Digital Commons Network^™

The Relationship Between High School Stem Courses And Students Attending Low-Income Schools' College Major And Career Choices: A Social Cognitive Perspective., Don Bacon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education has received significant attention in the United States since the Space Race with Russia beginning in the 1950s. Most recently, STEM education has received national attention because of the scarcity of qualified STEM graduates taking on the growing number of STEM jobs in the United States. Additionally, an issue exists within STEM college majors and careers, a lack of Black, Latinx, and female students are pursuing these fields hurting the overall number of STEM college students and career holders and negatively impacts the diversity within STEM fields in the United States. The purpose …

Insights Into The Structural And Electronic Properties Of 2d Polar Sic/Gec Heterostructures And Asxp1−X Alloys., Kazi Jannatul Tasnim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to the unique structural and electronic properties along with the practical applications in current and near future, investigations about the group-IV graphene-like two-dimensional (2D) sheets have been accelerated. Among them, 2D SiC and GeC sheets are polar materials with in-plane charge transfer from Si (Ge) to C atoms. An interesting question is how the electrostatic force, triggered by such in-plane charge transfer, plays a role in stabilizing the vertical heterostructures formed by 2D SiC and GeC sheets beyond vdW interaction. To answer this question, we have systematically investigated, in my PhD research projects, the effects of the electrostatic interaction …

Public Space And Well-Being: An Empirical Study Of Central Park In Old Louisville., Maryam Entezam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Urban green spaces have been receiving attention in urban planning and the health profession in the 21^st century as environmental elements that contribute to well-being. This dissertation explored the relationship between green space usage and individuals’ physical, mental, and social well-being. This empirical research focused on Central Park in Old Louisville to examine how residents use the park and whether it contributes to the well-being of residents. After exploring the existing literature, I identified four well-being indices: (1) perceived health (PHI), (2) health outcome (HOI), (3) mental well-being (MWI), and (4) social well-being (SWI). Frequent Park usage is expected …

Applications Of Probability Of Success In The Well Delivery Process To Improve Risk, Opportunity, And Cost Assurance, Romar Alexandra Gonzalez Luis

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Oil and Gas (O&G) well drilling is risky and expensive. The cost of drilling is typically underestimated, and there is little understanding of the certainty or Probability of Success (POS) of achieving the well objectives within the estimated cost. This dissertation presents, for the first time, a publicly available POS Cost method/tool that enables O&G operators to estimate the cost of well drilling substantially more accurately and improve the POS of accomplishing the drilling for the estimated cost. This POS Cost method employs a comprehensive, expert-based assessment of risks and risk mitigations that are incorporated into a Monte-Carlo-based simulation of …

Wirelessly Powering A Sea Of Sensors For Perimeter Security Applications, Ian River Chavez

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

his thesis presents an innovative application of Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) technology for perimeter security systems. The approach leverages the physical properties of IPT to detect intrusions by monitoring voltage changes in wirelessly powered sensor nodes, which can double as components of an intrusion detection system. Disturbances in node orientation, indicative of potential intrusions, alter the sensor node’s resonant frequency and create measurable voltage shifts. This study explores the concept in-depth, from the analysis of resonant inductive coupling in various resonant inductive modes, to the design of transmit loops, sensor nodes, and the techniques required to ensure optimum power transfer. …

Noise-Resilient And Adaptive Distributed Control Techniques For Microgrids, Seyed Iman Habibi

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

This dissertation focuses on addressing the critical tasks of secondary control in microgrids, particularly in the islanding operating mode. The presence of noise in sensors and communication links necessitates the design of a noise-resilient secondary control approach. In response, this dissertation introduces the Nonlinear Generalized Minimum Variance (NGMV) control approach into the islanded AC and DC microgrid's secondary control system. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated through MATLAB simulations. Additionally, the dissertation presents an adaptive, model-free, and data-driven control approach for secondary voltage control in AC microgrids, addressing uncertainties. By employing Unfalsified Adaptive Control (UAC), the approach selects …

Glass Bubbles Grafted With Polymer Brushes For Liquid Hydrocarbon Fire Extinguishment, Randall Snipes

All Dissertations

The current most efficient solution to fighting liquid pool fires involves the use of firefighting foams containing fluorinated surfactants. The physiochemical properties of these foams are considerably different to all other currently available firefighting foams. Fluorinated surfactants lower the surface tension to a point where the foam solution draining from the foam structure forms a continuous aqueous film on the surface of a volatile hydrocarbon fuel, adding an additional barrier to fuel vapor diffusion to the burning fire. For this reason, these foams qualify as aqueous film forming foams (AFFFs). However, fluorinated compounds are extremely harmful for the environment due …

Microstructural Characterization Of High-Protein Dairy Powders, Prafulla Salunke, Athira Syamala, Lloyd Metzger

Dairy Science and Food Science Faculty Publications: 2022 to Present

Dairy proteins are potential and multipurpose ingredients used to prepare various food products. It exhibits many beneficial functionalities and bioactivities in the processing of food products. All the functionalities of different dairy proteins depend on their peculiar structural characteristics. So, the present study aimed to characterize high-protein powders with different matrices (milk protein concentrate (MPC), rennet casein (RCN), micellar casein concentrate (MCC), whey protein isolate (WPI), and native whey concentrate (NWC)) for their composition, handling, and reconstitution properties, and microstructure and compared them with whole milk powder (WMP) and skim milk powder (SMP). The bulk density of the high-protein powders …

Visualizing Transaction-Level Modeling Simulations Of Deep Neural Networks, Nataniel Farzan, Emad Arasteh

Engineering Technical Reports

The growing complexity of data-intensive software demands constant innovation in computer hardware design. Performance is a critical factor in rapidly evolving applications such as artificial intelligence (AI). Transaction-level modeling (TLM) is a valuable technique used to represent hardware and software behavior in a simulated environment. However, extracting actionable insights from TLM simulations is not a trivial task. We present Netmemvisual, an interactive, cross-platform visualization tool for exposing memory bottlenecks in TLM simulations. We demonstrate how Netmemvisual helps system designers rapidly analyze complex TLM simulations to find memory contention. We describe the project’s current features, experimental results with two state-of-the-art deep …

Myeloid Fth1 Deficiency Protects Mice From Colitis And Colitis-Associated Colorectal Cancer Via Reducing Dmt1-Imported Iron And Stat3 Activation, Zhaoli Liu, Mariella Arcos, David R. Martin, Xiang Xue

Pathology Research and Scholarship

BACKGROUND: Myeloid cells are critical for iron and immune homeostasis. Ferritin heavy chain (FTH1) is essential for intracellular iron storage. Myeloid FTH1 is important in the pathogenesis of many inflammatory diseases. However, the role of myeloid FTH1 in colitis and colitis-associated cancer has not been determined.

METHODS: Myeloid FTH1 deficient and wild-type mice were treated with dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) or azoxymethane (AOM)-DSS to compare their susceptibility to acute colitis or colitis-associated cancer.

RESULTS: Myeloid FTH1-deficient mice fed with a high-iron diet were less susceptible to DSS-induced acute colitis than wild type mice. Mechanistic studies showed that myeloid FTH1 deficiency …

Cobalt Nanowire Catalyst For Fischer-Tropsch Reaction, Jordan Gates

Master's Theses

The Fischer Tropsch reaction is a long-standing chemical reaction that enables the generation of hydrocarbons from hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Funding for research in this field has varied over the years due to the economics of producing synthetic fuel versus processing crude oil. The development of new reactors and catalysts has increased the viability of this process, but it still isn’t enough. Presented in this thesis is a novel nanowire catalyst that is not structured in the same manner as conventional catalysts. In this work it is our goal to compare the nanowire catalyst with a traditional catalyst on the …

Reentry Services In Non-Urban Counties In Texas: A Directed Content Analysis Of Reentry Provider Websites, Monica Canizares

Social Work Theses - Archive

Health, social, and justice outcomes for returning residents after incarceration are concerning, with implications for service providers, especially in non-urban areas. Texas has made efforts to reduce its incarcerated population, but more attention is necessary to improve outcomes for returning residents. The state is only able to offer services to a small number of returning residents, and non-profit organizations are filling the gap of reentry service provision. This study aimed to understand what services are being offered by non-governmental reentry providers in non-urban areas of Texas through a mixed-methods, directed content analysis of reentry providers' websites. The results summarize features …

Preliminary Evaluation For Lean Implementation In A Small Manufacturing Company, Ronald Lynch

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Lean management and tools have many positive effects on a company including increased profitability, and efficiency. Lean tools can be implemented in any type of company with a proper evaluation through the creation of Value Stream Map. This paper will demonstrate how a Value Stream Map (VSM) will provide an easier transition to a lean environment. A local company of about 100 employees will be analyzed to create a current and a future VSM. The areas of opportunity for improvement in a lean environment includes recommended lean implementations and the future VSM. Functions of the company that will be analyzed …

Understanding The Role Of Interactivity And Explanation In Adaptive Experiences, Lijie Guo

All Dissertations

Adaptive experiences have been an active area of research in the past few decades, accompanied by advances in technology such as machine learning and artificial intelligence. Whether the currently ongoing research on adaptive experiences has focused on personalization algorithms, explainability, user engagement, or privacy and security, there is growing interest and resources in developing and improving these research focuses. Even though the research on adaptive experiences has been dynamic and rapidly evolving, achieving a high level of user engagement in adaptive experiences remains a challenge. %????? This dissertation aims to uncover ways to engage users in adaptive experiences by incorporating …

Hybridly Integrated Semiconductor Lasers And Amplifiers On Iii-V/Si3n4 Platform For Beam Combining And Other Advanced Applications, Siwei Zeng

All Dissertations

Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) are devices that integrate multiple photonic functions on a small chip and allow for accurate dimension control and massive production. Similar to electronic integrated circuits, PICs can significantly reduce the system cost, size, weight, and operation power (CSWaP). Recently, the PIC technology has transformed many optical technologies which traditionally rely on tabletop systems and bulky components, such as optical interconnects, nonlinear optics, and quantum photonics, into a chip-scale platform. This device and system miniaturization has successfully led to a wide range of practical applications in computing, sensing, spectroscopy, and communication. However, the traditional passive PIC platform …

"A Show That Proves The Worst Monsters Are Real": Media And Social Media Impact On Criminal Trials And Post-Conviction Guilt As Perceived By Criminal Justice Students., Jennifer Leigh Patterson

Criminology & Criminal Justice Theses - Archive

This study, using survey data collected in 2022, investigates how consuming true crime media, from media such as podcasts, influences fear and anxiety among criminal justice students. In addition, the relationship between viewing criminal trials in real time and forming opinions different from the sentencing juries is assessed. Results suggest that there is no significant relationship between the consumption of true crime media and fear or anxiety. Moreover, viewing criminal trials in real time does not have a signficant effect on the formation of opinons that differ from criminal juries. Limitations, implications, and directions for future research are discussed.

Increasing The Safety Of Bicyclists Using A Cyclist Behavior Questionnaire And A Smartphone Based Application, Anika Jannat Rimu

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations - Archive

ABSTRACT: Bicycling is beneficial for health, the environment, road users’ flexibility, and personal expenses. Compared to motor vehicles, they are an active mode of transport, cause minimum pollution, are affordable, and can easily navigate through the increasing traffic all over the world. This increase in traffic, however, also increases the possibility of crashes with motor vehicles. Bicyclists, being more exposed to traffic than drivers, suffer fatal consequences from a crash. Therefore, a standard tool is required to understand bicyclist behavior on the road. This tool can provide insights into bicyclists’ behavior so that appropriate infrastructure or policy changes can be …

Identification Of Acidic Residues In Proteins By Selective Chemical Labeling And Tandem Mass Spectrometry, Fnu Ashima

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses - Archive

Proteins play important role in carrying out a wide range of cellular activities. They are subjected to various post-translational modifications (PTMs) by the addition of functional groups such as acetyl, phosphoryl, and methyl which leads to changes in their biological functions, localization, activity, and structure. The growth of MS technology has immensely facilitated the identification of PTMs comprehensively. This dissertation focuses on mapping these changes using covalent labeling techniques by tagging carboxylic acid residues, which undergo various kinds of PTMs. The second chapter focuses on the methods designed for Affinity Purification Mass Spectrometry (AP-MS) chemical cross-linking (CXL) of protein complexes. …

Determining How Anthropogenic Change Filters Biological Communities And How Species Modify Their Traits In Response To Urbanization, Kristopher Warren Row

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Humans are significantly altering the environment at an alarming pace, leading to a reduction in species diversity. This transformation has created modified habitats where some species struggle to survive, while a few others not only manage to survive but thrive. One of the most drastic forms of habitat modification is urbanization, which is spreading worldwide and contributing to the decline of biodiversity. Urbanization has given rise to urban-tolerant species that differ ecologically from species that avoid urban areas across various niche dimensions. These urban-tolerant species must adapt to changes in food sources, microhabitat conditions, and alterations in physical habitat structures. …

Computational Comparison Of Medializing Tibial Tubercle Osteotomy And Trochleoplasty In Patients With Trochlear Dysplasia, Clare K. Fitzpatrick, Robert N. Steensen, Oliver Alvarez, Amy E. Holcomb, Paul J. Rullkoetter

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction (MPFLR) has emerged as the procedure of choice for recurrent patellar dislocation. This addresses soft tissue injury but does not address underlying anatomic factors, including trochlear dysplasia, that are commonly present and increase risk of dislocation. Quantification of the stability offered by other surgical interventions, namely, medializing tibial tubercle osteotomy (mTTO) and trochleoplasty, with and without MPFLR, may provide insight for surgical choices in patients with trochlear dysplasia. We developed subject-specific finite element models based on magnetic resonance scans from a cohort of 20 patients with trochlear dysplasia and recurrent patellar dislocation. The objectives of this …

Towards Nuclei Segmentation With Limited Annotations, Mohammad Minhazul Haq

Computer Science and Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Nuclei segmentation is a fundamental but challenging task in histopathology image analysis. For semantic segmentation of nuclei, Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), and Vision Transformer (VT) models give very promising results. However, to successfully train fully-supervised CNN and VT models we need significant amount of annotated data which is highly rare in biomedical domain. Also, collecting an unannotated histopathology dataset first, and then manually doing pixel-level labeling is expensive, time-consuming and tedious process. Therefore, we require to discover a way for training nuclei segmentation models with unlabeled datasets. In this thesis, I present my work towards solving this critical problem by …

Investigating The Effect Of Peephole Optimizations On Binary Code Differences, Xiaolei Ren

Computer Science and Engineering Dissertations - Archive

ABSTRACT: Binary diffing is a technique used to compare and identify differences or similarities in executable files without access to source code. The potential applications of binary diffing in various software security tasks, such as vulnerability search, code clone detection, and malware analysis, have generated a vast body of literature in recent years. One of the recurring themes in binary diffing research is the evaluation of its resilience against the impact of compiler optimization, which is the most common source of syntactic differences in binary code. Despite that most binary diffing tools claim that they are immune to compiler optimization, …

On-Line Environment Adaptation For User Performance Optimization, Subharag Sarkar

Computer Science and Engineering Dissertations - Archive

In today’s fast-paced and globally connected world, businesses are creating products with more significance to user personalization and customization. This has amplified the importance of capturing and learning user preferences as more information from users can lead to the designing and development of products that will improve user engagement and performance. Numerous algorithms based on collaborative filtering and recommender systems have been used to learn user preferences, but almost all of them require big datasets to train on. This creates a dependency on collecting more and more user information which might lead to ethical considerations and privacy concerns. To solve …

Book Review: Philip Ball. The Water Kingdom: A Secret History Of China, Robert Bedeski

Comparative Civilizations Review

Over centuries scores of sinologists have sought to define the essence of China. Philip Ball addresses and goes well beyond the materialist paradigm of Karl Wittfogel’s hydraulic thesis, which described the role of water management in China as stimulating state development. In his theory, government emerged as the central institution to manage transportation, flood control and irrigation. Ball also sees water management as critical in Chinese civilization and injects his description with spiritual and moral content, drawing on poetry, art, biography and extensive reference to historical events. His book is an exploration of the role of water in China’s culture, …

Seismic Analysis Of The Upper & Lower Falls Of The Yellowstone River, Loring Schaible

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

Twelve years of concurrent hydrologic and continuous seismic data along with temporary seismic data demonstrate that the Upper and Lower Falls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River comprise a highly localized source of 0.5-5 Hz seismic energy that overwhelms anthropogenic contributions. In aggregate, seismic amplitude from 2008-2019 is linearly related to discharge with a correlation coefficient of 0.96. Repeated deviations from this linear relationship persist for 1-2 weeks prior to the date that Yellowstone Lake becomes clear of winter ice coverage. Seismic efficiency increases by ~50-250% during this period of ice-breakup, during which lake ice flows into the …

Prevention And Reversal Of Elastin-Associated And Phosphate-Dependent Arterial Calcification Using Targeted Nanotherapeutics In Pre-Clinical Models, Fatema Tuj Zohora

All Dissertations

Vascular calcification can be life-threatening, involving calcium phosphate crystal deposits in the blood vessels. The calcification in the intimal layer of the arterial wall is usually associated with atherosclerotic plaque build-up that, in the advanced stage, harbors ‘dispersed’ and ‘spotty’ deposits of calcium phosphate crystals in the necrotic core of the plaque. In contrast, medial arterial calcification (MAC) can form independently of atherosclerosis and appears as ‘Railroad-like’ calcific deposits along degraded elastin lamellae in the medial layer of arteries. The mechanisms of such elastin-associated medial arterial calcification and potential therapies are the key concerns of this dissertation. MAC is common …

The Economic Impact Of Oil And Gas Production In The Permian Basin, Aditi Sarkar

Economics ETDs

The dissertation aims to analyze the economic and social consequences of unconventional oil and gas (UO&G) production in the Permian Basin, located in southeastern New Mexico and West Texas. The first paper focuses on the effect of methane reduction regulations imposed by the United States (US) government on the production of natural gas and the drilling of new wells. Specifically, the question asked is “what is the impact of methane reduction regulations on the drilling of new wells and the production of natural gas over a 40-year time horizon?” I develop dynamic optimization in a system dynamic setting to assess …

Near- And Far- Field Optical Response Of Ensembles Of Nanostructures, Lauren Zundel

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

The ability of metallic nanostructures to support collective oscillations of their conduction electrons, known as surface plasmons, makes them attractive candidates for a wide range of applications in areas as diverse as cancer therapy, biosensing, and solar energy harvesting. These applications are especially promising for periodic arrays of nanostructures, which can support collective modes known as lattice resonances, and for nanostructures with extreme aspect ratios that give rise to enhanced light-matter interaction. In this Thesis, we employ a coupled dipole model to theoretically explore the lattice resonances supported by complex arrays of nanoparticles containing multiple nanoparticles per unit cell. We …

Distinguishing Servant Leadership From Transactional And Transformational Leadership, Seth-Aaron Martinez, Nahari Leija

Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Problem

The scholarship of leadership abounds with the affordances, limitations, antecedents, and outcomes associated with the different theories in Human Resource Development (HRD) literature. However, a clear delineation between the host of individual leadership theories does not exist. Absent is a nuanced view of the similarities, differences, and any overlap between the various leadership theories. Without a clear understanding of the relationships between leadership theories, knowing when to apply which theories and when becomes difficult.

Solution

A systematic review of the literature surrounding servant leadership (SL) through 2022 was conducted to position SL among the more extensively researched transactional and …

Uav-Based Quantification Of Dynamic Lahar Channel Morphology At Volcán De Fuego, Guatemala, Jerry C. Mock, Jeffrey B. Johnson, Armando Pineda, Gustavo Bejar, Amilcar Roca

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study quantified erosional and depositional processes for secondary lahars in Las Lajas drainage at Volcán de Fuego, Guatemala, during the rainy season from May to October 2021. Abundant pyroclastic material from ongoing eruptive activity is remobilized seasonally during heavy precipitation, which can impact infrastructure and populations living near Fuego. Our region of focus was in an agricultural zone 6 to 10 km from the summit, surveyed with an unoccupied aerial vehicle (UAV) quadcopter at monthly intervals. Imagery was processed into overlapping time-lapse structure from motion digital elevation models (DEMs). DEMs were differenced to find volumetric changes as a function …