Digital Commons Network^™

Text-To-Speech Systems: Learner Perceptions Of Its Use As A Tool In The Language Classroom, Joseph Chi Man Mak

Theses and Dissertations

Text-to-speech (TTS) systems are ubiquitous. From Siri to Alexa to customer service phone call options, listening in a real-world context requires language learners to interact with TTS. Traditionally, language learners report difficulty when listening due to various reasons including genre, text, task, speaker characteristics, and environmental factors. This naturally leads to the question: how do learners perceive TTS in instructional contexts? Since TTS allows controls on speaker characteristics (e.g. gender, regional variety, speed, etc.) the variety of materials that could be created--especially in contexts in which native speakers are difficult or expensive to find--makes this an attractive option. However, the …

Graphical Models In Reconstructability Analysis And Bayesian Networks, Marcus Harris, Martin Zwick

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

Reconstructability Analysis (RA) and Bayesian Networks (BN) are both probabilistic graphical modeling methodologies used in machine learning and artificial intelligence. There are RA models that are statistically equivalent to BN models and there are also models unique to RA and models unique to BN. The primary goal of this paper is to unify these two methodologies via a lattice of structures that offers an expanded set of models to represent complex systems more accurately or more simply. The conceptualization of this lattice also offers a framework for additional innovations beyond what is presented here. Specifically, this paper integrates RA and …

Early-Age Compressive Strength And Dynamic Modulus Of Frc Based On Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity, Daniel A. Castillo Pereira, Saman Hedjazi

Civil Engineering & Construction: Faculty Publications

Due to the increasing use of rapid construction methods and the challenges of maintaining construction schedules, a growing demand exists for procedures that can assure quality of work without sacrificing the pace of construction. The quality control of construction materials specifically, the mechanical properties of concrete are among the most important concerns in today’s construction industry. In the present study, the correlation between fiber-reinforced concrete’s compressive strength and dynamic modulus to its ultrasonic pulse velocity is investigated at early ages up to 7 days after mixing. An experimental program involving 189 FRC specimens were designed containing different types of structural …

Synthesis Of Small Molecules For The Treatment Of Infectious Diseases, Elena Bray

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Drug discovery’s impact on modern healthcare cannot be measured. In the past year, the world has watched scientists all around the globe work together to help protect the public from the novel coronavirus pandemic. Although sometimes slow and costly, drug discovery is important for advancing modern society. Drug discovery is at the core of treating diseases and in particular, infectious diseases. In the first chapter an overview of drug discovery will be discussed in a brief manner.

The second chapter will introduce infectious diseases. In modern society, the development of small molecule treatments for treating bacteria, viruses, and fungi has …

Evaluating Storage And Effective Moduli Of In Situ Polymerised And Melt Extruded Pa6 Graphite (G) Composites, Muneer Umar, Michael Ikpi Ofem, Auwal Sani Anwar, Muhammad Murtala Usman

Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science and Technology (JMEST)

Four PA6/graphite (G) composites systems were made. Two using in situ polymerisation equivalent in mixing strain and two systems melt extrusion of equivalent processing strain. The effective modulus of the carbons, room temperature storage modulus and storage modulus at 80 ⁰C were evaluated. The composite/unfilled PA6 ratios at E25 and that at E80 for the in situ polymerised system IG 40/10 are 1.37 and 1.63, respectively. For the in situ polymerised system IG 20/20, the same were 1.96 and 2.28, respectively. For the melt-extruded systems, G 100/6 had the best E25 ratio of 1.67 and E80 of 2.03, whereas the …

The Effect Of Thickness And Type Of Material On The Sheared Edge Characteristics Of Keychain Cranioplasty Plate Blanking Product Using Eccentric Press Machine, Didin Zakariya Lubis, Lea Rachmat Indrasepta, Redyarsa Dharma Bintara, Rizky Ramadhan, Agung Budi Darmawan

Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science and Technology (JMEST)

Keychain cranioplasty plate product has the potential to be produced using the blanking process because it is faster, low-cost, and requires low-energy consumption compared to other mechanical operations. This research aimed to find the effect of material thickness and type on the sheared edge characteristics of keychain cranioplasty plate using the blanking process to meet the international health standard. Experimental research conducted using an eccentric press machine with 40 tons capacity. This research’s test material parameters of titanium (Ti-6AL-4V) and stainless steel (SS-316L) were the 0.5 mm, 0.6 mm, and 0.8 mm thickness with a maximum blanking velocity of 3000 …

The Effect Of Multi-Extrusion Process Of Polylactic Acid On Tensile Strength And Fracture Morphology Of Filament Product, Muhamad Syaifuddin, Heru Suryanto, Suprayitno Suprayitno

Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science and Technology (JMEST)

Polylactic acid (PLA) is one of the most used materials in FDM 3D Printing. Large-scale consumption of PLA on an industrial scale could cause environmental and efficiency problems. Thus, PLA waste and industry waste need to be recycled to limit excessive waste. This study aimed to investigate the change in mechanical property, morphology, and structure of mechanically recycled PLA. Recycling was performed 12 times using the extrusion process with an extrusion temperature nozzle of 170°C. The SEM, structural analysis, and amorphous-crystalline analysis used XRD. The results showed a gradual decrease of tensile strength from each recycle with a total of …

Social Justice And Community Development: A Multilevel Community Engagement Model To Effectively Work With Families Living In Culturally-Diverse Communities In Pakistan, Hassan Raza

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

The current paper introduces the Multilevel Community Engagement Model (MCEM) to help development agencies effectively work with families living in diverse communities in Pakistan. This model is grounded in family systems theory, participatory action research (PAR), and ecological systems theory. It is also informed by three empirical studies and the author’s reflections of his direct observations and experiences based on his work with development agencies. The MCEM uncovers important insights about the complex, dynamic, and reciprocal interactions among different groups of stakeholders at three different engagement levels (i.e., proximal, influential, and holistic). MCEM emphasizes a strong collaboration, effective coordination, and …

‘Serene Classroom’ Minimizes Noise For More Conducive Learning, Zaiton Haron, Khairulzan Yahya, Nadirah Darus, Rafidah Mohd Yussup, Abdullah Zawawi Awang, Norelyza Hussien, Ain Naadia Mazlan, Rozana Zakaria, Mohammad Ismail, Noramera Nabila Amir Nizam, Ahmad Syakir Farhan A Kassim, Nur Syalyana Malek, Rifa Rafida Rifki, Helmi Kamaludin, Syamsul Hafiz Yaakob, Zaliza Haron, Sheikh Izat Azhar Sheikh Ahmad

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

Noise pollution can be categorized as a danger in silence. In school, noise pollution inhibits the focus of learning, impairs learning and cognitive development, for example, students' skills to think and understand both oral and written comprehension may be hampered by noise. Many schools in Malaysia experience excessive noise pollution as their locations are very near busy roads. This will be one factor that hinders the implementation of the education system in producing holistic students in order to prepare for the 4IR era. Knowing the importance of this problem, a group of researchers from UTM GREENPrompt, School of Civil Engineering, …

Literature-Assisted Validation Of A Novel Causal Inference Graph In A Sparsely Sampled Multi-Regimen Exercise Data, Aditya Gupta

Theses

Background. Causal mechanisms supporting the cardio-metabolic benefits of exercise can be identified for individuals who cannot exercise. With the use of appropriate causal discovery algorithms, the causal pathways can be found for even sparsely sampled data which will help direct drug discovery and pharmaceutical industries to create the appropriate drug to maintain muscles. Objective. The purpose of this study was to infer novel causal source-target interactions active in sparsely sampled data and embed these in a broader causal network extracted from the literature to test their alignment with community-wide prior knowledge and their mechanistic validity in the context of regulatory …

Machine Learning Based Dynamic Power Dispatching And Smoothing Using Hybrid Energy Storage System For Renewable Energy Systems, Bhuvaneshwarr Ramalingam

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

The stochastic fluctuations from Renewable Energy Resources (RER) have a great influence on power quality and off-grid communities. A combination of the different storage systems is accessible for RER generation intermittency and to bring about finest smoothing operating cycle compared to sole Energy Storage System (ESS). Additionally, energy management in Hybrid Energy Storage System (HESS) creates an uncertainty during power smoothing operation. This research materializes, an intelligent mechanism for power smoothing and dispatch with the introduction of hybridized storage that can accommodate the unpredictable behavior of RER under dynamic load. A feed-forward neural network is proposed as a power smoothing …

Composting Processes For Food Processing Wastes: A Review, Yung-Tse Hung, Kevin P. Holloman, Howard Paul, Christopher Huhnke

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Composting of food processing waste was analyzed as a biological process and an engineered system. The goal is to establish fundamental principles and design criteria that would aid its adoption as waste management practice. Characteristics of the inflow, reactor, and outflow were evaluated. Success of the bioreactor was found to be largely dependent on microbial community structure, physical properties of biodegradable waste (BW), aeration, heat transfer, and time required for maturation. Static piles were the primary focus of this article for cost and energy efficiency.

Prioritization Of Research On Bridge Railings For Use On Timber Deck Bridges And Development Of Two Glulam Bridge Railing Systems, Jared Duren

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In the past, many timber bridge railings, bridge railings for use on timber deck bridges, and approach guardrail transition systems to accompany these railings, have been developed to meet different impact safety criteria. Through an extensive literature review, the design details of these systems were identified and organized. A survey was then developed and distributed to multiple government agencies and timber industry members to identify their desire for these bridge railing and approach guardrail transition systems to be developed to meet current American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) impact safety criteria. …

Electrochemical Studies Of Poly 3-(4-Methoxyphenyl)[5] Ferrocenophane-1,5-Dimethylene And Copolymers With Styrene And N-Phenylmaleimide, Niyati Arora

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Ferrocene is an organometallic compound in which an iron atom is sandwiched between two cyclopentadienyl rings. Ferrocene containing polymers receive a considerable amount of research because of their known chemistry, stable redox reactions and useful electrical systems. Noteworthy are their uses as electrode coatings, electro-catalysts and as an anode in battery applications. In this research, the synthesis and polymerization of a ferrocenophane diene is reported. Using a Wittig reaction 3-(4-methoxyphenyl)[5]ferrocenophane-1,5-dimethylene was synthesized from 3-(4-methoxyphenyl)[5]ferrocenophane-1,5-dione. The homopolymer and copolymers with styrene and N-phenylmaleimide were synthesized via free radical polymerization from 3-(4-methoxyphenyl)[5]ferrocenophane-1,5-dimethylene using AIBN as the initiator. These polymers were characterized using …

Converting Parylene C Into A Thin Film Piezoelectric Material, Murali Manohar Duggina

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

Thin-film piezoelectric materials are increasing in demand, but most materials are stiff ceramic materials. Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is a common polymer piezoelectric material, but it has limitations such as it requires post-processing steps to promote appropriate β-phase and it has a low operating and Curie Temperature, which limits its use in traditional microfabrication processing. The toxicity of PZT makes it incompatible with biomedical applications. Therefore, there is a need to develop a new class of polymer piezoelectric films that are compatible with current microfabrication methods. Parylene C (PA-C) is a chemical vapor deposited semi-crystalline polymer material with a nonsymmetric polymer …

Profil Komunikasi Matematis Tulis Siswa Pembelajaran Daring Dalam Menyelesaikan Masalah Bangun Ruang Sisi Lengkung, Nia Cahyani, Makbul Muksar, Rustanto Rahardi

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

The purpose of this study is to describe the profile of online learning students’ written mathematical communication in solving problems about curved three dimensional objects. The problem given is a contextual problem and delivered online to 2 students in Bimbingan Belajar Gracia in 9th grade. The indicator is adapted from previous research and is using QCAI criteria. The result shows that one of two students can respond clearly and state verbal sentence to mathematical expression. Both students are less able to communicate their mathematical thinking to others and haven’t been able to give argumentation to support their answer.

Sustainable Management Of Electricity - Practices Of Federal University Of Lavras, Isadora Nascimento Della-Sávia Braga, Silvia Costa Ferreira, Marcelo Arriel Rezende, Joaquim Paulo Da Silva

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Considering that most of the world electrical matrix is made up of non-renewable sources, the search for safer and more sustainable energy generation solutions has grown. In view of this scenario, there is an increase in the use of renewable energy sources integrated with electrical systems. In this context, Universities have an important role in research development, implementation of environmental plans aimed at sustainability, optimization in the use of electric energy and development of the use of renewable energies. The Federal University of Lavras has an environmental plan with goals related to carbon emissions, solid waste management, rainwater collection and …

The Influences Of Perceived Usefulness And Online Social Network Attribute On The Intentions To Seek And Share Information On Indonesia’S Smart City Digital Platform, Juliana Rouli

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

The high population and density of cities in Indonesia raise a number of urban problems that require creative and innovative solutions. One of the steps taken by the municipal government is to implement the concept of smart city, one of which is by utilizing information and communication technology (ICT). The municipal government applies ICT by creating websites and applications to provide a variety of city information and municipal government services to all residents that can also be shared on their online social network. However, it is not clear whether the residents perceive that the provided information is useful and whether …

Life Cycle Assessment And Cost Benefit Analysis Of Municipal Waste Management Strategies, Qiyam Maulana Binu Soesanto, Laksamana Rayhan Utomo, Indriyani Rachman, Toru Matsumoto

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Cimahi City is located in West Java Province, Indonesia. With a population of half million and the annual waste generation per capita reaching 0.48 kg/day, managing municipal waste has become increasingly challenging. To date, waste management costs in Cimahi City have not been specifically addressed. In addition to the total cost, there is also a plan to move the final landfill site from TPA Sarimukti, which is located approximately 34 km from the city center to a new final landfill site in TPA Legok Nangka, which is located approximately 56 km from Cimahi Municipality. This move will cause an increase …

X Radiation Dose Monitoring For Adolescent And Adult Patients In Selected Health Care Environment Related Places, Kevin Riandi

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

A study on patient absorption dose according to age group was carried out. The amount of absorbed A study on patient absorption dose according to age group was carried out. The amount of absorbed dose of X-ray radiation affect the body cells. Health care hospitals such as clinics, environments that use ionizing radiation. Based on the procedure for using ionizing radiation for medical purposes, the Indonesian Nuclear Energy Supervisory Agency recommends monitoring radiation doses for health workers on health service environment. Likewise with the patient, because the patient is directly exposed to the ionizing radiation. Some researh explained that the …

Local Herbal Utility In Supporting Some People Health Sustainability, Shinta Damerys Sirait, Nicolas M. P. Hutasoit

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

The efficacy of noni juice (Morinda citrifolia L) for health is very diverse, and has been known for thousands of years. Noni fresh juice contains a relatively high concentration of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and scopoletin which is known as an important antioxidant and a herbal compound having multy efficasies for health, repectively. Recently, many processed juice products have been widely offered in Indonesia either as medical products or nutritious drinks in liquid and solid forms stored at cold or room temperature for a relatively long period of time, however no one of these products could show the amount …

Chemical Waste Management In Educational Institutions, Zuy Maria Magriotis, Adelir Aparecida Saczk, Hélvia Mara Ribeiro Salgado, Isael Aparecido Rosa

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Green universities and Education for Sustainable Development have an important role in reaching a sustainable society. However, there is many gaps in this area. This study aimed to report the implementation and the results of the Chemical Waste Management Program (CWMP) of the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA). The CWMP have been implemented in 2009 to solve the existing environmental problem of inadequate disposal of chemical waste generated in UFLA’s laboratories. In order to carry out the CWMP actions, the Chemical Waste Management Laboratory (CWML) was created in 2009, with the function of collecting, treating, and giving a final destination …

Developing Rest As A Therapeutic Target In Dipg, Habibatou Diallo, Shavali Shaik Phd, Vidya Gopalakrishnan Phd

Summer Experience 2021

No abstract provided.

Device To Device Content Transfer Using Orthogonal Haptic Codes, D Shin, Rick Marks

Defensive Publications Series

Transferring content such as a link or a photo across devices requires manual steps. For example, such steps may include uploading content to cloud storage from one device and downloading it from the other device, sending the content via email or a messaging app, or pairing the devices via Bluetooth. This disclosure describes secure, single-step, vibration-based techniques of content transfer without explicit device pairing. A transmitting device, e.g., a smartphone, has a haptic motor that is activated to vibrate the device at millimeter amplitude. The vibrations encode the transmitted content, with symbols being selected based on a codebook Upon being …

'Event Mesh' Triggered Method For Hybrid Cloud Chaining Via Tunneling, Akram Sheriff, Dave Zacks, Tim Szigeti, Drew Pletcher, Nagendra Kumar Nainar

Defensive Publications Series

The evolution of cloud native application architectures has yielded infrastructures (comprising microservices, etc.) entailing a variety of challenges. The need exists for an optimum ‘Event Mesh’ type of technique for sending data via asynchronous event handling mechanisms across cloud scale data center sites (e.g., in different regions) that is agnostic to any underlying facilities. Such a sharing of contextual data between clusters across hybrid cloud environments may be referred to as ‘Hybrid Cloud Chaining’ within the context of the techniques that are presented herein. To address the types of challenges that were described above, techniques are presented herein that provide …

Inferring Restaurant Affordability From Menu Prices, Xinru Yang

Defensive Publications Series

Online information sources such as websites, search engines, digital maps, etc. provide restaurant information which often includes an affordability indicator that indicates the general level of prices charged by the restaurant for the items on its menu. Currently, such affordability indicators are derived from subjective and expensive consumer surveys, which can be prone to error.

This disclosure describes techniques to automatically infer an affordability indicator for a restaurant using data obtained from existing data sources and provided as input to a suitably trained machine learning model. Prices are obtained from sources of high-quality structured information and/or lower-quality unstructured information, such …

Removing Bias From Deep Learning Systems, N/A

Defensive Publications Series

Generally, the present disclosure is directed to training machine learning models, e.g., deep learning models, such that the impact of any implicit bias in the training dataset on the trained model is eliminated or minimized. In particular, in some implementations, the systems and methods of the present disclosure can include or otherwise leverage a generative adversarial configuration with a generator model and a discriminator model such that the resultant trained model (generator) performs its function free of any implicit bias that may be present in the training dataset. The model as trained herein can be any type of machine learning …

Evaluation Of The Combination Of Hdaci And Il-21 In Til Initial Phase Of Expansion, Joshua Shuren Ni, Tamara Griffiths, Marie-Andree Forget, Donastas Sakellariou-Thompson, Chantale Bernatchez

Summer Experience 2021

No abstract provided.

Planning A Phase 1 Clinical Trial: Target Product Profile For A Novel Target Car T-Cell Therapy, Emma Becker, Agathe Bourgogne Phd, Sattva S. Neelapu Md

Summer Experience 2021

No abstract provided.

Phragmites Australis Dieback In The Mississippi River Delta: Chemical Profiles Of Soil Types And Restoration Potential, Herie Lee

LSU Master's Theses

Since 2016, there has been widespread dieback of P. australis in the Lower Mississippi River Delta (hereafter referred to as Lower MRD, which is defined as the Birds Foot Delta) with relatively little to no signs of recovery. The cause of the current dieback is not fully understood. This thesis explores P. australis with emphasis on chemical profile characterization of different soil types and its effects on plant growth and the potential for restoration in the Lower MRD.

In chapter 2, I characterized the chemical profiles of soils collected from healthy and dieback stands of Phragmites, and from newly …