Digital Commons Network^™

Automatic Extraction Of Vulnerability Information For Security Operators Using Gpt Models, Waeland Elder

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Artificial intelligence has progressed rapidly in recent years, greatly revolutionizing the world and helping to automate increasingly complex tasks. However, there are still some disciplines where the problem of automation has not yet been thoroughly tackled, such as in software vulnerability management. Vulnerability management is a critical component of cybersecurity for an organization. Until recently, learning about a vulnerability required a security operator to manually search and read through online information and security advisories to find needed information. Doing so is a significantly time-consuming task, as these advisories tend to be quite lengthy and packed with information about various technologies. …

Challenges For Room Temperature Operation Of Electrically Pumped Gesn Lasers, A. R. Ellis, D. A. Duffy, I. P. Marko, S. Acharya, W. Du, S. Q-. Yu, S. J. Sweeney

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Recent demonstrations of room-temperature lasing in optically pumped GeSn show promise for future CMOS compatible lasers for Si-photonics applications. However, challenges remain for electrically pumped devices. Investigation of the processes that limit device performance is therefore vital in aiding the production of future commercial devices. In this work, a combined experimental and modelling approach is utilised to explore the dominant loss processes in current devices. By manipulating the band structure of functioning devices using high hydrostatic pressure techniques at low temperature, the dominant carrier recombination pathways are identified. This reveals that 93 ± 5% of the threshold current is attributable …

Maximizing Planter Potential : An Analysis Of The Church Planter Assessment Of The Wesleyan Church, Andrew W. Merritt

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Cybersecurity Landscape In The United States: Trend, Regional Variations, And Socioeconomic Factors, Trang Thi Thu Horn

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Internet has become an essential part of our daily lives. Cyberspace has emerged significantly with an enormous number of users, creating a lucrative hunting field for cybercriminals. The exponential growth of internet users and online activities, along with the increased sophistication of cybercrimes, is raising significant global concerns for individuals, organizations, and governments. This research aims to explore the cybersecurity landscape in the United States, investigate regional variations, and the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of cybercrimes. The study utilizes a mixed research method approach, including historical analysis and a Delphi study. Historical analysis studied …

Predicting Health Insurance Claim Costs: A Data-Driven Approach Using Machine Learning, Fatema Khela

Theses

Determining appropriate premiums for policyholders is a challenge faced by the healthcare insurance industry. Policyholders' judgments about their healthcare are negatively impacted by the growing difficulty in accurately predicting claim amounts. To overcome this difficulty, our study used data-driven methods to project the cost of health insurance claims. Claim expenses are influenced by several criteria, including claim costs, agе, gеndеr, wеight, BMI, numbеr of dеpеndеnts, smoking habits, blood prеssurе, diabеtеs, еxеrcisе routinеs, occupation, city of rеsidеncе, and hеrеditary disеasеs. The primary aim of this research is to dеvеlop prеdictivе modеls that can accuratеly еstimatе thе cost of health insurancе claims …

Voltage Total Harmonic Distortion-Based Communication-Free Adaptive Protection Strategy For Microgrids, Mohamed Jaffer Ali

Theses

The microgrid protection strategy encounters major obstacles because of the varying fault current capacities that result from the diverse modes of microgrid operations. The challenges are heightened with the incorporation of large-scale systems. Protecting microgrids has become a complex task due to various factors. This includes 1) increased fault current contribution during grid-connected operation, 2) insufficient current contribution during islanded operation, 3) sympathetic tripping, 4) blinding, and 5) loss of mains. These factors can render existing protection devices ineffective in clearing faults. And thus, current alone cannot be only key factor for detecting a fault among various modes of operation. …

Continuous Mobile Authentication Protocol For Iot Based Environment Supporting User Behavioural Profile, Saleem Emad Saleem Abdo

Theses

As the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem continues to spread, many researchers are addressing the need for robust and lightweight authentication mechanisms for both continuous and mobile IoT devices. However, the main issue that many face is the lack of a consensus on the definitions of both continuous and mobile IoT authentication. This thesis aims to investigate the diverse definitions and approaches surrounding continuous and mobile IoT authentication. We delve into the evolving landscape of authentication methods, protocols, and security measures tailored for IoT devices that operate in dynamic and mobile environments. A comprehensive survey navigates through the multifaceted dimensions …

Neural Network Characterization Methods For Noisy Quantum Hardware Results, Daniel Richard Breslawski

Theses

As the nascent quantum computing paradigm matures and quantum devices become widely available, discrete "eras" are emerging which characterize evolving quantum computing technologies, much like semiconductor technology node classifications. The current period has been coined the Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) era, as devices above 50 qubits in size exist but computations using these devices accumulate error quickly from classical interference sources and state decoherence. NISQ machines may surpass the capabilities of modern classical computers in ideal circumstances, but the accumulation of error from physical noise limits the size and implementability of reliable quantum algorithms. Because of these limitations, strategies are …

Digital Orchestration In Media Compositions, Jimmy Bartley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As composers gain access to better tools, digital mockups have increasingly grown in popularity. Composers often aim to emulate an idealized orchestral sound in their mockups. By understanding the nature of acoustic orchestration and instrumentation, specific techniques and approaches for virtual instruments and sample libraries, and methods to process and manipulate MIDI audio, composers can achieve this idealized sound. This thesis will focus on the common techniques and methods that composers can use to achieve this in digital mockups. Concluding the thesis is an original work that combines digital and live instruments while exploring different techniques to achieve an ideal …

Geologic Face Mapping Methodology Utilizing Global Positioning Systems And Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Luke Whitenburg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Geologic field mapping has traditionally been a low-technology process, limited by time in the field and a delicate balance between data collection and coverage area. Advancements in Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), and software packages offer new tools and techniques for collecting high volume, accurate geologic information. These tools can provide geologists with safe and efficient ways to collect and process greater volumes of field data.

Field data for this study was collected from three open pit mines using a Trimble Geo 7X GPS unit with Geo 7 Series Rangefinder module and a Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 …

Catchment-Scale Thawing And Greening Decreases Long-Term Nitrogen Export In Ne Greenland, Shannon L. Speir, Jennifer L. Tank, Ada Pastor, Marc F. Muller, Mikhail Mastepanov, Tenna Riis

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Climate change is expected to alter nitrogen (N) export from Arctic rivers, with potential implications for fragile coastal ecosystems and fisheries. Yet, the directionality of change is poorly understood, as increased mobilization of N in a 'thawing' Arctic is countered by higher rates of vegetative uptake in a 'greening' Arctic, particularly in the understudied region of Greenland. We use an unprecedented dataset of long-term (n = 18 years) river chemistry, streamflow, and catchment-scale changes in snow and vegetation to document changing riverine N loss in Greenland. We documented decreasing inorganic and organic N loads, linked to decreasing snow stores, …

Digital Beamforming Implemented In Hardware, Nicole Dulieu

Theses

Digital beamforming is a popular method used in modern communication systems. The ability to track and locate a transmitting signal adaptively is necessary in communication systems. Beamforming is one solution to this problem. Beamforming uses an array or matrix of isotropic antenna elements. This eliminates the need to create a physically larger antennas to achieve the same radiation pattern and gain of a phased array of antenna elements. Additionally, the antennas are electronically controlled allowing the radiation pattern and gain to adapt quickly. It is necessary to use a digital platform for beamforming because hardware can digitize analog signals efficiently. …

Benchmarking Of Matrix Multiplication Acceleration Methods, Ashish Tondwalkar

Theses

With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), performance and model runtime feasibility poses a challenge to the advancement of AI technology. Novel methods of accelerating the core mathematical functions of AI applications are being explored. The crux of AI computations that would benefit from hardware acceleration is matrix multiplication. This thesis explores the acceleration of matrix multiplication using systolic arrays and the strassen algorithm, methods known for enhancing computational efficiency through parallel processing. The research focuses on the design, implementation, and comprehensive testing of these architectures to expedite matrix multiplication tasks, crucial for applications in deep learning and signal processing. …

Choosing Sides: On The Manipulation Of Civil Litigation, Yotam Kaplan, Ittai Paldor

Vanderbilt Law Review

Our litigation system is broken. Scholars have long warned that professional litigants, such as debt-collecting firms, insurance companies, and commercial landlords, enjoy immense and unfair advantages over private individuals. What has gone unnoticed is professional litigants’ ability to manipulate their litigatory position—that is, to choose whether they will litigate as plaintiffs or defendants. Extant literature assumes that the parties’ litigatory positions are determined by the substance of the dispute: the party seeking a remedy is the plaintiff, and the party objecting to the award of a remedy is the defendant. We show that, in reality, professional litigants have both the …

The Non-Vanishing Of The Trace Of T ₃, Liubomir Chiriac, Daphne Kurzenhauser, Erin Williams

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

A generalized Lehmer conjecture predicts that, for every positive integer n, the trace of the Hecke operator T_n in level one does not vanish, unless the space of cusp forms acted upon is trivial. So far, this has only been established for n = 2. In this paper, we use p-adic methods to prove the statement for n = 3.

Dancetag: Using Sensors To Improve Feedback Given To Dance Students, Yanelly Mego

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The structure of dance classrooms has remained unchanged for several years. Very little, if any, technology has been incorporated to improve the quality of teaching. This has motivated our research project, whose goal is to capture dance movements with wearable sensors, to develop DANCETAG (Data Analytics and Notation with Captured Event Tagging). This is a platform that allows the gathering of data captured by Sony’s Mocopi sensors and annotating them with the dancer's movements. The Mocopi sensors make up a motion capture system. It is comprised of six small, round sensors that can be attached to velcro straps and clips. …

From Pace To Place: Can Marathon Finishing Times Predict Regional Origins?, Isabella Mcclure

Honors Scholar Theses

In this research endeavor, the capabilities of neural networks are utilized to discern regional patterns within a diverse populace via marathon finishing times. Leveraging two decades of race data from the New York and Boston Marathons, the study aims to develop a predictive model capable of identifying individuals' geographic origins based on their marathon performances. This exploration holds promise in shedding light on the intersection of environmental variables and ultimate race achievements in the realm of marathon running. Preliminary results suggest that finishing times alone introduce an excess of randomness that is difficult for the algorithm to untangle, resulting in …

Wonders Of The Ancestral Puebloans: Astronomers, Engineers, And Magicians Of The Four Corners, Ashar Mobeen

Hemisphere: Visual Cultures of the Americas

No abstract provided.

Mathematical And Computational Analysis Of Certain Regularizations For The 3d Navier-Stokes Equations And Nonlocal Peridynamic Conservation Laws, Isabel Safarik

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Voigt regularization is a technique used to model turbulent flows, offering advantages such as sharing steady states with the Navier-Stokes equations and requiring no modification of boundary conditions. We explore a modification to the Voigt regularization technique by introducing fractional dissipation into the system, specifically incorporating a fractional power, r. In this work, the proofs are in the context of periodic boundary conditions. The resulting fractional Navier-Stokes-Voigt (fNSV) and fractional Euler-Voigt (fEV) equations are studied for global well-posedness in three dimensions. It is shown that global well-posedness holds in the 3D case for fEV when the fractional power r …

Ecological Dynamics Of Cenozoic North American Mammals, Alexandria Brandis Shupinski

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Understanding how community structure is affected by various ecological, climatic, and environmental changes is a long-standing goal in ecology. However, disentangling human impacts from these other variables is difficult when using short modern timescales and anthropogenically altered communities. The fossil record provides a means to investigate community structure dynamics across critical intervals, excluding humans as a variable. Here, in three studies, I assess changes in North American mammal paleocommunity structure across the last 66 million years (Ma) at multiple temporal and spatial scales. In Chapter 1, I identify changes in mammal functional diversity (FD) locally and continentally, using three independent …

Lockheed Martin Strategic Audit, Trevor Deboer, Gunnar Lombard, Sam Nelson, Tj Taylor, Paul Wynegar

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Abstract

This case study explores Lockheed Martin, a global leader in defense contracting. Our team performed a strategic audit using the theories of strategic management. Our research was pulled from various sources, including Lockheed Martin’s website, SEC filings, related news articles, and relevant industry analysis. The goals of this case study revolved around collecting data and performing analysis to evaluate Lockheed Martin’s potential for competitive advantage in the airplane and parts manufacturing industry.

Some of the various analyses performed on Lockheed Martin include firm analysis, industry analysis, internal analysis, external analysis, competitive dynamics, business-level strategy, corporate-level strategy, and exploring their …

Drag Reduction In Channel Flow Configurations For Laminar And Turbulent Flow Past Superhydrophobic Surfaces, Henry Louis Ems

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

In this work, we present friction drag reduction in minichannel laminar flow past superhydrophobic metallic surfaces. Femtosecond laser surface processing (FLSP), a one-step scalable method, was used to create permanent microscale and nanoscale structures on 316 stainless steel plates. The resulting superhydrophilic plates were covered by tall (215 μm) or short (27 μm) structures. The FLSP plates were then transitioned to superhydrophobic by evaporative deposition of a fluorinated silane, a low surface energy coating. Using purified water, the friction factor was obtained by measuring pressure drop along a minichannel with a rectangular cross section for flow rates corresponding …

Aggregate Games: Computations And Applications, Jared Soundy

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Existing computational game theory studies consider compact representations of games that capture agent interaction in real-world environments and examine computation aspects of computing equilibrium concepts to analyze or predict agent behavior.

One of the most well-studied representations that capture many commonly studied real-world environments is aggregate games. Aggregate games, first systematically studied by Nobel laureate Reinhard Selten, have various applications in modeling the decision-making interdependence of agents, where each agent’s utility function depends on their own actions and the aggregations or summarizations of the actions of all agents. These applications include Cournot oligopoly competition, public good contribution, and voting, where …

"Everyone Got To Eat My Tears": Racialized Emotions, Mentoring Practices, And The Political And Ethical Commitments Of Women Of Color Graduate Students In Stem, Machienvee V. Lammey

Sociology ETDs

In this project, I examine the emotional and lived experiences of women of color (WOC) graduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and how they embody and negotiate racism, classism, and sexism in academia, particularly in White, men-dominated STEM spaces. I utilize critical race theory and intersectionality to shed light on how WOC draw upon their intersecting identities, marginalization, and sense of community to navigate and resist oppressive environments. Specifically, I highlight the ways they experience racialized emotions and leverage vulnerability to resist dominant academic norms and controlling images to preserve their holistic selves, engage in critical reflexivity …

Disconnectivity Graphs Of Spin Glasses On The Kagome Lattice, Richard Richardson

Honors Theses

The topology of the potential energy landscape for a spin-glass arranged on the Kagome lattice is studied by the use of enhanced disconnectivity graphs. Enhanced disconnectivity graphs display location and type of minima structures and the barrier heights between them. Three different models which differ in the range of allowed values for the bond strength are analyzed. The allowed values for bond strength for the three different models are {±1}, {±1, ±2}, and {±1, ±2, ±3}. 100 systems were randomly generated for each model, and enhanced disconnectivity graphs were drawn for each system by using the Hamiltonian of the Ising …

Learning Scene Semantics For 3d Scene Retrieval, Natalie Gleason

Honors Theses

This project presents a comprehensive exploration into semantics-driven 3D scene retrieval, aiming to bridge the gap between 2D sketches/images and 3D models. Through four distinct research objectives, this project endeavors to construct a foundational infrastructure, develop methodologies for quantifying semantic similarity, and advance a semantics-based retrieval framework for 2D scene sketch-based and image-based 3D scene retrieval. Leveraging WordNet as a foundational semantic ontology library, the research proposes the construction of an extensive hierarchical scene semantic tree, enriching 2D/3D scenes with encoded semantic information. The methodologies for semantic similarity computation utilize this semantic tree to bridge the semantic disparity between 2D …

Dodea K-12 Student Perceptions Toward Adjusting To Math Curricula Discrepancies Among Base Schools, Jackie Zuiderhof

Theses and Dissertations

Students who are affiliated with the United States Armed Forces will transition every two to four years depending on their parents’ career. The students who move may have educational gaps in mathematics because of a United States Armed Forces move occurring in the middle of a school year. The problem of practice addresses the educational gaps that former students and teachers perceive occurring related to content knowledge and procedural fluency. The researcher used a mixed methods study to ask close-ended quantitative questions and open-ended qualitative questions. The research was conducted on the web-based platform of Facebook. The results of the …

Lost In The Identification Process: Where Are Gifted Blacks And Other Minorities In Gifted And Talented Education?, Tiffany M. Chenier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The underrepresentation of African American and Hispanic students in gifted and talented (GT) education has persisted for decades, prompting a need for deeper investigation into the policies and procedures governing GT identification. The aim of this research was to investigate whether variations in practices for GT identification and the definition of giftedness, contribute to this underrepresentation. This qualitative case study used predetermined criteria outlined in the Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted and Talented Students to examine the contents of each district’s GT identification plan available in electronic or downloadable form using document analysis. I also used …

Crystallographic Defects In Weyl Semimetal Laalge, Inseo Kim, Byungkyun Kang, Hyunsoo Kim, Minseok Choi

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Crystallographic Defects in a Topological Semimetal Can Result in Charge Doping and Scattering Centers Which May Mask the Exotic Spectroscopic and Transport Properties, respectively. Here, We Investigate the Possible Crystallographic Defects Including Vacancy and Antisite in Weyl Semimetal LaAlGe using Hybrid-Density-Functional Theory Calculations. We Show that a Considerable Concentration of Al- and Ge-Related Defects Naturally Form during Growth Due to their Low Formation Enthalpy. Specifically, Al Can Be Easily Replaced by Ge in the I41md Phase of LaAlGe, Forming the Ge-On-Al Antisite, GeAl. the Counterpart, Al-On-Ge (AlGe), is Also Probable. the Most Abundant Defect GeAl is Donorlike, Effectively Electron Doping, …

Coarctation Duration And Severity Predict Risk Of Hypertension Precursors In A Preclinical Model And Hypertensive Status Among Patients, Arash Ghorbannia, Hilda Jurkiewicz, Lith Nasif, Abdillahi Ahmed, Jennifer Co-Vu, Mehdi Maadooliat, Ronald K. Woods, John F. Ladisa Jr.

Mathematical and Statistical Science Faculty Research and Publications

BACKGROUND:

Coarctation of the aorta (CoA) often leads to hypertension posttreatment. Evidence is lacking for the current >20 mm Hg peak-to-peak blood pressure (BP) gradient (BPGpp) guideline, which can cause aortic thickening, stiffening, and dysfunction. This study sought to find the BPGpp severity and duration that avoid persistent dysfunction in a preclinical model and test if predictors translate to hypertension status in patients with CoA.

METHODS:

Rabbits (n=75; 5–12/group) were exposed to mild, intermediate, or severe CoA (≤12, 13–19, ≥20 mm Hg BPGpp) for ≈1, 3, or 22 weeks using dissolvable and permanent sutures with thickening, stiffening, contraction, and endothelial …