Digital Commons Network^™

Generative Adversarial Networks For Dimensionality Reduction In Evtol Aircraft Takeoff Trajectory Optimization, Samuel Sisk, Farzaam Khorasani-Gerdehkouhi, Abdulaziz Abutunis, K. Chandrashekhara, Xiaosong Du

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft play a key role in urban air mobility (UAM), which aims to alleviate traffic congestion in urban areas. Despite their value, eVTOL aircraft suffer from battery energy consumption, which affects their range and endurance in real world flight tasks. Especially, the takeoff process has been identified for excessive power demands. Multidisciplinary analysis and optimization manage to discover optimal takeoff trajectories with minimum energy consumption while balancing multidisciplinary trade-offs, such as short distance takeoff and passengers' comfort. However, conventional parametrization methods (such as B-spline curves) leverage an empirically high-dimensional design space to include real …

Ai-Powered Image-Based Assessment Of Pressure Injuries Using You Only Look Once (Yolo) Version 8 Models, Mehedi Hasan Tusar, Fateme Fayyazbakhsh, Niloofar Zendehdel, Eduard Mochalin, Igor Melnychuk, Lisa Gould, Ming C. Leu

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Objective: The primary objective of this study is to enhance the detection and staging of pressure injuries using machine learning capabilities for precise image analysis. This study explores the application of the You Only Look Once version 8 (YOLOv8) deep learning model for pressure injury staging. Approach: We prepared a high-quality, publicly available dataset to evaluate different variants of YOLOv8 (YOLOv8n, YOLOv8s, YOLOv8m, YOLOv8l, and YOLOv8x) and five optimizers (Adam, AdamW, NAdam, RAdam, and stochastic gradient descent) to determine the most effective configuration. We followed a simulation-based research approach, which is an extension of the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials …

Multifidelity Dust Erosion Analysis Of Mars Entry Vehicles, Adam Boland, Dominic Zanti, Serhat Hosder, Andrew Hinkle

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The objective of this paper is to present a multifidelity approach for estimating recession rate and kinetic energy impact rate on the surface of planetary entry vehicles operating in dusty atmospheric environments at hypersonic speeds. The multifidelity model used a co-Kriging approach that combined a low-fidelity correlation with a correction factor from high-fidelity CFD solutions. The developed multifidelity model enables efficient and accurate exploration of a design space to determine at what conditions encountering dust is most dangerous to TPS survivability. Two sample problems are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach: the Mars 2020 lander and a HIAD-type …

Hands-Free Uav Control: Real-Time Eye Movement Detection Using Eog And Lstm Networks, Niloofar Zendehdel, Khosro Ghorbani Zadeh, Haodong Chen, Yun Seong Song, Ming C. Leu

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Industry 4.0 has created a growing need for effective human-robot collaboration (HRC). As robots and humans work more closely together, efficient communication becomes essential for coordinating their actions seamlessly. While speech may seem like the obvious choice for communication, noisy factory environments can render it impractical. Additionally, workers often have their hands occupied with assembly tasks, making hand-controlled interfaces less practical for controlling robots. To address these challenges, this paper presents a novel, hands-free method for robot control using electrooculography (EOG) signals–specifically, eye movements and blinks–with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) used as the demonstration platform. We developed a real-time system …

An Interdisciplinary Unit For Today's Learners: Integrating Science, English, And Art To Teach Climate Change, Sydney M. Ruby-Pasternak

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

As today’s global challenges grow increasingly complex, interdisciplinary thinking is essential for students to make meaningful connections in their learning. Despite this need, high school students continue to have educational experiences in one-subject classrooms, often preventing them from engaging in integrated learning models. This professional project addresses the gap by developing a five-week interdisciplinary unit titled Brushstrokes of Change, which combines climate science with English language arts and visual arts to amplify student understanding of climate change concepts. This unit was designed for grades 9-12 and prioritizes 21^st-Century skills in critical thinking, communication, creativity, and collaboration through …

Scrutinizing Sex, Jessica A. Clarke

University of Chicago Law Review

Critics of the Supreme Court’s equal protection jurisprudence despair that the Court conceives of discrimination as the mere classification of individuals on for- bidden grounds, such as race and sex, rather than systemic patterns of subordination. On the Court’s anticlassification theory, affirmative action, which relies on overt racial or gender classifications, is generally forbidden. Anticlassification rules are insensitive to context: a classification is a classification, no matter how well intentioned it might be, no matter what effects it might have, and no matter if it treats members of various groups in ways that are substantively equal. Whether a classification might …

Reestablishing Religion, Richard C. Schragger, Micah Schwartzman, Nelson Tebbe

University of Chicago Law Review

In the last few years, the Supreme Court has upended its doctrine of religious freedom under the First Amendment. The Court has explicitly rejected separationism, which limited government support of religion, and it has adopted interpretations of disestablishment and free exercise that provide special solicitude for religion. Now, the government must treat religion equally with respect to providing public benefits. But it must also grant special exemptions from regulations that burden religion. This pattern of equal treatment for benefits and special exemptions from burdens yields a doctrinal structure that gives preference to religion. We refer to this regime as structural …

Bankruptcy’S Turn To Market Value, Mark J. Roe, Michael Simkovic

University of Chicago Law Review

Chapter 11 was widely viewed as a failure in the first decade of the Bankruptcy Code’s operation, the 1980s. Large firms were mired in bankruptcy for years; the process was seen as expensive, inaccurate, and subject to abuse. While basic bankruptcy still has its critics and few would say it works perfectly, the contrast with bankruptcy today is stark: bankruptcies that took years in the 1980s take months in the 2020s.

Multiple changes explain bankruptcy’s success—creditor learning, statutory reform, better judging and lawyering, new techniques, fuller integration of the improved mechanisms that the 1978 Code added—and we do not challenge …

Radiometric Sensor Level Calibration For Remote Sensing (Planning, Testing, And Operation), Joe Tansock

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

Contents

• What is Calibration and Why is it Important (example) 
• Remote Sensor Calibration Approaches
• Typical Space-based Sensor Lifecycle and Calibration Efforts at SDL
• EO Calibration Applications (example) 
• Example Calibrations at SDL
• Calibration Testing at SDL and example Calibration Equipment
• Calibration is Multi-Path
• Student Employment/Projects to Support SDL Calibration

Calibration For Small Satellite Payloads, Jason Knudsen, Christian Conkle, Alex Allgrunn, Deron Scott

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

SDL Presentation on Calibration for Small Satellite Payloads

Rbi Ground Calibration, Harri Latvakoski, Greg Cantwell, James Peterson, Joel Cardon

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

• RBI overview

• Ground calibration objectives

• Calibration configurations & chamber setup

• Calibration tests & equipment

Small Satellite Payload Calibration, Deron Scott, Cole Miller, Eli Salay, Shane Canfield, Scott Hansen, Matt Berghout, Jan Kunzler, Duane Miles

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

SmallSat missions have cost, time, and scale limitations. Calibration methods can be optimized to enable mission success at a low cost by providing customers the best “bang for their buck.”

Multi-Layered Security Approaches For A Modular Open Network Architecture-Based Satellite, Brandon Shirley, Quinn Young, Peter Wegner, Jacob Christensen, Jeffrey Janicik

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

Overview

• Introduction
• Open System Architecture (OSA) and Modular Open Network Architecture (MONA) background
• Security Challenges
• Security Principles
• Solutions

Improving The Scores Of The Mathematics Texas Success Initiative Assessment 2.0 (Tsia2), Lori Lamar Moreno

Education Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this improvement science study was to increase mathematics readiness for the Texas Success Initiative Assessment 2.0 (TSIA2) among high school seniors in a South Texas border community. The study addressed persistently low TSIA2 mathematics passing rates, particularly among Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students. Guided by the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework, two improvement cycles were conducted using an embedded mixed-methods design. In Cycle 1, the Texas College Bridge (TCB), a self-paced platform built on NROC’s EdReady and the only Texas Education Agency–approved program for TSIA preparation, was implemented as the baseline intervention. Quantitative analysis indicated an 11.5% pass rate …

The Freedom To Extract In Copyright Law, Molly Shaffer Van Houweling

North Carolina Law Review

No abstract provided.

Font Of Knowledge: Readability And Accessibility Challenges Caused By Typeface Requirements In North Carolina Appellate Courts, Andrew Parco

North Carolina Law Review

No abstract provided.

Embodied Mythology Of Rhetoric: The Dialectic Of The Gender Binary Logos, Isaac A. Lacap

Honors College Theses

Gender is often described as a social construct. This description usually contrasts social construction with other unchanging, unambiguous concepts. Through Chiara Bottici's analysis, I argue the concept of myth breaks us from this dichotomy. By understanding myth as the persistent creation of significance through narratives, we no longer leave myth to the ambit of untruth and unreality. Instead, we see myths as a way to direct people’s actions by giving them a way to see the world. By integrating Bottici with Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology, I argue the significance of myth occurs through embodiment by organizing gestures. These gestures form a system …

The Effects Of A River Closure On A Snook (Centropomus Spp.) Nursery Community In The Rio Grande River, Texas, Ethan Getz, Perry Trial, Catherine Eckert, Joel Anderson

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Snook (Centropomus spp.) support important fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico and populations are increasing in Texas. However, a primary snook nursery, the Rio Grande River, remains one of the most imperiled rivers in North America. In 2001—2002, low flows led to the formation of a sandbar and the complete blockage of the Rio Grande, eliminating exchange with coastal waters. Here, data collected by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department were used to determine how the Rio Grande closure affected juvenile and subadult snook and the estuarine community. Seine and trawl samples were collected prior to (1992—1997) and during …

Rivers To The Deep Sea – Thoughts On My Career And Profession, Steve W. Ross

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Abstract: In this essay I review my 45+ year career and some of the significant changes I have observed. This journey involved research in rivers and streams, estuaries, coastal systems (including the continental shelf), and the deep sea to a depth of about 4,000 m. After completing undergraduate (BS, Duke University) and graduate (MA, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill and PhD, NC State University) degrees in zoology, I found jobs as a Fishery Biologist (NC Division of Marine Fisheries), a program Research Coordinator (NC National Estuarine Research Reserve), and a Research Professor (University of NC – Wilmington). Between …

Socket Preservation Using Autogenous Particulate Dentin In Combination With Liquid Platelet-Rich Fibrin Versus Bone Allografts After Surgical Extraction Of Impacted Lower Third Molar, Ali Mahmoud Mohamed Ali Elshafei, Wael Mohamed Ahmed Said Ahmed, Ziad Amr Elmissiry

Mansoura Journal of Dentistry

Objectives To evaluate and compare the efficacy of sticky tooth graft versus bone allografts used for socket preservation after the surgical extraction of horizontally impacted lower third molars. Materials and Methods Thirty patients with horizontally impacted lower third molars were randomly and equally divided into two groups; group I: 15 patients received dentin granules mixed with Liquid PRF (sticky tooth) in the socket after extraction, group II: 15 patients received bone allograft after extraction. Postoperative pain, edema and bone resorption were assessed. Bone resorption was evaluated using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) over a three-month period. Results There were statistically significant …

Comparing The Swallowing Dynamics Of Mandibular Implant Overdentures Retained With Different Attachment Systems: A Crossover Study, Nermeen Elsayed Mohamed Abdallah, Noha Hosny Elshaheed, Abdullah Mohammed Ibrahim Salem

Mansoura Journal of Dentistry

Objective This study's objective was to compare the swallowing dynamics for mandibular implant-retained overdentures with different attachment systems Materials and methods for this crossover study, 15 healthy patients were chosen from the outpatient clinic, Department of Removable Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry. The patients already had 2 implants in the canine regions. New mandibular implant-retained overdentures with three different attachment systems (locator, ball, and bar) were constructed. Swallowing evaluation was done after 3 months of each implant overdenture insertion. Swallowing dynamics were evaluated by using the Test of Mastication and Swallowing Solids (TOMASS) and the Timed Water Swallow Test (TWST). ANOVA …

Evaluation Of Two- Implant Assisted Mandibular Overdentures Of Cobalt Chromium Vs. Peek Combined Denture Bases Regarding Occlusion And Patient Satisfaction: A Within-Subject Study, Khaled M. Diaa, Noha H. El-Shaheed, May A. Hagag, Fatma A. El-Waseef

Mansoura Journal of Dentistry

Objectives The purpose of this within-patient study was to compare two implant-assisted overdentures (IAOs) reinforced either with polyether-ether ketone (PEEK) or cobaltchromium (CO-CR) regarding the percentage of occlusal contact using a digital occlusion analysis system (Occlusense) and to assess patient satisfaction and Oral Health–Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL). Subjects and methods Ten complete edentulous subjects were eligible. All patients were delivered two mandibular implant-assisted overdentures with two reinforcement materials, CO-CR (group I) and PEEK (group II).The mandibular overdentures were retained to the underlying implant fixtures by ball and socket attachments. Patients were evaluated three months after each overdenture use. For …

Performance Of The Dssat Manihot-Cassava Model For Cassava Cultivation In The Recôncavo Baiano, Diego M. De Melo, Paola De F. Bongiovani, Fabio L.S. Costa, Patricia Moreno-Cadena, Alexandre B. Heinemann, Julian Ramirez-Villegas, Mauricio A. Coelho Filho

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The aim of the present study was to calibrate the DSSAT MANIHOT-Cassava model with information from cassava varieties grown in the Recôncavo Baiano region, Bahia state, Brazil. The database used to calibrate the model was obtained in the dry sub-humid tropical climate in Cruz das Almas city, from 2019 to 2020. The model was calibrated with experimental data obtained under irrigated and rainfed conditions for the BRS Novo Horizonte and Eucalipto varieties. The calibration was carried out by adjusting parameters related to the characteristics of each variety. Model performance was evaluated with statistical indices that indicate the precision and accuracy …

Artificial Intelligence In Science And Society: The Vision Of Usern, Tommaso Dorigo, Gary D. Brown, Carlo Casonato, Artemi Cerda, Joseph Ciarrochi, Mauro Da Lio, Nicole D'Souza, Nicolas R. Gauger, Steven C. Hayes, Stefan G. Hofmann, Robert Johansson, Marcus Liwicki, Fabien Lotte, Juan J. Nieto, Giulia Olivato, Peter Parnes, George Perry, Alice Plebe, Idupulapati M. Rao, Nima Rezaei, Fredrik Sandin, Andrey Ustyuzhanin, Giorgio Vallortigara, Pietro Vischia, Niloufar Yazdanpanah

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The recent rise in relevance and diffusion of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based systems and the increasing number and power of applications of AI methods invites a profound reflection on the impact of these innovative systems on scientific research and society at large. The Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), an organization that promotes initiatives to support interdisciplinary science and education across borders and actively works to improve science policy, collects here the vision of its Advisory Board members, together with a selection of AI experts, to summarize how we see developments in this exciting technology impacting science and society in …

Challenges And Lessons From A Vector Control Campaign Targeting Glossina Palpalis Palpalis In An Isolated Protected Forest Area In Abidjan, Côte D’Ivoire, Yao Jean Rodrigue Konan, Bi Tra Dieudonné Ta, Djakaridja Berté, Bamoro Coulibaly, Kinifo Donatien Coulibaly, Nick Steven Egnankon, Foungniguée Diarrassouba, Kouassi Albert Djabo, Stéphanie Watier-Grillot, Jean Paul Demoncheaux, Koffi Alain De Marie Kouadio, Louis N’Dri, Philippe Solano, Sophie Ravel, Guy Pacôme Adingra, Antoine Barreaux, Adeline Ségard, Dramane Kaba, Vincent Jamonneau, Thierry De Meeûs, Vincent Djohan

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Vector control (VC) is one of the strategies employed to manage African trypanosomoses. This study aimed at assessing the effectiveness of a VC campaign against Glossina palpalis palpalis using tiny targets (TTs) impregnated with insecticide in an isolated, protected forest in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, while considering ecological, genetic, and operational factors. Between January 2020 and September 2022, 2,712 TTs were deployed at 684 sites, covering a total area of 1.7 km2. VC monitoring was conducted using Vavoua traps during 12 evaluation surveys, between June 2020 and March 2023. Five months after the initial TT deployment, tsetse fly density had decreased …

Effects Of Insect Meals On Fish Digestibility, Blood Parameters, And Economic Performance: A Meta-Analysis, M. A. Aaqillah-Amr, A. Hidir, M. Ikhwanuddin, N. A. Fatan, R. Muhammad-Rahimi, S. Ning-Shahira, R. G.N. Siankhe, G. W. Vandenberg, C. M. Tanga, R. Yossa

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

This review examines the use of insect meal (IM) as a substitute for fishmeal (FM) in fish feeds within the past decade. While global interest in this alternative is growing, research on its effects on fish digestibility, blood parameters, and economic performance has been limited. Meta-analysis on the apparent digestibility coefficient revealed a negative effect summary on dry matter (0.92) and crude lipid (0.51), although the difference between the two groups was relatively minor. However, a positive effect summary was reported in the apparent digestibility of crude protein (0.12), suggesting a potential advantage in the utilization of protein by fish …

Too Late To Deny? An Empirical Analysis Of The Retrospective Invocation Of Denial Of Benefits Clauses, Prem Vinod Parwani

Indian Journal of International Economic Law

As States increasingly seek to prevent opportunistic investors from treaty shopping, Denial of Benefits (‘DoB’) clauses have taken centre-stage in international investment law. However, there has been a long divide on a seemingly straightforward procedural issue: should States be allowed to invoke these provisions after the dispute has arisen? That is, can States invoke them retrospectively? This debate has reached the forefront of reform, with the UNCITRAL Working Group III debating whether a uniform approach should govern the timing and procedure for the invocation of DoB clauses.

Broadly, treaty practice reflects two different paradigms of DoB clauses — one that …

Effect Of Adaptation Time On Retention Of Maxillary 3d-Printed Denture Versus Conventional Heat-Cured Acrylic Denture: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Ahmed Hebeshi, Moataz Elmahdy, Sayed Elmasry, Hala Abdelhameed

International Arab Journal of Dentistry

Objectives: The study aimed to investigate the effect of adaptation time on the retention of 3d printed versus conventional heat-cured acrylic maxillary complete dentures.

Methods: 20 patients were distributed into: Group A received ten conventional complete heatcured acrylic dentures and Group B received ten printed complete dentures. Denture retention was measured at 0, 1 , and 3 months.

Results: For acrylic denture and printed denture groups, Mean values in denture retention increased with time but this increase was statistically non-significant. The change in denture retention over time (difference in retention between the third month and at the …

Evaluation Of The Effect Of 3 Bonding Protocols On The Micro-Tensile Bond Strength Of Self-Adhesive Composite To Enamel And Dentin, Mohamad Yaman, Louis Hardan, George Najjar, Cynthia Kassis

International Arab Journal of Dentistry

Objectives: To investigate the micro tensile bond strength (µTBS) of self-adhesive bulk-fill composite (Surefil One) to enamel and dentin bonded without bonding agent, with an additional phosphoric acid etch, and with the use of a bonding agent in etch and rinse mode.

Methods: 90 sound extracted wisdom teeth were used in this study. Surefil One (Dentsply Sirona, Konstanz, Germany), Prime&Bond Universal (Dentsply Sirona, Konstanz, Germany) and Detrey Conditioner 36 Etch Gel (Dentsply Sirona, Konstanz, Germany) were tested. Teeth were divided in 6 groups of 15 teeth, according to tooth substrate (enamel and dentin) and bonding protocols (no bonding …

Creation Of A Dual-Fluorescence Reporter System To Assay Mirna Regulation Of Apobec3a, Tolulope D. Ajayi

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

MicroRNAs have an important role in regulating gene expression, including regulating the transcripts of the APOBEC3 family of cytidine deaminases. The APOBEC3 family is part of the immune defense against viral infection but has also been implicated in cancer progression. The hypothesis for this thesis is that specific miRNAs could be identified that regulate APOBEC3A (A3A) expression. I used molecular cloning and confocal microscopy to evaluate the miRNA-mediated silencing of A3A. A commercially available vector, psiCHECK-2, can be used to assay microRNA (miRNA) activity on specific targets. Molecular cloning was performed to modify the psiCHECK-2 Dual luciferase system (Renilla and …