Digital Commons Network^™

Optimizing The Demand And Distribution Of Power In Smart Grids, Saifullah Khalid

Computer Science and Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The electricity is generated in bulk power plants and transported to the end-user through the transmission and distribution networks. The process incurs heavy losses adding to the operational costs. Secondly, fossil fuels dominate energy generation and are a major source of greenhouse gases. Thirdly, the power grid is vulnerable to natural disasters. The smart grid addresses these challenges by integrating distributed energy resources (DERs) in the distribution system closer to the load and with greater penetration of renewable energy. Renewable energy is key to cutting carbon emissions due to fossil fuel-based electricity generation and reducing operating costs. It can also …

Multi-Player H1 Differential Game Using On-Policy And Off-Policy Reinforcement Learning, Peiliang An

Electrical Engineering Theses - Archive

This work studies a multi-player H-infinity differential game for systems of general linear dynamics. In this game, multiple players design their control inputs to minimize their cost functions in the presence of worst-case disturbances. We first derive the optimal control and disturbance policies using the solutions to Hamilton-Jacobi-Isaacs (HJI) equations. We then prove that the derived optimal policies stabilize the system and constitute a Nash equilibrium solution. Two integral reinforcement learning (IRL) -based algorithms, including the policy iteration IRL and o -policy IRL, are developed to solve the differential game online. We show that the off-policy IRL can solve the …

Wi-Fi-Based Indoor Localization Using Model-Based And Data-Driven Approaches, Ayoub Idelhaj

Electrical Engineering Theses - Archive

This thesis investigates model-based and data-driven approaches for indoor localization using the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) of Wi-Fi signals. We study multiple model-based indoor localization approaches, including the free space path loss model, the log-distance path loss model, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) model, and a nonlinear regression model. We examine their indoor localization accuracy using raw RSSI values, and filter RSSI values passed through a Moving Average filter and a Kalman filter. For data driven approaches, we employ a family of Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) algorithms including Basic-ELM, Online Sequential-ELM (OS-ELM), Hierarchical-ELM (H-ELM), and Kernel-ELM (K-ELM), to find …

Smith Neilson Library: The Sustainability Story, Smith College

The New Neilson Library

The complete "Sustainability Story" of the New Neilson Library project.

In Re: Huping Hu: Quantum Entanglement, Medical Innovation, And Patentability On The Scientific “Fringe”., Christopher M. Holman

Faculty Works

In a recently issued non-precedential decision, In re Huping Hu, the Federal Circuit affirmed the PTO’s rejection of patent claims based on the incredible nature, and presumed inoperability, of the claimed invention. The would-be inventors, a husband-and-wife team both having have PhDs from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, claim to have discovered how to harness “quantum entanglement” to achieve “non-local” manipulation of water, and even more fantastically, manipulation of a human subject that has ingested the water. For example, they assert that they can quantum entangle a sample of water, divide the water into two portions, and have a …

Improving Disaster Resilience By Quantifying Wildland Urban Interface Community Ember Exposure, Dac Trong Nguyen

All Dissertations

Spot fire due to the ember accumulation is considered as the major cause of Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) structure ignition during wildfires. This dissertation develops techniques to investigate the regions on the roof top of a series of buildings which are likely to see the ember build up during an ember storm as well as study the accumulation rate of ember on the roofs. The results from experiments suggested that the vulnerable roof regions where embers have a significant chance of accumulated after landing are highly correlated to the aerodynamic forces on the roof. To be specific, the regions with …

Noninvasive Traumatic Brain Injury Therapeutics Effects And Biosensor Implants Optimization In Rodents, Claire Eleanor Jones

Doctoral Dissertations

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) result in impaired motor and sensory skills, which amplify over time due to the natural immune responses to trauma. Currently, there is no therapeutic on the market to treat the secondary damage from the cascading events caused by neurotrauma. In an experimental treatment method, poly(lactide-co-glycolide)-graft-polyethenimine (PgP) is used as a vector for drug delivery. This previously described method has successfully treated experimental spinal cord injury (SCI) using the nanoparticles for Rolipram (Rm) delivery, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, to repair damage in a rat model. We proposed to utilize this same treatment to reduce secondary axonal damage after …

Emotional Labor: An Affective-Commitment Perspective, Matthew J. Vosburg

Doctoral Dissertations

The emotional-labor literature asserts that individuals respond to emotion-display requirements, called display rules, with surface and deep acting. However, surface acting, but not deep acting, relates to deleterious occupational-health outcomes. Deep acting, therefore, is a strategy organizations should promote, should they wish to prioritize the well-being of their employees. Unfortunately, little research exists that clarifies the emotional-labor-choice process. The current study used the job demands-resources model and self-determination theory to hypothesize that affective organizational commitment would differentially moderate the relationship between display rules and the methods of emotional labor. To evaluate this study's hypotheses, 320 participants on an online survey …

The Role Of Video Game Play, Gender Roles, And Career Decision Self-Efficacy In Development Of Stem Career Interests & Motivation, Michael Saunders

Doctoral Dissertations

The gender wage gap, disadvantaging working women, continues to grow despite progress toward women’s rights and occupational equity. With the world economy prioritizing growth in technological industries, the underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields perpetuates systemic gender inequity. Further, given traditional social gender roles, women and girls may be less likely than boys and men to pursue STEM careers. Though specialized programs seek to grow the number of girls and young women engaged in STEM-related education and prepare them for the growing demand for STEM laborers, these programs are regional, seasonal, and not widely available …

An Examination Of Organizational Decision-Making: A Case Approach, Olivia Reinecke

Doctoral Dissertations

This applied dissertation offered insights about the scientist-practitioner gap and examined the process of organizational decision making using a real case from a large United States manufacturing company. Historical records of employee work hours were extracted and compiled from several of the company's databases, along with recent plant performance metrics. These archival data were used to evaluate the relationship between the percentage of each plant's population working overtime (i.e., overtime utilization) and each plant’s performance on various manufacturing metrics. This comparison was made using a median split approach, such that the performance of plants with an overtime utilization above the …

Credit Card Security System And Fraud Detection Algorithm, Baker Al-Smadi

Doctoral Dissertations

Credit card fraud is one of the most critical threats affecting individuals and companies worldwide, particularly with the growing number of financial transactions involving credit cards every day. The most common threats are likely to come from database breaches and identity theft. All these threats threat put the security of financial transactions at severe risk and require a fundamental solution.

This dissertation aims to suggest a secure online payment system that significantly improves credit card security. Our system can be particularly resilient to potential cyber-attacks, unauthorized users, man-in-the-middle, and guessing attacks for credit card number generation or illegal financial activities …

Novel Methods For Determining Polymer Content And Polymer Degradation In Asphalt Binder, Roksana Hossain

Doctoral Dissertations

Styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) is the most common modifier used in asphalt binder modification because of its superior performance compared to some others that are used. SBS modified asphalt binder increases the rutting resistance and decreases the fatigue and thermal cracking susceptibility of asphalt pavement. However, SBS modified asphalt binder tends to separate and is subjected to thermal degradation during construction and aging degradation during its service life. As a result, quality control of SBS modified asphalt binder is needed, although no standard test method is available to quantify SBS degradation due to aging.

In this study, two methods for quantifying SBS …

Pervasive Changes In Stream Intermittency Across The United States, Kendra E. Kaiser

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Non-perennial streams are widespread, critical to ecosystems and society, and the subject of ongoing policy debate. Prior large-scale research on stream intermittency has been based on long-term averages, generally using annually aggregated data to characterize a highly variable process. As a result, it is not well understood if, how, or why the hydrology of non-perennial streams is changing. Here, we investigate trends and drivers of three intermittency signatures that describe the duration, timing, and dry-down period of stream intermittency across the continental United States (CONUS). Half of gages exhibited a significant trend through time in at least one of the …

Combustion Of Hydroxylammonium Nitrate Based Monopropellants, Robert Edwin Ferguson

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

"Green" monopropellants based on hydroxylammonium nitrate (HAN) are of interest for replacing highly toxic hydrazine in space propulsion systems and for other applications. Further, gelling such propellants may offer additional advantages such as the long-term stability of compositions with added energetic and catalytic particles in suspension. However, the combustion mechanisms of HAN-based monopropellants and the effect of gelling on their combustion characteristics are poorly understood. In the present work, combustion of an aqueous HAN/methanol solution (70.1 wt% HAN and 14.9 wt% methanol) was studied in a strand burner at nitrogen pressures up to 30 MPa. A version gelled with 1 …

Downscaling Of Goes-16'S Land Surface Temperature Product Using Epitomes, Roberto Garcia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Land surface temperature (LST) is an environmental variable derived from thermal infrared (TIR) imagery. Satellite platforms are a good source of TIR imagery because of their ability to provide widespread and frequent coverage of the Earthâ??s surface. It is common that a single satellite remote sensing platform is able to provide images with good spatial resolution or temporal resolution but not both. LST is an important parameter for studies on the urban heat island (UHI) effect. These studies are limited by the spatial or temporal resolutions of available LST products. This Thesis presents an algorithm to estimate land surface temperature …

Quality Assessment Of Composite Manufacturing Using Automated Visual Inspection System With Sem Images, Md Fashiar Rahman

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The morphology of fibers (e.g., spatial uniformity, orientation, and length) plays a decisive role in determining the material properties or fabrication quality of fiber-reinforced nanocomposites. Hence, determining the morphology becomes a very critical issue in the field of nanocomposite quality control. The conventional way of quality inspection is to take the scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images of the cross-section of composite material and do the visual checking of these SEM images to evaluate the nanofiber alignment and length distribution. But this type of inspection is often subjective, inaccurate and time consuming. Moreover, the extremely small size of nanofibers makes the …

Hardware For Quantized Mixed-Precision Deep Neural Networks, Andres Rios

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Recently, there has been a push to perform deep learning (DL) computations on the edge rather than the cloud due to latency, network connectivity, energy consumption, and privacy issues. However, state-of-the-art deep neural networks (DNNs) require vast amounts of computational power, data, and energyâ??resources that are limited on edge devices. This limitation has brought the need to design domain-specific architectures (DSAs) that implement DL-specific hardware optimizations. Traditionally DNNs have run on 32-bit floating-point numbers; however, a body of research has shown that DNNs are surprisingly robust and do not require all 32 bits. Instead, using quantization, networks can run on …

Neologisms And Their Use In Gaming Communities, Ian Johnston

Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Identification Of Structures For Ion Channel Kinetic Models, Kathryn E. Mangold, Wei Wang, Eric K. Johnson, Druv Bhagavan, Jonathan D. Moreno, Jeanne M. Nerbonne, Jonathan R. Silva

Open Access Publications

Markov models of ion channel dynamics have evolved as experimental advances have improved our understanding of channel function. Past studies have examined limited sets of various topologies for Markov models of channel dynamics. We present a systematic method for identification of all possible Markov model topologies using experimental data for two types of native voltage-gated ion channel currents: mouse atrial sodium currents and human left ventricular fast transient outward potassium currents. Successful models identified with this approach have certain characteristics in common, suggesting that aspects of the model topology are determined by the experimental data. Incorporating these channel models into …

Modern Acinetobacter Baumannii Clinical Isolates Replicate Inside Spacious Vacuoles And Egress From Macrophages, Gabriela Sycz, Gisela Di Venanzio, Jesus S. Distel, Mariana G. Sartorio, Nguyen-Hung Le, Nichollas E. Scott, Wandy L. Beatty, Mario F. Feldman

Open Access Publications

Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infections are increasing at alarming rates. Therefore, novel antibiotic-sparing treatments to combat these A. baumannii infections are urgently needed. The development of these interventions would benefit from a better understanding of this bacterium's pathobiology, which remains poorly understood. A. baumannii is regarded as an extracellular opportunistic pathogen. However, research on Acinetobacter has largely focused on common lab strains, such as ATCC 19606, that have been isolated several decades ago. These strains exhibit reduced virulence when compared to recently isolated clinical strains. In this work, we demonstrate that, unlike ATCC 19606, several modern A. baumannii clinical isolates, including …

Urine Tumor Dna Detection Of Minimal Residual Disease In Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer Treated With Curative-Intent Radical Cystectomy: A Cohort Study, Pradeep S. Chauhan, Kevin Chen, Ramandeep K. Babbra, Wenjia Feng, Nadja Pejovic, Armaan Nallicheri, Peter K. Harris, Katherine Dienstbach, Andrew Atkocius, Lenon Maguire, Faridi Qaium, Jeffrey J. Szymanski, Brian C. Baumann, Li Ding, Dengfeng Cao, Melissa A. Reimers, Eric H. Kim, Zachary L. Smith, Vivek K. Arora, Aadel A. Chaudhuri

Open Access Publications

BACKGROUND: The standard of care treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is radical cystectomy, which is typically preceded by neoadjuvant chemotherapy. However, the inability to assess minimal residual disease (MRD) noninvasively limits our ability to offer bladder-sparing treatment. Here, we sought to develop a liquid biopsy solution via urine tumor DNA (utDNA) analysis.

METHODS AND FINDINGS: We applied urine Cancer Personalized Profiling by Deep Sequencing (uCAPP-Seq), a targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) method for detecting utDNA, to urine cell-free DNA (cfDNA) samples acquired between April 2019 and November 2020 on the day of curative-intent radical cystectomy from 42 patients with localized …

The Alternative Serotonin Transporter Promoter P2 Impacts Gene Function In Females With Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Sandra Mohr, Gregory Sayuk, Et Al

Open Access Publications

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a gut-brain disorder in which symptoms are shaped by serotonin acting centrally and peripherally. The serotonin transporter gene SLC6A4 has been implicated in IBS pathophysiology, but the underlying genetic mechanisms remain unclear. We sequenced the alternative P2 promoter driving intestinal SLC6A4 expression and identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were associated with IBS in a discovery sample. Identified SNPs built different haplotypes, and the tagging SNP rs2020938 seems to associate with constipation-predominant IBS (IBS-C) in females. rs2020938 validation was performed in 1978 additional IBS patients and 6,038 controls from eight countries. Meta-analysis on data from …

Air Pollution Particulate Matter Exposure And Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion And Measures Of White Matter Injury In A Murine Model, Qinghai Liu, Michelle Connor, Et Al

Open Access Publications

BACKGROUND: Exposure to ambient air pollution particulate matter (PM) is associated with increased risk of dementia and accelerated cognitive loss. Vascular contributions to cognitive impairment are well recognized. Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) promotes neuroinflammation and blood-brain barrier weakening, which may augment neurotoxic effects of PM.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined interactions of nanoscale particulate matter (nPM; fine particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter

METHODS: nPM was collected using a particle sampler near a Los Angeles, California, freeway. Mice were exposed to 10 wk of reaerosolized nPM or filtered air (FA) for 150 h. CCH was induced by BCAS surgery. Mice (C57BL/6J males) …

Design And Analysis Of A Single-Stage Inverter Using Parallel Dc-Dc Converters For Solar Cell Application, Gabriel Leonides

Master's Theses

This thesis introduces the design and analysis of a single-stage inverter. A circuit was designed and simulated as a proof of concept to investigate the possibility of using boost and buck-boost converters to provide an AC output. The proposed circuit utilizes non-synchronous boost and buck-boost converters due to their simplicity in control signals as opposed to synchronous converters. The application of the proposed inverter is for use with individual solar cells. The aim of the inverter for a single cell is to improve the efficiency of a solar panel, whose performance is limited to the performance of the least efficient …

Drug Repurposing For Covid-19 Using Molecular Docking Tools, Deniz Yasar Oztas

Computational and Data Sciences (MS) Theses

Since severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is highly contagious and mortal, finding a treatment is time critical. Drug repurposing is probably the quickest and safest approach in our arsenal. However, testing every drug in a brute force manner would require a lot of resources, and a more sophisticated method is required to filter possible candidates. Since several molecules have already been shown to be effective against SARS-CoV-2 in wet-lab experiments, choosing drugs with similar characteristics would increase our chances of success. In this study, we compare the molecular docking results of FDA-approved drugs from the ZINC database against …

Rebuilding California History: Research, Conceptual Design, And Code Analysis For The Reconstruction Of The Swanton Pacific Railroad On Swanton Ranch, David J. Choy

City and Regional Planning

The purpose of this report is to provide code research, code analysis, and conceptual design work for the Swanton Pacific Railroad. This work will provide a basis that decisions makers can use to review potential actions for the future of the Swanton Pacific Railroad. Based on the research, several issues have been identified that will need to be addressed if rebuilding is to succeed.

• The parcel that the railroad is located on is Split Zoned, which will need to be resolved.
• A decision needs to be made if this project is: Only rebuilding what was existing beforehand, rebuilding in part …

Development Of A Model To Prioritize Inspection And Condition Assessment Of Gravity Sanitary Sewer Systems, Karthikeyan Loganathan

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Underground utilities and wastewater collection systems deteriorate over time demanding utility owners to involve in continuous revisions and development of their asset management frameworks to maintain the functionality of their assets. In any asset management framework, inspection of an asset and respective condition assessment plays a vital role in successful operation and maintenance of systems. In the United States, closed-circuit television (CCTV) is the commonly used device for inspecting the inner environment of sewer pipes, which considering the large length of pipe inventory in a city, is a relatively expensive and time-consuming process. Therefore, inspection of every individual sanitary sewer …

Structural Performance Of Distressed Cast-In-Place Concrete Bridge Retaining Wall, Karzan Ms Habeeb

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Cast-In-Place (CIP) concrete retaining walls have been used in the United States widely in the 20th century. CIP concrete walls have additionally proven to be structurally rigid and cost-effective for low backfill height. This type of wall is also sustainable with design service life of 75 years (TxDOT 2014). However, during service, the wall undergoes distressed movements, structural deficiency, and stability related problems. CIP cantilever concrete retaining walls often do not perform as expected, and the walls are affected by construction and/or structural deficiency, which sometimes leads to failure. The current study was inspired by distressed CIP walls located on …

Modeling Of Hydrogen Sulfide Generation And Rates Of Microbial Induced Concrete Corrosion In Manhole Shafts, Sunakshi Hada

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Manhole shafts can undergo infrastructure failure due to microbially induced concrete corrosion (MICC). Deterioration of the sewer systems by MICC process occurs due to the volatilization of hydrogen sulfide into the gas phase. The volatized hydrogen sulfide gas reacts with oxygen to form sulfuric acid, resulting in concrete corrosion. If optimum conditions are present, 24 mm of concrete loss can occur in 31 months, and the cost of fixing can range from $10-$30 per square foot. Also, if the manholes are not properly maintained, they can cause serious safety hazards, such as manhole lids falling through the structure, streets giving …

Effectiveness Of Recycled Plastic Pin For Improving Bearing Capacity Of Embankment Over Soft Soil, Md Azijul Islam

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Construction of embankment over soft foundation soils is incredibly a challenging task due to the risk of bearing failure and excessive settlement of foundation soil. Most of the available conventional methods for addressing these problems are either expensive or time-consuming or both. Therefore, research has been striving to develop a sustainable alternative to the current conventional methods. A noble approach to improve the soft foundation soil could be the use of Recycled Plastic Pins (RPP) in combination with geosynthetics. The load transfer efficiency of a geosynthetic-reinforced and RPP supported embankment is influenced by interactions among embankment fill, geosynthetics, and foundation …