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Generating Boundary Conditions For Compound Flood Modeling In A Probabilistic Framework, Pravin Maduwantha Mahanthe Gamage

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Flooding in coastal riverine environments is often driven by the combined influence of multiple hydrometeorological flood drivers, including storm surge, rainfall, waves, and river discharge, which is referred to as compound flooding. A robust flood hazard assessment requires simulation of a wide range of flood driver conditions through dynamic compound flood models to capture the variability in resultant flooding. However, such assessments remain limited by the short length of observational records and the high computational cost of physics-based methods used to generate temporally varying boundary conditions. This dissertation develops a statistical framework to characterize compound flood drivers and generate large …

Dupilumab For Patients With Allergic Fungal Rhinosinusitis, Amber U. Luong, Joshua M. Levy, Sarah K. Wise, Joseph K. Han, Mamoru Yoshikawa, Luo Zhang, Rodney Schlosser, Prerna Ranganathan, Paula Dakin, Jennifer Maloney, George D. Yancopoulos, Andrew P. Fontenot, Neelam A. Phadke, Lacey R. Robinson

Department of Otolaryngology (ENT) Faculty Publications

Background

Allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS) is a severe subtype of chronic rhinosinusitis characterized by fungal hypersensitivity and accentuated type 2 inflammation. Dupilumab-a fully human monoclonal antibody blocking interleukin-4/13, approved for type 2 inflammatory diseases, including chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps-may benefit patients with AFRS.

Objective

We sought to understand the effect of dupilumab in AFRS

Methods

In this phase 3 trial, patients with AFRS aged ≥6 years were randomized to dupilumab or matched placebo for 52 weeks. The primary end point was Lund-Mackay computed tomography (LMK-CT) score, quantifying sinus opacification, at 52 weeks. Secondary end points were multiplicity-controlled and hierarchically …

Developing The Whole Child: A Retrospective Ethnographic Case Study Of Prosocial Learning Efforts At One Elementary School, Bevan Brown

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

An alarming trend among elementary-aged students in the United States exhibiting significant deficits in social-emotional competency development has intensified since the Covid-19 pandemic. Challenges in developing competent prosocial skills in the elementary-aged years have been associated with difficulties in emotional regulation and social interactions, which can result in compromising school readiness and long-term academic success. Existing school infrastructure provides a vehicle for early intervention, specifically in supporting students with poor social and emotional wellbeing. Thus, the need for innovative pedagogical and instructional approaches that address the complex challenges of the 21st century has become increasingly essential. Coordinated approaches to prosocial …

Enhanced Atomization And Combustion In Subsonic Ljic Systems Using Ultrasonically Driven Solid Obstructions, Daniel Sebastian Cruz

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

The liquid fueling methods used in aircraft propulsion have undergone extensive optimization, with Liquid Jets in Crossflow (LJIC) emerging as a simple yet effective injection scheme. LJIC enables sufficient fuel mass flow rates and penetration for high-speed operation, however fuel trajectory and droplet size remain highly sensitive to crossflow conditions. As a result, wide flight envelopes introduce variability in atomization, leading to unsteady combustion performance. Recent work has incorporated a pintile, a solid obstruction placed in the path of the fuel jet, to redistribute momentum and reduce trajectory variability across varying flow conditions. While this approach improves trajectory uniformity, it …

Examining Team Leader Visual Dynamics And Team Performance In Pediatric Emergency Simulations, Annamarie Brosnihan

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Pediatric medical emergencies are dynamic, high-intensity clinical situations that demand coordinated interdisciplinary actions for optimal patient outcomes. Effective teamwork and leadership are critical, especially during the preparatory phase. Here, team leaders define task goals, assign individual roles, and maintain situational awareness. This phase directs attention, organizes team dynamics, and ensures medical interventions are deployed properly. Medical simulations provide a unique opportunity to capture dynamic leadership behaviors in a controlled low-stakes environment using multimodal data, such as eye tracking, to gain insight into team leader cognitive processes (i.e., attention allocation and information processing). Prior research suggests that leaders who visually attend …

Detection And Discrimination Of Targets In Infrared Imagery, Adam T. Cuellar

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Automated infrared (IR) imagery analysis is essential for persistent surveillance, defense, and security, yet it remains difficult when sensors move and when unknown objects appear. This dissertation addresses two fundamental problems: (1) detecting small moving targets amid platform-motion induced parallax and (2) distinguishing between known stationary targets and out-of-distribution (OOD) objects.   For detecting moving targets while the platform itself is in motion, auxiliary Global Positioning System and Inertial Navigation System data are combined with image analysis. Direction Cosine Matrices from calibrated inertial measurements enable sub-pixel frame alignment unattainable with purely image-based registration. The stabilized sequence is processed by a Reed–Xiaoli …

Structural Design And Development Of Deployable Propeller Blade, Annan Mashin

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Aerospace systems frequently face competing requirements between compact packaging and high aerodynamic performance. Large propellers improve efficiency and thrust generation, yet launch constraints and confined storage volumes limit their maximum span. Conventional deployable solutions rely on hinges, locking mechanisms, and external actuation, increasing mechanical complexity and reducing reliability. This dissertation investigates an alternative approach in which elastic instabilities in thin composite shells are deliberately harnessed to enable rapid, mechanism- free deployment of aerodynamic structures. This work harnesses propagating instability in open- section thin-walled airfoil geometries to enable reversible transformation between compact stowed and stiff deployed configurations. By tailoring structural architecture, …

Perceptions Of High School Students’ Sports Participation And Potential Impact On Post-Secondary Involvement, Anthony J. Wishart

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This dissertation examined the shifting culture of youth sports in the United States and its impact on academic motivation among adolescent student athletes. The study utilized Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as a framework. Traditionally, youth sports have helped students with personal growth and academic success. However, the contemporary emphasis on early sport specialization and the decline of opportunities in nonrevenue male sports are part of broader cultural shifts and require deeper exploration.

This study investigated the relationship between sport specialization among high school male junior and senior student athletes and their levels of academic motivation, as well as the consequences of …

Invisible Stress, Visible Patterns: How The Superwoman Schema Shapes Diet And Feeding Practices In Black Mothers And Their Youth During The Summer Versus School Months, Jillian Weathington

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Background: Black mothers are frequently socialized into the Superwoman Schema (SWS), a coping pattern characterized by self-sacrifice and suppression of personal needs. Alongside significant caregiving demands, SWS may limit healthy eating opportunities, yet its relationship with diet quality (DQ) remains understudied. SWS may also intensify during unstructured summer periods. This study examined associations between SWS, perceived stress, and DQ among Black mothers and their youth during summer (T1) and school months (T2).

Methods: This observational within-subjects study included Black mothers (T1: n=51; T2: n=32; mean age 39.6±6.1) and their youth (mean age 10.6±0.3). Assessments occurred at two timepoints six weeks …

The Impact Of Criminal Justice System Contact On Adolescents In The U.S.: Prescription Drug Misuse, Marijuana Use, Health Outcomes, And Demographic Characteristics, Fadime Gokce Karaaslan

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Criminal justice system (CJS) contact remains a pervasive feature of social life in the United States, with both direct and indirect consequences for adolescents and their families. Although previous research has explored the consequences of direct CJS contact, less is known about how indirect or vicarious contact affects adolescents’ well-being and substance use. Drawing on data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), this study investigates the association between parental incarceration and vicarious police stops, defined as police stops involving parents, siblings, friends, neighbors, or other social ties, and adolescent well-being. Findings indicate that CJS contact is …

Gaining Voice, Creating Opportunity: An Exploration Of Non-Native English-Speaking Students’ Sources Of Self-Efficacy In U.S. College Public Speaking Classrooms, Desiree M M Flores-Molina

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This qualitative dissertation explores the sources of public speaking self-efficacy among non-native English-speaking international students enrolled in U.S. college public speaking courses. The study applies Bandura's social cognitive theory to examine how students describe the experiences that shape their confidence and perceived ability to succeed, with attention to mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion, and physiological and affective states. It also considers how classroom practices and instructor support contribute to or constrain students' confidence.

Data were collected through semi-structured student interviews, guided reflection artifacts connected to major speech assignments, and key-informant interviews with public speaking instructors. Thematic analysis was used …

Establishment Of An In Vitro Dss-Induced Epithelial Injury Model To Investigate Il-6 Signaling And Microbial Metabolite Mediated Barrier Recovery, Srijal Kunwar

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Dextran sodium sulphate (DSS) is widely used in vivo to induce epithelial injury; however, the molecular effects of DSS on intestinal epithelial cells, that investigate inflammatory and metabolic repair mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we establish an in vitro DSS-induced epithelial damage model using differentiated Caco-2 cell monolayer. Exposure to 2.5%(w/v) DSS for 24 hours resulted in significant upregulation of pore forming protein Claudin-2(2.677-fold) and oxidative marker, NOX-1(1.866-fold), accompanied by increased ROS production confirmed via DHE staining. Increased epithelial permeability was observed by TEER analysis, without significant cytotoxicity. Surprisingly, ELISA analysis revealed significant downregulation of IL-6 (p-value …

Advances In Active And Passive Integrated Photonic Devices On Thin-Film Lithium Niobate, Pooja S. Kulkarni

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) has emerged as a powerful platform for integrated photonics, combining the exceptional electro-optic, nonlinear, and optical properties of bulk lithium niobate with the scalability and compactness of planar nanophotonic technologies. Building on these principles, advanced device architectures such as adiabatic dichroic filters have demonstrated exceptional spectral performance spanning over two octaves of bandwidth on the TFLN platform. Beyond reciprocal devices, it also offers promising pathways toward integrated nonreciprocal components. By leveraging broadband filtering structures and advanced nonlinear photonic design strategies, compact and monolithic optical isolators can be envisioned without relying on traditional magneto-optic materials. In the …

Modeling And Mitigating Atmospheric Degradation In Computer Vision With Application In Renewable Energy Prediction, Sumit Laha

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Weather-induced variability poses significant challenges to the reliability and performance of modern computational systems, particularly those relying on visual perception and environmental prediction. This dissertation focuses on enhancing computer vision and machine learning based predictive models that operate under varying atmospheric conditions. Two representative weather-impacted applications are investigated: image dehazing and solar photovoltaic (PV) power output forecasting. Image dehazing focuses on the restoration of clear, unobstructed visuals from hazy or foggy images, a task that is vital for various applications. On the other hand, photovoltaic (PV) power forecasting aims to predict future solar energy generation based on historical sky images …

The Amanah Project: A Pilot Educational Intervention Addressing Intimate Partner Violence In Muslim Communities In The United States, Tamara Makki

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This study is a two-part manuscript dissertation that addresses the need for culturally and faith-based responsive interventions for intimate partner violence (IPV) within the Muslim community in the United States (U.S). The first manuscript is a conceptual and literature-based paper that examines IPV within the Muslim community in the U.S. and explores the intersection of religion, culture, patriarchy, and systemic barriers influencing survivors’ help-seeking experiences. Particular attention is given to issues of accessibility, including the limited availability of culturally and religiously responsive IPV services for Muslim survivors. This manuscript argues for the development of culturally responsive, faith-integrated approaches that improve …

Coordinated Whole-Body Dynamic Pressing And Reaction Inhibition — Impact Of High-Intensity Intermittent Exercise And Dehydration, Modesto A. Lebron

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Dynamic whole-body pressing movements are an imperative aspect of various sport and occupational settings, requiring motor coordination to kinetically sequence from lower- to upper-extremities. Recently, exercises such as the jammer arm punch press (JPP) have increased in popularity, promoted as an exercise to improve strength and force transfer. While the JPP has observed increased practical utility, its use in research is limited potentially due to difficulties with quantifying exercise intensity. One method to quantify exercise intensity is the assessment of velocity, serving as the basis for velocity-based training. For optimization, this strategy requires an understanding of velocity ranges and their …

Performance Analysis Of Labyrinth And Hybrid Seals For Supercritical Co₂ Turbomachinery Applications, Ghanshyam Sarobar Mandal

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Leaks account for large losses in turbomachinery systems, which has led to research on sealing technologies. The work presented studies the effect of a hybrid seal combining conventional labyrinth geometry and honeycomb structure by simulating supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO₂) flow through this geometry. The CFD solver compares effects such as changes in mass flow rate, formation of vortices, pressure profile, and seal performance as geometry angles of labyrinth teeth and honeycomb walls change at conditions normally found at higher pressures in these seals. Honeycomb walls were placed on the stator, ranging from 125°< θc< 55°. Labyrinth teeth were placed on the rotor at the same degrees. Honeycomb cell diameters were also varied, creating more resistance and turbulence within the flow. It was discovered that the honeycomb angle created stronger effects on vortices and boundary layer formation, while the labyrinth angle mainly affected the throttling of flow and loss generation. Combining all three angles created a relationship dictating the seal leakage. Dimensions of seals were based on gas turbine seals with changes to meet sCO₂ conditions. ANSYS was used to simulate static and rotating conditions until convergence on a specific geometry

Communication College Students And Their Career Readiness: An Evaluation From The Employer's Perspective, Carson Mann

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Higher education institutions are seen as places that educate students in specific subjects and provide training that leads to either a career or further learning opportunities. Unfortunately, public trust in higher education has plummeted since 2015. The evolution of higher education has been the subject of speculation by various groups, but developing translational skills through effective internships could very well solve the issue at hand. Institutions ought to have data -driven evidence about their disciplines’ effectiveness and their translational ability to the workforce. To understand this, student career readiness must be evaluated. Students' career readiness is a vital measure of …

Circle Actions On Oriented 4-Manifolds, Donghoon Jang, Oleg R. Musin

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

In this present paper, we consider an action of the circle group on a compact oriented 4-manifold. We derive the Atiyah–Hirzebruch formula for the manifold, and associate a graph in terms of data on the fixed point set. We show in the case of isolated fixed points that if an abstract graph satisfies the Atiyah–Hirzebruch formula, then there exists a corresponding 4-dimensional oriented S1-manifold.

The Impact Of Pre-Trial Attitudes And Educational Jury Instructions : Juror Decision-Making In Mens Rea Cases Involving Mental Illness, Victoria E. O'Connell

Theses

Juror decision-making in cases involving mental illness is shaped by legal understanding and subjective attitudes. This study examined how juror attitudes and jury instruction type influence the application of mens rea defenses—Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI), Diminished Capacity (DC), and Guilty but Mentally Ill (GBMI)—in criminal case vignettes involving defendants with mental health presentations. Enhanced jury instructions improved understanding of mens rea concepts but did not improve the application of these concepts to verdict decisions. Biases against mens rea defenses were associated with DC verdict decisions, with more negative NGRI attitudes predicting less legally accurate but more confident …

Down The Rabbit Hole : A Journey Of Writing And Liberation, Mckenzie Sharp

Theses

Down the Rabbit Hole: A Journey of Writing and Liberation is a hybrid creative thesis composed of poetry, memoir, and auto-fiction that explores trauma, mental illness, abuse, and resilience through non-linear narrative and surrealist imagery. This collection examines writing as both a survival practice and reclamation of agency after prolonged silencing by drawing on feminist theory, trauma studies, and experimental literature techniques. Structured as an anthology, the thesis mirrors fractured memory and identity and the cyclical nature of healing. Organized into three chapters— “Awakening,” “Deconstruction,” and “Enlightenment”—the collection traces recognition of harm, dismantling of inherited belief systems, and the ongoing …

The Impact Of Stereotype Threat And Grit On The Experience Of Imposter Syndrome, Lindsey C. Davis

Theses

Imposter syndrome (IP) is a psychological phenomenon in which one has an internal experience of intellectual phoniness. Past researchers have found that overall females tend to report higher levels of IP than men, with Stereotype Threat (ST) being a cited explanation. A common denominator in much of the literature is how belongingness can activate ST in females. It has been found that individuals high in IP, especially females, tend to experience poor mental health outcomes. Past research has also established a link between IP and conscientiousness in females, a personality trait related to the facet of grit. The current study …

Application Of A Scale-Resolving Turbulence Model To Supersonic Retropropulsion Flows In Earth And Martian Atmospheres, Rebecca Thompson

Theses

The Blended Partially-Averaged Navier-Stokes (BPANS) turbulence model was used to simulate complex turbulent compressible flows seen in supersonic retropropulsion (SRP). The model was incorporated in the OpenFOAM solver sonicFoam to investigate SRP flows in Earth and Martian atmospheres. The new sonicFoam with BPANS was first tested for subsonic flows using the shear flow benchmark case of flow around a cylinder. Results show good agreement of velocity profiles with experimental values. SonicFoam was then validated for compressible flows using an experimental SRP configuration. Pressure coefficient distribution along the forebody and aft body of the geometry show good agreement with experimental results. …

A Complex Systems Integration Analysis Approach, Tamia Neal

Theses

It has been said that if the building blocks of a system were designed and implemented correctly, then their subsequent integration would be straightforward. The complex systems integration analysis approach presented in this thesis provides the mechanisms to construct those blocks. A spectral clustering algorithm is used to cluster elements into modules, and the normalized integrative complexity metric is used to evaluate the portion of structural complexity that can be attributed to integrating a system from its modules. Together, the algorithm and metric identify which aggregates of system elements reduce the complexity of the integration effort. The proposed integration analysis …

Modeling And Characterization Of Pond And Fresh Ash Leaching In Citric Acid, Christina Fleming

Theses

Resourcing rare earth elements (REEs) from coal ash offers the opportunity to recycle industrial waste and reduce national dependence on foreign suppliers. In this research, the leaching behaviors of pond and fresh ash were studied to evaluate their suitability for REE recovery. Concentrations of REEs in leachates were measured and compared to kinetic models from literature, and the ash was analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) to characterize the observed behaviors. The pond ash leachate exhibited lower REE concentrations with steady release patterns, likely due to the acid resistant, REE-bearing aluminosilicate glass phases. In contrast, the …

Observations Of Internal Boundary Layers And Near-Surface Wind Estimation During The Landfalls Of Hurricanes Ida (2021), Zeta (2020), And Laura (2020), Zebulon W. Leffler

Theses

Accurately estimating near-surface winds during hurricane landfalls is crucial for enhancing situational awareness and facilitating post-storm recovery efforts. Previous studies have used coastal radar Velocity Azimuth Display (VAD) winds to estimate 10-m winds during hurricane landfalls; however, a notable weak bias was observed. This work demonstrates that the significant weak bias results from neglecting the wind structure within a shallow internal boundary layer (IBL). Results from an operational radar VAD analysis during the landfalls of Hurricanes Ida (2021) and Zeta (2020) indicate that leveraging the IBL winds is essential for accurate 10-m wind estimates during hurricane landfalls. Additionally, a theoretical …

Evaluating The Operational Performance Of Diverging Diamond Interchanges Under High Heavy Vehicle Traffic Using Synchro Traffic Simulation Software, Hannah Duke

Theses

Diverging Diamond Interchanges (DDIs) are increasingly used to improve traffic flow and safety, particularly where left-turn volumes are high. However, their operational performance under high heavy vehicle percentages has not yet been evaluated. This thesis investigates the impact of varying HV percentages and traffic volumes at a sample DDI location. Traffic simulation using Synchro software was used to model the DDI under scenarios with varying heavy vehicle percentages and varying volumes. This approach allowed evaluation of traffic growth and increasing heavy vehicle presence on DDI performance, capturing realistic operational conditions for freight-heavy corridors. Key performance measures included average control delay, …

Characterization Of Krypton Ion Sputtering Of Spacecraft Materials Using Electric Propulsion, Ethan Cummins

Theses

In the field of electric propulsion (EP), xenon is the most commonly used gas for ionization. However, krypton has been identified as a potential substitute due to its high specific impulse and low cost compared to xenon. Therefore, there is a desire to understand the effects of using krypton. In EP, sputtering of spacecraft materials downstream of the ion engines have proven to be an issue during long duration missions. This research observes how krypton ions sputter a variety of spacecraft materials (anodized aluminum, glass, BN ceramic, and Kapton). The experiments in this study subject materials to different sputtering variables …

Average Heat Flux Measurements In A 25 Mm Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine, Yash Patel

Theses

The average heat flux of a 25 mm rotating detonation rocket engines (RDREs) in an annular center body (CB) and a cylindrical center bodiless (CBL) configuration is measured using a water-based calorimeter. The heat flux sensitivity for both geometric configurations are explored as a function of mass flux (ψ) for a constant equivalence ratio = 1.25 using gaseous methane and oxygen. The average heat flux of the CBL geometry is on average 47% higher at each axial location than the CB geometry for a given ψ. The peak heat flux measured for the CBL chamber is 25.58 ± 0.58 MW/m² …

Spatially-Distributed Imu Array Navigation : Virtual Imu And Federated Approaches With Applications To Uncrewed Aerial Systems, Jackson Neese

Theses

This thesis investigated lever arm effects on distributed inertial measurement unit (IMU) array navigation and evaluated the performance of multiple fusion architectures with applications to uncrewed aerial systems (UAS). The Kalman Filters comprise of three filters: a naive baseline, a filter tracking lever arm as a filter state, and a filter constraining lever arm state estimates around known values. These filters feed into a virtual IMU fusing raw measurements and a federated filter combining output states. Each are evaluated with equal, static, and dynamic weighting based on lever arm and sensor noise. Experiments on indoor and outdoor UAS datasets reveal …