Digital Commons Network^™

Wacsaw: An Adaptive, Statistical Method To Classify Movement Into Sleep And Wakefulness States, Austin Vandegriffe, V. A. Samaranayake, Matthew S. Thimgan

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Wearable actimeters can improve our understanding of sleep in the natural environments. Current algorithms may produce inaccuracies in specific individuals and circumstances, such as quiet wakefulness. New hardware allows data collection at higher frequencies enabling sophisticated analytical methods. We have developed a novel statistical algorithm, the Wasserstein Algorithm for Classifying Sleep and Wakefulness (WACSAW), to identify behavioral states from recordings of everyday movement. WACSAW employs optimal transport techniques to identify segments with differing activity variability. Functions characterizing the segments' movement distributions were clustered into two groups using a k-nearest neighbors and labeled as sleep or wake based on their proximity …

Unlocking Literacy: A Structured, Systemic, And Multisensory Phonics Intervention For Struggling 5th-Grade Readers, Kimberly Driskell

Curriculum and Instruction (Ed.D.) Dissertations

A significant number of students missed essential foundational skills in the first grade when schools closed due to the global pandemic in 2020. When students returned to school for second grade, they were expected to start with grade-level standards rather than relearning the skills they had missed. This discrepancy caused gaps to grow larger in reading, and a larger percentage of students moved to the upper-grade levels, struggling to read. This study examined the effects of a structured, systematic, multisensory phonics intervention on struggling fifth-grade readers in the Early Intervention Program (EIP). Using implementation research, this study presented a quantitative …

Optimization In The Synthesis Of Dual Ionic-Liquid-Functionalized Cellulosic Materials, Megan L. Franke

Honors College Theses

There is a growing urgency to develop sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based materials as concerns about environmental impact and resource depletion intensify. Among renewable biopolymers, cellulose stands out as one of the most abundant and versatile organic compounds on Earth. As the structural backbone of plant cell walls, it provides rigidity and mechanical strength, while its abundance, biodegradability, and tunable chemistry make it an attractive candidate for sustainable materials. Beyond its traditional uses in textiles, paper, and food additives, cellulose has been increasingly investigated in polymer chemistry for advanced

applications. The present study aims to optimize synthetic routes to dual ionic …

Maria Gaetana Agnesi And The Proto-Feminist Movement, Katherine D. Wahnsiedler

Honors College Theses

Maria Gaetana Agnesi, a mathematician and scholar from the 18 th century, is an important historical figure who received a position at the University of Bologna. She is the second woman ever to be appointed to a University professorship, laying the foundation for other women in academia later to come. Many historians interpret Agnesi’s life to be representative of early feminist ideas and would therefore be an example of a proto-feminist. However, this is not accurate, nor is it an ideology Agnesi likely would have subscribed to. Analyzing primary sources written by Agnesi and her contemporaries helps provide insight into …

Adaptive Deep Learning In Physical Layer Applications, Ali Owfi

All Dissertations

Traditionally, signal processing models in communication systems have been designed based on solid foundations in statistics and information theory, often assuming linearity and optimizing for simplified models. However, real-world communication systems exhibit numerous imperfections and non-linearities that traditional linear models struggle to capture accurately. Deep Learning (DL)-based approaches, unconstrained by rigid mathematical models, have shown promise in optimizing system performance by accommodating specific hardware configurations and dynamic channel conditions as an alternative to the traditional methods. Despite all the recent research efforts on DL-based methods for physical layer applications, DL models have still not been widely applied to physical layer …

How Do Server-Based Architectures Compare To Serverless Architectures In Terms Of Development, Deployment Process, Scalability, And Cost-Effectiveness?, Natalio Fernandes Gomes

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Applications are tested in developers’ machines before deployment, since this is the standard practice that ensures the software is functioning as it should before deploying it to a standard practice that ensures the software is functioning as it should before deploying it to a specific environment. The deployment process consists of setting up the environmental requirements, infrastructure configuration on cloud or on-premises servers. Consequently, developers often run into the infamous "It works on my machine" problem. This issue is defined by the fact that applications function correctly in development environments but fail during deployment to production. Furthermore, scalability concerns and …

Using Noninvasive Calibrated Cuff Plethysmography To Observe The Effects Of Lifestyle Habits On Arterial Compliance, Joshua M. Whitaker

Master's Theses

Cardiovascular disease remains as a leading cause of death for both sexes and across all racial backgrounds. Continuing to research causes, early predictors, and preventative actions are paramount to ensuring that cardiovascular disease starts to decrease in its activity. Endothelial dysfunction is the earliest known predictor of cardiovascular disease, therefore investigating early detection methods of endothelial dysfunction can improve health outcomes. This study revolves around a non-invasive calibrated cuff device that uses the principles of segmental plethysmography and oscilliometry to measure arterial compliance of baseline and induced hyperemic conditions in human subjects to determine how well arteries vasodilate in response …

Examining The Contextual Factors Influencing Self-Efficacy Of The 21st Century School Principal: A Phenomenological Study, Jessica J. M. English

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the contextual influences contributing to principals’ sense of self-efficacy. This research study addressed the research questions, "What contextual conditions currently influence principal self-efficacy?” and “Do contemporary challenges impact principal self-efficacy?” The themes that emerged from the research could help stakeholders such as school districts, policymakers, and principal preparation programs create programs, policies, resources, and support to enhance the development of principal self-efficacy. The study participants were all current public-school principals with five or more years of experience as a principal. The study participants served in school districts across the United States, with …

(R2125) Impact Of Convective Condition And Inclined Magnetic Field On Casson Nanofluid With Bioconvection In Porous Medium, Touseef Fayaz, O. Otegbeye, Md. Sharifuddin Ansari

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

This paper presents an analysis on steady magnetohydrodynamic boundary layer flow of Casson nanofluid with microorganisms near an expandable boundary in a porous medium. The flow behaviour is analysed by incorporating impacts of magnetic field applied in a direction which makes an angle α∗ with the boundary and convective conditions in temperature, nanoparticle concentration and microorganism density at boundary. Non-dimensionalised nonlinear and coupled system of ordinary differential equations are solved by exercising a numerical algorithm termed as spectral local-linearization method. The considered numerical algorithm is found to be convergent and capable of yielding accurate results. Graphical sketches of solutions obtained …

Evaluating The Preparedness Of Local Zoning Regulations For Flood Risk Reduction In The Most Affected Local Jurisdictions In Nebraska, Md Asaduzzaman Noor

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses

Flooding has profound social, economic, and environmental impacts on local communities, and zoning plays a critical role in mitigating these risks. The 2019 Nebraska floods, among the most severe in the state’s history, highlighted the urgent need to strengthen local preparedness and mitigation strategies. This study assesses the extent to which local zoning regulations in Nebraska’s most affected jurisdiction, including rural areas, address flood risk reduction. A systematic review of 117 zoning ordinances from counties, cities, towns, and villages, we applied a structured analytical framework encompassing regulatory and permitting policies, voluntary and incentive-based measures, and nature-based solutions. The results show …

Bridging Conservation And Disaster Recovery: A Dual Study On Wetland Program Plans Evaluation And Midwest Post Disaster Recovery Assessment, Rao Nargis Jahan

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses

Wetlands provide essential ecological, social, and economic benefits for our society. In the United States, states and tribes play crucial roles in wetland protection, restoration, and management. However, no research has systematically measured state-level wetland planning efforts towards national conservation goals. This study is the first to comprehensively evaluate how state-level Wetland Program Plans (WPPs) align with national missions, particularly the "no-net-loss" of wetlands goal. Our research assesses the EPA-approved state-level WPPs from 42 out of 50 states in the United States during the period from 2015 to 2024. Using a protocol of 30 indicators across five categories, this study …

Flood Resilience Through Working-Land Conservation: Assessment Of Wetland Inundation Dynamics Across Wrp, Wma, Wpa, Padus And Crp Lands In Nebraska (2018–2024), Pranjay Joshi

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses

This study first confirms whether Nebraska’s wetlands are still functioning hydrologically in ways that reduce flood impacts. Wetlands are known to lessen flood damage by storing water, slowing runoff, and moderating peak flows, but these benefits depend on the wetlands’ ability to maintain inundation and saturation through time. Many wetlands across the state have undergone drainage, hydrologic alteration, or isolation from surrounding watersheds, raising uncertainty about their present-day functioning. Using seven years of Sentinel-2 imagery processed in Google Earth Engine, this research establishes a clear, long-term record of inundation patterns across thousands of wetland parcels. This analysis verifies which wetlands …

Capillary Imbibition Of Shear-Thinning Xanthan Gum Solutions, Aimee Sayster

All Theses

Capillary rise in confined geometries plays a critical role in numerous natural and industrial processes. While classical models such as the Lucas–Washburn equation accurately describe the dynamics of Newtonian fluids, they fail to capture the complex behavior of shear-thinning, non- Newtonian fluids whose viscosity varies with shear rate. This research investigates the capillary rise dynamics of shear-thinning xanthan gum polymer solutions in capillary tubes. The rheological behavior of each fluid is characterized using the Ellis model, which accounts for shear-thinning effects through three key parameters: zero-shear viscosity μ0, characteristic shear stress τ1/2 and viscosity index α. Experimental data was collected …

General Education Teachers' Perspectives And Practices For Supporting English Language Learners In Memphis Charter Schools, Ijiah Hargrove

Dissertations

The growing enrollment of English Language Learners (ELLs) in U.S. schools, particularly within urban charter settings, presents unique challenges for general education teachers who are often underprepared to meet both linguistic and academic needs. The purpose of this study was to explore the instructional strategies, perspectives of their ability of self-efficacy, and institutional factors that shape how K–8 charter school teachers in Memphis support ELLs. This work is significant because teachers’ beliefs, preparation, and available resources directly impact ELL achievement and equity in education.

A qualitative single-case study design was employed, with twelve general education teachers recruited through purposeful sampling. …

Upcycling Commodity Polymers To Advanced Materials For Energy And Environmental Sustainability, Anthony Griffin-Espinoza

Dissertations

Synthetic polymers play an essential role in nearly every aspect of our lives. Extending beyond single-use packaging, polymeric material design has progressed to attain tailorable architectures granting exceptional performance across advanced applications, including carbon-fiber reinforced polymer composites for aerospace, conductive materials for soft electronics, and drug carriers for biomedicine. While highly promising, intricately designed polymers needed to achieve excellent performance often have limited processability, complex synthetic methods, and expensive precursors. Furthermore, due to a lack of recyclability, commodity polymer waste streams result in both environmental impacts and a substantial loss of economic value. This dissertation focuses on developing robust strategies …

Privacy Preserving-Based Artificial Intelligence For Precision Agriculture, Partha P. Sengupta

Dissertations

The research work finds a solution to precision agriculture of cotton cultivation using artificial intelligence (AI) models. Two sets of model performance based on the application are selected namely a low resource and a high resource setting. This is because using drone surveys to capture images identifying the classes of stressed and unstressed cotton plantation requires limited model architecture and CPU based computation. Thus, traditional AI models were selected for low resource settings. Again, for high computation intensive models like transfer learning-convolution neural network (CNN) based architectures were grouped into high resource settings. There was another issue of class imbalance …

The Malonate Template: The Key To Unlocking Novel Amino Acids, Thomas Owens

Dissertations

The “Malonate Template” provides access to various amino acids, all from a common intermediate. Herein, demonstrates the use of the malonate template to establish a synthetic route to both 2-thiohistidine and 2-thio-3-N-methyl-histidine from a benzyl methyl malonate derived intermediate. Furthermore, efforts exploiting the applicability of the malonate template for the of both 2-thiohistidine and 2-thio-3-N-methyl-histidine as a suitable alternative to methods previously described by Erdelmeier are described.

The method presented incorporates modifications to the biomimetic pathway described by Erdelmeier for the synthesis of 2-thiohisidine. By exploiting the biomimetic formation of 2-thiohisitidne’s mechanism via mass spectrometry, we …

Exploring Faculty Perspectives Of Roadblocks To Accommodating Students With Disabilities In Community Colleges, Shalither S. Cushenberry

Dissertations

This qualitative study explores faculty perspectives on student accommodation in the community college setting. The one-on-one, semi-structured, in-depth interviews with faculty and perspectives of accommodation experts will result in outcomes that better prepare faculty, as a workforce, to support students with accommodations. The study utilized the social cognitive career theory (SCCT) to understand how increasing faculty awareness and engagement through professional development can enhance their ability to provide services to students with accommodation requests. The study underscores the critical importance of understanding the rationale for students with granted accommodations and faculty members supporting their academic success. The findings revealed gaps …

Toward A Better Understanding Of Friction, Adhesion, And Stud Bearing Shear Transfer At The Steel-Concrete Interface Of Composite Bridge Girders, Callie Grace James

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Following curing of the concrete deck, load transfer between the concrete and steel components in a composite bridge girder is possible through three mechanisms: 1) mechanical contact (bearing) between the embedded shear connectors and surrounding cured concrete, 2) adhesion between the cured concrete and steel-section top flange, and 3) friction between the contacting materials Understanding the mechanisms of bearing, adhesion, and friction shear transfer at the steel-concrete interface of composite bridge girders is necessary for efficient proportioning of headed shear connectors (or studs) in design. To better understand the roles that stud bearing, adhesion, and friction play in composite girder …

Issue 16: Pulmonary & Critical Care Insider, Bharat Bajantri Md, Sarah Ellsworth Mls

Critical Care & Pulmonary

Pulmonary & Critical Care Insider Issue 16

Compiled by Bharat Bajantri, MD, and librarian Sarah Ellsworth, MLS for the clinicians of the Pulmonary and Critical Care team of Parkview.

The Pulmonary & Critical Care Insider newsletter was created by Dr. Bharat Bajantri, MD and Sarah Ellsworth, MLS in 2023 as a form of current awareness for current practice at our hospital, Parkview Health.

Topics:

EVERDAC Trial: Do All Shock Patients Need Arterial Lines?

Beyond MAP: Redefining Perfusion Pressure in Septic Shock

ECG Findings You Cannot Miss in Acute Pulmonary Embolism

Food for Thought: When Private Equity Buys Hospitals, Who Pays …

Floodplain Lake Hydrodynamic And Morphodynamic Connections Through Hydraulic Modeling Along The Pee Dee River, Sc, Charles Cj Mina

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rivers have been essential in the success of humankind. This reliance has created a vested interest in studying the rivers' environmental history through using floodplain deposits, with the assumption that coarser sediments correlate to higher discharge floods. However, shifting hydrological connectivity and hydrodynamics can complicate this correlation in primary repositories of flood deposits, oxbow lakes, by altering the texture of sediments delivered to them. Studying these complications is essential for quantifying paleoflood magnitude using the sediment record, but has been difficult, as the currently used index of hydrological connectivity relies on water stage, which does not reflect the sediment flux …

Tuning A Magnetic Energy Scale With Pressure And Field In Ute2, Hyunsoo Kim, I. Lin Liu, Wen Chen Lin, Yun Suk Eo, Sheng Ran, Nicholas P. Butch, Johnpierre Paglione

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

When a fragile ordered state is suppressed to zero temperature, a quantum phase transition occurs, which is often marked by the appearance of unconventional superconductivity. While the quantum critical point can be hidden, the influence of the quantum criticality extends to fairly high temperatures, manifesting non-Fermi liquid behavior in a wide range of the field-temperature-pressure phase space. Here, we report the tuning of a magnetic energy scale in the heavy-fermion superconductor UTe₂, previously identified with a peak in the c-axis electrical transport temperature dependence, using applied hydrostatic pressures and a-axis-oriented magnetic fields as complementary (and opposing) tuning parameters: …

Essays On The Economics Of Farmland Valuation And Investment In U.S. Agriculture, Colson Tester

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents three empirical essays that collectively advance the understanding of farmland valuation in key U.S. agricultural regions, emphasizing the critical advantages of comprehensive, transaction-based data over traditional survey methods. Farmland represents a significant portion of agricultural wealth, and its accurate valuation is crucial for farmers, investors, and policymakers, influencing everything from credit access to investment strategies. Historically, research has often relied on subjective survey data, which can suffer from biases, inaccuracies, and insufficient granularity. This dissertation addresses these limitations by leveraging extensive datasets of arm’s-length farmland transactions, offering a more precise and market-driven perspective on land values. The …

Computational Fluid Dynamics Based Optimization Method Applied To Hydrokinetic Turbine Devices, Stuart Glenn Fletcher

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a computational investigation of optimal kinematic operating parameters governing various hydrokinetic turbines (HKT) systems for the use of power generation within river and tidal environments. Two separate studies are performed. The first study investigates optimal cycle parameters for simple and complex kinematic modes governing the motion of oscillating foil energy harvesters (OFEH). An iterative gradient-ascent optimization method is used to search for local efficiency optima based on an initial set of kinematic parameters. To search the operational space for up to eight degrees of freedom (DOF), a maximin space filling condition was implemented to efficiently compute initial …

Diagnostic Accuracy Of Nanopore Sequencing For Detecting Mycobacterium Tuberculosis And Drug-Resistant Strains: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Timothy Hudson David Culasino Carandang, Dianne Jaula Cunanan, Gail S. Co, John David Pilapil, Juan Ignacio Garcia, Blanca I. Restrepo, Marcel Yotebieng, Jordi B. Torrelles, Kin Israel Notarte

Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health Publications

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection, remains a significant public health threat. The timeliness, portability, and capacity of nanopore sequencing for diagnostics can aid in early detection and drug susceptibility testing (DST), which is crucial for effective TB control. This study synthesized current evidence on the diagnostic accuracy of the nanopore sequencing technology in detecting MTB and its DST profile. A comprehensive literature search in PubMed, Scopus, MEDLINE, Cochrane, EMBASE, Web of Science, AIM, IMEMR, IMSEAR, LILACS, WPRO, HERDIN Plus, MedRxiv, and BioRxiv was performed. Quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool. Pooled …

“Starlight Suite”: A Compositional Exploration Of The Argo Navis Constellations In Three Movements, Adam Miller

Student Publications

This thesis explores a compositional technique in which stellar constellations are arranged upon musical staves in a variety of iterations to create a basis from which to draw melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic material. These raw extrapolations of unaltered notes are then arranged and orchestrated into thematic music for full orchestra, centered around elements from the mythological background behind the constellations used. An accompanying analysis explains the specific applications of this technique within each movement of the work, the significance of each, and the variety of ways in which musical inspiration was drawn from the raw materials. The objective of this …

Dielectric Properties Of Surface-Doped Partially Stabilised Zirconia With Ceramic Nanomaterials, Lara Al-Hakeem, Shihab Zaidan, Wafaa Khalef

Journal of Applied Sciences and Nanotechnology

The microstructural and dielectric properties of Yttria-partially stabilized zirconia (Y-PSZ) were studied before and after sintering with BaTiO3 and WO3 doping. After sintering, FE-SEM analysis revealed increased grain coalescence and growth, with BaTiO3 causing 300 nm grain expansion and WO3 promoting uniform grain distribution without significant grain size increase (~200 nm). These microstructural changes dramatically altered dielectric behavior. All sintered samples had higher dielectric constants than pre-sintered ones between 100–1000 kHz due to reduced porosity and enhanced homogeneity. Dielectric constant was highest in BaTiO3-doped Y-PSZ at lower frequencies, while WO-doped showed superior frequency stability and lower dielectric loss across the …

Impacts Of Nutrient Addition And Disturbance On Coastal Dune Arthropod Communities And Trophic Interactions, Kayla Beitzel

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Coastal dune ecosystems face ongoing threats from human-mediated disturbance and altered resource availability. Because these dunes provide critical habitat for many organisms, including shorebirds, beach mice, and arthropods, changes in disturbance regimes or resource availability can impact plant communities and higher trophic levels by altering plant richness and productivity, which in turn influence arthropod abundance and diversity. To examine how disturbance and nutrient addition affect arthropod communities, we established twenty 5×5 m plots on Dauphin Island, crossing mechanical disturbance with a 10 g m⁻² addition of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, replicated across five experimental blocks. Arthropods were sampled using three …

Exploring Synthetic Data Generation For Machine Learning And Statistical Analysis, Aditi S. Gajjar

Master's Theses

In the data-driven machine learning and statistical analysis world, real-world data availability is often constrained by privacy concerns, access restrictions, or resource limitations. To address these challenges, synthetic data provides a groundbreaking solution, enabling academics and data scientists to generate artificial datasets that mimic real-world data for model development and testing in a controlled, privacy-preserving environment. The syntheticDatasets package represents an R-based counterpart to Python's widely-used Scikit-learn dataset generators, adapted to meet the needs of statisticians, educators, and data scientists primarily working in the R programming ecosystem.

This thesis explores the design and implementation of the syntheticDatasets package, focusing on …

Performance Enhancement For Rufa: Rapid Urban Forest Assessment, Nicholas Tan

Master's Theses

Urban forests are crucial to the livability and resilience of cities, offering critical ecosystem benefits such as air quality enhancement, temperature regulation, and biodiversity. Managing said urban forests is essential to ensure their sustainability and adaptability to rapidly changing environmental and climate conditions. The Rapid Urban Forest Assessment (RUFA) tool was developed to address the need for a standardized approach to evaluating and comparing urban and community forestry programs. By analyzing and aggregating tree-specific data across California, such as canopy cover, tree counts, and diversity scores, RUFA assigns a comprehensive urban forestry score for each city. This score allows for …