Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Saltatory Rewards And Generalized Advantage Estimation On Reference-Based Deep Reinforcement Learning Of Humanlike Motions, Md Rysul Kabir

Theses and Dissertations

In the application of learning physics-based character skills, deep reinforcement learning (DRL) can lead to slow convergence and local optimum solutions during the training process of a reinforcement learning (RL) agent. With the presence of an environment with reward saltation, we can easily plan to magnify those saltatory rewards with the perspective of sample usage to increase the experience pool of an agent during this training process. In our work, we have proposed two modified algorithms. The first one is the addition of a parameter based reward optimization process to magnify the saltatory rewards and thus increasing an agent’s utilization …

Development Of Injection Molding Pressure Monitoring System Using Piezoelectric Sensor, Mostafa Meraj Pasha

Theses and Dissertations

Injection molding is one of the most popular techniques for global plastic production. With this automation technique, the plastic product can be manufactured at a low cost with a complex geometrical shape. A manufacturing process with the high productivity of an injection molding machine depends on molding pressure and temperature inside the mold cavity. In this research, an experimental work is performed to determine a process monitoring system using asynchronous data acquisition, through the incorporation of wired piezo-ceramic sensor to acquire pressure of injection molding system. This piezoelectric sensor is designed in such a way that, a Bluetooth device can …

The Cyber Security Evaluation Of A Wireless And Wired Smart Electric Meter, Patrick Nnaji

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, an Experimental cyber security evaluation of Wireless Smart Electric Meter has been performed under cyber security attacks. The security integrity of data collection from EPM 6100 Power Quality Wireless Smart Electric Meter under a wireless cyber-attack was evaluated. After which the security integrity of data collection from the same Wireless Smart Electric Meter was evaluated under a different configuration. In this Thesis, we tested three different smart meters for their connectivity under different cybersecurity attacks. We compared the security integrity of the three different smart meters to measure their response under different cybersecurity attacks.

Bioprinting A 3d Tubular Structure With Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells To Observe The Process Compatibility, Taieba Tuba Rahman

Theses and Dissertations

Printability is the ability to print a reproducible structure using the bioprinting technique. Constructing the relationships between printability and printing parameters of the extrusion printing process is difficult because of the presence of too many independent and inter-correlated factors. For this reason, it is necessary to identify and limit the number of significantly influential factors. In addition, Scaffold based blood vessel fabrication is a key challenge in 3D Bioprinting. As vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMCs) is a major component of blood vessels, the investigation of the behavior and orientation of VSMCs after printing is required to better understand the 3D …

Investigation Of Cell Behavior In 3d Printed Lumen Structures For Capillary Regeneration, Victoria Jade Perez

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis work successfully generated a coaxial printing setup and process to generate 3D printed tubules. A dual syringe pump mechanism was developed to print tubular structures to investigate cell behavior with a goal to generate future capillary beds. The mechanism involves the use of collagen–alginate tubules and the use of EDTA to increase the porosity of the tubule structures to study their interaction with media and incubation techniques as well as behavior and morphology. Tubules of 1.7% sodium alginate and 0.4% collagen I reacting with 3.2% CaCl2 solution proved to be more stable in both the printing process and …

Investigation Of The Effect Of Process Parameters By Taguchi Method On Structural And Electrical Properties Of Rf Magnetron Sputtered Sio2 & Psi On Si Substrate, Sajid Mahfuz Uchayash

Theses and Dissertations

In this work, Taguchi Signal-to-noise (S/N) analysis was applied to investigate the effect of varying three process parameters, namely- sputtering power, working pressure and Ar gas flow rate on the surface, morphological and electrical properties of the RF sputtered SiO2 and Boron doped pSi over Si substrate. The contribution of a particular process parameter on these properties was also inspected by applying Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). SiO2 and pSi thin films were fabricated over Si substrate using RF magnetron sputtering system. Three sets of inputs for the three mentioned process parameters were chosen for sputtering SiO2 and pSi thin films. …

Effect Of Obesity On Knee Joint During Walking And Squatting, Simon Vasquez Iii

Theses and Dissertations

This paper analyzes the effect of obesity on the knee joints during squats. This was performed on 2 different subjects by having each squat 30 times at their decided comfortable depth to display some fatigue and effects on the knee joints. Using the VICON NEXUS and AMTI force plates equipment at The University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley Biomechanics Lab, the center of pressure, knee flexion angles, velocity, and ground reaction forces were calculated. The subjects performed the exercises with and without additional weight using a body vest and kettlebell. The ground reaction forces showed a significant increase in …

Investigating Adoption Behavior Of Owned And Shared Autonomous Vehicles: An Updated Technology Acceptance Model, Yellitza Soto

Theses and Dissertations

Transportation systems will be likely transformed by the emergence of autonomous vehicles (AVs), either owned privately or used in a shared system (SAVs), which promise for safe, convenient, and efficient mobility, to name a few benefits to the society. The manifestation of (S)AV benefits, however, is still dubious due to the observed public reluctance, or at best neutrality, towards (S)AVs, especially SAVs. The public's perception towards these innovations is still unclear, therefore, a gap remains in the analysis of individuals’ behavioral intention (BI) to use AVs and SAVs. To fill that gap, this study uses a behavioral psychology method. Specifically, …

Effect Of Deposition Conditions On Properties Of Molybdenum Back Electrode For Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Solar Cell And Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Performance Analysis Through Numerical Simulation, Meah Imtiaz Zulkarnain

Theses and Dissertations

In the first part of this research, the effect of the deposition conditions on properties of molybdenum thin-film were investigated to achieve desired characteristics for its application as the back electrode of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cell. DC and RF magnetron sputtering modes were employed and two sputtering parameters namely, working pressure and sputtering power, were varied to determine the sputtering mode and the sputtering conditions best suited for Mo thin-films having required properties. Sputtered Mo samples were characterized to determine their structural and mechanical properties such as preferred growth orientation, crystallinity, grain size, dislocation density, adhesion, and micro strain, and electrical …

Using Single-Molecule Dna Flow-Stretching Experiments To See The Effects Of Temperature And Viscosity, Fatema Tuz Zohra

Theses and Dissertations

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a highly charged long and semi-flexible polymer of which length is much longer than cell dimensions at least by 1,000-folds. A long linear DNA turns into a crumpled structure to fit into a tiny cell volume by the process known as DNA compaction. In nature, DNA fits into the volume of the cell using DNA compaction by packaging genome material. Various types of protein are involved in DNA compaction. To experiment with various proteins as DNA compaction agents, DNA needs to be stretched out. In our thesis, the effect of temperature and buffer viscosity on DNA …

Before Turning Into Ashes: A Study Of Entrepreneurial Cognition, Learning, And Exit, Azadeh Zamanian

Theses and Dissertations

Entrepreneurial practices such as discovery, evaluation, and exploitation of opportunities, decision-making, and problem solving are influenced by mental processes and cognitive mechanisms. Decision-making studies in the field of entrepreneurship confirm that entrepreneurs have strong tendency to use cognitive mechanisms such as biases and heuristics to simplify their decision-making processes. Compared to non-entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs show higher levels of cognitive bias.

By focusing on cognitive mechanisms of entrepreneurs, this study answers the question of why some individuals insist on continuing their entrepreneurial journey while failure-related phenomena such as critical setbacks and counterfactual thoughts exist.

Unlike the prior research that have focused on …

Particle Trajectories In Shallow Water Models, Diana Torres

Theses and Dissertations

In this paper we will study particle trajectories under shallow water waves. We will examine equations such as the Korteweg-de Vries and systems dealing with Boussinesq and Euler's Equations to find relationships between particles irrotational velocities. Their solutions and behavior when modeling interacting surface waves will be explored. An attempt to find approximate solutions with different parameters, such as small amplitude and long-crested waves, that will lead to new information and study will be discussed.

Comparison Of Two Advanced Oxidation Processes For Their Production Of Hydroxyl Radicals And Evaluation Of A Uv/Ozone Aop At Varying Uv Fluence For Treating Diclofenac, Alexandra Cass

Master's Theses

This study explores the efficacy of two advanced oxidation processes for generation of hydroxyl radicals to promote degradation of emerging contaminants. Drought and water shortage have become pressing issues caused by our world’s changing climate. Water reclamation and reuse are increasingly important options for relieving this water stress. Water reuse runs the risk of reintroducing recalcitrant compounds that can accumulate in our bodies and environment. Advanced treatment methods that degrade these compounds are vital to protect our health and the health of the environment while providing necessary water resources. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have shown great promise for removing recalcitrant …

Government Expenditure And Economic Dimensions: Determinants Of Fiscal Policy, Jay Pee A. Maalihan

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

Government expenditure is a known tool of fiscal policy. For a fiscal policy to fit the economic needs of a country, nuances regarding government expenditure such as economic dimensions must be considered as determinants of fiscal policy. This study assessed an econometric model of the significance of economic dimensions to government expenditure by utilizing data from 50 countries throughout 1999–2019. Hence, statistical tests and econometric methods such as fixed effects regression are executed to determine objectives of interest. This study contributes to the economic undertakings of various countries to plan and implement their strategic economic directions.

Economic And Sociological Factors Associate With First-Year African American Students' Enrollment In Historically Black Colleges And Universities., Vickie Gale Bridgeman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite the long struggle to gain access, African Americans always have valued education. Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) were established to educate Blacks. The racial integration of predominately White institutions (non-HBCUs) in the 1960s led to decreased enrollments in HBCUs and challenged their relevance. The purpose of this study is to discover what factors influence African American students to choose an HBCU today. Quantitative, secondary survey data methods were used to conduct the study. African American students at HBCUs and non-HBCUs participated in the survey. Consistent with generally accepted approaches in analyzing student college choice, this study utilized logistic …

Academic And Demographic Cluster Analysis Of Engineering Student Success, Farshid Marbouti, Jale Ulas, Ching Ho Wang

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Contribution: This article uses student semester grade point average (GPA) as a measure of student success to take into account the temporal effects in student success. The findings highlight the student performance based on their demographic status and use of university resources such as financial aid. College campuses should not only increase current resources but also raise awareness of current resources and make them more accessible (e.g., easier to apply or automatic applications). This is especially important for some demographics such as Hispanic first-generation students. Background: Higher education institutions are facing retention and graduation problems. One way to improve this …

Endothelial Metabolism In Pulmonary Vascular Homeostasis And Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Reece P. Stevens, Sunita S. Paudel, Santina C. Johnson, Troy Stevens, Ji Young Lee

University Faculty and Staff Publications

Capillary endothelial cells possess a specialized metabolism necessary to adapt to the unique alveolar-capillary environment. Here, we highlight how endothelial metabolism preserves the integrity of the pulmonary circulation by controlling vascular permeability, defending against oxidative stress, facilitating rapid migration and angiogenesis in response to injury, and regulating the epigenetic landscape of endothelial cells. Recent reports on single-cell RNA-sequencing reveal subpopulations of pulmonary capillary endothelial cells with distinctive reparative capacities, which potentially offer new insight into their metabolic signature. Lastly, we discuss broad implications of pulmonary vascular metabolism on acute respiratory distress syndrome, touching on emerging findings of endotheliitis in coronavirus …

Develop A Multi-Functional Green Pervious Concrete (Mgpc) Pavement With Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Pahs) Removal Function., Hong Shang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stormwater runoff induced Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) contaminant increasingly imperils the groundwater quality and the sustainable development of human society due to the potential carcinogenic risks. Pavement can be considered as the first line of defense for contaminant removal of the stormwater runoff. New construction materials with stormwater runoff quantity and quality control are in urgent demand for updating the existing pavement system. An innovative material called Multi-functional Green Pervious Concrete (MGPC) was developed in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at University of Louisville. This material uses organoclay as the amendment to enhance the PAHs removal capacity of …

Conserved Non-Pocket Interactions Drive The Diversity Of Peptide Presentation By Mhc Class I Molecules, Kyle Jackson

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTL) can lyse infected or transformed cells through recognition of peptides presented on human leukocyte antigen (HLA) molecules. A thorough understanding of peptide-HLA interactions is needed for improvement of CTL-based immunotherapies. We observed that aspartic acid (D) and glutamic acid (E) at peptide position 4 are highly prevalent in HLA-I peptide ligands, and discovered that they interact with arginine (R) in position 65 and lysine (L) in position 66 of the α1 helix of the binding groove in HLA-A*0201 and HLA-A*2402. Since this interaction differed from well-characterized peptide-HLA anchor interactions mediated by peptide position 2 and the C-terminus, …

Effect Of Lowering Tube Potential And Increase Iodine Concentration Of Contrast Medium On Radiation Dose And Image Quality In Computed Tomography Pulmonary Angiography Procedure: A Phantom Study, Justin E. Ngaile, Peter K. Msaki, Evarist M. Kahuluda, Furaha M. Chuma, Jerome M. Mwimanzi, Ahmed Jusabani

Imaging & Diagnostic Radiology, East Africa

The aim of the study was to examine the effect of lowering tube potential and increase iodine concentration on image quality and radiation dose in computed tomography pulmonary angiography procedure. The pulmonary arteries were simulated by three syringes. The syringes were filled with 1:10 diluted solutions of 300 mg, 350 mg and 370 mg of iodine per millilitre concentration in three water-filled phantoms simulating thin, intermediate and thick patients. The phantoms were scanned at 80 kVp, 110 kVp and 130 kVp and 0.6 second rotation time using a 16 slice computed tomography (CT) scanner. The tube current was either fixed …

Application Of Real-Time Detection System In Epidemic Prevention, Haoyu Wang

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The number of confirmed cases of the covid-19 virus have skyrocketed since November 2019. Now researchers are beginning to realize that due to the continuous change in the mode of virus transmission, it is too slow to rely on outdated news from the government. This project focused on solving the following question: How can we use a cost effective real-time regional diagnosis to slow down the spread of the virus and save more lives? .This project developed a real-time monitoring system model that had four main modules: (1) the data receiving, processing and transmission module, (2) the real-time analysis module, …

Managing And Securing Endpoints: A Solution For A Telework Environment, David Adame

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This project introduces a business problem in which a water utility company – known as H2O District – was forced to discover and implement a solution that would enable the IT Department to effectively manage and secure their endpoints in a telework environment. Typically, an endpoint is defined as any device that is physically connected to a network. For the purposes of this project, the endpoints that the IT Department was concerned with consisted of Windows 10 PC’s, Laptops, and Apple iOS devices that employees use to access company resources while working outside of the corporate network. To properly manage …

Reconstructing 1856-7 California Mining Patterns From Placer Gold Recovered From The Wreck Of The Ss Central America, Kathryn Ruth Vonsydow

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The discovery of the SS Central America 1857 shipwreck site provides a time capsule that can be used to address questions about the spatial and temporal patterns of placer mining in California during the peak of the gold rush. Samples of placer gold in the collections of museums and private individuals can have uncertain pedigree due to labeling issues and alterations by cleaning and curatorial processes. However, placer gold from the 1857 shipwreck could only have come from the Mother Lode Country of California, as no other gold districts had yet been found in western North America. I compared the …

Internet Of Things Security Case Studies And Internet Of Things Core Service Comparions, Jaseong Koo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This culminating project conducted an analysis of IoT security breach case studies. The analysis identified numerous vulnerable points: software failure, node tampering attack, eavesdropping, code injection, unauthorized access, social engineering attack, hardware exploitation, and node insertion. It therefor seems that even with the proper tests conducted on vulnerabilities to discover solutions, regular end users are unable to apply patches or other technical solutions to protect themselves. This project solely focuses on analyzing of comprehensive IoT security services that come with devices connected to home network. The devices are those provided by the big three: Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, on the …

Bilateral Ground Reaction Force Jumping Asymmetry And Performance, Keith Painter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of asymmetry in performance research has increased in recent years with mixed results. Much of the performance research has focused on unilateral jumping activities attempting to show relationships to other performance variables. However, bilateral ground reaction forces (bGRF) from jumps are more frequently assessed in athlete monitoring programs and the asymmetry from those jumps could be a simple addition to data already being collected. Research into bGRF asymmetries is lacking and no studies have addressed longitudinal changes. Additionally, research into the relationship of asymmetries to performance have infrequently used athletes. For these reasons, this dissertation will focus on …

Sars-Cov-2 Concentrations In A Wastewater Collection System Indicated Potential Covid-19 Hotspots At The Zip Code Level, Renys E. Barrios, Chin Lim, Megan S. Kelley, Xu Li

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Wastewater based epidemiology (WBE) has been successfully applied for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance at the city and building levels. However, sampling at the city level does not provide sufficient spatial granularity to identify COVID-19 hotspots, while data from building-level sampling are too narrow in scope for broader public health application. The objective of this study was to examine the feasibility of using wastewater from wastewater collection systems (WCSs) to monitor COVID-19 hotspots at the zip code level. In this study, 24-hr composite wastewater samples were collected from five manholes and two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the City of Lincoln, Nebraska. By …

Learning To Interpret Knowledge From Software Q&A Sites, Bowen Xu

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Nowadays, software question and answer (SQA) data has become a treasure for software engineering as it contains a huge volume of programming knowledge. That knowledge can be interpreted in many different ways to support various software activities, such as code recommendation, program repair, and so on. In this dissertation, we interpret SQA data by addressing three novel research problems.

The first research problem is about linkable knowledge unit prediction. In this problem, a question and its answers within a post in Stack Overflow are considered as a knowledge unit (KU). KUs often contain semantically relevant knowledge, and thus linkable for …

Theoretical Town Centre Management Framework: Setting The Agenda For A Sustainable Future, David Jordan, Angela Wright

Conference Materials

The purpose of this study is to examine the current Town Centre Management [TCM] practices within Ireland’s rural towns since the abolition of Town Councils in 2014. This new study finds that Ireland’s approach to TCM is much more complicated and multifarious, with varying practices across the samples. The findings highlight a fractured TCM partnership between the private sector (Retailers, Volunteering Groups, Citizens, and Business Owners) and the public sector (Local Government). This paper also presents findings that despite respected recommendations from semi-state bodies to drive town centre management by local ‘dynamic leaders’, no model has been developed to attract, …

Diversity Management: Perspectives Of A Diverse And Inclusive Workplace. Findings From The Ict Sector, Andrea Graham, Angela Wright

Conference Materials

Globally, diversity in the workplace has become more prominent than ever before and continues to rise (Shukla et al., 2019). To strategically manage the diverse workforce, a significant number of organisations have embraced the practice of diversity management. Diversity management refers to the formal and informal structures, methods and programs implemented by an organisation to promote organisational equality for employees (Sukalova and Ceniga, 2020). Diversity management programs have been introduced with a range of ostensible aims, including: increasing the rates of participation of women and ethnic minorities, improving career prospects for such groups, incorporating wider perspectives into the decision-making processes …

Development Of A Low-Cost, Photovoltaic-Powered, Automated Water Recovery System, David E. Daley

Master's Theses

An existing water filtration system at the Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute (CIMWI) wastes approximately 25 gallons of water per day rinsing out solid waste under light load. To reduce CIMWI’s water and energy consumption, an automated system was designed and built to recover the rinse water and return it to the existing filtration loop. Models for fluid system requirements, basic energy needs, and photo- voltaic energy generation were created to aid in component selection. Basic sensors and electronics were programmed in Python for use with a Raspberry Pi single board computer to collect and process water recovery data …