Digital Commons Network^™

Developing Training And Streamlining Training Management Process For Smithfield Fire Department Employees In Aha, Naemt, And Aap Certifications, Michael Christopher Popa Ii

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The rapid operational expansion of the Smithfield Fire Department and EMS (SFD)—marked by a 300% increase in call volume and a transition to a fully professional, independent paramedic service—exposed critical systemic inefficiencies in clinical preparedness and personnel credentialing. This project addresses the "HALO Paradox," wherein high-acuity, low-occurrence emergencies require expert-level proficiency that cannot be maintained through call volume alone. Historically, the agency relied on fragmented, external continuing education (CE) that incurred high financial costs, lacked equipment standardization, and created administrative bottlenecks during biannual recertification cycles. The central objective of this capstone was to engineer a sustainable, in-house training infrastructure that …

The Fundamental Group: A Geometric Perspective, Kayla M. Bittenbinder

All NMU Master's Theses

This thesis explores the deep mathematical connection between the flexible, continuous world of topology and the rigid, distance-preserving world of metric geometry. We begin by constructing the fundamental group of a topological space, using the concept of loops and loop homotopy to identify a global topological invariant such as a hole or puncture. We then transition to the geometric realm of metric spaces and isometries, demonstrating how the isometry group of a space algebraically encodes its rigid symmetries. To bridge these two distinct mathematical frameworks, we utilize the construction of the universal covering space. We pull back the metric from …

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Host: Fleas And The History Of Pikas In North America, Josh Pletcher

All NMU Master's Theses

Parasite phylogenetics can offer windows into the cryptic evolutionary history of hosts, often highlighting events that are not recorded by the phylogenetics of the host. Pikas (small lagomorphs) host a diverse parasite community comprising endoparasites (e.g., coccidians, nematodes, and cestodes) and ectoparasites (e.g., fleas and mites). Phylogenetic analysis of pika endoparasites has revealed pikas evolved in Asia and colonized North America in two waves, and that contact between these two pika lineages allowed parasites to be transferred from one lineage to another and to survive the extinction of their original host. To uncover these cryptic histories, understanding the biogeography of …

Tau Beta Pi Engineering Mentorship Program, Tyler Black

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project is to design and implement a student-led engineering mentorship program directed by the members of the Utah Gamma Chapter of Tau Beta Pi on the Utah State University (USU) Logan campus. Retention data show that many undergraduate students who start engineering programs change their degree before graduation due to academic and social challenges that may be mitigated by the support of a peer mentor. The Tau Beta Pi Engineering Mentorship Program selects and trains upperclassman mentors to effectively mentor underclassman engineering students.

The design of the mentorship program is an application of backward design, where …

The Relationship Between Winning In The Classroom And On The Field At The Athletic Department Level, John Zachary Gory

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the presence and extent of the relationship between athletic department success based on SBLive© All-Sports Award Scaled Scores and academic outcomes in Mississippi 4A high schools. Specifically, the study investigates whether SBLive© All-Sports Award Scaled Scores in 4A Mississippi high schools are associated with Mississippi School Accountability System (MSAS) Accountability Scale Scores, Chronic Absenteeism, Incidents of Violence, and Graduation Rates across four school years (2021–2022 through 2024–2025). A quasi-experimental quantitative design utilizing Pearson correlation coefficient (r) analyzes relationships among continuous variables and identifies trends across years, including the impact of Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) reclassification …

A Revised Quantifier Variance And Its Implications On Vagueness, Isaac Alexander Huling

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper argues that the Special Composition Question has no substantive answer, not because compositional talk is empty but because the physical structure it tracks does not have the form that would privilege a unique answer. The argument accepts Sider’s methodological premise that the world must provide structure beyond description if ontological vocabulary is to mean anything, and deploys that apparatus against his specific application of it to composition. Constraint processes among a system’s parts – the forces and interactions that hold rigid bodies together, maintain organisms, bind solar systems – satisfy every condition Lewis required of reference magnets. They …

Murdoch's Metaphorical And Mystical Moral Metaphysics, William Jade Langley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this project, I explain the mysticism found in Iris Murdoch’s The Sovereignty of Good, emphasizing what the illustrative thought experiments and metaphors are meant to explain. To do this, I introduce her understanding of G. E Moore’s moral realism and compare this with how Bertrand Russell understands mystical intuition and revelation. Then, to understand how we can still do moral philosophy when morality is fundamentally mystical, I compare Murdoch’s usage of metaphor with that of Victoria Welby, who also takes metaphorical understanding to be crucial to our understanding of the world. Though Welby goes further than Murdoch in saying …

Secondary English Teachers’ Perceptions Regarding The Impact, If Any, Of Shifts In The Emphasis Of History Education On Students’ Comprehension Of Literature, Bailey J. Poole

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explored secondary English teachers’ perceptions of the emphasis on history education and its perceived impact on their students’ comprehension of literature. This research used an interpretivist approach and a conceptual framework shaped by schema theory and constructivism to understand whether teachers perceived a shift in the value of history education, how they described such shifts, if any, and how they responded instructionally to those shifts, if necessary.

Data was collected through six semi-structured interviews with 11th and 12th grade English Language Arts teachers from public high schools in Mississippi, each with a minimum of ten years teaching …

Landscape Connectivity And Wildlife Access To Water Across An International Border: Barriers And Opportunities For Facilitating Transboundary Movement, Bogdan Chivoiu, Erin L. Koen, Michael J. Osland, Christopher A. Gabler, Jerald T. Garrett, Ernesto Reyes, Stephanie A. Bilodeau, Mitch A. Sternberg, Jude A. Benavides, James Martinez

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Rapid global acceleration in the construction of physical barriers along international borders has greatly influenced biodiversity and animal movement. Physical barriers can fragment landscapes, hinder access to essential resources, impact long-distance migrations, and inhibit dispersal and gene flow. The effects of physical barriers on animal movement and landscape connectivity can be exacerbated in dryland environments where access to water is a limiting factor. In recent decades, the construction of border barrier infrastructure has accelerated along the international boundary between the United States and Mexico. Here, we used a landscape connectivity model to investigate the effects of barriers on wildlife access …

A Survey Of Privacy-Preserving Federated Learning For Intrusion Detection Systems, Thomas Bunko, Michael N. Johnstone, Wencheng Yang, Ben A. Scott

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Intrusion detection systems (IDS) monitor and detect malicious activity and unauthorized access that may compromise systems. Traditional IDS approaches send data to a central server for analysis, raising privacy concerns as data owners lose control over security. Federated Learning (FL) offers a privacy-preserving alternative by allowing local devices to process their data and generate models without sharing raw data. These local models are aggregated centrally to form a comprehensive model with performance comparable to centralized systems. This paper reviews FL-based IDS research, and is the first review paper to focus on privacy-preserving techniques collectively known as privacy-preserving Federated Learning (PPFL) …

Evaluating The Impact Of Mysci On Student Outcomes In The St. Louis Region, Megumi Hine, Rachel Ruggirello, Jason Jabbari, Yung Chun, Maia Elkana

Institute for School Partnership: Research & Publications

mySci is a K-8 science curricular program widely used in the St. Louis region. Collaboratively developed by researchers and educators, mySci uses a hands-on, inquiry-centered approach to science instruction. This study investigates mySci’s impact on student science achievement at the school level.

Smart Medical Support System And Swin Transformer Framework For Breast Cancer Detection And Segmentation In Mammograms, Ahed Abugabah, Prashant Kumar Shukla, Piyush Kumar Shukla, Abhishek Dwivedi

All Works

Accurate and reliable breast cancer detection from mammographic images remains a critical challenge due to subtle lesion appearance, high intra-class variability, and class imbalance inherent in clinical datasets. To address these issues, this study proposes Swin-BreastNet, an explainable and optimization-driven deep learning framework for binary classification of benign and malignant breast lesions from full-field digital mammograms. The proposed approach leverages the hierarchical Swin Transformer model to effectively capture fine-grained local texture patterns and long-range contextual dependencies through Shifted Window Multi-head Self-Attention (SW-MSA). A key novelty of this work lies in the integration of Harris Hawks Optimization (HHO) for automated hyperparameter …

Public Health Responsible Ai Capability (Ph-Raic) Framework: A Conceptual Model For Integrating Ai Into Public Health Agencies, Arnob Zahid, Ravishankar Sharma, Rezwan Ahmed

All Works

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) is transitioning from experimental pilots to core public health functions such as disease surveillance, resource planning, and analysis of social and structural determinants of health. Yet, health data collection and stewardship remain fragmented across the globe; some jurisdictions still rely on paper-based systems, while others operate noninteroperable digital systems that can exacerbate inequities. Treating health data as a global good therefore requires governance that enables innovation while protecting rights, safety, and trust. This study aims to develop a conceptual meso-level capability framework that translates responsible AI principles into organizational practices for public health agencies. Methods: We …

A New Approach To Generate Combinatorial Patterns In Logical Analysis Of Data And Its Application To Predict College Retention, Salihah Ahmed E. Jaafari

Theses and Dissertations

Student retention and degree completion remain central challenges for higher-education institutions, with significant implications for student success, institutional effectiveness, and public accountability. While advances in predictive analytics have enabled earlier identification of students at risk of withdrawal, many commonly used machine learning approaches suffer from limited interpretability, constraining their practical usefulness for advising, intervention, and policy decision making. This dissertation addresses the problem of predicting student persistence by developing and evaluating optimization based, interpretable classification models within the Logical Analysis of Data (LAD) framework. Building on existing LAD formulations, this research introduces two novel pattern generation models, the Best Term …

Hdra-Fusion: Hybrid Detection With Routed Architecture For Manipulation-Aware Ai Face Forgery Detection, Omar Ebeid

Theses and Dissertations

With the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence-based image generation and manipulation tools, it is extremely difficult to detect if an image is genuine or artificially crafted. Despite extensive research in this area, existing image detection systems suffer from three major problems: suboptimal cross-dataset generalization due to shortcut learning of dataset-specific patterns, unreliable probability estimates due to domain shift, particularly in cross-manipulation evaluation settings, and an inability to detect images manipulated by multiple types of manipulations within a single detection framework. To address these limitations, we propose HDRA-Fusion (Hybrid Detection with Routed Architecture), a framework built on the conclusion that different …

Design And Simulation Of Anti-Resonant Hollow-Core Fiber For Sensing Applications, Pravallika Kante

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents the design and simulation of an 8-tube single-ring anti-resonant hollow-core fiber for sensing applications, with particular emphasis on methane gas detection at the fundamental absorption wavelength of 3.3 µm. Conventional solid-core silica optical fibers exhibit strong multi-phonon material absorption beyond 2.5 µm, rendering them fundamentally unsuitable for efficient light guidance and direct gas sensing at mid-infrared wavelengths. Anti-resonant hollow-core fibers overcome this limitation by guiding light predominantly through an air-filled hollow core via the anti-resonant reflecting optical waveguide mechanism, in which the thin silica glass walls of the cladding tubes act as Fabry-Pérot etalons that confine the …

Hybrid Machine Learning For Zero-Day Malware Detection: An Adaptive Static-Dynamic Analysis Approach, Garrett Farmer

Theses and Dissertations

In an era of swiftly evolving cyber threats, zero-day malware continues to be one of the most challenging classes of attacks to detect and mitigate. Traditional signature-based methods often fail to detect novel malicious code, leaving institutions vulnerable to unknown exploits. This thesis proposes a machine learning (ML)-based framework that is designed to detect unknown malware variants. By combining both static and dynamic techniques, such as file structure exam ination and sandbox-based runtime analysis, this approach aims to successfully capture malicious characteristics. The proposed custom pipeline addresses the computational overhead that is associ ated with deep inspections, outlining a staged …

Agents Of Agency: Identifying Teacher Traits And Trainings Associated With Promoting Student Agency, Clara Mateo

Dissertations

This study shifts the focus of mathematics teacher quality from the traditional metric of test scores to “student agency,” defined as a learner's capacity to access power, make decisions, and take ownership of their learning process. While the literature on student agency provides ample qualitative insights, it is largely composed of small-scale studies. This research addresses this gap by conducting a large-scale, nationwide quantitative analysis to identify teacher factors associated with the promotion of student agency. The central research question is: What teacher demographics, dispositions, and professional development experiences are associated with increased student agency?

This study used a cross-sectional …

Phase Equilibria Modeling Constraints On Seismic Velocity And Density For Mafic Granulites In The Athabasca Granulite Terrane, Western Canadian Shield, Olivia Wyllie

Geosciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Samples of mafic granulite and eclogite from the Athabasca granulite terrane, thought to be representative of the lower continental crust, were analyzed via bulk geochemistry analysis and seismically modelled with Perple_X v.7.1.6. Modeled P-wave speeds, S-wave speeds, and densities for the samples were graphed by region and calculated for wet (1.00 wt.% H2O) versus dry (0.01 wt.% H2O) conditions at 460 °C and 648 °C. The samples were found to have higher median P-wave values than those determined by Rudnick and Fountain (1995; 7.4 km/s to 7.8 km/s, as compared to 6.9 km/s to 7.2 km/s). This indicates both a …

Population Structure And Connectivity Of Atlantic Nurse Sharks (Ginglymostoma Cirratum) In The Bahamas And Outlying Areas, Baylie A. Fadool

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Understanding animal ecosystem dynamics and behavior at the individual and population levels is essential for identifying life-history patterns and important areas for management and conservation. Marine fish species often face minimal geographic barriers to movement, but environmental (temperature, salinity, current) or intrinsic barriers (philopatry, site fidelity) can dictate gene flow. Atlantic nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum) are an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed ‘vulnerable’ species and present a unique opportunity to investigate patterns of population structure and connectivity in large-bodied sharks. They are benthic and display reproductive philopatry, with recent work suggesting they have the capacity …

Examining Extremes: A Comparison Between Machine Learning Based Southwestern Conus Seasonal Drought And High Fire Risk Event Synoptic Climatologies, Ethan M. Greenberg

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Southwestern United States (SW CONUS), comprised of California, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah, is a vast region that tens of millions of people call home. Hosting ecosystems ranging from grasslands and shrublands to temperate forests and climate zones ranging from Mediterranean climates to arid deserts, the region is nearly unanimously prone to intense droughts and devastating wildfires. While fire weather conditions and drought are often studied separately or mentioned as background conditions for the other, there are relatively few studies that compare the typical meteorological conditions between the two. This study aims to more closely understand the meteorological relationship between …

Gaining Mussel: Evaluating Reintroduction Success Of Native Freshwater Mussels In Nebraska And Eastern Wyoming, Travis A. Moore

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Freshwater mussels are one of the most imperiled groups of organisms in North America, with over two-thirds of species considered threatened, endangered, or of special concern. These long-lived bivalves are essential to stream ecosystems, acting as filter feeders that improve water quality and as indicators of aquatic health. In Nebraska and Wyoming, native mussel populations have declined sharply due to habitat modification, pollution, and reduced connectivity. Two species of particular concern are the Plain Pocketbook Lampsilis cardium, listed as Tier I at-risk in Nebraska, and the Fatmucket Lampsilis siliquoidea, a Tier II at-risk species. In response, state agencies …

Charting The Course: The Influence Of Mentorship On Women's Careers In Outdoor Education, Jessica M. Callahan

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

Mentorship is a significant contributor to women’s experiences working in outdoor education, yet it remains underresearched in a formal capacity. This study aims to answer the central research question of “What meanings do women give to mentorship experiences in relation to their career development, retention, and professional identity?” A qualitative, phenomenological approach was chosen to be most appropriate, and both synchronous interviews and an online survey were used to collect data. In total, data was collected from 24 participants, which was analyzed using thematic analysis. Identified themes were categorized by the topics of mentor qualities and impact on self, mentorship …

Spatiotemporal Variability Of Differential Reflectivity (Zdr) Columns Due To Environment In Tornadic And Nontornadic Supercells, Adrianne J. Engel

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Polarimetric signatures have been of interest to researchers and operational forecasters since the completion of the WSR-88D network upgrade in 2013. Differential reflectivity (Z_DR) columns, which are collocated with supercell updrafts, are the focus of this study. Microphysical distributions within these signatures can be used to infer updraft strength and elucidate the processes responsible for updraft intensity and evolution. Z_DR column depth, areal extent, and variability of these metrics through space and time are assessed in a dataset of 114 nontornadic and tornadic supercells. Means of column metrics in nontornadic, non-tornado-producing, and tornado-producing analysis times are evaluated …

Educational Placemaking: The Radical Power Of Play, Hillary René Spencer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Too often, play is dismissed as a simple childhood pastime, but what if it were understood as a radical tool for transformation? This research examines how play-based learning (PBL) interventions can serve as a framework for systemic change. Grounded in Edward Soja’s theory of spatial justice, which holds that socially valued resources and opportunities are unevenly distributed across geographic spaces (Soja, 2010), the study investigates how public spaces can serve as culturally reflective sites of learning and, when co-created with children and their communities, help address historical structural inequities. This research establishes educational placemaking as a framework for understanding play-based, …

The Impact Of Career And Technical Education Teacher Certification Preparation Programs On Student Industry-Based Certification Examinations, Kaneesha Chameka Celestin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs are designed to prepare students for high-wage, high-demand industry jobs. However, there is limited research on Career and Technical Education teacher preparation programs (traditional, alternative, and industry-based) and the impact on student outcomes on industry-based examinations, such as ACT WorkKeys. This quantitative study analyzed Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher preparation programs (traditional, alternative, and industry-based) and 12th -grade students’ outcomes on the 2023-2024 ACT WorkKeys examination and whether relationships exist between the two. Additionally, the research examined each Career and Technical Education teacher certification preparation program individually to determine the differences among traditional, …

Conserved Spatial Proximity And Immune-Linked Evolution Of Lncrnas From Protein-Coding Genes In Vertebrates, Sahar Jamialahmadi

Master's Theses and Capstones

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are widespread components of vertebrate genomes, yet theevolutionary principles governing their genomic positioning, origin, and functional associations remain incompletely understood. Here, we performed a comparative genomic analysis across 96 vertebrate species to investigate the spatial relationship between lncRNAs and protein-coding genes, their evolutionary trajectories within gene families, and their functional and genomic contexts.

We show that lncRNAs are consistently positioned in close proximity to protein-codinggenes across vertebrates, with distance distributions significantly deviating from random genomic placement in all species examined. Despite this non-random organization, genome-wide lncRNA–mRNA distance distributions were highly conserved across species. Ancestral state reconstruction …

Impact Of Biomass Type On Hydrocarbon Yield And Chain Length Distribution Produced Via Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis, Nicholas R. Hawe

Honors Scholar Theses

This paper investigates the relationship between biomass composition and hydrocarbon yield as well as chain length distribution produced by Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. Through an Aspen Plus model, the conversion of three different biomasses – digestate, sawdust, and corn stover – into hydrocarbon fuel was simulated. The model converts biomass into gaseous and liquid hydrocarbons via various unit operations and reactions. Simulation results highlight the product distribution and hydrocarbon output, allowing for an analysis of hydrocarbon yield and comparison of chain length distributions amongst the three biomasses. Overall, the simulation showed biomass composition had no significant impact on hydrocarbon yield or chain …

Multiplexing Reductive Alkylation Of Peptides For Quantitative Proteomics, Kevin C. Souza

Honors Scholar Theses

Reductive alkylation is a robust and commonly used labeling technique for quantifying proteins and peptides in complex samples using mass spectrometry. This technique involves the attachment of alkyl groups to an amino group at the N-terminus and lysine residues of a peptide, causing a mass shift that is detectable using mass spectrometry. This work aims to explore the application of reductive alkyl labeling in multiplexed quantitative proteomics. The first part of the study investigates the effectiveness of the labeling of peptides using a variety of aldehydes via reductive alkylation. The aldehydes were chosen, such that they provided various degrees of …

Factors Affecting Pedestrian-Vehicle Conflicts: An Empirical Analysis, Christo D. Jamo

Honors Scholar Theses

The number of pedestrian deaths increased by 78% between 2009 and 2023, while other motor vehicle crash deaths increased by 13% in the same period [1]. To identify potential pedestrian safety measures, this study analyzed the effects of location-based demographics, pedestrian phasing type, and other physical infrastructure and behavior variables on the probability of pedestrian-vehicle conflicts at signalized intersections, which is a surrogate measure of crash risk. Data were collected from 55 intersections in Connecticut, and the pedestrian-vehicle interactions were classified by severity based on the Swedish Traffic Conflict Technique: undisturbed passage, potential conflict, minor conflict, or serious conflict. Because …