Digital Commons Network^™

Bacillus Subtilis: A Bacterium That Can Potentially Degrade Low-Density Polyethylene (Ldpe) And Polyethylene Terephthalate (Pet), Migdalia Flores

Theses and Dissertations

The widespread application and disposal of plastics, such as low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), have raised significant environmental health concerns. Because of each plastic’s stability and durability, these plastics exhibit limited natural degradation in the environment. Recently, the environmentally friendly biodegradation of plastics by living microorganisms has attracted more attention, as they can assist in the natural degradation process. In this study, the bacterial strain Bacillus subtilis ATCC6051 was used to degrade LDPE and PET for 60 days. To measure the degradation of low-density (LDPE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the dry weight was taken, and physical characteristics were …

Development And Testing Of A Prototype Erbium-Doped Lithium Tantalate Based Sensor For Infrastructure Crack Detection And Measurement, Alejandro Barrera

Theses and Dissertations

Ensuring the safety and longevity of infrastructure is crucial to safeguarding communities and preserving economic stability. In this study, the development of a novel sensor for detecting and characterizing cracks in infrastructure, particularly suited for deployment on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), is presented. The device utilizes a laser (operating at 980 nm) for excitation of erbium-doped lithium tantalate nanoparticles that emit 1550 nm wavelength, which stimulates a photodiode for data collection. The data was utilized to collect, process, and reconstruct topological information. The synthesized lithium tantalate nanoparticle samples vary in erbium doping percentages of 0.5%, 3%, and 10%. Experimental evaluation …

College Ready Or Not? Exploring Undergraduate Perceptions Of Their High School College Preparation, Charles M. Morgan Iii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine undergraduate students’ perceptions of their high school preparation for college. Rather than relying on institutional measures like test scores or course completion, the study focused on how students themselves described their readiness and the supports they received in high school. By highlighting student voice, the research aimed to reveal strengths and gaps in current approaches to preparing students for higher education.

The study was grounded in Educational Equity Theory (Darling-Hammond, 1997), which emphasizes that fairness in education requires supports tailored to students’ individual needs. A qualitative, phenomenological design was used. Undergraduate participants …

Adoptive Parents Use Of Social Media To Discuss Adoption Communicative Openness, Hannah Araba Baidoo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adoption communicative openness (ACO) involves dialogue between adoptive parents and their adopted children about adoption-related issues. Through this communication, parents share information about birth families and address adoptees questions to support psychological well-being. Although ACO benefits adoptees, research rarely examines how adoptive parents themselves practice and experience openness. This study explores how adoptive parents discuss ACO with one another on the r/AdoptiveParents subreddit. Using qualitative discourse analysis, it examines how parents describe their challenges, and success surrounding communication openness. The analysis highlights parent’s concerns about when and how to disclose adoption information and the uncertainty that shapes their communication choices. …

Building Services Engineering November/December 2025

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Microgrid Approach With Data-Driven Monitoring To Enhance The Resilience Of Water Distribution Systems, Binod Ale Magar

Theses

Existing centralized water supply systems are critically threatened by the joint effects of climate and socioeconomic changes, extreme weather events, and physical degradation due to aging, and their changeability. The uncertain and changing drivers pose challenges for water supply systems in providing sustainable water services during disruptions. The energy field dealing related issues has endorsed the microgrid approach with a decentralized energy supply with dispersed local energy sources. The application of energy microgrids has demonstrated their resiliency for sustainable energy supply. For improved resiliency of a water distribution system, this study investigated the application of a microgrid approach and the …

Exploring Denitrification In Wetland Nitrogen Cycling And Biostimulant-Based Agricultural Strategies To Improve Ecosystem Health, Alexander Bechtel

Theses

The overuse of fertilizers has doubled the amount of reactive nitrogen in the environment. Agricultural runoff then carries these pollutants into the waterways eventually causing severe ecological damage such as the Gulf of Mexico dead zone. Nitrogen plays an important role in all life on this planet, here we describe two complementary projects that investigate ways to mitigate nitrogen pollution. The first project investigates denitrification rates in soil after the Len Small Levee breached in 2016 which reconnected the Dogtooth Bend Floodplain with the Mississippi briefly. The denitrification process that began in the hydrologically activated soils was hypothesized to be …

Embedded Sensor Design For Non-Robust Delay Testing, Presh Jayawardana Manannaidelage

Theses

Current delay testing methodologies for integrated circuits face critical limitations, asrobust tests remain unachievable for most paths, forcing reliance on Non-Robust (NR) tests that suffer from unrealistic single-fault assumption, the path under test non being sensitized, and vulnerability to hazard-induced errors. This thesis propose a built-in sen- sor to detect delayed hazards and a sensor to diagnose circuits in the presence of those hazards resulting reliable detection. This thesis intends to propose 2 sensors for non-robust test-based monitoring and test- ing. The first sensor discussed is for IC testing with NR tests. This sensor is capable of detecting any full-swing …

Relationship Between Semi-Aquatic Mammal Occupancy And Particulate Carbon, Nitrogen, And Phosphorus Dynamics In Freshwater Ecosystems, Madison H. Stokoski

Theses

Semi-aquatic mammals such as beavers (Castor canadensis) and muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) can influence carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) dynamics in freshwater systems. While the effect of beavers, in particular, are typically attributed to their dam and lodge building behaviors, these animals do not always build these structures. It’s possible that other, non-damming behaviors (e.g. foraging and burrowing) may influence the availability of nutrients as well. To assess this possibility, we surveyed 54 lentic and lotic waterbodies across Southern Illinois and investigated the possibility that beaver and muskrat occupancy improved our ability to explain variation in nutrient availability across …

Assessing Technology Adoption In The Construction Industry, Lucas D. Gibbons

Construction Management

The construction industry is steadily integrating new technologies, yet adoption varies widely depending on company size, market sector, and internal readiness. This study examines how common technologies such as drones (UAVs), Building Information Modeling (BIM), robotics and automated equipment, laser scanning/LiDAR, AI-driven scheduling or analytics tools, and augmented or virtual reality (AR/VR) are being applied in practice, and what benefits they are delivering to construction organizations. To better understand the factors shaping adoption, a survey was administered to members of the CMAC (Construction Management Advisory Council) board representing a range of contractors and industry stakeholders. The survey assessed current technology …

Engineered An Ultrasmall Curcumin Oral Nanoformulation Restores Intestinal Integrity And Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis, Vivek Sharma, Prateeksha Prateeksha, Balwant Paliya, Sateesh Gupta, Sarvendra Singh, Anand Anunay, Sushil Agrahari, Shailendra Singh, Chandana Rao, Saroj Barik, Brahma Singh

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Antibiotic therapy for bacterial infections often disrupts gut microbiota (GM) and intestinal integrity, inducing chronic inflammation and inflammatory bowel diseases. An effective therapeutic intervention is urgently needed to alleviate the aforementioned adverse effects of antibiotics. Curcumin (CUR) reveals great potential to restore intestinal integrity and GM dysbiosis due to its strong antiinflammatory and prebiotic effects. However, the weak solubility and stability of CUR result in limited bioavailability and a short half-life, which restricts its clinical uses. An ultra-small CUR oral nanoformulation was created using a carboxylated galactomannan (cGM), facilitated by hydrogen bonding between the phenolic hydroxyl groups of CUR and …

Climate Science And Natural Resource Litigation, Jessica A. Wentz

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

Climate change has major implications for sustainable use and conservation of natural resources. Many natural systems are already under severe stress and may be unable to sustain historical use patterns; resource management decisions can also exacerbate or mitigate climate change by affecting the balance of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This Article describes the legal and scientific basis for recognizing agencies’ obligations to assess and respond to climate change, drawing insights from a survey of U.S. litigation involving forests, fisheries, rangelands, and freshwater resources. The cases suggest litigants have been somewhat successful in driving more rigorous assessments of climate change. …

Using Improvement Science To Build Collective Teacher Efficacy Among Special Education And General Education Co-Teachers In A Title I Elementary School, Pauletha Monique Butts

Dissertations

In this improvement science dissertation, I examined how strengthening co-teaching approaches through targeted training on roles and responsibilities and scheduling time for collaboration builds collective teacher efficacy to improve student achievement for all learners. I conducted a root cause analysis using the Gately and Gately (2001) Co-teaching Rating Scales to better understand the barriers to effective co-teaching in a Title I elementary school in a midsize school district. I implemented two intervention cycles to support general and special education teachers in increasing collective teacher efficacy. The first intervention provided a one-day professional development seminar. The second intervention facilitated planning of …

Streams Guidelines: Standards For Technical Reporting In Environmental And Host-Associated Microbiome Studies, Julia M. Kelliher, Chloe Mirzayi, Sarah R. Bordenstein, Aaron Oliver, Christina A. Kellogg, Eneida L. Hatcher, Maureen Berg, Petr Baldrian, Mashael Aljumaah, Cassandra Maria Luz Miller, Christopher Mungall, Vlastimil Novak, Alexis Palucki, Ethan Smith, Nazifa Tabassum, Gregory Bonito, J. Rodney Brister, Patrick S. Chain, Mingfei Chen, Samuel Degregori, Xuefeng Peng, Et. Al.

Faculty Publications

The interdisciplinary nature of microbiome research, coupled with the generation of complex multi-omics data, makes knowledge sharing challenging. The Strengthening the Organization and Reporting of Microbiome Studies (STORMS) guidelines provide a checklist for the reporting of study information, experimental design and analytical methods within a scientific manuscript on human microbiome research. Here, in this Consensus Statement, we present the standards for technical reporting in environmental and host-associated microbiome studies (STREAMS) guidelines. The guidelines expand on STORMS and include 67 items to support the reporting and review of environmental (for example, terrestrial, aquatic, atmospheric and engineered), synthetic and non-human host-associated microbiome …

Extreme Bandgap Recessed-Gate Metal Oxide Semiconductor Heterostructure Field Effect Transistors With Drain Current 0.28 A Mm−1 And Threshold Voltage −1.5 V, Abdullah Al Mamun Mazumder, Abdullah Mamun, Kenneth Stephenson, Kamal Hussain, Tariq Jamil, Grigory Simin, Asif Khan

Faculty Publications

Herein, the first demonstration of hybrid high-k oxide (ZrO2-Al2O3) incorporation into extreme bandgap (EBG) Al_0.87Ga_0.13N/Al_0.64Ga_0.36N metal-oxide-semiconductor heterostructure field-effect transistors (MOSHFETs) is presented, with both planar and recessed-gate designs on the same AlN/sapphire template with a state-of-the-art low contact resistance of 1.4 Ω mm (contact resistivity, ρc ≈ 5.7 × 10−6 Ω cm2). The recessed-gate MOSHFETs achieve a threshold voltage shift of ΔVTH = 5.8 V, highlighting improved channel control. Static output measurements reveal a peak drain current (IDS) of 340 mA mm⁻¹ for the planar …

Computational Study On Protein Docking With Vascular Disease Application, Lohitha Reddy Shanigaram

Master's Theses

This thesis investigates how computational methods can help us understand protein docking and vascular diseases by integrating machine learning. The main goal of this research is to develop a system that can predict whether variants in the SOX17 gene are associated to Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH), a significant vascular condition. To do this, a dataset of 1,063 SOX17 variants was created using publicly available sources such as ClinVar, gnomAD, LOVD, and Ensembl. The study included cleaning and structuring the dataset, encoding genomic data and training a Random Forest classifier to classify variants as positive, negative, or unknown for disease association. …

Rethinking The Performance Evaluation, Jason C. Crowley

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This paper delves into the complexities of performance evaluations within community college settings, aiming to inform a more effective approach specific to the unique characteristics of staff attracted to this work. Grounded in the understanding of validity in psychometric measurement and management theories, it seeks to identify evaluation criteria that prioritize enhancing the working environment which is known to impact overall organizational performance over traditional results-driven metrics to measure individual staff performance. Key theoretical underpinnings include discussions on validity, highlighting that measuring validity against the underlying goal of the performance evaluation (i.e., increased organizational performance) has been largely ignored in …

Property Management System, Abbas Kurnool

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The real estate industry generates and manages large amounts of data, including tenant information, lease agreements, property maintenance schedules, and financial transactions. Reliance on traditional manual methods often results in inefficiencies, fragmented data, and delays in decision-making. To overcome these challenges, this project presents the design and implementation of a Real Estate Property Management System (REMS) for Future Properties, a company aiming to optimize its operations through digital transformation.

The proposed system is developed on Microsoft Dynamics 365 as the core platform, integrated with the Microsoft Power Platform tools (Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power Pages). This integrated framework provides …

A Comparative-Correlational Study On The Mental Health And Well-Being Of First-Generation Students At A Historically Black College And University, Shedred Jackson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the mental health and well-being of first-generation college students (FGCS) in comparison to non-first-generation college students (NFGCS) at a private Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in the Southeast. This study was undertaken to investigate students' mental health and well-being, as well as their use of, access to, and the availability of mental health services. A comparative-correlational research design was employed to collect and analyze the data. The study used a sample size of 388 responses from undergraduate college students enrolled at the private HBCU. Of the 388 students in the sample, …

A Leslie System For A Demographic Simulation: From An Actuarial Point Of View, David Kings

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis develops a discrete stochastic linear systems interpretation of age–stage demographic evolution grounded in Leslie operators and realized in a discrete-event simulation implemented with salabim. The central claim is that one annual cycle of the simulation constitutes a cone-preserving, stochastic affine transformation on a high- dimensional population state vector indexed by age, sex, marital status, household type, employment, and education, and that the composition of yearly operators yields a random matrix product whose top Lyapunov exponent is the stochastic counterpart of the Perron–Frobenius growth rate (Caswell, 2001; Tuljapurkar, 1997)[1, 2]. The actuarial bridge is constructed by mapping simulated survival …

Complementary Color Laser Illumination For Perceptual Contrast Enhancement In Structurally Colored Samples, Tomoshree Dash

All Theses

Structural color, a phenomenon arising from nanoscale interaction between light and materials, has the potential to unveil biological, chemical, physical, and mechanical characteristics of the sample. It enables direct visualization of the sample by human users with high spatiotemporal resolution. However, its impact is often constrained by challenges in the perceptual differentiation of subtle color variations. This thesis introduces complementary color laser illumination (C²LI) as an imaging technique that enhances color perception of the Human Visual System (HVS) by accessing the psychophysical non-linearities in chromatic color perception. C²LI offers a platform optimized for the HVS by …

The Influence Of High School Art Courses On Graphic Communications Students, Mackenzie Crawford

All Theses

This study examines the influence of high school art courses on students’ pursuing a degree in graphic communications (GC) at Clemson University. The purpose is to explore how prior high school art courses impact students’ major choice, preparedness, and academic success within GC. While creativity is central to the field, limited research addresses how early exposure to art integration shapes students’ readiness for college-level technical and design programs.

Grounded in theories of experiential learning and career development, this study builds upon the research by Moss, Benus, and Tucker (2018), who found that school-based arts programs enhance executive function and academic …

Measurement-Based Dynamic Load Model Parameterization Via A Stacked Long Short-Term Memory - Deep Neural Network, Zach H. Smith

All Theses

Increases in distributed generation and changes to predominate load types in modern power systems are driving the need for updated or newly developed dynamic load models. Accurate load modeling is necessary for transmission planning and operation, post-mortem analysis, and inter-regional transfer studies. The most widely used dynamic load model is the WECC Composite Load (CMLD). The CMLD model is an aggregation of substation impedance, under voltage and frequency controls, dynamic motor loads, and static loads. Parameterizing dynamic load models, especially composite models with high parameter counts like the CMLD, is can be difficult. This work proposes a measurement-based, machine learning …

Digital Solutions For Bridging Language Barriers: Designing And Testing An App For Construction Spanish Safety Communication On Construction Jobsites, Adrian Cappella

All Theses

Language barriers between English-speaking supervisors and Spanish-speaking workers create safety risks on U.S. construction jobsites. Hispanic workers face higher injury and fatality rates, with miscommunication being a major contributing factor. Existing translation tools lack the accuracy, cultural context, and jobsite relevance needed for effective safety communication.

In this study a mobile application with construction-specific safety phrases in English and Spanish was designed and field tested. The research included a literature review, phrase collection and validation with industry experts, application development and design with a computer science collaborator, and usability testing with supervisors and workers. Surveys and field trials measured navigation, …

Process Optimization And Cost Reduction For Cellulose Nanocrystals For Metal Removal From Rendered Fat, Sheikh Abdur Rehman

All Theses

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) coupled with polymers featuring a high density of amine functional groups, such as polyethylenimine (PEI), exhibit significant metal-capturing capabilities. Rendered animal fat has applications in a vast number of industries, with the potential to be used as a feedstock for the biodiesel/renewable diesel industries. Nevertheless, rendered fat samples occasionally contain concentrations of metals/inorganic contaminants above the suitable threshold for use in this application. Thus, a cost-effective solution to remove light metal/inorganic contaminants from rendered fat samples is desirable.

To address this problem, a cellulose nanocrystal coupled with polyethylenimine, i.e., CNC-f-PEI, was developed by previous …

Experimental And Numerical Study On The Influence Of Carbon Fiber Reinforcement On The In-Plane Compressive Properties Of 3d Printed Hexagonal Honeycomb Core Structures, Deon Wallace

All Theses

There is difficulty with numerically replicating the behavior of composite honeycomb core structures numerically due to the trouble of gathering material properties from a hollow structure. Also, complex part geometries and carbon fiber reinforcement strategies can lead to unwanted structural weaknesses and variance in material properties that may not be reflected in numerical analysis when the part is additively manufactured. In this study, edgewise compressive testing is used to characterize the mechanical behavior and performance characteristics of these structures. The experimental results indicate an increase in the Young’s moduli of the honeycomb core structures as carbon fiber concentration increases. However, …

Capillary Imbibition Of Shear-Thinning Xanthan Gum Solutions, Aimee Sayster

All Theses

Capillary rise in confined geometries plays a critical role in numerous natural and industrial processes. While classical models such as the Lucas–Washburn equation accurately describe the dynamics of Newtonian fluids, they fail to capture the complex behavior of shear-thinning, non- Newtonian fluids whose viscosity varies with shear rate. This research investigates the capillary rise dynamics of shear-thinning xanthan gum polymer solutions in capillary tubes. The rheological behavior of each fluid is characterized using the Ellis model, which accounts for shear-thinning effects through three key parameters: zero-shear viscosity μ0, characteristic shear stress τ1/2 and viscosity index α. Experimental data was collected …

Cross-Modal Prompting For Multi-Class Visual Anomaly Localization, Duncan F. Mccain

All Theses

Visual anomaly detection is a technology that uses computer vision to automatically identify defects or irregularities in images, such as cracks, scratches, or discolorations on manufactured products. Unsupervised visual anomaly detection does this without needing examples of those defects during the training process. This "unsupervised" approach is crucial in industries like manufacturing, automotive, electronics, and pharmaceuticals, where ensuring product quality is essential for safety, reliability, and cost efficiency. For instance, it helps spot flaws in circuit boards, fabrics, or medical pills during production lines, preventing faulty items from reaching consumers. By reducing manual inspections, it saves time and resources, benefiting …

Study On The Knock Resistance Offered By Thermally Stratifying Water Injections In A Single Cylinder Spark Ignition Engine, Aditya Datar

All Theses

Stochastic end-gas autoignition in SI engines, commonly called ‘knock’, limits attainable engine efficiencies. Multiple pathways to extend SI engine operation into knock-limited regions have been studied, including direct water injection (DWI). This study employs single-cylinder engine experiments and modeling to investigate the knock resistance offered by compression stroke water injections, which have shown to thermally stratify the cylinder in HCCI. In SI, thermally stratifying injections are expected to forcibly widen the cylinder temperature distribution by preferentially cooling the cylinder periphery. The end-gas is in the cylinder periphery; therefore, a cooler end-gas would result in longer ignition delays, thus providing knock …

Tradespace Exploration For Multiple Collaborative Vehicles, Mrunal Deshmukh

All Theses

Modern military operations demand systems that adapt to uncertain, rapidly changing missions across diverse terrains. Traditional single-platform vehicle design is insufficient for such complexity. This research introduces a hierarchical tradespace exploration framework for designing and evaluating families of heterogeneous ground vehicles under a System-of-Systems (SoS) architecture. The framework treats vehicle design as a co-optimization problem, where a “parent” vehicle (e.g., a Squad Multipurpose Equipment Transport) coordinates specialized “child” vehicles for reconnaissance, amphibious tasks, terrain traversal, and stealth missions. Unlike conventional approaches that optimize vehicles individually, this study emphasizes collaborative performance, resource sharing, and adaptability at the family level. Central to …