Digital Commons Network^™

Development Of Advanced Germanium Detectors For Rare Event Physics, Sanjay Bhattarai

Dissertations and Theses

High Purity Germanium (HPGe) detectors are widely used in rare-event physics searches for dark matter, neutrinoless double-beta decay, and solar neutrinos. This dissertation fo- cuses on improving crystal quality by controlling the impurity concentration, dislocation density, and growth environment as well as developing advanced Ge detectors for various physics applications. The dissertation presents experimental investigations of electrical conduction mechanisms in p-type amorphous germanium (a-Ge), which is used as an elec- trical contact material in HPGe detectors. By measuring the surface leakage current from three high-purity planar Ge detectors, we determine the localization length and hopping parameters in a-Ge. The dissertation …

Micro Credentialing For Teachers: A Case Study In Personalized Professional Development, Brad John Berens

Dissertations and Theses

Professional development for teachers must evolve to provide a personalized approach to better meet the needs of the individual. Micro-credentialing is one way to provide teachers with personalized professional development. This case study explores the implementation of a micro-credentialing course in one school district. The district selected a company that provides micro-credential courses nationwide. The theoretical framework for the study is Andragogy, the theory of adult learning (Knowles, 1984). The objective of the study is to determine to what extent micro-credentialing meets the needs of teachers, and to what extent it is effective professional development. Data for this qualitative study …

Electronic Structure And Molecular Geometries Of Metal Complexes With Dft And Multireference Method, Rina Bhowmick

Dissertations and Theses

Metal complexes are ubiquitous for their diverse applications including catalysis, sensing, medicine, and environmental applications. For effective use of metal complexes, understanding their electronic structure is essential. In most cases, molecules can be represented as a single electron configuration. However, in some cases, especially transition metal and actinide complexes, multireference electronic structures are observed. This is because the valence d (and f) orbitals in metals are often nearly degenerate, leading to close-lying energy states and the subsequently more frequent presence of multiconfigurational electronic structures. The traditional approach to modeling these systems is to use density functional theory to optimize the …

Examining Elementary Teachers’ Self-Efficacy To Teach Engineering: The Impact Of Project Lead The Way Launch Professional Development, Branden Robert Hoefert

Dissertations and Theses

Today’s elementary teachers are expected to teach the engineering practices included in the National Research Council’s Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards. Recent studies have indicated that teachers are less self-efficacious in teaching engineering than in other subject areas. Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is a nonprofit organization that offers pre-K–12th grade curricula and teacher training focused on three pathways: engineering, computer science, and biomedical science. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, PLTW transitioned its teacher trainings to a virtual modality. At the time of this study, most of PLTW’s teacher training remained virtual or hybrid. …

Development Of Novel Hpge Detector For Rare Event Physics, Mathbar Singh Raut

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation focuses on the enhancement of crystal quality in High Purity Germanium (HPGe) detectors, which play a crucial role in rare-event physics investigations such as dark matter detection, neutrinoless double-beta decay, geo-neutrinos, and solar neutrinos. The primary objective of this research is to improve crystal quality by controlling impurity concentration, dislocation density, and growth environment. Additionally, the development of advanced Ge detectors for various physics applications is explored. One significant aspect examined in this dissertation is the investigation of systematic errors associated with the Hall effect system. The goal is to identify a reliable technique that minimizes the systematic …

Molecular Biofilm Inhibitors On Noble Metal Surfaces, Mahamadu Tiah Mahama

Dissertations and Theses

Biofilms are the state microorganisms on surfaces which negatively impact many of processes taking place on them. For example, most microbial infections are attributed to biofilm forma- tion, with bacteria in biofilms exhibiting an antibiotic resistance several orders of magnitude than planktonic bacteria. Therefore, developing antibiofilm agents and understanding their mechanism of inhibition is essential. Citrate functionalized gold nanoparticles are well known for their an- tibiofilm properties. Recently, hybrid bisphosphonate polyoxovanadate gold nanoparticles showed a great potential to inhibit both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria biofilm formation. How- ever, it is unknown how this species interacts with the metal surface, its …

Disconnected, Frustrated And Withdrawn: Institutional Policy Implications For Equity In Student And Faculty Community, Jessica Marie Welsh

Dissertations and Theses

DFW rates at intuitions of higher education for students from underrepresented populations trended higher than majority students. A single explanatory case study provides insight to the factors impacting DFW rates in first-year gateway courses at a four-year, public, comprehensive institution. The study employed the use of focus groups of students, non-tenure-track faculty, and tenure-track faculty. In addition, institutional data was collected and used to triangulate to the data collected from focus groups. The inductive results showed multiple institutional barriers causing DFW rates among first-generation, Pell Grant, and/or students of color. Using Turner and Angulo’s (2018) theoretical framework of high-risk decision-making …

Background Discrimination Of A Neutrino Detector With Dense Neural Networks, Perry Siehien

Dissertations and Theses

Neutrinos are subatomic particles that weakly interact with matter due to their neutral charge and small cross section. Detectors that search for neutrinos require sensitive instrumentation, which makes them susceptible to various background sources such as gamma rays. Additionally, coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering events, or CEvNS, are the weakest neutrino interactions at 1-25 keV, making them exceptionally difficult to observe. To understand the physics of CEvNS events within the detector material, the recoil signatures of relevant interactions must be determined. Traditional analysis methods are effective, but cannot be applied to energies below 50 keV, due to the overlap of discrimination …

Things Left Behind, Aqeel Ahmad

Dissertations and Theses

Things Left Behind is the story of a family in a small town in Pakistan where both the town and the family are transitioning between their traditional ways of living and Modernity coming from outside the town. Through its various characters, the narrative unfolds the struggles of facing challenges put by technology and colonial projects. The characters long for the safety and familiarity of their rural and traditional backgrounds while becoming part of an urban and modern milieu, creating a conflict. The arrival of Modernity takes place at the cost of the rearrangement and modification of the traditional and familiar …

Exploring First-Generation College Student Experiences Within The Greek Life System, Clare Fiore

Dissertations and Theses

Being a first-generation college student (FGCS) can be intimidating. Being involved in an organization that involves the student in a community of similar minds with different backgrounds can help acclimate the student to college life while giving opportunities for different social and academic growth. Greek life could be that organization. This study aims to learn from FGCS, who are a part of Greek life, what their experiences are like being in both groups. The interviews conducted found that FGCS who are a part of Greek life experience an ease in transition to college life, adjusted expectations, impacted first-year experiences, are …

Structural And Functional Modulation Of Metal-Organic Supercontainers (Moscs) And Their Applications In Supramolecular Catalysis, Shrijana Dc

Dissertations and Theses

Metal-organic supercontainers (MOSCs), a breakthrough development in our laboratory since 2012, have emerged as promising enzyme mimics, showcasing their prowess in encapsulating guest molecules and catalyzing confined chemical reactions. The intrigue surrounding MOSCs stems from their extraordinary traits, encompassing multiple binding domains, high stability, large surface area, tunable pore size, and structural modularity. Primarily comprising sulfonylcalix[4]arenes, divalent metal ions, and carboxylate linkers, MOSCs' quintessential architecture comprises both endo- and exo- nano-cavities, amenable to guest interaction, with geometry and functionality manipulation achievable through precise precursor selection. Nonetheless, early MOSC models exhibit limited reactivity, often necessitating more potent nucleophiles or electrophiles. This …

Multimodal Learning: Generating Precise Chest X-Ray Report On Thorax Abnormality, Gaurab Subedi

Dissertations and Theses

Chronic respiratory diseases, ranking as the third leading cause of death worldwide according to the 2017 World Health Organization (WHO) report, affect a staggering 544.9 million individuals. Compounding this public health challenge is the fact that over 80% of health systems grapple with shortages in their radiology departments, highlighting an urgent need for accessible and efficient diagnostic solutions. While various image classification models for analyzing thorax abnormalities have been developed, relying solely on one type of dataset (image data, for example) for thorax abnormality analysis is insufficient. Integrating texts with image data could provide more accuracy as well as analysis. …

Induction And Mentoring Programs: Pathways To New Teacher Retention And Success, Valerie Kim Seales

Dissertations and Theses

The pipeline of college students seeking teaching positions is shrinking. The teacher shortage makes finding and retaining new teachers even more challenging. The cost of replacing existing teachers who leave is tremendous, and new teachers leave the profession at an alarming rate. This dissertation explored the lived experiences of new teachers who recently completed their induction and mentoring program. The study addresses three primary research questions: (1) What are the perceived benefits and deficits of the induction program (2) What (if any) additional support do new teachers need to improve their work experience in our schools? Using a phenomenological research …

When Do Data Collection And Use Become A Matter Of Concern? A Cross-Cultural Comparison Of U.S. And Dutch Privacy Attitudes, Jessica Vitak, Yuting Liao, Anouk Mols, Daniel Trottier, Michael Zimmer, Priya C. Kumar, Jason Pridmore

Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

Around the world, people increasingly generate data through their everyday activities. Much of this happens unwittingly through sensors, cameras, and other surveillance tools on roads, in cities, and at the workplace. However, how individuals and governments think about privacy varies significantly around the world. In this article, we explore differences between people’s attitudes toward privacy and data collection practices in the United States and the Netherlands, two countries with very different regulatory approaches to governing consumer privacy. Through a factorial vignette survey deployed in the two countries, we identify specific contextual factors associated with concerns regarding how personal data are …

Scaffolding Learning For Teachers Of Multilingual Learners Through Agency, Leadership, And Collaboration, Kara Viesca, Cindy H. Linzell, Peiwen Wang, Molly Heeren, Jessica Mitchell-Mccollough, Alexa Yunes-Koch

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Grounded in findings from multiple disciplines (e.g., neuroscience, human, development, cognitive science, and social psychology), Lee, Meltzoff, and Kuhl (2020) propose a framework to understand human learning. Composed of multiple propositions, one aspect of this framework emphasizes the social nature of learning. Specifically, they argue, “A comprehensive theory of human development must take into account basic motivations for learning from, through, and in relationship with social others” [emphasis added] (p. 25). Education researchers and practitioners working with multilingual students and their teachers have extensively argued for attention to “learning from, through, and in relationships with social others” (Lee et al., …

An Analytic And Systemic View Of The Digital Transformation Of Healthcare, Xuejuan J. Zhang

Full-Text Theses & Dissertations

Industry 4.0 represents a digital revolution that is driven by technologies that blur the lines between the physical and digital worlds. Industry 4.0, the latest industrial revolution, is poised to have a profound impact on all aspects of society. In order to understand how the healthcare industry is being transformed by the convergence of the physical and digital realms, a systems perspective is taken in this study. Two research questions are addressed regarding the opportunities and interventions that can be provided by both analytical and systems conceptions of digital transformation. I use a systemic literature review approach to address the …

Soft System Methodology Applied To Stakeholder Engagement In Social Services Nonprofit Organizations, Robyn Chin

Full-Text Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explored the challenges of a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), a non-profit social service organization, and the value of employing a systems thinking approach to problem formulation and problem-solving to address its challenges. Soft Systems Methodology (SSM), a systems-informed framework, encourages collective learning and fosters an appreciation for differing perspectives about problem formulation amongst stakeholders instead of rushing to solve predefined issues. One common challenge from current research is that due to reliance on sparse profits and grants earmarked for programmatic endeavors, there is insufficient funding for organizational development. The literature also identified a deficit in stakeholder engagement …

$\Ast$-Semiclean Rings, Shefali Gupta, Dinesh Udar

Turkish Journal of Mathematics

A ring $R$ is called semiclean if every element of $R$ can be expressed as sum of a periodic element and a unit. In this paper, we introduce a new class of ring, which is the $\ast$-version of the semiclean ring, i.e. the $\ast$-semiclean ring. A $\ast$-ring is $\ast$-semiclean if each element is a sum of a $\ast$-periodic element and a unit. The term $\ast$-semiclean is a stronger notion than semiclean. In this paper, many properties of $\ast$-semiclean rings are discussed. It is proved that if $p \in P(R)$ such that $pRp$ and $(1-p)R(1-p)$ are $\ast$-semiclean rings, then $R$ is …

“It Was Just My Name!”: A Crt/Crf Analysis Of International Female Graduate Students’ Perceptions And Experiences Regarding Their Ethnic Name, Peiwen Wang, Xiaoyan Gu, Amanda Morales

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Although international female students accounted for 44% of the enrolled international students in the United States (U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, 2020), their experiences regarding their ethnic name are relatively understudied in the onomastic literature. This study considers the experiences of eight international female graduate students of Color who are studying at a Midwestern predominantly White university. Utilizing critical race theory (CRT) and critical race feminism (CRF) as the theoretical and analytical lenses, this qualitative phenomenological study collected data through semistructured, in-depth interviews. We explore the meaning of ethnic names and their connection to …

The Role Of Low-Dose Ct In Diagnosing Lung Cancer, Hailey Colabelli

Student Research Poster Presentations 2023

The Role of Low Dose CT in Diagnosing Lung Cancer

Student Researcher: Hailey Colabelli

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Elaine Halesey, Ed.D., R.T(R)(QM)

Abstract

Lung cancer is the most diagnosed malignancy worldwide, with an estimated 2,093,876 new cases and 1,761,007 deaths in 2018. It has a poor prognosis with a 5-year survival rate of 16%. When detected in asymptomatic patients, most cases can be treated with an overall survival rate of 92%. Low-dose CT lung screening is a routine annual scan for those with a high risk of developing lung cancer. It can help doctors detect cancer at an earlier stage, making …

Using Drawing As A Tool For Investigating Undergraduate Conceptions Of Earth Scientists, Peggy Mcneal, Deepika Menon, Deef Allah Al Shorman, Paulina Gajewska-Schaefer

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to investigate undergraduate students’ conceptions of Earth scientists, using drawing as a tool, during introductory Earth science courses. We explored two research questions: 1) What student conceptions are evident in undergraduate students’ drawings of Earth scientists? and 2) How do undergraduate students’ conceptions of Earth scientists—as evidenced in their drawings—change as a result of completing an introductory Earth science course? We collected pre- and post-drawings of Earth scientists from 94 students in six introductory Earth science courses at two universities and coded the 188 drawings across 39 indicators. We used Chi Square Goodness of …

The High School In The Middle Of Everywhere: Nebraska’S Lincoln High, Edmund T. Hamann, Janet M. Eckerson, Mark Larson

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

In 2002, world-renowned author Mary Pipher published a book about her home city, Lincoln Nebraska, playfully titled “The Middle of Everywhere” a tongue-in-cheek rejoinder to the idea that Nebraska is ‘the middle of nowhere.’ But word play aside, her title was empirically apt, as her volume documented how immigration and refugee resettlement were demographically transforming Nebraska’s capital city. As in other cities, resettlement was concentrated in some areas of Lincoln, placing differential burdens on different parts of the community’s institutional infrastructure. Of interest to readers of this volume, Lincoln’s refugees and immigrants were concentrated in the city’s oldest high school. …

Preservice Elementary Teachers Conceptions And Self-Efficacy For Integrated Stem, Deepika Menon, Deef A. A. Shorman, Derek Cox, Amanda Thomas

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Educational reform efforts have emphasized preparing highly competent and confident preservice teachers to deliver effective K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) instruction. Self-efficacy is a key variable that influences motivation and performance, and therefore it is necessary to support the development of preservice teachers’ integrated STEM teaching self-efficacy. This mixed-methods study investigates how preservice elementary teachers’ integrated STEM teaching self-efficacy is shaped during their participation in a newly redesigned STEM semester consisting of three concurrent methods courses (science and engineering, mathematics, and technology methods courses). The quantitative data sources included the Self-efficacy for Teaching Integrated STEM instrument administered as …

Chapter 19- "I See Research Questions Everywhere": Developing Metacognitive Skills In An English-Major Research Methods Course, Joyce Kinkead, John Draeger, Jill K. Singer

Habits of Mind

How many ways can sticky notes—branded as Post-it Notes and introduced in 1980 by 3M—be used by college students? According to the undergraduate who investigated this topic, 31. In the report she produced as a result of a study conducted in English 3470: Approaches to Research in English Studies, the researcher found that “many stationery products have died with advancements in technology, but the Post-it Note has thrived and continues to play a role in productivity in the workplace, continuing at the top of the supply list” (Eralie, 2019). To come to this magic number of 31, Megan conducted a …

Supporting Multilingual Learners’ Reading Competence: A Multiple Case Study Of Teachers’ Instruction And Student Learning And Motivation, Melissa A. Gallagher, Jori S. Beck, Erin M. Ramirez, Ana Taboada Barber, Michelle M. Buehl

Education and Leadership Faculty Publications and Presentations

Supporting students’ reading competence (i.e., their comprehension and vocabulary) is complex, particularly when working with multilingual learners, and involves implementing instructional practices to support their behavioral engagement in reading as well as their reading motivation. The purpose of this mixed methods case study was to examine changes in multilingual learners’ reading comprehension, academic vocabulary, reading engagement, and reading motivation after participating in a 7-week intervention called United States History for Engaged Reading (USHER) and then examine qualitative data to explain why these changes may have occurred. We found changes in the reading comprehension of MLs across all four teachers’ classes, …

Improving Deep Neural Network Training With Knowledge Distillation, Dongdong Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Knowledge distillation, as a popular compression technique, has been widely used to reduce deep neural network (DNN) size for a variety of applications. However, in recent years, some research had found its potential for improving deep neural network performance. This dissertation focuses on further exploring its power to facilitate accurate and reliable DNN training. First, I explored data-efficient method for blackbox knowledge distillation where the specifics of the DNN for distillation is inaccessible. I integrated active learning and mixup to obtain significant distillation performance gain with limited data. This work reveals the competence of knowledge distillation to facilitate large foundation …

Methodologies For Evaluating Interaction Cues For Virtual Reality, Xinyu Hu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Virtual reality (VR) games and educational systems commonly employ interaction cues to provide information on how to take appropriate actions at particular moments. Interaction cues can be employed for different purposes, such as informing the user to look, go, pick, and operate. Additionally, different types of interaction cues can directly affect usability and user experiences. In our early research, we conducted two ecologically valid empirical studies with a preexisting VR training application and evaluated the effects of delayed interaction cues, in addition to comparing the purposes of interaction cues for learning and retention. Our results indicated that immediate interaction cues …

Towards Optimization And Robustification Of Data-Driven Models, Ehsan Kazemi Foroushani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

In the past two decades, data-driven models have experienced a renaissance, with notable success achieved through the use of models such as deep neural networks (DNNs) in various applications. However, complete reliance on intelligent machine learning systems is still a distant dream. Nevertheless, the initial success of data-driven approaches presents a promising path for building trustworthy data-oriented models. This thesis aims to take a few steps toward improving the performance of existing data-driven frameworks in both the training and testing phases. Specifically, we focus on several key questions: 1) How to efficiently design optimization methods for learning algorithms that can …

From Human Behavior To Machine Behavior, Zerong Xi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

A core pursuit of artificial intelligence is the comprehension of human behavior. Imbuing intelligent agents with a good human behavior model can help them understand how to behave intelligently and interactively in complex situations. Due to the increase in data availability and computational resources, the development of machine learning algorithms for duplicating human cognitive abilities has made rapid progress. To solve difficult scenarios, learning-based methods must search for solutions in a predefined but large space. Along with implementing a smart exploration strategy, the right representation for a task can help narrow the search process during learning. This dissertation tackles three …

Comparing Phosphorus Removal Efficiencies And Mechanisms Via Two Cost-Effective Specialty Adsorbents In A Cascade Upflow Filtration System, Sydney Kilgus-Vesely

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Finding solutions to treat water that contains phosphorus is an important effort due to the harmful impacts it presents to both human health and the environment. Phosphorus is considered a limiting factor in water oftentimes and therefore controls the growth of algal bloom in a water body. The increase of algal populations due to wastewater effluent, stormwater runoff, and agricultural discharge in Florida waters has a direct link to the event of harmful algal blooms such as red tide in coastal regions, eutrophication of waterbodies, and fish kills. Finding low cost, energy efficient, and low maintenance green sorption media (GSM) …