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Using Long Short-Term Memory (Lstm) Networks With The Toy Model Concept For Compressible Pulsatile Flow Metering, Indranil Brahma

Faculty Journal Articles

The metering of periodically oscillating pulsating flow has traditionally relied on eliminating pulsations, which is not possible for many systems such as internal combustion engines. Recent advances in the Deep Learning Suite of tools allow the extraction of useful information from complex signals acquired by inexpensive sensors. In this work, Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks have been proposed to meter highly compressible pulsatile flow by learning the relationship between the average flow rate and the temporal patterns of standard orifice measurements. The model was built and evaluated with separate training and testing datasets that had different pulsation frequencies and waveforms. …

Acausal Modeling Of Wind Turbines With Validation And Control Studies, Kazi Ishtiak Mohsin

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This thesis involves the modeling, validation, and control studies of a Control-Oriented, Reconfigurable, and Acausal Floating Turbine Simulator (CRAFTS), that is currently under development. CRAFTS uses Modelica®, an object-oriented, declarative, multi-domain modeling language for physical system modeling in the Dymola environment. The CRAFTS simulator facilitates rapid dynamic simulation of wind turbines with various model variants and enables control co-design.

A major emphasis of this thesis is in the validation of the CRAFTS simulator for a 15-MW land-based wind turbine through several test cases. These test cases were collaboratively developed in conjunction with other participating research entities. CRAFTS has undergone rigorous …

Reconstructing 3d Humans From Visual Data, Ce Zheng

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Understanding humans in visual content is fundamental for numerous computer vision applications. Extensive research has been conducted in the field of human pose estimation (HPE) to accurately locate joints and construct body representations from images and videos. Expanding on HPE, human mesh recovery (HMR) addresses the more complex task of estimating the 3D pose and shape of the entire human body. HPE and HMR have gained significant attention due to their applications in areas such as digital human avatar modeling, AI coaching, and virtual reality [135]. However, HPE and HMR come with notable challenges, including intricate body articulation, occlusion, depth …

Safety Considerations For Setting Variable Speed Limits On Freeways, Md Tarek Hasan

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This thesis focuses on evaluating the appropriate speed at which vehicles should travel under different traffic conditions on freeways and its impact on crash frequency. The common belief is that the lower speed results in fewer crashes as reduced speed provides drivers with more time to react effectively and avoid collisions. However, this perspective overlooks the interplay among traffic speed, average spacing between consecutive vehicles, and the distance available for stopping a vehicle. Hence, we propose a safety parameter termed ‘Safety Correlate' (SCORE), which is defined as the proportion of average spacing relative to the stopping distance. To determine the …

The Decline Of Union Membership And The Resulting Conflicts, Cynthia Cushman

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine how private-sector union members and union leaders viewed the changes in organized labor in the United States over the past ten years. This study explored the impact of union membership decline in the United States labor force through the perceptions of union members and union leaders. There were four macro-level factors examined in this study: a move in dominant occupations from manufacturing to service-orientated work; changes in federal and state regulation; the ability, flexibility, and success of union leadership; and the aggressive counter-union moves of business management. This study was constructed …

An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of Lived Experiences Of Graduate-Level Peace Educators: Voices For Sustained Peace, Kwasi David Ansong

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

Peace education is arguably one of the underappreciated areas of study within the social sciences. Many lifelong, dedicated peace education professionals often feel undervalued by the military-industrial complex apparatus. Influential individuals and corporations that thrive in chaotic and conflicting environments every so often underestimate the relevance of peace educators. Educators find among academic and professional students an intensified urgency to learn the skills necessary to address real-world conflict; however, these courageous individuals are seemingly battling powerful forces with wealth and power. Although such happenings can be demoralizing, it is slowly galvanizing dedicated peace educators to evolve by altering their skill …

2017-18 Antarctic Travel Project Data Set, Clare A. Sammells, Claudia Roedel, Duane Griffin, Alexander Busato

Other Faculty Research and Publications

For the 2017-2018 season, we distributed paper surveys to travelers on expedition ships leaving from Ushuaia, Argentina for the Antarctic peninsula. That instrument is included here. We received 362 responses, which is the n throughout the dataset. “Unanswered” indicates that nothing was written on the survey instrument for that question. The Ushuaia Tourism Office, INFUETUR, graciously assisted us in distributing surveys to the expedition guides. Guides then distributed the surveys to their passengers onboard, collected completed surveys, and returned them to the INFUETUR office. These were then mailed to the authors to be analyzed. Once the paper responses were received …

Reflective Freewriting As A Strategy To Improve Pre-Service Teacher’S Physics Content Knowledge And Overall Attitude Toward Physics And Physics Teaching, Kali Ann Shoaf-Laughlin

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

A pilot study conducted in the pre-service teacher (PST) physics classroom at Missouri State University sought to validate a tool for learning. A writing treatment, in which students were asked to participate in reflective freewriting exercises over the course of the semester was administered to one lab group. The Physics Attitude Scale was used to determine whether a positive impact was made on pre-service teacher attitudes about physics and teaching physics. Classroom exams and lab reports were used to determine whether or not aptitude was affected. This action research study used qualitative data to assess content knowledge and overall shift …

Physicochemical Constraints To Melts From Láscar Volcano Recorded By Syn-Eruptive Apatite, Cesar Andres Bucheli Olaya

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Geochemical microanalysis of apatite crystals was conducted to model the composition and thermodynamic conditions of melts involved in explosive eruptions at Láscar volcano (NE Chile). Apatite crystals were extracted from representative samples of Láscar’s eruptive stages II (Soncor ignimbrite), III (Tumbres scoria deposit), and IV (1993 CE pumice). I used electron microprobe analysis, laser ablation - inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and secondary ionization mass spectrometry to generate quantitative compositional maps and gather data of major, trace, and volatile element contents in crystals. Major and trace-element behavior in Láscar apatites reflects general whole-rock compositional trends of Láscar and other Andean …

Experimental Determination Of Zinc, Potassium And Rubidium Diffusion Coefficients In Olivine, Christopher J. Willingham

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

One of NASA’s key strategies is to learn more about the early solar system and its formation. Chondrites were formed from the most primitive materials at the collapse of the solar system and over time have been classified into different categories based on their elemental abundance. These chondrites have fallen to Earth and have even formed entities such as asteroids and planetary bodies. It has been found through studies that one of these chondrites is close to the elemental abundance of the Sun. The other types of chondrites were up to two orders of magnitude less in concentration …

Modeling Growth And Stress Factors For Converted Silvopasture Systems In The Missouri Ozarks, Bailee N. Suedmeyer

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Silvopasture systems are becoming increasingly popular among sustainable agriculture ranchers, due to the increase in knowledge of benefits to the cattle and ability to grow cool season grasses beneath the canopy. This project focuses on the forest crop aspect of silvopasture systems from monitoring of the health of the trees over time to recommendations for thinning management to keep it functioning as viable silvopasture. The study site consists of five acres of upland hardwood forest area in Southern Missouri with 18 monumented fixed area plots. Arial and ground data was collected at each plot throughout the growing season, along with …

Examining Attitudinal Shifts Regarding Stem Education In Primary School Students With The Addition Of Game Based Assignments, Hayden Stricklin

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

There are an estimated 3 to 4 million open job positions in STEM fields (Ball, Huang, Cotten, & Rikard, 2018; Chen, 2013), lacking qualified individuals to fill them. Graduation rates for undergraduate degrees in STEM fields average just over 430,000 degrees per academic year (National Center for Education Statistics, 2023), leaving an approximate 2.5 million positions unfilled. This lack of workers and qualified individuals is a concern for the scientific community because a lack of degrees obtained results in a lack of scientists in the field and therefore less opportunity for advancement. To address this issue, the researcher proposes a …

Sc-Matrl: Semi-Centralized Multi-Agent Transfer Reinforcement Learning, Ayesha Siddika Nipu

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Distributed decision-making in multi-agent systems (MAS) poses significant challenges for interactive behavior learning in both cooperative and competitive environments. While reinforcement learning (RL) has shown great success in single-agent domains like Checkers, Chess and Go, researchers are motivated to extend RL to MAS. However, as the number of agents increases, effectively dealing with each agent becomes increasingly complex. To mitigate the resulting complexity, a semi-centralized Multi-Agent Influence Dense Reinforcement Learning (MAIDRL) algorithm was previously developed, enhancing agent influence maps to facilitate effective multi-agent control in StarCraft Multi-Agent Challenge (SMAC) scenarios. While MAIDRL shows improved performance in homogeneous multi-agent scenarios, it …

Machine Learning Strategies For Potential Development In High-Entropy Driven Nickel-Based Superalloys, Marium Mostafiz Mou

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

In this study, I developed Deep Learning interatomic potentials to model a multi-phase and multi-component system of Ni-based Superalloys. The system has up to three major phase constituents, namely Gamma, Gamma Prime, and Transition-metal rich Carbide. I utilized invariant scalar-based and/or equivariant, tensor-based neural network (NN) approach as implemented in DEEPMD, NEQUIP/ALLEGRO codes, respectively, and Moment Tensor Potential (MTP). For the training and validation sets, I employed the ab-initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) trajectory results and ground state DFT calculations, including the energy, force, and virial database from highly diverse compositions, temperatures, and pressures following a “High Entropy Strategy.” The Deep …

An Explainable Deep Learning Prediction Model For Severity Of Alzheimer's Disease From Brain Images, Godwin O. Ekuma

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have become the go-to method for medical imaging classification on various imaging modalities for binary and multiclass problems. Deep CNNs extract spatial features from image data hierarchically, with deeper layers learning more relevant features for the classification application. The effectiveness of deep learning models are hampered by limited data sets, skewed class distributions, and the undesirable "black box" of neural networks, which decreases their understandability and usability in precision medicine applications. This thesis addresses the challenge of building an explainable deep learning model for a clinical application: predicting the severity of Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD …

The Future Of Alternative Energy? Simulating Methyl Stearate Pyrolysis Via Molecular Dynamic Processes, Sarah J. Adeoye

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The process of extracting and refining crude oil is both expensive and environmentally hazardous. The synthesis of biodiesel sourced from vegetable oils is a renewable process and less hazardous to the environment. Therefore, we seek to understand the pyrolysis procedure at an atomic level in hopes of optimizing future fuel viability. Herein, I analyze methyl stearate (a component of biodiesel) using an in-house database of ab initio trajectories, each simulating 1.0 ps (with 1.0 fs resolution). These jobs were observed for significant bond-breaking/forming events, the type of fragments produced, and the exact position and time for each event. Statistical analysis …

The Role Of Interspecific Competition In The Range Collapse Of A Songbird After Rapid Range Expansion, Zachary H. Vickers

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

There is a wealth of evidence demonstrating interspecific competition in birds, but often this evidence is localized and may or may not entirely explain range dynamics over large geographic extents. Bewick’s Wrens (Thrymanes bewickii) and House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon) are small passerine birds of the family Troglodytidae. Previous experimental evidence has demonstrated that Bewick’s Wrens suffer from asymmetric interference competition from House Wrens in Kansas, and this evidence has been cited as the likely reason for the historically recent range collapse of the Bewick’s Wren. However, I argue that localized experimental evidence is insufficient to explain abundance trends over large …

Magmatic Evolution Of The Chasca Orkho Lava Series And Its Magmatic Enclaves, Volcán Ollagüe, Central Andes, Nathaniel W. Lenhard

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Magma mixing is a common factor in the creation of intermediate composition magmas and a potential instigator of a volcanic eruption. Magmatic enclaves, physical evidence of magma mixing within a volcanic system, are a phenomenon whose mechanisms remain unclear and debated. Common hypotheses explaining the occurrence of magmatic enclaves within a host lava range from the repeated injection of a new magma into a shallow reservoir to the disruption of equilibrium within a stratified magma chamber. Within the Andean Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ), the occurrence of magmatic enclaves yields similar geochemical compositions to their respective host rocks, bringing more difficulty …

Growth And Characterization Of Sm3hfbi5, Patrick Lambdin

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

First found experimentally in 2015, topological Weyl materials are desirable compounds that have garnered much interest due to their ability to conduct electricity via their surface states even though the bulk material is a semimetal. Such a candidate, Sm3HfBi5, was discovered with a flux crystal growth method, following an extensive amount of reaction syntheses. This thesis reports on the discovery, growth, structural characterization via x-ray diffraction, and magnetization measurements on Sm3HfBi5.

Historical Channel Evolution And Human Modifications Of Blue River Near Kansas City Missouri, Katie Ann Grong

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Channel form can respond to changes in flood regime and sediment load caused by land use and climate disturbances. In the eastern United States, widespread soil and vegetation disturbances in the 1800s during agricultural expansion increased runoff rates, flood magnitude and frequency, and sediment loads often causing major changes in channel activity and floodplain sedimentation in local streams. Investigating the historical evolution of a stream channel system including its floodplains can help to advance geomorphological theory and benefit environmental managers. This study documents human impacts on historical changes in channel and floodplain widths since the early to middle 1800s in …

Bimee: Blockchain Based Incentive Mechanism Considering Endowment Effect, Jayanth Madupalli

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Crowdsensing, a paradigm in modern data collection, harnesses the collective power of mobile users equipped with sensory devices to contribute valuable data based on task-specific criteria. The efficacy of crowdsensing relies on sustained engagement from proficient users over extended periods. Incentivizing long-term participation is crucial, and blockchain technology emerges as a promising framework, providing a decentralized and immutable ledger. However, existing blockchain-based incentive mechanisms for crowdsensing encounter challenges. Firstly, they often overlook users' inherent bias towards loss aversion, a psychological phenomenon where individuals prioritize avoiding losses over acquiring equivalent rewards. Secondly, fairness issues arise, especially concerning newly participating users in …

Continuity And Contrast In The Strategic Theories Of Four Classic Strategic Thinkers: Sun Tzu, Thucydides, Machiavelli, And Clausewitz, Morteza Safari

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The purpose of this research paper is to examine the thinking of four classic strategic theorists, namely Sun Tzu, Thucydides, Niccolò Machiavelli, and Carl von Clausewitz, and explore continuity and contrast in their strategic theories. In doing so, this author has structured the paper based on the fundamental architecture of strategy, that is, ends, ways and means. Since the paper specifically addresses military strategy, it first investigates what the ideas of the four theorists are on war as the military means. Then, the paper will explore the theorists’ thoughts on different strategic approaches as ways. Then, the essay will delve …

Investigating The Structural Properties Of Licoo2 Through Annealing In A Reducing Atmosphere And Characterization Using Raman Spectroscopy And X-Ray Diffraction, Mathew A. Boeser

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The electrochemical performance of lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO₂) cathode materials in lithium-ion batteries is strongly influenced by their structural and chemical characteristics. Annealing in a reducing atmosphere is able to modify the crystal structure of LiCoO₂ by inducing oxygen vacancies, ideally enhancing its electrochemical performance. This master's thesis presents an investigation into the effects of low to mid-range annealing temperatures in a reducing atmosphere on bulk LiCoO₂ powder, utilizing Raman spectroscopy and X-ray Diffraction (XRD).

Sensor Relationship Inference In Single Resident Smart Homes Using Time Series, Samuel Nack

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Determining sensor relationships in smart environments is complex due to the variety and volume of time series information they provide. Moreover, identifying sensor relationships to connect them with actuators is difficult for smart home users who may not have technical experience. Yet, gathering information on sensor relationships is a crucial intermediate step towards more advanced smart home applications such as advanced policy generation or automatic sensor configuration. Therefore, in this thesis, I propose a novel unsupervised learning approach, named SeReIn, to automatically group sensors by their inherent relationships solely using time series data for single resident smart homes. SeReIn extracts …

Disparities In Mental Health Technology Among African Americans: Breaking Cultural Inclusion Barriers, Nyoki Cosey-Brown

DSW Capstone Projects

Mental health technology is a healthcare delivery model of the future. The engagement in virtual healthcare was intensified when traditional healthcare methods were inaccessible during the federal restrictions implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizing digital apparatuses for healthcare improved the convenience, efficiency, and accessibility of various mental health services that were inoperable in past healthcare models. However, the historical constructs of stigma, discrimination, inequity, exclusion, and structural racism in mental healthcare were prevalent problems that remained present in virtual mental health platforms concerning the experiences of African-American patients and professionals who utilized the spaces.

This research explored mental health …

A Gis Look At Woody Plant Encroachment (Wpe): Mapping Grassland Degradation Through Habitat Succession, Brandon M. Wolf

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

The grasslands of North America remain at a fraction of their historic range. Estimates of acreage remaining vary between 4% and 13%. Affectionately known as the Great Plains, these grasslands have been converted for agriculture, rangeland, infrastructure, and civilization itself. Woody Plant Encroachment (WPE) on the grasslands is a silent, often overlooked, serious threat. The use of a simple GIS can estimate current acreage of a grassland, its adjacent woodland corridor, riparian buffers, and predict future acreage based on trends and hypothetical management scenarios, or lack thereof. The American prairie, though a remnant of its former self, is still home …

A Phenomenological Study Of Flexible Blended Learning In A Fourth Grade Classroom, Betsy Kim Henn

Dissertations and Theses

This phenomenological study explored fourth-grade students' perspectives on the barriers and successes they experienced in flexible blended learning. Focus group interviews were conducted to gain insight into the students' motivation, perceived barriers, possible changes, and their own skills and characteristics for success. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes that addressed the research questions. Students identified several barriers to participation in flexible blended learning. Internal distractions, such as losing focus, and external distractions caused by disruptive behavior by classmates were barriers. Students found video lessons to be passive learning experiences that lacked flexibility. Technology problems and glitches were also identified …

Just Transition Litigation In Latin America: An Initial Categorization Of Climate Litigation Cases Amid The Energy Transition, Maria Antonia Tigre, Lorena Zenteno, Marlies Hesselman, Natalia Urzola, Pedro Cisterna-Gaete, Riccardo Luporini

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

Just transition litigation is a novel field representing a sub-set of climate change litigation cases that is under-researched and studied. The report provides a novel comparative analysis of legal developments found in 20 just transition litigation cases in four Latin American countries and questions whether initiatives for achieving energy transformation in the region may have erred in failing to consider key just transition principles or dimensions, leading applicants to bring legal cases to claim their rights or demand more just solutions. The cases found – limited to the energy sector – not only question decarbonization policies or projects (in typical …

Functionalizing Metal-Organic Super-Containers (Moscs) For Selective Anion Recognition, Hanying Li

Dissertations and Theses

Anions are ubiquitous in Nature and play critical roles in both chemistry and biology. Biologically important molecules like enzymes, DNA, and ATP (adenosine triphosphate) are either anionic or contain negatively charged regions. Inorganic anions such as Cl- and HCO3- play essential roles in various physiological, environmental, and technological processes. Compared to cations, anions have larger ionic radii and more diffuse charge distribution, resulting in weaker electrostatic interactions. Developing synthetic receptors for controlled anion recognition is vital but poses significant challenges. Recent decades have shown remarkable progress in anion recognition, yielding diverse synthetic receptors with promising binding abilities. However, traditional approaches …

Astronomy 102 Lab: The Celestial Sphere And Coordinates, Katrina Powers

A with Honors Projects

An astronomy lab that explores introductory topics such as the celestial sphere, celestial coordinates, proper motion, and the impact of time on the location of stars in our sky. This lab is designed to be used on the program Stellarium.