Digital Commons Network^™

Resilient Control Framework For Ev Motor Drive System Subject To Cyber-Physical Security, Ali Arsalan

All Dissertations

The electric drive system (EDS) in electric vehicles (EVs) is one of the key safety-critical components. As IoT-enabled communication infrastructure for modern cyber-physical automotive systems continues to evolve, the importance of securing EDS against cyber threats along with physical faults, has become increasingly prominent. Among physical faults, power switches are particularly vulnerable and exhibit the highest susceptibility to open-circuit faults (OCFs). A compromised EDS, whether due to cyber threats or physical issues, can lead to excessive mechanical vibrations, increased thermal stress, fluctuations in electromagnetic torque, and elevated total harmonic distortion. These factors can substantially undermine traction control stability and jeopardize …

Designing Self-Healable Aromatic Copolymers And Olefinic Composites, Samruddhi Yashwant Gaikwad

All Dissertations

Self-healing polymers capable of recovering from mechanical damage are promising materials for advanced applications, especially those involving mechanical and/or physical fatigue. In these studies, we have developed techniques to achieve autonomous self-healing in commodity Styrene/n-butyl acrylate copolymers. The mechanism of self-healing in the designed polymers involves inter-and/or intrachain non-covalent interactions between π-cloud and polar linkages of acrylic nBA in random/preferentially alternating copolymers. A combination of spectroscopic tools, thermo-mechanical analysis, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations has been used to elucidate the mechanism of self-healing. These studies further show the incorporation of dipolar C-F groups to understand the effect of having fluorinated …

Using Coaching To Improve Co-Teaching Practices Through The Use Of Improvement Science, Ashley D. Grech

All Dissertations

This dissertation in practice examines the impact of professional development and instructional coaching on improving co-teaching practices in a high-poverty Title I high school in South Carolina. Many co-teaching models fail to reach their full potential due to inadequate training, limited planning time, and unequal role distribution between general and special educators. Using a mixed-methods improvement science framework, this study implemented targeted professional development and bi-monthly coaching cycles to strengthen collaboration and instructional fidelity. Quantitative data included pre- and post-intervention educator observation rubrics; qualitative data were collected through coaching debriefs and empathy interviews. Results revealed increased implementation of co-teaching strategies …

Toward A Unified Theory Of Fire-Induced Spalling Of Concrete: Transcending Domain Knowledge Limitations Through Explainable Artificial Intelligence, Causal Discovery And Inference, Mohammad Al Bashiti

All Dissertations

When concrete is exposed to fire, it can suddenly break apart in a dangerous process called spalling. This can severely weaken buildings and even trigger a collapse. While researchers have studied this problem for years, we still don’t fully understand what causes it. My research uses a combination of data, and advanced AI techniques to identify and quantify the key factors that increase the risk of spalling. I collected data from over 1,000 fire tests and used AI models to predict when spalling might happen. I also applied explainable AI tools to understand why it happens.

The results showed that …

Discovering High-Redshift Bl Lacs And Localizing Grbs For Mev Missions, Yong Sheng

All Dissertations

Blazars are active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with their jets aligned towards Earth. Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) can be classified into long and short types. Long GRBs are produced by the collapse of massive stars, while short GRBs are formed by binary mergers (neutron star - neutron star or neutron star - black hole mergers). Both objects are the key probes of extreme physics processes and cosmic evolution, providing us an unique window to understand the Universe. My research aims to measure the redshift of blazars and localize GRBs for proposed and upcoming gamma-ray telescopes. BL Lac objects (BL Lacs) are a …

Advancing Lithium-Ion Batteries Through Exploration Of Novel Physico-Chemical Phenomena, Peshal Karki

All Dissertations

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) power a wide range of modern devices, from smartphones to electric vehicles. This dissertation integrates materials characterization and electrochemical testing to develop novel Si-based electrode materials, investigate separator effects, and improve electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) modeling. First, I synthesized Si@CC composites using bio-based carbon sources and discovered a novel in situ disorder reduction in the amorphous carbon cloud during cycling, attributed to Si volume fluctuations and mesoporous carbon structure, which enhanced capacity retention. A binder-free electrode (Si@CC@BP) using bucky paper further improved gravimetric and areal capacities while reducing weight and manufacturing complexity.

Next, I investigated how separator …

Three Essays In The Economics Of Disagreements: Incentives, Measurement And Persistence, Mustafa W. Alam

All Dissertations

This dissertation presents three chapters that contribute to the study of economic forces shaping disagreements in society.

In Chapter 1, I demonstrate that political polarization can intensify due to innovations in the information market even if a population's ideological distribution is fixed. Viewership-maximizing news firms cater to a diverse audience who assess source accuracy using noisy private signals that vary in precision and ideological bias. If better-informed consumers disproportionately migrate to newer platforms for news (e.g., the Internet), traditional media firms increase news slant to appeal more to less-informed partisans on both sides of the ideological spectrum. This leads to …

An Investigation Into The Impact Of Inverter Based Resources On Critical Clearing Time, Trupal Patel

All Dissertations

Renewable energy sources, mainly inverter-based resources (IBRs) such as solar and wind plants are being connected in large numbers to the bulk power grid in the United States and around the world. Additionally, generation using fossil fuels are being phased out, which results in the loss of rotor inertia, a key contributor to the transient stability of power systems. Therefore, the large-signal behavior of IBRs and its impact on transient stability must be studied.

This work studies this impact through the metric of critical clearing time (CCT). Impact of grid topology, generation mix and control modes of IBRs on CCT …

Progress Towards Uranium Isotope Ratio Measurements Directly From Cotton Swipes With The Liquid Sampling – Atmospheric Pressure Glow Discharge (Ls-Apgd) Ionization Source, Joseph V. Goodwin

All Dissertations

The liquid sampling – atmospheric pressure glow discharge (LS-APGD) ionization source is a novel microplasma ionization source capable of ionizing a diverse set of both inorganic and organic chemical species including, ionic metal constituents as well as ligated metallic species, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), halogens, proteins, and even per/poly fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS). The ability to generate ions from diverse chemical species, known as combined atomic and molecular (CAM) ionization, is not found with traditional ionization sources. In addition, the LS-APGD is capable of coupling with mass spectrometer platforms typically reserved for “organic” mass spectrometry, such as the high-resolution Orbitrap mass …

Application Of Artificial Neural Network Algorithms For Irrigation Scheduling, Lisa Umutoni

All Dissertations

Neural networks have been extensively used in predicting soil water tension for improved irrigation scheduling and management. However, their lack of interpretability constrains their efficacy in grasping the nuanced patterns prevalent in soil water tension time series data. The first goal of this research was to develop interpretable deep neural network models for soil water tension prediction across multiple soil depths (0.15m, 0.3m, 0.46m and 0.6m) and prediction horizons (1h, 6h, and 12h). The Neural Hierarchical Interpolation for Time Series (N-HiTS) and Neural Basis Expansion Analysis Time Series (N-BEATS) models were used in this research. Historical soil water tension data …

Unsupervised Deep Learning For Video Restoration, Mary Damilola Aiyetigbo

All Dissertations

In today's digital era, visual data is vital across several domains such as medical diagnostics, scientific imaging, surveillance, and entertainment. However, video data often suffers from degradations like noise, blur, compression artifacts, and low resolution, which degrade quality and downstream usability. Video restoration aims to recover clean, high-fidelity video from such corrupted inputs. Unlike static images, video restoration must maintain temporal consistency across frames, making it a significantly more complex problem. While supervised deep learning methods have achieved state-of-the-art results, they typically require large datasets of paired noisy-clean video datasets that are scarce or impractical to obtain in real-world settings …

User Perceptions On Health: Three Cases Of Senior-Friendly Cities, Soomin Kim

All Dissertations

Senior issues have been rapidly rising in contemporary society since the Baby Boomer generation started retiring. Their change in socio-economic status is giving rise to several new social phenomena, one of which is senior isolation. For urban planners and designers, this new wave of senior isolation necessitates a fresh approach and reevaluation of formal urban environments.

This research proposes three questions around senior isolation. First, a) what aspects of the built environment contribute to senior isolation and loneliness in urban and suburban environments, and b) what are the effects of each on senior populations concerning the risk of isolation and …

Perceptions Of Ai Chatbots In Music Education, Lauren Beauchamp

Music Education Theses

Recent advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly generative AI chatbots like the Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT), have impacted education, yet their specific implications for music education remain underexplored. This study explores general music educators’ perceptions of information provided by ChatGPT, focusing on their ability to distinguish AI-generated content, its perceived accuracy, and the perceived influence of professional experience. A qualitative multiple case methodology including six general music educators located in the state of New York was utilized. Participants were purposively sampled to ensure maximum variation in age, gender, service years, and teaching levels. During interviews, they were asked to …

Survey Of Illinois Law: Electronic Filing And Illinois Supreme Court Rule 9, Emmet C. Fairfield

Southern Illinois University Law Journal

In 2017, the Illinois Supreme Court mandated electronic filing (e-filing) in civil cases and adopted Illinois Supreme Court Rule 9 to implement the mandate, fifteen years after the court initially authorized e-filing. Since then, the court has made multiple amendments to Rule 9 and has made other efforts to implement e-filing across Illinois. Despite the court’s efforts, the rule has fostered litigation and confusion over when a document is timely and how to seek relief when an e-filing error renders a document untimely. The goal of this Survey is to provide clarity for practitioners on e-filing by examining Rule 9’s …

Seeking Existential Meaning In The “Sea Of Trees:” A Qualitative Exploration In The Depths Of Japan’S Aokigahara “Suicide” Forest, Sophia Bates

Masters Theses, 2020-current

This thesis explores the intercultural perceptions of suicidality and the role that these perceptions have on meaning of life in Japanese culture through an exploratory, autoethnographic analysis of my journey walking through Japan’s Aokigahara “suicide” Forest. In June 2024, I traveled to Fujikawaguchiko, Japan to conduct an autoethnographic analysis of my experiences walking through Aokigahara Forest using shinrin-yoku and mindful walking (Jung, 2014) as supplemental research methodologies to make empirical observations and take notes on my journey walking through suicide forest as an embodied sensory experience. Drawing upon the research and ideas of cultural anthropologist and existential philosopher Ernest Becker, …

Behind The Trend: An Examination Of Primate Content On Tiktok, Kelsie K. Strong, Lilith A. Frakes, Jessica A. Mayhew, Chelsea J. Thompson, Caroline P. Ratliff

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Social media platforms today are teeming with images of wildlife as pets, and studies have emerged investigating the role social media plays on the public's perception of primates and their desirability as pets. This study explores the presentation of nonhuman primates and video engagement, defined as user interactions through likes, comments, shares, and views, on the social media platform TikTok. We examined 1378 videos from 173 different TikTok content creators sharing primate videos. Most content depicted primates within a household (43.1%), indicating they are often shown in the context of being pets. This is cause for concern because the portrayal …

Spatial Distributions And Occupancy Dynamics Of Carnivores In A Central Hardwood Forest, Maximillian Larreur

Dissertations

Extirpation of apex predators, caused primarily by anthropogenic alterations to natural environments and persecution, has led to mesocarnivore release in these areas. Mesocarnivore release is an ecological phenomenon in which mesocarnivores thrive in the absence of apex predator dominance within the carnivore hierarchy. Mesopredators fill this dominant role on the landscape as de facto apex predators, however, this can lead to changes in inter-guild species space use, predator-prey dynamics, activity patterns, and interspecific competition. Understanding patterns in wildlife spatial distributions, which indicate variability in habitat space use across spatiotemporal scales, is critical for developing effective management and conservation plans and …

Ambidexterity Leadership Behaviors And Their Impact On Organizational Immunity In The Iraqi Ministry Of Education, Donia Mohsen Abbas, Salah Abd- Alqadeer Ahmed Al- Nuiami

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

This study investigates the effect of ambidextrous leadership behaviors on organizational immunity in the Iraqi Ministry of Education. Based on ambidextrous leadership theory which is a balance between open and closed leadership behaviors, the study investigates how these two dimensions impact organizational learning, memory, and DNA. Using a descriptive-analytical approach, data was collected through questionnaires and interviews from 183 administrative leaders. The results indicate that organizational immunity is significantly affected by open leadership behaviors as well as closed leadership behaviors. Open behaviors foster innovation, knowledge sharing, and collaborative problem solving, whereas closed behaviors maintain structure, consistency, and focus on goal …

Predicting Stock Market Indicators Using A Hybrid Model (Arima-Garch): An Analytical Study Of Some Gulf Financial Market Indicators, Mohammed H. Adnan, Manaf Ahmed Ahmed

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

Purpose: The research aims to compare the results of forecasting financial market indicators in the Arabian Gulf using the hybrid ARIMA-GARCH model. This research argues for the efficiency of traditional standard models in forecasting for relatively long periods. Methodology: The hybridization technique initially depends on the selection of the best autoregressive integrated moving average model for prediction according to the automatic selection function for the proposed models that achieve the best statistical conditions. The models chosen in the previous step represent the inputs for using the (1,1,1) GARCH model for the prediction. Both models predict financial market indicators from outside …

Economic Analysis Of The Impact Of Development Programs On Buffalo Milk Producers In The Marshes Of Iraq As A Model, Mowj M. Nadhim, Osama K. Jabara, Mohammed J. Abdulradh

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

The research examined the impact of development programs on local buffalo milk ‎producers in the marsh areas of Iraq, focusing on productivity levels and residents' living ‎standards. Data was collected from 200 producers in the governorates of Dhi-Qar, Maysan, ‎and Basra, all participating in the development program. ‎ The research assumed that the introduction of modern technologies and the provision ‎of production requirements by international organizations or government initiatives would ‎enhance the production levels and productivity of the rural population. Consequently, this ‎improvement may reflect their standard of living and strengthen their connection to the ‎land, thereby reducing migration. These …

The Effect Of Strategic Awareness On Organizational Brilliance: An Analytical Research In Dhi Qar Oil Company, Sherouk Naeem Jabbar, Suheir Adel Hamed

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

The research deals with the impact of strategic awareness and its dimensions (Reframing, System Thinking, Reflecting, and Learning Orientation) on organizational Brilliance and its dimensions (Leadership Brilliance, Service Brilliance, and Knowledge Brilliance) of Dhi Qar Oil company. The research addresses the following question: “To what extent does strategic awareness affect the organizational brilliance of Dhi Qar Oil Company?”. The study followed the descriptive analytical approach to ensure the accuracy of the results and conclusions. The sample included the general manager and his assistants, directors of bodies, department managers, and division managers. Data were collected using a questionnaire distributed to 113 …

The Impact Of Social Marketing On Sustainable Development Goals: Aims & Challenges: An Analytical Study Of A Sample Of Mosul University Students, Anas Maaroof, Zainab Alhamdani, Omar Q. Alshebly, Abdulhamid Adam, Mohammed Alblewi, Murat Dedeoğlu

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

This study aims to identify the impact of social marketing on the sustainable development goals at the University of Mosul. The study consists of two main variables: the independent variable, which includes social marketing, and the four dimensions: social product, social price, social promotion, and social distribution. The dependent variable represents the sustainable development goals, whose dimensions consist of: Goal 1: No Poverty, Goal 2: Zero Hunger, Goal 3: Good Health, and Goal 4: Quality Education. This research paper highlight on social marketing as a modern trend in business organizations linked to sustainable development goals, which has led many companies …

The Impact Of Aggregate Supply Fluctuations On Inflation In Iraq During The Period (2004-2023): An Empirical Study, Muneam Hussein Ali, Sameer Siham Dawood

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

This research examines the relationship between aggregate supply and inflation in Iraq during (2004-2023) through deviations in aggregate supply that lead to changes in output and inflation. The core issue of the research lies in how any change in aggregate supply results in a shift of the aggregate supply curve from its initial position. This study employed a deductive methodology, theoretical frameworks, descriptive and quantitative assessments, and econometric techniques to analyze the connection between aggregate supply, which is treated as a dependent variable, and inflation, categorized as the independent variable. The findings of the analysis validated the hypothesis and confirmed …

Technical Study And Conservation Treatment Of A Painted Wooden Figure, Attributed As An 18th-Century American Sternboard, Sutton Hastman

Art Conservation Master's Projects

This study focuses on the investigation of an object owned by the Memorial Art Gallery (MAG) that was cataloged as an 18th -century American sternboard. The MAG shared concerns regarding the object’s provenance and whether the object was correctly identified. Technical analysis, including multimodal photography, x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX) and wood identification, was conducted to inform the museum on the fabrication of the object and on its material components. The information collected was examined alongside historical research regarding the authenticity of the provenance, aiming to better understand the nature of the …

Supporting Programmers Answering The Hard-To-Answer Questions Through The Use Of Large Language Models, Haixin Zhou

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Programmers often face hard-to-answer questions when working on large-scale projects. Not only during team collaborations, but also during interruptions such as meetings, having to suddenly work on another project, or even just taking a break are major reasons these questions arise, as programmers have to regain the context, knowledge, and mental state to resume the work. Traditional text editors such as GitHub do provide a built-in history system, but they lack historical context behind the editing to answer such questions.

To address this issue, we developed an experimental extension, Code History, on Visual Studio Code (VS Code) in the hope …

Fairentry Registration Help Sheet, Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Temporal Disparities In Diagnosis: The Critical Impact Of Laboratory Workflow Inefficiencies On Outcomes In Metabolic And Cardiovascular Disorders, Evans Dzreke, Celene Dzreke, Ramseyer Adekorang Asamoah, David Kanze

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

Diagnostic delays and laboratory process inefficiencies constitute a common but unaddressed dilemma in contemporary healthcare, quietly undermining patient outcomes in metabolic and cardiovascular illnesses where immediate intervention is critical. This seminal work goes beyond traditional operational viewpoints to demonstrate diagnostic inefficiency as an independent, adjustable risk factor with far-reaching implications. We rigorously quantified the impact of delayed test processing and reporting on clinical outcomes using a comprehensive mixed-methods approach that included multi-center retrospective cohort analysis (N=128,743 patients), real-time workflow mapping across 37 laboratories, in-depth case reviews, and economic modeling. Our findings challenged conventional wisdom by indicating that each 24-hour increase …

Does Midbrain Atrophy Distinguish Progressive Supranuclear Palsy From Frontotemporal Dementia?, Mauro César Quintão E Silva Cunningham, Sarah Teixeira Camargos, Vinícius Ribeiro Jeunon, Natalia Pessoa Rocha, Antônio Lúcio Teixeira, Thiago De Oliveira Maciel, Elisa De Paula França Resende, Francisco Eduardo Costa Cardoso, Paulo Caramelli, Leonardo Cruz De Souza

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The diagnostic value of midbrain atrophy for distinguishing behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) from progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is unclear.

Objective: To investigate whether measures of midbrain atrophy differentiate PSP from bvFTD.

Methods: We included four groups: healthy controls (n = 19), PSP-Richardson syndrome (n = 20), bvFTD (n = 19) and Parkinson's disease (PD; n = 12). The following quantitative and qualitative measures were calculated: Hummingbird sign rating scale [HBS-RS], global midbrain atrophy [GMA], midbrain area, midbrain/pons ratio, the Magnetic Resonance Parkinsonism Index (MRPI), the MRPI 2.0 and brainstem volume.

Results: Compared to controls, PSP and bvFTD had …

A Systematic Clinical Framework For Postimplantation Monitoring In Thalamic Neuromodulation: Insights From Twiddler's Syndrome, Shalin Shah, Ganne Chaitanya, Jeston Chin, Nicholas Delcimmuto, Jay R Gavvala

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This case described a 25-year-old pregnant woman with refractory multifocal epilepsy, diagnosed in 2020 and treated with bilateral thalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) targeting the centromedian and pulvinar nuclei. Prior to DBS, she experienced daily focal seizures, often progressing to generalized tonic-clonic seizures despite optimal medication. Presurgical evaluations revealed multifocal epilepsy with right hemispheric involvement and diffuse band heterotopia. Given the extensive neurophysiological and radiographic findings, DBS was chosen over resective surgery. Following implantation in December 2023, initial stimulation settings resulted in some seizure control but also development of new symptoms, including shock-like sensations down her neck. After 43 seizure-free …

Impact Of Non-Uniform Surface Temperature On The Apparent Radiative Properties Of Cavity Receivers, Ehsan Mofidipour, Matthew R. Jones, Brian D. Iverson

Faculty Publications

Radiative surface properties play a critical role in the design, analysis and optimization of solar–thermal systems. Cavity receivers increase the efficiency of solar–thermal energy systems through the cavity effect. The cavity effect refers to increased absorption of radiation due to multiple reflections within a cavity. Apparent radiative surface properties of a cavity characterize the effective interactions of radiation passing through an imaginary surface covering the cavity aperture. In this study, we investigate the extent to which the apparent emissivity of a cavity with a non-uniform surface temperature profile may be estimated using an isothermal enclosure model. A cylindrical cavity was …