Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluating Chatgpt For Recommendation: How Does The Ability To Converse Impact Recommendation?, Kyle Spurlock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recommendation algorithms have become an absolute necessity in the modern world to avoid information overload. However, the interaction between the human and the system is largely superficial and without any real contact. If you are given poor recommendations, you have no choice but to sift through mountains of content on your own until the model learns to accommodate your tastes more. This is bad for business as well as the consumer. Recently, large language models like ChatGPT have seen a significant rise in popularity due to their ease of use and wide range of knowledge. It has now become nearly …

Using Graphic Novels To Teach Economics Content To High School Students With Extensive Support Needs., Caroline Mae Fitchett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of social studies instruction in school is to facilitate the growth of competent citizens (National Council for the Social Studies [NCSS], 2013). Despite the recognized benefit of social studies instruction, emphasis on this subject has decreased over time, and has ultimately been termed a “dispensable subject” (Fitchett & Haefner, 2010). Social studies is an even more marginalized subject area for students with disabilities (Zakas et al., 2013). Expanding the research in this area is not only necessary to improving social studies academic content acquisition but is also likely to facilitate greater independence for students post-school – and by …

Development And Application Of A Microfluidic Platform For Quantifying Intra-Tumoral Compressive Stress., Zachary P. Fowler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cancer progression is linked to the emergence of aberrant mechanical signaling in the tumor microenvironment. Modulation of extrinsic signals, such as ECM stiffness and composition, have been thoroughly explored. However, the development of solid stresses within the tumor remains poorly understood. To address this, we have developed a microfluidic platform that generates deformable alginate microbeads that allow for the quantification of compressive stresses generated within a growing glioblastoma (GBM) tumorsphere. PDMS microfluidic devices were fabricated via SU-8 mold with channels ranging from 10µm-40µm in diameter. Fluorescently labeled sodium alginate underwent a cross-linking reaction within the device to generate monodisperse beads …

Design And Evaluation Of A Multi-Functional Surgical Device For Microgravity Surgeries., Sienna Shacklette

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Investigation Of Possible Inflammatory Response After Ultrasound And Microbubble Procedure In The Spinal Cord., Jenna Wilkerson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this experiment is to explore the inflammatory effects of focused ultrasound paired with intravenously delivered microbubbles when used in the lumbar spinal cord. There are currently very few pharmaceuticals that can successfully enter the blood spinal cord barrier (BSCB). This technique used at the lumbar enlargement might allow targeted treatment of pathologies involving the spinal cord.

To test the possible inflammatory response of this technique, an animal experiment was performed. 15 animals were given a T12 laminectomy and allowed to fully recover. Once recovered, all animals received FUS+MB at L2 and were euthanized in groups of five …

Addition Of Process Control Experiment To Unit Operations Ii Laboratory., Bradley Esselman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Process control is an essential aspect of manufacturing, contributing to improved process safety, efficiency, product consistency, and energy optimization. Chemical engineers are often responsible for ensuring the safe, efficient, and cost-effective operation of industrial processes, and process control plays a pivotal role in accomplishing this.

Chemical engineering students at the University of Louisville complete the course, Elements of Process Control, during the second semester of their fourth year. This lecture-based course offers limited hands-on, practical experience. To supplement the lack of hands-on experience in the classroom, a new process control experiment was designed and implemented into the Unit Operations …

Surface-Functionalized Silica Nanocarriers For Mitigating Water Stress In Wheat And Benefiting The Root Microbiome, Anthony Cartwright

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Changes in climate and shifting patterns of drought threaten the growth of important cash crops like wheat. The element silicon serves as a plant nutrient and shows promise for strengthening wheat against drought while remaining safe to both the crop and the positive bacteria that grow on its roots. Silicon can be added to wheat in the form of silicon-dioxide nanoparticles featuring protective coatings made from plant-beneficial nutrients. These nanoparticles can be engineered with high surface area or porous structures allowing them to be loaded with additional nutrients that can be delivered to crops. In a laboratory setting, such nanoparticles …

Developing Firmware For Space Weather Probes 2 Using Hdl Coder, Nicholas L. Wallace

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

GPS and wireless communications are affected by interference from the ionosphere. Space weather affects plasma in the ionosphere, causing communication disruptions and reliability issues. To better understand how space weather affects the ionosphere, instruments are flown in space to collect data about the electrical characteristics of plasma in the ionosphere. Space systems require a lot of time and effort to develop and test. This thesis explores how a high level tool can be used to simplify the process and some obstacles that still exist with developing some space systems. To do this, the firmware architecture of a new version of …

A Scalable, Cost-Oriented Approach For Computing Charge Plans For Electric Bus Fleets, Daniel T. Mortensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Recent attention for reduced carbon emissions has pushed transit authorities to adopt battery electric buses (BEBs). One challenge experienced by BEB users is extended charge times, which create logistical challenges and may force BEBs to charge when energy is more expensive. Furthermore, BEB charging leads to high power demands, which can significantly increase monthly power costs and may push electrical infrastructure beyond its present capacity, requiring expensive upgrades. This work presents a novel method for minimizing the monthly cost of BEB charging while meeting bus route constraints. This method extends previous work by incorporating a more novel cost model, effects …

The Time-Dependent Ionospheric Model Using A Tec-Driven Servo: An Investigation Of The Capabilities And Limitations, Jenny Rebecca Whiteley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The ionosphere is a region of the atmosphere with a high density of electrons. These electrons affect the behavior of any electromagnetic wave that passes through the ionosphere. Communication and geolocation systems, such as traditional radio and Global Positioning Systems, depend on emitted electromagnetic signals being picked up by a receiver. The presence of the ionosphere affects the behavior of the signal and the quality of the service. Hence, the interactions between electromagnetic waves and the ionosphere provide a major motivation to understand, research, and successfully model and predict the ionosphere and its physical phenomena. This study focused on determining …

Consumption Of A Western Diet Enhanced Colitis-Associated Colorectal Cancer And Dysbiosis Of The Fecal Microbiome In Mice Notwithstanding Dietary Intervention Or Fecal Microbiome Transfer, Daphne Michelle Rodriguez Jimenez

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In a rodent model of inflammation-associated colorectal cancer, consumption of a Western-style diet increases gut inflammation and enhances risk of developing colon tumors. The goal of this dissertation was to understand the contribution of bacteria within the large intestine on colon inflammation and colon tumorigenesis. Two pre-clinical animal studies were performed using two different intervention strategies to shift the microbiome, and potentially gut inflammation and tumor development: 1) an experiment using dietary supplementation with black raspberries, a functional food enriched in bioactive anthocyanins with purported antiinflammatory activity, and 2) an experiment using fecal microbiota transfer from mice fed a healthy …

Antimicrobial Peptides In Transgenic Silkworm Silk, David Jaden Turner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Overview: People in India and China have produced silk textiles for thousands of years. Silk is a biodegradable, biocompatible compound used in the production of clothing, bedding, furniture, industrial materials, and medical applications. Over the last 30 years, research has increasingly investigated silk’s antimicrobial effects and how to augment its natural abilities. Antimicrobial peptides, or AMPs, are also an area of increasing interest as the rise of antibiotic resistance reduces the efficacy of current treatments. This project plans to systematically synthesize a fusion protein that incorporates the beneficial properties of each constituent into commercial silkworms.

Innovation: This project seeks to …

The Intersections Of Payments For Ecosystem Services, Gender, And Conditionality In A Bolivian Case Study, Alicia Potter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) have gained traction since the 1990s and are designed to provide cash or in-kind incentives to natural resource managers who alter land management behavior to protect ecosystem services. Conservation programs generally are known to interact with household and community gender dynamics. For other types of cash transfers, recent literature has noted that presence of conditionality (a key aspect of PES) may create or reinforce gender inequalities, which often manifest in household divisions of labor and decision-making where women may be obligated to complete more unpaid work or experience less control over resources.

Based on a …

Constrained Route Optimization With Fleet Considerations For Electrified Heavy-Duty Freight Vehicles, Zarin Subah Shamma

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Almost 75% of traffic-related emissions are caused by heavy-duty freight trucks and significantly impact neighborhoods, schools, and communities around shipping and distribution lines. With poor air quality and respiratory health, many children in at-risk and disadvantaged communities experience high rates of asthma, lower attendance in school, and lower concentration. This research creates to improve the impacts of heavy-duty electric freight by improving the route efficiency (in terms of energy, time, or route distance) of EV trucks. Our software and algorithms are tested in a simulation environment using data from several thousand fleet trucks operating in the Salt Lake City area. …

Mission Planning Techniques For Cooperative Leo Spacecraft Constellations, Skylar A. Cox

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research develops a mission planning approach that allows different systems to cooperate in accomplishing a single mission goal. Using the techniques described allows satellites to cooperate in efficiently maneuvering, or collecting images of Earth and transmitting the collected data to users on the ground. The individual resources onboard each satellite, like fuel, memory capacity and pointing agility, are used in a manner that ensures the goals and objectives of the mission are realized in a feasible way. A mission plan can be generated for each satellite within the cooperating group that collectively optimize the mission objectives from a global …

The Impact Of Formative Assessment Cycles On Students' Attitudes And Achievement In A Large-Enrollment Undergraduate Introductory Statistics Course, Kimberleigh Felix Hadfield

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study aimed to investigate the impact of student attitudes toward statistics and student achievement after engaging in large-enrollment introductory statistics course curriculum using continuous formative assessments with feedback and reassessment opportunities. This framework, called Formative Assessment Cycles (FACs) was implanted, providing students formative assessments both in and out of the classroom, with feedback and reassessment. A quasi-experimental, quantitative research design allowed for the investigation of course achievement from pre-FACs to FACs semesters using regression discontinuity methodology. Changes in attitudes from pre- to post-survey in semesters using a curriculum with FACs were analyzed by multilevel regression techniques. Course achievement improved …

Comparative Study Of Clustering Techniques On Eye-Tracking In Dynamic 3d Virtual Environments, Scott Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Eye-tracking has been used for decades to understand how and why an individual focuses on particular objects, areas, and elements of space. A vast body of knowledge exists on how eye-tracking is measured. However, historically, eye-tracking has been predominately studied using 2D environments, with limited work in 3D environments. The purpose of this study is to identify which methods most accurately represent the areas that have captured the participant’s visual attention within a 3D dynamic environment. This will be completed by evaluating different clustering methods of fixations using a customized virtual reality tool that collects eye-tracking data. There exist several …

Influence Of Hydrologic History On Nitrogen Cycling In Lake Sediments, Emily Jainarain

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Water quality is declining in freshwater lakes around the world due to environmental change and anthropogenic activities that threaten the physical, ecological, and geochemical integrity of freshwater ecosystems. Excess N and P in lakes can cause eutrophication, a major driver of water quality impairment that leads to excessive algal growth, or harmful algal blooms (HABs), and poses risks to recreation, fisheries, and public drinking water. Water level fluctuations in lakes are expected to become more frequent and intense as climate change increases periods of drought and alters precipitation patterns, and fluctuations may stimulate biogeochemical reactions in littoral sediments that add …

Development Of The Digital Signal Processing For The Space Weather Probes Version 2 Sensor Using The Matlab/Simulink Environment, Benjamin J. Lewis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Space Weather Probes (SWP) is an instrument that provides measurements of the plasma environment of the ionosphere. SWP was flown on the Scintillation Prediction Observation Task (SPORT) mission, a joint mission between the United States of America and Brazil. This thesis will develop the digital signal processing (DSP) hardware design for the Space Weather Probes version 2 (SWP2). The data from these instruments will be used to determine the density and temperature of the local plasma, as well as the electric field in the local plasma. This thesis presents the design and testing of the DSP designs for all of …

Physics-Guided Deep Learning For Solar Wind Modeling At L1 Point, Robert M. Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Neural networks are adept at finding patterns that are too long and too small for humans to find in data. Usually, this power is used to generate predictions with greater accuracy than most alternative models. However, we can also use this power to understand more about the data we train these networks on. We do this by changing the data that the networks train on and the data they are tested on. This allows us to both control the maximum length of a pattern and to compare data between different groups, in our case, different solar cycles. This thesis is …

Precipitation And Soil Properties Determine Long-Term Consequences Of Disturbance And Invasion In Drylands, Tyson Terry

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Disturbance and invasive species have dramatic effects on desert plant communities, often resulting in degradation or shifts to alternative plant communities. Climate and soil properties determine water availability to plants, and have been thought to drive patterns of recovery following disturbance and potential for invasion.

In chapter II we used a combination of natural gas pipelines and satellite imagery to understand how recovery from a uniform disturbance differs across precipitation and soil gradients. We used a recovery ratio (disturbed/undisturbed) of pipeline pixels and their undisturbed nearest neighbor pixel to quantify recovery in a comparable way across precipitation gradients. We found …

Evaluating Beaver Translocation Methods For Desert River Restoration, Christine E. Sandbach

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wildlife translocation, or moving wild animals from their original home to a new location, is a common conservation practice; however, translocation programs have variable success rates. Beaver translocation is often used in stream restoration projects due to beavers’ role as ecosystem engineers—beavers enhance riparian habitat by building dams that hold water and create more diverse channels. Beaver translocation success is often limited by high mortality and long distance movement after release, and improvement in translocation methods is needed. My objective was to evaluate two methods of improving beaver translocation success in a degraded desert river in east-central Utah: beaver dam …

Laboratory Measurements At The Impact Point Of A Falling Jet, Garrett Richins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Dams and spillways play a vital role in managing water resources. Many of these hydraulic structures feature a falling jet when discharging downstream. Engineers design plunge pools to receive jets with enough water depth or a protective liner to protect the river bottom so that scour is avoided. Quantifying the pressures at the bottom of the falling jet is a key component to determining the potential for scour and the need for mitigation techniques.

In the laboratory setting, significant discrepancies have been observed between different measurement methods to measure mean and fluctuating pressures of a falling jet intercepting a solid …

A Cohesive Simulation And Testing Platform For Civil Autonomous Aerial Sensing And Operations, Stockton G. Slack

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Drones (also known as sUAS or small Uncrewed Aerial Systems) are often flown with cameras to take images of an area of land. These images can then be used to create a map by stitching these images together. This map can then be analyzed using scientific principles to learn things about the land and make decisions or take action based on the information.

The scientific application of drones is very advantageous, but flying a drone is inherently dangerous, impacting the safety of the airspace (particularly in the event of a crash), and drones are more dangerous the bigger they are. …

Diversity In Tech: Analyzing The Mismatch Between Corporate Framing And Impact, Rana Abulbasal

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This doctoral dissertation investigates the discrepancy between tech companies' substantial investments in diversity programs and the persistently low representation of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) employees. Despite extensive efforts, discrimination and harassment against women and people of color persist in the industry. The study employs a critical interdisciplinary approach, comprising sociological perspectives on diversity management and two empirical studies. The first scrutinizes tech companies' framing strategies of diversity initiatives on their websites, while the second explores the impact of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies on women of color in the industry. By identifying shortcomings and proposing recommendations, …

Co-Creating Culturally Inclusive Climate Change Programming: A Qualitative Study With Indigenous Populations In Southeast Utah, Bayli R. Hanson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study explores the impact of climate change on underrepresented communities, particularly Indigenous populations in the Colorado Plateau region, and the negative effects on their cultural identities and traditional practices. Despite their knowledge and connection to the land, Indigenous communities are experiencing climate change at a more extreme rate due to their geographical location and the lasting impacts of settler colonialism. The study aims to better understand Indigenous perspectives of climate change, co-create a climate change curriculum with Indigenous populations in southeastern Utah, and apply it to an Indigenous-centric field experience. By incorporating traditional ecological knowledge and Western science practices, …

Using Computational Fluid Dynamics For Predicting Hydraulic Performance Of Arced Labyrinth Weirs, Shelby J. Koldewyn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Our world is dynamic and as hydrologic research continues, the magnitude of flood estimates used in hydraulic design for reservoirs has increased. Consequently, many existing spillways are now undersized and unable to meet discharge requirements. These spillways often have a fixed footprint, so nonlinear weirs (e.g., labyrinth weirs) are often a viable solution. For reservoir applications, arcing labyrinth weirs in plan view increases hydraulic efficiency because of better cycle orientation to the approaching flow from the reservoir. This study supplements available physical arced labyrinth weir hydraulic data by observing flow characteristics of two numerical models (α=16°; θ=10° …

Reclaiming Fault Resilience And Energy Efficiency With Enhanced Performance In Low Power Architectures, Noel Daniel Gundi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Rapid developments of the AI domain has revolutionized the computing industry by the introduction of state-of-art AI architectures. This growth is also accompanied by a massive increase in the power consumption. Near-Theshold Computing (NTC) has emerged as a viable solution by offering significant savings in power consumption paving the way for an energy efficient design paradigm. However, these benefits are accompanied by a deterioration in performance due to the severe process variation and slower transistor switching at Near-Threshold operation. These problems severely restrict the usage of Near-Threshold operation in commercial applications. In this work, a novel AI architecture, Tensor Processing …

Long-Distance Recreational Travel Behavior And Implications Of Autonomous Vehicles, Sailesh Acharya

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Have you ever wondered how people travel long distances and how it could be affected by the emergence of autonomous vehicles (AVs)? This dissertation aims to answer those questions by studying the current behavior of long-distance recreational travelers and their preference in the age of AVs. This dissertation has four main goals. First, it seeks to develop a reliable way to measure people’s satisfaction with long-distance recreational trips and understand the similarities and differences between long- and short-distance travel satisfaction. Second, it looks at the connection between how people travel, how satisfied they are with their travel experiences, and how …

Durability Of Wireless Charging Systems Embedded Into Concrete Pavements For Electric Vehicles, Pilaiwan Vaikasi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The interest in electric vehicles (EVs) has been growing around the world significantly. EVs run on electricity by charging power to their batteries. However, a concern in the operation of the EVs is raised because they have an insufficient battery charge to reach their destination. In-motion, inductive power transfer (IPT) embedded into the roadway for the EVs can ease the need to use a charging stationary. This project focused on the durability of the dynamic charging IPT electronics integrated into concrete pavements. This research collaborated with electrical and mechanical engineering colleagues from the Advancing Sustainability through Powered Infrastructure for Roadway …