Pria: Process Risk Identification And Analysis, Raymond Fasano

Nuclear Engineering ETDs

This dissertation proposes and evaluates two approaches, with-in a Process Risk and Analysis (PRIA) framework, that advance data-driven hazard discovery in complex cyber-physical systems. First, a transferability-based clustering method groups subspace-identified segments into operational modes, prioritizing cross-predictive performance over raw feature proximity. Second, a Neural Switching Linear Dynamical System (NeuralSLDS) model anchors learning in identified state-space models with Bayesian residuals, calibrated predictive uncertainty, and context-aware operating mode transitions. Together, these methods generate physics-informed, probabilistic world models that can support model-in-the-loop analysis of hazardous trajectories. The approach is validated on a simulated point-kinetics reactor and a centrifugal chiller dataset, demonstrating coherent …

Challenges And Strategies For Hypertension Control In The Young Generation In Indonesia: A Bibliometric Review, Gina Maratus Solihah, Dwi Prijatmoko, Novia Luthviatin

Preventia: The Indonesian Journal of Public Health

Hypertension among young people in Indonesia has become an increasingly alarming public health problem due to lifestyle changes, low awareness, and limited access to preventive health services. This review aims to analyze the challenges and strategies for controlling hypertension in young populations based on national and international literature, supported by bibliometric analysis. Data were obtained from the Web of Science (WOS) database and analyzed using VOSviewer to map research trends, keyword relationships, and collaboration networks related to hypertension in youth. The 2018 Riskesdas data showed that 34.1% of Indonesian adults aged ≥18 years had hypertension, with major risk factors including …

The Effect Of Early Intervention Programs On Literacy Performance Scores Of Kindergarten Students In One Central Arkansas School District, Abigail M. Stone

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

This study was conducted in a central Arkansas school district to see if going to the Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) Early Intervention Program located in that central Arkansas school district made a difference in how well kids did on their kindergarten reading test (NWEA MAP Growth). This was a quantitative, causal-comparative study, meaning the researcher looked at archived test scores from kindergarteners in Fall 2021 where some of the participants attended ABC Pre-K, and some did not.

The main goal of the study was to answer this research question: Is there a significant difference in kindergarten readiness literacy scores between …

Validating The Use Of Natural Language Processing And Text Mining For Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Programs And Criminal Justice Articles, Cyril S. Ku, Katheryne Pugliese, Jared R. Dmello, Morgan R. Peltier, Robert Green, Sheetal Ranjan

Department of Justice Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIPs) are a form of community violence intervention designed to address trauma resulting from violent injuries. This public health approach has been implemented across the United States since the 1990s, with numerous qualitative and quantitative studies evaluating its effectiveness. Manual systematic reviews by domain experts have helped identify major themes and research gaps. While these reviews are valuable for synthesizing the existing literature, thisprocess can be time-consuming and labor-intensive, given the vast amount of research in public health and criminal justice. To meet the urgent need for accessible insights into the violence-related literature, more efficient methods …

Conditional Generative Adversarial Network Framework For Iot Anomaly Detection, Henry Onyeka

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

The growing scale and complexity of Internet-of-Things (IoT) edge networks complicate anomaly detection, particularly in identifying sophisticated Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks and zero-day behaviors under highly dynamic and imbalanced traffic conditions. This thesis proposes SD-CGAN, a Conditional Generative Adverserial Network optimzied with Sinkhorn Divergence as a geometry-aware one-class framework for robust IoT anomaly detection. SD-CGAN trains solely on benign traffic flows to learn a stable representation of normal traffic. To address class imbalance and improve the variety of the sample, we combine SD-CGAN with CTGAN-based synthetic data augmentation. Replacing the adversarial objective function with Sinkhorn Divergence yields smooth …

A Functional Mri Meta-Analysis Encoding In Alzheimer’S Disease, Joanne Ha

Master's Theses

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and is characterized by episodic memory impairment. Numerous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have examined brain activity differences between individuals with AD and age-matched controls during memory encoding. However, small sample sizes and methodological variability across studies have limited the ability to draw meaningful conclusions regarding brain activity underlying encoding impairments. We conducted a meta-analysis to identify consistent patterns of hyperactivity and hypoactivity in AD during episodic memory encoding. Using PubMed to identify studies that met our inclusion criteria, 1,002 studies were screened; ultimately, seven studies were included in …

The Origin Of Cultural Programs At Whittier College, Laurens Chao

Whittier City & College Historical Research

No abstract provided.

Warehouse Reconfiguration With Ats Lab, Ed Cantor, Dana Pazhouhesh, Mathew Oshinski, Samantha Sanchez

Senior Design Project For Engineers

The ATS Lab Warehouse Reconfiguration project is a collaborative effort between Kennesaw State University’s Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and ATS Lab, located in Marietta, GA. The goal of this project is to redesign the current warehouse layout to enhance operational efficiency, reduce travel time, and implement sustainable inventory management practices, including 5S and Kanban. Aaron Roob, ATS Operations Manager, and Franklin Hungerford, Continuous Improvement Manager, led this initiative. Our team, “Sick Sigma’s,” is composed of Ed Cantor, our Project Manager, who is working as an intern at ATS during this process; Dana Pazhouhesh (Process Engineer); Matthew Oshinski (Quality …

Toxic Behaviors In Higher Education Institutions: Examining Demographic Factors Affecting Faculty Perceptions, Patrice C. Elder

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study examined the relationship between demographic factors and faculty perceptions of organizational toxicity at four-year higher education institutions. Using the Perceived Organizational Toxicity Scale (POTS), data were collected from 131 faculty members across Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The study investigated four dimensions of toxic behaviors: narcissistic, aggressive, unethical, and rigid behaviors. Key findings revealed that unethical behaviors were the most prevalent form of organizational toxicity (M=2.59, SD=1.05), followed by narcissistic behaviors (M=2.32, SD=.93). Significant demographic differences emerged across academic rank and seniority. Assistant and associate professors reported significantly higher levels of …

Educational Leadership's Role In Understanding Nil Policy Perceptions Among College Football Players, Carlton Rice

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

This study examined educational leadership's role in understanding Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policy perceptions among college football players at an American Athletic Conference institution. Using Expectancy-Value Theory as the theoretical framework, the research explored how educational leaders interpret and communicate NIL policies to student-athletes, assessed student-athlete perceptions of leadership effectiveness, and investigated how leadership experiences influence attitudes toward NIL policies. The mixed-methods study surveyed 97 college football student-athletes and conducted interviews with athletic administrators. Key findings revealed a moderately positive correlation (r=.340, p<.001) between administrative support and student-athlete knowledge of NIL policies, demonstrating that institutional investment in educational support directly impacts policy comprehension. The research found that 67% of student-athletes indicated NIL opportunities would influence their school choice decisions, fundamentally altering recruitment dynamics. Additionally, 57.7% of participants agreed that NIL affects team culture, though responses indicated this impact is highly contextual and dependent on institutional management. The study identified significant variation in educational leadership approaches across institutions, with some employing dedicated NIL strategy teams while others integrate responsibilities within existing compliance departments. A notable gap emerged between student-athlete NIL expectations and institutional support, with many athletes reporting they "do everything on our own." For higher education institutions, findings suggest the need for comprehensive NIL education programs extending beyond basic compliance to include financial literacy, contract negotiation, and personal branding. Institutions should develop values-based frameworks aligning NIL opportunities with institutional missions while protecting student-athlete interests. The research contributes valuable insights for navigating the evolving NIL landscape while supporting student-athlete success.

Causal Structure Discovery For Explaining Important Features In Machine Learning, Yina Hou

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Understanding causal relationships between input variables and outcomes is critical for scientific advancement. The famous adage in medicine, "correlation does not imply causation," holds profound significance for understanding disease etiology. Although explainable machine learning (ML) has shown major advances in predictive modeling, it remains unclear how ML-derived important variables relate to causal variables. This thesis investigates the association between causal variables and those identified as correlated and important for ML-based prediction to bridge a critical knowledge gap in data science. Specifically, the thesis explores two research questions: when and to what extent (1) statistically correlated variables are also causal? and …

Bilstm-Based Zero-Aware Traffic Forecasting Using Lidar Data For Intersection Safety, Md Atiqur Rahman Mallick

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

LSTM retains information from long-term data and is highly effective in generating time-based forecasts. Recently, BiLSTM has enhanced the precision of traffic predictions by assimilating information from both antecedent and subsequent directions via bidirectional data flow. BiLSTM demonstrates exceptional efficacy in the analysis of long-term traffic data. Our study presents a custom forecasting model that leverages advanced LiDAR sensor technology in combination with state-of-the-art deep learning techniques to improve road conditions. Eight LiDAR sensors were strategically deployed along the 26th Clarksville Pike corridor to collect high-resolution traffic data—including vehicle speed and count/flow—over the period from September 1, 2024 to November …

Privacy-Preserving Data Sharing For Learnable Encryption Artificial Intelligence In E-Health, Al Amin

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Healthcare AI requires large datasets for clinical-grade performance, yet privacy regulations prevent direct inter-institutional data sharing. While traditional federated learning (FL) enables collaborative training without centralizing data, it suffers from four critical limitations: accuracy degradation, gradient leakage vulnerabilities, high communication costs, and limited interpretability. Accordingly, the overarching research goal is to design a privacy-first FL framework for e-health that preserves clinical-grade accuracy on obfuscated data while substantially reducing information leakage, minimizing communication overhead, and enabling interpretable decision support without sharing weights, gradients, or raw pixels. This thesis systematically addresses these challenges through a three-method framework that progressively enhances privacy, efficiency, …

Genetics Of Aluminum Tolerance And Diversity In United States Vigna Unguiculata Germplasm, Max Carl Miller

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) is an annual legume of immense importance across the world. However, knowledge of its ability to tolerate aluminum (Al) at toxic levels is not as comprehensive. This stress is an issue globally and especially in the southeastern United States, which has many Al-toxic soils. Here we determined multiple cultivars both tolerant and susceptible to Al toxicity. This was expounded upon by employing RNA sequencing on two cultivars from the United States with significantly different tolerance levels to characterize genes and pathways associated with Al toxicity and response. Multiple well-established gene orthologs like STOP, STAR, and …

A Fault Tolerant Honeybee Behaviour Load Balancing Algorithm, Charmaine Adegbite

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Cloud computing enables flexible, scalable access to virtualised infrastructure but remains challenged by maintaining performance in fault-prone environments. Faults such as virtual machine failures can degrade task allocation and system reliability. However, traditional load balancing algorithms and bio-inspired strategies, including the Honeybee Behaviour Load Balancing algorithm, assume fault-free conditions. This thesis introduces a Fault-Tolerant Honeybee Behaviour Load Balancing algorithm that enhances the original Honeybee Behaviour Load Balancing algorithm by integrating fault detection. The proposed algorithm monitors the health of VMs and dynamically reallocates workloads when faults are detected which improves stability and reliability. The proposed fault tolerant algorithm was implemented …

Perceived Value Of Radiologic Technology Degrees Among Community College Students In Tennessee, Tiffanie Harris

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Abstract This study explored how adult alumni perceive the value of earning an Associate of Applied Science in Radiologic Technology from a northern Middle Tennessee community college. It examined four questions: (1) How do alumni perceive the financial return on investment (ROI)? (2) What non-financial benefits or challenges do they report? (3) How did the program influence their career readiness and workforce entry? and (4) How did institutional support or barriers affect their educational experience? Using a convergent mixed-methods design, 18 alumni from the 2021–2024 cohorts (85.7% response rate) completed a survey with Likert and open-ended items. Quantitative data were …

Macroscopic And In-Situ Atr-Ftir Spectroscopic Studies Of Metformin Adsorption On Soil, Maheen Mehnaz

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Emerging contaminants might pose serious threats to the soil and water environment. Metformin, an emerging micropollutant, is one of the most widely used drugs for type-2 diabetes treatment. However, its waste disposal through human excretion is causing environmental concern to the soil and water environment. Yet, knowledge about the interaction mechanism of metformin with soil remains very limited. In this study, we evaluated metformin adsorption mechanisms on model oxide minerals (gibbsite, hematite) and two Tennessee soils (Milan Loring soil and Cheatham County soil) and in the presence of soil micronutrient (molybdenum) using in situ attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared …

Interactive Effects Of Warming And Nitrogen Fertilization On Soil Respiration And Microbial Community Function, Aviyan Pandey

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the effects of multiple global change drivers, e.g., warming (W) and nitrogen (N) fertilization, is critical for accurately predicting ecosystem responses to climate change. This study investigates the main and interactive effects of soil warming and N fertilization on soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), microbial biomass, extracellular enzyme activities (EEAs), and soil respiration (Rs) in a switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) cropland located in Middle Tennessee, U.S. The field experiment employed a split-plot design with two levels of warming (ambient and heated) and two levels of N fertilization (zero and 168 kg N ha-1yr-1). Hourly measurements of Rs, soil …

Factors Influencing Rural Teachers To Stay In The Classroom: A Qualitative Study, Marti Elizabeth Lomax

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

The problem was teacher attrition was a pressing problem in the United States. The National Center for Education Statistics (2023) reported that 40% to 50% of teachers exited the profession within 5 years of commencing their careers which influenced the quality and consistency of education provided to rural students. The purpose was to explore how teachers felt about remaining on the job in rural classrooms in Southern Middle Tennessee. There was little research that investigated these teachers’ experiences regarding remaining in the profession. The study was guided by a basic qualitative design (Quick, 2024). The sample was six teachers selected …

Agronomic Management Practices For Cbd And Fiber Hemp In Southeastern United States, Anand Kumar

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

The farm bill of 2014 and 2018 legalized hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) production for cannabidiol (CBD), grain, and fiber uses in the U.S. Agronomic management practices for floral hemp for CBD production were not well studied. To optimize the agronomic management practices for high CBD content and THC concentration below the compliance level of 0.3% on a dry weight basis requires specific management and adaptability. A two-year field study was conducted at the Tennessee State University Agricultural Research and Education Center (TSU AREC) in Nashville, Tennessee, to evaluate two production systems, the Non-Chemical System (NCS) and the Chemical-Based System (CBS), …

Developing Four-In-One Genetic Engineering System To Improve Production Of Bioenergy In Sorghum, Oluchukwu Jecinta Onyemaobi

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) is a C4 crop of significant agricultural and industrial importance, known for its high biomass yield, drought tolerance, and adaptability to marginal lands. However, the high lignocellulosic biomass content of sorghum, particularly its lignin component, poses a significant challenge for efficient biomass conversion. Genetic engineering offers a powerful approach to achieve such improvements by targeting the modification of lignin biosynthetic pathways. However, progress in sorghum genetic improvement has been hindered by the crop’s recalcitrance to genetic manipulation, transformation, and regeneration. To overcome these limitations, we developed a four-in-one genetic engineering technology for sorghum by establishing an …

Power Resilience In Utah's Water Sector: A Survey Of Stakeholder Practices, Preferences And Potential, Tyler Christopher Peterson

Theses and Dissertations

Drinking water and wastewater services are vulnerable to disruptions because they rely heavily on the electric grid. As a result, power outages can lead to water outages, creating cascading failures that compromise sanitation, firefighting, healthcare, and daily routines. Although an important topic, there are little to no studies of water and wastewater power resilience at a geographic or state level. In this study we investigate the extent of existing backup power and renewable energy integration as well as the motivations and barriers around their power resilience. We collect our data through semi-structured interviews with staff at 19 urban and rural …

Climate-Driven Flood Risk Mapping And Adaptive Strategy Modelling For Coastal Tamil Nadu, Sakthi Kiran Dr Mr

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Tamil Nadu’s coastal corridor (Cuddalore–Sirkazhi; ~2,740 km²) experiences recurring floods driven by climate change, rapid urban expansion, and inadequate drainage across low-lying deltaic terrain. Existing flood assessments remain largely reactive and rely on static methods that fail to incorporate future climate projections, demographic growth, and evolving urban patterns.

Methods: This research develops a dynamic, climate-resilient flood risk framework integrating (i) long-term hydroclimatic trend analysis (1984–2023), (ii) satellite-based flood hazard mapping using multi-temporal Sentinel-1A and RISAT-1A SAR, (iii) CORDEX REMO2015 (RCP 4.5)–driven HEC-RAS 2D hydrodynamic modelling, (iv) machine-learning-based susceptibility modelling (RF, DT, SVM), and (v) scenario-based evaluation of structural mitigation …

The Cowl - V. 89 N. 10 - December 11, 2025

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Vol. 89 No. 10 - December 11, 2025. 24 pages.

Structural Basis Of Panx1 Permeation And Positive Modulation By Mefloquine, Yangyang Li, Zheng Ruan, Junuk Lee, Ian Orozco, Edward Zhou, Juan Du, Wei Lü

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Purinergic signaling relies on ATP release through exocytosis and large-pore channels. Large-pore channels permeate both small anions like chloride and large signaling molecules like ATP, but how this broad cargo selectivity is structurally controlled remains elusive. Here we investigate PANX1, a prototypical large-pore channel, and uncover structural plasticity at the extracellular entrance formed by seven tryptophan (W74) residues. The W74 sidechains are flexible, sampling conformations that range from a constricted state permissive only to chloride to a dilated state compatible with ATP. These states are coupled to variable cation-π interactions between W74 and arginine 75 (R75), suggesting a mechanism for …

First-In-Child Phase I Trial Of P-Stat3 Inhibitor Wp1066 In Pediatric Brain Tumor Patients, Robert C Castellino, Hope L Mumme, Andrea T Franson, Bing Yu, M Hope Robinson, Kavita Dhodapkar, Dolly Aguilera, Matthew J Schniederjan, Rohali Keesari, Zhulin He, Manoj Bhasin, Waldemar Priebe, Amy B Heimberger, Tobey J Macdonald

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: WP1066 is an orally bioavailable, small molecule inhibitor of activated p-STAT3 that has demonstrated preclinical efficacy in pediatric brain tumor models.

Methods: In a first-in-child, single-center, single-arm 3+3 design Phase I clinical trial, ten patients were treated with WP1066 twice daily, Monday-Wednesday-Friday, for 14 days of each 28-day cycle to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD)/maximum feasible dose (MFD) of WP1066. Compassionate use treatment with WP1066 in three pediatric patients with H3.3 G34R/V-mutant high-grade glioma (HGG) is also described.

Results: There was no significant toxicity and the MFD was determined to be 8 mg/kg. Treatment-related adverse events were Grade …

Delayed Delivery Of Antibiotics By Ultrasound-Mediated Rupture Of Polylactic Acid Pockets: In Vitro And In Vivo Studies, Selin Isguven Billmyer, Priscilla Machado, Ryan Tomlinson, Lauren J. Delaney, Ji-Bin Liu, Alexander H Harris, Eric Mclaughlin, Noreen J. Hickok, Flemming Forsberg

Department of Radiology Faculty Papers

Surgical site infections are a devastating complication of instrumented orthopaedic surgery, particularly in the spine. Bacterial biofilms, once formed on the implant surfaces, exhibit antibiotic tolerance and immune escape, which lead to treatment challenges. Up to 9% of instrumented spine surgeries result in infection, despite the use of systemic antibiotics and local, powdered antibiotics for prophylaxis. The bacteria that survive the initial prophylaxis may be susceptible to a second, high dose of antibiotic prophylaxis prior to establishing at the site. Hence, we designed a local drug delivery system consisting of polylactic acid (PLA) film pockets that can be noninvasively triggered …

Effective Digital Marketing Strategies For Small Businesses, Shannon Springob

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The inability of many small businesses to effectively use digital marketing is a critical challenge for small business owners. Small business owners who lack effective digital marketing strategies are at greater risk of facing failure. Grounded in the do-it-yourself (DIY) behavioral theory, this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was conducted to identify, analyze, and explore the effective strategies employed by small business owners in the development and implementation of effective digital marketing campaigns. The participants included six small business owners in the United States who have used DIY digital marketing strategies within their businesses. Data were collected using semistructured interviews. Thematic analysis …

In-Situ Investigations Of Calcium-Magnesium-Aluminosilicates (Cmas) Infiltration Effects On Thermal Barrier Coatings Under Extreme Environments Replicating Jet Engines, Zachary Stein

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Calcium-magnesium-aluminosilicate (CMAS) particulates, such as sand or volcanic ash, are ingested by gas turbine jet engines during operation. When operating within high abundance regions, these particulates negatively interact and degrade the high temperature thermal barrier coatings (TBC) protecting underlying superalloy turbine blades vital to engine operation. These CMAS particulates melt within the engine and infiltrate into the ceramic coatings. In electron-beam physical vapor deposited (EB-PVD) TBCs, the CMAS within the intercolumnar gaps stiffens the coatings and causes thermomechanical induced high stress concentrations, risking crack formation. While molten, the CMAS thermochemically alters and destabilizes the coating, also risking coating failure. Premature, …

Parameter Informed Reinforcement Learning For Vehicle System Identification, Nathan Schaff

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Accurate system identification is essential for modeling and controlling vehicle dynamics. This dissertation explores the application of Parameter Informed Reinforcement Learning (PIRL) as a novel approach to system identification (SYSID). PIRL integrates prior system knowledge, such as physical parameters, into reinforcement learning (RL) frameworks to improve estimation accuracy. The study begins with an overview of traditional SYSID methods and then introduces PIRL as a modification of standard RL. The research applies PIRL to short-period aircraft dynamics, demonstrating its effectiveness in both offline and online learning frameworks. The dissertation then further explores PIRL’s utility in an indirect model reference adaptive control …