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Simulation- And Machine Learning-Based Methods For Inland Waterway Operation And Maintenance Decision-Making, Maryam Aghamohammadghasem

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The U.S. inland waterway transportation system (IWTS) is an essential part of the country's multimodal freight transportation network. In addition to seasonal droughts and floods, the operations of the IWTS may be disrupted by random malfunctions and scheduled maintenance of its critical components. Among these critical components, locks play a key role in the operation of navigable inland waterways, and lock-induced disruptions to the supply chains of related industries, such as agriculture and manufacturing, often result in significant economic losses. To assess the performance of the U.S. IWTS, we develop a PyNetLogo simulation tool to capture the movements and delays …

Predominant-Dominant Chains In Japanese Video Game Music, Evan R. Davis

Master's Theses

The short looping forms in Japanese video game music feature rapid modulations based on common chord progressions that necessitate contextual readings of harmonies in various keys to isolate how they manipulate tonal space. One such progression used by Japanese game music composers utilizes chains of predominant-dominant chords to move key centers by conflating function in minor-third related keys. These triumphant sounding transitional phrases are uniquely valuable in a medium dominated by stories of heroism and fighting authorities both earthly and divine. Building on the functional framework of 19^th century theorists and existing popular music research, two models are created …

Exploring Fisheries Species Distribution Shifts In Response To Freshwater Inflow Through The Bonnet Carré Spillway Using Species Distribution Models, David T. May

Master's Theses

The Bonnet Carre Spillway (BCS) is a flood control structure on the Mississippi River (MR) ~52 km upstream of New Orleans. The BCS protects downstream communities from MR flooding by diverting floodwaters into Lake Pontchartrain when the MR exceeds 5.18m flood stage. Diverted waters flow east into the Mississippi Sound (MSS), introducing turbid, nutrient rich freshwater to the estuary before draining into the Gulf of Mexico. BCS openings have become much more frequent in the last decade, though little work has been done to explore the impact of the BCS on nektonic fisheries species. Here, a series of seasonal Maximum …

Assessment Of A Muscadine Grape (Vitis Rotundifolia) Mapping Population For Tolerance To Pierce’S Disease Pathogen Xylella Fastidiosa And Resistance To Black Rot Disease Pathogen Guignardia Bidwellii, Anushka Tennakoon

Master's Theses

Pierce’s disease (PD) and black rot disease cause severe economic losses for grape production under humid and warm conditions. Identifying resistance genes is crucial for controlling these disease by developing resistant cultivars. Muscadine grape (Vitis rotundifolia) cultivar ‘Pam’ has been identified to possess a high level of resistance to diseases. To elucidate the genetic basis of the resistance to the causal pathogens Xylella fastidiosa and Guignardia bidwellii in this cultivar, parents and 141 F1 individuals developed from open pollinated ‘Pam’ were evaluated for two seasons under natural disease pressure. The mapping population was genotyped using genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) and …

Human Salivary Gland Stem/Progenitor Cells For Tissue Engineering, Sars-Cov-2 Susceptibility, And Neurointegration, Caitlynn Barrows

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Salivary glands and the saliva they secrete are important for digestion, chewing, and maintaining oral health. Reduced saliva production leads to a decreased quality of life for patients experiencing hyposalivation as a result of disease or injury, thus a large effort has been dedicated to developing materials and medium to recapitulate the structure of the gland for regenerative medicine. In doing so, we have come closer to developing a more complex model to study disease. These models, however, do not yet fully recapitulate the gland. In this dissertation, we describe a new cell source that can be used to develop …

Clonal Phenotype Mapping Reveals Genomic Alterations Underlying Tumor Immunosuppression During Immunotherapy, Er-Yen Yen

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Tumors are dynamic ecosystems that evolve under selective pressures, shaping their ability to either elicit or evade immune responses. In pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), where immunotherapy has yet to become an effective treatment option, we investigated the role of intratumoral heterogeneity in influencing immune interactions. Using orthotopic clonal replica tumors, we tracked clonal dynamics in response to anti-PD1 therapy and found that while treatment had limited impact on overall tumor volume, it induced profound shifts in clonal composition. Spatial lineage analysis of treatment-naïve tumors revealed that clones with distinct immunotherapy sensitivities occupy unique tumor microenvironments, a pattern that remained stable …

Onair: Applications Of The Nasa On-Board Artificial Intelligence Research Platform, Evana Gizzi, Conner Firth, Caleb Adams, James Berck, P. Timothy Chase Jr., Christian Cassamajor-Paul, Rachael Chertok, Lily Cloug, Jonathan Davis, Melissa De La Cruz, Matthew Dosberg, Alan Gibson, Jonathan Hammer, Ibrahim Haroon, Michael A. Johnson, Brian Kempa, James Marshall, Patrick Maynard, Brett Mckinney, Leyton Mckinney, Michael Monaghan, Robin Onsay, Hayley Owens, Sam Pedrotty, Daniel Rogers, Mahmooda Sultana, Jivko Sinapov, Bethany Theiling, Aaron Woodard, Caroline Zouloumian

Computer Science: Student Work

Infusing artificial intelligence algorithms into production aerospace systems can
be challenging due to costs, timelines, and a risk-averse industry. We introduce
the Onboard Artificial Intelligence Research (OnAIR) platform, an open-source
software pipeline and cognitive architecture tool that enables full life cycle AI
research for on-board intelligent systems. We begin with a description and user
walk-through of the OnAIR tool. Next, we describe four use cases of OnAIR for
both research and deployed onboard applications, detailing their use of OnAIR
and the benefits it provided to the development and function of each respective scenario. Lastly, we describe two upcoming planned deployments …

A Game Of Chicken: Exploring Religiosity, Gambling, And Acts Of Worship In Ren Galeno's Graphic Novel Sa Wala (Nothing To Lose), Elisha Camille Catimpo

Literary and Cultural Studies Program Faculty Publications

There are few more devout than a gambler. By his nature, he believes in something bigger than himself—be it faith, chance, luck, fortune, or some other greater power. The Philippine tradition of cockfighting, or sabong, is known for its established position in Philippine culture and the superstitious nature of the sabungero. In his 1977 book In Defense of Cockfighting, Nid Anima even goes as far as to claim that the Philippines is the cockfight Mecca of the world. In spite of the contradictory implications, there is a deep religiosity at work here, which makes the sabong unique in the Southeast …

Green Synthesis And Characterization Of Fe-Ti Mixed Nanoparticles For Enhanced Lead Removal From Aqueous Solutions, Shamika Piumal Wishvajith Raja Hewage

All Theses

Heavy metal contamination in water resources presents a significant environmental and public health challenge, with lead a particular concern due to its toxicity and persistence. This study reports the green synthesis of Fe-Ti mixed oxide nanoparticles (NPs) using dextrose as a green source and investigates their effectiveness in lead removal from aqueous solutions. The synthesized NPs were characterized using XRD, FTIR, XPS, SEM-EDS, and BET analysis, revealing an amorphous structure with a high surface area (292.89 m² g¹) and mesoporous characteristics. XPS analysis confirmed the presence of mixed Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ valence states in a Ti⁴⁺-rich framework, creating diverse binding sites for …

Survey Of Aquatic Invasive Plants In Selected Umpqua National Forest Lakes And Ponds, Jacob Rose, Gabriel E. Campbell, Catherine De Rivera

Center for Lakes and Reservoirs Publications and Presentations

Seven lakes and ponds within the Umpqua National Forest were surveyed for aquatic invasive weeds during the summer of 2025. These survey results support the US Forest Service and collaborators’ preparations for an upcoming National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) effort to provide coverage for management actions. Center for Lakes and Reservoirs previously surveyed selections of these waterbodies in 2011 and 2009. For this survey, staff sampled 44-105 points per waterbody, and recorded species frequency, species proportion, and water depth. Surveyed waterbodies predominantly featured diverse native plant communities with 12 to 25 aquatic and emergent species. However, the invasive yellow floatingheart …

Educational Attainment Patterns Among Mena Adults: A Comparative Study Of Native- And Foreign-Born Groups In The Us, Michael Okyere

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study examines educational attainment patterns among Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) adults in the United States, focusing on how nativity status, residential patterns, and gender shape these outcomes. Drawing on segmented assimilation and spatial assimilation theories, I analyze data from the 2018-2022 American Community Survey using ordered logistic regression models. Results indicate that educational attainment varies by gender, with MENA women consistently achieving higher education levels than men across all nativity groups, though this advantage varies considerably in magnitude between native-born and foreign-born subgroups. Residence in ethnic enclaves demonstrates a strong negative association with educational attainment among foreign-born …

Intergenerational Family Dynamics Among Caregivers And Children’S Social-Emotional Development In China, Weiman Xu

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

The early years of a child’s life are pivotal for social-emotional development. While extensive research has explored the role of family settings in fostering children's social-emotional development (Bornstein, 2005), the impact of grandparental involvement, particularly the caregiving dynamics between generations, remains less well understood. This study aims to fill this gap by examining two critical aspects of intergenerational dynamics among caregivers (i.e. parent-grandparent coparenting and parent-grandparent relationship quality) and their associations with children’s social-emotional development (i.e. social skills and problem behaviors). Two specific aims were delineated: 1) examine the unique contribution of parent-grandparent coparenting, especially the power and authority domain …

Between Two Worlds: A Case Study Of Third Culture Identity And Reentry For Unl International Students, John S. Tessalee

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Third Culture Kids (TCKs) and international students share many commonalities, such as their globalized nature, adaptability, and the adoption of cultural components from their host country versus their home country. However, they contain enough differences to be considered separate groups. Traditionally, people need to be immersed in a culture different from their parents’ culture between the ages of 0 and 18 to be considered a TCK, whereas international students are typically between 18 and 24 years old by the time they attend universities overseas. The cultural absorption of TCKs in their formative years is usually greater than that of international …

Enhanced Point Cloud Generation From A Novel 360° Underwater Lidar, Olagoke E. Daramola

Dissertations

This dissertation presents novel algorithms to improve the mapping capabilities of a 360-degree underwater Pulsed Laser Line Scanner LiDAR (PLLS-360°). Due to its 360° field-of-view (FOV), the PLLS-360° is a compact full-waveform omnidirectional imager suitable for seafloor mapping, underwater asset inspection, object detection, ice-sheet mapping, and construction progress monitoring. The proposed methodology includes an improved waveform fitting technique for saturated waveform recovery, detection array response correction, radiometric corrections, and fusion of LiDAR and sonar bathymetric datasets. The first part of this dissertation assesses the LiDAR’s performance and describes how the data for this unique 360° FOV architecture is processed. The …

Introduction To C++ (Volume I), Hussam Ghunaim Ph.D.

All Open Educational Resources

This book is written as an Open Education Resource (OER) to replace expensive commercial materials currently used at the Department of Computer Science at Fort Hays State University. It has two volumes corresponding to the CSCI 121 and CSCI 221 courses. These courses are developed to introduce college freshmen students to Object-Oriented Programming utilizing C++. The author tried to bridge the gap in the current programming textbooks by avoiding lengthy and, on many occasions, unnecessary details. This book’s main feature is to present the discussed principles in the least wording possible while providing adequate examples and exercises to reinforce students’ …

Independent- August 2025, Leslie Lozada

The Independent (1988-present)

No abstract provided.

Short: Breaking The Charge: Exploiting State Manipulation In Ev Charging, Ce Zhou, Qiben Yan, Zhiyuan Yu, Eshan Dixit, Ning Zhang, Huacheng Zeng, Alireza Safdari Ghanhdari

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Electric vehicles (EVs) have become one of the promising solutions to the ever-evolving environmental and energy crisis. The key to the wide adoption of EVs is a pervasive charging infrastructure, composed of both private/home chargers and public/commercial charging stations. However, the security of electric vehicle charging has not been thoroughly investigated. This paper investigates the communication mechanisms between the chargers and EVs and exposes the lack of protection for the authenticity in the SAE J1772 charging control protocol. To showcase our discoveries, we propose a new class of attacks, ChargeX, which aims to manipulate the charging states of EV chargers …

Comparative Nitrene-Transfer Chemistry To Olefins Mediated By First-Row Transition Metal Catalysts Supported By A Pyridinophane Macrocycle With N4 Ligation, Himanshu Bhatia, Lillian P. Adams, Ingrid Cordsiemon, Suraj Kumar Sahoo, Amitava Choudhury, Thomas R. Cundari, Pericles Stavropoulos

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

A 12-membered pyridinophane scaffold containing two pyridine and two tertiary amine residues is examined as a prototype ligand (^tBuN4) for supporting nitrene transfer to olefins. The known [(^tBuN4)M^II(MeCN)2]²⁺ (M = Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni) and [(^tBuN4)Cu^I(MeCN)]⁺ cations are synthesized with the hexafluorophosphate counteranion. The aziridination of para-substituted styrenes with PhI=NTs (Ts = tosyl) in various solvents proved to be high yielding for the Cu(I) and Cu(II) reagents, in contrast to the modest efficacy of all other metals. For α-substituted styrenes, aziridination is accompanied by products of aziridine …

Visceral, Neural, And Immunotoxicity Of Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: A Mini Review, Pietro Martano, Samira Mahdi, Tong Zhou, Yasmin Barazandegan, Rebecca Iha, Hannah Do, Joel Burken, Paul Ki-Souk Nam, Qingbo Yang, Ruipu Mu

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have gained significant attention due to their widespread distribution in the environment and potential adverse health effects. While ingestion, especially through contaminated drinking water, is considered the primary route of human exposure, recent research suggests that other pathways, such as inhalation and dermal absorption, also play a significant role. This review provides a concise overview of the toxicological impacts of both legacy and emerging PFASs, such as GenX and perfluoro butane sulfonic acid (PFBS), with a particular focus on their effects on the liver, kidneys, and immune and nervous systems, based on findings from recent …

Engineering Properties And Stress-Strain Behavior Of Bcsa Concrete: Flexural Design Parameters, Strain Measurement Methods, And Models, Gabriel R. Johnson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Belitic calcium sulfoaluminate (BCSA) cement concrete has gained popularity due to advantages over portland cement (PC), including, its fast-setting, high early strength gain, high durability, and reduced global warming potential. Though primarily used for pavement repair, it has good potential for structural applications. Building codes like ACI 318:19 permit alternative cement materials like BCSA cement if they can be shown to have adequate and predictable structural, durability, and fire performance comparable to PC concrete. This study evaluates the structural and mechanical behavior of BCSA cement concrete, measuring standard engineering properties and comparing results to PC concrete and code prediction equations. …

Artificial Intelligence Integration And Teachers' Self-Efficacy In Physics Classrooms, Fouad Yehya, Areej Elsayary, Ghadah Al Murshidi, Ahmed Al Zaabi

All Works

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), in its vision 2021 and the UAE centennial 2071 plan, highlights the essential role of artificial intelligence (AI) and technology in shaping a knowledge-based, future-ready society. This study explores the integration of AI in physics classrooms, focusing on secondary education in the UAE. It also investigates the perceptions and self-efficacy of physics teachers regarding the use of AI tools in classroom settings. A qualitative research design was employed to gather in-depth insights from 15 physics teachers across schools in Sharjah, assessing their confidence and readiness for AI integration through the lens of the attitude and …

Youth Attitudes Towards The Effects Of Social Media Addiction A Study On University Students In The United Arab Emirates, Fokiya Akhtar, Fawzia Abdulla Alali

All Works

Objectives: This study aims to understand youth’s attitudes toward the effects of social media usage and its risk factors. It also investigates the impact of social media addiction on youth, and determines the mediating factors in this relationship, such as ‘FOMO’ (fear of missing out) and nocturnal social media usage. Methods :For the purpose of this research, 327 university students were surveyed using the Social Media Addiction Scale, the FOMO Scale, the Nocturnal Social Media Use Scale, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Index Scale. Results: The results reveal statistically significant correlations between high social media usage and adverse effects on mental …

(A,B,C) Tilings With Prescribed Symmetry Groups From Regular Triangle Or Hexagon Tiling, Mark D. Tomenes, Ma. Louise Antonette N. De Las Penas

Mathematics Faculty Publications

A tiling T of the Euclidean plane (E2) is a countable collection of closed topological disks called tiles T = {Ti : i ∈ N} that is a covering (Ui Ti = E2) as well as a packing (Int(Ti) ∩ Int(Tj) = ∅ if i ̸= j, Int(T) denotes the interior of tile T). One of the problems of interest in discrete geometry is the classification of tilings based on transitivity properties of their vertices, edges and tiles. This talk presents a family of tilings whose vertices, edges and tiles have exactly a, b and c orbits, respectively, under the …

Low-Power Hardware-Based Real-Time Cervical Spine Localization Via Image Processing, Patricia Angela R. Abu, Chao-Shin Liu, Sung-Hsin Tsai, Po Lin Huang, Hong-Kai Wang, Shih Wei Chung, Chiung-An Chen, Shih-Lun Chen, Sze-Teng Liong, Tsung-Yi Chen

Department of Information Systems & Computer Science Faculty Publications

With the growing prevalence of cervical spine degeneration in the aging population, there is an urgent need for accurate and real-time cervical image analysis to assist in preliminary evaluations during neurosurgical outpatient visits. This study suggests a hard-ware-based real-time cervical spine localization system that uses image preprocessing algorithms to address this need. The system can quickly finish image enhancement and greatly speed up the localization process by turning preprocessing steps like median filtering and binarization into hardware modules. With a power consumption as low as 4.859 mW, the proposed hardware-based median filter demonstrates over 60% reduction in power and 35% …

Optimal Hypergraph Connectivity With Cut Queries, Hang Liao

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Finding connected components in undirected hypergraphs—hypergraph connectivity—is a fundamental problem in computer science. It can be framed as a special case of Symmetric Submodular Function Minimization (SSFM), where the objective is to determine if the non-trivial minimizer is zero. This thesis develops an optimal algorithm for hypergraph connectivity within the $\CUT$ query model, where an algorithm probes a subset of vertices to learn the weight of the hyperedges ``cut" by that partition.

Our approach is constructive, culminating in an optimal algorithm for the general problem by first developing the necessary tools for two foundational subproblems. The main contributions of this …

Barriers To Hispanic Post-Secondary Education In Science Fields, Luis Slayton

Theses and Dissertations

The study aimed to examine whether external barriers could be identified and are present throughout a Hispanic individual's educational life. The beliefs of the Hispanic community regarding education and the nature of acquiring an education could be relevant to the factors that impede the completion of high school. A survey approach was chosen as the methodology for the study due to the confidential nature of a questionnaire. Human nature tends to be more honest when not asked personal questions face-to-face. Additionally, there is potential to generalize attributes from a small sample to a larger population, allowing inferences about the identified …

Bilateral Leading Edges With Tubercle Modifications: An Experimental Study, Roberto Sanchez

Theses and Dissertations

The increasing demand for better performance and maneuverability from airfoils to sustain superior performance over a wide range of platforms, including vehicles, propellers, and wing designs, continues to grow. Researchers have drawn inspiration from nature, looking at birds of prey, dragonflies, and humpback whales for aerodynamic improvements. Among these, tubercle airfoils, inspired by the humpback whale’s flipper, have gained increasing interest. This experimental study presents the results of bilateral tubercle leading-edge airfoils based on a modified NACA 0018 design with a chord length of 1.82 inches, a span width of 7.5 inches, and an amplitude of 6.3c%. Five configurations were …

Development Of A Wearable Biosensor For Cortisol Detection In Human Sweat Utilizing Pani/Peo Polymer Blend And Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Quantum Dots, Cesar Sanchez

Theses and Dissertations

Since the development of the first biosensor in 1962, the evolution of commercially available wearable biosensors has been driven by an increasing consumer interest in real-time health tracking. However, challenges related to sensor sensitivity and cost have hindered progress. Deploying a novel approach, the biosensor integrates a blend of Polyaniline (PANi) and Polyethylene Oxide (PEO) along with Nitrogen-doped Graphene Quantum Dots (N-GQDs) to enhance sensitivity and electroactivity, crucial for cortisol detection. To optimize performance, three distinct synthesis methods for N-GQDs; hydrothermal, microwave, and hot plate synthesis were compared employing a bottom-up approach utilizing citric acid (CA) as the primary reactant …

Primary And Parametric Resonances Of Angled Mems And Nems Cantilever Resonators, Benjamin Matthew Huerta

Theses and Dissertations

This work investigates the resonances of electrostatically actuated micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) uniform cantilever resonators positioned at an angle relative to a ground plate. The resonances considered in this work include primary and parametric resonance. For each resonance, the amplitude-frequency and amplitude-voltage responses are presented. The model is constructed using Euler-Bernoulli beam theory. Results are obtained by construction of a Reduced Order Model considering up to the first five modes of vibration. The Method of Multiple Scales is used when considering only the first mode shape, and the software AUTO 07p is used for higher terms. Two models are …

Low-Dimensional Learning For Remaining Useful Life Prediction Of Batteries Operating Under Various Environments, Rodrigo Benavides

Theses and Dissertations

In reliability, we typically define the standard operating conditions under which a component operates. However, the differences in battery operating conditions cause variability in the degradation patterns of identically manufactured batteries, rendering remaining useful life prediction a major challenge. To aid this task, several sensors are utilized to monitor battery state-of-health. However, traditional prognostics algorithms do not scale well to the volume of data generated. Furthermore, several authors do not explicitly consider operating environments in their prediction models. Therefore, we present a high-dimensional data analytics framework that integrates operating environment information for battery prognostics. This framework combines Multilinear Principal Component …