Elucidation Of The Role Of Avocado Wri1 And Wri2 And Their Ability To Affect Oil Content And Composition When Co-Expressed With Pdat1 And Dgat1, Jyoti Ranjan Behera

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Plants synthesize and store oil, mostly as triacylglycerols (TAG), in seeds that is transcriptionally controlled by WRINKLED1 (WRI1), an APETALA2 (AP2) transcription factor. Among the four Arabidopsis WRI paralogs, WRI2 is nonfunctional, while the others are expressed in a tissue-specific manner. Additionally, two rate-limiting enzymes, diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) and phospholipid diacylglycerol acyltransferase (PDAT) catalyze the terminal step in TAG assembly and contribute to oil accumulation. Avocado (Persea americana) mesocarp, a non-seed tissue, accumulates significant amounts of TAG (~70% by dry weight) enriched with heart-healthy oleic acid. The oil accumulation stages in mesocarp coincide with the high expression of …

Assessing The Thermodynamic Potential Of Deep Eutectic Solvents In The Absorption Of Greenhouse Gases Through Computational Methods., Thomas Michael Quaid

Theses and Dissertations

Greenhouse gas (GHG) capture is a fundamental technology in the fight against climate change. Some species of devastating GHGs like fluorinated compounds are released directly to the air from industrial processes. Some GHGs are co-produced in sustainably derived biofuels which require absorptive upgrading. The development of more efficient, cost effective, and environmentally friendly methods of capturing GHG’s from pollutant sources and industrial streams is of utmost importance in the fight against climate change. Deep eutectic solvents have entered the separations stage as potential disruptors to conventional solvent choices for a variety of applications. Deep eutectic solvents (DES) are compounds of …

Marss: Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning For Satellite Swarms, Nicholas J. Yielding

Theses and Dissertations

Multi-agent systems and swarms in spacecraft formation flying are of ever-increasing importance in a contested space environment—use of multiple spacecraft to contribute to a cooperative mission potentially increases positive outcomes on orbit, while autonomy becomes an ever more important requirement to reduce reaction time in dynamic situations and lower the burden on space operators. This research explores difficult swarm Guidance Navigation and Control (GNC) scenarios using Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL). DRL polices are trained to provide guidance inputs to agents in multi-agent swarm environments for completing complex, teamwork focused objectives in geosynchronous orbit. An example scenario is explored for a …

Phosphorus Dynamics In Calcareous Soils Amended With Organic Matter, Logan Banner

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Phosphorus (P) is considered immobile in calcareous soils. Organic matter is known to enhance P mobility in these soils. Few studies have considered what role iron oxides might play in P sorption in calcareous soils, especially in the presence of soluble organic matter. This study investigated P sorption dynamics in sand-based, simulated soil systems in the absence or presence of 5 mM carbon (C) as humic acid (HA). Treatments included combinations of dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD), calcite, and ferrihydrite. Solutions containing 10 mg P L^-1 in a background of 0.01 M CaCl₂were equilibrated with each solid treatment …

Turing Patterns In A P-Adic Fitzhugh-Nagumo System On The Unit Ball, L. F. Chacón-Cortés, C. A. Garcia-Bibiano, Wilson A. Zuniga-Galindo

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

We introduce discrete and p-adic continuous versions of the FitzHugh-Nagumo system on the one-dimensional p-adic unit ball. We provide criteria for the existence of Turing patterns. We present extensive simulations of some of these systems. The simulations show that the Turing patterns are traveling waves in the p-adic unit ball.

Sustainable Cities: Life-Cycle Cost Analysis Of Integrating Piezoelectric Harvesters Into Roadways, Heba Mohamed Gaber

Theses and Dissertations

Energy is essential in our modern era. Because of the increasing electricity consumption, sustainable and Renewable energy became a necessary global approach to fill the gap of the ongoing energy shortage in addition to the climate change crisis due to using conventional ways for energy production. Renewable energy is a global approach that has achieved great accomplishments during the last decades and is gradually increasing. Energy harvesting is considered one of the main resources for renewable energy. Energy harvesting from the roadways is an ingenious horizon for sustainable, clean, and renewable energy generation. Harvesting energy from the roadways by using …

Private Ethereum Blockchain Implementation And Its Security Features For Smart Home Iot, Hasibul Grande Alam

Theses and Dissertations

The security and privacy of IoT devices have become primary concerns as smart home networks are connected to the internet. Ethereum blockchain can be a solution to mitigate or prevent attacks – sniffing attacks, malware attacks, Eavesdropping, and Distributed Denial of Services (DDoS) attacks. Deploying Ethereum in resource constraint IoT devices is challenging due to resultant energy consumption, computational overhead, and delay. We adopted smart home as a case study to examine our methodology as a model for general IoT applications. This thesis work presents the implementation of private Ethereum blockchain that is optimized and installable on smart home IoT. …

Intellibeehive, Christian Ivan Narcia-Macias

Theses and Dissertations

Utilizing computer vision and the latest technological advancements, in this study, we developed a honey bee monitoring system that aims to enhance our understanding of Colony Collapse Disorder, honey bee behavior, population decline, and overall hive health. The system is positioned at the hive entrance providing real-time data, enabling beekeepers to closely monitor the hive's activity and health through an account-based website. Using machine learning, our monitoring system can accurately track honey bees, monitor pollen-gathering activity, and detect Varroa mites, all without causing any disruption to the honey bees. Moreover, we have ensured that the development of this monitoring system …

Gaze Tracking Embedded Collaborative Robots For Automated Metrology And Reverse Engineering, Sachithra H. Karunathilake

Theses and Dissertations

Conventional geometric metrology, or three-dimensional (3D) scanning, and reverse engineering heavily rely on the experience of the operators. With an increasing need for automation, robot arms have been adopted for this task. However, due to the large variety of parts and designs, automated path planning could provide a scanning solution that may overlook the critical area, which could potentially deteriorate the scan results. This study explores the integration of collaborative robotics (cobots) with eye tracking technology to improve the autonomous 3D scanning process. The primary objective of this study is to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of cobots in …

Mano De Obra: Exploring Processes And Materiality In Artwork, Karla Gabriela De La Fuente

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis paper examines the theoretical derivatives and artistic influences that drive the artist’s ongoing series of works exploring the human experience of the working class in the border region of South Texas and beyond. Through the use of found objects, organic regional materials, adopted and adapted processes; the artist creates artwork that teeters on a tightrope between sweet, subtle naivety, and sudden, robust spoonfuls of truth. The artwork has an emphasis on the materiality, and the parallel between the “Mano de Obra” of the artist at work and that of the working class of our communities.

Prevalence Of Temporomandibular Disorders (Tmd) In Obesity Patients: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Giuseppe Minervini, Rocco Franco, Maria Maddalena Marrapodi, Luis Eduardo Almeida, Vincenzo Ronsivalle, Marco Cicciù

School of Dentistry Faculty Research and Publications

Objective

Obesity is a growing epidemic in the world. It increases the risk for severe health conditions, including diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Recent research has found that obesity is associated with an increased risk for temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). The purpose of this literature review with meta-analysis is to analyse the possible association between obesity and temporomandibular disorders.

Materials and Methods

Pubmed, Web of Science and Lilacs were systematically searched until 01/03/2000. Articles dealing with TMD and obesity were selected, and numbers that might be useful in the meta-analysis were extracted.

Results

Fifty articles were chosen after using all three …

Malicious Insider Threats: An Overview, National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, And Education Center

Reports, Projects, and Research

The term insider refers to individuals with privileged access to organizational information, locations, or systems, such as employees, contractors, or former employees.

A Public Technology Option, Hannah Bloch-Wehba

Faculty Scholarship

Private technology increasingly underpins public governance. But the state’s growing reliance on private firms to provide a variety of complex technological products and services for public purposes brings significant costs for transparency: new forms of governance are becoming less visible and less amenable to democratic control. Transparency obligations initially designed for public agencies are a poor fit for private vendors that adhere to a very different set of expectations.

Aligning the use of technology in public governance with democratic values calls for rethinking, and in some cases abandoning, the legal structures and doctrinal commitments that insulate private vendors from meaningful …

Outlawing Corporate Prosecution Deals When People Have Died, Peter Reilly

Faculty Scholarship

Two Boeing 737 MAX aircraft crashes, occurring less than five months apart in 2018 and 2019, resulted in 346 deaths—possibly the deadliest corporate crime in U.S. history. The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) used an alternative dispute resolution tool called a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) to resolve criminal charges against Boeing and to immunize the company’s senior-level managers from prosecution. In the end, the company admitted to engaging in the criminal behavior, paid a monetary fine, and agreed to cooperate fully with the government—meaning there would be no courtroom trial, no formal adjudication of guilt, and no possibility of …

Preparation Of Zein-Based Nanoparticles : Nanoprecipitation Versus Microfluidic-Assisted Manufacture, Effects Of Pegylation On Nanoparticle Characteristics And Cellular Uptake By Melanoma Cells, Jitkasem Meewan, Sukrut Somani, Jamal Almowalad, Partha Laskar, Margaret Mullin, Graeme Mackenzie, Swapnil Khadke, Yvonne Perrie, Christine Dufès

School of Medicine Publications

Background: The manufacture of nanoparticles using manual methods is hampered by its challenging scaleup and poor reproducibility. To overcome this issue, the production of zein nanoparticles entrapping a lipophilic drug model, coumarin-6, by using a microfluidic system was assessed in this study. The influence of PEG density and chain length on zein nanoparticle characteristics, as well as their uptake efficacy in melanoma cancer cells, was also evaluated.

Methods: Zein nanoparticles were prepared by both manual and microfluidic approaches to allow comparison between the two processes. PEGylated zein nanoparticles with various PEG densities and chain lengths were produced by …

Exploring Non-Linear Dynamical Structure For Knee Kinematics Using Machine Learning, Liora Mayats-Alpay, Rahul Soangra

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Human movement involves complex coordination between multiple limbs during execution. Human gait is cyclic, and the knee's movement inherently follows nonlinear dynamic behavior that linear models cannot adequately capture. In this study, advanced Machine Learning (ML) techniques were employed to combine the Sparse Identification of Nonlinear Dynamics (SINDy) algorithm using Python to reveal governing equations of knee movement during walking. We gathered a single subject's knee motion data using infrared markers during normal walking. We utilized the PySINDy library to determine the governing equations and calculated the coefficient of dynamical systems associated with knee kinematics. Our results emphasize governing equations …

"There's A New Sheriff In Town": Why Granting Qualified Immunity To Local Officials Acting Outside Their Authority Erodes Constitutional Rights And Further Deteriorates The Doctrine, Josephine Mcguire

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

Part I traces the history of qualified immunity and the doctrine’s analytical changes over time, detailing the twofold test as it currently stands. Part II considers Large and Sweetin, comparing the courts’ approaches to essentially similar scenarios and evaluating the differences in outcome. Part III addresses the Supreme Court’s denial of the Large plaintiffs’ petition for certiorari and explicates the “scope of authority” question the Court declined to address. Part IV breaks down the decision in Large and conducts the qualified immunity analysis anew, determining that the court misapplied the doctrine regardless of its failure to consider the scope …

Building Squares With Optimal State Complexity In Restricted Active Self-Assembly, Robert M. Alaniz, David Caballero, Sonya C. Cirlos, Timothy Gomez, Elize Grizzell, Andrew Rodriguez, Robert Schweller, Armando Tenorio, Tim Wylie

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Tile Automata is a recently defined model of self-assembly that borrows many concepts from cellular automata to create active self-assembling systems where changes may be occurring within an assembly without requiring attachment. This model has been shown to be powerful even with limited assembly size, but many fundamental questions have yet to be explored. Here, we study the state complexity of assembling n×n squares in seeded Tile Automata systems where growth starts from a seed and tiles attach one at a time, similar to the abstract Tile Assembly Model. We provide optimal bounds for three classes of seeded Tile Automata …

Stopping The Revolving Door: Mdp-Based Decision Support For Community Corrections Placement, Xiaoquan Gao, Pengyi Shi, Nan Kong

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Community corrections (CC) programs offer an alternative to incarceration that can reduce jail overcrowding and recidivism rates. The aim is to address the root causes behind criminal behavior, ultimately breaking the cycle of reincarceration. However, placing all eligible individuals in CC may strain case managers, resulting in reduced supervision, increased violations, and higher recidivism rates, which undermines the intended benefits for all participants in the programs. We take the first step in building a comprehensive analytical framework based on a queueing system to support the placement decisions and related decisions such as capacity planning. We develop a Markov Decision Process …

Assessing Chondrocyte Viability Of Articular Cartilage Using Label-Free Imaging Methods, Hongming Fan

All Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Articular cartilage covers the ends of bones, providing a protective layer that can endure forces during movement. Chondrocytes, the only cell type found in articular cartilage, produce collagen fibers and proteoglycans that maintain the extracellular matrix (ECM). Cartilage damage impairs chondrocytes and their ability to maintain tissue stability. There are various factors that can cause cell death, which can be broadly classified into two categories: programmed cell death (apoptosis) and non-programmed cell death (necrosis). The consequences of cell death can have significant impacts on the extracellular matrix (ECM). The ECM is a complex network of proteins and carbohydrates that …

Physics-Based Machine Learning Methods For Control And Sensing In Fish-Like Robots, Colin Rodwell

All Dissertations

Underwater robots are important for the construction and maintenance of underwater infrastructure, underwater resource extraction, and defense. However, they currently fall far behind biological swimmers such as fish in agility, efficiency, and sensing capabilities. As a result, mimicking the capabilities of biological swimmers has become an area of significant research interest. In this work, we focus specifically on improving the control and sensing capabilities of fish-like robots.

Our control work focuses on using the Chaplygin sleigh, a two-dimensional nonholonomic system which has been used to model fish-like swimming, as part of a curriculum to train a reinforcement learning agent to …

Influence Of Access To Public Parks On Mortality Among Older Adults In The United States, Jiaying Dong

All Dissertations

Research shows the health benefits of green spaces are universal, but there's a noticeable disparity in their distribution in the U.S., especially between urban and rural areas. Marginalized groups, particularly those of lower economic status or racial minorities, often have limited access to these spaces. This inequity could be more impactful on the elderly, who are more vulnerable to health issues. However, specific health benefits of green spaces for seniors are not well defined. This study examines the correlation between park access, mortality in those over 65, and income disparities across all U.S. counties.

The study employed a quantitative approach …

Multidimensional Chromatographic Coupling Strategies Implementing Capillary-Channeled Polymer Fiber Stationary Phases, Sarah Wysor

All Dissertations

Liquid chromatography (LC) is a widely employed technique in analytical separations due to the ease of implementing rapid analysis methods to isolate targeted analytes. While LC is commonplace, challenges often arise with complex macromolecules as it often effects isolation via only one attribute of the targeted analyte (i.e., physical, chemical). To cater to increasingly complex samples requiring multiple chromatographic workflows, two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2DLC) has emerged. Various applications, such as drug discovery, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and specialty chemical manufacturing, require highly pure final products for release to the market. Consequently, multiple chromatographic steps are necessary for isolation and purification. Within pharmaceuticals, …

Cfrp Delamination Density Propagation Analysis By Magnetostriction Theory, Brandon Eugene Williams

All Dissertations

While Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers (CFRPs) have exceptional mechanical properties concerning their overall weight, their failure profile in demanding high-stress environments raises reliability concerns in structural applications. Two crucial limiting factors in CFRP reliability are low-strain material degradation and low fracture toughness. Due to CFRP’s low strain degradation characteristics, a wide variety of interlaminar damage can be sustained without any appreciable change to the physical structure itself. This damage suffered by the energy transfer from high- stress levels appears in the form of microporosity, crazes, microcracks, and delamination in the matrix material before any severe laminate damage is observed. This …

Atomistic And Mesoscale Modeling Of Microstructure Development During Solid-State Sintering, Omar Marwan Isa Hussein

All Dissertations

Interfaces are ubiquitous in materials systems, and they influence the processing and properties of nearly all engineering and functional materials. Examples include grain boundaries (GBs) in polycrystalline materials, free surfaces in nanoparticles, and phase boundaries in multiphase materials. Therefore, understanding and controlling interfacial processes is a key aspect of materials design and discovery efforts. Recent developments in advanced manufacturing and synthesis techniques have enabled the fabrication of materials architectures with intricate nanoscale features. Of particular interest is solid-state sintering, known for creating complex and high-precision geometries with controlled microstructures. While sintering science has been the subject of active research, very …

The Effects Of Math Pathways On Pupils In Poverty, Edward Kameen

All Dissertations

This was a Mixed Methods study that evaluated the implementation of a Math Pathways Program at Crestview High School. The study leveraged Improvement Science and a long-range PDSA cycle with the aim of improving outcomes for Pupils in Poverty in Dual Credit math courses. This study sought to answer three research questions. The first two research questions were answered with quantitative data and the final research question was answered with qualitative data. The research questions that guided this study were (1) What effects did the Math Pathways Program have on the enrollment of Pupils in Poverty in Dual Credit math? …

Improving Hexapod Platform Pose Accuracy - A Photogrammetry-Based Approach, Sourabh Karmakar

All Dissertations

The aim of this research is to make a newly constructed Stewart-Gough Platform-based test frame Tiger 66.1 operational by developing control software and estimating the error in its pose accuracy. The accuracy of the platform is affected by one source or multiple sources. The typical error sources are kinematic and structural, some of them originate from manufacturing imperfections, assembly deviations, elastic deformations, thermal deformations, and joint clearances which change the expected kinematic behavior of the manipulator. Also, some non-mechanical errors like transmission error, sensor accuracy, algorithm error, and truncation error in calculation contribute significantly in some cases. Using pose deviations …

Did That Help? Harnessing Natural Language Processing To Uncover Characteristics Of Peer Feedback And Their Impacts On Teamwork-Skills Learning., Annamaria V. Wolf

All Dissertations

Peer Evaluation Systems (PESs) allow members of student teams to provide one another with computer-mediated feedback in the form of qualitative, open-ended comments. The current research leverages unsupervised Natural Language Processing (NLP), namely Biterm Topic Modeling (BTM) and sentiment analysis, to uncover latent topics and degree of positivity and negativity expressed in peer feedback, respectively. BTM results revealed a 6-topic model that was reliably replicated over 10 Gibbs initializations 80% of the time. Topics were labeled Timely Communication, Idea Generation, Coordination & Adaptation, Work Quality, Team Support & Focusing, and Work Accountability. Qualitative comparison suggests that these topics demonstrate …

Computationally-Driven Insights Into The Ligand Environments Of Materials For Catalysis And Separations, Stephen Vicchio

All Dissertations

Designing new catalytic and sorption materials is necessary to limit global temperature rise below 1.5 ◦C by 2050, while also meeting global energy demands. Climate change and energy production are not mutually exclusive; global population growth has direct impacts on global energy demands and climate. In both catalysis and adsorption applications, new technologies are needed to address these challenges. Catalysis can provide alternate, low-energy routes for converting low-value gases into higher-value chemical commodities, thus altering our current energy production. Likewise, new sorption materials can capture previously emitted CO₂ from decades of energy production from fossil fuels, thus helping to …

Exploring Modalities Of Productivity And Critical Quality Attributes In Fed-Batch Chinese Hamster Ovary Cell Cultures, Stephanie Klaubert

All Dissertations

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are among the most commonly used mammalian cell lines for the production of recombinant therapeutic proteins due to ease of culturing and humanlike post-translational modification capabilities. However, when compared to microbial systems, CHO cell line growth and productivity is relatively low. As the demand for monoclonal antibody (mAb) treatments continues to rise, it is critical to explore modalities for improved growth and productivity in CHO cell cultures, with the goal of increased protein concentrations and maintained product quality. Though some mechanisms for improved productivity, including temperature and cell culture media formulations, are relatively well understood; …