Digital Commons Network^™

Synthesis Of Bea Zeolite From Coal Fly Ash Nano-Silica Extract: Application In Co2 Adsorption, Alechine E. Ameh, Shabnam Feyziyeva, Jean Luc Mukaba, Keagan Pokpas, Baylar Zarbaliyev, Ojo O. Fatoba, Benoit Louis, Leslie F. Petrik, Oluwaseun O. Oyekola

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study demonstrates a circular economy approach to carbon dioxide sorption by re-purposing coal fly ash (CFA) into BEA zeolite using CFA-derived nano-silica and aluminum precursors via hydrothermal synthesis. The XRD patterns, with characteristic peaks at 15° and 37° 2θ, and SEM images both confirmed the complete transformation of the spherical-shaped CFA particles into amorphous nano-silica materials with particle sizes less than 100 nm. The absence of amorphous phases and the formation of high-intensity peaks at 7.8° and 22.8° 2θ further indicated the production of a highly crystalline BEA zeolite, obtained after hydrothermal synthesis durations between 10 and 72 h. …

Development And Testing Of A Computer Vision Pose Estimation System For Planar Mobile Robots, Andrew Jones

Master's Theses

This thesis details the development and testing of a computer vision-based real-time pose estimation system for differential drive robots. A single camera with a fisheye lens is used to locate ArUco markers placed at fixed locations and attached to robots. Using the OpenCV library, the Perspective-n-Point (PnP) problem is solved to facilitate the transformation of 2-D robot positions in an image to world-frame coordinates. An analytical solution is presented to estimate robot poses based on a single PnP solution, rather than solving the PnP problem for each pose estimate. Pose information is relayed to individual robots using a multi-microcontroller architecture …

Hyperchaotic Noise Generation For Adversarial Encryption In Privacy-Preserving Image Classification, Neeraja Beesetti

Master's Theses

Artificial intelligence systems make useful predictions by taking in data and returning a classification, recommendation, or decision. Obtaining that prediction, however, requires sharing the data first. This creates a fundamental privacy challenge in machine learning: users must expose their data to receive a valuable prediction. Machine learning systems increasingly rely on cloud-based image classification for this reason, transmitting images from edge devices to remote servers rather than running large models locally. This creates a conflict between the accuracy a classifier requires and the privacy a data owner wants. Traditional encryption destroys the image structure on which a classifier depends, while …

Development Of Reduced Conflict U-Turn (Rcut) Guidance In Kentucky, Travis Thompson, Duane Thomas, Jill Asher, Jeff Jasper

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

A reduced conflict U-turn (RCUT) intersection eliminates left-turn and through movements from the minor road. Instead, drivers must turn right onto the main road and complete a U-turn at a downstream median opening. Recognized by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) as a proven safety countermeasure, RCUT intersections have reduced fatal and injury crashes 22 – 63%. Despite more than 35 RCUT intersections in operation across Kentucky, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) lacked specific guidance for their planning, design, construction, and operation.

This project, conducted by the Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) in cooperation with KYTC, addressed this gap through a comprehensive …

The Past, The Present, And The Future Of Preclinical Mouse Models For Alzheimer's Disease And Related Dementias., Adrian L Oblak, Michael Sasner, Gregory W. Carter, Gareth R Howell, Stacey J Sukoff Rizzo, Karina Leal, Paul R Territo, Bruce T Lamb

Faculty Research 2026

Over the past decade, the Model Organism Development and Evaluation for Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease (MODEL-AD) consortium has transformed preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD) research by addressing critical limitations in traditional mouse models that failed to translate to human disease. By leveraging human genetic discoveries, MODEL-AD has developed > 70 genetically informed mouse models, standardized phenotyping pipelines, and an open-access data infrastructure aligned with late-onset AD biology. These models incorporate human risk variants, environmental factors, and aging to better capture disease complexity, including emerging recognition of mixed pathologies such as vascular contributions, Lewy body disease, and TDP-43 proteinopathy. Despite substantial progress, key challenges …

A Collaborative Framework For Uncovering Molecular And Cellular Drivers Of Vcid: Foundations For Future Interventions In Dementia., M Luisa Iruela-Arispe, Jason D Hinman, Andrew C Yang, Fabrice Dabertrand, Jin-Moo Lee, Gareth R Howell, The Vcid Centers Without Walls Network

Faculty Research 2026

Vascular-related factors are now considered major contributors to most forms of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. However, the degree to which vascular deficits contribute to risk, onset, and progression of cognitive impairment and dementia has only recently been appreciated. Our understanding of the mechanisms by which vascular deficits drive cognitive decline in dementia is still limited. Further, the testing of therapeutic approaches to prevent vascular deficits to treat dementia are few. These factors motivated the establishment of the Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (VCID) Center Without Walls (CWOW) network, comprising institutes across the United States. We describe the current …

Inhibition Of Moesin And Cd44 In Stem Cell-Derived Neurons Affects The Pathological Genetic Signature Associated With Alzheimer's Disease., Eiden H Brewer, Charles A Williams, Gregory Cary, Ranjita Betarbet, Inez K A Pranoto, Elizabeth L Zoeller, Haian Fu, Allan I Levey, Jesse C Wiley, Gregory W. Carter, Jessica E Young, Treat-Ad Consortium

Faculty Research 2026

INTRODUCTION: Post mortem proteomic analysis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain tissue has identified novel target genes and proteins for potential therapeutic development. Moesin (MSN) and CD44 were identified as candidate targets. Using human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs)-derived neurons, we assayed how reducing gene expression of MSN and CD44 affected amyloid beta secretion, tau phosphorylation, and transcriptional state.

METHODS: Knockdown of MSN and CD44 in hiPSC-derived neurons was performed using short hairpin RNA (shRNA). Amyloid precursor protein processing and intracellular tau phosphorylation was measured using chemiluminescent ELISA assays. Global gene expression was analyzed by bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq).

RESULTS: Knockdown …

An Adaptive Wide Current-Load Range Capacitor-Less Ldo With Ultra-Low Power, Will Wright

Theses

Power management circuits are the foundation of any electrical system. They are designed to provide the current necessary for systems to function while keeping the supply voltage constant regardless of operating conditions or external disturbances such as changes in temperature. In modern Systems on Chips (SOC) targeted towards bio-sensing and Internet of Things (IoT) severe constraints appear on the systems level in terms of area and available power. External passive components are very expensive due to the premium of area and the circuits need to use as little power as possible to extend battery life. Traditional Low DropOut regulators (LDOs) …

The Interactions That Shape Us: An Investigation Of The Supernova Engine’S Effect On Bbh Mergers, And Of Stellar Encounters In The Disks Of Active Galactic Nuclei, Zoe A. Rosenberg

Theses

Mergers and other close interactions between astrophysical objects such as black holes and stars are powerful and energetic occurrences, capable of creating heavy elements, forming intriguing remnants, and shaping the populations of stars and compact objects around them. In this thesis, we describe two studies which examine two types of close gravitational events: isolated binary black hole mergers and dynamic stellar interactions in a dense environment. For our first study, we investigate how modifying the speed of convection in the engine behind core-collapse supernova explosions affects the population of merging binary black holes. To get an accurate picture of this …

A Systematized Review Of Parent Experiences With Special Education Placement In Rural Communities, Madeline Bishop

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Parents of children enrolled in special education programs often face unique challenges, particularly in rural settings where access to resources and communication with school personnel can be limited. This systematized review explores how rural school systems can best support parents during the special education process. A systematized review of articles published between 2005 and 2025 was conducted. A thematic analysis of 20 articles revealed 3 themes following the review: benefits and barriers to rural special education, professional relationships, and parents’ strain and appreciation. Overall findings highlight the importance of the experiences between parents and school personnel regarding special education. Limited …

Cellular Senescence Links Muscle Atrophy And Posttraumatic Osteoarthritis After Acl Injury, Alexander R. Keeble, Allison Owen, Sara Gonzalez-Velez, Nicholas T. Thomas, Camille R. Brightwell, Peyton J. Balawender, Madeline G. O'Daniel, Helena C. Weiss, Haley Noehren, Heather Thompson, Karen Sofia Zuluaga-Osorio, Zane T. Bates, Lauren Gottlieb, Douglas E. Long, Douglas Harrison, Philip Kern, Caitlin E. Conley, Michael A. Samaan, Stephen Duncan, Austin Stone, Darren Johnson, Yuan Wen, Brian Noehren, Cory Dungan, Christopher Fry

Biology Faculty Publications

Traumatic knee injury leads to posttraumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) and significant skeletal muscle weakness, resulting in chronic disability. The current standard of care frequently fails to prevent musculoskeletal dysfunction, underscoring the need to identify therapeutic mechanisms of PTOA. Using an established preclinical anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) transection model of PTOA and leveraging an innovative SPiDER-senescence-associated β-galactosidase stain to discern senescent cells, we investigated cellular senescence at single-cell resolution and identified anti-inflammatory macrophages as a predominant contributor to the senescent cell burden in both muscle and knee joint after injury. Clearance of senescent cells using the senolytic dasatinib and quercetin (D + …

Chameleon Carriers In Trucking: Detection, Enforcement, And Financial And Safety Impacts, Brian Howell, Drew Law, Andrew Martin

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Chameleon carriers are motor carriers that evade regulatory enforcement by dissolving and reregistering under new corporate identities. This study, commissioned by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), examined how states characterize, detect, and respond to chameleon carrier activity and assessed its financial and safety impacts in Kentucky from 2020 through 2025. The research team conducted a literature review of existing agency practices and relevant stakeholder perspectives, reviewed administrative codes and statutes across 13 pilot states, and administered two structured surveys to state motor carrier credentialing officials examining carrier characterization and enforcement practices. An analysis of KYTC's carrier data flagged by CVIEW …

Assessing And Correcting Bias In Gridded Reference Evapotranspiration Over Agricultural Lands Across The Contiguous United States, John M. Volk, Christian Dunkerly, Justin L. Huntington, Blake A. Minor, Yeonuk Kim, Charles G. Morton, Peter Revelle, Ayse Kilic, Forrest Melton, Richard G. Allen, Christopher Pearson, Adam J. Purdy, Todd G. Caldwell

AES Faculty Publications and Presentations

Gridded reference evapotranspiration (ET_o) data are widely used for agricultural water management and remote sensing evapotranspiration (RSET) models, but biases can arise where coarse meteorological inputs fail to capture agricultural microclimates. We investigated biases in the gridMET ET_o product across irrigated agricultural areas of the contiguous United States using ET_o calculated from 793 agricultural weather stations, then used those stations to develop monthly correction surfaces. Results show that gridMET systematically overestimates ET_o by 10–20% at most cropland sites, while pockets of underestimation appear in some arid western regions, primarily due to wind speed bias. Wind …

Alaska Plugged And Abandoned Wells And Sectoral Drone Integration: Lessons From A Limited Survey, Michael S. Jones

ISER Reports

Remediation of improperly plugged and abandoned oil and gas wells has drawn substantial federal funding, but identifying which historical wells retain a living responsible party is a prerequisite to remediation.  Using Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission records, we resolved the 178 distinct operators of record on thousands of plugged and abandoned wells and spatially and temporally mapped Alaska's plugged and abandoned well population.

Of Writing, Community And Transformation: Lessons Learned From A Faculty Developer, María Lucía Guerrero Farías

GHEA21 Publications

No abstract provided.

Aegic Blogposts - Grain Supply Chains, Ross Kingwell, Peter Elliott

Grain and other field crops published reports

The Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC) was an independent, not-for-profit organisation established in 2012 by the Western Australian Government and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). Its core mission was to increase the value and international competitiveness of Australia’s multibillion-dollar export grains industry. AEGIC ceased operation at the end of 2025.

Early in its history between 20 to 30 staff from the former Western Australian Department of Agriculture were seconded to AEGIC. Following the formation of DPIRD, AEGIC continued to receive substantial annual funding support from DPIRD.

This publication is a legacy document containing collated AEGIC blog posts …

Aegic Blogposts - Grain Pricing, Ross Kingwell, Peter Elliott, Chris Carter

Grain and other field crops published reports

The Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC) was an independent, not-for-profit organisation established in 2012 by the Western Australian Government and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). Its core mission was to increase the value and international competitiveness of Australia’s multibillion-dollar export grains industry. AEGIC ceased operation at the end of 2025.

Early in its history between 20 to 30 staff from the former Western Australian Department of Agriculture were seconded to AEGIC. Following the formation of DPIRD, AEGIC continued to receive substantial annual funding support from DPIRD.

This publication is a legacy document containing collated AEGIC blog posts …

Aegic Blogposts - Grain Demand In Key Regions And Countries, Ross Kingwell, Sean Cowman, Peter Elliott, Chris Carter

Grain and other field crops published reports

The Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC) was an independent, not-for-profit organisation established in 2012 by the Western Australian Government and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). Its core mission was to increase the value and international competitiveness of Australia’s multibillion-dollar export grains industry. AEGIC ceased operation at the end of 2025.

Early in its history between 20 to 30 staff from the former Western Australian Department of Agriculture were seconded to AEGIC. Following the formation of DPIRD, AEGIC continued to receive substantial annual funding support from DPIRD.

This publication is a legacy document containing collated AEGIC blog posts …

Aegic Blogposts - Grain Demand Overview, Ross Kingwell, Paul Meibusch, Jorge E. Mayer, Richard Williams, Peter Elliott, Chris Carter

Grain and other field crops published reports

The Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC) was an independent, not-for-profit organisation established in 2012 by the Western Australian Government and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). Its core mission was to increase the value and international competitiveness of Australia’s multibillion-dollar export grains industry. AEGIC ceased operation at the end of 2025.

Early in its history between 20 to 30 staff from the former Western Australian Department of Agriculture were seconded to AEGIC. Following the formation of DPIRD, AEGIC continued to receive substantial annual funding support from DPIRD.

This publication is a legacy document containing collated AEGIC blog posts …

Aegic Blogposts - Grain Demand: Health And Environmental Issues, Ross Kingwell, Nicholas Thorsager, Chris Carter

Grain and other field crops published reports

The Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC) was an independent, not-for-profit organisation established in 2012 by the Western Australian Government and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). Its core mission was to increase the value and international competitiveness of Australia’s multibillion-dollar export grains industry. AEGIC ceased operation at the end of 2025.

Early in its history between 20 to 30 staff from the former Western Australian Department of Agriculture were seconded to AEGIC. Following the formation of DPIRD, AEGIC continued to receive substantial annual funding support from DPIRD.

This publication is a legacy document containing collated AEGIC blog posts …

Aegic Blogposts - Grain Industry Productivity, Ross Kingwell

Grain and other field crops published reports

The Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC) was an independent, not-for-profit organisation established in 2012 by the Western Australian Government and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). Its core mission was to increase the value and international competitiveness of Australia’s multibillion-dollar export grains industry. AEGIC ceased operation at the end of 2025.

Early in its history between 20 to 30 staff from the former Western Australian Department of Agriculture were seconded to AEGIC. Following the formation of DPIRD, AEGIC continued to receive substantial annual funding support from DPIRD.

This publication is a legacy document containing collated AEGIC blog posts …

Professor Greenfeld’S Last Class: Notes For Online Lectures On “The Science Of Humanity,” Delivered To Students And Scholars Primarily From India, July 2025, Liah Greenfeld

Comparative Civilizations Review

The question for this class is: What is humanity?

We all believe we all know what it is, don’t we? After all, there is hardly any subject more important for us, a question on the answer to which other subjects depend — political, social, economic. Answers to questions such as: what are human economic needs and desires; what political structures are optimal for humans; is democracy, for instance, a universal human desire; should politics in every nation be democratic, or, perhaps, authoritarian governments are better; is freedom a natural need, does it make life better, does equality?

Investigations Into The Structure-Property Relationships Of Magnetic Fe2mnsn And Gradient Copt Thin Films For Next-Generation Magnetic Technologies, Lance Griswold

Theses

e study of spin-based electronic phenomena, or spintronics, has become increasingly important in materials science and condensed matter physics due to its potentialto enable next-generation magnetic technologies, including advanced memory devices and quantum computing. Central to this field is the relationship between a material’s atomic structure and its physical properties, which requires precise control over synthesis conditions to achieve desired magnetic and electronic behavior. In this work, I investigate the structure–property relationships of several magnetic thin-film systems, each designed to address a specific technological challenge. All films were synthesized using magnetron co-sputtering from elemental magnetic and non-magnetic targets, either at …

Measurement Of Kerr Rotation Using A Variable-Angle Polarizer Method, Shusmita Podder Pooza

Theses

The magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) occurs when polarized light is reflected from a magnetized surface, causing changes in polarization angle (called Kerr rotation) and its state (linear vs elliptical, for example). In a simple version, MOKE measurement involves measuring the intensity of the reflected beam off the surface of a sample as an external magnetic field is swept through it. We record a change in the reflected intensity when the magnetization of the material changes. While easily measurable using modern electronics methods, the Kerr rotation is minimal, only of the order of milliradians (~0.1 deg), and is a characteristic of …

Power Signature-Based Hardware Security Techniques For The Internet Of Things, Ashish Mahanta

Dissertations

The rapid proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT) has introduced significant security challenges, particularly concerning stealthy, instruction-level malicious code injections that evade traditional software defenses. While conventional power analysis techniques are highly effective at detecting such subtle abnormalities, they require capturing high-resolution, voluminous power trace data. This dependency necessitates bulky data acquisition (DAQ) instrumentation, power-hungry analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), and intensive computational resources, making these methods impractical for deployment on resource-constrained IoT devices. To bridge this critical gap, this dissertation presents a novel hardware security paradigm, the Power Rising and Descending Signature (PRIDES) methodology. Instead of quantizing actual power consumption …

Automated Guided Wave Characterization Of Marcelling: In-Plane Fiber Waviness In Thermoplastic Composites, Sourav Banerjee, Ana Tudor, Corey Leydig, Thomas Ferguson, Tally Bovender, Darun Barazanchy, Josh Widosky, Paul Ziehl

Faculty Publications

Thermoplastic composite (TPC) materials often develop in-plane fiber waviness during manufacturing, a defect known as marcelling. Marcelling negatively impacts the strength and overall performance of the composite and are hard to control. While it may appear as a surface imperfection, it can also extend partially through the thickness of the material. Currently, there is no established nondestructive evaluation (NDE) method to reliably detect and quantify marcelling in composites after manufacturing. As marcelling is not a local defect but spans across the surface in in-plane dimensions of the structure, traditional pulse-echo and phased-array ultrasonic NDE are ineffective. Automated multi-directional guided …

Thermal Conversion Of Cotton Gin Byproducts Into Liquid Fuels And High-Value Chemicals, Emmanuel Asare

Mechanical Engineering Theses

In this study, we performed fast pyrolysis, catalytic fast pyrolysis (CFP), and catalytic hydropyrolysis (CHP) of cotton gin byproducts (CGB) to investigate their conversion into hydrocarbon-rich liquid fuels and high-value aromatic chemicals. Five CGB fractions (CC1, CC2, SM, TM, and FCGB) were collected from different stages of cotton ginning operation and characterized by proximate, ultimate, and higher heating value (HHV) analysis. The feedstocks contained 41.5 44.8 wt.% carbon, 54.2–58.5 wt.% volatile matter, 6.0–15 wt.% ash, and higher heating values of 15.2–16.8 MJ kg⁻¹. All pyrolysis experiments were performed using a Pyroprobe 5200 coupled with GC-MS/FID, while catalyst loading, hydrogen pressure, …

Predictors Of The Mother-Infant Bond: The Role Of Maternal Attachment Style, Parity, Race, And Motherhood Expectations, Samia Qadri

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study examined how maternal attachment style, parity, race, and motherhood expectations, individually and in interaction, predicted the quality of the mother-infant bond during the postpartum period. Grounded in a maternal feminist framework, the study used a quantitative, cross-sectional correlational design. Postpartum mothers aged 20–39 (N = 87) completed validated measures of maternal attachment style, motherhood expectations, mother-infant bonding, and depressive symptoms. Multiple regression compared a Primary Model containing the four focal predictors and planned interaction terms with a Secondary Model that added maternal depressive symptoms as a covariate. Depressive symptoms emerged as the strongest single predictor of bonding, and …

2026-08-06 Executive Council Minutes, Susie Salazar

Executive Council Minutes

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Democracy And Climate Policy Nexus, Democracy Mechanisms, And Policy Volatility, Brenna Magliacane

Theses & ETDs

A growing area of climate research explores the forms of government best equipped to confront the climate crisis and shape long-term environmental policy. The theories amongst this research seem to advocate for polar solutions: authoritarianism or democracy. Climate change and related ecological challenges increasingly test the capacity of existing political systems to deliver timely and effective responses. This research project aims to answer the questions: To what extent does democracy influence the adoption and implementation of national climate policy? How do democracies and autocracies differ in the strength and durability of their climate policies? Investigating this relationship can inform future …