Digital Commons Network^™

Transport Of Quantum Walks In Electric Fields, Yousef Mohammad Yousef Salah

Theses

This thesis presents an analysis of transport in one-dimensional discrete-time quantum walks (DTQWs) on the Hilbert space ℓ²(ℤ) ⊗ ℂ². Quantum walks serve as fundamental models of coherent quantum transport and exhibit ballistic spreading driven by superposition and interference. The primary focus of this work is the review and derivation of sharp maximal velocity bounds for several classes of quantum walk step operators, including the shift-coin walk, the split-step walk, and models with constant as well as position-dependent coin operators. We establish general a priori bounds that remain valid beyond the translation-invariant regime. For homogeneous models, Fourier and spectral analysis …

A Comparative Study On Performance Of Iot-Driven Ml-Enabled Forecasting Models For Efficient Air Quality Monitoring, Bara Ksiksi

Theses

Air pollution is one of the most critical environmental challenges affecting public health globally, responsible for approximately 4.2 million premature deaths annually according to the World Health Organisation. This thesis presents a comparative study of IoT-driven machine learning forecasting models for air quality monitoring in Abu Dhabi, UAE, introducing a zonal approach combined with satellite-based spatial validation. The primary objective is to evaluate forecasting performance across three distinct activity zones using ground station data from the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD), and to incorporate a spatial validation component using satellite imagery to assess the consistency of ground-based predictions at a …

Breath-Based Detection Of Liver Cancer Biomarkers Using An Swcnt-Fet Nano-Biosensor: Quantumatk, Mohamed Mohieb Rashdan

Theses

Early detection of liver cancer remains limited by the slow pace and invasiveness of current testing methods. This study proposes a single-walled carbon nanotube field-effect transistor (SWCNT-FET) designed to detect hexanal—a volatile organic compound (VOC) elevated in liver cancer—directly from exhaled breath. The device is modeled in QuantumATK using a semi-empirical Extended Hückel Hamiltonian within the non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF) framework, emphasizing realistic contact physics by employing metallic SWCNT electrodes instead of conventional metal films. Zigzag channels with (11,0) and (12,0) chiralities are examined to analyze how geometry and contact matching influence charge transport. Simulations include current–voltage (I–V) characteristics and …

Ursinus Magazine, Spring 2026, Gundolf Graml, Steve Thomas, Jennifer L. Post-Whisted, Brad Drexler, Alyssa Kratz

Ursinus Magazine, 1995–Present

Gundolf Graml, Ph.D., named 20th President • $1.99 million grant boosts STEM pipeline • $1.49 million grant fuels APEX innovation center • Esports comes to Ursinus • Experiential Learning Week • Ursinus / Rochester partner on 4+1 business pathway • Ursinus launches global learning program • Students win America250PA innovation challenge • Athletics: A generous gift and a milestone • Bear2Bear Impact Award for leadership and service • Lenape Symposium returns to Ursinus • Wall Street on Main Street • Tuition Promise for Montgomery County students • Wrestler wins two Puerto Rico national titles • Paying it forward: A Montgomery …

The Eye: A Science-Fiction Screenplay Examining Space-Time, Meteorology, And Human Connection, Ella K. Lukowiak

Senior Theses

This thesis explores the nature of time, meteorology, and human interconnection to the universe through the lens of a science-fiction screenplay. The creative project spans a three-act, detailed outline, and a screenplay draft of Act I. It is based upon extensive scientific research regarding hurricane development, the inner workings of organizations such as the National Weather Service, Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, and the space-time continuum. I will delve into the various factors that shaped my science-fiction premise, including pivotal films such as Christopher Nolan’s INTERSTELLAR (2014) and Denis Villeneuve’s ARRIVAL (2016). Both of these filmmakers integrated complex science-fiction concepts into …

Understanding Educators' Perspectives On Universal Design For Learning In Co-Taught Elementary And Middle School Classrooms, Biancha Dipaola

JWU Dissertations & Theses

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational framework that encourages educators to proactively identify and address any potential barriers to learning before a lesson or concept is taught. UDL’s inclusive framework offers strategies for enhancing student engagement, representation, and action and expression, yet research on educators’ perspectives on UDL and its implementation in co-taught classrooms is limited. The literature identifies the lack of educator knowledge on neuroscience (Lopes et al., 2022), inadequate professional development (Chu et al., 2020), and systemic challenges such as common planning time and administrative support (Zhang et al., 2024) as barriers to implementing UDL, but …

Gompertz Growth With A Shared Carrying Capacity Optimally Simulates Primary And Metastatic Tumor Growth Dynamics, Pirmin Schlicke, Preethi Korangath, Xiaoxi Pan, Caner Ercan, Kathleen Gabrielson, Lyndsey Werhane, Yinyin Yuan, Sébastien Benzekry, Robert Ivkov, Heiko Enderling

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Cancer is a systemic disease with most deaths attributed to metastatic burden. Primary and metastatic tumors, albeit at different anatomic locations, are interconnected through multiple biological processes. Pre-clinical and clinical observations of growth acceleration of metastases after surgery, or abscopal effects outside the radiation field are widely reported, yet reliably triggering favorable and avoiding unfavorable systemic responses remains an unmet clinical need. Understanding local and systemic tumor interaction dynamics will help guide future treatments.

Methods: We analyze the data of multiple in vivo tumor models. We formalize the systemic interplay of tumors as mathematical differential equation and calibrate parameters …

Msh 115 - World Music Writing Intensive, Margaret Farrell

Open Educational Resources

This syllabus guided our exploration of music around the globe. In this writing intensive section, music served as a means to internalize information through writing as well as inspiration for developing a clear and persuasive writing style. Our investigations included consideration the forms of the music as well as their cultural and historical contexts.

Exploring The U.S. Public Service Employees’ Experiences With Gamified Cybersecurity Awareness Training, Bisola Adepoju

Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the U.S. public service employees' experiences with gamified cybersecurity awareness training. The primary research question guiding this inquiry was: How do U.S. public service employees make sense of their lived experiences with gamified cybersecurity awareness training? Two secondary questions examined what aspects of the training employees perceive as meaningful or disengaging, and how they interpret their motivation, engagement, and cybersecurity awareness during training. I chose an interpretive qualitative research design grounded in a constructivist paradigm and purposefully selected 11 U.S. public service employees who had participated in gamified cybersecurity awareness training. …

Enhancing Undergraduate Learning In Physics: The Effects Of Ai-Assisted And Ai-Guided Instruction On Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, And Satisfaction, Stephen Woods

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as large language models are increasingly used for self-directed learning, yet there is limited experimental evidence on whether they improve learning outcomes and whether theory-informed guidance adds value beyond AI use alone. Prior literature suggests that effective learning depends not only on access to information, but also on how instruction supports attention, working memory, long-term memory, and cognitive load, while also fostering motivational processes such as self-efficacy. Individual differences such as Need for Cognition may also shape how learners engage with cognitively demanding instructional tools such as AI.

The present study examined how different …

Information Theory Analysis Of The Solar Wind Magnetic Structures For Space Weather Prediction, Katherine Holland

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Forecasting space weather at Earth is highly complicated, because of the limited measurements of the dynamic processes in the Sun that span multiple temporal, spatial, and energy-scales. The solar wind is a highly structured, multi-scale, evolving plasma and consists of coronal mass ejections (CMEs), stream interaction regions (SIRs), expanding flux tubes (Borovsky, 2008), and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) discontinuities and fluctuations. The aim of this research is to improve our understanding of the evolution and dissipation of different scale-size solar wind magnetic structures as they move from the Sun-Earth Lagrange point 1 (L1) to Earth's bow shock and, ultimately, to …

High-Resolution Monitoring Of Intra-Seasonal Agricultural Drought Using Sentinel-2 And Machine Learning Across Bimodal Growing Seasons In Kenya, S. Mohammad Mirmazloumi, Harison Kipkulei, Rose Waswa, Tobias Landmann, Tom Dienya, Maximilian Schwarz, Fabrizio Ramoino, Clément Albergel, Gohar Ghazaryan

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Drought presents significant challenges to agriculture, threatening food security and livelihoods, across many regions. In Kenya, recurrent droughts across diverse agro-ecological zones emphasize the urgent need for reliable and scalable drought assessment methods. Although drought assessment with various datasets has been carried out for this region, many of them often use course or moderate resolution data. This study uses high-resolution Sentinel-2 observations and machine learning to monitor intra-seasonal crop conditions and assess drought impacts across bimodal growing seasons. Using pixel-based supervised random forest models trained with multiple vegetation indices as input, we classify croplands into drought-affected and unaffected areas. The …

Leveraging Section 208 Water Quality Planning To Mitigate Pfas Contamination In Watersheds Across The Waccamaw Region, Anna Dimatteo

Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

No abstract provided.

Upgrades To Carvers Bay Water System To Improve Safety And Water Quality, Samantha Stollenmaier

Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

No abstract provided.

The Perceived Barriers Of A One-To-One Technology Implementation: A Post-Covid Case Study, Adam Howard Creasy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative dominant, exploratory sequential case study aimed to identify stakeholder perceptions of technology within a one-to-one technology initiative and outline any possible barriers. The study examined the perceptions of teachers, parents, and administrators within a rural K-12 public school district in Pennsylvania. The study provided school district stakeholders with data they can use to improve existing and future initiatives by early intervention within areas of concern identified by the study. Data were collected using a two round approach which includes focus groups and targeted surveys utilizing research-backed electronic survey tools. The research questions addressed in the study were the …

Nh Guide To 4-H Dog Shows, Extension

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Exploring Hemodynamic Signatures Using Event Camera, Zaid Ahmed

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

This thesis investigates event-based sensing for hemodynamic measurements in transmission mode through the human finger. Conventional frame-based imagers are limited by exposure time, frame rate, and motion blur, which reduce sensitivity to fast optical transients. To address these bottlenecks, this thesis introduces a novel transmission-mode sensing framework using a Prophesee EVK4 HD neuromorphic sensor. By capturing asynchronous ON/OFF events generated by local intensity changes, this work presents a new approach to three tasks: intra-finger pulse transit time (PTT) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) estimation, event-based transmission mode laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI), and Flicker Spike Arrival Time (FSAT) Delay Mapping, …

Elementary Abelian Sylow Subgroups Of The Multiplicative Group, Geremías Polanco

Mathematics Sciences: Faculty Publications

Erdős and Pomerance have shown that 𝜑⁡(𝑛) typically has about 1 2 ⁢(log⁡log⁡𝑛)2 distinct prime factors. More precisely, 𝜔⁡(𝜑⁡(𝑛)) has normal order 1 2 ⁢(log⁡log⁡𝑛)2. Since 𝜑⁡(𝑛) is the size of the multiplicative group (𝐙/𝑛⁢𝐙)×, this result also gives the normal number of Sylow subgroups of (𝐙/𝑛⁢𝐙)×. Recently, Pollack considered specifically noncyclic Sylow subgroups of (𝐙/𝑛⁢𝐙)×, showing that the count of those has normal order log⁡log⁡𝑛/⁢log⁡log⁡log⁡𝑛. We prove that the count of noncyclic Sylow subgroups that are elementary abelian of a fixed rank 𝑘 ≥2 has normal order 1 𝑘⁢(𝑘−1) ⁢log⁡log⁡𝑛/⁢log⁡log⁡log⁡𝑛. So for example, (typically) among the primes p for …

Directory Of Landscape Professionals Trained In Ecological Landscaping For Water Quality Protection, Julia Peterson

UNH Cooperative Extension

The individuals and businesses listed have completed UNH Cooperative Extension training programs for professionals as indicated, and have agreed to be listed in the directory. Individuals looking for related products or services are encouraged to contact one or more of the professionals listed in your area.

Machine Learning And Multisensor Data Fusion For Forest Above Ground Biomass Estimation In Arkansas, Abdullah Al Saim, Mohamed Aly

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Forests are essential for biodiversity conservation, climate change, natural education, scientific research, and carbon sequestration. This study uses machine learning-based Random Forest (RF) regression to estimate the Above Ground Biomass (AGB) of the Ozark and Ouachita forests at a 10-meter resolution by combining data from Sentinel-2, Sentinel-1, and GEDI (Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation) on Google Earth Engine. The RF model included 34 out of 154 variables representing topographical, spectral, and textural factors demonstrating strong correlations with measured biomass. The RF model showed strong performance with R-squared and RMSE values of 0.95 and 18.46 for the training dataset and 0.75 and …

Cultivating Teacher Agency: Professional Development For Culturally Sustaining Environmental Stem Education In South Texas, Uma Ganesan, Angela M. Chapman, Alexander Hernandez

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

This qualitative multiple-case study examined how culturally and linguistically sustaining environmental STEM (CLSE-STEM) professional development transformed in-service teachers' practices across three South Texas high schools serving predominantly Hispanic populations. Through a three-phase design, eight STEM teachers participated in sustained professional learning focused on implementing culturally situated, liberatory pedagogies addressing educational inequities. Data included focus group interviews, classroom observations, teacher-created curricula, and student artifacts collected from Spring 2024 to Spring 2025. Findings revealed five interconnected themes demonstrating teachers' evolution from deficit-based to asset-based approaches: place-based environmental stewardship, strategic translanguaging implementation, teacher agency development, enhanced student engagement, and elder knowledge integration. Results …

University Of San Diego Magazine Spring 2026, Publications Department

University of San Diego Magazine (1992- )

Beauty, Goodness and Truth; Dear Toreros; Around Alcalá Park; Roads Less Traveled; Faith in Action; Asking Better Questions in an Age of Easy Answers; Shaping the Next Generation of Science Leaders; At the Edge of It All; Global Perspectives; Torero Athletics; Toreros Making Waves; In Memoriam; Leading With Love

Federated Retrieval-Augmented Generation For Cybersecurity In Resource-Constrained Iot And Edge Environments: A Deployment-Oriented Scoping Review, Hangyu He, Yuan, Kai Wu, Wei Ni

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Cybersecurity operations in IoT and edge environments require fast, evidence-grounded decisions under strict resource and trust constraints. While large language models can support triage and incident analysis, their parametric knowledge may be outdated and prone to hallucination. Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) improves grounding by conditioning responses on retrieved evidence, but also introduces new risks such as knowledge-base poisoning, indirect prompt injection, and embedding leakage. Federated learning enables collaborative adaptation without centralizing sensitive data, motivating federated RAG (FedRAG) architectures for distributed cybersecurity deployments. This study presents a deployment-oriented scoping review of FedRAG for cybersecurity. The review follows PRISMA-ScR reporting guidance and synthesizes …

Impact Of Cannabis And Cannabis Legalization On Us Atrial Septal Defect Rates, Albert Stuart Reece, Hulse

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Atrial septal defect (ASD) affects 1:11.3 children in some US states; however, the antecedents of these trends are yet to be identified. A total of 1882 ASD rates (ASDRs) for 2003–2020 were sourced from the National Birth Defects Prevention Network reports. A total of 406,893 ASDs are reported. Substance (cigarettes, binge alcohol, cannabis, cannabinoids, analgesics, cocaine) exposure data were taken from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health. Income and ethnicity data were derived from the US Census. Adjustment was performed by mixed effects, survey and generalized additive regression. Causal analysis was by inverse probability weighting and E-values. Data …

Longitudinal Assessment Of Health-Related Quality Of Life In Adults With Ckd, Owen Ng, Teixeira-Pinto, Anh Kieu, Anita Van Zwieten, Anoushka Krishnan, Kirsten Howard, Wai H. Lim, Jeremy R. Chapman, Simon D. Roger, Michael J. Bourke, Shaundeep Sen, Steven J. Chadban, Carol A. Pollock, Allison Jaure, Jonathan C. Craig, Jean Yang, Germaine Wong

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Key Points: Dialysis linked with poorer quality of life compared with transplant patients and patients with CKD. Quality of life trends were similar in both domain-specific and overall quality-of-life measures. Background: There are sparse data about the change in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) with the temporal progression of CKD. In this study, we assessed the association between change in CKD stages, overall and domain-specific quality of life and determined the factors that were associated with this change. Methods: Data were sourced from a multicenter study that included 1290 adult patients aged 18 years and older across six centers in …

Upper Ocean Cycling Of Iron South Of The Polar Front: Biological Patterns And Processes, Luis M. Laglera, Santos-Echeandía, Viena Puigcorbé, Christine Klass, Dieter Wolf-Gladrow

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Samples from the upper 300 m along the 52°S band, south of the Antarctic Polar Front in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean, including a 3-week monitoring of a persistent bloom, were analyzed to advance our understanding of iron cycling and supply to recurrent phytoplankton blooms. We measured dissolved Fe (dFe, <0.2 μm) and labile particulate iron using a mild acid leach (pLFe^48h) targeting primarily detrital and fecal material. Particulate iron was partitioned into size classes to distinguish small, “slow” sinking particles (<53 μm) from large, “fast” sinking particles (>53 μm), while intermediate fractions were analyzed to investigate aggregation and export processes. Across all stations, dFe exhibited a consistent vertical structure, including a previously undescribed …

Ai Models As Cultural Beings: Investigating Ai Cultural Biases And The Impact Of Cultural Alignment On Human-Ai Creative Collaboration, Choon Ngee Tan, Meng Han, Roy Y. J. Chua, Chi-Ying Cheng

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Existing research on AI cultural biases predominantly focuses on Western models, overlooking critical gaps in non-Western models. We conduct a comparative analysis of AI models – ChatGPT (U.S. developed) and ErnieBot (China developed) – from different cultures to investigate how corresponding cultural biases manifest in their outputs. Additionally, we examine how cultural alignment between human users and AI models impacts their collaborative creative performance and the underlying psychological mechanisms. In Study 1, multi-choice prompt with zero-shot technique was used to evaluate cultural biases in four widely used AI models – ChatGPT-3.5/4, ErnieBot-3.5/4 – comparing their responses to established cultural psychometric …

Draft Final 2025 Bpsou Subdrain Data Summary Report (Dsr), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Draft Final Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Insufficiently Reclaimed Sites Sister Dump (Bres No. 38) Remedial Action Work Plan (Rawp), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Determinants Of Evaluation Demand In The United States Federal Government: A Sequential Mixed Methods Study With Hierarchical Linear Modeling, Ruqayyah Abu-Obaid

Dissertations

This dissertation examines the factors that influence demand for evaluation in the federal government of the United States. Although evaluation has become a central element of evidence-based policymaking, limited empirical research explains what drives variation in evaluation activity across federal agencies. The study addresses this gap through a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design that integrates qualitative document analysis with quantitative hierarchical (panel) data modeling. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was employed to analyze longitudinal data from 23 federal agencies (2008–2024), accounting for both within- and between-agency variation over time and providing more accurate estimates of factors influencing evaluation demand.

In the qualitative …