Digital Commons Network^™

Modeling Complex Dynamic Systems Using Graph Neural Networks, Shruti Udupa

Computer Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

Our work investigates the use of Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) for modeling complex dynamic systems. Understanding dynamic systems is essential for comprehending how physical and social interactions in real-world systems evolve over time and how they can be influenced or controlled. Conventional techniques often use differential equations and numerical methods, which are computationally expensive and demand detailed knowledge of the system’s physical behavior. GNNs provide an alternative by adopting a data-driven approach that learns directly from data, making them especially valuable for systems without closed-form solutions. This work aims to harness GNNs to predict and simulate dynamic behaviors in graph-based …

Investigation Of Bone Structure And Composition Differences In Osteofibrous Dysplasia And Neurofibromatosis Type 1, Farzaneh Fereidouni

Material Science and Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Abstract

Investigation of Bone Structure and Composition Differences in Osteofibrous Dysplasia and Neurofibromatosis Type 1

Farzaneh Fereidouni, Ph.D.

The University of Texas at Arlington, 2024

Supervising Professor: Harry F. Tibbals

Bone genetic diseases such as Osteofibrous Dysplasia (OFD) and Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) present significant challenges, particularly in children, due to their effects on skeletal homeostasis. This study aims to apply advanced material analysis to elucidate the biological disparities associated with OFD and NF1 bone dysplasia and contribute to developing diagnostic protocols and remediation approaches for these and similar bone disorders.

By employing various analytical methods, including analysis of mineral-to-matrix …

Predicting Future States With Spatial Point Processes In Single Molecule Resolution Spatial Transcriptomics, Biraaj Rout

Computer Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

In this thesis, we present an innovative framework centered around the application of Random Forest Regression to forecast the prospective distribution of cells expressing the Sog-D gene (active cells) during the embryogenesis process in Drosophila. Our methodology specifically targets the Anterior-to-posterior (AP) and Dorsal-to-Ventral (DV) axes, unraveling the intricacies of gene expression control in living organisms at super-resolution, single-molecule resolution through whole embryo spatial transcriptomics imaging. The Random Forest Regression model serves as a pivotal tool in predicting the succeeding stage’s active cell distribution, capitalizing on the insights obtained from the preceding stage. We integrate temporally resolved, spatial point processes …

Unsupervised Machine Learning In Wireless Sensor Measurements And Hyperspectral Imaging, Abrar U. Alam

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The increasing demand for real-time analysis of sensor data in dynamic environments necessitates innovative approaches to data clustering. This work introduces a novel Online Kernel Clustering (OKC) framework that efficiently determines time-varying clustering configurations without requiring training data. The proposed method employs sparse kernel factorization, guided by a time-dependent metric to quantify the closeness of kernel similarity matrices to a block diagonal structure. By processing data sequentially, the OKC framework is tailored for non-stationary settings. The optimization process integrates block coordinate descent, difference-of-convex functions minimization, and projected sub-gradient descent to iteratively update kernel covariance matrices and cluster memberships online. Numerical …

Design And Experimentation Of Novel Human Head Surrogate Models For Sensing Traumatic Brain Injury, Arthur T. Koster

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Brain injury is a significant source of mortality in the US and has been an important area of research over the past century. The need to understand injury thresholds and pathology coupled with the difficulty of measuring relevant injury mechanisms in a living subject logically gives rise to the idea that researchers need to create head models for use in simulation and experimentation. This study focuses on understanding the effects of material properties, size, and shape on the dynamic response of a head model so that head models used in simulations and experiments can more accurately represent the real human …

Experimental Investigations And Optimization Of 3d Printed Cellular Structures For Protection Against Traumatic Brain Injury, Aaron R. Jackson

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) disrupts brain function due to head impacts, blast exposures, and ballistic penetrations. It is a significant cause of mental health issues and disability, particularly among military personnel. Historically, combat helmets were designed primarily to protect against fragments. However, recent data highlights the need for helmets that also protect against blast and blunt impacts. Effective TBI prevention requires helmets that address various energy threats while remaining lightweight. A critical metric in this effort is head acceleration, which is closely linked to injury across different scales of brain damage.

Four lattice structures were 3D printed using Digital ABS …

Cooperative Navigation In Gps-Denied Environments Using Visual Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (Slam), Rakesh Yadav

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

In this thesis, an application of RTAB-Map’s visual SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) is used to explore autonomous cooperative navigation in GPS-denied environment using a rover and a quadrotor. The primary objective is to enhance cooperative navigation by allowing the rover and the drone to guide each other using the maps constructed or generated by them. The map is generated using the RTAB-Map SLAM technique using stereo camera only. The thesis addresses three major issues: quality of map created by UAV and UGV, the visual odometry drift, and the robustness of the cooperative framework in the static and dynamic environment. …

Study Of A Multi-Agent Containment Problem Under Communication Constraints And Defense From Malicious Agents, Braulio Mora

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

This thesis investigates a multi-agent containment problem where a fast evader, moving at a constant speed and heading, attempts to escape a circular containment region. A team of slow pursuers possess a nonzero capture radius and seek to capture the evader before escape. The research addresses two primary scenarios: one involving the team of pursuers, with no communication network, being constrained to the edge of the containment region, and the second involving a team of pursuers, with a communication network, not being constrained to the edge of the containment region. Both scenarios study the influence of malicious agents in the …

Nonlinear Guidance And Control Of Unmanned Aerial Manipulators For Delivering A Payload On A Moving Platform, Ravi Gyawali

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

Unmanned Aerial manipulators (UAMs) are a class of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) equipped with a manipulator. By combining the aerial mobility of a UAV with a manipulator's dexterity, these hybrid systems can perform a wide range of complex tasks while reducing risks and costs. As a result, they are increasingly being utilized for military, industrial, and agricultural applications.

The thesis presents a novel approach for a multi-UAM system to collaboratively deliver a payload on a stationary or maneuvering platform. A sliding-mode-based guidance law, sourced from existing literature, is integrated with a combined control technique for the UAVs and their respective …

Generalizable Fugitive Carrier Method For 3d Printing Of Hydrogels, Hakan Arslan

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Hydrogels, with physical characteristics resembling biological soft tissues, hold great potential for bioinspired and biomedical applications. However, using them in additive manufacturing systems has challenges because of their poor mechanical and rheological properties. In response to these challenges, we introduce a fugitive carrier method, a novel and generalizable approach for materials incompatible with pneumatic-based extrusion three-dimensional (3D) printers. Our developed fugitive carrier method allows the 3D printing of a broad spectrum of hydrogel precursors with low viscosity while retaining their inherent properties. This technique has been successfully demonstrated by creating biomimetic structures with anisotropic and programmable systems utilizing temperature-sensitive hydrogel …

School Copaganda In The Us South: Tinsel, Twinkle, And Police-Youth Programming, Hannah Carson Baggett, Kaitlyn Selman

Faculty Publications - Criminal Justice Sciences

Told in schools across the US for decades, Officer Friendly is a story about policing. Through the literal reading of books like Miss Frances’ 1953 Your Friend the Policeman, visits from McGruff the Crime Dog, and even the ever-expanding TikTok world of dancing SROs, the story remains the same: police keep us safe from the bad guys. In this paper, we draw on data from school and police social media accounts in a community in Alabama to expose the bad faith underpinnings of this story, and how it functions through ‘friendly’ police-youth programming in schools. This story relies on at …

Beyond The Visual: The Impacts Of Urban Soundscapes On Landscape Design And User Experience, Beth Sipzner

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses - Archive

The purpose of this research is to examine how visual stimuli affect an individual’s perception of the soundscape. Soundscapes are the acoustic environment perceived by people, whose character is determined by the action and interaction of natural and human factors (Maffei & Masullo, 2019), also understood as the overall sound environment perceived by people. By understanding user perception and preferences, designers can create more aesthetically pleasing spaces that align with the sounds of urban life. The research poses two questions: (1) What are aural and visual elements that impact urban soundscape experiences? and (2) How do aural and visual stimuli …

Cultivating Change: Enhancing Urban Agriculture Through Landscape Architecture Design, Patricia Cerda

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses - Archive

The objective of this research is to examine the advantages of applying landscape architecture design principles to urban agriculture landscapes. The study investigates the current and past instances of implementing agriculture in urban areas to comprehend how they benefit the community and local environment and create a connection between people and the food they consume. The study aims to explore how landscape architecture can be efficiently applied to urban farming practices to establish a meaningful and sustainable connection between individuals and their food. The study will be guided by three research questions: (1) What are the environmental benefits associated with …

Stomach And Womb: Early Modern Recipes For The Perinatal Woman, Grace E. Beacham

English Theses - Archive

Stomach and Womb examines the recipes from early modern obstetrical treatises and midwifery manuals, revealing an ontology of parturiency that winds through the concurrent Shakespearean plays, Twelfth Night and The Winter’s Tale. Gynecological and obstetrical texts from the era detail how pregnant women were to order themselves after conception with utmost concern for their diet, governing the outputs of their bodies by managing the inputs, the foods they ingested before, during, and after pregnancy and childbirth. Further, the associated images of the stomach and the womb during this time present an essential link between foodways and a construct of …

The Role Of Uchl1 In Skeletal Muscle Development And Regeneration, Ryan Antony

Dissertations and Theses

Ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1) is a deubiquitinating enzyme that was originally discovered in neurons. UCHL1 is also expressed in skeletal muscle, but its functions remain to be fully understood. Myogenesis is a critical process involved in embryonic development, growth, and regeneration following injury. Skeletal muscle injury is prevalent in trauma and surgical procedures, and skeletal muscle ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury is a common yet dangerous public health problem. Here we reported that UCHL1 negatively affects muscle growth during aging as well as the regeneration process following IR injury. First, we observed that UCHL1 knockdown in C2C12 myoblasts resulted in increased …

Orange Mesocarp Extract As A Natural Surfactant: Impact On Fluid−Fluid And Fluid−Rock Interactions During Chemical Flooding, Amalate Ann Obuebite, Obumneme Onyeka Okwonna, William Iheanyi Eke, Onyewuchi Akaranta

All Grantees Publications

Surfactant flooding has suffered a huge setback owing to its cost and the ecotoxic nature of synthetic surfactants. The potential of natural surfactants for enhanced oil recovery has attracted a great deal of research interest in recent times. In this research, orange mesocarp extract (OME) was studied as a potential green surface-active agent in recovering heavy oil. The extract obtained from the orange (Citrus sinensis) mesocarp using alkaline water as solvent was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry . Phase behavior was studied to ascertain its stability at 100 °C and compatibility with divalent ions. Microemulsion system, interfacial …

In-Vitro Study On Cellular Damage Of Chemobrain, Zitao Ma

Selected Full-Text Master Theses 2021-

Chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (CICI), commonly referred to as "Chemobrain", represents a significant challenge for cancer survivors, affecting their quality of life by impairing memory, attention, and executive function. This study aims to elucidate the mechanisms behind CICI and evaluate the efficacy of potential neuroprotective agents in mitigating its effects. By focusing and developing in-vitro models, including differentiated SH-SY5Y neuron-like cells, undifferentiated SH- SY5Y neuroblastoma cells and co-culture systems with astrocytoma CCF-STTG1 and human microglia HMC3 cells, this study provides insights into the cellular and molecular alterations induced by chemotherapy and explores the protective capacities of selected compounds.

Chemotherapy drugs such …

Farmers’ Perception And Practice Of Soil Fertility Management And Conservation In The Era Of Digital Soil Information Systems In Southwest Nigeria, Sakiru O. Akinbode, Olusegun Folorunso, Taiwo S. Olutoberu, Florence A. Olowokere, Muftau Adebayo, Sodeeq O. Azeez, Sarafadeen G. Hammed, Mutiu A. Busari

All Grantees Publications

This study assessed the perception and use of digital applications for soil fertility management and conservation strategies among small-scale crop farmers in southwest Nigeria. A total of 376 farmers were randomly selected across the six southwest states. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The majority of the farmers relied on perception and other non-scientific approaches such as the appearance of weeds and performance of crops in the previous season to assess soil fertility. Only 1.1% and 0.3% of the farmers assessed soil fertility through soil tests and digital applications, respectively. Most farmers adopted bush fallowing and the use …

Habitat Use And Movements Of Parrotfishes In A Hawaiian Coral Reef Seascape, Senifa F. Annandale, Jason P. Turner, Daniel L. Lippi, Michael Dance, R. J.David Wells, Jay R. Rooker

Faculty Publications

Parrotfishes (family Scaridae) are important to coral reef ecosystems and highly prized by both commercial and recreational fishers in the Hawaiian Islands. Although parrotfishes are known to be strictly diurnal, our knowledge of their habitat use and movement patterns across daily timescales in tropical systems is still somewhat limited. Here, acoustic telemetry was used to determine parrotfish habitat use and movements within a coral reef seascape at Puakō, Hawai‘i. An array of acoustic receivers was deployed in a nearshore reef to track fine-scale movements of two common species: ember parrotfish (Scarus rubroviolaceus) and palenose parrotfish (Scarus psittacus). Transmitters were mounted …

Seaweed As A Resilient Food Solution After A Nuclear War, Florian Ulrich Jehn, Farrah Jasmine Dingal, Aron Mill, Cheryl Harrison, Ekaterina Ilin, Michael Y. Roleda, Scott C. James, David Denkenberger

Faculty Publications

Abrupt sunlight reduction scenarios such as a nuclear winter caused by the burning of cities in a nuclear war, an asteroid/comet impact or an eruption of a large volcano inject large amounts of particles in the atmosphere, which limit sunlight. This could decimate agriculture as it is practiced today. We therefore need resilient food sources for such an event. One promising candidate is seaweed, as it can grow quickly in a wide range of environmental conditions. To explore the feasibility of seaweed after nuclear war, we simulate the growth of seaweed on a global scale using an empirical model based …

Individuals Who Experience Intimate Partner Violence And Their Engagement With The Legal System: Critical Considerations For Agency And Power, Iris Cardenas, Laurie M. Graham, Marcela Sarmiento Mellinger, Laura Ting

Journal of Health Care Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

Unh: The Magazine Of The University Of New Hampshire, Winter 2024, Unh Magazine

UNH Magazine

No abstract provided.

Faculty Highlights, Inquiry Editors

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

No abstract provided.

The Integrated Cyclone / Esp For Lunar Dust Filtration, Toma Benarfa Moyne, Joseph Jeon, Isabella Kam, Maia Kawamura, Emily Lukas, Emily Schuster, Maxwell Weiner

ENGS 89/90 Reports

The Integrated Cyclone/ESP is a novel air filtration technology developed to remove the entire respirable range of particles from human habitats in the lunar environment. Managing dust has been a major problem on past missions to the moon. Astronauts reported allergy-like symptoms and eye and lung irritation from frequent dust exposure. Moreover, the inhalation of fine particulate matter has been directly linked to long-term cardiovascular and respiratory disorders as well as strokes and premature death. NASA currently employs HEPA filters to purify air in human habitats. The HEPA filter is highly efficient, but requires frequent replacement of filters, which are …

Automated Mapping Of !Nara In Namibia’S Ephemeral River Corridors, Luc Cote, Elise Donovan, Dylan Lawler, Mara Mccollor, Kendall Weingart

ENGS 89/90 Reports

In this project we develop a user-friendly remote sensing program which, given satellite data, accurately returns locations of !nara melons—a keystone plant species local to the Namib Desert of Namibia. To do so, we utilize pre-existing image segmentation techniques in addition to employing a satellite frequency band-based classification approach on each image segment. This tool can be used to provide important information about how !nara distribution is changing temporally and spatially, an indicator for changes in the hydro-climate of the Namib Desert, thus extending researchers’ ability to track and understand climate change in this remote region in an affordable and …

Uv Self-Sterilizing Central Line Catheter, Madeleine Brown, Anna Byrd, Taylor Floyd, Eoin Hourihane, Anna Pahl

ENGS 89/90 Reports

Central-line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) are a potentially lethal side effect of central-line catheter insertion and use. Currently, there are no targeted approaches to reduce the risk of developing a CLABSI. This project aims to develop a UV-based sterilization system to sterilize incoming catheter fluid. The final design is a single-channel attachment that attaches to a patient catheter port via Luer locks, with UV-LED diodes placed on top of a quartz glass window in the channel to sterilize fluid as it flows through the device. This report describes four primary technical objectives, including measuring the radiation achieved by UV-LED diodes, …

Diseño Para Quimbaya, Cristina Urbano Valero

Grado en Diseño de Producto

El presente proyecto presenta el proceso de diseño de piezas exclusivas para un restaurante colombiano con una Estrella MICHELIN en Madrid, siguiendo un enfoque integral desde la investigación inicial hasta los primeros acercamientos a la producción final. Utilizando la metodología de Design Thinking y realizando sesiones de co-diseño con el chef del restaurante, se desarrollaron piezas que reflejan la identidad cultural colombiana y ofrecen una experiencia gastronómica única. La investigación incluyó una profunda exploración del país, desde las culturas indígenas hasta el arte y el pasado Quimbaya, un análisis detallado del sector de la alta gastronomía y necesidades específicas. Durante …

Bs Wildlife, Fisheries, And Conservation, Fisheries 2024-25, Arkansas State University - Jonesboro

Bachelor of Science and Education

No abstract provided.

Multidimensional Data Visualization And Synchronization For Revealing Hidden Pandemic Information, Qi Zhang, Nikhil Maram

Faculty Publications - Information Technology

Visualization is integral to uncovering hidden information in data and providing users with intuitive feedback for decision-making. Data visualization is crucial for transforming complex data into actionable insights across various domains. In recent years, coronavirus disease vaccines have become increasingly available to much of the population. However, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) often fails to consider multidimensional coronavirus pandemic data from a side-by-side perspective, limiting the ability of medical professionals and individuals to compare and interact with comprehensive data visualizations. Effectively displaying coronavirus and vaccination data collected from multiple sources is essential for interpreting pandemic transmission patterns …

Avian Extraembryonic Membranes Respond To Yolk Corticosterone Early In Development, Emily P. Harders, Mitch Agustin, Ryan T. Paitz

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

During times of maternal stress, developing embryos can be exposed to elevated levels of glucocorticoids which can affect development and permanently alter offspring phenotype. In placental species, the placenta mediates fetal exposure to maternal glucocorticoids via metabolism, yet the placenta itself responds to glucocorticoids to regulate offspring growth and development. In oviparous species, maternal glucocorticoids can be deposited into the egg yolk and are metabolized early in development. This metabolism is mediated by the extraembryonic membranes, but it is unknown if the extraembryonic membranes also respond to maternal glucocorticoids in a way comparable to the placenta. In this study, we …