephalography (MEG), a neuroimaging tool. AEF paradigm requires repetition over many trials to achieve adequate signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), but Autistic children and some other populations cannot tolerate prolonged exam time due to various reasons. To address these challenges, this project uses a novel machine learning algorithm, Champagne with baseline noise learning, to reconstruct AEF data with fewer trials (80%, 60%, 40%, 20%) but produce the same results as using all AEF trials (100%). The results show that this novel machine learning algorithm can …

Reconnoitering Generative Deep Learning Through Image Generation From Text, Vishnu S. Pendyala, Vigneshkumar Thangarajan

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

A picture is worth a thousand words goes the well-known adage. Generating images from text understandably has many uses. In this chapter, the authors explore a state-of-the-art generative deep learning method to produce synthetic images and a new better way for evaluating the same. The approach focuses on synthesizing high-resolution images with multiple objects present in an image, given the textual description of the images. The existing literature uses object pathway GAN (OP-GAN) to automatically generate images from text. The work described in this chapter attempts to improvise the discriminator network from the original implementation using OP-GAN. This eventually helps …

Just Go To The Office! An Intersectional Exploration Of The Role Of Race And Gender In Discipline Referral Reasons, Kamilah B. Legette, Yoli Anyon

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Educators’ differential selection of Black and Latine students for office discipline referrals is a significant driver of inequity in exclusionary outcomes. Using demographic data and discipline records for all students in one large urban school district, we use descriptive statistics and multilevel regression models to consider whether referral reasons are racialized and if these patterns intersect with gender. Our analyses indicate that educators are consistently more likely to refer Black students than White students to the office for several subjective reasons, including habitual disruption, that are purportedly race-neutral but privilege Whiteness. They are less likely to make referrals for Black …

Facile Synthesis Of Nite2-Co2Te2@Rgo Nanocomposite For High-Performance Hybrid Supercapacitor, Maziar Farshadnia, Ali A. Ensafi, Kimia Zarean Mousaabadi, Behzad Rezaei, Muslum Demir

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

The design of bimetallic tellurides that exhibit excellent electrochemical properties remains a huge challenge for high-performance supercapacitors. In the present study, tellurium is consolidated on CoNi₂@rGO for the first time, to synthesize NiTe₂-Co₂Te₂@rGO nanocomposite by using a facile hydrothermal method. As-prepared NiTe₂-Co₂Te₂@rGO nanocomposite was characterized by EDS, TEM, FESEM, Raman, BET, XRD, and XPS techniques to prove the structural transformation. Upon the electrochemical characterization, NiTe₂-Co₂Te₂@rGO has notably presented numerous active sites and enhanced contact sites with the electrolyte solution during …

The Best Practices Of Attracting And Ministering To Non-European Immigrants In Minnesota, Randall Jay Cirksena Jr.

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Dynamic Density Functional Theory Of Multicomponent Cellular Membranes, L. G. Stanton, T. Oppelstrup, T. S. Carpenter, H. I. Ingólfsson, M. P. Surh, F. C. Lightstone, J. N. Glosli

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

We present a continuum model trained on molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for cellular membranes composed of an arbitrary number of lipid types. The model is constructed within the formalism of dynamic density functional theory and can be extended to include features such as the presence of proteins and membrane deformations. This framework represents a paradigm shift by enabling simulations that can access length scales on the order of microns and time scales on the order of seconds, all while maintaining near fidelity to the underlying MD models. These length and time scales are significant for accessing biological processes associated with …

Reconfigurations In Brain Networks Upon Awakening From Slow Wave Sleep: Interventions And Implications In Neural Communication, Cassie J. Hilditch, Kanika Bansal, Ravi Chachad, Lily R. Wong, Nicholas G. Bathurst, Nathan H. Feick, Amanda Santamaria, Nita L. Shattuck, Javier O. Garcia, Erin E. Flynn-Evans

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Sleep inertia is the brief period of impaired alertness and performance experienced immediately after waking. Little is known about the neural mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. A better understanding of the neural processes during sleep inertia may offer insight into the awakening process. We observed brain activity every 15 min for 1 hr following abrupt awakening from slow wave sleep during the biological night. Using 32-channel electroencephalography, a network science approach, and a within-subject design, we evaluated power, clustering coefficient, and path length across frequency bands under both a control and a polychromatic short-wavelength-enriched light intervention condition. We found that under …

Schelling's Clara: Romantic Psychotherapy, Michael Vater

Philosophy Faculty Research and Publications

Schelling’s unfinished novella/dialog from the early years of his turn to philosophy of spirit presents arguments for personal immortality, but in a narrative form. Characters that represent nature and mind try to rescue the usually equanimous Clara from psychological crisis occasioned by her husband’s death and consequent intellectual perplexities about personal survival. Their arguments illustrate Schelling’s reformulated Spinozistic metaphysics: expressivism. On this theory, a Wesenheit or creative essence manifests in both physical and psychic dimensions but is itself nothing other than the connection between the two. Clara, doctor, and pastor symbolize these three functions while their personae fashion arguments that …

Validity And Diagnostic Performance Of Computing Fractional Flow Reserve From 2-Dimensional Coronary Angiography Images, Vahid Mohammadi, Massoud Ghasemi, Reza Rahmani, Maryam Mehrpooya, Hamidreza Babakhani, Akbar Shafiee, Mohammad Sadeghian

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

BACKGROUND: Measurement of fractional flow reserve (FFR) is the gold standard for determining the physiologic significance of coronary artery stenosis, but newer software programs can calculate the FFR from 2-dimensional angiography images.

METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted using the records of patients with intermediate coronary stenoses who had undergone adenosine FFR (aFFR). To calculate the computed FFR, a software program used simulated coronary blood flow using computational geometry constructed using at least 2 patient-specific angiographic images. Two cardiologists reviewed the angiograms and determined the computational FFR independently. Intraobserver variability was measured using κ analysis and the intraclass correlation coefficient. …

Multibillion-Dollar Tax Questions, James Alm, Jay A. Soled, Kathleen Delaney Thomas

Faculty Publications

Tax compliance in the United States historically hovers in the 80 percent range, costing the nation approximately half a trillion dollars annually in uncollected tax revenue. To foster greater tax compliance, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) should employ whatever tools are at its disposal. Standard deterrence theory argues that increasing the audit rate and imposing stiffer penalties would foster greater tax compliance. There are political headwinds, however, that strongly suggest that these approaches are not currently viable. Instead, there is a low-cost method that could yield greater tax compliance. Drawing on recent and compelling social science research, the IRS should …

Analysis Of Methods For Assimilating Fire Perimeters Into A Coupled Fire-Atmosphere Model, Adam K. Kochanski, Kathleen Clough, Angel Farguell, Derek V. Mallia, Jan Mandel, Kyle Hilburn

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Correctly initializing the fire within coupled fire-atmosphere models is critical for producing accurate forecasts of meteorology near the fire, as well as the fire growth, and plume evolution. Improperly initializing the fire in a coupled fire-atmosphere model can introduce forecast errors that can impact wind circulations surrounding the fire and updrafts along the fire front. A well-constructed fire initialization process must be integrated within coupled fire-atmosphere models to ensure that the atmospheric component of the model does not become numerically unstable due to excessive heat fluxes released during the ignition, and that realistic fire-induced atmospheric circulations are established at the …

Computational Performance Assessment Of Buoyant Shrouded Turbines In Uae, Mohamed Farmaan Abdul Khader

Theses

With the increase in the economic impact of fossil fuel consumption over the past few decades, the demand for alternative sources of fuel for consumer consumption led to the initiation of scientific research related to renewable resources. The present research aims at analyzing the wind energy capability at low and high altitudes in low wind regions like the UAE (United Arab Emirates) by studying the different wind speed-altitude models and studying the potential of augmenting wind turbines performance using diffuser augmented-floating turbine systems incorporating the horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT). The study was conducted computationally using Ansys Fluent and MATLAB …

A Variant Of Nim Played On Boolean Matrices, Stephen J. Curran, Stephen C. Locke, Richard M. Low

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

We introduce a version of Nim played on a Boolean matrix. Each player, in turn, removes a nonzero row or column. The last player to remove a row or column wins. We investigate the Boolean matrices that represent the Ferrers diagram of an integer partition. An integer partition in which each summand is greater than the number of terms in the partition is said to be strong. The Grundy numbers of Boolean matrices that represent the Ferrers diagram of any integer partition consisting of three or fewer terms are determined. This allows us to classify the P-positions and N-positions of …

Broken Down: A Mixed Methods Inquiry Examining The Mechanics Of The Segmenting Principle Using Flipped Math Instruction For Automotive Technicians, John David Baumgarten

Theses and Dissertations--Curriculum and Instruction

Mayer’s Segmenting Principle requires an instructional designer to both break the instruction into small functional pieces and pause instruction between each of these pieces until a student signals readiness to move on. Over decades of research, investigators have consistently demonstrated that segmented multimedia content achieves better learning assessment outcomes than continuous content across various academic disciplines, ages, and ability levels. While current segmenting research has shown impressive results in tightly controlled experimental scenarios, there is far less research on its application in the real world. To date, the vast majority of segmenting principle studies only assess short-term knowledge using an …

An Exploration Of Effective District Practices For Enculturating And Retaining Kentucky's Newest Teachers In The Profession, Cari Lea Boyd

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

The teaching profession within P-12 education has more beginners in the field than ever before, growing the profession by 48%, which outpaces the 19% growth in student enrollment. The most common teacher among all practicing in America’s schools is someone in her or his first year of teaching. The decreasing levels of experience in the profession has led to increased rates of attrition because beginners have the highest attrition rates with up to 50% leaving the field within the first five years. Research conducted on teacher retention has focused on why teachers leave the field; hence, a major gap in …

Addressing A Cohort Discrepancy Among Ninth-Grade Students At A Rural/Suburban High School, Bryley Keaton Murphy

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

Ninth grade is a critical period where some children experience academic and social growth, while others struggle to navigate their new context, leading to reduced outcomes at school and worsened physical/mental health (Benner & Graham, 2007; Rice, 2001). This mixed-methods action research (MMAR) study addressed how professional practice changes could better support students during this foundational period. Quantitative data was collected from school databases to compare the rate of student success and identify demographic discrepancies, while qualitative data was used to identify possible causes. These data were then integrated to create insightful meta-inferences into the problem of practice. From these …

Investigating The Relationship Between Empowerment And Secondary Science Teachers’ Technology Integration Knowledge, Jane Elizabeth Walsh

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

Empowered teachers believe they can improve their work conditions and positively impact student outcomes. Likewise, teachers with technology integration knowledge can effectively use technology to enhance lessons and improve student learning. This quantitative correlational study investigated teachers’ empowerment, teachers’ technology integration knowledge, and associations between empowerment and technology integration knowledge. Two hundred fourteen randomly selected high school science teachers from across the United States responded to a survey intended to measure empowerment and technology integration knowledge. The teachers' average responses indicate that teachers generally agree with statements surrounding empowerment (M = 3.93, SD = 0.54) and technology integration knowledge …

Embracing Rural First-Generation College Student Scholar Identity: Wading Waist Deep In Unfamiliar Waters, Robert Hayes

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

First-generation college students do not persist to degree completion at the same rate as their continuing generation peers. There is a wide range of research focusing on the challenges and opportunities that first-generation college students experience, ranging from pre-matriculation factors, the transition period to college, and throughout the undergraduate years. The achievement gap, in terms of persistence to degree, has been a consistent focus of research as first-generation students routinely do not earn college degrees at the same rate as their continuing generation peers. This research takes a holistic approach to understanding the first-generation college student experience that does not …

Examination Of Physiological And Perceptual Responses During Sustained, Isometric, Fatiguing, Handgrip Exercise Anchored To Ratings Of Perceived Exertion, Minyoung Kwak

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

The purposes of this study were to: 1) Examine the patterns of force responses relative to critical force (CF) during submaximal, fatiguing, isometric handgrip exercise anchored to different rating of perceived exertion (RPE) levels (RPE=3, 5, and 7); 2) assess the loss of force during the task and the level of performance fatigability after each RPE hold; 3) examine the time course of changes and patterns of neuromuscular [electromyography (EMG) amplitude (AMP), mean power frequency (MPF), mechanomyography (MMG) AMP and MPF, and neuromuscular efficiency (NME) (i.e. force/EMG AMP)] and muscle oxygen saturation (% SmO₂) responses during each RPE …

Responses To Exercise Anchored To Vigorous Intensity Heart Rates, Djadmann Gustave

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

Exercise prescription to improve cardiorespiratory endurance (CE) is often based on percentages of the reserve or maximum heart rate (HR_peak) or oxygen consumption rate (V̇O_2peak)that reflect vigorous intensities (77-95% HR_peak, 64-90% V̇O_2peak). These intensities elicit a rating of perceived exertion [RPE] response between 14-17 on the 6-20 Borg Scale. It is recommended that exercise within these ranges be sustained for 20-60min per session. The purposes of this study were to: 1) Determine the metabolic (V̇O₂) and perceptual (RPE) responses as well as the sustainability of exercise (time to exhaustion [T …

Investigation Of Lower Extremity Neuromuscular Function In Individuals With And Without Diabetes, Roya Hoveizavi

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

Background: Diabetes mellitus is associated with notable neuromuscular and motor dysfunctions that could lead to an increased risk of plantar ulcers and amputations. Several contributing factors, including increased muscle-tendon stiffness and abnormal muscle activation pattern may influence the kinematics and kinetics of walking in people with diabetes and promote formation of plantar ulcers. Hyperglycemia and the resultant accelerated rate of glycation have been recognized as the leading cause of muscle and tendon degeneration, yet the precise mechanisms by which diabetes affects the biomechanical properties of the muscle-tendon unit remains unclear. Altered muscle activity during gait is observed in people with …

The Relationship Of Multidimensional Athlete Characteristics Versus Competition Performance And Participation In American Football Players, Alex Brownell

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

BACKGROUND: Athlete evaluation in American football is dominated by the evaluation characteristics that underly key performance indicators (KPI’s) in the physical domain of performance. Team sport athlete performance is comprised of a combination of attributes in the physical, technical, tactical, and mental domains of performance. Using only KPI’s in the physical domain of performance to predict competition performance of American football athletes is challenging due to the differences in performance outcomes of the varying positions in American football and absence of the other performance dimensions that are not accounted for. Advances in athlete assessment have revolutionized the process of evaluating …

Methodolocical Concerns Of Using Global Positioning System Technology To Assess American Football Competition Demands, Tyler Lindon

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

Despite its popularity, there is a lack of research describing the physical demands of American Football. This is surprising when considering the popularity of the use of global positioning systems (GPS) within this specific sporting environment. The aim of the present study was to utilize a novel methodology to describe the physical demands of American football players by play type (run vs. pass) using a play-by-play analysis of global positioning system (GPS) outcomes. Fifty Division I collegiate American football players (Age: 19.8 ± 1.1 yr, Height: 189.3 ± 4.4 cm, Body mass: 86.1 ± 5.8 kg) wore portable GPS monitors …

Reliability And Validity Of A Commercial Running Power Meter To Indicate Metabolic Workload During Endurance Running, James Harris Hudgins Iii

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

Commercial running power (RP) meters may provide endurance runners and coaches with improved precision for monitoring running intensity. Cyclists rely upon the relationship between cycling power and metabolic demand to regulate physiological intensity during training and racing, independent of changes in the physical environment (e.g., terrain, wind). Research demonstrates strong reliability and validity for a specific RP meter to indicate metabolic demand within controlled running conditions. However, several potential influences on this relationship have not been investigated. Therefore, four studies were conducted with the following aims:

- Study 1: Determine the inter-limb reliability and validity of a single-limb-based RP meter …

Development And Validation Of An Instrument To Measure Teacher Self-Efficacy For Meeting The Needs Of Military-Connected Children, Amy M. O'Neill

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

The average military child changes schools six to nine times before graduating high school. With those moves come significant educational challenges, but there is currently no known instrument designed to measure whether teachers believe they are capable of meeting the needs of this population. The purpose of this study was to develop, pilot, and provide initial psychometric evidence for a scale, the Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale for Military Kids (TSES for MilKids), that measures teacher self-efficacy for meeting the needs of military-connected children. A 19-item instrument was created and distributed to regular education teachers in Grades 1-5 in civilian school districts …

Doing The Work: Using Questions, Tasks, And Sources To Navigate Teaching Contentious Social Studies In Secondary Classrooms, Bonnie Patrice Lewis

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This explanatory case study examines how two secondary social studies teachers use inquiry-based learning to mitigate the risks of teaching contentious social studies in a charged classroom. Research questions included: 1. How do two in-service secondary teachers use inquiry-based instruction to navigate teaching contentious social studies during charged times? 2. What curricular and pedagogical choices were made by the in-service teachers to navigate risk when designing inquiry-based instruction that features contentious social studies during charged times? 3. What curricular and pedagogical choices were made by the in-service teachers to navigate risk when delivering inquiry-based instruction that features contentious social studies …

Principal Leadership Practices At Kentucky High Schools Administering The Pisa For Schools: Leading For Global Competitiveness, Marjorie L. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Since launching Sputnik in 1957, the United States education system has been trying to climb to the top of the international education rankings. The Organisation for Economic and Co-operative Development (OECD) began analyzing how well school systems prepared students to compete in the global economy in 2000. The OECD uses the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). U.S. students rank at or near the OECD averages in reading and science but consistently perform below the OECD average in mathematics. In addition to the PISA, the OECD released the PISA for Schools, which provides PISA data at the school level.

In …